excessive heat predominates; whilst in the interior it varies according
to the high or low situation of the districts, from temperate to
frigid. The first district of Truxillo, towards the north, is PIURA,
through which passes the road from Guayaquil to Lima; the whole country
from the northern borders of Piura to Lima being named the _Valles_.
The climate of Piura is hot, though not unhealthy; but the greater
part of the country is uninhabited. The chief towns are Piura, Tumbez,
the frontier of New Granada, Sechura and Payta; and it contains 11,000
inhabitants, in 26 settlements.
_Piura_, the capital, is situated in south latitude, 5° 11' and in 80°
36' west longitude. It was the first Spanish settlement in Peru, and
was founded in the year 1531, by Pizarro, who built the first church
in it. The city then stood in the valley of Targasala, near the sea,
and was called San Miguel de Piura, but was removed, on account of
the unhealthiness of its situation, to its present scite, on a sandy
plain. The houses are constructed of bricks, or cane and wood-work,
and have generally only one story. The corregidor, and an officer
employed in collecting the royal revenue, reside here and at Payta
alternately, and the town contains about 7000 inhabitants. It has an
hospital and church; the climate is hot and dry, but not unwholesome,
and water is sometimes scarce in the heats of summer. It is 25 miles
south-south-east of Payta, its port; 208 north-north-west of Truxillo;
480 north-north-west of Lima, and seven from the ocean; and its
territory is fertile, and produces some cotton, sugar, maize and has
extensive woods of Sarsaparilla.
_Tumbez_ is situated in 3° 6' south latitude, and 80° 6' west
longitude, 280 miles north of Truxillo, and 62 leagues N. of Piura,
on the Rio Tumbez, which discharges itself into the bay of Guayaquil,
opposite the isle of Santa Clara. It is seated a short distance from
the mountains, in a sandy plain, and consists of about 70 houses,
scattered without any order, in which there are about 150 families,
mostly mestizoes and Indians, and along the banks of the river there
are many farms, where they continually employ themselves in rural
occupations.
Tumbez was the place where the Spaniards first landed in 1526, and
where they were astonished at the immense temples and palaces they
every where observed, no vestiges of which now remain. The road from
this town to Piura is extremely unpleasant, owing to its running along
the sea-coast, and being only passable at low water in some points.
The village of Amotape, the only inhabited place on the road, is 48
leagues from Tumbez, after which the way lies over a sandy desert,
where even the most experienced guides occasionally lose their way;
and as no water is to be procured here, it is necessary to carry that
article in skins on the backs of mules; near the last stage is a
deposit of mineral tar, which is exported to Callao, for the purposes
of ship-building.
_Sechura_ is the last town of Piura on the south; it is situated on
the banks of the river Piura, a league from the ocean, and 180 miles
north-north-west of Truxillo, in 5° 32' 33" south latitude. It contains
about 200 houses, with a handsome brick church, and the inhabitants,
who are all Indians, compose about 400 families, being chiefly employed
in fishing, driving mules, or guiding passengers to Morrope, across the
desert of Sechura, which is a waste of sand extending 30 leagues, of
difficult and dangerous passage.
_Payta_, or _San Miguel de Payta_, in 5° 5' south latitude, and 80° 50'
west longitude, was founded by Pizarro. It is a small place, consisting
of mud houses, having a church and chapel, with the corregidor's house
built of stone. The number of inhabitants is inconsiderable, and the
town is noted only for its port, which is the chief place at which
the ships from New Spain touch, on their voyage to Lima. Southward of
this town is a high mountain, called the Silla de Payta; the soil of
the surrounding country is barren and sandy, and there being no river,
the inhabitants have to fetch their fresh water from Colan, a village
in the bay, four leagues to the north, the Indians of Colan being
obliged to send one or two balsa loads every day. The occupations of
the inhabitants of Payta, who are whites and mulattoes, is chiefly in
landing the cargoes of goods sent from Panama and Lima.
The bay of Payta is famous for its fishery, in which the Indians of
the surrounding villages are constantly employed; a miserable battery
mounting eight guns, defends this harbour and town, which has been
repeatedly taken and plundered by the English; and Lord Anson's
squadron pillaged and burnt it, in the year 1741.
The principal rivers of Piura are the _Tumbez_, the _Catamayu_, and
the _Piura_; in this district a branch of the Andes turns towards the
coast, and under the name of Sierra de Pachira, forms Cape Blanco, and
the Punto de Purma.
SANA is the next district of Truxillo, and extends about 75 miles along
the sea-coast. Its soil is level, and, excepting in the desert of
Sechura, fertile; the heat is however at times insupportable.
The town of _Sana_ is in a state of decay, in consequence of an
inundation which almost destroyed it, and it was sacked by Davis,
the English adventurer, in 1685. The river _Sana_ runs through the
town, which has obtained the name of _Miraflores_, on account of the
beautiful flowers in its neighbourhood, as well as for being situated
in a fertile and pleasant valley. Sana is 80 miles N. of Truxillo.
Morrope, Lambayeque and St. Pedro are the other most noted towns of
this district, which contains 22 settlements.
_Morrope_ consists of about 60 or 70 houses, and contains 160 families
of Indians. It is seated on the banks of the river _Pozuelos_, 105
miles north-west of Truxillo.
_Lambayeque_, in 6° 40' south latitude, 79° 56' west longitude, is at
present the capital of Sana, in a pleasant and fertile spot, containing
about 1500 houses. The inhabitants, who amount to 8000, consist of
Spaniards, mestizoes and Indians. The parish church of stone is elegant
and much ornamented, and the river _Lambayeque_ runs through the town,
and fertilizes its environs. Some wine is made here, and the poorer
classes manufacture coarse cottons. The road to Lima passes through
this place, which is 95 miles west-north-west of Truxillo.
_St. Pedro_ contains 120 Indian families, thirty families of whites,
and twelve of mulattoes. It stands on the river _Pacasmayo_, and its
environs produce grain and fruits in abundance. St. Pedro is twenty
leagues from Lambayeque on the high road, and stands in 7° 25' 49"
south latitude. The Andes elevate their crests on the west of the
districts of Piura and Sana.
The jurisdiction of TRUXILLO, extends twenty leagues along the coast,
and as far in the interior, being composed throughout of beautiful
valleys. In its climate there is a sensible difference between winter
and summer, the former being attended with cold, and the latter with
excessive heat.
The country is extremely fruitful, abounding with sugar canes, maize,
fruits and vegetables; also with olives and vineyards: the parts
nearest the Andes produce wheat, barley, &c., so that the inhabitants
export corn to Panama.
On the coast the sugar cane is cultivated with success. The chief
town of the district is _Truxillo_, which is also the capital of the
whole province, and stands in 8° 8' south latitude, and 78° 53' west
longitude, 480 miles south of Quito, 268 north-north-west of Lima, in
a pleasant situation surrounded with gardens, groves and delightful
walks. It was founded in 1535, by Pizarro, at the distance of half a
league from the sea, on the banks of a small river; the houses which
are chiefly of brick, have a very neat appearance, but are low on
account of the frequency of earthquakes; an intendant and the bishop
of Truxillo reside here. The inhabitants amount to 5800, and consist
principally of rich Spaniards, some Indians, mestizoes and mulattoes;
the greatest luxury in this city is that of equipages, few of the
Europeans being without a carriage.
