INDIAN BURIAL PLACES. 253 



During my excursion I had a sight of 

 the extensive paramos, which for nine months 

 in the year are never entered, on account 

 of the perpetual mists and fogs that enve- 

 lope them. During the three other months, 

 November, December, and January, they are 

 only visited by huntsmen, either to procure 

 wild cattle, or to obtain deer, — thirteen 

 or fourteen of which may be killed in a day 

 by forty or fifty dogs. 



From seeing the great number of burial 

 places of the Indians, called guacas, I de- 

 termined to ask permission to inspect them, 

 and wrote accordingly to the Intendente of 

 Bogota for permission, which was immedi- 

 ately granted — with the proviso, that if I 

 obtained any treasure, I must pay five per 

 cent, on it to the state. 



In consequence of this permission, I 

 opened a considerable number of sepul- 



