WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 34I 



preferred death and bled themselves to death from their noses, and 

 partly because the country is naturally unhealthy in the extreme. 

 The climate of this settlement and city is rather hot than cold ; the 

 sun is never seen free from clouds. 



1026. The Rio Nichi empties into the Cauca and is navigable u]) 

 to the point of its junction with the Rio Porci ; accordingly Zaragoza 

 is well supplied with all products both of Spain and the New King- 

 dom of Granada. They bring what is necessary up the river in boats 

 and dugouts ; and they also import from Aburra and the Rio Negro 

 overland beef cattle and swine, with which it is abundantly provided, 

 although the country is essentially sterile and uninhabitable ; its only 

 product is its wealth of gold, which is responsible for everything else. 



1027. Nature compensated for this with the prairies (sabanas) 

 of Tacasoluma, which is healthy country and covered with herds, 

 particularly cattle, which come here to get cured and recover from 

 the ailments contracted in Zaragoza. Zaragoza will contain 300 

 Spanish residents and many Negroes and mulattoes ; it has active 

 trade and commerce in its jurisdiction. It has many mines of free 

 gold ; they are the richest and best gold mines discovered in the 

 Indies. From 3,000 to 4,000 Negro slaves work in them, divided 

 up into gangs, with 300 Spanish miners. 



1028. Every year they take out over 500,000 pesos worth of high- 

 grade gold. There is a Royal Treasury, a parish church, and a hospital 

 for the care of the indigent sick. The birds and animals are the same 

 as in Caceres, which lies 30 leagues away, over a very rough hard 

 trail, to the W. ; to the E., Guamaco is 25 leagues distant ; S. lies 

 the city of Los Remedios, which belongs in the Corregimiento of 

 Mariquita ; in between are the mines of Cana and Las Lajas ; it will 

 be 12 leagues from Zaragoza, and 20 to Los Remedios. In the year 

 1598 many of the slaves revolted and wrecked the mines, killing the 

 Spanish miners and some of their masters ; they fortified themselves 

 behind palisades and took up arms as if to destroy and exterminate 

 the Spaniards in that province. Everything being in confusion and 

 the Negroes in rebellion, their punishment and subjugation was en- 

 trusted to Juan Melendez de Valdes, with the title of Captain General. 

 With the courage and energy he had displayed in large measure in 

 his campaigns and settlements in that State and several others pre- 

 viously, he put them to rout and killed many of them in the following 

 year, 1599; those whom he took alive were dealt summary justice; 

 he broke up their palisade ; and having smoothed out all the difficulties, 

 he pacified the country, and the city and its residents enjoy tran- 

 quillity. It was founded by Gov. Gaspar de Rodas in the year 1580. 