A revenue office for the province of Truxillo is established in this
town, and it also contains a cathedral, several convents, a college,
hospital and two nunneries.
Truxillo is surrounded with a low brick wall, flanked by fifteen
bastions; and carries on its commerce by means of its port of
_Guanchaco_, which is about two leagues to the northward, and is the
only good harbour on the coast from Callao to Tumbez. Chocope and Biru
are the most noted places of this district.
_Chocope_ contains sixty or seventy white families, and twenty or
thirty of Indians. It has a fine brick church, eleven leagues north of
Truxillo.
_Biru_ in 8° 24' 59" south latitude, contains about seventy families of
whites, creoles and Indians, and its situation is pleasant on the high
road to Lima, in a fertile vale, well watered with small canals.
The district of _Caxamarca_ lies to the eastward of that of Truxillo,
and extends an immense distance between two parallel branches or crests
of the Andes. It is extremely fertile, producing corn, fruits and all
kinds of esculent vegetables, as well as cattle, sheep and hogs; with
the latter of which a thriving trade is carried on with the lowland
districts. There are also the celebrated silver mines of _Gualgayoc_
or _Chota_, near Micuipampa, the galleries of which are above 13,287
feet higher than the sea. The Indians of this extensive district
manufacture cotton for sails, bed-curtains, quilts, hammocks, &c., and
the chief town is _Caxamarca_, celebrated as having been the point from
which Pizarro carried on his operations, and for being the place where
Atahualpa was strangled. The palace of Atahualpa is now inhabited by
the family of the Astorpilcos, the poor but lineal descendants of the
Incas. It is seated in 8° south latitude, and 76° 10' west longitude,
seventy miles from the ocean, on the western slope of the Andes, at the
height of 9021 feet.
Micuipampa is celebrated for its silver mines, its height above the sea
being 2296 feet more than that of the city of Quito.
_Chachapoyas_ is the next district towards the east and north of
Caxamarca situated on the eastern slope of the Andes, and embracing an
immense extent of country, in a warm climate.
It is very thinly inhabited; but the Indians are ingenious in
manufacturing cottons, to which they give beautiful and lasting colours.
Chachapoyas and Llulia bound the government of Juan de Bracamoros in
Quito. The chief town is _Juan de la Frontera_, or _Chachapoyas_, in 6°
12' south latitude, and 72° 28' west longitude.
East of Chachapoyas is the district of LLULIA and CHILOAS, a low,
warm, moist country, covered with forests, so that the greater part is
uninhabited.
The principal commodity of this country is tobacco and fruits; and the
river _Moyobamba_ flows through the district in its course to join the
Guallaga. The chief town of this district is _Moyobamba_, 300 miles
north of Lima, in 7° south latitude, and 76° 56' west longitude; and
some gold washings exist on the banks of the Moyobamba.
The last jurisdiction of the Intendancy of Truxillo is that of PATAZ,
including _Huamachucho_; its situation on the slope and summit of the
mountains causes it to enjoy different climates, favourable for many
kinds of grain and fruits; but the chief occupation of the inhabitants
is in working the mines of gold with which it abounds, and its great
commerce consists in exchanging gold for silver coin. The chief towns
are _Caxamarquilla_ and _Huamachucho_, both of little note excepting
for the gold washings in their neighbourhood.
_THE INTENDANCY OF TARMA_
Comprehends several minor districts, of which Caxatambo, Huamalies,
Conchucos, and Huailas, are the principal. It is bounded by Truxillo on
the north, the Pacific on the east, the Apurimac on the west, and Lima
and Guanca-Velica on the south.
On the sea-coast its climate is hot, but in the interior it varies,
according to the height of the land.
We shall not follow the minute divisions of this province, as we have
done those of Truxillo, on account of its being the boundary between
New Granada and Quito, merely describing the chief towns and the
country in their neighbourhood.
Tarma contains the sources of the Xauxa and Guallaga rivers, the former
of which falls into the Apurimac. The _Juaja or Xauxa_ rises in the
little lake of Chinchay Cocha, in about eleven degrees south latitude,
and after a long and precipitous course, it throws itself into the
small river Mantura, by which it joins the Apurimac. The _Guallaga_
rises a short distance north of the Xauxa, in a little lake, called
Chiguiacoba, on the opposite side of the mountains, which form the
Cerro de Bombon, whence it flows north, receiving several rivers, till
it passes the town of Guanuco, when it becomes very rapid, and receives
the Monzon from the west, in 9° 22' south latitude, after which, it
follows its original course, and becomes more tranquil. At 7° 10' it
receives the Moyobamba, and after this, four dangerous rapids present
themselves before it reaches Ponquillo at the foot of the mountains.
Its breadth is now 1200 feet, and running through the province of
Maynas; at 5° 4' south latitude, it falls into the False Maranon, being
450 yards wide, and 34 deep.
At the confluence, the Guallaga is divided into two branches, and a
lake is formed half a league in breadth and 70 fathoms deep. During the
course of a league, the two rivers seem of equal force, but at length,
the Tunguragua overcomes the Guallaga. The banks of this fine river are
clothed with beautiful trees, enlivened with a great variety of birds,
and one tree produces a sort of tallow or grease, which is used by the
natives for the same purposes as candles.
Besides these, the beautiful river _Pachitea_ rises in Tarma, in 10°
46', on the east-side of the Andes, first running east, then north, and
called the _Pozuzo_ at its confluence with the Mayro, where it forms
a fine haven, from which there is a direct and open navigation to the
Maranon, which it joins in 8° 46' south latitude.
The _Lauricocha_ or _False Maranon_, also rises near Caxatambo in
this province; but as this river has been already spoken of, it is
merely necessary to observe, that the lake in which it rises, is near
the city of Guanuco, in 11 degrees south latitude, from which it
directs its course southwards towards Xauxa, forming a circle, when,
after precipitating itself over the east-side of the Andes, it flows
northwards, through Chachapoyas to Jaen de Bracamoros, and thence to
the Ucayale or True Maranon. The course of the Lauricocha is about 200
leagues from Lauricocha lake to Jaen, and about 150 from thence to its
junction with the Ucayale. The intendancy of Tarma contains many gold
and silver workings, particularly the celebrated mines of _Yauricocha_,
in the Cerro de Bombon.
The chief towns of Tarma are Tarma, Huamalies, Huialas, Caxatambo,
Conchucos, Guanuco and Pasco.
_Tarma_ is 103 miles east-north-east of Lima, in 11° 35' south
latitude, and 75° 17' west longitude, in a temperate climate, and
surrounded by a large district, in which the soil is every where
fertile, excepting on the higher mountains, where it is very cold. The
land is chiefly applied to feeding cattle, but many veins of silver of
great importance being found and worked in the district, agriculture
is neglected. Of these mines, the _Yauricocha_, two leagues north of
_Pasco_, the _Chaupimarca_, _Arenillapata_, _St. Catalina_, _Caya
Grande_, _Yanacanche_, _Santa Rosa_, and _Cerro de Colquisirca_, are
the most productive; there are however many others, which are either
unworked, or produce but feebly. The city of Tarma contains 5600
inhabitants.
