co, if they existed at all
in Central and Southern Peru, have disappeared, leaving here and there
only short sections or fragments, hardly justifying the extravagant
praise that has been bestowed on them. The modern mule-paths, miscalled
roads, must necessarily follow nearly, if not exactly, the routes of the
Indians under the Empire. The physical conformation of the country is
such that communication between _puna_ and _puna_, and from valley to
valley, must always be made by the same passes. All these passes over
the mountains are marked by huge piles of stone raised, like the cairns
of Scotland and Wales, by the contribution of a single stone from each
traveller as an offering to the spirits of the mountains, and as an
invocation for their aid in sustaining the fatigues of travel. These
great stone heaps still exist, and will remain to the end of time,
monuments marking forever the routes of travel in the days of the Incas.

We know, therefore, from these rude monuments very nearly what were the
ancient lines of communication. These are also further indicated by
remains of the _tambos_, which occur at intervals all through the
country, and oftenest in places remote from supplies, in cold and desert
districts, where the traveller stands most in need of food and shelter.

The modern voyager would consider himself supremely fortunate were he to
find one in a hundred of these tambos, now in existence; for travelling
in Peru is infinitely more difficult and dangerous than it was in the
days of the Incas: more difficult, because the facilities are less; more
dangerous, because the laws are more lax, and the moral standard of the
people lower. The influence of Spain in Peru has been every way
deleterious; the civilization of the country was far higher before the
Conquest than now.

As I have said, few traces of the Inca roads, such as are described by
the early writers, and such as Humboldt saw in Northern Peru, are now to
be found in the southern part of that country; and as the modern
pathways must follow the ancient lines, I infer that they never existed
here, for there is no reason why they should have suffered more from
time and the elements in one part of the country than in another.

Between Cuzco and the sweet valley of Yucay there are numerous traces of
an ancient road, some sections of which are perfect. These sections
coincide in character with the long reaches in the direction of Quito.
They consist of a path