Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-04-03
AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY.
LIeHT THROwN UPON THE ANTIQUE
TIES OF sOUTH AMERICA.
Extracts From a Lecture by DR. Daniel @.
Brfnton Before the Philadelphia Academy
Of scienccs--Notcs About the Chibchns
People and the Famous Incas.

There Is no evidence in any part of Amer
lea that the burning of bricks was practiced
either I'm kilns or fires. The natives knew
how to burn pottery but they do not seem "a
have understood or thought il worth while
10 purn bricks The archaeology of South
America shows us two centuries OF civiliza.
uon--one near the straits of Panama, the
other near the largest body of fresh water on
that continent, Lake Titicaca Civilization
radiated north and south from these Ont
side of the limits of these two civilizations
we find no remains Of stone-built cities The
pampas of Buenos Ayres and the Brazilian
forests have their relics of bone, flint and
stone, but these do not show any degree of
civilization, and except in the limited region
denoted, the other races of the continent
were not above the condition of barbarism
The most northern of these two nations were
the Chibchas they dwelt i'm the valley where
Bogota in Ecuador now stands. This is a
high valley of the Andes, $50 miles long and
30 miles broad. They had form of civic
government independent of their neighbors
north and south. BY their early traditions
they appeared TO have been driven north ward
to this habitat by advancing posts of the
Peruvian forces. They had a settled govern
ment in tyrannical form, developed reliQ-
ION, knowledge of the arts, especially the
metallic arts. II was a country rich in gold
and silver.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INCAs.
The Incas of Peru occupied a lofty Alpine
valley 1900 feet above the sea level, cold at
all seasons, and the ground frozen for MANY
months of the year; a region of sparse har-
vests, forbidding plateau where life was
painful. From these conditions, apparently
so harsh but really most stimulating, was
developed form of civilization never sur.
passed on that continent. Three hundred
and fifty years ago the Spaniards found ruins
covered with Incas traditions of a race de-
stroyed by the gods, race that came from
the east, possessing knowledge law, culture
and the arts, the founder of Incas supre-
macy. Immense granite blocks, covered
with rich designs fitted with great accuracy
and nicely, are found-in their buildings, and
so great in size are these stones that il is A
marvel how the carriage of them could have
been accomplished.
Who were the builders? The weather
wearing OF the stones indicates vast antiquity
-as great as the old Egyptian monuments.
Cautious travellers who have no theories to
support, but simply search for facts, CON
marvellous in the world. The carvings eyi-
IDENTIFY refer to the worship of the light or
the sun. The Inca-Stem states that Nance
Capac descended the valley of the river and
founded the great city of CuZco about 1000 A.
d. This brought complete civilization of
the Quichuas along the valleys of the Andes |
FIom this date there is generally con
sonant and apparently accurate dynasty to |
the time of the Spanish conquest Before |
this time il had reached its greatest height |
and was evidently in decadence The |
Quichuas comprised different natlonalities. |
The civilization of Peru extended 1,SO0 miles |
over north and south, over the eastern sum- |
mits of the Andes to the western coast This |
civilization was peculiar in character and very |
positive i'll form. 1t was a complete per- |
sonal government, to which that of China |
and Japan is as nothing besides il. Every |
thing was governed by law A child could |
not leave the place, the class or the occupa- |
ton OF its foreiathers except by revolution. |
CONTRAST IN, cITY-MAKING.
One trait marks all of these ancient cities as |
different from the ancient towns of Europe |
and some old cities in America. The Euro
pean grew up around the castles of feudal |
lords, little iiamlets, and irregular were the |
first developments those cities greW up |
they were not made like our Western cities |
and the cities ofthe Incas. The Incaral cities |
furnish not a single example of growth they |
were all built to plan, the ground was sur |
veyed before stone was laid They show |
that we'll settled government at a remote |
epoch had planned where they should be- |
They were devised to suit the purpose of |
military government and for the develop
ment OF the country. These cities are in three |
classes, each for different object. One class
was built for sacred and religious purposes |
pies second was Tor military uses, great |
barracks or cnserneS where soldiers and |
chiefs resided; defended by powerful walls |
and works of defense. The third class we're |
the manufacturing cities, great work shops, i'm |
fact, where all children of artisans were |
forced to reside and follow their fathers work
In the Eastern United States there was no /
such thing as dry-stone wall, whereas the
Peruyians were natural builders, surviving |
in their descendants to this day. They ex-
celled in cutting stone. Their agriculture |
was of high order and their system of irri-
CATION was fine one. Nowhere in Italy or
on the Rhine is 1t surpassed, or are there |
better means adopted for the support of |
terraces and cultivation. Their roads and |
bridges were excellent and they were highly |
skilled in the use of metals.
They used natural bronze because they had |
no tin, but probably most of their work was |
done my means OF stones and not bronze |
tools. They polished and cut stones by rub |
bing with emery powder and another stone. |
PERUVIAN POTTERY.
Peruvian pottery shows extraordinary va
riety of forms They had both tee hncal |
skill in initiative outlines and humor in de- |
sign combined with much variety Scarcely |
two jars or vases are ever found of the same |
form. Their designs, however, were indeli- |
cate and coarse. With other evidence this |
shows progressive moral decay had begun |
before the Spanish came. The Spaniards |
found the Aztecs in Mexico in full vigor of |
development, and it was an advancing civili- |
Zation that Cortez destroyed. But Pizarro |
found Peruvian civilization like that of the |
Roman Empire in the decadence, already |
falling into decline Nd decay. (Unlike |
the most of old Mexican art i'm trade, at this |
day, quantities OF genuine pottery are found
even now in Peruvian cemeteries, which |
cover az much as three miles i'm extent) |
They employed the iibres of plants in weav-
ing, dyed and ornamented with embroidery.
A fine web or veil was here shown beauti-
fully embroidered in red and blue, with
good design. This concludes the survey of
the arts OF life among the Incas and the peo-
pie under their sway. They ruled over many
peoples. They were. essentially ciyilizers.
When nation was conquered by them they
inquired carefully what arts the conquered
people had and then removed them from
their natal soil TO other places, employing
them to teach their own people tho new art
On the conquered territory they put colony
from a distance, of their own people, in occu-
patton. They had the theory of state-craft
very highly developed. +" 1t was consistent
with itself and admirable. There must have
been some defects, or it would haye persisted
to this day, SO great was il as governing
power"