Photograph by Hiram Bingham 



CHILDREN BEFORE A BUTTRESS OF THE CHURCH I RACCHE OR RACCHIPATA 



Showing the use of ancient carved blocks taken from the neighboring ruins of the temple 

 of Viracocha. Their temples in ruins, their history destroyed, their civilization all but for- 

 gotten in spite of the fact that they gave to the present its most productive crop — the potato — ■ 

 the Peruvian Indian is a pitiable descendant of a noble race. 



plant and discovering- a long stretch of 

 Inca roadway that leads in the direction 

 of Choqquequirau by way of a pass called 

 Choqquetarcarpo. This Inca roadway 

 was in a remarkably good state of pres- 

 ervation, although slides prevented us 

 from using it for our mules. Near it, 

 and not far from the pass, we found the 

 ruins of an ancient tavern, consisting of 

 a group of half a dozen circular houses. 



A WILD UNEXPLORED COUNTRY 



From the Colpa Valley our guide led 

 us into a wild puna country, where there 

 were many lakes and numerous bogs. 

 Had it not been for the remarkably fine 

 weather of the preceding months, we 

 should never have been able to pass 

 through this region at all ; in fact, it is 



undoubtedly on account of the large num- 

 ber and wide extent of the bogs which 

 characterize this area between Pucyura 

 and Huadquiha that it has so long re- 

 mained unexplored by the Peruvians 

 themselves. 



At last the trail, which in many places 

 followed the lines of an Inca highway, 

 came to a dark green lake, larger than the 

 rest, whose name I inquired of the guide. 

 The answer gave me a thrill. As the 

 guide shouted it back to me from the 

 head of the caravan, I thought he said 

 Ungacacha ; in fact, it sounded more like 

 this than Yanaccocha, or "Black Lake," 

 its actual name, as I learned later. 



Now, in the account of the journey of 

 the two monks from Pucyura to Vilca- 

 bamba the Old just referred to, it was 



45i 



