se walls are usually about three feet thick, and about
twelve feet high. The roofs were not flat, but, as shown by the gables
of the various buildings, sharply pitched, so that, although rain may
not have been frequent, it was, nevertheless, necessary to provide for
its occurrence. Each apartment was completely separated from the next by
partitions reaching to the very peak of the general roof. There are no
traces of windows, and light and air were admitted into the apartment
only by the door."

On one side, at least, the whole area of the city was protected by a
heavy wall, several miles of which were still standing at the time
of Mr. Squier's visit. At various places along this wall, cross-walls
extended inward, thus inclosing great areas which have never been built
over, and which show all evidence of ancient cultivation. We notice,
near the upper end of this inclosure, a court, occupied by a mound. This
is known as a _huaca,_ which calls for some explanation. It seems that
the general name among all the Peruvian people, for a sacred object,
is huaca. Being a very superstitious people, this name is applied to
a great variety of purposes, amongst others, to these great artificial
mounds, the majority of which are probably burial mounds. The
construction of many of these mounds is very singular. It seems as if
they were a large collection of rooms, each one of which was filled
with clay or adobe. In some of these chambers, probably, treasures are
concealed. One very celebrated huaca, at Chimu, was found to contain an
enormous amount of gold vessels.

We must not forget to notice the arts of the Chimu people. The walls
of the inner edifices were often ornamented as is seen in the following
cut, of which the upper one is stucco-work and the lower one is in
relief. Adobe bricks are allowed to project out, forming the ornamental
design. Other ornaments of stucco-work were observed. The second figure
on this page gives us an idea of this style of ornaments. As an evidence
of how the climate of Peru preserves ruins, we would mention that,
though this last stucco-work has been exposed to the elements for
probably several centuries, yet it is still apparently perfect.

Illustration of Ornamentation of Walls.---------------Illustration of
Adobe Ornament.-----------------------

The Chimu people were certainly very expert workmen in gold and silver.
De Leon asserts that, when the Incas conquered them, they took to Cuzco