_Huamalies_ is 150 miles east of Truxillo, and is the chief town
of a jurisdiction of the same name, situated in the centre of the
Cordilleras, commencing at the distance of 240 miles north-east of
Lima, and mostly situated in a cold climate extending 120 miles.
The towns are chiefly inhabited by Indians, who apply themselves to
weaving, and manufacture a great quantity of serges, baizes, and
stuffs, with which they carry on a considerable trade, and there is a
silver mine, named _Guallana_, in this district.
_Huialas_ is the chief place of a district in the centre of the Andes,
beginning fifty leagues from Lima, in the same direction as Conchucos.
The low parts produce grain and fruit, and the upper abound in cattle
and sheep, which form the great branch of its trade. Some gold is found
in the mines of this district.
_Caxatambo_ is also the chief town of a district commencing thirty-five
leagues north of Lima, and extending twenty leagues partly among the
mountains, so that the climate is various, but the whole district is
very fertile, producing abundance of grain. The Indians manufacture
baize, and work some silver mines, of which those of the towns of
Caxatambo and Chanca are the most productive.
_Conchucos_, the chief place of a district or partido of the same name,
beginning forty leagues north-north-east of Lima, and extending along
the centre of the Andes, is noted for its cattle and grain, and for the
great number of looms worked by the Indians. It contains also the mines
of _Conchucos_, _Siguas_, _Tambillo_, _Pomapamba_, _Chacas_, _Guari_,
_Chavin_, _Guanta_ and _Ruriquinchay_.
_Guanuco_ is the chief town of a partido, commencing 120 miles
north-east of Lima, in a mild and pure climate, with a fertile soil
producing excellent fruits. This town is 120 miles north-east of Lima,
in 9° 59' south latitude, and 75° 56' west longitude, and was founded
in 1539, under the name of _Leon de Guanuco_; the first inhabitants
being those who favoured the royal party in the wars between Pizarro
and Almagro. It was formerly a large city, but is now a small village,
containing the remains of a palace of the Incas, a temple of the sun,
the ruins of the houses built by the conquerors, some marks of the
great road from Cuzco to Quito, a church and three convents.
_Pasco_ is on the borders of the small lake de los Reyes, and is
chiefly noted as being the place in which the office of the provincial
treasury is held, and from which the mines of the Cerro de Bombon or
Yauricocha are named.
_INTENDANCY OF LIMA._
This province contains several districts; it is bounded on the north
by Truxillo, east by Tarma and Guancavelica, west by the Pacific, and
south by Arequipa.
Its principal districts are Chancay, Huarachiri, Lima, Canta, Canete,
Ica, Pisco and Nasca.
Lima is the seat of the royal audience, which was established in 1542,
and contains one archbishopric and four bishoprics in its jurisdiction,
viz. those of Truxillo, Guamanga, Cuzco, and Arequipa.
The revenue of the archbishop of Lima is 30,000 dollars per annum; he
has, besides the above bishops, those of Panama, Maynas, Quito, and
Cuença, as suffragans.
In this province rain is seldom or ever known to fall on the west of
the Cordillera of the Andes, which runs along its eastern side; on the
sea-coast it is very hot, but as the land rises towards the interior,
the air becomes cooler and milder.
The wealth of the province consists chiefly in the produce of the mines
of Tarma, which are worked by proprietors in Lima; but agricultural
pursuits are not neglected, and the whole vale may be said to be
cultivated.
Lima is noted as being the place where the grains of Europe were first
planted, as Maria de Escobar, the wife of Diego de Chaves, carried
a few grains of wheat to Lima, then called Rimac, shortly after the
conquest. She sowed these grains, and the produce of the harvests she
obtained, was distributed for three years among the colonists; so that
each farmer received twenty or thirty grains. It increased rapidly,
but in 1547, wheat bread was still a luxury in Cuzco that was hardly
to be obtained. Some idea may be formed of the difficulty in procuring
articles of utility or luxury in the early periods of the settlement
of these countries, from the circumstance of Benalcazar, the conqueror
of Quito and Popayan, purchasing a sow at Buza, for a sum equal to
166_l._ sterling, which sow was killed for a feast; the riches of the
conquerors must consequently have been immense. In the middle of the
16th century, two hogs were worth 300_l._; a camel from the Canaries,
1400_l._; an ass, 320_l._; a cow, 50_l._; and a sheep, 8_l._ The camels
that were introduced both in Peru and Caraccas, did not thrive, and
their utility was superseded in the former country by the vicunas,
llamas, &c.; and in both by mules.
The chief town of the intendancy of Lima is LIMA, which being also the
capital of Peru has been already described. The other towns of most
note are Guara, Guarachiri, Chancay, Canta, Canete, Ica, Pisco and
Nasca.
_Guara_ consists of a single street containing 200 houses, and many
Indian huts, with a parish church and convent, and is chief town of a
district of the same name, which is covered with plantations of sugar
canes, corn, maize, &c. At the south end of Guara stands a large tower
and fortified gate, which protects a stone bridge, under which flows
the river Guara, and separates the suburb of the Indians from the town.
Guara is in 11° 3' 36" south latitude, near the Pacific Ocean. This
town lies on the high road to Lima from Truxillo, and on this road are
many magnificent remains of the tambos, or palaces of the Incas.
_Guarachiri_ is the chief place of a partido, commencing in the Andes,
six leagues east of Lima, in which the valleys and lower grounds are
the only inhabited parts; and these being very fertile, produce wheat,
barley, maize and other grain in great abundance.
The high mountains of Guarachiri, and the neighbouring district of
Canta, contain excellent coal, but on account of the difficulty and
high price of carriage, it cannot be used in Lima; cobalt and antimony
have also been found in Guarachiri, which likewise contains several
silver mines of which that of _Conchapatu_ is the most noted.
This town is situated in 11° 55' south latitude, and 76° 18' west
longitude, 50 miles east of Lima.
_Chancay_, in 11° 33' 47" south latitude, is also the chief town of a
district lying in the valley north of Lima, having the river Passamayo
running through it, and fertilizing its plantations; the chief growth
of which is maize, for the purpose of fattening hogs for the market of
Lima. Chancay is fourteen leagues from Guara and twelve from Lima, on
the high road from Tumbez; the distance from Tumbez to Lima being 264
leagues. Chancay contains about 300 houses, and many Indian huts, with
a large population, most of the inhabitants being very rich.
_Canta_ is the chief town of a jurisdiction of the same name, beginning
five leagues north-north-east of Lima, terminating on the district of
that city, and extending above thirty leagues to the north, over the
eastern branch of the Andes; so that its climate differs according to
its situation, on the tops, sides, or valleys of the Cordillera. It
supplies the markets of Lima with fruits; the upper plains affording
pasturage for innumerable flocks of sheep, which belong to the rich
inhabitants of the capital of Peru.
_Canete_ is the chief place of a district of the same name, commencing
six leagues south of Lima, and extending along the coast for about
thirty leagues; the climate is the same as that of Lima, and the soil
being watered by several small streams, produces vast quantities of
wheat, maize and sugar canes; these plantations are mostly the property
of the inhabitants of Lima. At a place called _Chilca_, ten leagues
south of Lima, saltpetre is found in great quantities: the Indians
of this district trade with the capital in poultry, fish, fruits and
vegetables.
