Visit to Caxatambo....Roads....Manner of Travelling....Village of
Ocros....Cura of Ditto....Indian....Road to Chiquian....Town of
Chiquian....Crimes....Mining Laws....Method of working the
Ores....Frauds in Plata Piña....Taonas and
Ingenios....Caxatambo....Repartimientos....Manufactures....Inhabitants....Amusements....Road
from Caxatambo, Cuesta....Farm House and Family....Town of
Huara....Productions of Huailas....Manufactures of Ditto....Huaras,
excellent Mercantile Situation....Province of Conchucos....Produce,
&c....Mines....Oca....Medicinal Plants....Character of
Inhabitants....Procession of St. Peter....Localities in the
Province....Enter
Huamalies....Productions....Coca....Charquis....Cinchona....Mines....Eagle
Stones....Fruits....Mulitas and Quiriquineihos....Character of
Inhabitants....Death of the Inca represented....Observations.
In 1806 I visited Caxatambo, the capital of a district, partido,
bearing the same name. My route was by the quebrada, ravine of
Barranca, which contains two large sugar plantations and several large
farms. I rested the first night at Cochas, a small village, and was most
hospitably treated by Don Manuel Requena, a man who had amassed
considerable property by purchasing cattle in the interior and driving
it down on the coast to fatten on lucern, for the Lima market. The
following morning I began to wind up the ravine, which, after traversing
the bridge of cords already described, becomes much narrower, sometimes
so much so, that the passes are dangerous; a gallery is cut in the rock
at one of them a hundred and seventy yards long, but so narrow, that it
would be impracticable for two mules to pass each other; nor is it
possible to make room in the emergency of meeting a traveller. On one
side the mountain is either perpendicular, or it hangs over the heads of
those who pass, threatening to fall and crush them; while on the other
hand, about four hundred feet below the path, the river foams and roars
as it descends towards the coast, having another lofty mountain on the
opposite side. What man could travel on a road like this, and not
shudder to hear the name of an earthquake mentioned; particularly when
he looks on the broken and rugged rocks, and supposes that one of those
dreadful convulsions of the earth may have opened the road on which he
treads, and that such another shock would bury him in the ruins!
Our mode of travelling would have been regarded in England as a
curiosity; a friend and myself were mounted on two mules, with huge deep
saddles covered with red woolly rugs, large wooden box stirrups, broad
girths, and straps attached to the saddles both behind and before;
these straps passed round the breasts and hams of the mules to prevent
the saddles from slipping as we rode up and down the cuestas, some of
which are exceedingly steep. I had two mules laden with my luggage; on
the one was placed my mattress and bedding, put into a large leather
case, called an almaufres; on the other were two petacas, or square
trunks, made of untanned bullocks' hides, and curiously wrought with
thongs of the same material. My comrade had two mules also laden in a
similar manner; for, when travelling in any part of South America that I
visited, it is almost always necessary to take a bed, because no inns or
houses of accommodation are found on the roads, or even in the towns or
cities. Our peon or muleteer generally followed the mules, while we
proceeded on before; but on approaching a village or hamlet, the peon
alighted, and tied the mules together, fastening the halter of one to
the tail of another, to prevent them from straggling.
About four o'clock in the afternoon we arrived at Ocros, a small
village, where the indians were all prepared to go to Cochas the
following day, to repair the bridge. This task is annually imposed on
them jointly with those of the neighbouring villages, who pass it toll
free, while other passengers pay a real or one-eighth of a dollar: the
money is kept to provide food for the indians who assemble to assist in
the repairs; they employ a week at the work, although it might be
finished in a day; but it is rather a week of feasting than of labour.
About thirty mules, all laden with cabulleria, as it is called, made
from the maguey, were collected in the plasa, or square, and there
appeared to be as much bustle as if an army had been removing its camp.
My companion was known to the cura, rector, to whose house he took me,
and we were entertained with his best cheer and most cheerful
hospitality. The cura complained bitterly of a want of society in his
place of exile, destierro, as he called it, and jocosely said, that if
the Pope himself were cura of Ocros, he would wish to have a wife to
keep him in good humour: excepting, said he, when a traveller passes
this way, I hear no news, and know of nothing that occurs in the world
which I have left. I often welcome the arrival of a pedlar, to whom I
would not even have spoken at Lima, but here he seems to me like
something dropt from the clouds, and his words and actions delight me,
because they savour of my beloved Lima.
The village or rather hamlet of Ocros is situated on an eminence; the
climate is cold, and although but eleven leagues from the coast, it is
subject to heavy rains. The inhabitants are for the most part indians,
who have some few small flocks of sheep and goats; they labour on the
neighbouring farms, and on the whole live miserably. Barley, maize, and
milk from their goats are their principal food, and a coarse suit of
clothes will generally wear out the life of its owner; the contrast
between these indians and those on the coast in regard to their manner
of living surprised me not a little:—more ragged and dirty in their
appearance, their small huts containing but one room having the fire in
the middle of it, without any windows, and the absence of every thing
that might contribute to their comfort:—indeed their stock of household
goods made a most miserable shew. I inquired into the cause of this
penury, and was informed by the cura, that their vicinity to the coast
allowed them, if they could purchase a mule, to fetch small quantities
of brown sugar, chancaca, and fruit, and to take them to Chiquian and
other towns in the interior, to sell, and that they usually spent in
eating and drinking the small profits which they derived; they thought,
he said, but little of their homes; but left the women to till their
plots of ground, to tend their sheep and goats, and to provide for their
families. Here the Quichua language begins to be spoken; the indians use
no other among themselves, and many of the women cannot speak a word of
Spanish.
On the following morning, after a very hearty breakfast, we left Ocros,
with an earnest entreaty to call at the house of the cura, should we
ever pass through the village again; but the invitation was almost
useless, as there was scarcely a hut, rancho, in the village that
would have held me and my almaufres. We continued our journey by
descending into a deep ravine, where there was no appearance of
vegetation, except a few tunas and the giganton rising twelve or
fourteen feet high; these, instead of enlightening, gave the scene a
more dreary appearance; for these vestiges of vegetation, as they seemed
to be, stood on the rocks like way-worn travellers, while their naked
trunks craved that moisture from the clouds which they sought for in
vain from below. After travelling three dreary leagues, we began to
ascend the cuesta of Chiquian; at first we perceived the whole extent of
the ravine, quebrada, but the clouds soon began to roll beneath our
feet, and intercept the view of the road we had just travelled over. Our
ascent was very laborious to the mules, but I alighted twice and led
mine; in some places steps were cut in the rock, and hollowed out by the
feet of the mules and other cattle that had passed.
