Of the sheep, _huanacus_, and _vicuñas_, which they have in most parts
of the mountains of Peru.
It appears to me that in no part of the world have sheep like those of
the Indies been found or heard of. They are especially met with in this
kingdom and in the government of Chile, as well as in some parts of the
province of the Rio de la Plata. It may be that they will also be found
in parts that are still unknown. These sheep are among the most
excellent creatures that God has created, and the most useful. It would
seem that the Divine Majesty took care to create these animals, that
the people of this country might be able to live and sustain themselves,
for by no other means could these Indians (I speak of the mountaineers
of Peru) preserve their lives without these sheep, or others which would
supply them with the same necessaries. In this chapter I shall relate
how this is.
In the valleys on the coast, and in other warm regions, the natives sow
cotton, and make their clothes from it, so that they feel no want,
because the cotton cloth is suitable for their climate.
But in the mountainous parts, such as the Collao and Charcas, no tree
will grow, and if the cotton was sown it would yield nothing, so that
the natives, unless they obtained it by trading, could have no clothing.
To supply this need, the Giver of all good things, who is God our Lord,
created such vast flocks of these animals which we call sheep, that, if
the Spaniards had not diminished their number in the wars, there would
be no possibility of counting them, such would have been their increase
in all parts. But, as I have already said, the civil wars of the
Spaniards have been like a great pestilence, both to the Indians and to
their flocks.
The natives call these sheep _llamas_, and the males _urcos_. Some are
white, others black, and others grey. Some of them are as large as small
donkeys, with long legs, broad bellies, and a neck of the length and
shape of that of a camel. Their heads are large, like those of Spanish
sheep. The flesh of these animals is very good when it is fat, and the
lambs are better and more savoury than those of Spain. The _llamas_ are
very tame, and carry two or three _arrobas_ weight very well. Truly it
is very pleasant to see the Indians of the Collao go forth with their
beasts, and return with them to their homes in the evening, laden with
fuel. They feed on the herbage of the plains, and when they complain
they make a noise like the groaning of camels.
There is another kind called _huanacus_, of the same shape and
appearance, but they are very large and wander over the plains in a wild
state, running and jumping with such speed that the dog which could
overtake them must be very swift. Besides these, there is another sort
of _llamas_, called _vicuñas_. These are more swift than the _huanacus_,
though smaller. They wander over the uninhabited wilds, and eat the
herbage which God has created there. The wool of these _vicuñas_ is
excellent, and finer than the wool of merino sheep in Spain. I know not
whether cloth can be made from it, but the cloths that were made for the
lords of this land are worth seeing. The flesh of these _huanacus_ and
_vicuñas_ tastes like that of wild sheep, but it is good. In the city of
La Paz I ate a dinner off one of these fat _huanacus_, in the inn kept
by the captain Alonzo de Mendoza, and it seemed to me to be the best I
ever had in my life. There is yet another kind of tame _llamas_, which
are called _alpacas_, but they are very ugly and woolly. They are of the
shape of _llamas_, but smaller, and their lambs when young are very like
those of Spain. Each of these _llamas_ brings forth once in the year,
and no more.[517]