Of the province of Carrapa, and of what there is to be said concerning it.

THE province of Carrapa is twelve leagues from the city of Cartago, situated in a very rugged mountainous country, and the Cordillera of the Andes rises above it. The houses of the natives are small and very low, made of canes, and thatched with other small and delicate canes, of which there are many in these parts. Some of the houses of the chiefs are large, but others not. When the Christian Spaniards first entered the country there were five of these chiefs. The principal amongst them was called Yrrua, who, in former years, had entered the country by force, and ruled over all men like a powerful tyrant. Among the mountains there are some little valleys and open spaces well watered by numerous rivers and springs, but the water is not so wholesome as that of the rivers we had passed. The men are very large, with long visages, and the women are robust. These people are very rich in gold, for they had very large pieces, and beautiful vases, out of which they drank their wine made of maize. Those who drink this liquor soon lose their senses, yet the Indians are so vicious that they will sometimes drink an arroba at one sitting, not at one draught, but by taking many pulls. Their bellies being full of this beverage, it provokes vomiting, and they throw up as much as they like. Many of them hold the cup out of which to drink in one hand, and[226].... They are not great eaters, but all the Indians we met with are generally addicted to excessive drinking.

When a chief dies without children, his principal wife succeeds, and when she dies the nephew of the deceased chief inherits; if he is the son of a sister.[227] They have no temples nor houses of worship; but the devil talks to some of them occasionally, as he does with Indians of other tribes.

They bury their dead within their houses, in great vaults, accompanied by living women, food, and many valuables possessed by the deceased, as is the custom with their neighbours.

When any of these Indians feel ill, they make great sacrifices for their health in the manner which they have learnt from their ancestors, all in honour of the accursed devil. He, God permitting it, lets them know that all things are in his hands, and that he is superior to all others. Not but that they are aware of a God, sole creator of the whole world, for the Almighty does not permit the devil to assume this dignity, from which he is so widely separated. Yet they believe many evil things, although I learned from themselves that they are sometimes at issue with the devil, when they hate him, and see through his lies and falseness. For their sins, however, they are so subject to his will that they are unable to escape from the prisons of deceitfulness. They are blind, like other gentile people of more knowledge and understanding, until the light of the sacred Evangelist’s words enters into their hearts. The Christians who settle in these Indies should never fail to instruct the natives in true doctrine, otherwise I know not how they will fare when they and the Indians appear before the Divine throne, on the day of judgment.

The principal chiefs marry their nieces, and sometimes their sisters, and they have many wives. They eat the Indians whom they capture, like all the other tribes. When they go to war, they wear very rich pieces of gold, with great crowns, and large bracelets of gold on their wrists. Great and valuable banners are carried before them. I saw one which was given as a present to the captain Don Jorge Robledo, the first time we entered this province, which weighed upwards of three thousand pesos, and a golden vase worth two hundred and ninety pesos, besides two other loads of this metal, consisting of ornaments of many shapes. The banner was a long narrow cloth fastened to a wand, and covered with small pieces of gold to imitate stars. In this province there are also many fruit trees, and some deer, guadaquinajes, and other game, besides many edible roots.

Leaving this province, we came to that of Quinbaya, in which the city of Cartago is situated. Cartago is twenty-two leagues from the town of Arma. Between the province of Carrapa and that of Quinbaya, there is a very large and desert valley, of which the tyrant I have just spoken of was lord; he whose name was Urrua, and who ruled in Carrapa. The war between him and the natives of Quinbaya was very fierce; and he also forced many in Carrapa to leave their country when he took possession of it. It is rumoured that there are great sepulchres in this valley, of chiefs who are buried there.