When we reached the top I expected to have an extensive view of the
country, but I was very much mistaken; towards the coast all seemed to
be enveloped in a thick mist, and on every other side the mountains rose
one above another, or their proximity blocked up the whole view at once.
At a distance we could at times see the summit of some mountains
belonging to the principal chain of the Cordillera, covered with snow,
and we appeared as if completely isolated—the bed of clouds behind us
looked like the sea, limited only by the horizon, and before us the
mountains reared their towering heads, as if to oppose our progress.
The top of the mountain was covered with some short grass and moss, with
a few horned cattle feeding on it; but after travelling about two
leagues we began to descend, and our eyes were once more cheered with
the view of some straggling ranchos and patches of cultivated land. At
two o'clock we arrived at Chiquian, a comfortable looking town, or
village, as it would have been called in England. We found here many
white families, and some agreeable people; but the whole village was in
an uproar, being divided into parties respecting a law suit with the
cura; we however went to his house, where we were received with a most
hearty welcome.
The population of Chiquian is composed of white creoles, indians, and
mestizos; their principal occupation is farming and grazing; ponchos of
wool and cotton are manufactured by the women, some of which are very
fine. Near to Chiquian is a silver mine, formerly worked with tolerable
advantage, but at present abandoned. The ore contains iron, arsenic, and
sulphur, and is always roasted before it is mixed with the mercury; it
was calculated, that if a caxon, fifty quintals, of ore produced eight
marks of silver, that the proprietor lost nothing; but this calculation
is very erroneous, because different ores require different portions of
labour, and the loss of mercury is also much greater in some ores than
in others; the paco, red oxide of silver, pays much better if it yield
six marks each caxon, than the bronce, micaceous pyriferous ores, if
they yield ten. Some few small veins of ore had produced forty marks;
but this may be looked upon generally as a mere temptation to the miner
to carry on the work, often to his own ruin.
According to the mining laws, the discoverer has one hundred and sixty
square yards of surface, and must not extend his works beyond the
perpendicular limits of his share; he must first present a sample of ore
to the Tribunal de Mineria, and take out a document called registro,
before he can begin to work; the limits are marked out by the
Subdelegado, political governor of the district, and the proprietor
takes possession by rolling himself on the ground, digging holes,
throwing stones, and shouting three times, possession! Other persons who
solicit as hare petition the Tribunal de Mineria, and receive a registro
of eighty yards only, half the quantity to which the discoverer is
entitled.
Some proprietors pay the labourers, who are indians and mestizos, daily,
but others allow them a bonus of twenty-four hours in each week, during
which time the ore which they extract belongs to themselves; and
purchasers are always ready on the Saturday night to buy it of them. In
this case a great deal of roguery is generally practised. If the
labourers find a rich vein they endeavour to hide it till the Friday
night and then extract it for themselves; and it is no uncommon thing
for this ore to yield twenty or thirty marks to the caxon, when that
taken out during the week will not average above eight or ten. The ore
is carried to the mouth of the mine in bags made of hide, called
capachos, on the shoulders of men called capacheros; it is there
received by the mayor domo, and laid on the ground in a heap; hence it
is conveyed on the backs of mules or llamas to the taona or ingenio.
The first is a mill similar to a bark mill, a stone, like a mill stone,
is placed vertically on a wooden axletree, on which it revolves; to the
end of this a mule or bullock, or sometimes two, are fastened, and drag
the stone round. The stone moves in a groove, into which the ore is
thrown; a small stream of water runs along the groove, and washes away
many of the impurities, particularly the earth. When the ore is ground
sufficiently small it forms a mass with the water, and is taken out of
the taona and mixed with a quantity of quicksilver; it is thus allowed
to remain a few days, when it is turned over with a spade, and trod on,
in order to incorporate the mercury with the mass. This operation is
repeated two, three, or more times, till the amalgam is formed; more
mercury is added when necessary, which is known by taking a small
portion of the mass and washing away the extraneous matter; if the
amalgam, pella, be hard and granulous, more is added; if not, the
whole mass is thrown into a cistern, and a small stream of water allowed
to run into it. A man keeps this in motion with a pole till the water
has washed away all the earth and other impurities when the amalgam has
collected into one mass; it is then put into a strainer of coarse linen
or hair, and the superabundant mercury is pressed out; the silver,
containing some mercury, is placed in a heated furnace, by which means
the remaining quicksilver is evaporated, and the porous ball is called
plata de piña. Before this can be sold it is carried to the callana,
royal office, where it is melted, the royal fifth paid, and the bar
marked with the initials of the treasurer, the date of the year, and the
weight. The exportation of plata piña was strictly forbidden by the
Spanish colonial laws, and some persons who have run the risk of
purchasing it have been most miserably deceived; for, on cutting the
lumps, they have found adulterated silver in the centre, lead, and even
stones, which could not be discovered except by cutting the lumps into
pieces. Another method of cheating was, by allowing part of the mercury
to remain in the mass, which increases its weight, and can only be
detected by subjecting it to the heat of a furnace. Base metals were
sometimes included in the bars which had not the mark of the treasury on
them; but by putting these into a proper box containing water, and
comparing the quantity of water displaced with the weight of the bar,
the trick might easily be discovered.
The ingenio differs from the taona only in the operation being performed
with the aid of a water-wheel instead of mules or bullocks. Some of the
taonas are so rudely constructed, that they have two or three stones
lashed to the horizontal pole or axletree, and these are dragged round
by mules or bullocks, and grind the ore on a stone floor laid below
them. Some ores require roasting in a furnace before they are crushed;
but others are carried from the mine to the mill. The silver is
extracted from a few kinds of ore by smelting, which has induced several
foreigners to try various experiments, as the saving of labour and other
expensive operations would be of serious advantage; but universal
failures have been the result; for the ore always came out of the
furnaces converted into a hard black ponderous cinder, and was
sometimes vitrified.
The town of Chiquian has a very neat appearance: a large square forms
the centre of it, on one side of which there is a well built stone
church, and the house of the cura; on another stands the cabildo, and
two or three respectable looking houses with stone doorways, large
folding doors, white walls, and the roofs tiled—but they are only one
story high. The other two sides are filled with houses and shops, and in
the centre of the square is a large wooden cross on a stone pedestal.
