The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-08
EXPLORER IN LAND
OF |NCAS REPORTS
United States National Mu-
scum Agent Secured Val
liable Specimens.

! tonal museum, who made extensive
explorations among the ancient cities
of Peru last summer and brought back
with him 3.400 skulls and thousands of
human bones gathered from nearly
forty ancient cemeteries, has made
preliminary report to the Smithsonian
institution of the results of his inves-
! legations.
| He announces that with this mater
/ ial. together with the collections from
Ancon and other localities of Peru al
ready available, it will be possible now
! to learn definitely the physical char
acteristics of the population of the
| Peruvian coast for distance of over
! four hundred miles and to establish
Il firm foundation for the rest of the
country.
! His collections proceed mainly from
the ancient sacred city of Pachacamac
and from the once powerful empire
of the Chimu. The results of the work
will be far reaching, though
1T is not yet possible" saws DR..
/ Hrdlicka, in his report. ito speak of
the full scientific value OF the collec-
ton; however, this is not readily ov-
erestimated. A number of the more
important points which presented
themselves during the preliminary
work in the Pachacamac ruins are as
| follows
at was seen first of all that the re-
mains here were derived partly from
mummies, which were especially num-
erOuS in the neghborhOod of the tenn
pie of the great deity of Pachamac,
and in part from simple burials; also
! that in rare instances cremation had
! been practiced The mummies were
not only artificial as to their exterior,
but there appeared evidence that the
bodies themselves, or at least some of
their parts, had been specially treat
ed; thus a number of skulls, mostly
such as were damaged by wounds,
were found filled with cotton.
"All the larger cemeteries about the
extensive ruins contained burials of
/ males, females and even children, but
the last were nowhere very numerous
and were in decided minority near
the temples. In one cemetery all per-
sons inferred where women, and none
of these had died a natural death, but
were victim of strangulation. All were
adults and one of the skulls showed
gray hair. 1t is probable that the vic
tins were strangled as sacrifices to
the deity of the temple.
Few Children Buried.
The people buried at Pachacamac
were in general of moderate stature
and medium physical development,
with shorter and weaker individuals
not infrequent'
The investigation in the cemeteries
in the valley of Chicama, the region
of the Chimu, emphasized the relative
scarcity of the remains of children.
This is not due to the earlier decay
of children's bones, for where such
We're found they were in just as good
condition as those of the adults. 1t
indicates either a scarcity of children,
in DIR. Hrdlicka's opinion. separated in
terments or else a low infant mortali-
ty.
The majority of the people in this
valley were found to nave been of the
same type exactly as those of the
much more souther region of Pacha-
camac, but it was also evident that
the valley of Chicama was peopled in
the course of time by more than one
tribe of natives, though all or nearly
all we're of the same stock.
Pachacamac Sacred City.
"Pachacamac was famous relig-
ious center. comparable to the Egyp-
tian Thebes or the Mohammedan Nee
ca" says DIR. Hrdlicak. 1T originally
contained the shine of the creator
god. Pachacamas, to which flocked
pilgrims coming from all parts OF
Peru. three hundred leagues or more,
and later, after conquest of the place
by the Peruvians of the highlands
il also har a famous temple of the
sun 1t was at the same time a polit-
ical center. the seat of a chief who
ruled over the neighboring populous
valleys Its decline dates from the
entrance of the Spaniards in 1888 and
the destruction by them of the veneer
atCd statue of Pachacamac In the
sixteenth century the Augustinian
monks transferred the town to the
valley and in the first part of the sew
enteenth century the Id place was
already desolate pile of ruins.
The inhabitants disappeared. leav.
ing scarcely trace in history. but
they left behind a vast number OF
graves. II is estimated that the total
number of burals within and about
the ruins was between sixty thousand
and eighty thousand. There are six or
more aggregations of graves which
may be regarded as cemeteries. but
burials often two deep existed appar
entity in every available part OF the
ground whiting the temple. about and
even within the dwellings.
These cemeteries. with the excep
ton of one smaller one, have been for
years the lCey of the poems engaged