Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-03-06
Ancient Works Of Peru.

The feats Of modern engineering in Peru
are unoxcelled 10 this ago of ambitious un-
dertakiugs; yet they arc more than surpas
sod, on their own ground, by works that
have been abandoned, if not 10 ruins, for
untold centuries.
DR.. E. R. Heath furnishes an amount of
detail on this point that will surprise even
those generally familiar with tho fact that
Peru was once densely populated by
people given to oyolopcan undertakings.
Only few can be oited here; but these will
suffice to show that nothing Of modern
times, not even our thousands Of miles of
railways and canals can begin, to rival the
achievements of those mysterious people who
have passed away, leaving only these gigan
tic monuments to tell of their capacity and
power.
Ruins some of them Of enormous extent,
aIo scattered along the entire coast line of
Peru, a distance of 1895 miles, while nearly
every hill and spur of tho mountains have
on it or about it, some relic Of the past;
and in every ravino from the coast to tho
oentral plateau, there arc ruins of walls,
fortrcsses, cities, burial places, and miles
aud miles of terraces, aud artificial water
courses. Across the plateau and down tho
Eastern slope of tho Andes, into tho unex-
plored, almost impcnetrable forest, still
they arc found, mutcly tcatifyiug to tho
successive empires that rose, aourishcd and
deoayed where the desert aud wilderness
now prevail. Evon moro imposing arc the
vostiges of human wealth and power among
tho mountains, now almost uuinhabitablo
for their altitude and tho severity Of the
climate. Here tho explorer 6uds cyolopcan
rocks, wnd6 naseitG, .porphyry, q and other
ton of timo, geolog,oa, : tho a!sin.ogSsay gs-,
earthquake shocks, and tho destructive
hands of warriors and treasure seeker. The
masonry composing these walls, temples,
housos, towers, fortresses, or sopulohrcs,
DR.. Heath remarks, is unoemented, held 10
plaoo by tho incline of tho wall and the
adaptation of cach stono to it's place, tho
stones having from six to many sides, each
dressed and smoethed to fit It's neighbor
with suoh exactness that the blade of q
small ponknife cannot be inserted in any of
tho seams, whether in the central parts en-
tirely hidden, or on the internal or external
surfaces. These stones, selected with no
reference to uniformity in shape or size,
vary from ono.half cubic foot to fifteen
thousand cubic feet solid couteuts,
and if in the millions of stoucs ono could
be found to fit the place of another it would
&c purely accidental. In the wall of the
centro of the Cuzco fortress there arc stones
l3 feet high, Is feet long and feet thick,
and all were quarried miles away.
At Tahuanaco, few miles South of
lake Titicaca, there are stones 10 the form
OF columns, partly dressed, placed on line at
certain distances from oaoh other, and hav.
ing on elevation above the ground Of from
IL to 20 feet. In tho Same line thore is
monolithic doorway, now broken, 10 feet
high ond l3 vide. The space out out for
the door is feet 4 inches high, by 8 feet 2
inches wide. The whole face of tho stone
above tho door is engraved. Another,
similar but smaller, lies on tho ground
beside it. These stones arc of hard
porphyry, and differ from tho surround.
ing rock.
At Quelap some extensive works have
been lately examined. Hero is found a
wall Of dressed stone, $50 feet wide, 3,G60
feet long and $50 feet high. The lower
part is solid. Above this is another wall.
600 feet long, 500 feet wide, and tho same
height as the other, $50 foot. Over both
walls arc inches, 8 feet long and II foot
wide end deep, containing remains of those
ancient inhabitants, some naked, others
envoloped in shawls Of cotton of distinct
colors and we'll embroidered. Their legs
arc doubled go that tho knees touch the
chin, and tho arms are wound about tho
legs. The wall has three uncovered doors,
tho right side Us esch being semi-siroular,
tho left side angular. From tho base an
inclined plano asoeDds almost insensibly
tho $50 feet Of elevation, having about mid.
way sentry box of stono. In the uppe,
part there is an ingenious hiding place Of
dressed stone, having upon it a place for au
outlook, from which great portion Of The
province oan be seen. Following tho en-
frances Of tho second and higher wall, there
feet high and rs in circumference, in thei'
base are flags, upon which mummies reposed
On tho perpendicular, rocky side Of thu
mountain on tho North side Is a brick wal
having small windows 900 feet from tn,
bottom. No reason for this, nor means o
approach can now be found Tho skillfu
construction of utensils of gold and sive
that we're found here and the ingenuity anG
solidi,y Of this gigantic work Of dressed
slone, are reasons for assigning tia pre.In'
cal date.
Imposing ss structures Of this sort ere
they are, after all, but secondary 10 com