_Ica_, _Pisco_ and _Nasca_ compose a jurisdiction bordering on Canete
and extending sixty leagues along the coast, but interspersed with
sandy deserts. Great quantities of wines are made in this district,
which is fertile wherever the lands can be irrigated from the rivers.
Brandy is also an object of export, chiefly to Guamanga, Callao,
Guayaquil and Panama. Olive plantations are numerous, as well as those
of maize, corn and fruit trees. The country round Ica is noted for
abounding in carob trees, with the fruit of which vast numbers of asses
are fed. The Indians on this coast live by fishing, their salted fish
being eagerly sought after in the interior.
The town of _Ica_ or _Valverde_ is situated in a valley, and contains
about 6000 inhabitants, its principal commerce consisting in glass,
wine and brandy; it stands in 13° 50' south latitude, and 75° 28' west
longitude, 140 miles east-south-east of Lima.
_Pisco_ was formerly situated on the shore of the South-Sea, but
in 1687, an earthquake, accompanied by an inundation, destroyed
the old town, and it was rebuilt by the inhabitants a quarter of a
league further inland. It contains about 300 families, most of whom
are mestizoes, mulattoes and negroes; the whites being the least
predominant: the road of Pisco is a fine anchoring ground, capable of
holding a large navy, and sheltered from the south-east and south-west
winds, which are the most violent in this quarter. Pisco is 118 miles
south-south-east of Lima, in 13° 46' south latitude, and 76° 9' west
longitude.
_Nasca_ has a fine harbour, but the town is in a state of decay; the
surrounding country is fertile in vines and sugar canes, and is watered
by a river of the same name. Nasca is 190 miles south-east of Lima, in
14° 48' south latitude, and 75° 6' west longitude.
_INTENDANCY OF GUANCAVELICA._
This province lies almost entirely in the mountains, and is bounded on
the north by Tarma, east by Lima, west by Cuzco, and south by Guamanga.
The climate of this country is in general cold, owing to the high
situation of the land which is surrounded by the lofty peaks of the
Andes; its districts are chiefly those of _Xauxa_ and _Angaraes_, the
latter of which is about seventy-two miles in length from east to west,
and twelve in width, of a very irregular figure, being bounded by the
Cordillera on the west; this district produces wheat, maize and other
grains, although its climate is in general cold, being temperate only
in the valleys; in these are cultivated the sugar-cane, some fruits
and herbs, and a strong grass which serves for fuel in the ovens in
which the quicksilver is extracted; from the sale of this fuel great
emolument is derived when the mines are in work. The district abounds
in cattle, and as mercury is found in it, it also produces various
earths used in painting. The head waters of some of the streams which
join the Apurimac are in this jurisdiction, which contains about thirty
Indian villages.
The intendancy of Guancavelica is chiefly of note on account of the
mercury mines it contains, there being only one silver mine of any
importance. The quicksilver of Peru is only found near Valdivui in the
district of Pataz, near the great Nevado de Pelagato; in the district
of Conchucos, to the east of Santa; in the district of Huamalics, to
the south-east of Guarachuco, at the Banos de Jesus; in the district
of Guialas near Guaraz, and near Guancavelica; of all those places
_Guancavelica_ is the only one which has ever produced that useful
mineral in great abundance, the principal mine being situated in the
mountains of _Santa Barbara_, south of the town of Guancavelica at the
distance of more than a mile; it was discovered by the Indian Gonzalo
de Abincopa, in the year 1567; but appears to have been known in the
time of the Incas, who used cinnabar in painting themselves, and they
are said to have procured it in this neighbourhood. The mine was opened
in September 1570; it is divided into three stories, named _Brocal_,
_Comedio_ and _Cochapata_, the last of which the government forbid to
be worked, the bed containing red and yellow sulfuretted arsenic or
orpiment, which was the cause of many deaths.
This mine is free from water, and contains galleries cut in the solid
rock at an immense expence. There has been extracted from it up to the
year 1789, 1,040,452 quintals, or 136,573,162 pounds troy, being 4 or
6000 quintals annually; 50 quintals of tolerable mineral containing
and yielding by distillation eight or twelve pounds of mercury. The
cinnabar is found in a bed of quartz freestone of about 1400 feet in
thickness, in strata and in small veins, so that the metalliferous
mass averages only from 196 to 229 feet in breadth. Native mercury
is rare, and the cinnabar is accompanied with red iron ore, magnetic
iron, galena and pyrites, the crevices being frequently variegated with
sulphate of lime, calcareous spar, and fibrous alum, and the bottom of
the mine is 13,805 feet above the level of the sea. This mine employed
seven thousand Peruvian camels, or alpacas, and llamas in carrying the
ore to the furnaces of the town; which animals were governed by dogs
trained for the purpose.
Carelessness, or rather the avidity of the overseers destroyed this
celebrated mine for a time, as this being the only royal mine in
Spanish America, these men were anxious to obtain as much profit and
credit as they could by sending great quantities of the mineral to the
royal office. The gallery of the _Brocal_, which was the uppermost,
was supported by pillars of the rock containing the ore; as the
mineral became scarcer in the body of the mine, these pillars were
thinned, and at last cut away, so that the roof fell in and hindered
all communication with the other parts. At present, it is said, some
attempts are making, owing to the dearth of mercury from China, to
re-open the gallery; but the silver works of Peru are mostly supplied
from small veins which are found in other parts of the same chain of
mountains, near _Silla Casa_; these veins generally traverse alpine
limestone, are full of calcedony, and although thin, they cross and
form masses, from which the Indians, who are allowed to work them, are
said to obtain 3000 quintals annually by merely uncovering the surface.
The chief town of this intendancy is _Guancavelica_, thirty miles
north-west of Guamanga, in 12° 45' south latitude, and 74° 46' west
longitude. It was founded, in 1572, by the viceroy Toledo, and stands
in a breach of the Andes, being one of the largest and richest cities
of Peru. The temperature of the air at Guancavelica is very cold, and
the climate changeable, as it often rains and freezes on the same day,
in which there are tempests of thunder, lightning and hail.
The houses are generally built of tufa found near a warm spring in the
neighbourhood, and there is a dangerous torrent near the city, which
is crossed by several bridges. This town was founded on account of the
quicksilver mines of Santa Barbara, from the working of which the
inhabitants derived all their subsistence.
In this intendancy with its dependencies of _Castro Vireyna_ and
_Lircay_ there is one mine of gold, eighty of silver, two of
quicksilver, and ten of lead.
Guancavelica is 12,308 feet, and the neighbouring mountain of Santa
Barbara 14,506 feet, above the level of the sea.
The number of its inhabitants is now only 5200, probably owing to the
abandonment of the mine.
The other towns of most note are Xauxa and Castro Vireyna.
_Xauxa_ or _Jauja_ is the chief town of a district on the southern
extremity of Tarma, reaching to about forty leagues from Lima, in the
spacious valleys and plains between two parallel chains of the Andes.
The river Xauxa runs through this district, in which there are several
pretty towns or large villages well inhabited by Spaniards, Indians and
Mestizoes.