Streets lead from the corners of the square, in which there are some
neat small houses with pretty gardens. Excellent cheese is made on some
of the farms in the neighbourhood—not surpassed in richness of flavour
by the best parmesan: the butter here is also good, but it is churned
from boiled milk, and has a peculiar taste, which, however, is not
disagreeable.
During my stay, I visited Cajatambo, the capital of the district, and
the residence of the subdelegado: the town is larger than Chiquian; but
not so pleasantly situated. The corregidores, as the governors were
formerly called, had the privilege of repartimientos, or
distributions, which was certainly the most oppressive law that was
ever enacted. The corregidor, according to this establishment,
monopolized the whole trade of the province or district; he had a store
of goods and distributed them among the inhabitants, particularly the
indians, telling them the price, and when the payment would become due;
at which time the debt was exacted with the greatest rigour. It was in
vain for any person to resist either to receive the goods, or to pay the
value of them. During the repartimientos, that of Cajatambo amounted to
a hundred and thirty thousand dollars annually; and the alcavala, or
duty on sales of property, to twelve hundred dollars; but this tax was
never paid by the indians, because they were exempted by law.
The order for the establishment of repartimientos of goods was obtained
in the same manner as Ovando obtained his from Isabella for that of the
indians at Hispaniola. The laziness and slothful habits of these
unfortunate beings were urged to procure an order or edict, allowing the
corregidores to distribute such articles among them as were necessary
for their comfort, and oblige them to pay at a reasonable time, leaving
to the distributor a necessary profit; but the abuse of this institution
became so great as to be almost beyond description. Many corregidores,
who were not possessed of property to purchase what they wanted of the
merchants, would receive on credit their most miserable stock of
commodities, and then distribute them to the indians, laying on an
enormous profit. Gauzes, stained velvets, muslins, unfashionable
calicoes, and all the dregs of a draper's store were sent to the houses
of the indians, probably in a climate severely cold, where these
suffering wretches had not a blanket to cover themselves, nor perhaps a
shirt on their backs. Spirituous liquors were distributed in the same
manner; a jar worth forty dollars would be sent to the house of an
indian who had a few mules, horses, or other cattle, which, when the
time of payment arrived, were often sold to meet the demand of the
governor. I was assured, that a corregidor of Huamalies took on credit
several large cases of common spectacles, and issued an order in his
district, that no indian should present himself before him, in his
judicial capacity, without having a pair on his nose; by which means he
obliged them to purchase such useless articles, and to advance the sale,
whenever a complaint was made, he would summon as many witnesses as he
possibly could.
A considerable quantity of wool, some of which is of a short staple,
but very fine, is carried to Lima, where it is principally made up into
mattresses: this district sends also large flocks of sheep and some oxen
to the Lima market. Copperas is found in several parts of it, and great
quantities of gypsum, yeso, which is carried to different places on the
coast, and used in whitewashing the houses.
The dress of the inhabitants is similar to the dress of those who reside
on the coast; the poncho is seldom or never dispensed with among the
men, indeed the cold makes it quite necessary. In Caxatambo and
Chiquian, evening parties are very common; no invitation is necessary
except the sound of the guitar, and I have spent many very agreeable
hours in listening to the cachuas, and yarabis—it is delightful to
hear both their merry tunes, and their doleful songs. To the former they
generally dance, the figure ending with each verse; this dance is
somewhat similar to the Spanish fandango, or boleras; two persons dance
it; and with few variations it consists of tripping backwards and
forwards, then forming a semi-circle, the man dancing towards the right,
whilst his partner dances in the opposite direction; this is repeated
two or three times, and the dance generally concludes with a sapateo,
beating time to the music with their feet. The dance is something like a
minuet, but the movements are quicker. If a couple dance a minuet, they
generally receive the noisy applause of the lookers on, and not
unfrequently a handful of money is thrown at the feet of the lady by
some enamorado, when the boys and girls immediately run to pick it up;
this creates a bustle, and it is not uncommon for the young lady to be
almost unable to extricate herself from the rabble, even with the
assistance of her partner. The following was the favourite cachua in
Cajatambo, introduced, I believe, by an Andalusian:—
Yo tengo una cachucha, en que camino de noche
Y andando mi cachuchita, parece que ando en coche
Ah cachuchita mia, &c.
Yo tengo una cachucha, que compré a mi padre,
Y él que quiere cachucha, que lo compre a su madre,
Ah cachuchita mia, &c.
The yarabis, or tristes, as they are sometimes called, are peculiar
to the cierra, and except by a mountaineer, serrano, I never heard
them sung on the coast; they are plaintive ditties, and some of the
tunes are peculiarly sweet. The following is a yarabi which I have often
heard:—
Ingrato, cruel, e inhumano
Tus engaños causaron mi desvia,
Tu contento te rias, y yo lloro,
Ah alma mia.
Busca adonde quisieres placeres
Y cobra, sin jamas pagar el amor
El tiempo vendrá, para que llores
Con duro dolor.
La muerte dará fin a mi pesar
Tu vivirás con goso, y con risas,
Pero no, te ha or atormentar
Mi imagen, mis cenisas.
On leaving Caxatambo we had to pass over the mountains that border the
district to the northward, and owing to the rain that had fallen, the
ascent was very slippery. I frequently alighted, but my companions never
did; they assured me that the mules were sure-footed, and that I need
apprehend no accident. The morning was very cold, and on the tops of the
mountains we perceived a considerable quantity of snow. During our
ascent we observed the rapid decrease of vegetation; the lofty and
luxuriant molles which we saw at the foot became more and more stunted,
till they totally disappeared, and in their place some small plants of
the cactus tribe were clinging to the rocks: on the summit the small
patches of ground were covered with long dry grass, which the natives
called pajon; the rugged rocks were white with moss, and all appeared
dreary and lifeless; not a bird nor any living animal was either seen or
heard, and the clouds below hid the surrounding scenery from our view.
After travelling about six leagues, including the ascent, we began to
descend, when the muleteer observed that we were in the province of
Huailas. The clouds that rested on our heads threatened rain, so we
resolved to pass the night at a farm house about a league from the
border. The rain soon began to fall in torrents, and although our mules
walked and slipped down the cuesta as fast as we dare venture to allow
them, we were completely soaked through with the rain. On our arrival at
the farm, about four o'clock in the afternoon, we were welcomed by the
owner, who begged of us to ride under the corridor and alight; two young
men, his sons, assisted us in dismounting, and three young women, his
daughters, helped us to take off our wet ponchos and hats, which they
hung upon pegs in the corridor. We entered the house and seated
ourselves on the estrado, which was covered with very neat home-made
carpets, and a row of low stools were placed near the wall; a large
brass pan, brasero, full of burning wood embers was immediately placed
before us by one of the daughters, who received it at the door from a
female indian servant. The girls helped us to take off our boots and
stockings, and offered us some of their own shoes as slippers; matte was
immediately made, and I drank five or six cups, or rather sucked it, not
with less pleasure when I observed that my pretty caterer (for very
pretty she was) took the first suck at the tube before she handed it to
me. My companion preferred a large glass of hot brandy and water, and as
he was prepared with a bullock's horn, holding about two quarts of the
former liquor, his appetite was soon satisfied.
