fifteenth day after the carnival the villages are almost depopu- lated. The women string threads across the valleys down which the animals are to be driven—for the vicuña will not pass a thread or rope stretched across his path. The men scatter widely in order to keep the quarry in the ravines. The
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Fig. 83—El Pucará (fortress) near San Pedro de Atacama.
hunters are mounted, and when the vicuña become confused and huddled they are easily shot. He who kills a vicuña gets the skin, the most valuable part. Thus there is a strong incentive to compete in achieving the hardest part of the hunt. The rest of the animal is common property; since the hunt is co-operative, all must share in some way in the spoils.
Near the town of San Pedro, at a height of 250 feet above the valley floor, is a group of ruined stone houses that cover the site of a primitive settlement. Instead of spreading out upon the valley floor as do the peaceful and settled communities of today, the older settlements were established in strategic places. They rise tier on tier to the summit of the hill and are very cleverly situated and constructed for defense and for
