without the use of iron tools. Some of the languages of the
country, and perhaps all, had names for iron; in official Peruvian it
was called _quillay_, and in the old Chilian tongue _panilic_. "It is
remarkable," observes Molina, "that iron, which has been thought unknown
to the ancient Americans, has particular names in some of their
tongues." It is not easy to understand why they had names for this
metal, if they never at any time had knowledge of the metal itself. In
the Mercurio Peruano, tome i., p. 201, 1791, it is stated that,
anciently, the Peruvian sovereigns "worked magnificent iron mines at
Ancoriames, on the west shore of Lake Titicaca;" but I can not give the
evidence used in support of this statement.

[Illustration: Fig. 65.--Copper Knives.]

[Illustration: Fig. 66.--Copper Tweezers.]

Their goldsmiths and silversmiths had attained very great proficiency.
They could melt the metals in furnaces, cast them in moulds made of clay
and gypsum, hammer their work with remarkable dexterity, inlay it, and
solder it with great perfection. The gold and silver work of these
artists was extremely abundant in the country at the time of the
Conquest, but Spanish greed had it all melted for coinage. It was with
articles of this gold-work that the Inca Atahuallpa filled a room in
his vain endeavor to purchase release from captivity. One of the old
chroniclers mentions "statuary, jars, vases, and every species of
vessels, all of fine gold." Describing one of the palaces, he said:
"They had an artificial garden, the soil of which was made of small
pieces of fine gold, and this was artificially sowed with different
kinds of maize which were of gold, their stems, leaves, and ears.
Besides this, they had more than twenty sheep (llamas), with their
lambs, attended by shepherds, all made of gold." This may be the same
artificial garden which was mentioned by Francisco Lopez de Gomara, who
places it on "an island near Puna." Similar gardens of gold are
mentioned by others. It is believed that a large quantity of Peruvian
gold-work was thrown into Lake Titicaca to keep it from the Spanish
robbers. In a description of one lot of golden articles sent to Spain in
1534 by Pizarro, there is mention of "four llamas, ten statues of women
of full size, and a cistern of gold so curious that it incited the
wonder of all."

Nothing is more constantly mentioned by the old Spanish chroniclers than
the vast abundance of gold in Peru. It was