The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-11-23

0lNA
Bruxas, or sHill of the Wiches' rises
abruptly in the midst of the desert. Among
many blood curdling traditions connected
with this Cerro that are kept alive through
generation after generation Of superstitious
Indians, concerning
BLOODY SPECIFIES AND HEADLEss sPooKs
that wave their hands to warn intruders
away-is one of an old man, named Don
Manuel" living ghost who, having sew
eral murders on his conscience, came to
live on Witches Hill, and used to run
about in the dead of night, screaming as II
pursued by demons.
On the side of one of the mountains that
overhang Nasca are some aboriginal ruins
which are well worth visiting. a lane,
shaded by orange and fig trees, leads up
from the modern town to the ancient city
of the dead near the ng-deserted gold
mine of Cerro Blanco. 1t was built in ter
races On the steep hillside, near the south
ern edge Of the valley. The walls are all
of stones unlike most of the ruins in this
part of Peru, the houses were large, and
many of the spacious rooms seem to have
been surrounded by queer little inches, each
doorless closet just large enough to hold
traditional skeleton. On an isolated hill,
perhaps artificial, precisely in the middle
of the main group of ruins, was the
fortress, whose massive walls, part OF
which are still standing, enclose what was
evidently vast palace or temple.
SUCH A PICTURE OF HOPELESS DEsoLATIoN
it would be hard to find elsewhere but the
view from the parapet wallis striking. Not
sign of animal life is seen, and the silence
of the grave prevails. The valley below
looks like broad, green river winding it's
way through sand deserts to the sea; and
eastward the Andes tower in majestic
grandeur, one above another till their
snowy SUBMITS reach the sky There are
no traditions of the place beyond the his
torical fact that this valley In common with
the rest of them, from Pisco down to the
dominions of great China, were first sub
iugated by the Incas in the time of Pacha-
Gutec, whose son, the renowned Prince
Yupanqui, proved the superiority Of the
Sun in many fierce battle with the Yuma
Indians.
Not many miles distant is the much larger
collection of ruins which arch9ologists
have dubbed '"rhe Fortress of Hervey."
They are on the summit of steep hill,
covering projecting point of land that
overlooks the sea. The extensive remains
are distinctly divided into two parts, that
| farthest from the ocean enclosed within an
enormous wall, wide enough On top for two
men to walk abreast, with parapet out
| side about five feet high. This parapet
stands
AT THE EDGE OF CLIFF,
| rising perpendiculariy some forty feet
above the plain, and is partly faced with
huge bricks of adobe. Entering through a
| breach in the wall, the latter sixteen feet
high, measured from the inside, one finds
nine large chambers, all built of adobe and
still partly covered with plaster. Each
J chamber is surrounded by a series of deep
inches, or recesses, with passages leading
| into numerous smaller apartments, and
very high doorways, whose lintels are of
i yellow beams. There is one enormous
room, perfectly square, which has two
doorways on its south side, leading by mar
row halls into lot of little chambers
Square apertures, for the beams that once
supported roof, are distinctly visible
high up in the lofty walls.
| On the other side Of the dividing ridge
are the remains of palace OF temple, and
other vast structures, whose ancient use
can only be conjectured all of which were
| probably among the first which the Incas
erected on the Pacific coast. Though built
of adobes, huge bricks lying scattered al
around in widest confusion, their general
resemblance to
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CUZCo,
Limatambo, and other Incarial strongholds,
proves their identity beyond doubt En-
vironed on every hand by the desert, with
lofty cliffs between it and the sea, the
nearest habitable place from Hervey is the
sugar estate of Laran, wherein-luckily-
the traveller is always sure of welcome.
From the hospitable gates of this haciends
an old Inca road runs to the foot OF the
cordillera, which is said to be in precisely
! loti he
Sun at Cuzco. Soon after the conquest
this highway was made the boundary line
between ''New CASTLE" and "New Toledo, }
| the tributaries granted to those rascals
Pizarro and Almagro. 1t was at Laran
that the latter established his quarters in
1887, when, having returned from his ca
reer of crime in Chilli, he proceeded to the
coast to claim from Pizarro his share o.
Peruvian territory. The stormy interview
that took place between those two unscru
pulous adventures led to the retreat o.
! Marshal Almagro into the interior, and hi!
final overthrow in the bloody battle of La!
Salinas.
The next village, across long strip Of
desert, is Chilca, a collection of cane hut
surrounding fine old church, III no way re
markable, except for being inhabited by
RACE OF INDIANS,
who, in this isolated oasis of the wilder
ness, have managed to resist oppression
from every source, and to preserve intac
the spirit of their ancestors. An example
of their character is related by recent ex
plorer. His soldier escort was so uuwise
as to get into wrangle with the Syndic O.
the village, in course of which the latte
barefooted dignitary received blow in tn,
head from the butt end of the soldiers pts
toll. Instantly the whole population wa
wild with excitement. Assembling in tn,
plaza, they demanded that the fellow
should be remanded at once to Lima TO
trial; nor would they permit him to remain
over night in the town, but sent him OF
into the desert, weary as he was after
hard days journey.
i So jealous are these Indians of thei
rights and so suspicious of all outsiders
that until within few years there wa.