he Peruvian Indians--The
Repartimiento and the Mita--Indian Insurrections--Tupac Amaru--His
Capture and Execution--War of Independence--Character of the Peruvian
Indians--Music--Dress--Superstitions--Longevity--Diminished
Population of Peru--Languages spoken by the Aboriginal
Inhabitants--Specimen of Quichua Poetry--The Yaravies--The
Quipu--Water Conduits--Ancient Buildings--Fortresses--Idols--Domestic
Utensils--Ancient Peruvian Graves--Mode of Burying the Dead--Mummies.

A glance at the history of Peru serves to show that prior to the Spanish
conquest the Indians were the subjects of a dynasty, to which they
rendered willing obedience. We find, indeed, an uninterrupted series of
revolutions and wars, arising out of the continued extension of the
empire, to which nations differing one from another in language,
religion, and manners, were gradually annexed. For some time after their
subjugation these nations struggled to recover their independence, but
the wise and mild government of the Incas gradually restored peace, and
established unity. In course of time, the magnitude of the empire led to
its downfall. Huayna Inca-Capac divided his dominions between his two
sons. To the elder, Huascar, he gave the southern portion of the empire,
and to the younger, Atahuallpa, he gave the northern division. Between
the two brothers there arose disputes, which led to a sanguinary war;
and in that fatal interval, Pizarro, with his invading forces, landed in
Peru. With a degree of speed, which internal union among the people
would have rendered impossible, the Spaniards made themselves masters of
the country, massacred alike sovereigns and subjects, destroyed the
sanctuaries, and established a new religion and new laws. The barbarous
cruelties by which that religion and those laws were upheld are too well
known to require repetition here. Of the many oppressive measures to
which the Spaniards enforced submission from the conquered people, I
will briefly notice two: the _Repartimiento_ and the _Mita_. The
Repartimiento was the distribution, among the natives, of articles of
European production. These distributions were under the superintendence
of the provincial authorities, the corregidores, and the sub-delegados.
The law was doubtless intended, in its origin, for the advantage and
convenience of the native Indians, by supplying them with necessaries at
a reasonable price. But, subsequently, the Repartimiento became a source
of oppr