WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES — VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 175 



a small river is [-J] ^ league off. It was founded by Capt. Pedro 

 Caldera, a brave mestizo, [and Capt. Pedro de Arejmendi ( ?) 

 Gogorron, who was the first to build a house there, Julio de Cabala, 

 Alguacil Mayor of the capital city of Mexico, and Capt. Gabriel 

 Ortiz de Fuenmayor], in the year 1594. It will contain 500 Spanish 

 residents, and has a very wealthy parish church with curates [whose 

 income is over 4,000 pesos every year] and over 30 clerics ; there are 

 Franciscan, Augustinian, and Jesuit convents, and a fine and wealthy 

 hospital of the Brethren of San Juan de Dios, San Lorenzo, and 

 other churches and shrines. The town has abundant and excellent 

 provision of bread, corn, meat, fish, and preserves, with all sorts 

 of Spanish fruit [which bear early and in quantity] as well as 

 indigenous. 



494. The residents of this city maintain 22 mining enterprises, in 

 which there are over 100 smelting ovens ; and every year since its 

 discovery these silver smelters have yielded, in tithes and sales fees 

 (rescate), over 150,000 silver marks, and over 6,000 gold marks 

 from the gold occurring with the silver. The range where these 

 mines are lies 13 leagues from the town of San Luis; it is called 

 San Pedro ; it is very high and round, like a sugar loaf, and resembles 

 the one in Peru, though not so large. Near it is another range of the 

 same height, size, and shape, called Las Animas [and one can throw 

 a stone from it to San Pedro] ; this is very rich, but it has not been 

 worked, nor will be, for here the rock is harder, and the miners have 

 not the appliances [or the capital] for it, though necessity will force 

 them to work it, for the reason that San Pedro, from which such 

 great wealth has been taken, has pretty well given out and has little 

 ore left, all of which has to be smelted, since it is mixed with lead, 

 and the quicksilver method is not suitable for it, although perhaps 

 the miners do not take kindly to other methods. 



495. Between these two rich ranges of San Pedro and Las Animas, 

 runs a notch [which is] all lined with over 50 shops for merchandise 

 and over 20 bakeries and other food shops, whose proprietors live 

 [in that notch] there under the allurement of the rich ore in those 

 ranges. There is a church there with a curate to administer the Holy 

 Sacraments, and the living brings him in each year over 3,000 pesos. 

 San Luis lies 45 leagues N. of Valladolid. 



496. One-quarter league from the town of San Luis de Potosi is 

 the village of Tlaxcalilla, with over 500 Indians, and a Franciscan 

 convent. (Marg. : It has a small river.) This is a marvelous spot, 

 with excellent climate, bright skies, and bracing air ; these Indians 

 have excellent gardens, delightful to visit, where they grow Spanish 



