Of the other valleys and villages along the coast road, as far as the City of the Kings.
IN the mountains, before reaching the City of the Kings, are the cities of the frontier of Chachapoyas, and that of Leon de Huanuco. I have determined that I will say nothing of these until I begin to give an account of the villages and provinces in the mountains, which still await my notice. I will then write conceiving their foundation, with as much brevity as I can, but at present we must pass forward on our road.
The distance from the city of Truxillo to that of the Kings is eighty leagues, over sandy deserts and intervening valleys.[364] After leaving Truxillo the first village is Guanape, being seven leagues on the road. This valley was no less noted among the natives in times past for the chicha which was brewed there, than Madrigal or San Martin in Castille are for the good wine that they yield. In ancient times the valley of Guanape was very populous, and was the residence of chiefs, who were honourably and well treated by the Yncas after they submitted to their rule. The Indians who have survived the wars and troubles are skilful in their labour, drawing channels of water from the river to irrigate their fields. The remains may be clearly seen of the buildings and store-houses erected by the Kings Yncas. There is a useful port at this valley, where many of the ships which sail on the South Sea, from Panama to Peru, call for supplies.
From Guanape the road leads to the valley of Santa, but before reaching it there is a valley with no river, but a small well at which travellers quench their thirst. This well may be caused by some river which flows through the bowels of the earth. In former days the valley of Santa was very populous, and there were great chiefs who, at first, even defied the Yncas. They say of them that it was more by intrigue and a display of friendship than by force of arms, that they were induced to acknowledge the Yncas as their lords. Afterwards the Yncas honoured them, and held them in great esteem, and the chiefs erected grand edifices by order of the Yncas. This valley is one of the largest of any we have passed. A great and rapid river flows through it, which is much swollen when the season in the Sierra is winter, so that some Spaniards have been drowned in crossing from one side to the other.[365] There are now balsas for crossing in. The valley contained many thousands of Indians in former times, but now there are only four hundred; and this is a lamentable thing to contemplate. That which I most admired, in passing through this valley, was the great number of burial-places, and that in all parts of the barren hills above the valley there were quantities of tombs made according to the custom of the Indians, and full of the bones of the dead. Thus the things that are most worthy of notice in the valley are the tombs of the dead and the fields which they cultivated when alive. They used to take great channels of water from the river, with which they irrigated the land. But now there are few Indians, and most of the fields which were once cultivated, are converted into woods, ground overgrown with brambles, and such dense thickets that, in some places, it is difficult to make a way through them. The natives go dressed in shirts and mantles, and the women also. They wear a head-dress on their heads to distinguish them from other tribes. All the fruits I have already mentioned grow well in this valley, and the pulses of Spain; and the Indians kill much fish. The ships sailing along the coast always take in water at the river of Santa. And as there are many thickets and few inhabitants, the mosquitos swarm in such numbers as to be grievous to those who pass through or sleep in this valley.
Two days’ journey further on is the valley of Huambacho, of which I shall say no more than that it resembles those already described, that there were buildings in it erected by its chiefs, and that the inhabitants drew channels of water from the river which flows through it, to irrigate their crops.
I went in a day and a-half from this valley to that of Guarmay, which was likewise very populous in former days.[366] At present they breed great quantities of cattle, horses, and pigs in it.
From Guarmay the road leads to Parmonga, which is no less pleasant than the other valleys, but I believe that it contains no Indians at all who avail themselves of its fertility. If, by chance, a few remain, it must be in the upper parts near the foot of the mountains, for we saw nothing but trees and wild thickets. There is one thing worth seeing in this valley, which is a fine well-built fortress, and it is certainly very curious to see how they raised water in channels to irrigate higher levels. The buildings were very handsome, and many wild beasts and birds were painted on the walls, which are now all in ruins and undermined in many places by those who have searched for buried gold and silver. In these days the fortress only serves as a witness to that which has been.[367]
Two leagues from this valley is the river Huaman, a word which, in our language, means “falcon,” but it is usually called “the ravine.”[368] When it rains much in the Sierra, this river is dangerous, and some people have been drowned in crossing it. One day’s journey further on brings us to the valley of Huara, whence we pass to that of Lima.
