Anthropology of Prehistoric Peru

DURING many of my rambles amongst Peruvian ruins, whether of burial mounds, fortresses, or old cities, I found myself frequently cogitating on the idea of Mr. Baldwin,f that "the aboriginal South Americans were the oldest people on this continent."It was impossible for me not to agree in such an opinion.And further contemplation of the architecture which we see along the seaboard of Peru inclines me to another item of his faith, namely, that "the civilised life of the ancient Mexicans and Central Americans may have had its original beginning somewhere in South America (most probably in Peru), as they seem more closely related to the ancient South Americans than to the wild Indians north of the Mexican border."The term "New World," applied to America, as opposed to " Old World " (meaning Europe, Asia, and Africa), I believe to be somewhat of a misnomer.As Professor Wilson observes+: "How old are some of these things of the New World is as yet but very partially appreciated, even by some who seek to antedate the birth of the red man before the first Adam was placed in his eastern garden, or 'there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground."'But the anthropology of Peru in prehistoric times is still * The blocks for these illustrations, from the author's work, entitled " Two Years in Peru," have been kindly lent by the publishers, Messrs. Sampson Low, & Co

Archaeology · Ethnology · Geography · Prehistory · Sociology · Anthropology · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · History · Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education · Latin American history and culture