Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-28

considerable number oil prominent citizens,
enough, both in numbers and character to en-
sure it respectful consideration. The agitation
of the woman question has advanced so far, at
least, as TO convince most people of the proprie-
ty of allowing to such women as desire it, the
facilities for obtaining thorough medical edu-
cation. Among these facilities, access to a
large hospita' is one of the most important. 1t
is true that there must be limit to the number
of students admitted, but, as the Harvard medi-
cal students have excellent opportunities else
where, it does not seem very unreasonable that
in the female wards the students of the woman'S
college should have the preference.
Notes ON American ArchaOIogy-NO. IL.
ANCIENT PERU.
This series of papers ends with the present
number; therefore, we shall not attempt very
complete account of what is known of the arch
zoology and ancient history of Peru. Its old
ruins are found chiefly on the elevated table
lands of the Andes, in the region that extends
from Quito south some 1900 or 1000 miles. When
the marauding Spaniards arrived in Peru, this
whole region was the seat of populous and
prosperous empire, which had a complete civil
organization, an admirable system of industry,
and a very notable development of many of the
arts of civilized life. The ruins found here show
us the remains of cities, temples, palaces, fort
resses, aqueducts (some of them 500 miles long,,
great roads, and terraces on the sides of noun
tains. The builders used cut stone laid in NOR
tar and cement, and did their work admirably.
1t is everywhere seen, that the masonry, al
though sometimes onamented, was generally
plain in style, and always very massive.
The wonderfully constructed roads were nu-
merous; but there were two which extended
from point 100 miles north of Quito to Cuzco,
and from Cuzco to Chili;-one, said to be from
1900 to 1000 miles long, passing over the high
table lands and along the mountain sides, and
the other (still longer) going along the lower
lands near the Pacific coast. That running
among the mountains was a marvellous work.
In many places, its way was cut through solid
rock, for leagues. Great ravines were filled up
with solid masonry. Rivers were crossed by
means Of curious kind of suspension bridges;
and the roads were made smooth by paving
them with carefully worked hsg stones laid in
cement. The builders of our Pacific railroad,
with their superior tools and engineering skill,
might reasonably shrink from the cost and the
difficulties of such work as this among the
Andes. These great roads went to decay under
the more barbarous Spanish rule; and, now,
only broken remains of them exist to show their
former character.
The history of the Spanish conquest of Peru,
forms one of the most remarkable chapters in
the history OF bold, INSCRIPTIONS, and success
full yillainy. Floating rumors of Peru and its
riches came to the Spaniards soon after they be
gan to explore South America, and there grew
up among these buccaneering gold-hunters, an
eager desire to find that country. Balboa was
hunting for Peru, when he discovered the Pacific
Ocean, soon after the year 1911; and in his COM
pany of Adventures was francisco Pizarro,
who discovered, subjugated, robbed, and ruined
the country, some fifteen or twenty years later.
Pizarro made several voyages down the coast
from Panama, and overcame difficulties that
would have defeated less resolute man, before
he succeeded in finding Peru. He finally landed
at Tumbez, four or five degrees south of the
equator, as an invader, and marched into the
country, sending word to the inca that he came
to aid him against his enemies. AT city called
Caxamalca he contrived, by means of the most
atrocous treachery to seize the inca and massacre
some 10000 of the principal Peruvians, who came
TO his camp unarmed, on friendly visit. This
threw the whole empire into confusion, and
made the conquest easy. The inca filled a room
with gold, as the price of his ransom; the Span
iards took the gold, broke their promise, and
NIT him m deafh Porn ,vae full ,;cI, -,
gold. Temples and palaces were covered with it,
and 1t was very beautifully wrought into great
variety of ornaments and articles for household
use. The Peruvians were very skillful in other
manufactures, especially in the arts of spinning,
weaving, cutting stone, masonry, and of model
ing and ornamentiug pottery. They had very
intelligent system Of agriculture and cultivated
the soil as it has never been cultivated since the
conquest. Allwas brought to ruin by the Span
ish buccaneers; and, to-day there are not half
as many people in the whole region that was
ruled by the incas, as there when the Spaniards
began to rob and destroy it.
THE PERUVIAN CIVILIZATION ORIGINAL.
The development of civilization in Peru was
very different from that in Mexico and Central
America. In both regions the people were sun
worshippers, but their religious organizations,
as we'll as their methods of building, had but
little in common. 1t is necessary to believe that
the Peruvian civilization was originated, as the
traditions say, in the valley Of Cuzco, without
the aid or stimulus of any foreign influence.
There are traditions which indicate that the
Malays (who in former times seem to have
traYersed every part Of the Pacific visited that
coast in ages previous to the Christian era; but
they were not the civilizers. The Peruvians had
correct measure of the solar year; but, unlike
the Mayas, Toltecs, and Aztecs, they divided the
year into twelve months. 1t is supposed that
there was no communication between Peru and
Mexico, and that the people of the two regions
were unknown to each other; but this suppose
ton is not well warranted. Moreover, at the
time OF the conquest, people called Muyceas
dwelt in neighboring Andean valley, who must
have come from Central America, for they had
the peculiar civilization and science of the
Mayas, including their system of astronomy.
1t is not certain that the Peruvians of Pizarro's
time had the art of writing in characters. No
inscriptions are found in their ruins, and no
Peruvian books exist. All we actually know on
this point is that they had method of recording
events, keeping accounts, and making reports to
the government, by means of the quippus But
some of the Peruvian tongues had names for
paper; tine people knew that kind of paper or
parchment could be made OF plaintain leaves;
they constructed maps; and, according to Mon
tesinos, writing and books were common in the
older times; that is to say, in ages long pre-
vious to the rise of the meas. He explains how
the art of writing was lost as we shall presently
show.
All investigators agree, that the family of
meas found in Peru, by Pizarro, had ruled the
country during the Ann IN"