Our host entered shortly afterwards, and informed us that he had sent
for half a dozen lads and lasses to come and dance and be merry with us.
But, said I, it rains, will they come? Yes, said he, to be sure they
will, and they would come if they lived ten leagues off, whereas they
only live at the distance of two:—not across such a road as that which
we have just passed, I hope? Why, said he, they live in the quebrada,
ravine, and all our roads are pretty much alike in such weather as this;
but the sound of a guitar, and the pleasure they take in dancing with
strangers, will bring them away; and surely they will be no worse for
being a little wet and drabbled: the boys will bring partners too with
them, because they cannot well dance with their sisters—bread and bread
has no relish, but bread and cheese make a good meal.
All was now in a bustle of preparation: a lamb and several fowls were
killed for supper; a large calabash of punch was made, containing about
seven or eight gallons; but I being tired with my ride, threw myself
down on the carpets to sleep, when Panchita, the pretty girl who made
the matte, came and placed a pillow under my head and threw a white rug
over me, and then removed the embers in the brasero, which she placed
near enough to keep me warm. My companion, who was a clergyman, said, he
must attend to his officio divino before the company arrived, so he
took out his breviarium, and began to work at his trade, whilst I slept.
After enjoying my nap for about an hour, I awoke, and found an agreeable
repast just ready—a salona, mutton slightly salted and smoked, and
equal in flavour to venison, had been roasted, an agreeable sauce of the
green pods of capsicum, aji verde, in vinegar had been prepared, and
they were served up with some excellent roasted potatoes; after this, a
chip box, holding about two pounds of preserved apricots, and another of
quince marmalade, for which delicacies the province of Huailas is quite
famous, were put on the table. This refreshment was placed before my
companion and myself, on a low table, as we sat on the edge of the
estrado. While we ate and drank, our host informed us that he was a
native of Cadiz, but that he had lived in America upwards of twenty
years. On his arrival at Callao, in the capacity of a sailor, he left
his ship, and travelled into the interior in search of a wife with a
fortune, for, said he, without such an appendage I could have found many
maids willing to become wives at home. I chanced, continued he, on my
way to Huaras, to call at this house to beg a lodging for the night; the
old farmer had a daughter, an only one; I was soon convinced that his
coffers were not empty, so I prolonged my visit, made love to his
daughter, and married her. She has been dead twelve years, and I find
myself happy with my five boys and girls, and they seem to be happy with
me; but that will perhaps not last long, they will themselves soon want
to marry, and I cannot object to it; their father and mother set them
the example, and if I cannot then live with them I can live without
them. You, father, addressing himself to the clergyman, would advise me
perhaps to retire to a convent, and live a penitential life; but if I
have given my flesh to the devil, he shall have my bones too. You tell
us, continued he, that only our good works will accompany us to the
other world; but I shall also take with me good eating and drinking, and
a merry heart; for although you preach to us abstinence and other
restrictions, yet you enjoy the good things of this world, and example,
you know, is more persuasive than precept. But I am happy to see you,
and you are welcome to my rancho, for it reminds me of my own arrival at
it. In a short time our merry companions appeared, laughing most
heartily as they jumped from the backs of their mules, to see each other
bespattered with mud and dripping with rain.
Three healthy looking lasses, with rosy cheeks, and a stately youth, had
braved the wind and rain to join our party, which, with this
acquisition, was a very merry one. The young women had on hats and
ponchos; but their shoes and stockings were kept dry in the pockets of
the young man, who was their brother. In a very short time the guitar
was tuned, and we began to dance—our kind host, Garcia, being the
musician. I took Panchita as my partner, which caused a good deal of
mirth, because our visitor, Eugenio, was passionately fond of her: he
watched her steps with the anxious rapture of a lover, and no doubt
envied me during the dance; at length, unable to suffer any longer the
privation of dancing with her, he rose, made me a low bow, and took my
place, to the no small satisfaction of the company, who lavished on him
many an Andalusian joke. After the first dance one of the sisters rose
and relieved Panchita, who came and sat down on my knee as I sat on one
of the low stools; she very soon went to a table and brought me a glass
of punch, which we drank; this appeared too much for poor Eugenio, but
instead of being offended, as might have happened among civilized
people, he retired to a seat, after finishing his dance, and placed his
partner on his knee; she soon rose and brought him a glass of punch,
which they drank together; and all parties appeared completely happy.
We made a most hearty supper of roasted and stewed lamb and fowls,
sweetmeats and punch; after which several songs were sung, both cachuas
and yarabis, and our host entertained us with some Andalusian
chuladas. Day dawned, and found us merry, scarcely able to believe
that the night was spent. The morning was very fine, and we expressed a
wish to proceed on our way to Huaras: but my companion told me, that in
all probability our mules were lost; lost, exclaimed I! Yes, said he,
but they will be found again to-morrow morning, if Garcia will then
consent to our leaving his house. This was really the case, for the
mules were not found—for the best of all possible reasons—they were
not sought for; the young men were sent in search of them, and soon
returned with the news, that they could not be found. The girls began to
console us with many promises of their being discovered during the day,
and advised us to take our breakfasts and sleep an hour or two, to which
we assented without much reluctance. We spent the day and the following
night most agreeably—not without plenty of singing and dancing.
I learnt from our host, Garcia, that his property consisted of about
eighty head of horned cattle, and twelve hundred sheep, besides a small
farm, which he shewed us, of which about sixty acres were under the
plough, and produced good crops of wheat, maize, barley, and potatoes.
Purchasers for the cattle came annually from the coast. The surplus of
wool, some of which is extremely fine, was generally bought by the
owners of manufactories, obrages, in the province, at about one dollar
the arroba, twenty five pounds; the grain, potatoes, &c. were carried to
Huaras.
