In which the matter relating to the city of Cali is concluded; and concerning other Indians inhabiting the mountains near the port which they call Buenaventura.

BESIDES these provinces, there are many other Indian tribes under the jurisdiction of the city of Cali, who dwell in the most rugged and inaccessible mountains in the world. Amongst these wilds there are some valleys which are very fertile, and which yield all manner of fruit. There are also many wild animals, especially great tigers, which kill many Indians and Spaniards who go to, and come from the sea coast, every day. The houses of the Indians in these mountains are rather small, and roofed with leaves of palm trees, of which there are many in the forests. These houses are surrounded by stout and very long poles forming a wall, which are put up as a defence against the tigers. The arms, dress, and customs of these Indians are neither more nor less than those of the valley of Lile, and their language leaves me under the impression that they are the same people. They are strong and powerful men. They have always been at peace from the time that they declared their allegiance to his Majesty, and are very friendly to the Spaniards, so that, although Christians are always passing through their villages, they have not killed nor harmed any up to the present time; on the contrary, as soon as they see them, they give them food to eat. The port of Buenaventura is three days’ journey from the villages of these Indians, all the way through thickets of palm trees, and rocky brokenup country, and is thirty leagues from the city of Cali. I shall not give a chapter on this port, because I have nothing more to say of it than that it was founded by Juan Ladrillo under the direction of the Adelantado Don Pascual de Andagoya, and that afterwards it was abandoned, owing to the absence of this Andagoya, arising from disputes between him and the Adelantado Belalcazar respecting the boundaries of their governments. Finally, Belalcazar took Andagoya,[247] and sent him prisoner to Spain. Then the Cabildo of Cali arranged that six or seven of the citizens should always reside in the port, in order that, when the ships arrived from New Spain and Nicaragua, they might see that the merchandise was landed, and provide houses to receive it. These residents are paid at the cost of the merchants, and among them there is a captain who has no power to pronounce judgments, but only to hear cases and forward them to the city of Cali for decision. These remarks seem sufficient to give the reader a knowledge of how the port of Buenaventura was first established.[248] The only means of conveying merchandise from the port to the city of Cali is by the aid of the Indians of the intervening mountains, whose ordinary work is to carry it on their backs, for it is impossible to transport it in any other way. If it was desired to make a road, I believe that laden beasts could not pass over it on account of the ruggedness of the mountains. It is true that there is another way, practicable for horses and cattle, by the river of Dagua, but they pass it in constant peril, and many die by the way, while the rest arrive in such sorry condition that they are of no use for many days.

When a ship arrives at the port, the chiefs presently send down as many Indians as they can, according to the capacity of their villages, and these porters come up by roads and passes with loads weighing three arrobas and more, and some of them carry men or women, even when they are stout, in chairs made of the bark of trees. In this way they journey with their loads, without showing fatigue, and without being overworked. If they should receive any pay, they would go off to their homes, but all that these poor fellows gain is taken by the encomenderos, though, in truth, they pay little tribute. It is said that they come and go willingly, but they in reality undergo great labour. When they come into the plain, and approach the city of Cali, they go along painfully. I have heard the Indians of New Spain highly praised for the great loads they carry, but these people between Cali and Buenaventura astonish me; and if I had not seen it, and traversed the mountains where they have their villages, I could neither believe nor affirm it.

Beyond these Indians there are other lands inhabited by warlike tribes, and the river of San Juan, which is marvellously rich, flows through them. These people have their houses fastened in trees. There are many other rivers, all rich in gold, the banks of which are inhabited by Indians, but they cannot be conquered because the land is covered with forests which are impenetrable, nor can the rivers be crossed without boats. The houses are very large, for each one contains twenty or thirty inhabitants.

Amidst these rivers there was a Christian settlement founded, but I will say little concerning it because it lasted only a short time. The natives killed one Payo Romero, who was there as the lieutenant of the Adelantado Andagoya, for he had received all these rivers from his Majesty, with the title of governor of the river of San Juan. The Indians deceitfully enticed Payo Romero, and other Christians, on to a river in canoes, saying that they wanted to give them plenty of gold, and soon so many Indians assembled that they killed all the Spaniards, but they took Payo Romero alive, inflicting cruel torments upon him, and slicing off his members till he died. They also took two or three women alive, and dealt very cruelly with them. Some of the Christians, by great good luck, escaped from the cruelty of the Indians. No further attempt was made to establish this village, for that land is evil.

I will now relate what there is between this city of Cali and that of Popayan.