Read Online Lost City of the Incas (Phoenix Press) by Hiram Bingham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Hiram Bingham
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varying from sea level to 14,000 feet above it. After the Spanish Conquest of Peru, it took Europeans nearly three centuries to appreciate the staple food of the Incas. In fact, had it not been for famines in France and Ireland it is hard to say when the Peruvian potato would have been accepted as part of their daily ration.
The skill and ingenuity of the Inca agriculturists were shown not only in the breeding and raising of many kinds of potatoes, but also in the very many varieties of maize or Indian corn, suitable for cultivation at varying elevations, which they developed. No one knows exactly from what plant maize was originally derived. Agricultural experts are divided in their opinion as to whether it was domesticated from an Andean plant which has long since disappeared or whether it was brought from Guatemala. Central American authorities, specialists in Maya civilization, are convinced that corn originated in Guatemala, where there is a wild plant remotely resembling it. There is no doubt, however, that the Incas had more varieties of maize, a whole series that were unlike any that are known from CentralAmerica or Mexico, and had gone much further in developing them than did the Mayas.
We do not know, probably we shall never know, when corn was first cultivated in Peru. Mr Cook believes that the cultivation of corn in Peru goes
very
far back, not only because of the abundance of specimens found in ancient graves but also because the types of maize which furnish the bulk of the Peruvian crop are peculiar to that region.
An Inca food plant almost unknown to Europeans is
canihua
, a kind of pig weed. It is harvested in April, and the stalks are dried and placed on a large blanket laid on the ground as a threshing floor. The blanket serves to prevent the small greyish seeds from escaping when the flail is applied.
Another unfamiliar food plant, also a species of pig weed, is called
quinoa
. Growing readily on the slopes of the high Andes at an elevation as great as most of the Rocky Mountains, it manages to attain a height of 3 or 4 feet and produces abundant crops. The seeds are cooked like a cereal and are very palatable.
At lower elevations in the Andes the Incas developed another series of root crops, most of which are still unfamiliar to us, but one of which, the sweet potato, has achieved world-wide popularity. First domesticated from a wild plant found in the eastern Andes, it is called
cumara
by the Quichuas in the Urubamba valley. All over Polynesia it bears virtually the same name, kumala or kumara. From Peru it seems to have spread over the Pacific Ocean. One of the greatest achievements of the extraordinary group of ancient navigators whom we call Polynesians was to plant it in Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, and everywhere they went with their great double canoes.
In addition to discovering and developing useful plants, the Incas also were the first to learn the advantages of certain medicinal herbs, particularly quinine, long known as a specific in the cure of malaria. They also discovered the specific effects of cocaine, which is extracted from coca leaves, but only those engaged in such strenuous activities as post-running were allowed to use it. Judging by the ‘medicines’ sold by the Indian ‘druggists’ who display their wares in the market places of themountain towns, the ancient remedies included such minerals as sulphur, such vegetables as the seeds, roots, and dried leaves of tropical jungle plants, and such animals as star-fish!
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
Not only were the Incas remarkable for domesticating plants, they also showed great skill in domesticating animals. In the Andes is a little rodent called a
cuy
. It is extremely timid and difficult to catch. We call it a guinea pig although it never came from Guinea and is not a pig. Discovering that it was very palatable when roasted over an open fire or boiled in a stew the Incas domesticated it and developed a dozen different varieties,
The skill and ingenuity of the Inca agriculturists were shown not only in the breeding and raising of many kinds of potatoes, but also in the very many varieties of maize or Indian corn, suitable for cultivation at varying elevations, which they developed. No one knows exactly from what plant maize was originally derived. Agricultural experts are divided in their opinion as to whether it was domesticated from an Andean plant which has long since disappeared or whether it was brought from Guatemala. Central American authorities, specialists in Maya civilization, are convinced that corn originated in Guatemala, where there is a wild plant remotely resembling it. There is no doubt, however, that the Incas had more varieties of maize, a whole series that were unlike any that are known from CentralAmerica or Mexico, and had gone much further in developing them than did the Mayas.
We do not know, probably we shall never know, when corn was first cultivated in Peru. Mr Cook believes that the cultivation of corn in Peru goes
very
far back, not only because of the abundance of specimens found in ancient graves but also because the types of maize which furnish the bulk of the Peruvian crop are peculiar to that region.
An Inca food plant almost unknown to Europeans is
canihua
, a kind of pig weed. It is harvested in April, and the stalks are dried and placed on a large blanket laid on the ground as a threshing floor. The blanket serves to prevent the small greyish seeds from escaping when the flail is applied.
Another unfamiliar food plant, also a species of pig weed, is called
quinoa
. Growing readily on the slopes of the high Andes at an elevation as great as most of the Rocky Mountains, it manages to attain a height of 3 or 4 feet and produces abundant crops. The seeds are cooked like a cereal and are very palatable.
At lower elevations in the Andes the Incas developed another series of root crops, most of which are still unfamiliar to us, but one of which, the sweet potato, has achieved world-wide popularity. First domesticated from a wild plant found in the eastern Andes, it is called
cumara
by the Quichuas in the Urubamba valley. All over Polynesia it bears virtually the same name, kumala or kumara. From Peru it seems to have spread over the Pacific Ocean. One of the greatest achievements of the extraordinary group of ancient navigators whom we call Polynesians was to plant it in Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, and everywhere they went with their great double canoes.
In addition to discovering and developing useful plants, the Incas also were the first to learn the advantages of certain medicinal herbs, particularly quinine, long known as a specific in the cure of malaria. They also discovered the specific effects of cocaine, which is extracted from coca leaves, but only those engaged in such strenuous activities as post-running were allowed to use it. Judging by the ‘medicines’ sold by the Indian ‘druggists’ who display their wares in the market places of themountain towns, the ancient remedies included such minerals as sulphur, such vegetables as the seeds, roots, and dried leaves of tropical jungle plants, and such animals as star-fish!
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
Not only were the Incas remarkable for domesticating plants, they also showed great skill in domesticating animals. In the Andes is a little rodent called a
cuy
. It is extremely timid and difficult to catch. We call it a guinea pig although it never came from Guinea and is not a pig. Discovering that it was very palatable when roasted over an open fire or boiled in a stew the Incas domesticated it and developed a dozen different varieties,
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