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Royal Commentariu.
BooK
lit
no man can conjeéture,
Vnlefs it were
lik!
rhe Pyramids in Eµp't, to remm'n for
a
Tro–
phy of the Greatnefs of rhat Monarch who erefled
it.
On one ftde of this mighty heap
are the Statues of two Giants cut in Stone, with long Robes to the ground, and
Wreaths or Binders about their heads; which being much impaired by time
fhews che Antiquit.y of rhem. There is alío a íl:range Wall
to
be [een, raifed
wid1 Stones ,of an extraordinary bignefs ; and what i_s moíl: wonder[ull ro-aonfi–
der,
is, how·, or in whac manner they were bro~ghc th1cher by force ofMen;.who
had not yec attained
to
the knowledge of Engmes
fic
for focha work, and from
whac place they were brought, there being no Rocks or Quarries but foch as are
at a far diílance from thence. There appear alfo many greac :md lofty Edifices;
and what is more íl:range, there are in divers places great l_)ortals of Stone, and
rnany of them whole and perfeC.:, made of one íingle and entire Scone; which
being raifed on Pedeíl:als, are found by chore who have·meafored tbem to
be
Jº
foot in lengch, and
1s-
in breadch, which Pedeíl:als, as well as the Arches of tl)e
Portals, were all of one fingle Stone : And then we may confider how greac thofe
Stones were before they were fhaped, and whac tools of Iron were requifite for
fucha labour.
· The Natives report that the[e Buildings, and others of the 'like nacure nor men–
tioned here, were raired before the times of che
Inca,,
and that che Model of che
Fortrefs at
Co,:,co
was taken from them, as we {hall hereafter more parricularly de–
fcribe: Who they were that ereéted them, chey do not know, onely-they have
heard fay by rradition from cheir Anceílours, that chofe prodigious Works were
the effeéts of one nighcs labour; which feern, in reality, to nave been che be–
ginnings onely, and foundacions for fome mighcy Struéture. Thus muth
Pedro
de
Ciefa
in his Remarks concerning
Per11,
and its feveral Provinces relaces
~
to
which
1
<hall farcher add , what a certain Prieíl: called
Diego de Alco6afa,
who was
my
School-fellow; and whom
I
may call my Brorher, hecmfe we were
both
born in
the fame l1oufe, and his Facher educated me as my Tutour and Maíl:er: This per–
fon, I fay, amongíl: the many relations of
1
things which both h~ a_nd others fent
me, concerning my own Coumrey ; cornmg
to
[peak of rhe Butldmgs of
'Iíahua–
nacu,
harh chefe words :
''
In
Tiah11anacu,
which is a Province of
Co!l110,
amongíl:
" many orher Amiquities "orchy of immorral memory, there is one parcicularly
'' famous, adjoining
to
the Lake, w}üch iscalled by che
Spaniards Chucuytu,
though
" ics true name be
Ch11quivir11
;
chis
is
a
Pile
of Monffrous Buildings, ro which
" is an open Court of
Is-
Yards fquare every way, the Building is rwo Stories
" high; and on one fide of this great Yard or Square is a large HaH of
4>
foot
" in lengrh, and
1.1.
in breadch ; che Covering appears
to
be Tharch, like chofe
" on che Temple of che Sun, in che Cicy of
Co,:,co:
Ali chis Come, or Yard,
" which we mention, with its Walls, Floor, Hall, Roof, l?orcals and Jams of
" che doors, and back-gare to chisBuilding, is all of one enrire Stone, hewed out
ce
of a Rock; che Walls of che Court, and of che Hall, are three quarrers of a
" Yard thick, and foch alfo is che Cove!'ing or Roof; which though it may feern
·~ ro be Thacched wirh Straw, is yet <;>f Stone; for che
Indians
have worked it
fo
'.' artificially, and with chofe .natur:il lines, thac che Stones appear like Straw laid
ce
in che moíl curious manner of Thatch : che Warers of che Lake beat againíl: che
'' fide ofrhefeWalls; and boch this,and ali the other Edifices here about, were all,
'' as che Nacives repon, dedicated to che Maker of che Univerfe; Moreover,
'~ befides rhere Works, chere are divers orher·figures of Men and \i\Tornen cut
in
" Scone, fo naturally, that they reem to be living: Sorne of them are drinking
" with Cups in their hands, fome are fitting, fome íl:anding, fome are walking in
" che íl:ream which glides by che·Walls; other Sratues there are of Women car–
" rying Children in their armes, and in che folds of their garmencs; others wich,
'.' them on their backs, and in a thoufand other manners and poílures. The
Jndi–
"
ans
of the[e days report, that for che great Sins of that people, in having íl:oned
. '~ a Scranger, who paífed chrough their Province, God in his judgmenc nad con–
" verted chofe Meo and Wornen into Stone. There are che words of
Diego de
Al–
coba
pi,
who hacb been Vicar-Gene,ral of many Provinces in chat Kingdom, and
Preacher of the
Jndians
;
for being a Native of
Co,:,co,
and of
Spanifh
and
Jndian
Bloud, and conrequemly acquainted wich the
Indian
Language, was moíl: able to in–
forrn and infüuét rhat people; and
in.
ali probability, he·was che moíl: likely Mao
to deliver che moft true and auchéntick Relarion of chore Countries.
.
· e
HA
r.