The soil produces plenty of wheat and other grains, together with a
great variety of fruits, and the city is on the great road of the
mountains to Cuzco, Paz, and La Plata; it borders on the east, as
well as the district of Tarma with the country between the Andes and
the Apurimac, inhabited by fierce and wild Indians, some of whom have
made inroads into these jurisdictions; the missionaries have however
succeeded in establishing villages amongst them, the nearest being the
town of _Ocopa_.
_Castro-Vireyna_ is the chief town of a district of the same name,
which lying on the Cordillera, has a very various climate, and produces
the fruits of the tropic and temperate regions.
On its great plains, which are in the highest and coldest parts, are
numerous flocks of the Vicuna, or Peruvian sheep, whose wool is the
chief article of commerce.
This animal prefers the coldest and highest parts of the Andes, and is
rarely seen north of the line; they formerly were very numerous in all
the mountains of Peru, till they were so much hunted for the sake of
their fleeces, that they are now caught with great difficulty, and are
only to be seen wild in the most inaccessible parts of the southern
Andes.
The town of Castro Vireyna is 125 miles south-east of Lima, in 12° 50'
south latitude, and 74° 45' west longitude.
_THE INTENDANCY OF GUAMANGA._
Is bounded on the north by Guancavelica and the uncultivated countries
on the banks of the Apurimac, east by the same and Cuzco, west by Lima,
and south by Arequipa.
It contains several fine districts, of which Guanta, Vilcas-Guaman,
Andagualas, Parina Cocha and Lucanas are the chief, with that of
Guamanga itself.
The capital is _Guamanga_, situated in 12° 50' south latitude, and 77°
56' west longitude, in a wide and beautiful plain, watered by a fine
river, and having a healthful climate. The buildings are of stone, and
are equal to any in Peru, and the city is decorated with fine squares,
gardens and walks, which render it a very pleasant residence. The
soil in the surrounding district is fertile in grain and fruit, the
chief articles of commerce being cattle, hides and sweetmeats, with
the produce of several mines; sixty of gold, 102 of silver, and one of
quicksilver, having been wrought in this and the dependent district of
Lucanas.
Guamanga was founded by Pizarro in 1539, and is the see of a bishop,
whose annual revenue is 8000 dollars.
This city has three churches, one for the whites, and the others for
the Indians; as well as the cathedral, several chapels and convents,
and a university, with a good revenue, in which the study of divinity,
philosophy and law is followed. The number of inhabitants is 26,000,
including Spaniards, mestizoes, mulattoes and Indians.
Guamanga is also called San Juan de la Victoria, in memory of the
precipitate retreat which Manco Capac made from Pizarro, when the
armies were drawn up for battle, and Pizarro founded the town in order
to keep up the communication between Lima and Cuzco. About three
leagues from Guamanga is the town of _Anco_; the territory around which
is infested with jaguars and reptiles. Anco stands in 13° 14' south
latitude, and 73° 10' west longitude.
_Guanta_ is the chief town of a jurisdiction of the same name, and is
twenty miles north of Guamanga, in 12° 30' south latitude, and 74°
16' west longitude; the district begins four leagues from Guamanga,
and stretches for thirty leagues north-north-west of it. It enjoys
a temperate climate, and is very fertile, but its mines, which were
formerly very rich, are abandoned.
In an island formed by the _Tayacaxa_ or _Xauxa_ grows the coca or
betel nut in great plenty, in which, and with the lead produced in the
mines, the commerce of Guanta consists. It also carries on a trade with
the capital, which it supplies with corn and fruits.
_Vilcas Guaman_ is a district south-east of Guamanga, beginning six or
seven leagues from that city and extending above thirty leagues; Vilcas
Guaman or _Bilcas_ is the chief town, in which is a church, built on
the ruins of a Peruvian fortress.
The climate is temperate and the district furnishes vast quantities of
cattle. The chief commerce is in woollens, &c., manufactured by the
Indians, and which they carry to Cuzco.
East of Guamanga, and verging to the south, is the district of
_Andagualas_ with its town of the same name. This district extends
along the valley or plain between two branches of the Andes for about
twenty-four leagues.
It is the most populous partido of Guamanga, having large plantations
of sugar-canes belonging to the inhabitants of the capital. The river
_Pampas_ which runs into the Apurimac, and several others flow through
this territory, contributing greatly to its fertility; and the number
of its inhabitants is about 12,000.
_Parina Cocha_ and _Lucanas_ are districts lying between that part of
the chain of the Andes which stretches down in a circular form towards
Arequipa; they abound in mines of silver and gold, and though in a cold
climate, produce grain, herbs and fruits in abundance. The chief towns
of these districts have the same names excepting that of the first,
which is called _Pausa_.
In the mountains are found herds of huanucos or Peruvian camels, and
the plains and valleys are filled with sheep, goats and cattle, in
consequence of which most of the inhabitants are drovers or woollen
manufacturers.
In the former district which contains 11,300 inhabitants dispersed in
thirty settlements; there is the lake of _Parina Cocha_ seven leagues
in length and one in width, in which a white bird of the name of
Panuira breeds. This name has been corrupted to Parina, and the word
cocha or lake being added, has given rise to the designation of the
department.
_INTENDANCY OF CUZCO._
Cuzco contains a number of partidos or districts lying on the west of
the great Apurimac, and on the eastern Cordillera of the Andes; it
is bounded on the north by the Apurimac and the Andes of Cuzco, on
the west by unconquered countries, east by Tarma, Guancavelica, and
Guamanga, and south by Arequipa and the viceroyalty of La Plata, the
boundary line of which runs between the lake Chucuito or Titicaca and
along the chain of Vilcanota, and bounds the district of Paucartambo on
the south.
The capital of this extensive province is the celebrated city of Cuzco,
which has a peculiar jurisdiction around it, over which its magistrates
exercise their authority. This district extends only two leagues, but
in it the climate is various, and on the highlands the cold is intense,
though in general the temperature is mild. It contains, with the
partido of _Carahuasi_, nineteen mines of silver.
The city of CUZCO or COUZCO is situated in 13° 25' south latitude, and
71° 15' west longitude, on uneven ground in the skirts of mountains
watered by the small river Guatanay, its north and west sides are
surrounded by the mountains of Sanca, and on the south it borders on a
plain, in which are several beautiful walks.
Cuzco was originally founded by Manco Capac and his consort Mama
Oello, who were supposed to have reigned in the 12th or 13th century.
He divided it into high and low Cuzco, the former having been peopled
by the Peruvians whom he assembled, and the latter by those whom his
consort had prevailed upon to leave their wandering mode of life. The
first tract forms the north, the latter the southern divisions of the
city; here he founded a temple of the sun and appointed his daughters
to serve as priestesses.
The Spaniards who took possession of Cuzco, under Pizarro, in October
1534, were astonished at the extent and splendour of the city, the
magnificence of the temples and palaces, and the pomp and riches
which were every where displayed. Cuzco was besieged by Manco Capac
the Second, who took it, but was soon driven out by the Europeans,
and afterwards blockaded the place for eight months; in this and the
subsequent contest between the followers of Pizarro and Almagro, Cuzco
suffered very much, great part of the city having been destroyed.
