Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-18
From TH. srAn's Travelling Commissioner.

tlon company one OF the small steamers that
ply the lake was placed at our disposal for
weeks time that we might visit the sacred
| islands and other objects of interest in and
around this world-renowned body of water.
The name of the lake is Of Quichua origin,
| It'll, signifying in that language The Gate of
| the Mountains" and caca nigh rocks or
lead;' so called, probably, because ut a certain
| place on the old Inca highway the first glimpse
OF its dark blue waters may be seen between
| two enormous rocks. From about this point,
| a little way below Puno, We set sail one early
morning; and after few hours run found our
selves anchored in "a little sheltered bay which
| indents the high and rocky shore Of TIticaca
Island. To this largest and most famous of tho
] sacred group the Incas traced their divine
origin, and to this day it is held in profoundest
generation by their descendants. because ira
| dition claims that Manco-Capac and Mama
| Dello (his sister, who was also his wife) both
children of the sun and directly commissioned
! by that lumnary to found dynasty on earth,
hero made their first appearance.
WHY IT WAS SACRED.
That quaint writer, Pedro de Teon Of the
island, says: 1T called sacred because of
| ridiculous story that there was no light in the
| world for many days. when suddenly the sun
dfosc respleHueut out OF lltlcaCa Island; and
hence they built there e temple to it's glory.
which was held in great reverence and had
virgins and priests with mighty treasures be-
| longing to it"
Garclasso, the most reliable Of all the old
chronlclers, tells us that besides building tenn
| Piles on the sacred island the Indians sought to
dignity 1t in every way as being the spot where
their Adam and Eve, coming straight from
| heaven, first planted their feet. They lev
eled Its asperites as far rs possible removing
hi tory h. l,Xta
| covered with rich earth brought from affair." in
order that corn might be cultivated, which
otherwise could not tie grown on account of
| the cold The yield was small, but the cars
| were regarded as sacred and were distributed
| among the temples and converts OF the
| empire, one year to one temple or convent
| and tho next year to another, SO that each
| might have the advantage of portion of the
grain which was brought, as it were, from
| heaven. This was sown in the gardens of the
| Temple of the Sun and the Convent of the Vir-
| gins and the yield was again distributed
| among the people of the various provinces
| Some few grains wero scattered among the
stores OF the public granaries, as holy things
| wnlch would preserve from corruption the food
Of the people, and it believed that every
| Indian who had In his storehouse SO much as
| one grain grown on the sacred islands could
not lack food during his lifetime"
| TITICACA ISLAND
is only 4 miles long by 6 miles wide. II is
high and rugged in outline and deeply in
denied by many tiny bays. There is little
village at one end, where guides may be Sc
| cured if needed to explain the little that is
known about the various ruins. From the
| landing place one scrambles up q very steep
| ascent to this hamlet, which in itself contains
nothing Of interest but just behind it is the
| first ruin where, i'll the golden days Of the
| lncas all visitors to the island were obliged to
| tarry awhile, to 60 through certain ceremonies
| of Duri fcatiOn bpfOre bejnU rermitfal 70 to-
| any of the sacred edifices. The walls of this
structure are Of limestone, the huge blocks
carefully cut and set in tough clay. Tho upper
part of it long since fell away but the lower
portion is still toerably well preserved. The
house was formerly divided into two parts,
measuring 35 feet one way aud q the other
with broad platform In front Of it.
THE PALACE AND BATH OF THE INCA.
Climbing with somo difficulty half a mile
farther up the stony ACTIVITY, one comes to
| "The Palace Of the Inca" which ia situated on
the brow Of a cliff overlooking tho lake, with q
| terraced hill behind 1t. It's walls are very much
| broken. but enough remains to show the style
| OF architecture, tho forms of the windows and
doorways and the general plan of the whole
| Close behind this royal palace lies what il
known as Tho Bath Of the Inca" basin of
solid stone. measuring on its surface % feet by
45, with depth of nearly six feet. The smooth
| walls around this generous tank are Overgrown
| with vines and weeds, and at one end three
little streams of water, each about two inches
in diameter, still trickle into it. Though fire.
quently searched for, the source OF these
streams cannot be found Coming through un-
| known subterranean channels they flow today,
after more than three centuries and half Of
disuse, exactly as they must have done for the
convenience Of the Indian emperors.
| SACRED GARDENS AND ROCK
Immediately beyond the tank rises the ter
raced hill which served as one Of the sacred
gardens. 1t was evidently constructed with
great labor and expense, the walls being made
| OF cut stone, as regularly laid out as if by the
most expert modern engineers. There is also
| convent for priests upon the island, or rather
the remains of one, and many other vestiges of
| the ancient civilization. Most interesting of
all is the sacred rock, upon which Manco-
Capac and his consort are said to have first
placed their feet when they descended to
| earth. 1t lies at the far extremity of the island
| There is little to be seen when arrived at the
| rock except his h wall built around a natural
dome of red sandstone. 1t was formerly be-
lieved that no bird could alight upon that holy
Of holes and live, and that beast reptile or
| insect would never dare come near it. The
presence Of mortal man was also religiously
prohibited; and to this day the natives ap-
proach with greatest awe and reverence For
many years none but the high priests were ner
mitted to come within sight of the rock, which
was plated with gold and silver and covered
| with a veil, the latter being removed only on
occasions Of the most solemn festivals
The sloping sides Of the hill upon which this
lump Of red sandstone reposes were terraced
from top to bottom and walled off into plat
FORMS These platforms uphold the remains
of many small structures which supposed
to have been the residences Of the priests and
others who attended upon the Worship of
| Manco-Capac. There was formerly q garden
on the terrace, where much Of the sacred corn
| was grown, and all the earth for its construc-
ton is said to have been brought on the backs
of men u distance Of 400 miles!
The works Of the Incas were no doubt accom-
plished under the Same system as that OF the
rulers OF ancient Egypt, who built the pyramids
by the unpaid labor of the people; but the
oppression Of those days could not have been
greater than that heaped by the spaniard upon
the conquered race, and scarcely more than
the degenerate descendants OF the Incas are
compelled to endure in the full blaze Of nine
teenth century civilization.
| OTHER ISLANDS.
As already mentioned, Titicaoa Island was
expressly consecrated to the sun. Only about
six miles distant is Coat Island, which was
dedicated to the moon and the worship of
| Mama Della. Between the two sacred islands
lies q smaller one, now known a. the sugar
Loaf" A narrow strait, 700 yards long,
separates the Sun Island from q peninsula
projecting out from the Peruvian mainland, in
front Of which lies the ''Sugar Loaf" with
Coat to the right Of it The latter 10 about
half - large as Titicaca Island, and is COM
pletely covered with ruins. Besides the great