How in ancient times the Indians of Manta worshipped an emerald as their
god; and of other things concerning these Indians.
In many histories which I have seen, I have read, if I am not mistaken,
that in some countries they worshipped God in the form of a bull, in
others of a cock, in others of a lion, and that there have been a
thousand superstitions of this kind, which seem to afford matter for
laughter more than anything else. I will only remark, therefore, that
the Greeks, among whom there were excellent worthies, whose memory will
last as long as writing itself, fell into these errors, as also did the
Egyptians, Bactrians, and Babylonians. Grave and learned doctors say
that the Romans had many gods, and that they worshipped those from whom
they had received benefits, such as Jupiter or Saturn; these gods,
however, were men and not brutes. These Indians, too, notwithstanding
that they worshipped the sun and moon, also adored trees and stones, and
other things suggested by their imaginations. I was informed, at the
same time, that their priests saw the devil, who communicated perdition
to their souls. In the important temple of Pachacamac they held a she
fox in great veneration, and worshipped it. In this province, also, the
Lord of Manta had an emerald of great size and value, which the people
and their ancestors held in great veneration. On certain days it was
publicly displayed, and worshipped as if it contained some deity.[301]
On these occasions if any man or woman was sick, they performed a
sacrifice, and then came forward to pray to the stone. They affirm that
the priest, who conversed with the devil, gave them to understand that
the stone would bring health to them in requital for their offerings,
after they and other ministers of the devil had applied to it. People
who were afflicted with sickness came to Manta from all parts of the
interior to offer gifts and perform sacrifices; and the Spaniards, who
first discovered this kingdom, have told me that they found great riches
in this town of Manta, and that it always yielded more than those which
bordered on it to the _encomienderos_. They also say that, although
threats and menaces have been resorted to to discover where this great
and rich emerald is concealed, they have never been able to find it, nor
will the natives betray the place if they are all killed, so great is
the veneration in which it is held.
This town of Manta is on the coast. In the interior there are more
villages and more people, and they differ in language from those on the
coast, but they have the same food. The houses of those inland, called
_Serranos_, are of wood and small, the roofs of straw or palm leaves.
They have some flocks of Peruvian sheep, but not so many as there are in
Quito or in the province of Cuzco.
The _Serranos_[302] were not such sorcerers and magicians as the natives
of the coast, nor were they so wicked in practising the abominable sin.
There is hope of some gold mines in some of the rivers of these
mountains, and there is certainly a very rich emerald mine; but although
many captains have tried to discover it, they have not succeeded, nor
will the natives tell them where it is. It is true that Captain Olmos is
said to have known where this mine was, but I think that surely he would
have told his brothers or some other persons. Certainly the number of
emeralds that have been brought to Puerto Viejo is very great, and they
are the best in all the Indies; for though emeralds are more numerous in
the new kingdom of Granada, they are not so good, so that the best there
do not equal in value the most ordinary ones here.
The Caraques formed another tribe. They are not labourers, and are less
intelligent than their neighbours, being a disorderly people, and making
war for very slight causes. When a child was born they put its head
between two boards, so that at the age of four or five, the head was
long and broad, but flat behind. Not content with the heads that God
gives them, they thus make them into the shapes that please them most.
They themselves say that they force their heads into these shapes that
they may be more healthy, and be able to do more work. Some of these
people, especially those near the village of Colima, to the northward,
go naked. They relate that Huayna Ccapac arrived here, after having put
to death the chiefs as far as Colima, where he ordered a fort to be
built. Seeing that the Indians went naked, he did not go any further,
but returned, leaving orders to his captains to conquer and subjugate as
far as the river Santiago.
Many of the Spaniards who came with the Adelantado Don Pedro de Alvarado
(especially the marshal Alonzo de Alvarado, and the captains Garcilasso
de la Vega, Juan de Saavedra, and another gentleman named Suer de
Cangas) told me that when they landed on the coast with the said
Adelantado Don Pedro, and came to this village, they found many vases
full of gold, silver, and precious stones, besides a great quantity of
emeralds, so that they gained much wealth for their valour. But many
said that the emeralds were of glass; so, to try the question (for some
considered they might be stones), they determined to beat them with
hammers, saying that if they were of glass they would soon break, but if
they were of stone the blows would have no effect. Thus, from want of
knowledge and experience, they broke many of these emeralds, and
profited little by having found them. Nor did they enjoy their gold and
silver, for they suffered much from cold and hunger, and left their
loads of treasure in the forests.