inca.gold-第32部分

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　　　　〃Tombs　being　their　primary　target；〃　Gunn　presumed。
　　　　〃That　is　where　most　of　the　ancient　treasures　are　hidden。　The　riches　of　most　ancient　empires　were　buried　with　their　rulers　and　the　wealthy。〃
　　　　〃Big　believers　in　you　can　take　it　with　you；〃　said　Giordino。
　　　　〃From　the　Neanderthals　to　the　Egyptians　to　the　Incas；〃　Ortiz　continued；　〃they　all　believed　in　a　continued　life　in　the　great　beyond。　Not　reincarnation；　mind　you。　But　life　as　they　lived　on　earth。　So　they　believed　in　taking　their　most　prized　possessions　with　them　into　the　grave。　Many　kings　and　emperors　also　took　along　their　favorite　wives；　officials；　soldiers；　servants；　and　prized　animals　as　well　as　treasure。　Grave　robbing　is　as　old　as　prostitution。〃
　　　　〃A　pity　U。S。　leaders　don't　follow　in　their　footsteps；〃　said　Giordino　sardonically。　〃Just　think；　when　a　President　dies；　he　could　order　that　he　be　buried　with　the　entire　Congress　and　half　the　bureaucracy。〃
　　　　Pitt　laughed。　〃A　ritual　most　American　citizens　would　applaud。〃
　　　　〃Many　of　my　countrymen　feel　the　same　about　our　government；〃　Ortiz　agreed。
　　　　Gunn　asked；　〃How　do　they　locate　the　graves？〃
　　　　〃The　poorer　huaqueros　search　with　picks　and　shovels　and　long　metal　rods　to　probe　for　buried　tombs。　The　wellfunded　theft　and　smuggling　organizations；　on　the　other　hand；　use　modern；　expensive　metal　detectors　and　lowlevel　radar　instruments。〃
　　　　〃Have　you　crossed　paths　with　the　Solpemachaco　in　the　past？〃　asked　Pitt。
　　　　〃At　four　other　historical　sites。〃　Ortiz　spat　on　the　ground。　〃I　was　always　too　late。　They're　like　a　stench　with　an　unknown　source。　The　organization　exists；　that　much　is　certain。　I　have　seen　the　tragic　results　of　their　pillage。　But　I　have　yet　to　find　hard　evidence　leading　to　the　bastards　who　make　the　payoffs　to　the　huaqueros　and　then　smuggle　our　cultural　heritage　into　an　international　underground　market。〃
　　　　〃Your　police　and　security　forces　can't　put　a　stop　to　the　flow　of　stolen　treasures？〃　asked　Gunn。
　　　　〃Stopping　the　huaqueros　is　like　trying　to　catch　mercury　in　your　hands；〃　answered　Ortiz。　〃The　profit　is　too　enormous　and　there　are　too　many　of　them。　As　you　have　found　out　for　yourselves；　any　number　of　our　military　and　government　officials　can　be　bought。〃
　　　　〃You　have　a　tough　job；　Alberto；〃　Pitt　sympathized。　〃I　don't　envy　you。〃
　　　　〃And　a　thankless　one；〃　Ortiz　said　solemnly。　〃To　the　poor　hill　people；　I　am　the　enemy。　And　the　wealthy　families　avoid　me　like　the　plague　because　they　collect　thousands　of　precious　artifacts　for　themselves。〃
　　　　〃Sounds　as　if　you're　in　a　no…win　situation。〃
　　　　〃Quite　true。　My　colleagues　from　other　cultural　schools　and　museums　around　the　country　are　in　a　race　to　discover　the　great　treasure　sites；　but　we　always　lose　to　the　huaqueros。〃
　　　　〃Don't　you　receive　help　from　your　government？〃　asked　Giordino。
　　　　〃Obtaining　funding　from　the　government　or　private　sources　for　archaeology　projects　is　an　uphill　battle。　A　pity；　but　it　seems　no　one　wants　to　invest　in　history。〃
　　　　The　conversation　drifted　to　other　subjects　after　one　of　Ortiz's　assistants　announced　that　dinner　was　ready。　Two　courses　consisted　of　a　pungent　beef　stew　acpanied　by　bowls　of　locally　grown　parched　corn　and　beans。　The　only　touches　of　more　refined　dining　came　from　an　excellent　Peruvian　red　wine　and　a　fruit　salad。　Dessert　consisted　of　mangos　with　syrup。
