Of the description of the province of Popayan, and the reason why the
natives of it are so wild, and those of Peru so gentle.
As the captains from Peru discovered and settled in this province of
Popayan, they speak of it as a part of, and one with, that land of Peru;
but I cannot consider it in that light, because the people, the land,
and all other things in it are different.
This province was called Popayan from the city of Popayan, which is in
it. It is 200 leagues long, little more or less, and thirty or forty
broad, in some parts more, and in others, less. On one side it has the
coast of the South Sea, and some very high rugged mountains to the
westward. On the other side are the main Cordilleras of the Andes; and
between these mountains rise many rivers, some of them, being very
large, forming broad valleys. One of these, which is the largest in all
this land, is the great river of Santa Martha. The towns of Pasto,
Popayan, and Timana are included in this government, and the city of
Cali, near the port of Buenaventura; besides the towns of Anzerma,
Cartago, Arma, Antioquia, and others which were founded after I left the
country. In this province some parts are cold and others hot, some
healthy and others pestilential. In some parts it rains much, in others
little. In some parts the Indians are cannibals, in others not. On one
side it borders on the new kingdom of New Granada, on the other, on the
kingdom of Peru. To the west, it is bounded by the government of the
river of San Juan; to the north, by that of Carthagena.
Many have wondered how it is that these Indians, having their dwellings
in positions exposed to invasion, and, except in Pasto, the country
being neither too hot nor too cold, but in all things convenient for
conquest, should be so untameable and obstinate; while those in Peru,
with their forest-covered valleys, snowy mountains, and greater numbers,
are so gentle and submissive. To this I would answer that the Indians of
the government of Popayan are, and always have been, in a state of
confusion, and they have never been ruled by a chief whom they feared.
They are lazy and idle, and, above all, they detest being under
subjection to any one, which is a sufficient cause for resisting the
yoke of strangers. Another reason is to be found in the fertility of the
soil, while in some parts there are dense forests, cane brakes, and
other fastnesses; so that when the Spaniards press on these Indians,
they burn their houses, which are of wood and straw, and retreat for a
league or two, making other dwellings within three or four days, and
sowing as much maize as they require, which they reap within four
months. If they are still pursued, they once more abandon their homes,
and retreat; for wherever they go they find a fertile land ready to
supply them with its fruits, so that war or peace are in their own
hands; and they never want for food. The Peruvians, on the contrary, are
docile because they have more understanding, and because they were
subject to the Kings Yncas, to whom they paid tribute, and whom they
always served. In this condition they were born; and if any did not wish
to obey, they were constrained to do so, for the land of Peru is full of
mountainous tracts and snowy plains. If, therefore, they were to fly
from their homes to these wilds, they could not live, for the land does
not yield fruit, so that they must serve in order to live, which is
quite sufficient reason to resolve the doubt.
I now propose to pass on, giving a particular account of the provinces
of this government, and of the Spanish cities which have been founded in
it, and stating who were the founders. From the city of Antioquia there
are two roads, one to go to the town of Anzerma, and the other to go to
the city of Cartago; and before I relate what is worthy of notice on the
road to Cartago and Arma, I will give an account of the town of Anzerma,
and then return to do the same by the other route.