time and again Admiral Carbajal, the Farragut of the Peruvian navy, and the then representative of the nation's forces on the sea, was assured, in words that came straight from the heart, that the patriotic people of Libertad would ever be found loyal to the best traditions of their fathers in all that concerned their country's honor and aggrandizement. Much, however, as I was interested in all that I heard and saw during this triduum of rejoicing, and greatly as I was charmed by the hospitality and refinement of the good people of Trujillo, I cannot forget the pleasure I derived from a visit to the noted ruins of the city's environs, which, even in their decay, testify to the former existence here of a rich and powerful race about whom little is known except that their last ruler was named Chimu CanchuThe Great Chimu; that his dominions extended from Tumbez to Huacho, a distance of nearly six hundred miles; and that more than a century before the advent of the Spaniards, he was himself forced to become a vassal of the victorious Inca Pachacutec, "the Reformer of the World.” El Gran Chimu, as the Spaniards called the former capital of the Chimu chiefs, was probably the largest and most populous pre-Columbian city in the New World. Judging from the ruins scattered over the valley of the Rio Moche, it must have covered an area about twelve miles in length and five miles in breadth, and been the home of fully a hundred thousand inhabitants. It is comparable to Memphis in extent, and to the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon in the number and magnitude of its temples and palaces. Notwithstanding the long centuries that have elapsed since the city was abandoned, many of the ruins are still in an admirable state of preservation, and it is possible to determine with comparative ease the plans and the probable uses of many of the structures. What most excites the wonder of the visitor is the beauty and delicacy of the arabesques and stucco-work which ornament many of the larger edifices. So artistic are some of them that they remind one of similar decorations in the Alhambra and in the Alcazar of Seville. Many of them were painted, and in some instances the colors are yet remarkably bright. That these adobe structures should have endured for so many centuries and that the arabesques should persist in all their pristine beauty and freshness, is easily understood when one recollects that it rarely rains here and that, when it does rain, the precipitation is but slight. Although the Spaniards called this place El Gran Chimu, its original name, and the one by which it is still usually known in these parts, is Chan-Chan, in the Chimu language, "sun-sun," presumably so-called on account of the never-failing intensity of solar radiation. But more remarkable far than the decorations of the buildings are the objects which have been and still are found in the huacas, or burial places in and about ChanChan. The custom prevailed among the Chimus, as among many other American tribes, of burying with their dead not only the garments and ornaments used by them during life, but also every object of daily use. The clothes in which the bodies were wrapped were usually woven in patterns and figures of various colors, besides which many of them were adorned with feathers or with small plates of silver and gold in the form of birds and fish. Among the objects found deposited with the dead are mats and work-baskets containing balls of thread, spindles, toys of various kinds, finger-rings, bracelets, necklaces, pins and earrings. There are also headdresses made of the many colored feathers of the macaw, splendid pieces of tapestry and embroidery beautifully figured, and dyed with colors of exceeding brightness, and richly embroidered mantles adorned with a tasteful combination of designs and colors that are truly surprising. Most of these objects were found buried with women. Deposited with the men, in addition to the garments they wore, were vari ous kinds of weapons, many of them of copper, such as knives, lance-heads, axes and star-shaped club-heads. The huacas are particularly rich in pottery. Indeed, more specimens of ceramic ware have been taken from the ruins of Chan-Chan than from any other spot in Peru. Thousands of specimens have been sent to the museums of Europe and the United States, and, without counting those in the public museums of South America, there are many thousands in the possession of private collectors. Even a few days before my arrival in Trujillo, a friend of mine purchased in one lot more than a thousand specimens for a foreign museum. How many are still in the huacas hereabout, awaiting the future explorer, cannot be estimated, but the number must be enormous. The pottery of the Chimus is as remarkable for the variety of its designs as for the artistic skill displayed in its workmanship. In it one will find imitations of every bird, fish, mammal, shell and fruit, with which the makers were acquainted. The human figure also occurs quite frequently. Some of the heads and faces are so well molded that they seem to be portraits, while others are so grotesque that their execution would do credit to the most skillful caricaturist. There are also groups of figures, men, women and children-portraying war dances, harvest scenes, games and domestic occupations of different kinds. These are of special value, as they enable the archæologist to form some conjecture regarding the manners, customs and religious beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of this part of Peru. Athough some of the pottery is in no wise superior to that found in many other parts of the country, one occasionally comes across specimens of a very high order of excellence. In some instances the workmanship is so artistic, and the scenes are so well depicted, that one is reminded of similar productions of the potter's art in ancient Greece and Etruria.1 1 After writing the foregoing paragraph, I was glad to find it corroborated |