Of the Indians of Pozo, and how valiant they are, and how dreaded by the neighbouring tribes. THERE were three chiefs in this province when we entered it with the Captain Jorge Robledo. These, with their followers, were and are the most valiant and bold Indians in all these provinces. Their territory is bounded on one side by the great river, on another by the provinces of Carapa and Picara, concerning which I will speak presently, and on a third by Paucura, of which I have already treated. These Indians of Pozo are not on friendly terms with any of their neighbours. Their origin is derived, according to their own account, from certain Indians who in ancient times came from the province of Arma, and, seeing how fertile the soil of this country of Pozo was, settled there. Their language and customs are the same as those of Arma. The chiefs have very large and lofty circular houses, and ten or fifteen persons live in them, according to the number of the family. At the doors of the houses there are great pallisades and other defences, made of stout canes, between which there are large boards covered with reeds, so that none of the mounted Spaniards could pass them. From the summit of the table land these Indians watched all the roads to see who was coming. The men are better disposed than those of Arma, and the women are large and ugly, although there are some who are pretty. But in truth I saw very few such. Within the houses of the chiefs, near the entrances, there was a row of idols, about fifteen or twenty in number, and each the size of a man. Their faces were made of wax, and moulded into the form and shape of that of the devil. They say that sometimes, when they called him, the devil entered into the bodies of these wooden idols, and answered them from within. The heads are like If all the gold that is buried in Peru, and in these countries, was collected, it would be impossible to count it, so great would be the quantity, and the Spaniards have yet got little compared with what remains. When I was in Cuzco, receiving an account of the Yncas from the principal natives, I heard it said by Paullu Ynca and others, that if all the treasure in the huacas, which are their burial places, was collected together, that which the Spaniards had already taken would look very small, and they compared it to a drop taken out of a great vase of water. In order to make the comparison more striking, they took a large measure of maize, and, dropping one grain out of it, they said, “The Christians have found that; the rest is so concealed, that we ourselves do not know the place of it.” So vast are the treasures that are lost in these parts. If the Spaniards had not come, all the gold in the country would certainly have been offered to the devil, or buried with the dead, for the Indians neither want it, nor seek it for any other purpose. They do not pay any wages with it to their men of war, nor do they want it except as ornaments when alive, and to be placed by their sides when dead. Therefore, it seems to me that we are bound to bring them to a knowledge of our holy These Indians and their women go naked like all the rest. They are very laborious, and when they sow or dig the land, they hold the club for hoeing in one hand, and the lance for fighting in the other. The chiefs are more respected by the Indians than in other parts. The sons inherit the chieftainship, and in their default the nephews. The province of Picara is distant two leagues, that of Paucura a league and a half, and that of Carrapa about the same. All these provinces had three times as many Indians, yet the Indians of Pozo waged cruel war upon them one after the other, and all feared them and desired their friendship. A large body went forth from their villages, leaving sufficient for their defence, and carried many musical instruments, such as drums and flutes. Thus they marched against their enemies, taking cords with them to bind their prisoners. Arriving at the place where the enemy awaited them, they set up loud shouts, and closed upon them, killing, taking prisoners, and burning houses. In all these wars the Indians of Pozo were always the most valiant, and so their neighbours confess. But they are as great butchers in eating human food as those of Arma, for one day I saw them eat more than a hundred men and women whom they had taken in war. They marched with us, when the adelantado Don Sebastian de Belalcazar was subduing the provinces of Picara and Paucura, which had rebelled, and at that time the name of the chief of this town of Pozo was Perequito. In the inroads which we made, these Indians of Pozo killed the other Indians as if they were rabbits, and hunted out those who were concealed near the banks of the river, without letting one escape. One Rodrigo Alonzo, I, and two other Christians, being I saw two other Indians, who killed those of Paucura, and the victims laughed pleasantly, just as if they had not been the men who were to die. In fine, all the Indians of these parts have the custom of eating human flesh. The Indians of Pozo are very rich in gold, and near their village there are mines on the banks of the great river which passes near. In this place the adelantado Don Sebastian de Belalcazar and his captain and lieutenant-general Francisco Hernandez Giron |