On the mountain which surrounds the north part of this celebrated city,
are the remains of the fortress of the Incas, by which it appears that
they intended to encompass the mountain with a wall, constructed in
such a manner, that the ascent would have been impracticable, though it
could be easily defended within. It was strongly built of freestone,
and is remarkable for the immense size of the stones, as well as
for the art with which they are joined. The internal works of the
fortress itself are in ruins, but great part of the wall is standing.
A subterraneous passage of singular construction led from this fort to
the palace of the Incas, and with these ruins, are the remains of a
paved causeway which led to Lima.
One of the stones designed for the wall lies on the ground near it, and
is so large that it has obtained the name of Cansada, alluding to the
apparent impracticability of bringing such a mass from the quarries, by
a people unacquainted with machinery, or even by those who are.
Most of the houses of Cuzco are covered with red tiles, and built
of stone; their interior is spacious, and those of the rich highly
decorated; the mouldings of the doors being gilt, and the ornaments and
furniture of the most costly kind.
The cathedral is a noble building of stone, and is erected on the spot
where the Spaniards rescued the place from the Inca Manco Capac the
Second; it is served by three priests, one for the Indians, and two for
the whites; Cuzco also contains six parish churches, and nine convents,
one of which, the Dominican, is built on the spot where stood the
Temple of the Sun, the stones of that building serving to erect its
church, the altar being paced on the same ground where the golden image
of the luminary was formerly fixed. These convents contain hospitals
for the sick Indians and whites. There are also four nunneries, and the
government of the city consists of a corregidor and alcaldes, who are
chosen from the first people in the place.
There are four hospitals, two universities, and a college, the latter
being for the children of Indian caciques; and the courts are those of
the royal audience, revenue, inquisition, cruzada, &c.
The bishop of Cuzco is suffragan of the archbishop of Lima, and enjoys
a revenue of 24,000 dollars annually.
This city contains 32,000 inhabitants, of whom three-fourths are
Indians, who are very industrious in the manufacture of baize, cotton
and leather, and have a great taste for painting. It formerly contained
many Spanish families, but at present the Indians and castes prevail.
QUISPICANCHI is a district of Cuzco, beginning close to the city, and
extending thirty leagues from east to west, and thirty-five from north
to south, producing maize, wheat and fruits. Part of this district
borders on the forests inhabited by independent Indians, and which
contain great quantities of coca or betel.
The chief town is _Urcos_, 12 miles south of Cuzco, and the partido has
26 other settlements, which only contain 7200 inhabitants.
ABANCAY is another district and town of Cuzco, extending about 26
leagues east and west, and fourteen broad, and commencing four leagues
north of the capital. It forms, on its northern boundary, an extended
chain of mountains covered with snow. Its climate is in general hot, so
that it contains great plantations of sugar canes, in which fine sugar
of a superior whiteness is made. It has seventeen villages or towns,
the chief of which, _Abancay_, is seated in a fertile and spacious
valley, 60 miles north of Cuzco, in 31° 30' south latitude, and 72° 26'
west longitude, on the river Abancay, over which is thrown one of the
largest bridges in Peru. In this province is the valley _Xaquijaguana_,
in which Gonzalo Pizarro was taken prisoner by Pedro de la Gasca. The
river Abancay joins the Apurimac, which runs through this district; the
junction being to the north of the town.
On the north of Abancay, and on the east of the Cordillera, named the
Andes de Cuzco, the _Vilcamaya_, _Urubamba_, or _Quillabamba_ river,
at about 12° 30' south latitude, throws itself into the Apurimac,
which, having pursued a north-west course through Cuzco, Quispicanchi
and Abancay, suddenly turns, after meeting the Vilcamayo, to the
north-east; and on the eastern shores of the Apurimac are the small
towns _Vilcabamba_, _Urubamba_ and _Calca_.
The Andes de Cuzco divide the valley of the Vilcamayo from that of the
Paucartambo river.
The district of PAUCARTAMBO begins eight leagues east of Cuzco, and is
of great extent, having indefinite bounds on its northern, western and
southern sides. It is mostly uninhabited, its chief town of the same
name lying in 72° west longitude, and nearly in the same latitude as
Cuzco, between the Andes de Cuzco and the chain of Vilcanota, which
separates it from La Plata. The river Paucartambo takes its rise in
this chain, and flows northerly, to meet the Apurimac, which it enters
in 10° 45' south latitude, after a course of 200 miles. The junction is
only a short distance south of that of the Beni, with the Apurimac; and
the country in the vicinity of these mouths, is inhabited by several
independent tribes of Indians. West of Paucartambo, and between it and
the river Beni, is the country called _Chunchos_, also peopled by
warlike tribes.
The inhabitants of Paucartambo amount to 8000, dispersed in eleven
settlements.
CALCAYLARES is another district, beginning four leagues west of Cuzco,
and between it and Paucartambo. The climate is exceedingly fine, and
the chief town is _Calca_, above mentioned.
_Chilques y Masques_ is also a district at the distance of seven
or eight leagues south-east of Cuzco, and extending above thirty
leagues, noted for its producing abundance of grain, and feeding great
quantities of cattle and sheep; but it is chiefly inhabited by Indians,
who manufacture coarse woollens.
The jurisdiction of COTABAMBA begins twenty leagues south-west of
Cuzco, and extends thirty leagues between the rivers Abancay and
Apurimac, which are separated from each other by a ridge of mountains.
It abounds in cattle, and the temperate parts produce maize, wheat and
fruit.
There are also several gold and silver mines; but most of them are
abandoned. Its chief place is an unimportant town named _Cotabambas_.
The district of TINTA, or CANAS Y CANCHES, commences fifteen or twenty
leagues from Cuzco, and extends in breadth and length about twenty
leagues; the Cordillera dividing it into two parts, the highest being
called _Canas_, and the lowest _Canches_. The latter yields all kinds
of grains and fruits, while the former feeds numerous flocks and
herds; and in the valleys between the mountains, 20 or 30,000 mules,
are annually pastured from the neighbouring provinces. There is also
a great fair for mules at Tinta, which draws people from all parts of
Cuzco. In Canas is the mine of _Condonoma_, formerly noted for yielding
much silver.
_Tinta_ is the chief town on the west of the Vilcamayo river, at sixty
miles distance south of Cuzco.
The district of AYMARAEZ commences forty leagues south-west of Cuzco,
and is bounded on the north-west and west by Andahuailas; east by
Cotabamba, west by Parinacocha, and south by Chumbivilcas.
It is 120 miles long from north to south, and 26 miles from east to
west, full of mountains; the Andes here taking a circuitous turn
towards the coast, in the southern part of this district, their summits
frequently entering the limits of perpetual congelation. Its valleys
are productive in grain and sugar, and afford sustenance to numerous
herds of cattle, and it is intersected by three rivers, which unite and
form the _Pachachaca_, that flows into the Abancay, and is crossed by
no less than 40 bridges of ropes and wood.
Numerous veins of gold and silver in its mountains are not worked owing
to the poverty of the inhabitants, of whom it contains 15,000. There
are fifty settlements in Aymaraez, and lake _Chinchero_ is in this
district.
The jurisdiction of CHUMBIVILCAS begins forty leagues south-east of
Cuzco, and extends about thirty leagues. It is chiefly noted for
feeding large herds of cattle, and contains many unworked mines.
