The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-17
SOME NEU hooks.


The mass OF facts here set forth have boon alb
stracted from the original sources by wolf
known nrchmologist. DR.. RICHARD ScHErrio.
who is careful to cite AUTHORITIES Tor every sato-
ment and the materials thus collected and vcri-
fed have been Glass; fed and arranged by Nt.
Herbert Spencer in tabulaicd form. Tho COM
pilation. Of which the present volume il an inn
portnpt installmcnt. was undertaken with avicw
Of supplying tho student OF social science with
data standing toward his conclusions in n
relation like that in which accounts Of the struc-
lures and functions Of different types Of ami
mails stand to tho inductions Of tho biologist
The vast proportions Of the work projected by
Mr. Spencer have cntniod an expenditure OF
labor and money. which sufficiently explains
the delay in it, publication. hut the largo folio
before us is complete in itself, and cannot lailo
render precious service to the students Of pre-
historic America.
The adoption of tho tabulated form in this
compendium enables us TO compare and meas
ure the different grades Of social advance at
timed at the epoch Of the Conquest by the more
conspicuous types Of native civilzation-;hosc.
namely. encountered in the valley OF Anahuac
in Yucatan. and Central America. among the
Ihbchas of New Granada in Quito. and in
Peru. Nowhere else in the present inchoatc
state OF American archaeology is 1t possible TO
light on so large body Of carefully winnowed
and digcstcd facts bearing on the interesting
nations which reared Chimu and Cuzto racn-
que and uxnal. Cholula and Mexico. About
those races. however. n good deal is popularity
known. and we would avail ourselves OF Mr.
Spencer's compilation to draw attention TO-
remarkable people with which the general
reader IL less acquainted We refer to the
Chibcha tribes Of New Granada. who. not long
before the Spanish invasion Of Peru. had
created the Empire OF Bogota. and who in am
Jthcr half century must have come in violent
collision with tho Inca state expanding on the
South.
The Importance Of the Chihcha power may lie
estimated from the fact that New Granada
before the Conquest. is said to have contained
eight million Inhabitants or nearly = many as
the Peruvian Empire at the acme Il the lattcrs
development, \ large measure Of coutrol over
the whole population had been acquired at the
date Of the Spanish invasion by the Chibchas
proper who seem to have occupied tho heart Of
the country. zone lying between the fourth
and sixth degrees north latitude. and about
torty-nve Spanish leagues in length. The
dominant tribe seems 10 have been Il race Of
nountaineers. which. like the Incas. gradually
overran the territories. and absorbed the aclui-
sitons Of moro civilized people. There are not
a few remains indeed, especially In the province
" Tuna. which attest the existence Of a ciyili-
zation long anterior to that met with by the
Span0rds. Tue historical records Of the
Chihchas, however. are extremely vague. since
they had neither tho picture writing Of tie
Aztccs. nor even the knpttcd cord. or gUpi. of
the Incas. but were obliged to trust the memory
NJ the priests. But these constituted hercdi-
'ary caste. carefully trained 10 act as deposit
tiries Of the national Customs. and many Of the
traditions reported By them 10 the Spanish
Il ,l., .. II
is worth noting that these priests had invented
avigentisimal system Of enumeration. and hy
observations at the time Of solstices and epui-
noxes. and q somewhat intricate series of inter-
calaticus. had arrived at sol + year " 3ji
lays. 5 hours and 3 minutes. We nced not say
rhat such an achievement indicates much
higher degree of astronomical knowledge than
huc been reached in Greece at the beginning Of
the historical epoch.
Considerable light IS thrown upon the history
III the Chibcha civilization by the singular con-
nict Of jurisdiction which existed there at the
dgt" 81 the European invasion. There was, in
the first place a spiritual oyer-lord holding
position analogous 10 that occupied by the Mi
hsdo in Japan twenty-five years ago. This WAS
the eo-cu.lod Socamo1o whom the chroniclers
,ailed the Pope Of iraea. In former times this
spiritual prince had maize TIE chief Of Hunsa
'' 500 '' - 80
uu' r." years p'lvr' tne spanish conquest
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