128 II E. Gregory — Geologic Reconnaissance of the 



street and adjoined by yards surrounded with forbidding, 

 cactus-covered walls — is in harmony with its topographic set- 

 ting. However, too close inspection of the village and its 

 inhabitants may detract from the picture, for, in spite of hos- 

 pitality of priest and official and the evident desire to honor 

 the stranger, it is difficult to overlook the dirt and squalor, the 

 intimate association of man and beast, and the palpably 

 unwholesome manner of life in this typical Andean settlement. 



The village of Ccoypa, while not so beautiful as Yaurisque, 

 is equally interesting, especially as regards its location. Situ- 

 ated at the base of a talus slope, the houses of Ccoypa are built 

 among bowlders whose size almost equals that of the individual 

 dwellings, and the streets and the passages constitute a laby- 

 rinth which puzzles the stranger. 



The hacienda of Ayusbamba, the objective point of our 

 geological excursion, is a typical residence of the wealthier 

 landed proprietor on the Andean plateau. A one-story build- 

 ing of stone, adobe and tile surrounds a spacious patio. The 

 sun-warmed rooms on the north side, including a sola of gener- 

 ous proportions, are occupied by the family. The other parts 

 of the building are devoted to store rooms and stables. Inti- 

 mately connected with the main building are corrals for stock, 

 and a scattering group of huts which house the workmen and 

 their families. At the north, and entered from the sala, is 

 the garden, bordered by towering Eucalypti and including 

 flowers and shrubs remarkable for abundance, variety, and 

 individual merit. To me the most attractive feature of this 

 hospitable home is the view from the garden terrace northward 

 across the Chipura chasm to the terraced fields of Ccoypa, and 

 northwestward across the Mollemolle into the magnificent can- 

 yon of the Apurimac (tigs. 3 and 4). These views, though 

 uncommon among the world's scenic features, are characteristic 

 of the Peruvian Andes. The hacienda has its own supply of 

 food, fuel and material for clothing, and has workmen skilled 

 in various trades. Little needs to be bought and little is sold ; 

 the place is commercially almost self-sufficient. The Indians, 

 young and old, are not merely hired servants, but are attached 

 to the hacienda by various ties. The relation of senor to ser- 

 vants and workmen, and the general regime at Ayusbamba, 

 remind one forcibly of a mediaeval feudal estate in which 

 independence and hospitality were closely mingled. 



General Geologic Relations. 



The area including Ayusbamba possesses great relief. The 

 lower reaches of the smaller streams (Yellile, Mollemolle, and 

 Chipura) are bordered by steep, frequently precipitous slopes, 

 and the master stream, the Apurimac, whose volume goes to 



