The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-08-01
SOME NATIVES OF PERU.
DESCENDANTS OF INcAS LIVE
IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The Road Leading 20 Their City a. Aim DIST
Inaccessibie--fa rmiag Under nlf-
ncuitieJ-Thcy Have the
Goes Habit.

In one OF the most remote regions OF
Peru. far up in the Sierra accessible
only By narrow and broken roads. are
situated the famous provinces OF Car
abaya and Sandia. known by the form
err name only until 1875. says writer
in the Philadelphia Telegraph. The
region has attracted attention from the
earliest period in which Peru was OK
plorcd. and is now claiming renewed
interest because. in spite OF the wealth
II has already yielded 10 the patient
delivers in the earth, il is hoped that
there yet lie awaiting the touch OF the
present generation further and possibly
even vastcr stores OF precious metal.
The city OF Sandia is situated in n
picturesque canyon Mt an elevation OF
4 $50 feet IL has population Of
about 700 within the town limits, and
OF 1000 including the peublos in the
! neighborhood. all controlled by The
governor OF Sandis. To reach Sandia
one must travel for two days by sea,
south from Callao. the seaport OF Lima,
thence eastward by railroad journey
OF 400 miles, and after that twenty
eight leagues must be traversed on
mulcback before coming TO the city.
Clement X. Markham says: Tho
roads OF Sandia are bad; in their best
places they are like steep back attic
stairs after an earthquake. In others
there are absolutely no roads. and the
traveller must make his way through
bush and bramble as best he can.
The natives cover their heads and
/ faces during these mountain journeys
with curious helmet-likc mask knit
ted by the women. with skillfully
shaped openings for eyes, nostrils and
mouth, and these doubtless often save
them from death by freezing.
They are descendants. more or less
pure. OF the lncas their language
being the Quichua, that expressive,
beautiful and complete idiom the vo-
cabulary and construction OF which at
tracted the attention OF no less an inn
portant man than Francisco Fernandez
dc Cordova. IL Is difficult language
% learn. Astounding in worry hard gut
tural sounds until il seems as II one
would sn p his vocal chords in the
OF letters
These people have from early times
\ cultivated the soil in the face Of diff
culties which might we'll have proved
\ insurmountable. Terraces are still
i found throughout the mountain prov
inces running up hillsides OF more
\ than a thousand feet OF vertical eleva-
ton, where il IS often necessary To
erect stone walls ten feet high in order
TO get twenty feet OF level ground in
which 10 plant their potatoes and bar
4 ley. Our common potato Is indigenous
/ TO South America. and is the great
I article OF diet In every Indian house
+ hold. Each man holds from the com
/ munity certain agricultural lands. and
/ raises the two crops which are essen
tial 10 his existence. namely. potatoes
and cocoa. The potatoes are planted
! in the proper season by each man. fol-
lowed by his wife and all the children
who can walk. The man turns over
the ground with spade OF remarkable
construction, the handle fully six feet
ld5E: .se woman and children follow
breaking mp the Jumps OF earth with
crooked sticks or stone hammers
dashed TO wooden handles. and dropping
the seed.
More important than even the potato
is the coca, which is grown in the
warm valleys OF the Montana at AN
elevation less than 4, 900 feet. To be
either contcntel and useful every In
dian must have nm abundant supply OF
his coca. The dried leaves. which
nave somewhat the taste OF tea. are
held in the mouth between the gum
and the lip until the saliva has ox-
tractcd al the active and principle OF
the plant when the supply is rcplcn-
ishcd. The effect Of the coca habit is
peculiar It's votarics become more
addicted 10 It's use than does the most
invetcratc chewer or smoker 10 his to-
bacco, and with plenty Of these leaves
the Indians 60 uncomplainingly from
twelve 10 fourteen hours without any
food. The effect seems 10 be 60 abso-
lutely allay hunger and even 10 stimu-
late.