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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



have, which shows a possibility of ex- 

 tending the range of the corn crop in the 

 United States. 



In the tropical portions of the lower 

 valleys of the eastern Andes the Cuzco 

 type of maize gives place to another with 

 larger ears and smaller kernels, much 

 more similar to the Mexican and Central 

 American varieties, or to those that are 

 cultivated in the United States. If maize 

 originated in the Peruvian region, it 

 would be easy to understand that the 

 varieties grown at the lower elevations 

 would be much more likely to spread to 

 North America than the varieties that are 

 confined to the cool table-lands. 



The existence of the specialized high 

 altitude types of maize in Peru may be 

 taken to indicate either a very long period 

 of adaptation to the high altitudes or a 

 possible origin of maize as a high-altitude 

 plant. Whether the course of adaptation 

 has been upward or downward, the suc- 

 cess of the process is very significant of 

 the possibilities of much wider utilization 

 of maize in cool regions than has been 

 considered possible in the past. 



Maize is not a staple crop at very high 

 altitudes. Above 12,000 feet it is raised 

 in only a few places, not as a regular 

 food, but rather as a luxury for making 

 the native beer, or cJiicha. To take the 

 place of maize, tbe natives of the ele- 

 vated districts use plants that are closely 

 related to one of our common weeds, 

 called "pigweed" or "lamb's-quarters." 



PIGWEEDS FOR OATMEAL 



Two species of pigweeds are regularly 

 grown in the valleys that lead up to the 

 Pass of La Raya, between Cuzco and 

 Lake Titicaca. The large species, which 

 often attains a height of 3 or 4 feet, is 

 called quinoa, while the small species, 

 seldom more than a foot high and often 

 only 5 or 6 inches, is called canihua. In 

 general appearance both species are much 

 like our pigweed, but they are regularly 

 planted and harvested by the Peruvians, 

 and are in fact the only seed crops grown 

 in the elevated districts that are too cold 

 for maize. 



Considering quinoa as a high-altitude 

 substitute for maize means that it is 

 valued chiefly for making beer, and in 



some districts most of the crop is used in 

 this way. Only the white-seeded variety 

 of quinoa is considered suitable for eat- 

 ing, the others being very bitter, so that 

 they have to be boiled, with several 

 changes of water, in order to be made 

 palatable. The white quinoa makes an 

 excellent breakfast food, fairly compar- 

 able with oatmeal, and likely to be pre- 

 ferred by many, both for the taste and 

 texture. The seeds become soft with 

 cooking, but retain their form, and do 

 not appear so slimy as oatmeal when 

 treated in a similar manner. The leaves 

 of quinoa are also cooked and eaten as a 

 pot-herb. 



The other pigweed crop, canihua, is 

 raised altogether for food. The seeds 

 are much smaller than those of quinoa 

 and of a grayish color in the mass. They 

 are parched slightly and ground into a 

 fine flour. The chief use of canihua is as 

 a travel ration for the shepherds who go 

 out on the high plateaus with their flocks 

 of llamas, alpacas, and sheep. 



THE TREASURE OF THE INCAS 



The gold of the Indies was the attrac- 

 tion that led Columbus to sail westward, 

 that carried Cortez to Mexico and Pi- 

 zarro to Peru. The Incas had large 

 stores of the precious metal, representing, 

 no doubt, the accumulations of many cen- 

 turies. The capture of such a booty re- 

 sounded through Europe. Spain became 

 for a time the wealthiest, as well as the 

 most powerful, nation of Europe, and 

 this was ascribed to the gold of Peru. 



But Peru held another treasure much 

 more valuable for the nations of Europe 

 than the golden booty of Pizarro. Carry- 

 ing the potato to Europe was an event of 

 much more profound significance in rela- 

 tion to the subsequent history of the 

 world than sending the Inca gold to the 

 coffers of Spain. But nobody understood 

 the value of the potato, and its Peruvian 

 origin was generally forgotten before the 

 plant became well known. Instead of 

 Peruvian potatoes, we call them Irish 

 potatoes. 



The potato was the basis of the ancient 

 Peruvian nation and has attained almost 

 the same importance in other parts of the 

 world within the last hundred years. 