LAMPA the last district of the intendancy, commences thirty leagues
south of Cuzco, and is of great extent among the mountains, but its
climate being cold, it produces little else than pasturage for numerous
herds of cattle; but this district contains many valuable silver mines,
and the chief town is _Lampa_, ninety miles south of Cuzco, in 14° 55'
south latitude, and 81° 44' west longitude.
Lampa is bounded by the chain of _Vilcanota_, which separates it from
Asangara on the east, in the kingdom of La Plata, and whose crests also
constitute a part of the barrier between the viceroyalty of Buenos
Ayres and the kingdom of Peru.
The last great division of the Peruvian territories towards the south,
is--
_THE INTENDANCY OF AREQUIPA_,
Which is bounded on the north by those of Lima, Guamanga, and Cuzco;
on the east, by Cuzco and the viceroyalty of La Plata; on the west by
the South Sea or Great Pacific Ocean; and on the South by the desert of
Atacama in the viceroyalty of La Plata.
It contains several districts, of which Arequipa, Camana, Condesuyos,
Cailloma, Moquehua, and Arica, are the most important.
The district of AREQUIPA PROPER, contains the capital of the
intendancy, also called _Arequipa_, which is situated 217 leagues
south-east of Lima, sixty south-west of Cuzco, and fifty north of
Arica, and is the last town of any note in Peru. The city of Arequipa
stands in 16° 16' south latitude, and 71° 58' west longitude, in
the valley of Quilca, twenty leagues from the Pacific. It is one
of the largest towns in the Peruvian government, containing 24,000
inhabitants, and was founded in 1539 by order of Pizarro in a bad
situation, but was soon afterwards removed to its present scite. This
town is well built, most of the houses being of stone and vaulted,
and are much decorated on the outside. It is watered by the Rio
Chilé, which is conducted by sluices over the neighbouring fields,
and by canals through the city, serving at once for convenience and
cleanliness. The climate of Arequipa is remarkably good, though
frost is sometimes known, but the cold is never intense, or the
heat troublesome. The surrounding district, which is about sixteen
leagues in length, and twelve wide, is always clothed with verdure,
and presents the appearance of a perpetual spring, its plantations
producing sugar, wheat, maize, and potatoes, and it carries on also a
commerce with the neighbouring provinces in wine and brandy.
The port of Arequipa is _Aranta_, at twenty leagues distance, the
harbour of which is deep, but difficult of access.
Arequipa is the see of a bishop, who enjoys a revenue of 16,000
dollars. This bishopric was erected on the 20th July 1609.
The public buildings consist of a cathedral with a parish-church for
the Indians, six convents, a college, seminary, hospital, and three
nunneries, with the revenue office, &c.
This city has been repeatedly devastated by earthquakes, which
have four times totally ruined it; and a volcano in its vicinity,
named _Guayna Patina_, contributed to destroy the devoted town by a
tremendous eruption, on the 24th of February 1600.
The district of CAMANA lies along the shore of the South Sea, north
of Arequipa, and is very large, but contains many deserts, extending
on the east to the chain of the Andes. Its temperature is nearly the
same as the former, excepting on the mountains, where it is cold. It
contains many old silver mines, but these being neglected, its chief
trade consists in supplying the mines of the neighbouring district with
asses and other beasts of burthen. The principal town of the same name
is seventy miles north-west from Arequipa, on the river Camana near its
confluence with the South Sea.
The next district to the north and bounding Lima, is CONDESUYOS DE
AREQUIPA, extending about thirty leagues. It is chiefly inhabited by
Indians who breed the cochineal insect, with which they supply the
woollen manufactures of the adjacent districts. Condesuyos abounds in
gold and silver mines, but they are unworked.
_Ocona_ is situated in this district, and is a port on the Pacific,
ninety-six miles west-north-west of Arequipa, in sixteen degrees south
latitude, on the Rio Ocona, which rises in the interior, and receives a
small river flowing from lake Parina Cocha.
CAYLLOMA is the next jurisdiction bounding the kingdom of La Plata
on the east, and Cuzco on the north; it lies entirely among the
Cordilleras of the Andes, which here divides its western branch into
several ramifications, approaching very near the South Sea. Caylloma
is famous for containing a very high mountain of the same name, and
the sources of the _Apurimac_ or Genuine Maranon, which rises in a
small lake formed by the curvature of the chain of the Andes, and
flows through a long valley made by two parallel ranges of the same
mountains, which divide its bed from that of the Vilcamayo on the east.
The source of the _Apurimac_ is in about 16° 10' or 20' south latitude.
Caylloma contains, several badly worked mines of silver; but the
cold is so intense, owing to the great height of the Andes, that the
inhabitants who have settled in it, are obliged to have recourse to the
neighbouring districts for grain, fruits, &c.; and the country abounds
with wild asses and beasts of prey.
_Caylloma_, the principal place, is a village on the eastern range of
the Andes, at the silver mines of the great mountain of the same name.
It contains an office for receiving the king's-fifths, and for selling
the quicksilver necessary in the extraction of the metals.
South of Arequipa, at the distance of forty leagues, lies the district
of MOQUEHUA, at sixteen leagues from the Pacific. This jurisdiction
extends forty leagues to the south, in a fine climate and fertile soil,
adorned with large vineyards, producing great quantities of wine and
brandy, which constitute its whole commerce, and with which it supplies
all the provinces, as far as Potosi on the Andes by land carriage, and
by sea to Lima; and the fruits of Moquehua are also numerous and good,
among which are olives of excellent quality.
The chief town of the same name is principally inhabited by Spaniards
and mestizoes, who are in general opulent; it is seventy miles south of
Arequipa, in 17° 20' south latitude, and 70° 56' west longitude.
The most southerly district of the intendancy of Arequipa, and the
last of the kingdom of Peru, is ARICA; it is bounded on the north by
Arequipa and Moquehua, west by the Pacific, east by the Cordillera
and Charcas, and south by the desert and province of Atacama in the
kingdom of La Plata. It is eighty-two leagues in length, north-west
and south-east; and sixteen wide, east and west; composed of valleys
commencing from the Andes and running to the Pacific. The ranges
separating these valleys are arid and unfruitful, while the vales
themselves grow maize, wheat, &c. Long-pepper is also cultivated, and a
thriving trade is carried on with this, and with cotton, sugar, olives,
wines, and brandies. The mountains feed numerous herds of cattle, and
are famed for the vicunas, llamas, &c.; but the climate is hot, and in
the higher parts inclement.
The chief town is _Arica_, in 18° 26' south latitude, and 70° 18' west
longitude, 210 miles north-west of La Plata, and 270 north-west of
Atacama, in a beautiful valley on the shore of the Pacific, with a good
port, much frequented by the coasting vessels. It was formerly a large
place, but having been destroyed by an earthquake in 1605, and sacked
by the English in 1680, most of the inhabitants removed to _Tacna_
twelve leagues distant, where the climate is better. Near the small
port of Yquique are the celebrated silver mines of _Huantajaya_ already
mentioned.
Having now treated of the known provinces of Peru, we shall give some
account of those countries which lie on the east of the Andes, between
the intendancies and the frontier of Portuguese America.
By the most recent authorities it appears that the viceroyalty of La
Plata is supposed to extend to the frontiers of Jaen de Bracamoros
and Maynas in New Granada; but as it is not distinctly stated where
its limits in this quarter are, it will be better to follow the old
boundary of Peru, on the north-east and east.
