Qui"chuan (?), a. Designating, or
pertaining to, a linguistic stock of South American Indians, including
the majority of the civilized tribes of the ancient Peruvian Empire
with some wild tribes never subjugated by the Incas. Most of these
Indians are short, but heavy and strong. They are brachycephalic and
of remarkably low cranial capacity. Nevertheless, they represent one
of the highest of native American civilizations, characterized by
agricultural, military, and administrative skill rather than by
science or literature, although they were adept potters, weavers, and
goldsmiths, and preserved by the aid of the mnemonic quipu a body of
legendary lore in part written down since the introduction of
writing.
Qui"chuan (?), a. Designating, or
pertaining to, a linguistic stock of South American Indians, including
the majority of the civilized tribes of the ancient Peruvian Empire
with some wild tribes never subjugated by the Incas. Most of these
Indians are short, but heavy and strong. They are brachycephalic and
of remarkably low cranial capacity. Nevertheless, they represent one
of the highest of native American civilizations, characterized by
agricultural, military, and administrative skill rather than by
science or literature, although they were adept potters, weavers, and
goldsmiths, and preserved by the aid of the mnemonic quipu a body of
legendary lore in part written down since the introduction of
writing.