New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-16

The Hmazon now entors wholly into Peruvian tcrrtores
where 1t has been for some years r"s Inc below
At Nanta, 500 miles from the irVhtlo', ~
loses It's asrson and the Ucaya
The Marahon. distance OF about 200 miles aootS h
neiSga which reaches to tho heart of the Department
OF unin close the celebrated mining town OF
L. Herndon, in 1851 who reported II navgabie for draft
OF Ave feet the lowest stage OF the rver 10
point to lingo Maria further distance
S W. that the Huailaga Notwithstanding It's great
volume OF water is obstruced that IL cannot DC seau
iy navgsed by steamers of useful burden except 10 Ia
Iaguna Is miles from its mouth 1t NAV nevertheless DC
navigated at certain seasons TO the town OF iuraguas
enenced by natural circumstanc and these may
dictate alone the architecture ana arts apooe puV
their social religious and political orgalLatois Dol
hans no where better illustrated than in Peru The Inca
Empire IL to only rendered possible py inc
ped by the family or families that its founders
Long antedatng that empire lts vast area S,as
great number Of communities. tribes, or pIncIpe1h
more or less advanced civilized separated from eaoh
other however the coast by hot and almost lhpasS
c"d and trackess p1s They had but little intercourse
political dependence and they ALL when ny means u
CuzcO consolidated fell an easy prey 10 thosc III
habtants of the nigh strong or VI ero
enabled TO throw overwhelming forces suceess'oy on
the Isolated valleys radating ron tneir 81 aorg
nal American Empires 1t is easy to sec now anpU
and the exigencies arising out OF their sggreSsos
should have developed gradually that astute policy OF
statesnanship that ability organization and admihs
tration of which Incas furnished such remarkaoo
That portion Of the Andesn plateau lying between tne
Pass Rays northern extremity OF the deaca
basin aud the Pass of La Banda, near fasoo, Is ET
enclrced region drained by tae hyr OuS
Apurimac, and Pampas flowing NORTH ana the mantni11
flowing south The beds of these streams are deep anu h
narrow being merely gigantic caals OF udIns aoi o
waters collected IN num0eress vaies a'lohns ,bau
the Spanish word boson pocket And as nave ssio'
while the valleys the coast separated by ceseis'
or uninhabtabe rndS and all these are divided INTO
groups by the great rivers which, IKE Apurmac are
intransable except by the aid oil bridges Oh ""' Vi
ropes swinging dizzily in md'alr ,,.. , so
These boiSo,eS are of varying attitudes ana cons sc
quenty of various climates and productions some are
welldrained others msrshy, aud contain oohsGc,
able lakes They discharge their gathered waters, oen
IN large streams That plunge, III numDerless cataes
through dark and narrow ravues into the gorges OF ne
great rivers Inc passage IRON GhS o' and .nSs fre
Guenty among frost and and always by rocky anu
d,ffcut PATHS 6t only for the goat and the llama.
II was i'm precisely one Of these bOiSOneS the central one
of a groun or cluster lying between the NcaDayO hVe
and the Hpurmac the Incas built their capital II is
not only central in position saubrOus and productive
but the mountain barriers that separate ~ rom itS
negbors are relatively low and subsdc into passes that
NAV lie travcrsed with comparative ease while they are
| at the time readily defensble Inc RUE
the first Inca does not seem to have extended beyond
this valley and the passes loading into are strongly
fortified. with works that face outward ihaeag ene
OF the empire, before the chiefs OF tuzco eonleueSu
their career conquest by reducing the people OF the
boiSOn Of Anita Xaxguana on the n0rth ana OF UrcOs
| or Andahuayllllas on the South. ,,,
|
is divided into two nearly equal parts by tne Pss Oh
AugOstura, the narrOws, whero The mountain spurs
project toward each other into the valley leaving hardly
room enough for the roadway and the river. On the
promOntores dominating this narrow passage are the
showing this regarded strategic import
ant position for the immediate protection OF the captoa
The City of CuZcO, which occupies the site OF the an
cient capitol stands at the northern or most elevated
extremity of the bOOn valley on the lower slopes OF
three high hills the Carmenca 6acsahuanan, and Can
ua, where many riyulets the Almodena, Huatenay
aud Tullamayo or ROdadero, coming together like the
nto of arch
mayo which drains the valley, and falls INTO the Uru
to the royal family. was built ON the tongue Of
land falling off from the hull or headland OF
the sacsahuaman between tho HuatenaY and the Roda
aero.
The position OF the city, as determined by Mr. Pent
land; is lat 1872 81 s. aud long ~ W. OF GreenT9n
high and snowy mountains, IL might be supposed to have
tu Ge though co is Seldom freczng and although in the
dry season. what called Winter from May to No
fail from ali but qaeaa trees vet all this is rather from
arSu 5b Wheat ' Barley maze and p0taoe rne
the valley and the strawberry apricot and peach
of France generally much the with that of Cuzco
When We sdd these favorable conditions that not
tropical fruits may be produced abundanty, may
comprehend that Cuzco was not al unavorable site for
It's geographical position regards the country at
large as have said, wasaso such as TO make u eta
del and the dominating center OF empire Its very
II We may credit the chroncler signed CmbltcuS
ter of valleys, of which l have spoken, and
the few and narrow passes by which only
they were it was comparatively easy, have already
said for the Incas to Overwhem the inhabitants OF the
long and narrow valleys running down tho slopes of the
Andes aud the Corderas and TO subdue one by the
families dwelling S in the GsGeS onT ny to the
over extent of 81 degrees of latitude
cannot however close these very dscursive observa
without single reference to the great fortress of
the Sacsahuaman. which dominated the city of Cuzco.
and which the chronciers characterized the eighth
great wonder OF tue world present you Win an accu
with enlarged horizontal sections showing its gateways
and vertical sections showing Its construction.
This fortress is built on the bold headand extending
into the Valley Of Cuzco between the Huatenay
and Rodadero, This headland. which rises 1Go feet
high abrupt hfl but it is really only projection OF
hsTGw 6eSSaT plateau TGh IN IG GPmamasd
ments of remoter terraces
Toward the city. the emnence Of the sacsahuaman
presents abrupt and almost inaccessible 'front.' up
which, from the terraces OF the COlcompata led
stepa TO series on the projecting and
conspicuous portion of tue headand The ascent
practicable by horses, through the gorge ravne
the ROdader0. The mass Of the hill IS metamOrphc
rock hard in parts and dsnograng i'll others, thrust
up by igneous action from below. and bearing its sur
face huge blocks Of limestone from the neghbOrng cliffs
"a tumultuOus piece OF natural rOck-w0rk which 1t
would require accomplished geOlogist describe.
Back OF the headland is level area or Dan In which
direction the Sacsahuaman presents a front curving
slightly inward and 1T IS along thus face that the heaviest
stantaly perfect aud Will remain so-uness disturbed
by violence not 10 be anticipated, and of which the
present Inhabitants Of CuzcO seem hardly capabe-ss
long the Pyramids shall last StOnehenge and the
Colosseum endure for 1t Ii only with these works that
the Fortress OF the Sacsahuaman be properly
pared
The defenses consist OF three lines or massive walls
each supporting terrace and parapet These walls
are nearly parallel. and have approximately accurate
entering and reGnterng angles, for their total existing
length feet The first outer wall has
age present hight OF 20 feet the second wall about
feet behind and is IS feet high the third wall is about
behind the second and in its highest part has IA
feet OF elevation The total elevation OF the walls 49,
therefore, about 81 feet.
/ am speaking exclusively of the walls the northern
fortress Long lines Of walls extend along the
Of the ryuet ROdaderO, and