FURTHER EXPLORATIONS IN THE LAND OF THE INCAS 459 



fiber ropes, out of which they constructed 

 long suspension bridges. They thought 

 nothing of handling blocks of stone 

 weighing five tons and upward. Indeed, 

 there are numerous stones that weigh 

 over 15 tons which were fitted together 

 with a skill that has amazed all beholders 

 (see the extraordinary Panorama of 

 Sacshuaman, published as a frontispiece 

 to this number, and also page 436). 



It appears that the Incas and their in- 

 fluence throughout the Andes extended 

 no farther north than the known limits 

 of the llamas and the alpacas ; in fact, the 

 development of their culture may be said 

 to have depended in large measure on 

 their success in domesticating these va- 

 rieties of the South American camel so 

 long ago that no wild members of either 

 species remain. Their ability to raise and 

 train hundreds of thousands of llamas 

 which could carry from 50 to 100 pounds 

 apiece enabled the Inca peoples to carry 

 out engineering and agricultural works 

 far more difficult than they could have 

 accomplished had they been obliged to 

 depend on human burden-bearers. 



THE SUN WAS THEIR CHIEF DIVINITY 



In religion the Incas were fond of 

 worshiping high places, fine views, and 

 other striking natural objects, such as 

 huge irregular boulders, waterfalls, and 

 springs ; the wonders of the air and the 

 sky, such as rain, thunder, the starry 

 firmament, the moon, and, above all, the 

 sun. In a cold, mountainous region like 

 the central Andes, it was but natural that 

 the sun, so essential to the raising of 

 crops and to the comfort of shivering hu- 

 manity, should have been regarded as 

 their chief divinity. 



Of literature as such they necessarily 

 had none. Like most primitive peoples, 

 they had remarkable memories. Their 

 language was probably the Ouichua. Mr. 

 Hardy, of our expedition, who has been 

 studying it, says that "for one who has 

 not learned it in childhood it is difficult 

 because of the lack of any good gram- 

 mar in either Spanish or English." He 

 then continues : 



"In the fifteen months at my disposal I 

 learned enough to enable me to carry on 

 the conversation necessary to secure in- 



formation as to trails, ruins, rivers, 

 towns, etc., and to pass some judgment 

 on their orthography. 



"My studies make me appreciate the 

 value of Quichua in furnishing side- 

 lights on the life and customs of pre- 

 Spanish inhabitants. The abundance of 

 expressions for all stages of drunkenness 

 shows that the millennium did not exist. 

 The absence of words meaning to buy 

 and sell suggests the simplicity of their 

 industrial life. The importance of agri- 

 culture is demonstrated by their having 

 but one word (Hank' ay) for our words 

 'work' and 'cultivate.' That they had not 

 gone far in philosophy is shown by the 

 lack of words to denote abstract qualities. 

 'Pacifism' was evidently known in those 

 days, for aucca was used either for en- 

 emy or soldier. 



"The adjective 'imperceptible' is made 

 up of three words, acco-sayay-Jiuchaylla, 

 meaning 'the size of little sand.' An 'in- 

 corruptible' man is one who 'does not 

 turn to one side,' mana-huakllik. To 'in- 

 herit' is literally 'to take the place of the 

 dead one,' huanukpa-raiitin-yaycuy, while 

 a 'grave' is 'the heart of the earth,' allpak- 

 soncco. 



" 'Experience' is a 'ripe heart,' po- 

 cuscca-sonccoy, and to 'experiment' is to 

 'take hold on memory,' yayay-happiy. A 

 'fervent' man is one 'having a beautifully 

 burning heart,' sumak-ratirak-soiicco; an 

 'inconstant' man has his 'heart on one 

 side.' 'Foreigners' are 'those belonging 

 to a city a great distance off,' caru-caru- 

 llaktayoc, and a 'window' is 'a hole that 

 sees,' ccahuana-ttocco." 



So far as one may judge from the 

 present-day music of the Andean peo- 

 ples, Inca music was a very simple affair, 

 limited to a few notes repeated contin- 

 ually in a minor key. 



The family tie was very strong and 

 still is. The extent to which members of 

 a family will go in alleviating suffering 

 and distress of distant relatives is per- 

 haps the most striking and delightful 

 trait in the South Americans of today. 



STRANGE THAT SO ACCOMPLISHED A 

 PEOPEE TEFT NO WRITTEN RECORD 



Most unfortunate was their failure to 

 develop an alphabet, or even some form 



