The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-04-27

streets. ana tbo, ids of skulls whiton the sur
roundInc s,rds fwsome reminders Of tho mul,
titude who gor,r lived and worshiped at these
ruined shrines.
Peru has + merely tourist visitors ana OF
these fewer 8 see Pachacnmac, the trip from
Lima beIng lsidered long and hard, But for
one accustorl to the saddle (and little Of South
America co,be otherwise seem Pachacamac is
acknowledgements.
The sirlest route ia by the excellent electric
cars TO tbpretty suburb Chorillos, beyond Mira
flores. wre horses should have been ordered
In sdyar, TO await the traveller.
Oyeroadside walls Of mud or adobe brick
wild noUrtiums Chamber in a riot Of color; bare,
high bu rise at one side; the battlefield OF San
Juan tmous In the Chilean war, and here and
therejopulous hacicndas are passed before the
omen ountry ia reached. A mile or two OF jungle.
like Awamp follows, rich in interest for lovers
OF Ids and growing things. But beyond this
ferte tanEle one may cRnter along the hard sand
benz for nearly all tho remaining miles. Sea
birs IN such myriAds that the sun Is actually
dakened as they fly up at our approach, seven
O, eight lines OF superb Pacific rollers breaking
II thunderous surf, a rampant of high sand noun
tins just back OF the beach-and in two or three
ours appear the familiar walls and dun-colored
remains Of Inca occupation,
For Pachacamac has been the scene Of sew.
eral superlmposed civilizations, whereby Its
study Is rendered more confusing than that OF
other ancient shrines. The many graves and
their contents were seemingly NJ variance
chronoloEicully inconsistont-with fragments OF
pottery and implements found near by. But II
IS certain that pre-Inca Indians had here their
chief temple, and that when these allconquering
mobiles with their hOrdCs OF willing workers ar
rived triumphanty upon the scene, so far from
trying 10 wipe out the old faith they treated Il
with much respect, perhaps from prudential mo-
tives. building their great temple 20 the sun on
the hill above, but stll permitting, even encour-
aging. continued worship OF the creator god, Pac-
hacamuc. 80 that the temples religious prestige
did not suffer under the lncas,
The sun temple seems 10 have been built to
include this earlier sanctuary, which shows an
amicable relationship between the older cult and
that worship OF the sun which the lncas ultimate
ly imposed on conquered tribes,
A beautiful site these early dwellcrs chose for
their rites Although desert bounded on north
and cast. tho temples themselves set IN sand by
whose enCroaching drifts they are now half GOV.
cred, toward the west rolls the blue Pacific, and
southwark lies the green and fertile Valley OF
Lurin, watered by its river Of the same name,
of whose mouth rise rugged islands, the wings
OF myriad sea birds flashing in the sunshine as
they dip and circle and soar about the lofty
cliffs,
Only az miles wide at the coast, the little Lu.
rn valley narrows rapidly toward the Interior
A mile and a half distant lies the village, on the
same side OF the river as the ruins. Only 500
Inhabitants now belong here, but perhaps 1900
can be counted in the whole parish. Modern Pac
hacamac holds about 800, its parish 5000. TreeE
OF many kinds abound-the willow (Salix) al
ways prominent, with cane (canillo) and trees
bearing me chirimoya. palta. lucuma and other