INCA WONDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

INCA WONDERS.

TRAILS IN OLD PERU.

RELICS OF HISTORIC PAST. With the completion of the LimaArequipa highway, now well under way, some of the most important centres of the ancient civilisation of Peru will be opened up to tourists. The new road, ■which links the central departments of Peru and the port of Lima with the growing industries of the south, will follow in many places the old Inca trail, once travelled by the emissaries and armies of emperors. In the past "two great thoroughfares, running from Arequipa toward the coast and terminating at Yauca and Jaqui, enabled the Incas to move their forces hurriedly in case of war. To-day the ruins of these ancient roads reveal the remarkable skill of engineers long dead. The importance of the new > travel artery is twofold. It will make accessible" archaeological sites now being excavated and it will establish communication between remote settlements. Fast motor trucks will soon be transporting goods to villages familiar only ■with the slow-moving ox-cart. The Famous Sun Temple. The Lima.-Arequipa highway, consistin0 * of several links and runs through picturesque country. Towns nestling in green and smiling valleys, snow-capped glaciers and sapphire-blue lakes are glimpsed en route to the Sun Temple of Pachacamac, the fortress ot Tambo de Mora .and to other ruins in the neighbourhood of Chincha and Pisco. It near the latter point that the archaeologists Tello and Lothrop. discovered. a vear or so ago, valuable artifacts of the Cerro Colorado race, whose contributions to civilisation have puzzled scientists. • , The famous Sun Temple of Pachaca- ' mac lies onlv 25 'miles south of Lima, on the first lap of the journey over the new highway. This ancient shrine, built bv the Incas. is probably better known than any other spot in t>e countrv. Tn ancient days it was a Mecca to which journeyed hundreds of pilgrims who worshipped, in the temple and lh-ed in two adjacent villages, now reduced to ruins. Pachaeamae is near the more thickly settled portions of the country which, with Tnca and fieanish architecture, offer a striking contrast with the wild, unsettled pampas. Not far away is the little known and rarelv visited province of Parinaceclian. with its rich herds and fertile lands. Here the nature lover will revel in high mountain passes and dangerous foot-trails and meander up and down steep gorges. Here, too, the geologist will find interesting ore outcroppings. The area is rich in minerals, particularly gold, silver and copper, and the ruins of 500 old mines indicate that from here the Incas drew k juuch of their treasure. k. ~

Churches hereabouts, as in other parts of Peru, retain evidence of former lavish furnishings. The Church of Chalpi, for instance, built in 1002, still boasts early statues of saints fashioned, from pure gold. In the neighbourhood are enormous asphalt deposits, at present attracting the attention of those responsible for the future paving of Peru's streets and highways. The highway passes Flamingo Lake, a renowned beauty spot, whose name is derived from the huge flocks of salmonpink flamingoes which congregate on its shores. A giant mountain peak, the Misti, flashes into sight as the traveller nears Arequipa, the southern terminus of the new road. This volcano, with its striking white crest, 1"\000 feet high, appears to stand guard over the gardenspattered town, whose central plaza boasts a handsome cathedral. Arequipa is a combination of ancient and modern structures. Spanish stone work and carvings, paved streets and street cars, with graceful colonnades leading into hidden palm-decked courts, attract the tourist. Not far from Arequipa is the picturesque resort of Yura, in which is one of the most noted mineral springs of Peru. Cuzco, ancient capital of the Inca empire, boasts the first edifice built by the Spaniards in Peru, the Santo Domingo convent. In addition to archaeological sites, churches with their mixtures of Spanish and Inca architecture" and jewelled trimmings, there is the ever-changing panorama of the countryside. Herds of llama sniffing the air, oxen treading out grain, natives making pottery, religious processions and village merrymaking offer wide diversity in a trip to Peru. Primitive Remains. The remains of primitive races which preceded Inca rule in Peru are evident in the many ruins in the vicinity of Antiquipa; . Villages consisting of small, kennel-like houses surrounded by stone walls are found along the sea coast and in the foothills. Excavations in the burial places of this tribe have yielded trinkets of bone and stone, jars, mummies wrapped in coarse textiles and belonging apparently to a red-haired race. Another primitive race, the Changos, have also attracted scientists. Whether the Changos were distinct from the fisher folk of the coast (they lived forty-five miles inland) is not clear. Professor Max Uhle, the German archaeologist, spent many months in the region tracing a possible connection. Another riddle still unsolved has to do with tlie origin of the phantom race which once occupied the Chaparra Valley, a people appearing to have some affinity with the Cerro Colorado race. Their town was discovered by Dr. Julio C. Tello. As coastal navigation is to-day the only means of direct communication between Central and Southern Peru, the new highway is hailed as an important step in economic development. Ports such as Chala, which is one of several similar outlets for the great cattleraising districts, must rely 011 the infrequent service afforded by small boats.