﻿572 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  nial 
  direction, 
  but 
  little 
  attention 
  is 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  sun 
  either 
  in 
  ritual 
  or 
  

   in 
  everyday 
  behavior. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  star 
  lore 
  and 
  some 
  

   constellations 
  are 
  named. 
  The 
  moon, 
  however, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   heavenly 
  body, 
  all 
  aspects 
  of 
  agriculture 
  being 
  governed 
  by 
  its 
  phases 
  

   and 
  appearance 
  (Paredes, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  85). 
  Because 
  the 
  word 
  paxsi 
  

   means 
  both 
  "moon" 
  and 
  "month," 
  it 
  is 
  presumed 
  that 
  the 
  Aymara 
  

   possessed 
  a 
  lunar 
  calendar 
  in 
  pre-Spanish 
  times. 
  Cieza 
  makes 
  the 
  

   obscure 
  statement 
  that 
  the 
  Colla 
  counted 
  their 
  year 
  from 
  "ten 
  months 
  

   to 
  ten 
  months" 
  (Cieza 
  de 
  Le6n, 
  1924, 
  p. 
  319). 
  The 
  month 
  names 
  are 
  

   not 
  used 
  today, 
  although 
  Bertonio 
  gives 
  an 
  incomplete 
  list 
  (Bertonio, 
  

   1879 
  b). 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  Aymara, 
  like 
  the 
  Inca, 
  named 
  a 
  

   month 
  after 
  its 
  outstanding 
  fiesta. 
  Although 
  the 
  equinoxes 
  are 
  not 
  

   recognized, 
  the 
  solstices 
  are 
  ascertained 
  by 
  observing 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  

   the 
  sun 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  fixed 
  geographical 
  points. 
  

  

  The 
  Aymara's 
  numerical 
  system 
  is 
  decimal 
  and 
  has 
  words 
  for 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  up 
  to 
  1,000; 
  quantities 
  larger 
  than 
  this 
  are 
  called 
  simply 
  "un- 
  

   countable 
  thousands." 
  The 
  fingers 
  aid 
  counting, 
  the 
  spaces 
  between 
  

   being 
  counted 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  fingers. 
  The 
  simple 
  quipu, 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  

   knotted 
  strings, 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  keep 
  records 
  in 
  numerical 
  form; 
  strings 
  of 
  

   different 
  colors 
  represent 
  the 
  categories 
  while 
  each 
  knot 
  indicates 
  one 
  

   unit. 
  Pebbles 
  are 
  occasionally 
  employed 
  as 
  a 
  mnemonic 
  aid 
  to 
  count- 
  

   ing 
  warp 
  threads 
  when 
  weaving; 
  each 
  pebble 
  represents 
  10 
  threads. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  Aymara 
  possessed 
  no 
  writing 
  in 
  pre-Spanish 
  times, 
  they 
  

   invented 
  a 
  pictographic 
  system 
  during 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Period 
  (Nordens- 
  

   kiold, 
  1930, 
  pp. 
  107-08). 
  

  

  The 
  Aymara 
  possess 
  measures 
  of 
  distance 
  ranging 
  from 
  several 
  

   inches 
  to 
  several 
  miles. 
  The 
  smallest 
  named 
  measurement 
  is 
  the 
  

   width 
  of 
  the 
  hand, 
  excluding 
  the 
  thumb. 
  Others 
  include 
  the 
  distance 
  

   between 
  the 
  outstretched 
  thumb 
  and 
  index 
  finger, 
  between 
  the 
  thumb 
  

   and 
  little 
  finger, 
  between 
  the 
  sternum 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  outstretched 
  

   right 
  arm, 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  fingertips 
  of 
  both 
  hands 
  when 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  

   outstretched 
  laterally. 
  The 
  greatest 
  measurement 
  is 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   "league" 
  or 
  topo, 
  approximately 
  5 
  miles 
  (8.05 
  km.) 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  Apparently 
  the 
  only 
  Aymara 
  surface 
  measurement 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  topo, 
  

   an 
  area 
  of 
  some 
  2.4 
  acres 
  (1 
  hectare). 
  La 
  Barre 
  adds 
  that 
  the 
  topo 
  

   also 
  designates 
  a 
  dry 
  measure 
  of 
  about 
  1% 
  bushels 
  (52.86 
  liters), 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  a 
  wet 
  measure 
  of 
  approximately 
  12 
  gallons 
  (45.42 
  liters) 
  (La 
  

   Barre, 
  ms.). 
  Other 
  measurements 
  of 
  volume 
  are 
  the 
  single 
  and 
  double 
  

   handful. 
  Vegetable 
  produce 
  is 
  frequently 
  measured 
  by 
  sacks, 
  which 
  

   are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  uniform 
  in 
  size. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  Aymara 
  possess 
  no 
  native 
  measures 
  of 
  weight. 
  

   The 
  antiquity 
  of 
  the 
  beam-scale 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  doubtful. 
  

  

  Space 
  precludes 
  discussion 
  of 
  Aymara 
  folk 
  science, 
  which 
  is 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  well 
  treated 
  by 
  La 
  Barre 
  (ms.). 
  Botanical, 
  zoological, 
  and 
  ana- 
  

   tomical 
  knowledge 
  is 
  exceptionally 
  rich. 
  

  

  