On the following morning our mules were found, and we proceeded through
a country more beautiful at every step we took, and arrived in the
evening at Huaras, the capital of the district. This town is pleasantly
situated, though rather bleak; the houses have a neat and comfortable
appearance, and some of the shops are stored with a considerable
quantity of European manufactured goods, such as broad cloth, wide
coloured flannels, linens, cottons, silks, hosiery, cutlery, and also
home manufactured woollen and cotton cloths. In the square, plasa, a
small market is held every morning of articles brought from the
neighbouring country. The town contains a parish church, which is a neat
stone built edifice; a convent of Franciscan grey friars, and a
hospital, under the care of the Bethlemites. The Subdelegado resides
here; the repartimiento of the corregidor amounted formerly to a hundred
and seventy thousand dollars annually, and the alcavala to two thousand
three hundred.
The population of Huaras consists of about seven thousand inhabitants,
the greater part of whom are composed of mestisos; the people are rather
fond of dress, and evening parties are very common. There is not an inn
or public house in the town; but a traveller can be accommodated with
lodgings, &c. in almost any house.
This district contains many towns and villages; the principal ones are
Requay, Carhuas, Yungay, Caras, and Cotopará. The temperature of the
centre and lower part of the district is warm, and extremely agreeable.
Considerable quantities of sugar are manufactured here; it is of a very
superior quality, but the cane, which is of the creole kind, is four
years before it is ripe, and the first crop only is destined for the
making of sugar; the second serves for the following plantation, and of
the excess sweetmeats are made with peaches, pears, quinces, and
apricots, many mule loads of which are annually taken to Lima. The
fruits of temperate climates prosper extremely well in the valleys; but
on account of the frosty night winds at certain seasons of the year
tropical fruits do not thrive. Owing to part of the province being
subject to a cold atmosphere, particularly on the east side, which is
bounded by the Cordillera, and the valleys enjoying a very benign one,
crops of wheat and barley, as well as maize, quinua, garbansos, lentils
and other pulse, are harvested during every month of the year; it is
common on the same day, when travelling, to see wheat put into the
ground at one place, and under the sickle at another. In this province
a great number of large and small cattle are bred, particularly goats,
the skins of which are tanned for cordovans, and the tallow is used in
the soap manufactories. The wool of the sheep is made into flannels,
serges, and coarse cloths, bayetones, at the different manufactories,
obrages, where coarse cotton cloths, tocuyos, are also woven; but
the distaff and spindle are generally employed for spinning. The white
yard-wide flannel sells at about half a dollar a yard; the blue at three
quarters of a dollar, and the tocuyos at different prices, from a
quarter to three quarters of a dollar. Very neat woollen table covers
are manufactured in this province, of different sizes, and various
prices; when wove they are white, and they are afterwards ingeniously
dyed by first tying small patches with two, three, or more threads; the
cloth is then dipped in a cochineal dye; more knots are tied in
different parts, and an indigo dye is used; when dry, the knots are all
untied, and as the colours could not penetrate where the strings were
tied, circles of white, blue, and red, or of other colours, according to
the fancy of the dyer, are formed in the different parts of the cloth,
and if these are symmetrically placed the shades which they produce are
pretty, and the whole effect is very pleasing.
Formerly several gold and silver mines were wrought in Huailas; there
are upwards of thirty mills for grinding the ore in different parts of
the province, but at present little attention is paid to mining;
however, small quantities of gold and silver are extracted. At Yurumarca
there is a mountain which contains large veins and strata of the
loadstone; near to which is a copper mine, now abandoned, because the
ore did not produce gold, as was expected, when it was first wrought.
Large quantities of alum are prepared from a mineral near Yurumarca, by
the process of solution and evaporation; but it is generally subjected
to a second operation of refining at Lima.
On the whole, the province of Huailas is most bountifully supplied with
all the necessaries, and many of the luxuries of life; the situation is
commanding, and Huaras is calculated to become a large mercantile town,
the general mart for the provinces of Huailas, Huamalies alto, Huamalies
bajo, and Conchucos; but for the furtherance of such a project, the port
of Santa ought to be opened; it is a secure harbour, and is the nearest
of any to Huaras.
After visiting the principal towns in Huailas, I went to the province of
Conchucos, which adjoins it to the northward. This province is more
irregular than the former; some of the valleys are very low, and
consequently very hot; in these the tropical and equatorial fruits come
to perfection, and at Huari del Rey, the capital, I have seen very fine
pine-apples, grown in the province. The valleys are generally small,
being merely bottoms of the ravines, quebradas, and the soil is
produced by the heavy rains which fall on the adjoining mountains: these
carry down the decayed animal and vegetable matter, as well as the
decombres of the stone of which they are composed, and hence the soil is
remarkably productive. Some of the villages are situated in very cold
climates, being from five to eight thousand feet above the level of the
sea; they are generally small miserable places, inhabited chiefly by
indians, who cultivate patches of barley and maize, which seen from the
valleys appear to hang in the clouds. I have often beheld a man
ploughing with a yoke of oxen lent to him by the farmers, where I should
have imagined that a goat could scarcely have tripped along in safety. A
few small sheep and goats are the only animals which they possess,
excepting dogs, of which useless animals, each hut, rancho, contains
at least half a dozen. Many of these indians are employed by the more
wealthy inhabitants in manufacturing tocuyos, bayetones, flannels, and
coarse cotton stockings. The females generally spin and knit at home,
and the men go to the obrages to weave, dye, full, &c. Some very fine
ponchos are made in Conchucos, and sold at the amazing price of a
hundred or a hundred and fifty dollars each; others, made of brown wool,
are called bordillos, and fetch from five to ten dollars each; of the
coarse wool and all the refuse jerga is made, which is formed into
wrappers for sugar, and common dresses for the slaves and the poorer
sort of indians. This province manufactures more of this kind of cloth
than any of the neighbouring districts, and some of the inhabitants are
wealthy, but the poor indians are truly miserable.
Some silver mines are wrought in Conchucos, but the quantity of silver
yielded by the ore being small, the hardness of the ore which renders
the breaking of it expensive, and the loss of mercury during the process
of amalgamation, contribute to render mining a losing speculation, and
the mines are consequently almost abandoned. Several attempts have been
made to smelt the ores, but without success; could this be accomplished
there is no doubt but that mining would become profitable in Conchucos,
particularly as there is coal in several parts of this and the
neighbouring provinces.
Along the margin of the river Miraflores, in Conchucos, there are
labadores, washing places, where gold of the finest quality is found
in the sand, and after the rains subside many persons are employed in
gathering it; but so little are they acquainted with the extensive and
easy method adopted on the coast of Choco, that the profit derived from
their labour is very small; notwithstanding, if proper means were
employed, it is very probable that an abundance might be extracted.
