The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-20

Sun, Lake Titicaca.
Copyright, Underwood & Underwood
shrines were demolished, church
was erected on the same spot, which
presently became famous by the set
ting up in IL of sacred image Of
de 10 Candeiaria carved by a scion
of the Incas, Francisco Tito Yupanqui,
in A ID. 1883. This image had been
seen by pious friar To send out rays
of light around it: miracles followed
and an Augustinian monastery was
founded and placed In charge of the
sanctuary, which soon became the
most frequented place of pilgrimage
through all South America Even
from Mexico and from Europe pill
grims come hoping for the cure Of
the diseases.
Dances That the Tncas Knew.
The figure is about a yard high
and represents a face of the Indian
type in features and color. II wears
a crown of gold with a gold halo out
side the crown, has a half moon UNI
der itsfeet, and is adorned with many
superb gems TIE church IS spacious
apd stately. The Camarin or sacred
chamber in which the image stands "a
behind the great altar and approached
by two staircases. the stone stems
much worn by the knees % the asce nd
ing worsaipers.
Great crowds of Indians still resort
hfther twice a year, on February I'd
the feast of the Candelaria Candle
mas), and on August 5th and 9th
The scene at the great festivals when
the excited Indian crowd makeg
church and court resound with hymns
+ IN Aymara and when. after the Chris
tian services of the day. the dances
Of primitive heathendom are kept up
all through darkness with wild shout
lngs and Jumpings. till they end in
a sort of jig, is described as strange
and revolving. These dances come
down from time when this was a
seat OF Indian nature worship and
when images of the sun and moon
| were taken in pomp from the shrine
mere TO the shrines upon the Sacred
/ Isles To those isles We now bent
/ our course.
The Island of the Moon.
Aoau or koyata. the Island OF the
4 Moon is said to take its name from
+ hoya' the Quichua word for queen. the
Moon being the wife of the Sun. whose
/ worship the Incas esta blished wher-
/ ever their power extended The isle
Is aoout two miles long. steep ridge.
covered IN parts with low shrubs and
/ grass the rest cultivateds the slopes
+ being carefully terraced on the top.
/ Inc most interesting group of ruins
stands in a beautiful situation some
I sixty feet above the shore. on the M
/ permost of four broad terraces. sun
ported by walls, This ediflce, origi-
NAVY IN TWO stories, is mass OF
+ chambers. mostly small. which are
connected by narrow passages. The
large walled court which adjoins IL is
. adorned by succeed inches. The walls
are well preserved, but all the CELL
ings and roofs have gone. There are
/ so Few apertures for light that il Is
hard. as in most of the ancient Pc
/ ruNlan houses, TO understand how,
/ hgnt was admitted. Probably light
/ was sacrificed for the sake OF warmth.
for the nights are extremely cold
even in summer
Sacrificial objects. dug up in front
OF the building, confirm the legend
/ that the place was a shrine OF the
I Moon Mother. but the name by which
II has been known Is the Palace of
the Virgins of the Sun. There may
( therefore, have been In contunctiou
with the shrine one of the numerous
establishments in which the Incas
kept the women who were sent uu
TO them as a tribute from the prov
| inces, and who among other things
articles needed for worship. The
early Spanish writer's, with their
| heads fun of Christian nuns and Ro-
man Nestals, called them Virgins OF
the Sun, but the name was altogether
Inappropriate, for many of them were
kept as concubines for the reigning
| Inca.
The Bath and Garden of the Inca.
Four miles from Kaoti and tive
ErrxSx EsnN afxatsx \ H.
more sacred Island of the Sun. 1t /:
ten miles long, nowhere more than 6
mile wide. and very irregular in shape
being deeply indented by BAYS
ridge OF hills, rising in places to one
thousand feet or more, traverses Il
from end to end. and much of the sur
face is too steep and rocky for tillage
| There are many groups of ruins on 1t
One of these is the so-called Foun
tain, or Bath and Garden of the Inca
two buildings stand on the shore, evi
IDENTIFY of a date anterior to the Con
quest. and one was probably a roya
residence. Hard by a flight of low
steps, rising from the water through
"A grove OF three. leads up to a spo
where rivulet, led in channel from
the hill above, pours itself into re
ceptacle hewed out OF one piece o,
stone, whence il pursues it's course il
a murmuring rili to the lake below
The terraced garden on each side /,
planted with flowers, most of which
are the same as those in European o,
North American gardens: but the bril-
liant red blossoms of the shrub called
the Flor del Inca gave true loca
COLOR and the View over the lake t.
the distant SHOWS is unlike anything
else in the world.
How much of the beauty we nov
see was planned by the unknown mon
arch, who first made these terraces
and did the spot commend itself Il
him by the wonderful prospect il