Ch.XI. south AMERICA. 461; 



larger and fmaller veflels of both kinds of earth, nfed 

 in making and keeping the chicha. 



Among the gold pieces are the nofe-jevvels, 

 -which in form refemble the foot of a chalice, and 

 very little lefs : thefe were appended to the fep- 

 tum, which divides the two noflrils. There are 

 alio found collars, bracelets, and ear pendants, re- 

 fembling the nofe -jewels : but all thefe are no thicker 

 .than paper : the .idols, which are at full length, are 

 €very where hollow within and as they are all of 

 one piece, without any mark of foldering, the me- 

 thod they ufed in making them is not eafily con- 

 ceived. If it be faid that they were caft : flill 

 the difficulty remains, how the mould could be of 

 fuch a fragility as to be taken away without damag- 

 ing works, which, in all their parts, are fo extremely 

 thin. 



The maize has ever been the delight of 'the In- 

 dians ; for, befides being their food^ their favorite 

 liquor chicha was made of it ; the Indian artifts 

 therefore ufed to fhew their fkill in making ears of 

 it in a kind of very hard ftone ; and fo perfedt was 

 the refemblance, that they could hardly be diftin- 

 guifhed by the eye from nature ; efpecially as the 

 colour was imitated to the greateft perfe6lion fome 

 reprefented the yellow maize, fome the white ; and 

 in others the grains feemed as if fmoke-dried by 

 the length of time they had been kept in their houfes. 

 The moft furprizing circumftance of the whole 

 ' is, the manner of their working, which, when we 

 confider their want of inftruments and wretched form 

 of thofe they had, appears an inexplicable my- 

 ftery : for either they w^orked with copper tools, a 

 metal little able to refift the hardnefs of Hones ; or, 

 to give the nice polifh confpicuous on their works, 

 pther ftones muft have been ufed for tools. But 

 the labour, nme, and patience, requifite to make 



ypL. L H h pnly 



