Concerning the provinces between Tamboblanco and the city of San Miguel,
the first city founded by the Christian Spaniards in Peru; and what
there is to be said of the natives.
As I have undertaken in this work to satisfy the reader on all points
worthy of note concerning the kingdom of Peru, although it will be great
trouble to me to stop at one place and return to another, still I shall
not fail to do so when it is necessary. In this place I shall treat of
the foundation of San Miguel,[320] the first city founded by Christian
Spaniards in Peru, and of the valleys and sandy deserts in this great
kingdom, leaving the grand road over the mountains once more. I shall
fully describe these provinces and valleys on the coast, along which
runs another grand road made by the Kings Yncas, of the same magnitude
as that in the mountains. I shall give an account of the _Yuncas_,[321]
and of their great edifices, as well as of the information I obtained
concerning the secret of its never raining in these valleys and sandy
deserts, and of the great abundance of things necessary for the support
of man. Having done all this, I shall return to my mountain road, and
follow it until I come to the end of this first part. But, before
descending to the coast, travelling along the same royal mountain road,
we come to the provinces of Calva and Ayavaca, which have the forests of
Bracamoros on the east, and the city of San Miguel, of which I shall
treat presently, on the west.
In the province of Caxas there are great buildings, erected by the
orders of the Yncas, and formerly occupied by a governor and a number of
_Mitimaes_, who had charge of the collection of tribute. Beyond Caxas is
the province of Huancabamba, where there were still larger buildings
than in Caxas, for here the Yncas had their forces, and amongst the
buildings there is a great fortress which I saw, but it was then in
ruins. In Huancabamba there was a temple of the sun, with a number of
women. The people of the surrounding districts came to worship and offer
gifts at this temple, and the virgins and priests were held in great
reverence and esteem. The tribute of the chiefs of all these provinces
was brought here, and was forwarded to Cuzco when orders came to that
effect. Beyond Huancabamba there are other buildings and villages, some
of them under the jurisdiction of Loxa, while the natives of others have
been granted in _encomienda_ to the citizens of San Miguel. In times
past these Indians had wars amongst themselves, and for very slight
causes they killed each other and seized the women. It is even said that
they went naked, and that some of them ate human flesh, like the natives
of the province of Popayan. When the Yncas conquered and subjugated
them, they lost many of these customs, and adopted the polity which they
now have. Thus their villages were ordered after a different fashion to
that which had formerly prevailed. They wear clothes made of fine wool
from their flocks, and now instead of eating human flesh, they detest
the practice and hold it to be a great sin. Although they are so near
the tribes of Puerto Viejo and Guayaquil, they do not commit the
abominable sin. They declare that, before they were subjugated by the
Ynca Yupanqui and by Tupac Ynca his son, who was father of Huayna
Ccapac, and grandfather of Atahualpa, they defended their liberties so
resolutely, that many thousands were killed, and as many of the
_Orejones_ of Cuzco; but they were so closely pressed that, to escape
destruction, certain of their chiefs, in the name of the rest, gave in
their submission to the Lords Yncas. The men of these districts are
dark, and good looking, and both they and the women clothe themselves
in the way they learnt from the Yncas, their ancient lords. In some
parts they wear the hair very long, and in others short and plaited in
very small plaits. If any hairs grow on the chin, they pull them out,
and, strange to say, this is done wherever Indians are met with in these
lands. They all understand the general language of Cuzco, but they also
have their own particular languages, as I have already said. There used
to be great flocks of llamas, the sheep of Peru, but now there are very
few, owing to the way the Spaniards have destroyed them. The clothes of
these Indians are of llama wool, and also of _vicuña_ wool, which is
better and finer. There are also some _guanacos_, which frequent the
desert heights. Those who cannot get clothes made of wool, use cotton.
In the valleys and inhabited meadows there are many rivers and small
brooks, and some fountains with good and wholesome water. In all parts
there is herbage for flocks and plenty of provisions for man. There are
priests in most of these districts, who, if they live well and abstain
from evil, as their religion requires, will reap great fruits. By the
will of God, this is done in the greater part of the kingdom, and many
Indian lads have become Christians, who, by their example, attract
others.
The ancient temples, which are generally called _huacas_, are now ruined
and desecrated, the idols are broken, and the devil is thus badly
wounded in these places. Where he was once, for the sins of men, so
reverenced and esteemed, the cross is now planted. Truly we Spaniards
should ever give infinite praise to our Lord God for this.