249 



On a close examination of the rock of Inti- 

 Guaicu we discovered, that the concentric circles 

 were, small veins of brown iron ore, very com- 

 mon in every formation of sandstone. The fea- 

 tures, which indicate the eyes and the mouth, 

 are evidently traced by means of some metallic 

 tool ; we may suppose, that they were added by 

 the Peruvian priests, in order to impose more 

 readily on the people. On the arrival of the 

 Spaniards, the missionaries were highly inte- 

 rested in withdrawing from the eyes of the na- 

 tives whatever was the object of ancient venera- 

 tion ; and we still find traces of the chisel era- 

 ployed in effacing the image of the Sun. 



According to the interesting researches of 

 Mr. Vater, the word Inti r Sun, offers no ana- 

 logy with any known idiom of the Old Continent. 

 In general, out of eighty-three American lan- 

 guages examined by this respectable writer, and 

 by Dr. Barton of Philadelphia, we have hitherto 

 recognized but one hundred and thirty-seven 

 roots, which were found in the languages of Asia 

 and Europe ; namely, in those of the Mantchou 

 Tartars, the Monguls, the Celts, the Biscayans, 

 and the Esthonians. This curious result seems 

 to prove what we have already advanced in 

 speaking of the mythology of the Mexicans. It 

 cannot be doubted, that the greater part of the 

 nations of America belong to a race of men,, 



