﻿562 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  place 
  spirits 
  (mountains, 
  rivers, 
  etc.) 
  is 
  more 
  important 
  than 
  any 
  car- 
  

   dinal 
  direction. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  meager 
  sacrifices 
  deposited 
  at 
  the 
  cairns 
  and 
  

   offerings 
  to 
  the 
  dead, 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  varied 
  list 
  of 
  objects 
  is 
  offered 
  to 
  the 
  

   supernatural 
  beings. 
  Among 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  are 
  coca, 
  libations 
  

   of 
  intoxicants, 
  smoke 
  (incense, 
  tobacco), 
  aji, 
  salt, 
  flowers, 
  q'oa 
  (Mentha 
  

   pulegium), 
  blood 
  sacrifices, 
  llama 
  fetuses, 
  llama 
  and 
  vicuna 
  fat, 
  an 
  

   unidentified 
  mineral 
  (qolpa), 
  silver 
  and 
  gold 
  (represented 
  today 
  by 
  

   silver 
  and 
  gold 
  leaf 
  or 
  by 
  galena 
  ore 
  and 
  iron 
  pyrites), 
  little 
  metal 
  

   figurines 
  (ciuci), 
  food 
  (the 
  most 
  perfect 
  vegetables 
  and 
  fish), 
  and 
  a 
  

   miscellaneous 
  array 
  of 
  candies, 
  cookies, 
  and 
  other 
  sweetmeats. 
  

  

  Elaborate 
  sacrifices 
  are 
  restricted 
  to 
  rites 
  performed 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  

   (paqo) 
  and 
  black 
  (laiqa) 
  magicians. 
  (See 
  Practitioners 
  of 
  Magic, 
  p. 
  

   564, 
  and 
  pi. 
  Ill, 
  top, 
  right.) 
  The 
  offerings 
  are 
  extremely 
  stereotyped; 
  

   a 
  few 
  serve 
  for 
  all 
  purposes 
  and 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  all 
  supernatural 
  beings. 
  

  

  Libations 
  (often 
  to 
  the 
  east) 
  accompany 
  literally 
  every 
  ritual 
  act 
  

   and 
  include 
  sweet 
  and 
  intoxicating 
  chicha, 
  alcohol, 
  wine, 
  and 
  sweet- 
  

   ened 
  water. 
  They 
  are 
  commonly 
  poured 
  from 
  sea 
  shells, 
  silver 
  bowls, 
  

   gourds, 
  or 
  wooden 
  keros. 
  

  

  Coca 
  is 
  offered 
  in 
  many 
  forms, 
  the 
  leaves 
  usually 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  three. 
  

   In 
  formal 
  ceremonials, 
  however, 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  offering 
  is 
  six 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  leaves 
  placed 
  one 
  over 
  the 
  other 
  (aita), 
  green 
  side 
  up, 
  with 
  a 
  

   sprinkling 
  of 
  Mentha 
  (q'oa) 
  and 
  shaved 
  llama 
  fat 
  on 
  top. 
  In 
  more 
  

   complicated 
  offerings, 
  144 
  aita 
  are 
  prepared 
  and 
  arranged 
  in 
  12 
  rows 
  

   of 
  12 
  each. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  elaborate 
  all-purpose 
  offerings 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  square 
  

   block 
  molded 
  from 
  shaved 
  llama 
  fat 
  and 
  coated 
  with 
  gold 
  and 
  silver 
  

   leaf. 
  On 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  are 
  placed 
  pairs 
  of 
  little 
  metal 
  figurines, 
  which 
  

   represent 
  all 
  the 
  possessions 
  coveted 
  by 
  the 
  average 
  Aymara 
  through- 
  

   out 
  his 
  life. 
  At 
  midnight, 
  this 
  offering 
  is 
  burned 
  with 
  coca 
  in 
  a 
  ring 
  

   of 
  dry 
  llama 
  manure, 
  and 
  the 
  ashes 
  deposited 
  in 
  a 
  river. 
  

  

  Young 
  white 
  male 
  llamas 
  are 
  most 
  commonly 
  offered 
  in 
  blood 
  sac- 
  

   rifices, 
  although 
  occasionally 
  sheep 
  or 
  bulls 
  are 
  also 
  killed. 
  On 
  less 
  

   important 
  occasions, 
  guinea 
  pigs 
  are 
  sacrificed 
  (Bandelier, 
  1910, 
  

   p. 
  154). 
  The 
  sacrificial 
  animal 
  is 
  tied 
  kneeling 
  and 
  facing 
  east. 
  As 
  

   the 
  sun 
  rises 
  its 
  throat 
  is 
  cut 
  and 
  the 
  blood 
  collected 
  in 
  basins, 
  sea 
  

   shells, 
  or 
  wooden 
  keros 
  (pi. 
  Ill, 
  bottom, 
  left). 
  Then 
  the 
  heart 
  is 
  cut 
  

   out 
  and 
  burned 
  with 
  offerings. 
  Less 
  frequently, 
  the 
  animal 
  is 
  killed 
  

   by 
  cutting 
  into 
  the 
  side 
  through 
  the 
  groin 
  and 
  removing 
  the 
  heart. 
  

  

  A 
  llama 
  fetus 
  is 
  an 
  especially 
  important 
  offering, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  

   thought 
  to 
  compel 
  the 
  spirits 
  to 
  act 
  when 
  other 
  offerings 
  have 
  failed. 
  

   The 
  fetuses 
  are 
  often 
  covered 
  with 
  gold 
  and 
  silver 
  leaf 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  

   burned. 
  

  

  The 
  Aymara 
  possess 
  a 
  wide 
  variety 
  of 
  amulets 
  (ila), 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  

   are 
  purchased 
  from 
  the 
  traveling 
  doctors 
  (qolawayu). 
  Amulets 
  in- 
  

  

  