　　　　As　they　gathered　around　a　warm　campfire；　Pitt　asked　Ortiz；　〃Do　you　think　Tupac　Amaru　and　his　men　have　totally　stripped　the　City　of　the　Dead；　or　are　there　tombs　and　buildings　that　are　still　undiscovered？〃
　　　　Ortiz　suddenly　beamed　like　a　strobe　light。　〃The　huaqueros　and　their　Solpemachaco　bosses　were　here　only　long　enough　to　loot　the　obvious；　the　artifacts　easily　found　on　the　surface。　It　will　take　years　to　conduct　a　thorough　archaeological　excavation　of　the　Pueblo　de　los　Muertos。　I　fervently　believe　the　bulk　of　the　treasures　have　yet　to　be　found。〃
　　　　Now　that　Ortiz　was　in　a　happy　mood；　his　stomach　warmed　by　numerous　glasses　of　white　brandy；　Pitt　circled　around　from　left　field。　〃Tell　me；　Alberto；　are　you　an　expert　on　legends　dealing　with　lost　Inca　treasure　after　the　Spanish　came？〃
　　　　Ortiz　lit　a　long；　narrow　cigar　and　puffed　until　the　end　turned　red　and　smoke　curled　into　the　dank　and　increasingly　cold　night　air。　〃I　only　know　of　a　few。　Tales　of　lost　Inca　treasure　might　not　be　found　in　abundant　lots　if　my　ancestral　cultures　had　made　detailed　accounts　of　their　everyday　existence。　But　unlike　the　Mayans　and　Aztecs　of　Mexico；　the　cultures　of　Peru　did　not　leave　behind　an　abundance　of　hieroglyphic　symbols。　They　never　devised　an　alphabet　or　ideographic　system　of　munication。　Except　for　a　scattering　of　designs　on　buildings；　ceramic　pots；　and　textiles；　the　records　of　their　lives　and　legends　are　few。〃
　　　　〃I　was　thinking　of　the　lost　treasure　of　Huascar；〃　said　Pitt。
　　　　〃You've　heard　of　that　one？〃
　　　　〃Dr。　Kelsey　recounted　it。　She　described　an　immense　golden　chain　that　sounded　a　bit　farfetched。〃
　　　　Ortiz　nodded。　〃That　part　of　the　legend　happens　to　be　true。　The　great　Inca　king；　Huayna　Capac；　decreed　that　a　huge　gold　chain　be　cast　in　honor　of　the　birth　of　his　son；　Huascar。　Many　years　later；　after　Huascar　succeeded　his　father　as　king；　he　ordered　the　royal　treasure　to　be　smuggled　from　the　Inca　capital　at　Cuzco　and　hidden　to　keep　it　out　of　the　hands　of　his　brother　Atahualpa；　who　later　usurped　the　kingdom　after　a　lengthy　civil　war。　The　vast　hoard；　besides　the　golden　chain；　included　life…size　statues；　thrones；　sun　disks；　and　every　insect　and　animal　known　to　the　Incas；　all　sculpted　in　gold　and　silver　and　set　with　precious　gems。〃
　　　　〃I've　never　heard　of　a　treasure　that　grand；〃　said　Gunn。
　　　　〃The　Incas　had　so　much　gold　they　couldn't　understand　why　the　Spanish　were　so　fanatical　for　it。　The　craze　became　part　of　the　El　Dorado　fable。　The　Spanish　died　by　the　thousands　searching　for　the　treasure。　The　Germans　and　the　English；　who　included　Sir　Walter　Raleigh；　all　scoured　the　mountains　and　jungles；　but　none　ever　found　it。〃
　　　　〃As　I　understand　it；〃　said　Pitt；　〃the　chain　and　the　other　art　treasures　were　eventually　transported　to　a　land　beyond　the　Aztecs　and　buried。〃
　　　　Ortiz　nodded。　〃So　the　story　goes。　Whether　it　was　actually　taken　north　by　a　fleet　of　ships　has　never　been　verified。　It　was　reasonably　proven；　however；　that　the　hoard　was　protected　by　Chachapoyan　warriors　who　formed　the　royal　guard　for　Inca　kings　after　their　confederation　was　conquered　by　Huayna　Capac　in　1480。〃
　　　　〃What　is　the　history　of　the　Chachapoyas？〃　asked　Gunn。
　　　　〃Their　name　means　Cloud　People；〃　replied　Ortiz。　〃And　their　history　has　yet　to　be　written。　Their　cities；　as　you　well　know　from　recent　experience；　are　buried　in　one　of　the　most　impenetrable　jungles　of　the　world。　As　of　this　date；　archaeologists　have　neither　the　funds　nor　the　means　to　conduct　extensive　surveys　and　excavations　on　Chachapoyan　ruins。〃
