The Prehistoric World or Vanished races Part 56

We must not forget to notice the arts of the Chimu people. The walls of the inner edifices were often ornamented as is seen in the following cut, of which the upper one is stucco-work and the lower one is in relief. Adobe bricks are allowed to project out, forming the ornamental design. Other ornaments of stucco-work were observed. The second figure on this page gives us an idea of this style of ornaments. As an evidence of how the climate of Peru preserves ruins, we would mention that, though this last stucco-work has been exposed to the elements for probably several centuries, yet it is still apparently perfect.

Ill.u.s.tration of Ornamentation of Walls.---------------Ill.u.s.tration of Adobe Ornament.-----------------------

The Chimu people were certainly very expert workmen in gold and silver.

De Leon a.s.serts that, when the Incas conquered them, they took to Cuzco many of the artisans of the country, "because they were very expert in the working of metals, and the fashioning of jewels and vases in gold and silver." In the cut following we have two vases--the smaller one of gold, the larger of silver. The material is very thin, and the ornaments are produced by hammering from the inside.

Ill.u.s.tration of Gold and Silver Vases.---------------Ill.u.s.tration of Bronze Knives and Tweezers.-------------

Besides such works as just described they had the art of casting representations of men, animals, and reptiles in silver--sometimes hollow, sometimes solid. They even cast more complex objects. Mr. Squier says he has one "representing three figures--one of a man, and two women, in a forest. It rises from a circular base about six inches in diameter, and weighs forty-eight and a half ounces. It is solid throughout--or, rather, is cast in a single piece, and rings, when struck, like a bell." The trees, he says, are well represented, their branches spreading in every direction. The human figures are also well proportioned, and full of action. They also knew how to manufacture bronze. Many agricultural implements are found, not only at Chimu, but all along the coast. In the preceding cut we have bronze knives and tweezers--also, a war-club of the same material.

All the coast tribes of Peru excelled in the manufacture of pottery.

Mr. Squier tells us that, in this sort of work we find "almost every combination of regular or geometrical figures"--men, birds, animals, fishes, etc., are reproduced in earthenware. In this cut we have one of the many forms. Notice the serpent emblem.

Ill.u.s.tration of Water-jar.---------------------Ill.u.s.tration of Water-jars from Ancon,-----------

The people of Chimu, whose ruins we have been describing, belong to the coast division--differing in many respects from the Peruvian tribes in the interior. Our information in regard to the coast people is very limited. We have to judge them almost entirely from the ruins of their towns, and the remains of their handiwork. There is no reason to suppose they were the inferiors of the Peruvians in culture. It is quite the custom to speak of them as if they were low savages before the Incas conquered the country; and that they owe to the latter all their advance in culture. On the contrary, we may well doubt whether their condition was at all improved by the Inca conquest. The coast people are supposed to have been conquered about one hundred years before the Spanish conquest. It was only after a most stubborn resistance that the princ.i.p.al valleys were subdued.

Ill.u.s.tration of Cloth found in Grave.-----------------

It is not necessary, neither have we s.p.a.ce, to give a review of all the ruins along the coast. They are very plentiful. There is not an inhabitable valley but that they abound there. The soil where not irrigated is very dry, and tends to preserve any thing buried therein.

All the coast people buried their dead; hence it is that we find, in nearly all the coast valleys, such extensive cemeteries. At Ancon, for instance, twenty miles north of Lima it is simply wonderful how extensive the cemeteries are. Mr. Hutchinson says they extend for miles.

Very extensive explorations have been made here for scientific purposes.

We have given, earlier, some water-jars excavated at Ancon, in last ill.u.s.tration we have some specimens of cloth found in graves farther north; and in the same locality was found a very wonderful piece of feather-work. The small feathers were so fastened to a ground of cotton cloth that they could not be pulled off.