In the parish of Llamellin is a mine of sulphur, great quantities of
which are extracted, and carried to Lima, and sold at the powder mills.
In the same parish is a spring which falls down the sides of a rock,
forming in its course innumerable hard white stalactites, that look like
candles hung in the water; the natives call them Catachi, and apply
them, reduced to powder, in cases of violent hæmorrhage, bloody flux,
&c.; they also mix the powder with lard or the fat of the puma, or
condor, apply it to fractured bones, and consider the application as
useful in promoting the union of the parts.
The oca is cultivated in some of the colder parts of this and the
neighbouring provinces; this plant is of a moderate size—in appearance
somewhat like the acetous trefoil; the roots are yellow, each about
five or six inches long and two in circumference; they have many eyes,
like the potato, and are seldom straight like the the carrot or radish,
but curved in different directions: one plant produces several roots,
and they are propagated in the same manner as potatoes. The oca when
boiled is much sweeter than the camote or batata of Malaga; indeed, it
appears to contain more saccharine matter than any root I ever tasted;
if eaten raw it is very much like the chesnut, and it may be kept for
many months in a dry place. The transplanting of the oca to England,
where, I am persuaded, it would prosper, would add another agreeable and
useful esculent to our tables.
Among the plants used medicinally by the natives is the contrayerba,
which grows in the mountains in cold shady places: the stem is about two
feet high, of a purple colour; it is divided by knots like a cane, where
the leaves grow opposite to each other; these are three or four inches
long, narrow, denticulated, and of a very dark green colour. The flower
stalks spring from the same knots, and the flower bears a great
resemblance to that of agrimony. It is used, the leaves, flowers, and
stem, as a febrifuge, and particularly in the small-pox and measles, to
facilitate the eruption; it is also used as a tonic, or stomachic, in
cases of habitual indigestions, and also in dysenteries. It is pretended
that it will counteract the effects of poison, on which account it has
obtained the name which it bears. This plant is quite different to that
called contrayerba, which grows in Chile, and which I have already
described. The natives administer this herb in a simple decoction.
The calaguala is another herb which grows in moist swampy places,
where the climate is mild. The plant is composed of leaves about ten or
twelve inches long, and one broad; it bears no flowers. A decoction of
the leaves is considered as an excellent dissolvent of the coagulated
blood in severe contusions; it is believed to be efficacious in
affections of the viscera, when ulceration has taken place, by
evacuating the purulent matter; it is also given in the falling
sickness. There are two varieties of this plant: the leaves of the one
are green; this is considered inefficacious, and is called the female;
the other bears leaves of a brown colour, is called the male plant, and
is the one used.
Another medicinal herb, which is found in this and the neighbouring
provinces, is the quinchimali; it grows in temperate parts, and
resembles the herb of the same name which grows in Chile. A decoction of
it is drunk in cases of severe contusion, if it be suspected that
coagulated blood, or lymph, be lodged in the intestines, and in
gonorrheas it is used to promote the discharge, and prevent strictures.
The inhabitants of Conchucos are said to be less civilized than those of
the neighbouring districts; there is some reason for this assertion;
they are indeed more uncouth and less kind in their manners. There
appears to be a certain degree of licentious independence in their
behaviour, and more robberies and murders are committed here than in any
other part of South America: however, a stranger is generally treated
with respect. When at Corongos, which is certainly the most disagreeable
town I ever entered, I went to purchase some snuff—the shopman was
asleep, and I awoke him, at which he became so enraged, that he jumped
from his chair and struck at me; I ran into the street, and the man
followed me, swearing most lustily, and threatening to strike me; but a
person who was passing stepped in between us, pushed back the shopman,
and clapping his breast with his hand, he said, with me, with me, that
gentleman is a stranger, con migo, con migo, el señor es forastero.
Finding myself thus unexpectedly relieved, I left my champion to settle
matters as well as he could, and hastened to the house of the parish
priest, cura, where I, as usual, had taken up my temporary residence.
In a few minutes my friend, though entirely unknown to me, made his
appearance, and inquired what quantity of snuff I wanted; on being
informed, he immediately went to fetch it, and would not admit of any
return for his kindness and trouble, except my thanks.
During my stay at Corongos, the cura related to me several anecdotes
concerning his parishioners, one of which was the following. The titular
saint of the town is Saint Peter, and on the day of his festival an
image of a natural size is carried in procession through the principal
streets; when, on his return to the church, he arrives at the corner of
the plasa, the inhabitants of the upper and lower part of the town place
themselves in two rows, having large heaps of stones at their feet, and
not unfrequently the boys and women stand behind them with a supply in
baskets. The carriers of the image rest here for a few minutes, and then
run towards the church in a sort of gallopping procession; but the
moment that the saint enters the plasa, he is assailed by volleys of
stones from each side, and pursued to the church door. If the saint
enter the church with his head on his shoulders, it augurs a bad year,
failure of the harvest, death of cattle, and other calamities; but if
the contrary happen, which is generally the case, the augury is quite
changed; and if the fishes be knocked out of his hand likewise, every
good thing is expected in abundance during the year. After the
decapitation, a scuffle ensues for the possession of the head, between
the inhabitants of the two barrios, or wards of the town, in which
many bones are broken, and generally two or three lives are lost. The
victors carry off the head in triumph, and, like that of a malefactor,
place it on the top of a high pole, and pretend that it averts all
damage that might be done to them by lightning, while the other half of
the town, they say, receives no benefit. The cura told me that his
predecessor had endeavoured to do away with this irreligious practice,
and wrote to a friend at Lima, to charge the sculptor not to finish the
new head for Saint Peter, hoping that if one year passed without such
impiety, the practice would be relinquished; but, to his great surprise,
on the 30th of June, the indians informed him, that the procession would
take place in the evening, for which purpose they had dressed an image
of the Virgin Mary in the garments of Saint Peter, and that she looked
very much like the saint, but rather younger, as she had no beard. The
procession took place; but, to the disappointment of the inhabitants,
the female apostle entered the church with her head on her shoulders,
and from that time she was called Our Lady of the Miracle.
In the year 1817, two Englishmen, sent from Pasco by Mr. Trevethick, who
afterwards followed with the intention of working some of the silver
mines in Conchucos, were murdered by their guides at a place called
Palo seco. This horrid act was perpetrated by crushing their heads
with two large stones, as they lay asleep on the ground; the murderers
were men who had come with them from Pasco.
