﻿794 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  muces 
  (Lupinus 
  sp.), 
  various 
  grasses, 
  and 
  capulies, 
  a 
  cherrylike 
  fruit. 
  

   They 
  kept 
  guinea 
  pigs, 
  and 
  hunted 
  deer, 
  rabbits, 
  and 
  birds. 
  Spears 
  

   and 
  spear 
  throwers 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  hunting. 
  

  

  Houses 
  and 
  Tillages. 
  — 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  settlements 
  were 
  quite 
  large 
  and 
  

   densely 
  populated, 
  particularly 
  Otavalo, 
  Cayambe, 
  and 
  Caranqui. 
  

   The 
  houses 
  were 
  straw-thatched 
  with 
  walls 
  of 
  wooden 
  posts 
  and 
  

   branches 
  coated 
  with 
  mud 
  inside 
  and 
  out. 
  Chief's 
  houses 
  were 
  larger 
  and 
  

   had 
  a 
  central 
  post. 
  Archeological 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  by 
  Jij6n 
  revealed 
  

   domiciliary 
  mounds, 
  with 
  fairly 
  large 
  structures 
  built 
  on 
  top. 
  

  

  Clothing. 
  — 
  Men 
  wore 
  a 
  large 
  cotton 
  blanket 
  which 
  they 
  wrapped 
  

   around 
  themselves 
  twice. 
  Women 
  wore 
  a 
  cotton 
  cloth 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  

   shoulders 
  with 
  copper 
  and 
  silver 
  pins. 
  Around 
  the 
  waist 
  they 
  wore 
  a 
  

   multicolored 
  belt, 
  and 
  over 
  their 
  shoulders 
  they 
  threw 
  a 
  small 
  blanket, 
  

   caught 
  in 
  front 
  by 
  another 
  pin, 
  a 
  tupu. 
  This 
  form 
  of 
  dress 
  was 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  influenced 
  by 
  Inca 
  wear, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  similar 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  nomen- 
  

   clature 
  to 
  clothes 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  Empire. 
  

  

  Social 
  and 
  political 
  features. 
  — 
  Chiefs 
  enjoyed 
  considerable 
  prestige. 
  

   The 
  curaca 
  was, 
  ideally, 
  the 
  strongest 
  and 
  bravest 
  man, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  

   some 
  indication 
  that 
  in 
  practice 
  the 
  office 
  was 
  inherited 
  along 
  "direct," 
  

   presumably 
  patrilinear, 
  lines. 
  The 
  land 
  belonged 
  to 
  anyone 
  who 
  

   cultivated 
  it, 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  transmitted 
  to 
  his 
  heirs. 
  The 
  chiefs 
  ad- 
  

   ministered 
  some 
  communal 
  lands, 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  which 
  took 
  care 
  of 
  

   communal 
  expenses. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  possibility, 
  however, 
  that 
  this 
  

   form 
  of 
  land 
  tenure 
  was 
  greatly 
  influenced 
  by 
  post-Conquest 
  ideas 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject. 
  

  

  Trade 
  relations 
  were 
  maintained 
  with 
  the 
  peoples 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  low- 
  

   lands, 
  who 
  brought 
  achiote 
  (a 
  red 
  coloring 
  powder) 
  , 
  parrots, 
  monkeys, 
  

   and 
  even 
  children 
  to 
  exchange 
  for 
  blankets, 
  salt, 
  and 
  dogs. 
  Cotton 
  

   was 
  also 
  imported 
  from 
  the 
  east. 
  

  

  Religion. 
  — 
  Throughout 
  the 
  Sierra, 
  the 
  surrounding 
  high 
  volcanic 
  

   mountains, 
  their 
  summits 
  covered 
  with 
  eternal 
  snow 
  and 
  almost 
  

   always 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  clouds, 
  were 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

   People 
  usually 
  thought 
  themselves 
  to 
  be 
  descended 
  from 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  obvious 
  landmarks, 
  which 
  were 
  personalized 
  and 
  imbued 
  with 
  

   gadabout 
  qualities. 
  The 
  higher 
  reaches 
  were 
  also 
  places 
  of 
  retirement 
  

   and 
  worship 
  for 
  shamans 
  and 
  hechiceros, 
  or 
  witches, 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  

   called 
  by 
  the 
  pious 
  chroniclers. 
  "Idols" 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  stone 
  are 
  

   recorded 
  for 
  Pimapiro, 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  frontier. 
  

  

  Elaborate 
  ritual 
  followed 
  death. 
  The 
  deceased 
  was 
  much 
  mourned 
  

   and 
  wept 
  over 
  by 
  family 
  and 
  neighbors, 
  who 
  brought 
  gifts 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  

   chicha. 
  His 
  body 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  burial 
  grounds 
  along 
  a 
  road 
  where 
  

   straw 
  and 
  grasses 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  were 
  burning 
  to 
  scare 
  off 
  his 
  soul. 
  This 
  

   road 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  mourning 
  party 
  on 
  their 
  return. 
  Back 
  

   home, 
  they 
  made 
  an 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  took 
  out 
  all 
  their 
  

   belongings, 
  and 
  dismantled 
  the 
  remaining 
  framework. 
  

  

  