　　　　〃So　they　remain　an　enigma；〃　said　Pitt。
　　　　〃In　more　ways　than　one。　The　Chachapoya　people；　according　to　the　Incas；　were　fair…skinned；　with　blue　and　green　eyes。　The　women　were　said　to　be　very　beautiful　and　became　highly　prized　by　both　the　Incas　and　the　Spanish。　They　were　also　quite　tall。　An　Italian　explorer　found　a　skeleton　in　a　Chachapoyan　tomb　that　was　well　over　two　meters。〃
　　　　Pitt　was　intrigued。　〃Close　to　seven　feet？〃
　　　　〃Easily；〃　Ortiz　answered。
　　　　〃Any　possibility　they　might　have　been　descendants　of　early　explorers　from　the　Old　World；　perhaps　the　Vikings　who　might　have　sailed　across　the　Atlantic；　up　the　Amazon；　and　settled　in　the　Andes？〃
　　　　〃Theories　of　early　transoceanic　migration　to　South　America　across　both　the　Atlantic　and　the　Pacific　have　always　abounded；〃　answered　Ortiz。　〃The　fancy　term　for　pre…Columbian　travel　to　and　from　other　continents　is　diffusionism。　An　interesting　concept；　not　well　accepted　but　not　entirely　ignored　either。〃
　　　　〃Is　there　evidence？〃　asked　Giordino。
　　　　〃Mostly　circumstantial。　Ancient　pottery　found　in　Ecuador　that　has　the　same　designs　as　the　Ainu　culture　of　northern　Japan。　The　Spanish；　as　well　as　Columbus；　reported　seeing　white　men　sailing　large　ships　off　Venezuela。　The　Portuguese　found　a　tribe　in　Bolivia　whose　beards　were　more　magnificent　than　the　Europeans'；　contrary　to　the　fact　that　most　Indians　lacked　abundant　facial　hair。　Reports　of　…livers　and　fishermen　finding　Roman　or　Grecian　amphorae　in　the　waters　off　Brazil　e　up　routinely。〃
　　　　The　giant　stone　heads　from　the　Olmec　culture　of　Mexico　show　definite　features　of　black　Africans；〃　said　Pitt；　〃while　any　number　of　carved　stone　faces　throughout　the　Mesoamerican　cultures　have　Oriental　characteristics。〃
　　　　Ortiz　nodded　in　agreement。　〃The　serpent　heads　that　decorate　many　of　the　Mayan　pyramids　and　temples　are　the　spitting　image　of　dragon　heads　carved　in　Japan　and　China。〃
　　　　〃But　is　there　hands…on　proof？〃　asked　Gunn。
　　　　〃No　objects　that　can　be　conclusively　proven　as　manufactured　in　Europe　have　yet　to　be　found。〃
　　　　〃The　skeptics　have　a　strong　case　in　the　lack　of　pottery　lathes　or　wheeled　vehicles；〃　Gunn　added。
　　　　〃True；〃　agreed　Ortiz。　〃The　Mayans　did　adopt　the　wheel　for　children's　toys　but　never　for　practical　use。　Not　surprising　when　you　consider　they　had　no　beasts　'of　burden　until　the　Spanish　introduced　the　horse　and　oxen。〃
　　　　〃But　you　would　think　they　could　have　found　a　purpose　for　the　wheel；　say　for　hauling　construction　materials；〃　Gunn　persisted。
　　　　〃History　tells　us　that　the　Chinese　developed　the　wheelbarrow　six　hundred　years　before　it　found　its　way　to　Europe；〃　Ortiz　countered。
　　　　Pitt　downed　the　last　of　his　brandy。　〃It　doesn't　seem　possible　an　advanced　civilization　existed　in　such　a　remote　region　without　some　kind　of　outside　influence。〃
　　　　〃The　people　living　in　the　mountains　today；　descendants　of　the　Chachapoyas；　many　of　them　still　fair…skinned　with　blue　and　green　eyes；　speak　of　a　godlike　man　who　appeared　among　their　ancestors　from　the　eastern　sea　many　centuries　ago。　He　taught　them　building　principles；　the　science　of　the　stars；　and　the　ways　of　religion。〃
　　　　〃He　must　have　forgotten　to　teach　them　how　to　write；〃　quipped　Giordino。
　　　　〃Another　nail　in　the　coffin　of　pre…Columbian　contact；〃　said　Gunn。
　　　　〃This　holy　man　had　thick　white　hair　and　a　flowing　beard；〃　Ortiz　continued。　〃He　was　extremely　tall；　wore　a　long　white　robe；　and　preached　goodness　and　charity　toward　all。　The　rest　of　the　story　is　too　close