Ill.u.s.tration of Wall in Huatica Valley.----------

Another noted place, about the same distance south of Lima, is Pachacamac. Mr. Squier concludes, from the cemeteries at this place, that it was a holy place, to which pilgrims resorted from all parts of the empire so as to be laid to rest in holy ground. When we learn of so many other similar localities, we see that this conclusion does not follow. The most we can say is, that these valleys have surely been settled for a long while.

The city of Lima is situated on the south bank of the Rimac River, about six miles from the coast. Its port is the town of Callao. The valley is called the Huatica Valley. Very extensive and wonderful rains occur in this valley, between Lima and the sea. We are told these ruins are thick and close over a s.p.a.ce of a few square miles, and are inclosed within a triple wall. The last cut is given as a representation of a portion of this wall, though only a small portion here and there is still discernible. Amongst these ruins are a large number of immense mounds.

Ill.u.s.tration of Burial Mound, or Huaca.------------

Some are huacas, or burial mounds; and some are in the nature of fortresses. It is best to explain a little more particularly about the burial mounds of the coast region of Peru. This cut gives us an idea of their appearance. As to their construction Mr. Squier says: "Many if not most of the pyramids, or huacas, were originally solid--built up of successive vertical layers of bricks, or compacted clay, around a central ma.s.s or core."

But this is not always the case; since in many huacas we find walls, in some rooms, and, finally, as before remarked, some apparently consist of a large, many-storied building, the rooms of which are all filled with clay. In the mound just mentioned, Mr. Hutchinson found a number of inclosures--though the work was done in a rough, shapeless manner. Mr.

Squier gives us a description of a many-roomed huaca as follows: "Thanks to the energy of treasure-hunters who have penetrated its sides, we find that it had numerous large painted chambers, was built in successive diminishing stages, ascended by zigzag stair-ways, and was stuccoed over and painted in bright colors. The conquerors filled up these chambers, and recast the edifice with a thick layer of adobe."<37>

This is surely a singular piece of work. The building just described by Mr. Squier must have been much like a pueblo. We wish we had fuller descriptions of it. Mr. Squier is eminent authority, and scholars delight to honor him for his researches. We take the liberty, however, to question some of his conclusions. How does he know that this structure was ever used for any other purpose than as a mound? It is indeed a singular way to construct a mound, but when we learn of the existence of mounds showing the different methods of work--some solid, some with walls, others with rude rooms, still others with rooms towards the top--why not say that this many-storied building was simply one style of mound-building? He claims that the Incas filled up these rooms, and transformed the house into a mound. Mr. Hutchinson claims there is no proof that the Incas did this sort of work.

As an example of fortress-mounds, also prevalent in the valley of the Huatica, we present the next cut. Mr. Hutchinson describes this mound as being eighty feet high, and about four hundred and fifty feet square.

"Some of the adobe walls, a yard and a half in thickness, are still quite perfect. That this was not likely to have been a burial-mound may be presumed from its formation. Great large square rooms show their outlines on the top, but all filled up with earth. Who brought this earth here, and, with what object was the filling up accomplished? for the work of obliterating all s.p.a.ce in these rooms with loose earth must have been almost as great as the construction of the building in itself."<38> So it seems that in the fortress-mounds also we meet with this same mysterious feature--rooms filled with earth.

Ill.u.s.tration of Fortress Mound.----------------

The Huatica Valley was also the location of a famous temple--at least such are the traditions--and ruins are pointed out as being those of the temple in question. It is simply an immense, large inclosed square, of some forty-nine acres. On each side of this square there is a huge ma.s.s of ruins, and another in the center. In our next ill.u.s.tration we have a portion of the wall surrounding the ruins on the south side of the supposed temple. This is the largest of the group of ruins. The walls are seventy feet high; the area at the top is over five acres. Here, again, we notice the same mysterious feature already referred to, for "on the top of this were also discernible the outlines of large square rooms, filled up, as all the others, even to the topmost height of seventy feet, with earth or clay."

