Of the valleys between Pachacamac and the fortress of Huarco, and of a notable thing which is done in the valley of Huarco.

FROM this temple of Pachacamac, where the temple is, the road leads to Chilca, and at that place there is a thing well worthy of note, for it is very strange. It is this,—that neither rain falls from heaven, nor does any river or spring flow through the land, and yet the greater part of the valley is full of crops of Indian corn, of roots, and of fruit trees. It is a marvellous thing to hear what the Indians do in this valley. In order to secure the necessary moisture, they make broad and very deep holes where they sow their crops, and God is served by their growing with the aid of dew alone; but by no means could they make the maize grow if they did not put two heads of sardines to each grain, these sardines being small fish which they catch with nets in the sea. At the time of sowing, these fishes heads are put with the maize in the same hole that is made for the grain, and in this manner the grain grows and yields abundantly. It is certainly a notable thing that in a land where it does not rain, and where nothing but a very fine dew falls, people should be able to live at their ease. The water which the natives of this village drink is taken from very deep wells, and they catch so many sardines in the sea, that the supply is sufficient to maintain all the inhabitants, besides using many for manuring the crops. There were buildings and store-houses of the Yncas in this valley, for their reception when they visited the provinces of their kingdom.[376]

Three leagues beyond Chilca is the valley of Mala, where the devil, for men’s sins, completed the evil which had commenced in this land, and secured the breaking out of war between the two governors, Don Francisco Pizarro and Don Diego de Almagro. First, a number of events took place, and at last they left the decision of the dispute (as to which of the governments the city of Cuzco belonged) in the hands and power of Francisco de Bobadilla, a friar of the order of our Lady of Mercy. After a solemn oath had been taken by one captain and by the other, the two Adelantados Pizarro and Almagro met, but no result came of the interview, and Don Diego de Almagro returned, with great dissimulation, to his own troops and captains.[377] The umpire Bobadilla then pronounced his judgment on the dispute, and declared that which I shall write in the fourth part of this history, in the first book, entitled “The war of Las Salinas.”

A fine river, bordered by thickets of trees and bushes, flows through this valley of Mala.[378]

A little more than five leagues beyond the valley of Mala is that of Guarco, which is highly spoken of in this kingdom, being large, broad, and full of fruit trees.[379] Especially there are many guayavas, which are very delicious and fragrant, and still more guavas. The wheat and maize yield plentifully, and all other things that are sown, as well those of the country as the trees of Spain. There are also pigeons, doves, and other kinds of birds. The thickets of bushes in this valley are very shady, and irrigating channels flow through them. The inhabitants say that, in times past, the valley was very populous, and that the people contended with their neighbours, and with those of the Sierra.

When the Yncas advanced their conquests and extended their sway over all the provinces they came in contact with, the natives of this valley had no wish to become vassals, seeing that their fathers had left them free. They showed great valour, and maintained the war with no less spirit than virtue for more than four years, during which time many notable things fell out between the combatants. It was a protracted war, and although the Ynca himself retired to Cuzco in the summer, on account of the heat, his troops continued fighting. On account of the length of the war, which the Ynca desired to bring to a close, he came down with his nobles to build a new city which he called Cuzco, after his principal seat of government. The Indians relate that he ordered that the different divisions of the new city should have the same names as those of Cuzco. Finally, but not until they had fought to the last extremity, the natives of the valley of Guarco were subdued, and subjected to the yoke of the tyrant king, who had no other right to be their lord than that which the fortune of war had given him.[380] Having brought the enterprise to a successful conclusion, the Ynca returned with his troops to Cuzco, and the name of the new city was lost. Nevertheless he ordered the most handsome and imposing fortress in the whole kingdom to be erected on a high hill commanding the valley, to commemorate his victory. It is built on great square slabs, the portals are very well made, and the halls and courts are very large. From the upper part of this royal house a stone flight of steps leads down to the sea, and the waves dash with such force against the base of the edifice, that it causes wonder to think how it could have been built with such strength and solidity. In its time this fortress was richly adorned with paintings, and it contained great treasure in the days of the Kings Yncas. Although the building is so strong, and the stones so large, there does not appear to be any mortar or other cement by which they were joined together. When the edifice was built they say that, on reaching the interior of the rock, they made holes with their picks and other tools, and filled them with great slabs and stones, and thus it is that the building is so strong. Considering that it is built by these Indians, the building is worthy of praise, and must cause admiration to those who see it, although now it is ruined and deserted. It may still be seen to have been a great work in times past. It seems to me that both Spaniards and Indians should be forbidden, under heavy penalties, from doing further injury either to this building or to the remains of the fortress at Cuzco; for these two edifices are those which should cause most admiration in all Peru, and, as time rolls on, they may even be made use of for some good purpose.[381]