480 



THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



CHAPTER II. 

 TABLE-LANDS AND PLATEAUS OF THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



Influence of Elevation upon Climate. — The Puna of Peru : Squier's Description of the Fana — 

 The Soroche or Veta — View from La Portada — Effects of the Soroche — The Sarumpe 

 — The Veruga Water — Effects of the Veta on Animals — Vegetation of the Puna — The 

 Llama — The Huanacu — The Alpaca — The Vicuna — Hunting the Vicuna — The Hunts of 

 the Ancient Incas — Enemies of the Vicuna — Other Native Animals — The Ox, Horse, 

 Mule and Sheep — Waterfowl — Warm Valleys — Rapid Change of Climate According to 

 Elevation. — Lake Titicaca : The Sacred Island of Titicaca — Manco Capac, the First Inca — 

 His Journey from Lake Titicaca to Cuzco — Fact and Myth respecting Manco Capac — 

 Extent of the Inca Empire — Inca Civilization originated in the Puna, near Lake Titicaca 

 — The Sacred Rock on the Island — Ruins and Relics on the Island — The Hacienda on the 

 Island — The Eve of St. John — The Bath of the Incas — Other Sacred Islands — Ruins at 

 Tihuanico — Some more ancient than the Incas — Immense Monolithic Gateways and Hewn 

 Stones — Inca Civilization — The Great Military Roads — System of Posts and Post-Sta- 

 tions. — The Valley of Quito: Approach to the Valley from the Pacific Coast — A Tropical 

 Region — Climbing the Cordillera — Scenes by the Way — Quito — Climate of the Valley — 

 Astronomical Site — Trees, Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers — Animals — Birds — Insects, 

 Reptiles, and Fish — The Population of the Valley — Indians — Half-Breeds — Whites — 

 Courtesy of the People — A Polite Message — Scenery of the Valley — Volcanoes— Imba- 

 bura — Destruction of Otovalo — Cayamba — Guamani — Antisana — Sincholagua — Cotopaxi 

 —The Inca's Head — Tunguragua — Altar — Sangai — Its perpetual Eruption — Chimborazo — 

 Caraguarizo — Illinza — Corazon — Pichincha — Its immense Crater — Descent into the Crater 

 — Eruptions of Pichincha. — The Table-Land of Bogota : Voyage up the Magdalena — Ascent 

 to the Plateau — Bogota and the Bogotanos — Traveling at Bogota. — Table-Land of Mexico: 

 Its Extent— The Tierra Calienta— The Tierra Templada— The Tierra Fria— The Valley 

 of Anahuac — The Volcanoes of Orizaba, Popocatapetl, Iztacihuatl, and Toluca. — The Sik- 

 kim Slope : Approach and Ascent — Dorjiling — The Sikkim Peaks — Altitude of lOnchin- 

 junga — Flight of the Condor. 



ITHIN the geographical limits of the Tropical World is found every variety 

 of climate upon the globe. There are great mountain ranges which even at 

 the equator rise above the limits of perpetual snow. Their summits, untrodden by 

 man and unvisited by any other form of animal life, must be more desolate than the 

 extremest polar regions to which explorers have been able to penetrate. Of living 

 creatures the strong-winged condor only has reached so high. Then, below these, 

 yet rising far into the air, are broad plateaus whose desolate character reminds one of 

 the tundras of Siberia and the wastes stretching across the American continent from 

 Hudson's Bay to Behring's Straits. 



One of the most notable of these lofty tropical plateaus is that extending between 

 the parallel mountain chains of the Cordilleras in South America. It is known as the 

 Puna or Altos. o^ Peru. In the popular language of the region a part of it is called 



