Identifier: islandsoftiticac00band (find matches)
Title: The islands of Titicaca and Koati, illustrated
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse, 1840-1914
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Hispanic Society of America
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ion is one of chillingmonotony. The narrow path gradually rises from Kasa-pata to about three hundred and seventy feet above theLake. To the left are the bald crests of the Calvario.Animal life seems to remain behind us and finally to dis-appear. Half an hours slow walking brings us in sight of theso-called Sacred Rock, or Titi-kala—literally: roch of thewildcat, for titi is the Aymara name for that feline inthe Lake district. The point from which the rock is firstseen lies on the eastern slope of Muro-kato (3). Titi-kala,though not as tall as ridges south and north of it, ispeculiarly situated. It is the highest point on the neck ofland, and from it both the eastern and western shores of theLake can be scanned for quite a distance. Tradition re-corded in the seventeenth century and repeated at this day,says that Titi-kala was formerly covered with plates ofsilver and gold in order that, when the sun rose, the rock Plate LInca vessel of clay with, stand of unburnt clay from Kasapata
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ANCIENT RUINS ON THE ISLAND OF TITICACA 215 might, from both shores, appear as in a blaze of light whichshould be a signal to the Indians along the Lake to bow inworship.^^ This pleasing romance is not confirmed by thereport of the first Spanish visitors (July 15, 1534). Theymerely say of the rock: They go to make their offeringsand perform their sacrifices on a large stone that is on theIsland, called Thichicasa, which, either because the devilconceals himself there and speaks to them, or because it isan ancient custom . . . , or for some other reason whichmay never be found out, they of the whole province hold ingreat esteem and offer to it gold and silver. There are (onthis Island) more than six hundred Indian attendants ofthis place, and more than a thousand women, who manu-facture Chicca (chicha) to throw it on this rock. . . .^^It is likely that, if the sacred cliff had had such a valuablecoating as later chroniclers report from hearsay, the firstSpaniards would either have seen

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