Referring to the irrigated Peruvian coastal plains, 
Cieza de Leén (1553), described the so-called pepinos as 
one of the most remarkable of American fruits (Cieza, 
1924, 209). While recounting the last campaigns of 
Huayna Capac across the northernmost coast of Peru, 
the same author gives this anecdotal passage: ‘And it 
is said about him, that when he was travelling along the 
beautiful plain of Chayanta, near Chimo, where the city 
of Trujillo is now built, an old Indian was at work in an 
agricultural field. Having heard that the king was pass- 
ing nearby, he took three or four pepinos and, with earth 
and all, presented them to him, saying: ‘‘Ancha Atu- 
napu micucampa”’ (‘‘Great sir, eat thou this’’). In the 
presence of his knights and others, he took the pepinos 
and, tasting one of them, said to gratify the old man: 
“*Xuylluy, ancha mizqui cay’ (‘‘This is indeed very 
sweet’’). From this act, everybody derived very, very 
great satisfaction’’ (Cieza, 1880, 250-251). The expedi- 
tions of Huayna Capac in the Chimti-Mochica region 
were made after the death of his father, Tupac Inca 
Yupanqui, towards 1481 (Vazquez de Espinosa, 1948, 
541-544). The same Cieza de Leon, speaking of the Chin- 
cha Valley, lauds the beauty of the orchards there ‘‘and 
saw what delightful and fragrant pepinos [there are], not 
like those from Spain, although in form somewhat alike, 
for those from this region [of Peru] are yellow when 
peeled, and so appetizing that, in truth, a man needs to 
eat many before he loses his taste for them’’ (Cieza, 
1924, 229). 
Juan de Salinas Loyola, in his description of Loja, 
Ecuador, written in Spain in 1571-1572, spoke of these 
fruits, saying that there is ‘‘a native kind of cucumber 
there.’” In 1572, in his excellent report on Quito, writ- 
ten likewise in Spain, he is more explicit: ‘“There is 
another kind of cucumber, which grow like those of 
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