Evening star., 1939-08-10
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Ruins of a ghost city, more than a
square mile in area. which reputedly
was built entirely for the dead, are
described by DR.. Julian H. Steward,
Smithsonian Institution ethnologist, in
the Institutions annual explorations re-
port
This metropolis of the dead-1t is so
described by local authorities. out the
real history of the place probably would
be impossible to check at this time-is
Cajamarquilla, on the Peruvian coast
near Lima. 1t was visited by DR..
Steward a few months ago during an
chronological reconnaissance of the Pc
ruvian and Ecuadorian Indians.
The ruins date from the Inca period
and, superticially at least. do not differ
in appearance today from that of other
large Inca towns along the Peruvian
coast which were fiourishing at the time
the Spaniards came.
These monumental aboriginal works"
says DR.. Steward" are even more i'm
pressive than the Incompatible speci-
mems OF pottery textiles and metals
which have been dug from them and are
exhibited in museums in all parts of the
world. Archaeology, as well as historical
documents left by the conquistadores,
evince an extraordinarily great and
powerful native population The ancient
cities, which are built of adobe on the
coast and are SO numerous as to be local
commonplaces, are many times larger
than those of any North American
Indians, their tumbled walls often
covering scores of acres"
The city of the dead" says DR..
Steward, was one of the largest of all.
Supposedly the dead were elaborately in
TERED in the floor of each room.
In the highlands also DR.. Steward
found many remains of the Incas High
land construction was primarily of stone
and many Of the sites are renowned for
the size Of the building blocks and the
skill with which the Inca artisans fitted
them together.
Says DR.. Steward: Modern CuZco.
which prior to the conquest was long a
center of Inca and pre-Inca civilization,
has today scarcely a building the walls
OF which do not include the masonry OF
some prehistoric period. The Convento
de Santo Domingo, for example, has in
corporated the complete Inca sun
temple, famous in history for allegedly
having been filled two-thirds full with
gold as the ransom demanded by Pizar-
ro for the release of the Inca whom he
had treacherously captured No less in
teresting than the ruins are the evidences
OF prehistoric agriculture In these days
OF discussion and controversy about
such aerarian matters as dust bowls and
marginal land, it is astonishing to view
the extensive land utilization of ancient
Peru. The pressure of that huge popula-
ton which had made possible the con-
struction of cities, temples and mounds.
and which is reckoned to have surpassed
the present population in size, required
utilization Of land which today would be
considered less than sub-marginal.
Miles of steep and arid mountainsides
were laboriously terraced and water
carried for leagues in aqueducts to pro-
vide few extra acres of arabic land"
The present-day mountain popula-
tions OF both Peru and Ecuador. Dr.
stewart found, are true "highlanders'
adapted by many generations for life
in the clouds. Many hundred thousands
OF them live above 10000 feet in altitude
and villages sometimes are encountered
above 14,500 feet. higher than the high
est point in the United States. They
seem well adapted, however. to the thin
mountain air which causes great dis
comfort to white men from the lowlands.
Says DR.. Steward: Though many
european customs have been adopted by
these Indians, four centuries of contact
with the Spanish have not served to
eradicate features that fourished long
before Pizarro's conquest in 1882 Such
important aboriginal products as pota-
toes and corn are grown along with
wheat and other cereals of European
origin. Llamas continue to outnumber
other beasts in the high attitudes to
which they are suited. The Indians still
weave with remarkable skill, especially
IN Peru. There, in pre-Columbian
epochS, some of the worlds finest tex
tiles were produced. The woven poncho,
o40eii piisHeiJ Coloieu dCCoIulllS 10 local
styles, continues to be the favorite gar
ment and woven sandals are the main
footgear, though pieces cut from old tires
now threaten the popularity of the
latter.
DR.. Steward also made preliminary
reconnaissance of old Panama, a few
miles north of modern Panama City,
which was founded in 1919 and sacked
by the pirate Morgan in 1871. Excava-
tions there, he believes, might shed much
light on the progress of Spanish colo
nial life.