It is a well known fact, that many young Conchucanos go to Lima, and
enlist in the army, for the purpose of obtaining possession of a musket,
and then desert with it on the first opportunity that offers; indeed
there is scarcely a white family in the province that is not possessed
of one or more of these muskets.
I have observed, that those persons who are employed in the mines in
South America are generally the most vile characters; they become inured
to every kind of vice, and as they form a kind of body, or rather
banditti, they almost defy the arm of justice, and deny the power of the
law. This may in some measure account for the character of the
Conchucanos; many mines were formerly wrought by them, but since the
discovery of Pasco and Gualgayoc, which produced more ore, and of a very
superior quality, the miners of Conchucos have resorted to them,
abandoning their own less profitable ones; but they have, unfortunately,
left the seeds of their evil actions behind them, and their example is
too frequently followed.
The province of Conchucos might be one of the most agreeable in Peru, if
the inhabitants were but more kind to each other, and more happy among
themselves. The various climates, assisted by the various localities of
the soil, would produce all the necessaries and all the luxuries of
life; for in the small compass of fifty leagues, a traveller experiences
the almost unbearable heat of the torrid zone, the mild climates of the
temperate, and the freezing cold of the polar regions.
To the eastward of Conchucos lies the district of Huamalies: it is a
very extensive valley, generally very narrow at the bottom, where a
river runs, which takes its origin at the lake of Lauricocha, in the
province of Tarma, and is called the Marañon, as it is considered the
stream most distant from the mouth of the great river Marañon, or
Amazons. The temperature of this province is very irregular; to the
south it is cold, as well as on each side, according to the local height
of the different places, but to the northward, particularly in the
parish of Huacaibamba, it is extremely hot during the whole year; and
the people are here of a much darker colour, and are often called
zambos.
Huamalies produces wheat, barley, maize, and the different vegetables,
fruits, and pulse of the neighbouring provinces. Near to Huacaibamba
some coca is cultivated. This is a small tree, with pale bright green
leaves, somewhat resembling in shape those of the orange tree. The
leaves are picked from the trees, three or four times a year, and
carefully dried in the shade; they are then packed in small baskets. The
natives, in several parts of Peru, chew these leaves, particularly in
the mining districts, when at work in the mines or travelling; and such
is the sustenance that they derive from them, that they frequently take
no food for four or five days, although they are constantly working; I
have often been assured by them, that whilst they have a good supply of
coca they feel neither hunger, thirst, nor fatigue, and that, without
impairing their health, they can remain eight or ten days and nights
without sleep. The leaves are almost insipid; but when a small quantity
of lime is mixed with them they have a very agreeable sweet taste. The
natives put a few of the leaves in their mouths, and when they become
moist, they add a little lime or ashes of the molle to them, by means of
a small stick, taking care not to touch the lips or the teeth; when the
taste of the coca diminishes, a small quantity of lime or ashes is
added, until the taste disappears, and then the leaves are replaced with
fresh ones. They generally carry with them a small leather pouch
containing coca, and a small calabash holding lime or ashes; and one of
these men will undertake to convey letters to Lima, a distance of
upwards of a hundred leagues, without any other provision. On such
occasions they are called chasquis, or chasqueros, and this epithet
is also given to the different conductors of the mails. The Incas had
men stationed on all the principal roads for the transmission of any
article belonging to the Inca, who, according to the quality of the
road, had to carry it to different distances, some one league, others
two, and others three. These men were continually employed, and when
one of them arrived, he delivered to the one in waiting whatever he was
charged with, and gave him the watchword, chasqui; this man ran
immediately to the next post, delivered his charge, and repeated
chasqui; and then remained to rest until the arrival of another. By
these means the court of the Incas was supplied with fresh fish from the
sea near Pachacamac, probably from the bay of Chilca, where a village of
indians employ themselves at present in fishing: it is the place to
which Pizarro was directed by the indians when in search of a good
harbour, before that of Callao was discovered. The distance from this
part of the coast to Cusco is more than a hundred leagues, yet so
vigilant and active were the indians, that Garcilaco affirms, that the
fish often arrived at Cusco alive. The communication between the most
distant parts of the empire and the capital was maintained, and it is
asserted, that by the chasqui news could be conveyed from Quito to
Cusco, a distance of six hundred leagues, in six days; while in their
route they had to cross several parts of the Cordillera, and many rapid
rivers. This, I think, proves a policy in the ancient government of
Peru, which does not well accord with the epithet of barbarians.
Large quantities of bark are brought from the woods to the eastward of
Huamalies, and is known by the name of the Arancay bark. It is
considered equal in quality with that called Calisaya, from the woods to
the eastward of La Pas. It is much to be lamented, that the destruction
of this invaluable vegetable is making great progress, wherever it has
been found; the indians discover from the eminences where a cluster of
the trees grow in the woods, for they are easily discernible by the
rose-coloured tinge of their leaves, which appear at a distance like
bunches of flowers amid the deep green foliage of other trees. They then
hunt for the spot, and having found it out, cut down all the trees, and
take the bark from the branches. If the roots sprout again, as they
generally do, no trees of any large size grow up, for they are either
smothered by the lofty trees which surround them, or else they are
choaked by other young trees, which spring up near to them, and are of
quicker growth. If the government of America do not attend to the
preservation of the quina, either by prohibiting the felling of the
trees, or obliging the territorial magistrates to enforce the cutters to
guard them from destruction, before a sufficient population will allow
of those tracts of woodland becoming personal property, this highly
esteemed production of the new world will be swept from the country.
After the indians have stripped off the bark, they carry it in bundles
out of the wood for the purpose of drying it.
There is undoubtedly a great loss of the medicinal matter of the
cinchona or quina, for all the bark of the trunks and of the smaller
branches is left to decay in the woods; whereas, if an extract, or the
quinine, were made from them on the spot, these drugs would become
incomparably more cheap in the European markets; besides which, the
consumption of the trees would be retarded in the same ratio, and the
useful portion which is now lost according to the present system would
be preserved.
In a mountain in this province, called Chonta, several veins of cinnabar
were discovered, and the hope of extracting considerable quantities of
quicksilver from them elated the inhabitants for some time: the working
of the mine, however, has been discontinued, but for what reasons I
could never learn; the specimens of ore which I saw were certainly very
rich. Several silver mines are wrought in this district, and at certain
periods of the year many of the inhabitants attend the lavaderos, and
collect the gold.
