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 climate is generally cold, and in the parts bordering on Lake
Titicaca are cultivated Peruvian bark, papas, barley, &c. The chief
occupation of the inhabitants consists in breeding cattle, sheep, pigs
and llamas, and there are many vicunas, deer, partridges and lake fowl,
which are caught or killed by the natives; the lake also supplies
fish, and by means of it the Indians carry dressed hides, thread, &c.,
and take in exchange wines, brandies and other commodities from the
adjacent districts. They fabricate their clothing and other articles
from the wool of the Peruvian camel, and carry on a considerable
traffic in that article.
The capital was formerly the present settlement of the same name, but
it was transferred to that of Huancane, till the discovery of the mines
of Laicacota, when that large village became the chief town; since that
time it has again changed, and is now seated at _Puna_, from whence the
whole province is sometimes called.
_Cancharani_ and _San Josef_, two mountains in this district, contain
rich veins of silver, which have been worked with great effect; on the
north of these is the mountain _Del Azogue_, or of quicksilver, which
was formerly worked to such advantage that it exceeded the produce of
the celebrated mines at Guancavelica: but the government suspended the
operations at this place from some political motives.
The furnaces in the mines of this province are supplied by the natives,
who breed cattle, with cow-dung, to serve as fuel, which is used
instead of wood, on account of the scarcity of that article, and proves
a good substitute.
The inhabitants of this province amount to more than 26,000 souls,
dispersed in fifteen settlements and towns.
_Paucarcolla_, the old capital, is situated on the banks of Lake
Titicaca, and inhabited by a few Spanish families. The Inca Yupanqui,
third emperor of Peru, added this place to his territories, the natives
submitting voluntarily.
_Puna_, the present capital, stands on the shores of the lake in
16° 20' south latitude, 70° 26' west longitude, and is a rich and
populous place, containing many illustrious families, with a beautiful
church for the whites, and another for the Indians. The mines in the
neighbourhood of this town were among the richest in Peru, but were
abandoned on the death of their owner, who built the Spanish church. It
is, however, said, that the rich mines of _Salcedo_ or _Laycacota_ are
again in work. Puna is fourteen miles north-west of Chucuito.
The remaining districts towards the Peruvian frontier, and which were
under the jurisdiction of the audience of Cuzco, until the formation of
the new kingdom of Buenos Ayres, are Asangaro, Carabaya and Lampa.
ASANGARO or ASANGARO Y ASILA, is bounded on the north-east and east, by
Carabaya, south-east and south by Laricaxa, south-west by Paucarcolla
and lake Chucuito, and west and north-west by Lampa. It is sixty miles
in length and as many in breadth, containing about 3000 inhabitants.
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