tacle to witness how
they took it and what they spake. The chief began the ceremony and
while he was engaged all remained silent .... When he had snuffed up
the powder through his nostrils, he remained silent for a while with
his head inclined to one side and his arms placed on his knees. Then
he raised his face heavenward, uttering certain words which must
have been his prayer to the true God, or to him whom he held as God;
after which all responded, almost as we do when we say amen; and this
they did with a loud voice or sound. Then they gave thanks and said
to him certain complimentary things, entreating his benevolence and
begging him to reveal to them what he had seen. He described to them
his vision, saying that the Cemi [spirits] had spoken to him and had
predicted good times or the contrary, or that children were to be born,
or to die, or that there was to be some dispute with their neighbors,
and other things which might come to his imagination, all disturbed
with that intoxication." [9]

Clearly, from the point of view of priests and soothsayers, the place
where huilca was first found and used in their incantations would be
important. It is not strange to find therefore that the Inca name of
this river was Uilca-mayu: the "huilca river." The pampa on this river
where the trees grew would likely receive the name Uilca pampa. If it
became an important city, then the surrounding region might be named
Uilcapampa after it. This seems to me to be the most probable origin
of the name of the province. Anyhow it is worth noting the fact that
denizens of Cuzco and Ollantaytambo, coming down the river in search
of this highly prized narcotic, must have found the first trees not
far from Machu Picchu.

Leaving the ruins of Machu Picchu for later investigation, we now
pushed on down the Urubamba Valley, crossed the bridge of San Miguel,
passed the house of Senor Lizarraga, first of modern Peruvians to
write his name on the granite walls of Machu Picchu, and came to the
sugar-cane fields of Huadquina. We had now left the temperate zone
and entered the tropics.

At Huadquina we were so fortunate as to find that the proprietress of
the plantation, Senora Carmen Vargas, and her children, were spending
the season here. During the rainy winter months they live in Cuzco,
but when summer brings fine weather they come to Huadquina to enjoy
the free-and-easy life of the country. They made us welcome, not
only with that hospitali