The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part IIIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part III
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
There are neere about this city of Mexico many riuers and standing
waters, which haue in them a monstrous kinde of fish, which is
maruellous rauening, and a great deuourer of men and cattell. He is
woont to sleepe vpon the drie land many times, and if there come in the
meane time any man or beast and wake or disquiet him, he speedeth well
if he get from him. He is like vnto a serpent, sauing that he doth not
flie, neither hath he wings.
There is West out of Mexico a port towne which is on the South sea,
called Puerto de Acapulco, where as there are shippes which they haue
ordinarily for the nauigation of China, which they haue newly found.
This port is threescore leagues from Mexico.
There, is another port towne which is called Culiacan, on the South sea,
which lieth West and by North out of Mexico, and is 200 leagues from the
same: and there the Spanyards made two ships to goe seeke the streight
or gulfe, which, as they say, is betweene the Newfoundland and
Groenland; and they call it the Englishmens streight: which as yet was
neuer fully found. They say, that streight lieth not farre from the
maine land of China, which the Spanyards account to be maruellous rich.
Toward the North from Mexico there are great store of siluer mines.
There, is greater quantitie of siluer found in these mines toward the
North, then there is any other parts: and as the most men of experience
sayde alwayes, they finde the richer mines the more Northerly. These
mines are commonly vpon great hilles and stony ground, maruellous hard
to be laboured and wrought.
Out of some of the mines the Indians finde a certeine kinde of earth of
diuers colours, wherewith they paint themselues in times of their
dances, and other pastimes which they vse.
In this countrey of Noua Hispania there are also mines of golde,
although the golde be commonly found in riuers, or very neere vnto
riuers. And nowe in these dayes there is not so much golde found as
there hath bene heretofore.
There are many great riuers, and great store of fish in them, not like
vnto our kindes of fish. And there are maruellous great woods, and as
faire trees as may be seene, of diuers sorts, and especially firre
trees, that may mast any shippe that goeth vpon the sea, oakes and
pineapples, and another tree which they call Mesquiquez: it beareth a
fruit like vnto a peascod, maruellous sweet, which the wilde people
gather, and keepe it all the yere, and eat it in stead of bread.
The Spanyards haue notice of seuen cities which old men of the Indians
shew them should lie towards the Northwest from Mexico. They haue vsed
and vse dayly much diligence in seeking of them, but they cannot find
any one of them. They say that the witchcraft of the Indians is such,
that when they come by these townes they cast a mist vpon them, so that
they cannot see them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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