Ill.u.s.tration of Temple Wall.----------------------

This cut is given as a fort, meaning thereby a fortress-mound, such as we have already described. It is said to be situated to one side of the temple. From this we understand that the wall seen in the cut is that already mentioned as inclosing the temple. Another ruined fortress found in this valley is given earlier.

Ill.u.s.tration of Fortress, Huatica Valley.-----------------

Twenty miles south of Lima, in the valley of the river Lurin, is an important field of ruins, known as Pachacamac, which is still the name of a small village in the neighborhood. We give a general view of the ruins. The princ.i.p.al point of interest, about it is the ruins of an old temple. Traditionally, this, is one of the most interesting points in Peru. All the coast tribes were very superst.i.tious. We have already referred to the celebrated temple near Lima. The temple at Pachacamac was of still greater renown. Arriaga, a famous ecclesiastic, took an active part in extirpating their idolatrous belief. From his accounts, it seems they were much addicted to fortune-telling. Their G.o.ds were made to give out oracles and their temples became renowned just in proportion as their priests were shrewd in this matter.

Ill.u.s.tration of Pachacamac.--------------------

Those at Pachacamac were especially skillful, and it is said, pilgrims resorted to it from all parts of the coast. As a consequence, it became very rich. The G.o.d that was worshiped here was a fish-G.o.d. The name of this G.o.d, and the name of this old town are alike lost to us. When the Incas conquered the coast people, they imposed the name of one of their own divinities on this temple, and by that name the place is now known to us.<39>

The ruins of the supposed temple are seen on the hill in the background of the picture. A number of writers speak of this hill in such terms as to imply that it was altogether artificial, like the famous pyramid at Cholula.

Mr. Squier says that it is largely artificial, but that the central core is a natural hill. He speaks of rocks cropping out on the highest part, which seem to be conclusive of the matter. They built up great terraces around this central core. These terrace walls are now in such a ruined condition that they can with difficulty be made out. We introduce this cut as a nearer view of the ruins of the temple.

Ill.u.s.tration of View of the Temple.--------------

Some writers a.s.sert that the Incas erected on the summit of this hill a temple of the sun. There are, however, no good proofs of this a.s.sertion.

According to Mr. Squier the only ruin of the Inca type of architecture is a mile and a half distant. Mr. Hutchinson noticed, on the very top of the hill, evidence of the same mysterious proceedings to which we have already referred--that is, great rooms all filled up with clay. He propounds this query: "Whose hands carried up the enormous quant.i.ties of earth that fill every s.p.a.ce and allow no definition of rooms, halls, or, indeed, of any thing but the clay itself, and the walls cropping up from amongst them?" We are afraid this query can never be answered.

Mr. Hutchinson found graves to be very plentiful all over the field of ruins. Quite a number of curiosities have been found in these graves. We present in this cut some of the same. We call especial attention to the duck-headed bowl. Compare, this with the cut given in Chapter X, and we will be struck with the similarity. Another view of the ruins at Pachacamac is given earlier in this chapter. As in the case of the ruins of Grand Chimu, the whole field of ruins was encompa.s.sed by a wall, portions of which Mr. Hutchinson observed on the north, stretching away from the sea inland. Explorers have found here true arches. They are said to exist in Northern Peru. We are at a loss to account for their appearance, for certainly the people generally were ignorant of their use.

Ill.u.s.tration of Relics from Graves at Pachacamac.-------

The valley of the Canete, the next one we meet going south, is a very large and very fertile valley. It is also full of ruins, but not differing enough from the others to justify a separate description.

About one hundred miles below Lima we notice three small islands. These are the Chincha Islands, noticeable on account of the immense quant.i.ties of guano they contain. It seems that at various depths in this guano deposits are found relics of man. In our next cut we present some of these objects. The two small vessels which were probably water jars, were found buried in the guano at a depth of sixty-two feet. The other figure, a wooden idol, was found at the depth of thirty-five feet.