Within the confines of that extensive territory, lying between the
Andes, the Guallaga, the Maranon, or Ucayale, and the western frontiers
of the Portuguese settlements, are several immense tracts of land,
known by the names of PAMPAS DEL SACRAMENTO; COLONNA, or THE LAND OF
THE MISSIONS; CHUNCHOS, &c.
The PAMPAS DEL SACRAMENTO, in their restricted sense, include all the
country between the Guallaga on the east, Maynas on the north, the
Ucayale on the west, and the Apurimac on the south.
It consists of immense plains, and was so called by the Jesuits; but it
is now usual to give the same name to the whole country denominated the
Land of the Missions, and extending from the Ucayale to the Portuguese
limits, bounded only by the Amazons on the north, and embracing 8000
square leagues. The Jesuit missionaries succeeded in establishing
several villages among the numerous nations who inhabit this region,
through which flows the Ucayale. Father Girval is the most recent
traveller in this great steppe, and the information he has given
concerning the country, is not uninteresting.
Embarking on the lake of the Great Cocama, at the junction of the
Guallaga and Tunguragua, in Maynas, he went to the confluence of the
true and false Maranons, near St. Joachin de Omaguas, (a Spanish fort,
at the distance of 180 miles from St. Pablo de Omaguas, the most
westerly Portuguese settlement.) Having two canoes with 14 Omaguan
Indians to row them, he soon passed into the Ucayale, which he ascended
with great resolution, frequently meeting with little fleets of
canoes, manned by unknown tribes, from whom it required all his address
to escape; and after 14 days' rowing, there appeared on the west a
chain of mountains, running south-east and north-west.
In two days after this, he reached the little settlement of Sariacu,
among the Panos, then the habitation of Anna Rosa, an Italian lady,
educated at Lima; passing this, he reached the river Manoa, which he
ascended, with the view of seeing if a passage could be had to Maynas,
but it was found almost impracticable, on account of the thick forests,
and the precipices; therefore again descending the Maranon, he arrived
at the missions of Maynas, after an absence of four months.
In this voyage, Father Girval found that there existed several singular
tribes of Indians, of whom the _Conibos_ were nearly as fair as
Europeans, but that they were discoloured by the bites of mosquitoes,
and by painting their skins. Their customs were much the same as those
of the other American Indians, in a state of nature.
In the second voyage of Girval, in 1791, he was unaccompanied by any
soldier or white person; and again ascending the Ucayale, found the
_Casibos_, a fierce tribe on the eastern banks, but the Conibos still
appeared to be the principal navigators of this part of the stream, and
were the most humane; the sound of their rude flutes indicating peace,
and a desire to show hospitality.
After passing the Conibos, they met the canoes of the _Panos_, and
sixty of these accompanied him to Anna Rosa's village, where he found
that she had built a little convent, and that the tribe obeyed her as
their chief, with great devotion.
In twenty days' navigation from Sariacu, in the latitude of Tarma, he
found the _Piros_, whose country produces a species of cinnamon, and in
which a settlement has since been made.
Father Girval is said to have passed 400 miles up the Genuine
Maranon, from its confluence with the Tunguaragua; to have discovered
twenty-five tribes, and to have partly persuaded the _Piros_, the
_Chipeos_, the _Panos_, and the _Conibos_, to become Christians.
He found the worship of most of these tribes to consist in the
adoration of the moon, and evil spirits. In war they always choose a
chief noted for his courage and capacity, and make prisoners of the
women and children of their enemies, slaying the men. Some tribes
were gentle and humane, while others resembled tigers more than human
beings; of these the _Casibos_, and _Carapochas_, were anthropophagi.
The _Capaguas_, a tribe on the Mague, were said to cook and eat their
dead, and yet to be one of the most humane of the savages on the
Maranon.
The Pampas del Sacramento are divided from Peru by a lofty chain of
mountains, from which they appear so level as to resemble the ocean;
they are covered with trees and verdure, and produce balsams, oils,
gums, resins, a sort of cinnamon, cacao, cascarilla, and many other
excellent drugs, spices, &c.
In these vast levels the trees are very lofty, and form impenetrable
forests unexplored by man, in which wander all the animals peculiar
to the torrid climate of America. The heat is very great, and is
accompanied with much humidity, and thick fogs, so that till the
forests could be cleared, the Pampas would not be a desirable residence
for Europeans; the missionaries have nevertheless been very active in
founding villages in the most accessible parts, several of which now
exist, and new communications are opened constantly with Peru.
South of the Pampas del Sacramento is a district named _Montana Reale_,
through which runs a chain east from the Andes, named the Cerro de la
Sal, which gives birth to the Pachitea, and several other rivers,
and divides their streams from the Perene, and some others which flow
into the Apurimac; a branch from this Cerro, runs to the north, under
the name of Sierra de San Carlos, and separates the Maranon, after
receiving the Beni, from the Pachitea. There are some missions in this
country, on the banks of the Pachitea, but it is in general inhabited
only by the _Mayros_, a fierce nation, and several other wandering
tribes.
THE LAND OF THE MISSIONS, or COLONNA, now included in the Pampas, is
that territory on the Amazons, through which flow the Cassiquin and
the Yvari, part of which serves as the boundary of Brazil; the Yutay,
the Yurba, and several other large rivers, joining the Maranon, and of
which little, or in fact, nothing is known.
CHUNCHOS is a district between the Beni and the Paucartambo, in which
are many wandering tribes, who are very imperfectly known, and whose
country forms the barrier between Brazil and Peru.
We shall conclude the description of this viceroyalty, by some few
remarks upon the language of the natives, &c.
The number of dialects totally differing from each other, which are
spoken by the Indian inhabitants of this kingdom, is very great,
and it was the same during the time of the Incas; to remedy which
inconvenience, those sovereigns instituted a general language, which
they ordered all the chiefs who came to their courts to speak; it
was called the Quichuan, or language of the Incas; and was that
which prevailed in the capital; and so unbounded was the power of
these princes, that the Quichuan was soon learnt, even in the most
remote provinces, and continues to the present day to be the general
tongue of the Peruvians, who are averse to making any efforts to
obtain a knowledge of the Spanish; so that the priests consider it as
indispensably necessary to become acquainted with the Quichuan, in
order to retain the Peruvians in their power.
The sounds _b_, _d_, _f_, _g_, _r_, are wanting, but the language is
harmonious, and its grammar as variegated and artificial as the Greek.
A work has been published at Lima on this subject; and great pains have
been used to render it well known.
At the time of the conquest, Peru was named by its inhabitants
TAVANTIN-SUYU, or the Four Parts. That on the east, in which was Cuzco,
was named _Colla-suyu_, or the east part; that of the west or coast,
_Chinchay-suyu_; that of the north, _Anti-suyu_; and that of the south
_Conti-suyu_; which titles, with some alterations, were retained till
very lately, in the best maps. The names of most of the principal
places, are still Quichuan; and so little is the Spanish language
and power spread in this country, the first of their conquests, that
upwards of sixty unsubdued nations or tribes, are said to exist within
its territories; though these have been greatly straitened by the
formation of the new government, of which it now becomes necessary to
give a description.