The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-06-09

verde, who was afterwards made
Bishop Of Cuzco.
During my stay in Cuzco I visited
the Temple of the Sun, upon whose
now stand the church and
onven of the D~ominicans. This
was known by the Incas as The Cor
lcancha' or the place of gold" 1t
was rectangular on three sides. with a
great oval at the back and it's walls
were two stories high and although
about 1900 feet long. These walls
were surrounded by d thick c%ornice |
OF border Of gold about eight inches
wide, and where the wall joined the
roof there was a broad golden band.
Inc roof was covered with gold,
the inner walls Of the temple were
literally plated with it, vegetables and
vines of all sorts being engraved up
on them.
Opposite the entrance to the tenn
pie was a mighty plate of solid gold,
heavily ~incruSted with emeralds and
precious stones This represented a
human face surrounded with rays. 1t
was the image of the sun whom the
Incas ~worshiped, and used gold in
DONG so. They considered that me-
tai sacred to the sun, and often refer
red to it as the tears Of that heavenly
body. On both sides of the image
were the embalmed bodies Of the In
cas- Of the past, each seated on a chair
Of solid gold.
In addition to the Temple. of the
Sun, the Incas had temples to the
stars and moon. The traditions say
that there were chapels to these heav-
emily bodies in the great temple at
Cuzco, and it is whispered tina evil
dences of these AVE recently been
discovered. When l went through the
church my guide was not permitted
to go with me. The holy father in
charge performed this duty himself;
and the guide thought that it was to
prevent me from learning what they
had recently discovered.
All Of the ornaments and utensils
devoted to the religion of the Incas
were made Of gold or silver. In the
great hall of the sun there were gOl-
den eWers which held the water, used
at the time OF the sacrifices; and there
were twelve silver jars filled with In
dlan corn. There was a golden llama
with a golden fleece; and also COLDER
birds n golden flowers, all Of life
size.
The Spaniards found a vast amour,
OF gold in the cemeteries Of the Inca:
Some OF those monarchs, after death
had their royal bowels filled with gold
Gold was buried with them. There il
a record hat one Garcia Guiterre.
paid one-fifth of the treasures h,
found in the ~graveyards It Truiillo t,
the Spanish crown. This was only q
per cent Of the whole, and it show
hat his discoveries melted him owe
$4,000 castellanos of that preciou
metal. They are now finding gol,
in the excavations being made a
Teohuanaco, and that in the shap
Of gold and silver plates tackled t.
,, the heads Of mummies and skulls
, The building of the great grant
! cathedral in Cuzco, which stands O
: the plaza near the ancient site Of on
Of h Inca palaces, was brOugh
! about by the discovery Of an Inc
; treasure. It's origin was in a mira
: culous dream OF the bishop. In thi
4 dream the Virgin Mary appeared be
! : fore the bishop, and old him that sh
: wanted a cathedral in Cuzco. Sh
!. fixed the location on the ancient plaZ
of the Incas and described the gran
building as it now is. The bishop re
: piled hat his people were poor, thu
he had no money and that he coul
not possibly raise the sum needed
Thereupon the Madonna directed hill
y to go to aplace near CuZcO and dl:
There he would c some of TT
lost treasures of the Incas. This Va
duly reported to the people, and, {
~ the story goes, they went with tt
q bishop in a great procession to tt
place designated. They dug dow
into the earth and there found a lars
store of gold. 1t was with his go
= hat they began the cathedral whic
although here far off from the Sc
y and between the walls of the Ande
h is one Of the finest churches of tt
is New World.
ar
"A | have already described the Cath
~ dral of Cuzco. All told it is perha
If more gorgeous than was Coricanch
the Inca Temple of the Sur. 1t IS
vast museum of gold carvings al
"A beautiful paintings. One of its trea
q ures is a life-sized figure Of the h
he fastened to a wood cross by gre
h. nails Of solid gold. The figure
as decorated with jewels and the pede
taI or car upon which the cross stan
is plated with silver and incrus1
e. with diamonds. y.
nd This image is greatly revered by t
nnAL