Near the settlement of Llacta is a bed of stones, called piedras del
aguila, eagle stones. The natives pretend, that one is always found in
the nest of an eagle, for the purpose of causing the female to lay, and
that during the time of ovation they become heated, and retain the heat
longer than the egg does, so that when the bird leaves the nest in quest
of food, the warmth which is retained by the stone is communicated to
the eggs, and prevents them from becoming addled, and that the first
trial of the strength of the talons of the young birds is exercised in
endeavouring to carry the stone. Whether this fiction had its origin
among the indians or not I never could learn; however, some ancient
naturalists have related the same tale respecting other ætites.
These stones are found loose, as if thrown into a heap; they are of a
ferruginous nature, composed of black and reddish lamina, and are all of
them dodecaedrons, although of different sizes; some weighing only a few
ounces, and others from two to three pounds each.
The woods to the north abound in excellent timber: there are cedars, a
kind of mahogany, laurel, and a wood called nasareno; it is very
hard, and of a beautiful bright purple colour, with numerous veins of
different shades.
The wild indians bring from the woods many delicious fruits,
pine-apples, plantains, bananas, nisperos, mamays, guavas, &c. as well
as sweet potatoes, camotes, cabbage palm, palmitos, and yucas.
A great difference may be observed in the character and manners of the
inhabitants of Huamalies; those who border on Conchucos partake of the
unruly disposition of their neighbours; but the more we advance to the
northward, the milder and more kind we find the inhabitants; in the warm
climates they are remarkably attached to festive sports and rural
amusements. They were so much delighted with some country dances which I
taught them, that the sun often peeped over the Cordillera and convinced
some of us that it was time to go to rest, while others were apprized
that it was time to go to their work.
A disease very prevalent in this province is the coto, bronchocele,
which greatly disfigures some of the pretty females, and for which they
possess no antidote. The Subdelegado told me, that during the stay of a
detachment of troops destined to Maynas, one of the natives, who had a
very large coto, offended a drummer, who drew his sword and gave the
man a severe cut across the neck; it happened that he recovered, when he
applied to the commanding officer for some remuneration for his loss of
wages during the time that he was unable to work; the drummer was
called, and observing that the man was freed from the swelling on his
throat, very wittily remarked, that he was willing to pay him for his
loss of time, if he would pay him for performing an operation which had
relieved him from a disease, that would otherwise have accompanied him
to his grave.
While in Huamalies I was twice entertained with the representation of
the death of the Inca. The plasa or square had a kind of arch erected at
each corner, adorned with plate, flowers, ribbons, flags made of
handkerchiefs, and whatever could be collected to ornament them; under
one of these sat a young indian, with a crown on his head, a robe, and
other emblems of monarchy; he was surrounded by his coyas or princesses,
who sang to him in the Quichua language. Presently several indians came
running from the opposite corner of the plasa, and after prostrating
themselves, informed the Inca of the arrival of the viracochas, white
men, or children of the sun. At this time drums and trumpets were heard,
and Pizarro, with about a dozen indians, dressed as soldiers, made his
entry on horseback, and alighted at the arch opposite to that of the
Inca. An ambassador was now sent to the Inca by Pizarro, requesting an
interview, and the Prince immediately prepared to visit him. A kind of
litter was brought, which he entered, and, surrounded by a number of
indians and his coyas, he was carried to where Pizarro stood, and waited
for him. Pizarro first addressed the Inca, promising him the protection
of the King, his master; the answer was, the acceptance of the promise.
Pizarro then told him, that he must become a Christian, but to this he
objected, when he was immediately seized by the soldiers, and carried to
another corner of the plasa; Pizarro followed him, and ordered him to
deliver up all his treasures; he now took from him his crown, sceptre,
and robes, and then ordered him to be beheaded. The Inca was dragged to
the centre of the plasa, and laid on the ground, which one of the
soldiers struck with an axe, and a piece of red cloth was thrown over
the head of the Inca; the Spaniards then departed, and the Indians began
to wail and lament the death of their king.
Although this representation was destitute of what may be called
theatrical beauty or elegance, yet the plaintive ditties, yarabis,
sung by the coyas, particularly after the death of their beloved Inca,
were, to a feeling mind, superior to the sweetest warblings of an
Italian cantatrice. The surrounding scenery, the view of the
Cordilleras, the native dresses, the natives themselves, and the very
earth which the Inca had trod on, all seemed to combine to hush the
whisper of criticism, and were well calculated to rouse sympathy and
compassion from their slumbers—for however they might be opiated with
misrepresentations, or encumbered with fiction, they were not bolstered
up with flattery or hypocrisy. After three centuries have elapsed, the
memory of the ancient monarchs of this country is kept alive by the
annual representations of the cruel and unmerited death of the last of
the race; and I flatter myself that those who are the most prejudiced in
favour of the blessings that civilization has produced since the
discovery and conquest of this country, and its ill fated aborigines, by
a Christian prince, must still confess, that the preachers of the gospel
of Jesus Christ have sold to them the title of Christianity at too
usurious a price; they have been taught religion by precept, and vice by
example; promised liberty in theory, and received slavery in reality;
protection, prosperity, and tranquillity were pictured to them in gaudy
colours by their crafty invaders; but persecution and degradation have
been the reward of their unsuspecting confidence, and they have only
found tranquillity in the grave.
The enormities committed by the first Spaniards who arrived in America
were certainly unauthorized by the Spanish Monarchs, they were the
effects of their own lust for riches. Isabella and her successors have
been actuated by a zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith, and
the most earnest charges respecting religious instruction and mild
treatment to these their inoffensive subjects have been given to all
persons in authority in the new world, and the same mild spirit breathes
out in almost every page of the Recopilacion de leyes de Indias. Not
only the civil magistrate and the military governor were charged with
the protection of the Indians, but the bishops and other ecclesiastics;
these injunctions are set forth in the tenth book of the Recopilacion,
which points out the duty of these individuals, as guardians of the
indians, commanding them to defend their persons and property against
any oppression or usurpation. The bishops and other ecclesiastics are by
the same Recopilacion empowered to inform and admonish the civil
magistrates, in cases of oppression, and some of them have refused
absolution to those Spaniards whom they knew to have treated the indians
as slaves.
The avarice of individuals placed at a great distance from the personal
control of their masters is however too violent to be restrained by laws
and enactments; and many of the governors sent to the new world were as
mercenary and rapacious as their countrymen over whom they presided; the
lot of the oppressed was never regarded, if put in competition with
their own private views, which led only to the amassing of riches, and
of afterwards returning to old Spain loaded with the gold of America:
this they often effected at the expence of incurring, as they richly
deserved, the curses of the Americans.
