Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With the small grain of a certain plant the natives prepare a kind of flour that is of great
nutritive value. In Spanish this flour is called
pito de cañagua
, but among the Aymaras it is
known as
acu
. It is only made in very small quantities, but being keen on trying it I hunted
everywhere until I finally obtained a supply. It is simply mixed with water and stirred until
there are no lumps left and then this tasteless mixture is ready for consumption.
In these regions it is not advisable to be out in the open after sunset, for the Indians are apt
to attack white men; considering the way they are being treated this is not to be wondered at
and it is only astonishing that acts of revenge are not more frequent.
We were slowly nearing the northern end of the lake, and although I had enjoyed the
scenery and had seen new and interesting things every day, I was glad when I unsaddled in
Puno, where I had promised ourselves a day's rest.
Early next morning I was down at the wharf to see the natives arrive from far and near in
their balsas. They were coming to the market and brought grain, goats, pottery, woven goods,
etc. Others travelled overland, driving their patient, heavily laden burros before them. On the
top of several loads I saw fighting cocks, but those who took better care of their pet birds car-
ried them under their arms to prevent them from being jolted about and thus handicapped for
the coming fights. Cockfighting is a passion among these Indians, but according to the region
the style of fighting varies, and the birds are especially trained for the manner in which they
have to face their enemies.
Outside nearly every hut one can see one or several cocks tied by short pieces of string to
small stakes, and there the birds spend the day crowing and scratching, excepting when the
proudowneruntiesthemforthedailytraining.Thisisdonebytakingacockinbothhandsand
swooping him past and around another bird. This so infuriates the latter that he jumps, pecks,
hacksandturns,allaccordingtothewayinwhichthemanmovesthebirdheisholding.When
the owner considers a pupil in fit condition, he takes him to the nearest village or town, where
he hopes to win easy money by betting on him.
In some places, such as Lima, a long, pointed half-moon-shaped knife is tied to one of the
cock's legs, and all the birds are trained to use this formidable keen-edged weapon and nev-
er their beaks. In other places I have seen the animals taught to fight with both their spurs
sharpened to fine points, and at the same time they are trained to make effective use of their
beaks.
PersonallyIcouldgetnoamusementorexcitementoutofcockfights,butthiswaspossibly
due to the fact that my eyesight was not trained to see the amazingly rapid movements of the
fighting birds, and thus I missed what might perhaps be called the finer points of the art.
