322 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



Thus he disposed of him and the case — a keen and wise judgment, 

 and by an Indian. 



958. The city of Pamplona is 42 leagues ENE. of Tunja, and 64 

 from Bogota. It was founded by Gen. Pedro de Ursua in the year 

 1548, under orders from Licentiate Miguel Diaz de Almendariz, 

 Governor of Santa Marta, in a valley which will be little more than 

 i^ leagues in circuit, between four ridges. Two small streams run 

 through it ; one rises in the Sierra de Zulia, half a league from 

 Pamplona, where there is an Indian village ; the other brook is named 

 Miraflores. The land in this neighborhood is fertile and prolific ; 

 they raise quantities of wheat and corn, twice a year, one crop in 

 August, the other at Christmas. The valley where the city is built 

 is attractive; they grow quantities of fruit, of native and Spanish 

 varieties, and flax, which they work up with care and they make 

 excellent linen from it. 



959. Pamplona will have 400 Spanish residents, with a parish 

 church, and Dominican, Franciscan, Augustinian, and Jesuit convents ; 

 there is a nunnery of Santa Clara, a hospital where they care for 

 the indigent sick, and a pilgrimage shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. 

 The city is at 6° N. and is abundantly supplied with provisions at 

 low prices. There are large cattle and mule ranches in the district, 

 and many gold mines. 



960. Seven leagues from the city, on the way to Ocatia, there 

 is a mining camp called Vetas de Oro ; the gold is all in veins, and so to 

 treat the ore there are 13 crushing mills in this camp. Two leagues 

 beyond there is another mining camp, for silver, called Mongora, 

 where there are 3 mills to grind the ore. Two leagues farther on 

 there are other gold mines, named Montuosa ; here also the gold 

 occurs in veins, and there are 10 mills to crush the ore. All these 

 mines were discovered by Capt. Ortiin Velasco. 



961. Besides all this, on the Paramo Rico, which is 2 leagues from 

 Vetas de Oro on the slopes of a sierra forming a large open space, 

 there was discovered in the year 1555 the largest amount of gold on 

 the surface of the ground that has ever been discovered in the world, 

 nor was such great wealth ever seen before in one spot ; in fact, 

 merely what virgin gold was melted and paid the 20 percent impost 

 amounted to 18 millions, apart from what was concealed and what 

 was made into chains and jewelry of great value and high price. 



962. Nine leagues ESE. of Pamplona lies a valley which is 7 

 leagues long and a little over 2 leagues broad ; it is called the Valley 

 of the Crazy People (Los Locos). When the country was explored 

 and subdued, it contained over 60,000 Indians ; when the Spaniards 



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