Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-08-28
BONES OF THE INCAS.
Mr. George Kiefer's Find in the
Graves of an Extinct Race

Having seen specimen of Peruvian
antiquities in the Louvre of Paris and
the British museum of London" saws
Mr.. kiefer, my impressions obtained
then were fully awakened when 1 en-
gagged TO take service with the Peru
Wan government during the war with
Chile. My first venture into the bury
ing grounds of the Ineas was acci-
dental. After our arrival in Lima, We
presented ourselves 10 Don Nicholas de
Pierola, who was then supreme chief,
and few days later we were requested
to give an exhibition of our torpedo
practice in the open sea, near a town
twenty-seveu miles from Lima, named
Ancon. A pleasant engine, called the
EaYorila, belonging to the Oroya rail-
road, was placed mt our service. Pierola
and a few aides amp, myself inclu
ded, made up the party We reached
AncOn without adventure, exhibited
our apparatus with satisfaction and
success, and started in return to Lima.
AMONG THE NIUNINIIEs-
81 took a stroll around the pampa on
the side of the track, and was startled
| by finding a human skull. L climbed
over the bank to the north side of the
track and beheld a wonderful sight. As
! far as the eye could reach northward
/ the ground WAS almost white with
/ skulls.
81 found bones mingled with pieces
l of cloth. pottery, wickeTwork, netting,
/ weed rope and wood. The ground bore
/ evidence of immense excavations We
picked I'D a few relics in the shape Of
mummitied hands and arms and tie
mummy OF a child. After the entrance
{ - 81 inf Il fftsa
considered az an end. and | took adyan-
/ tage of the occasion to run down to
/ Ancon for more thorough inyestlga-
I ton OF the ground. As there IS moth
ing on the surface to Indicate the pres
euce of a grave, II was with a shovel
I and an imprOvised steel rod that L be-
Z Gan prospecting. / found that the na-
ture of the graves varied in different
localities, In some places under the
loose sand / would come to hard
stratum of earth, through which my
shovel would break, and then ON using
the rod it would go down 10 depth oil
four or five feet or more, marking the
spot As a grave. In other places | could
sound a grave from the surface, as
there was nothing between me and Its
occupant but sand At another place
the rod would strike against some reed
or wood, thus indicating rooted
grave, in which the occupants are re
Vealed surrounded with all their world
ly goods
DANGEROUS DIGGING.
lit was only 10y liberal pay and per
uuisites that 1 indnced tue natives L
work The digging Of graves there L
certainly the hardest work Imaginable
besides being a danger to health ana Z
risk of life. The graves cave IN, anc
when the wind blows the sand Is chok'
ing and binding and produces a pecu
liar coughing disease. All the bc'
, burying grounds west OF the Cordllier'
are of arid soil, while those of AncoI
are of clear sand, which when stlrre'
] two or three feet below the surface
; rises and floats like smoke in the air
The sandy graves sometimes go dow
TO the depth of fifteen feet Occasion
ally YOU will fnI a grave completel.
5 lined and rooted with adoOes, or SUI
i dled bricks. and others are lined VIII
Z stone The Incas PerGvians made ID
distinction with regard to rich or poo
IN burying their dead. L have foun'
= tbe inummies of those who must hav
y h,een of high rank buried beside other
f who had nothing. No particular pom
r WAS chosen ON the compass Tor tn
. hoiies To face. but they were always i
: a sitting posture with the knees draw
nm To the chin, the arms placed To
: gsther ON the chest and lashed VII
e Svaed ropes or hide and wrapped
q snch articles of cloth as the indIvidus
. 'oossessed IN life. Above the bod
would be a layer OF weeds covered wit
iIama,s hides and made secure by rop
g netting. 1 found an average OF thre
Is pieces of pottery TO every mummy, cor
d sisting OF a cooking pot, contalnln
" remnants OF cooked food; chlca lu
r. and a water croft L also found earti
enware in the shape of whistles, bowl
cups and idols. :.
- mo matter how deep the grave tt
!. occupant is no richer in relics than u
occupant Of the average six foot gray