The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-04

'N'AS II oitd u Gt VI a -
often plastered with mud, and upon
the matched roofs are wooden
crosses, showing the religious nature
OF the people. The town has a Cath
Ollie church that has stones of the an
clent city in it's walls, and in front
q the church is a cross on a pedestal
made OF such stones. There are
carved idols on each side of the gate
way that leades into the church. They
all came from Tiahuanacu, whose peo-
pie lved eight thousand years ago and
"~orshlpped we now not what.
The main ruins of T~iahuanacu lie
on a broad and level plain, situated
about a half mile south of the rail-
a They are scattered over the
plain, some of them half buried and
others lying well up out of the tufts
OF grass and other low plants that
cover it. The region is the picture
or deSOlatiOn. The Andes are in plain
view, but outside them there is moth
ing but the niue huts in the distance
and the alpacas, llamas and sheep.
watched by Aymara shepherds, pin
ming or knitting as they mind their
flocks.
One Of the striking features of the
ruins is a great doorway cut out of
one solid block of stone. This is fitted
into the walls of an old cemetery. The
DOCK is broken at n corner, but it
originally was a great stone Stag
eighteen inches thick, and twice as tall
as a man. The doorway tina was
cut through its center is four and a
half feet high and almost three feet
in width. The stone above the door
is beautifully carved with figures that
seem to be Egyptian, and over the
doorway is q central figure in high re-
lief. Some of the figures evidently
represent kings, for each holds a
scepter and some have crowns on
their heads. They have human bodies,
feet and hands.
Others of the stones are enormous.
| saw n thirty-six feet long and
seven feet thick, and nothe which
is twenty-six feet long, sixteen feet
wide n six feet in thickness. Some
of the blocks are of sandstone and
others are trachyte, lark in color and
exceedingly hard. The latter are
beautifully carved and polished.
Among the most remarkable fea-
lures of the ruins are the stone idols
dug out since Squier's time and made
are of gigantic size. Their bodies are
as big around as a flour barrel, anG
they are more than eight feet ir
height. The faces have thick lips, AND
the heads are so cut that they would
be a delight to the cubists of today
They are all angles, I'VE to the eyes
noses and lips.
Some of the smaller idols have beer
brought to La PaZ. There is one III
the center of the National Museum
here. 1t is about three feet in height
and is artistically carved. / took
picture of myself standing beside it
and also Of DR.. Buchtein, the direc
tor of the museum, who has beer
making the excavations.
1t was in company with DR.. Buch
tein that I went through the museum
and examined the objects he has jus
dug from the ground. The collec
ton is large, covering many tables an
filing several rooms 1t consists Q
pottery Of all sizes, from vases Q
three or four gallons down to the ut
tie cups the size Of half an egg-shel
Some Of the objects are almost Etrus
can in their decoration. Other piece
have hieroglyphics that make on
think of Chinese or Japanese charac
ters. Much Of the terra Gotta is a
fine as porcelain, and, when Tape
upon, it gives forth the same sonnC
The bowls are Of the color OF terri
5 Gotta. and there are beautifully shape
: cuDS, EACH u WilISI WouiN
or two quarts. The collection alto
2 gether numbers thousands of piece
e and it has all been e~xcavated in tn
: past two or three months.
DR.. Buchtein believes that the poi
e terv Of his latest excavations date
back to eight thousand years ago,
e to more than six thousand years be
: fore Christ. If he is correct, he he
foupd the oldest records Of civiliZatio
e now in existence. He tells me he doe
not think tina Tiahuanacu was tf
work Of the red race. and that he o.
lieyes hat it dates far back OF tn:
e time to a white race who a
e this part of the Andes. In TINS pen
e he is not alone. A scientific travel
e who recently passed through here n;
brought forth the idea that the Boil
ian plateau was once settled oy q
is ancient Phoenicians. This man CLAIM
e that the gold Of Ophir came from II
e Andes. He says the Bible states tn
IS it. took three years for the shlps
a make the journey to the mines; al
this is borne out by l kings, ten