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the Stone and listen to the Vrunes of Navutan in the Language of the Birds; they indicated
them what strategic movements they should make to approximate correctly to the
secret exit and surpass the Veil of the Illusion. From the other side of the mountain they
found at just five leagues from the shore of the lake, towards the port of Carabuco. It was June
of 1535.
Embark in the Pirogue of totora constiututed an original experience for the Spaniards,
although the distrustful Catalans feared to sink in any moment. However, six hours later they
reached without problems in the Isle of the Moon. They fell over small seashore, of no more
than ten feet of Castile width, surrounded by a prominent ravine of two hundred rods high: a
narrow and visible path in zig zag allowed ascend until the summit of the cliff, from where the
habitable surface of the Isle was extended. According to the explanations of the Amautas, over
the Isle Koaty existed a fortified hamlet and a Temple. But they were not going to the
surface.
When all descended to the beach, the Atumuruna revealed that they would have to cross
another secret entrance, which was right there, on the wall of the ravine. Once again, the Men
of Stone localized the Vrunes and the Catalans had to be drugged. Beyonf the Illusion of the
Ravine, there was a dim tunnel, coated entirely of stone blocks, which declined in ramp and
dissapered in the bowels of the Isle. For the next twenty minutes they continued descending,
until the tunnel it stabilized and guided them to the threshold of a door guarded by two
Amautas of the Black Bonnet: when they saw the newcomers, one of them hit the enormous
silver gong with a maze that he had in his hands. An unusual spectacle was suddenly offered
before the disconcerted glance of the Spaniards. Thus they understood that they were in front
of a cavern of titanic dimensions, so huge that an entire population existed there: and the
sound of the gong had warned to all the residents, who noe were going out massively from their
homes to watch them with curiosity. Almost everyone, noticed the Lord of Tharsis, belonged to
the same mestizo Race of the Amautas. The exit of the tunnel guided to an elevated corridor
from where a great part of the cavern was dominated, which was not better illuminated than
the precedent corridor: under its feet were hundreds of humble houses made of stone,
separated by streets and squares, being distinguished some bigger buildings that were surely
Palaces and Temples. The Atumuruna made indications to follow him and he took the corridor,
whence some carved stairs started in the rock to descend towards the village.
The corridor had an open bend that situated them before a building which perhaps was
the major of the city: a wide stair, flanked by two tigers of stone, permitted to reach there. In
the door a group of men with different ages were waiting for them, but with similar clothings
and Race of the Atumuruna. All demonstrated intense joy for the presence of the Lords of
Tharsis, and some of them, incapable to conatin themselves, approached and clasped their
forearm, in some kind of Roman salute. There, the Amautas of the Black Bonnet retired and the
Atumurunas made them pass to the Palace, to a semicircular hall with stands which gave all the
impression of being an amphitheatre or forum. The Men of Stone had to accommodate around
a central table with form of a half moon, while a dozen of Atumurunas was distributed on the
stairs.
An old Atumuruna, to whom they called Tatainga who was much elder that who had
guided there, took the word and spoke to the Lords of Tharsis:
–I know that one of you understand our sacred language. That flatters me enormously.

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