Of the valleys between Pachacamac and the fortress of Huarco, and of a
notable thing which is done in the valley of Huarco.
From this temple of Pachacamac, where the temple is, the road leads to
Chilca, and at that place there is a thing well worthy of note, for it
is very strange. It is this,--that neither rain falls from heaven, nor
does any river or spring flow through the land, and yet the greater part
of the valley is full of crops of Indian corn, of roots, and of fruit
trees. It is a marvellous thing to hear what the Indians do in this
valley. In order to secure the necessary moisture, they make broad and
very deep holes where they sow their crops, and God is served by their
growing with the aid of dew alone; but by no means could they make the
maize grow if they did not put two heads of sardines to each grain,
these sardines being small fish which they catch with nets in the sea.
At the time of sowing, these fishes heads are put with the maize in the
same hole that is made for the grain, and in this manner the grain grows
and yields abundantly. It is certainly a notable thing that in a land
where it does not rain, and where nothing but a very fine dew falls,
people should be able to live at their ease. The water which the natives
of this village drink is taken from very deep wells, and they catch so
many sardines in the sea, that the supply is sufficient to maintain all
the inhabitants, besides using many for manuring the crops. There were
buildings and store-houses of the Yncas in this valley, for their
reception when they visited the provinces of their kingdom.[376]
Three leagues beyond Chilca is the valley of Mala, where the devil, for
men’s sins, completed the evil which had commenced in this land, and
secured the breaking out of war between the two governors, Don Francisco
Pizarro and Don Diego de Almagro. First, a number of events took place,
and at last they left the decision of the dispute (as to which of the
governments the city of Cuzco belonged) in the hands and power of
Francisco de Bobadilla, a friar of the order of our Lady of Mercy. After
a solemn oath had been taken by one captain and by the other, the two
Adelantados Pizarro and Almagro met, but no result came of the
interview, and Don Diego de Almagro returned, with great dissimulation,
to his own troops and captains.[377] The umpire Bobadilla then
pronounced his judgment on the dispute, and declared that which I shall
write in the fourth part of this history, in the first book, entitled
“The war of Las Salinas.”
A fine river, bordered by thickets of trees and bushes, flows through
this valley of Mala.[378]
A little more than five leagues beyond the valley of Mala is that of
Guarco, which is highly spoken of in this kingdom, being large, broad,
and full of fruit trees.[379] Especially there are many _guayavas_,
which are very delicious and fragrant, and still more _guavas_. The
wheat and maize yield plentifully, and all other things that are sown,
as well those of the country as the trees of Spain. There are also
pigeons, doves, and other kinds of birds. The thickets of bushes in this
valley are very shady, and irrigating channels flow through them. The
inhabitants say that, in times past, the valley was very populous, and
that the people contended with their neighbours, and with those of the
_Sierra_.
When the Yncas advanced their conquests and extended their sway over all
the provinces they came in contact with, the natives of this valley had
no wish to become vassals, seeing that their fathers had left them free.
They showed great valour, and maintained the war with no less spirit
than virtue for more than four years, during which time many notable
things fell out between the combatants. It was a protracted war, and
although the Ynca himself retired to Cuzco in the summer, on account of
the heat, his troops continued fighting. On account of the length of the
war, which the Ynca desired to bring to a close, he came down with his
nobles to build a new city which he called Cuzco, after his principal
seat of government. The Indians relate that he ordered that the
different divisions of the new city should have the same names as those
of Cuzco. Finally, but not until they had fought to the last extremity,
the natives of the valley of Guarco were subdued, and subjected to the
yoke of the tyrant king, who had no other right to be their lord than
that which the fortune of war had given him.[380] Having brought the
enterprise to a successful conclusion, the Ynca returned with his troops
to Cuzco, and the name of the new city was lost. Nevertheless he ordered
the most handsome and imposing fortress in the whole kingdom to be
erected on a high hill commanding the valley, to commemorate his
victory. It is built on great square slabs, the portals are very well
made, and the halls and courts are very large. From the upper part of
this royal house a stone flight of steps leads down to the sea, and the
waves dash with such force against the base of the edifice, that it
causes wonder to think how it could have been built with such strength
and solidity. In its time this fortress was richly adorned with
paintings, and it contained great treasure in the days of the Kings
Yncas. Although the building is so strong, and the stones so large,
there does not appear to be any mortar or other cement by which they
were joined together. When the edifice was built they say that, on
reaching the interior of the rock, they made holes with their picks and
other tools, and filled them with great slabs and stones, and thus it is
that the building is so strong. Considering that it is built by these
Indians, the building is worthy of praise, and must cause admiration to
those who see it, although now it is ruined and deserted. It may still
be seen to have been a great work in times past. It seems to me that
both Spaniards and Indians should be forbidden, under heavy penalties,
from doing further injury either to this building or to the remains of
the fortress at Cuzco; for these two edifices are those which should
cause most admiration in all Peru, and, as time rolls on, they may even
be made use of for some good purpose.[381]