The Elbert County tribune., 1911-03-24
CoHbZIYZ OF \N/A4CO/NH "a

streets; and thousands of skulls whiten the sur
rounding sands. grewsome reminders OF the null
ttude who formerly lived and worshiped at these
ruined shrines
Peru has few merely tourist visitors and OF
these fewer still Pachacamac the trip from
Lima being considered long and hard. But for
one accustomed to the saddle land little OF South
America can be otherwise SEEM Pachacamac IL
comfortably accessible.
The simplest route is by the excellent electric
cars to the pretty suburb Chorllos. beyond Mira
nores. where horses should have been ordered
IN advance to await the traveller.
Over roadside walls Of mud adobe brick
WHO nasturtiums Chamber In a riot OF color bare
high hills rise at one side the battlefield of San
Juan. famous In the Chilean war, and here and
there populous haciendas passed before the
open country is reached. mile two of jungle
like swamp follows. rich in interest for lovers
of birds and growing things But beyond this
fertile tangle one may canter along the hard sand
beach for nearly all the remaining miles. Sea
birds in such myriads that the is actually
darkened as they fly up at our approach,
or eight lines Of superb Pacific rollers breaking
in thunderous surf. rampant Of high sand noun
tains Just back of the beach-and in two or three
hour appear the familiar walls and duncclored
remains of Inca occupation.
For Pachacamac has been the of
sral superimposed civilizations. whereby its
study IL rendered more confusing than that Of
other ancient shrfnes. The many graves and
their contents seemingly variance
chronologically inconsistent-with fragments of
pOttefy anu implements 1OunQ near Dy. But IL
10 certain that pre-Inca Indians had here their
chief temple, and that when these allconquering
mobiles with their hordes OF willing workers
rived trumphanty upon the scene far from
trying to wipe out the old faith they treated It
with much respect. perhaps from prudential
lives. building their great temple to the
the hill above. but still permitting
aging, continued worship of the creator god Pac-
hacamac. that the temples religious prestige
did not suffer under the Incas
The Sun temple seems to have been built to
include this earlier sanctuary. which shows
amicable relationship between the older cult and
that worship OF the sun which the Incas ultimate
ly imposed conquered tribes.
beautiful site these early dwellers chose for
their rites. Although desert bounded on north
and east. the temples themselves set In sand by
whose encroaching drifts they half Gov
ered toward the rolls the blue Pacific, and
southwark lios the green and fertile Valley Of
Lur1n, watered by its river Of the same name.
OF whose mouth rise rugged fsfands, the wfnSs
Of myriad birds flashing in the sunshine ~
they DIP and circle and about the LOFTY
ciiffx
Only ~ miles wide at the coast, the little Lu-
rim valley narrows rapidly toward the interior.
A mile and a hak distant lies the village the
same side Of the river the ruins. Only 500
inhabitants now belong here, but perhaps 1000
can be counted in the whole parish. Modern Pac-
hacamac holds about 800. its parish 5000. Trees
of many kinds abound-ths willow (SalI) al
ways prominent. with (canillo) and trees
bearing the chirimoya. palta, lucuma and other