The Kings Yncas divided their empire into four parts, which they called Ttahuantin-suyu. The word signifies “the four quarters of the world,” corresponding to the four cardinal points of the heaven—east, west, north, and south. They placed the city of Cuzco in the centre, for in the peculiar language of the Yncas this word means the navel of the earth. This meaning is very appropriate, for the whole of Peru is long and narrow, like a human body, and the city is almost in the middle. They called the eastern division Anti-suyu, from a province called Anti, which is to the eastward; and for the same reason they called the whole of that great cordillera of snowy mountains which runs along the eastern side of Peru Anti, to indicate that it is to the eastward. They called the western division Cunti-suyu, from another very small province called Cunti. The northern part was known as Chincha-suyu, from a great province called Chincha to the northward of the city; and the southern province was Colla-suyu, so named from a very large country called Colla, which is in the south. By these four names was understood the territories in those directions, although the empire extended many leagues beyond the limits of the districts formerly so called. For instance, Chile, which is more than six hundred leagues beyond the province of Colla, was within the Colla-suyu division; and the kingdom of CJuitu belonged to the division of Chinchasuyu, although it is more than four hundred leagues to the north of Chincha.