Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-20
THE EMPIRE Of PERU.
Story of the Golden Wedge and the
Founding of the City of Cuzco.
INCAS DESCENDED FROM THE sun.
Forms Of Human Sacrifice Among the Early
Peoples of Mexico.
SIMILARITY IN ALL RELIGIONS
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.l

in its great age, and superstition and fable
have enshrouded its history in mists OF mys-
terry. 1t is known Of the Peruv ians, and,
in fact, of most other tribes of the contl-
nent, that they were stepped in barbarism,
even to cannibalism, until the Sun, the
great parent of mankind, says Prescott, took
pity on their degraded condition and sent
two of his children, Nance Capac and
Mama Della Huaco, to gather the natives
into communities and teach them the arts OF
civilized lie. The celestial pair, brother
and sister, husband and wife, bearing with
them a golden wedge, were directed to locate
at the place where the golden wedge would
enter the ground and disappear, which 1t
did at Cuzco. There the heavenly visitors
entered upon their work of teaching the In.
habitants the arts OF agriculture and OF
sewing, weaving and spinning.
The simple, primitive people of those
high mountains and table lands learned to
to love their teachers, and for many centu-
ries their descendants continued to hold
them in highest regard. Cuzco was soon
made their Holy City, toward which all
eyes turned as do the eyes of the faithful
toward Mecca, ROME and Jerusalem in this
day.
CHILDREN OF THE SUN.
The Incas of Peru were supposed to have
been descended from this heaven-born pair
from father to SON, and they were very proud
of their pure descent, the Inca always hold
ing himself far above the ordinary herd, ad.
dressing his own children as "Children OF
the SUM-" As the representative of the Sun,
he was chief priest and presided at the I'M
portant ceremonies.
When an Inca was "called to the man
sions of his father, the sun, as they e1-
pressed il, the funeral ceremonies were cele,
brated with great pomD and ceremony; ana
all of his treasures excepting his funeral e1-
penses, furniture and household goods were
sealed up, and all of his palaces were closed
save one, which Was to remain open Tor MIN
when he returned to his natural state ateer
many wears wandering in the spiritual world,
so that he might find everything as he lett
it. After death his bowels were carefully
removed and deposited in the sacred temple
of Tampu. Valuable plate and jewels were
deposited with the entrails, and sometimes
as many as 200 of his servants and concu-
bines were killed over this awful deposit.
The body of the Inca was enbalmed and
deposited in the Temple of the Sun at
Cuzco. There, says Prescott, The Peru
Wan sovereign, on entering the awful sane
tuary, might behold the efigIes of his royal
ancestors ranged in opposite files, the lncas
on the right, their Queens on the LETT OF the
Great Sun, which blazed in retulgent gold
on the walls of the temple. The bodies,
clothed in the prlncely attire which they
had been accustomed to wear, were placed
on chairs of gold, and sat with their heads
inclined downward, their hands across their
bosoms, their countenances of dusky hue
and their hair raven black or gray"
DAZZLING DISPLAYS OF WEALTH.
On peculiar occasions all OF these vener-
ated mummies, with all of their fabulous
wealth of gold and jewels, were brought
out onto the public square at Cuzco, while
grand feast was participated in by their
relatives and the mobiles. No other city of
the world has ever had such a display of
valuables as Cuzco had on those occasions
They believed in the future existence of
the soul and of the resurrection of the body.
The wicked were to be sent to the center of
the earth to work out their sins for count
less ages, while the good were to enjoy end
less happiness and repose. They believed
in an evil principle or spirit, but did not
try to Dlacate the spirit, and paid very little
attention to it.
While the Peruvian recognized and wor-
shipped a supreme being, only one temple
was erected to him, but wherever their vic
torious banners penetrated a temple was
erected to the Sun, which they reyerenced as
the author OF their royal dynasty and en-
pire. They also wershiped his sister wife,
the moon and the stars. They dedicated
temples to thunder and lightning, which
they called ''The Gods Dread Mini isters,"
and the rainbow, which was a beautiful
emanation of their gods. They had many
other lesser divinities, but the sun was their
especial deity and center of a lavish expen-
dlture. To him was erected the richest
temple in the world, which fairly blazed
with gold which was in many places pow
dered with precious stones. Gold, in the
fgurative language of the natives, was
made up of the tear drops of the sun. The
face of the sun god in the temple reflected
whole temple with glory transcendeut
Adjoining the Temple of the Sun was an
other dedicated to the moon, who was repre-
sented as the mother of the Incas. While
the sun was delineated in FURNISHED gold
in his splendid building, the Temple of
the Moon was gorgeously lined with bur-
nished silver as was the efigy of the goddess
herself as representing the pale silvery light
OF the goddess of night. The temple to the
rainbow was spanned by beautii ul bow
containing all of the bright colors of the
bow itself. All of the untensils for their
religious services were OF pure gold and
silver. Immense vases, censers, basins,
pipes for conducting water into and out of
the temple, and all of the garden tools used
about the temple were of silver. All sorts
of vegetables, flowers and animals were
carved out of the precious metals with most
remarkable perfection of detail. Hidden
among the metallic foliage were brilliant
snakes, birds and lizards made chiefly of
precious stones.
The Inca appointed the High Priest from
among his own holy and imperial blooded
relatives or descendants of the sun. He was
second only to the Inca, and was called
Villac Vmu. All of his subordinates who
officiated in the holy temples at Cuzco were
drawn from the imperial blood, while those
who attended at the provincial affairs were
OF the middle class; Tut tine High Priest in
each district was always drawn from the
royal blood. Their ritual was very COM
plex, and each month had Its festivals. The
feast of Raymi in the summer solstice was
the greatest. For three days the whole
people tasted, not fire being allowed. On
the particular morning the Inca and all of
his lords and people assembled at dawn to
assist the sunrise, which was met with a
great shout from the whole multitude
After the full alteration was finished,
libation was poured out to, the sun from q
large vase containing a native liquor, which,
after the Inca tasted, was passed around
among his kindred.
SOMETIMES HUMAN SACRIFICES.
The whole multitude then marched in
procession to the great temple, the Inca and
his family alone being allowed to enter its
sacred precincts. As soon as the devotions
are concluded the royal family appeared
again and the sacrifice o.. sometimes beau