"On his arrival," said Fred, "he was impressed with the great number of finely cut stones that were built into the rudest edifices, or were used for pavements. The church is mainly constructed of them, and the cross in front of it stands on an ancient stone pedestal, which far surpasses it in the excellence of its workmanship. On all sides are the relics of antiquity adapted to the uses of the present time; Tiahuanaco has been used as a quarry, from whence have been taken the finely cut and polished stones for building all the churches and villages of the valley, and even for the roads and bridges.
INDIANS CELEBRATING THE CHUNO, OR POTATO FESTIVAL.
"He happened to arrive at the time the Indians were engaged in celebrating the chuno, or potato festival; they were dancing in the public square, beating on drums or tambourines, and wearing head-coverings that resembled enormous umbrellas. Each group of men was accompanied by several female dancers, the latter wearing hats with broad, stiff brims, and ornamented above the brims with semicircular representations of the rays of the rising sun, that closely resembled an open fan. There were three of these semicircular pieces above the brim of the hat, and each of the dancers wore a scarf over the left shoulder; the scarf was of variegated colors, but the rest of the costume was blue.
HEAD-DRESS OF INDIAN FEMALE DANCERS.
"The dance was kept up all day and all night, and, as the whole population took part in the festival, it was impossible for Mr. Squier to hire the laborers he desired to assist in making his explorations. The festival is a curious mingling of the customs of the ancient Peruvians and of the modern church; it was under the control of the priests of Tiahuanaco, and the ceremonials were so closely blended that it was impossible to draw a dividing-line between them. The chuno dates far back before the conquest by the Spaniards, and it is probable that the early settlers found it to their advantage to combine it with some of their own ceremonials.
"The ruins are about fifteen minutes walk from the village, and cover an area of two or three miles. They are on a level plain, and consist of several mounds of earth, one of them larger than any of the others, and the remains of numerous buildings and enclosures. The most conspicuous part of the ruins is about a mile square, and includes the large mound just mentioned.