La Con 

 cepcion 



A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1572-87. 



J description Thus having spoken somewhat of the situation of 



tfCflir'' ^^^^^' ^"^ ^^ ^^^ troublesome conquest therof, I will 



Bald'wia. returne to my former discourse where I left. Baldivia 



therefore being of 150 houses hath twise bene burnt 



and spoyled by the Indians ; so that now it is waxen 



poore, but before the Indians sacked it, it was very 



rich : and it standeth up a river foure leagues from the 



The province sea. Passing from hence you come to the plaine countrey 



ofAraucQover q£ Arauco being situate over against the Island La Mocha, 



L/and La ^^ which Island the Indians that inhabite belong to the 



Mocha situate maine land. 



in 'i,^ deg. and Having passed this plaine of Arauco, the next towne 

 ^ halfe. Qf ^Yit Spaniards that you come unto is La Concepcion 



which hath beene the greatest and the richest towne in 

 all Chih : but by reason that the Indians have burned 

 the same foure times, it is now growen very poore, and 

 hath small store of people : it contayneth about some 

 two hundred houses. And because it adjoyneth upon 

 the plaine of Arauco, where these valiant Indians bee, 

 therefore this towne is environed about with a strong 

 wall, and hath a fort built hard by it : and here are 500 

 souldiers continually in garrison. Betweene this place 

 Valparixo and Valparizo, the Indians call the coast by the name 

 "^orfonfa °^ Mapocha. Sant lago it selfe standing 25 leagues 

 standeth 'i)i 3 x ^P ^^^^ ^^^ countrey, is the principall towne of all Chili, 

 deg. 40 min. and the seate of the governour : it consisteth of about 

 800 houses. The port of Valparizo whither the goods 

 come from Lima by shipping, hath about twentie houses 

 standing by it. The next towne neere the sea side 

 Coquimbo beyond this is Coquimbo, which standeth two leagues 

 standethim^. ^^ -^^^^ ^^ ^2,^6., and containeth about 200 houses. Next 

 Copiapo. ^^"' ^"^^ Coquimbo standeth a port-towne called Copiapo in- 

 habited altogether by Indians which serve the Spaniards : 

 and here a gentleman which is governour of the towne 

 hath an Ingenio for sugar : at this place endeth the whole 

 province of Chili. Here also the mountaines joyning 

 hard upon the sea are the cause why all the land betweene 

 Copiapo and Peru, containing 1 60 leagues, lyeth desolate. 



278 



