Spanish America, Vol. 2 (of 2)Bonnycastle, Richard Henry, Sir
History
Spanish America, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Bonnycastle, Richard Henry, Sir
Latin America -- Description and travel; Latin America -- History
The district of CAMANA lies along the shore of the South Sea, north
of Arequipa, and is very large, but contains many deserts, extending
on the east to the chain of the Andes. Its temperature is nearly the
same as the former, excepting on the mountains, where it is cold. It
contains many old silver mines, but these being neglected, its chief
trade consists in supplying the mines of the neighbouring district with
asses and other beasts of burthen. The principal town of the same name
is seventy miles north-west from Arequipa, on the river Camana near its
confluence with the South Sea.
The next district to the north and bounding Lima, is CONDESUYOS DE
AREQUIPA, extending about thirty leagues. It is chiefly inhabited by
Indians who breed the cochineal insect, with which they supply the
woollen manufactures of the adjacent districts. Condesuyos abounds in
gold and silver mines, but they are unworked.
_Ocona_ is situated in this district, and is a port on the Pacific,
ninety-six miles west-north-west of Arequipa, in sixteen degrees south
latitude, on the Rio Ocona, which rises in the interior, and receives a
small river flowing from lake Parina Cocha.
CAYLLOMA is the next jurisdiction bounding the kingdom of La Plata
on the east, and Cuzco on the north; it lies entirely among the
Cordilleras of the Andes, which here divides its western branch into
several ramifications, approaching very near the South Sea. Caylloma
is famous for containing a very high mountain of the same name, and
the sources of the _Apurimac_ or Genuine Maranon, which rises in a
small lake formed by the curvature of the chain of the Andes, and
flows through a long valley made by two parallel ranges of the same
mountains, which divide its bed from that of the Vilcamayo on the east.
The source of the _Apurimac_ is in about 16° 10' or 20' south latitude.
Caylloma contains, several badly worked mines of silver; but the
cold is so intense, owing to the great height of the Andes, that the
inhabitants who have settled in it, are obliged to have recourse to the
neighbouring districts for grain, fruits, &c.; and the country abounds
with wild asses and beasts of prey.
_Caylloma_, the principal place, is a village on the eastern range of
the Andes, at the silver mines of the great mountain of the same name.
It contains an office for receiving the king's-fifths, and for selling
the quicksilver necessary in the extraction of the metals.
South of Arequipa, at the distance of forty leagues, lies the district
of MOQUEHUA, at sixteen leagues from the Pacific. This jurisdiction
extends forty leagues to the south, in a fine climate and fertile soil,
adorned with large vineyards, producing great quantities of wine and
brandy, which constitute its whole commerce, and with which it supplies
all the provinces, as far as Potosi on the Andes by land carriage, and
by sea to Lima; and the fruits of Moquehua are also numerous and good,
among which are olives of excellent quality.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account