Of the province of Carrapa, and of what there is to be said concerning
it.
The province of Carrapa is twelve leagues from the city of Cartago,
situated in a very rugged mountainous country, and the Cordillera of the
Andes rises above it. The houses of the natives are small and very low,
made of canes, and thatched with other small and delicate canes, of
which there are many in these parts. Some of the houses of the chiefs
are large, but others not. When the Christian Spaniards first entered
the country there were five of these chiefs. The principal amongst them
was called Yrrua, who, in former years, had entered the country by
force, and ruled over all men like a powerful tyrant. Among the
mountains there are some little valleys and open spaces well watered by
numerous rivers and springs, but the water is not so wholesome as that
of the rivers we had passed. The men are very large, with long visages,
and the women are robust. These people are very rich in gold, for they
had very large pieces, and beautiful vases, out of which they drank
their wine made of maize. Those who drink this liquor soon lose their
senses, yet the Indians are so vicious that they will sometimes drink an
_arroba_ at one sitting, not at one draught, but by taking many pulls.
Their bellies being full of this beverage, it provokes vomiting, and
they throw up as much as they like. Many of them hold the cup out of
which to drink in one hand, and[226].... They are not great eaters, but
all the Indians we met with are generally addicted to excessive
drinking.
When a chief dies without children, his principal wife succeeds, and
when she dies the nephew of the deceased chief inherits; if he is the
son of a sister.[227] They have no temples nor houses of worship; but
the devil talks to some of them occasionally, as he does with Indians of
other tribes.
They bury their dead within their houses, in great vaults, accompanied
by living women, food, and many valuables possessed by the deceased, as
is the custom with their neighbours.
When any of these Indians feel ill, they make great sacrifices for their
health in the manner which they have learnt from their ancestors, all in
honour of the accursed devil. He, God permitting it, lets them know that
all things are in his hands, and that he is superior to all others. Not
but that they are aware of a God, sole creator of the whole world, for
the Almighty does not permit the devil to assume this dignity, from
which he is so widely separated. Yet they believe many evil things,
although I learned from themselves that they are sometimes at issue with
the devil, when they hate him, and see through his lies and falseness.
For their sins, however, they are so subject to his will that they are
unable to escape from the prisons of deceitfulness. They are blind, like
other gentile people of more knowledge and understanding, until the
light of the sacred Evangelist’s words enters into their hearts. The
Christians who settle in these Indies should never fail to instruct the
natives in true doctrine, otherwise I know not how they will fare when
they and the Indians appear before the Divine throne, on the day of
judgment.
The principal chiefs marry their nieces, and sometimes their sisters,
and they have many wives. They eat the Indians whom they capture, like
all the other tribes. When they go to war, they wear very rich pieces of
gold, with great crowns, and large bracelets of gold on their wrists.
Great and valuable banners are carried before them. I saw one which was
given as a present to the captain Don Jorge Robledo, the first time we
entered this province, which weighed upwards of three thousand _pesos_,
and a golden vase worth two hundred and ninety _pesos_, besides two
other loads of this metal, consisting of ornaments of many shapes. The
banner was a long narrow cloth fastened to a wand, and covered with
small pieces of gold to imitate stars. In this province there are also
many fruit trees, and some deer, _guadaquinajes_, and other game,
besides many edible roots.
Leaving this province, we came to that of Quinbaya, in which the city of
Cartago is situated. Cartago is twenty-two leagues from the town of
Arma. Between the province of Carrapa and that of Quinbaya, there is a
very large and desert valley, of which the tyrant I have just spoken of
was lord; he whose name was Urrua, and who ruled in Carrapa. The war
between him and the natives of Quinbaya was very fierce; and he also
forced many in Carrapa to leave their country when he took possession of
it. It is rumoured that there are great sepulchres in this valley, of
chiefs who are buried there.