trough.  There was also a very large Indian mortar and pestle, heavy enough to need the services of four men to work it.  The mortar was merely the hollowed-out top of a large boulder which projected a few inches above the surface of the ground.  The pestle, four feet in diameter, was of the characteristic rocking-stone shape used from time immemorial by the Indians of the highlands for crushing maize or potatoes.  Since no other ruins of a Spanish quartz-crushing plant have been found in this vicinity, it is probable that this once belonged to Don Christoval de Albornoz.

Near the mill the Tincochaca River joins the Vilcabamba from the southeast.  Crossing this on a footbridge, I followed Mogrovejo to an old and very dilapidated structure in the saddle of the hill on the south side of Rosaspata.  They called the place Uncapampa, or Inca pampa.  It is probably one of the forts stormed by Captain Garcia and his men in 1571.  The ruins represent a single house, 166 feet long by 33 feet wide.  If the house had partitions they long since disappeared.  There were six doorways in front, none on the ends or in the rear walls.  The ruins resembled those of Incahuaracana, near Lucma.  The walls had originally been built of rough stones laid in clay.  The general finish was extremely rough.  The few niches, all at one end of the structure, were irregular, about two feet in width and a little more than this in height.  The one corner of the building which was still standing had a height of about ten feet.  Two hundred Inca soldiers could have slept here also.

Leaving Uncapampa and following my guides, I climbed up the ridge and followed a path along its west side to the top of Rosaspata.  Passing some ruins much overgrown and of a primitive character, I soon found myself on a pleasant pampa near the top of the mountain.  The view from here commands “a great part of the province of Uilcapampa.”  It is remarkably extensive on all sides; to the north and south are snow-capped mountains, to the east and west, deep verdure-clad valleys.

Furthermore, on the north side of the pampa is an extensive level space with a very sumptuous and majestic building “erected with great skill and art, all the lintels of the doors, the principal as well as the ordinary ones,” being of white granite elaborately cut.  At last we had found a place which seemed to meet most of the requirements of Ocampo’s description of the “fortress of Pitcos.”  To be sure it was not of “marble,” and the lintels of the doors were not “carved,” in our sense of the word.  They were, however, beautifully finished, as may be seen from the illustrations, and the white granite might easily pass for marble.  If only we could find in this vicinity that Temple of the Sun which Calancha said was “near” Uiticos, all doubts would be at an end.

That night we stayed at Tincochaca, in the hut of an Indian friend of Mogrovejo.  As usual we made inquiries.  Imagine our feelings when in response to the oft-repeated question he said that in a neighboring valley there was a great white rock over a spring of water!  If his story should prove to be true our quest for Uiticos was over.  It behooved us to make a very careful study of what we had found.