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

gests that this was due not to aomlra-
ton of their grandeur. but to venera-
ton for them as potent deities SO that
they might be more readily and fire.
quently adored.
The Center of An Ancient Mythology.
Early next morning we set of on
foot along the track, well beaten by
the feet of many generations OF Wor-
shippers, which leads along the rocky
slopes to the Sanctuary of the Rock,
Less than three miles walking brought
us to a place where the remains of a
wall cross the island. here scarcely a
mile wide, seem to mark off the sacred
part which in Inca days was entered
only for the purposes Of worship.
A little farther, two marks in the
rock resen bling giant footprints, are,
according to Indian tradition, the
Moon Goddess, when they appeared
here Then. after ascending a few
low steps which seem to be ancient,
we came out on a level space of grass
in front of a ridge of rock about
twenty-five feet high. This is Tit
Kala, the sacred rock. the center of
the most ancient mythology of South
America.
Its face, which looks southwest over
this space of grass, apparently artifi-
cially levelled. is on that side precl-
| pitous. presenting q not quite smooth
! face in which the veins of slightly diff
ferent colors of brown and grey
are seen. At one point these veins so
run as to present something like the
/ head of a wild cat or puma; and as
/ Tit means a wild cat in Aymara. and
/ Kala or Kaka a rock, this is supposed
I to be the origin of the name TIT kala,
which has been extended from the
rock to the island and from the island
/ TO the lake.
( A Rock Plated With Gold and Silver.
\ The back Of the ridge is convex. and
is easily climbed From ii the ground
falls rapidly 10 the lake, about three
hundred feet below. Except for what
may possibly be an artificial incision
I at the top, the rock appears to be
entirely in its natural state, the cave
like hollow at its base showing no sign
of mans handiwork. Neither does
any existing building touch It.
There are. however, traces Of walls
enclosing the space in front Of 1t, es-
pecially on the north side. where there
are other ancient remains hard by.
The only one Of these sufficiently pre-
served to enable us to conjecture its
purpose is a somewhat perplexing two
stored edifice, resem bling that WHICH
( ] have described as existing on the
Island of Kaoti
1t is called the Chingana. or Lady
rinth. The numerous rooms are small,
scantily lighted. and connected by
narrow passages. There Is nothing TO
! suggest q place of worship, SO prob
ably the building contained the quar-
tiers provided for the various attend
ants on the religious rites performed
here, and perhaps also for the wo-
men who were kept near many sane
tuaries and palaces for the service OF
the Sun and the Incas.
None OF the other ruins Is identi-
fable as a temple. SO we are left In
doubt whether any temple that may
have existed was destroyed by the
/ zeal of the Spanish Conquerors. or
whether the worship of the Sun and
the local spirits was conducted in the
open air in front OF the Rock, whose
surface was, according TO some rather
doubtful authorities. covered with
plates Of gold and silver.
Two Legends of the Rock.
In front of the Rock there lies q
fat stone which 1t has been conjec-
tured may have been used for sacri-
fees. All our authorities agree thai
the place was most sacred. Some say
no one was allowed to touch it; and
at 1t oracles were delivered, which the
Spaniards accepted as real, while at
!
inside the rock.
OF the many legends relating to the
place only two need be mentioned
One is that here the sun, plying ths
barbarous and wrerched condition OF
men. took his two children, Nance
Capac and Mama (mother) Occio, and
giving them short staff or wand OF
gold, directed them to go forward
till they should find place where
the staff on being struck against the
ground entered and stuck fast They
travelled TO the north for many days
and the wand finally entered the earth
at Cuzco, where they accordingly built
city and founded their dominion
Nance being the first OF the Inca dy-
nasty.
The other tale is that for long
long time there was darkness over
the earth and great sorrow among
men TIL at last the sun suddenly
rose out of the Rock on Titicaca
which was thenceforward sacred and
place OF sacrifice and oracles
An Island That Ran With the Blood
of Human Sacrifices.
The isle seems to have been aban-
doned and the worship forbidden
soon after the Conquest. The native
Indians still approach the Rock with
awe. Lightning and thunder. a;
were worshipped, and human sacri-
fees. frequently of children, were of
fered.
Standing on this lonely spot ont
thinks Of what 1t may have witnessed
In old days. What weird dances an(
wild uproar of drums and pipes be
fore the Rock. and still wilder song
and cries of frenzied worshippers
What shrieks Of victims from tn
stone of sacrifice!
Now all is silence, and nothing, ex
cept'the crumbling ruins of the Chin
CANA, speaks of the past. No sount
except the signing of the breez
} round the cliff and the splash o
: the wavelets as they break on tn
pehly beach beneath. There is n
habitation near. The green outlying
, islets, one of which Is said to hav
run with the blood OF human sacri
5 fees, are all desolate.
, Bidding farewell TO the Island o
, the Sun we sailed southwark through
! the Straits OF Tiquina. only half
> mile wide. which connect the prin
cipat lake with the shallower gul
: at its southeastern end, called tn
Lake of Ninamarca. Here Is tn
: point where the river Desaguader
flows out and little to the east /
. the port of Guaqui whence runs tn
railway to La PaZ. Here we halte'
= for the night, a very cold one, ant
I set az ", a oaId morning for the Bo