344 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



temperate climate the whole year, like spring, neither hot nor cold, 

 but it rains most of the year, which is a good thing for the extraction 

 of the gold and the working of the mines. The land is sterile and 

 bears no crops ; its only wealth is gold ; but for love of it they flock 

 here from all sides, from Cartagena, from the State of Santa Marta 

 and from the New Kingdom, with supplies, so that it is well provided 

 with everything. 



Chapter XXIV 



Of the Town of San Jeronimo del Monte and Its Rich Gold Mines. 



1036. The town of San Jeronimo del Monte is built on the hill 

 of Pirura; it has a good and agreeable climate. Its district has the 

 same animals and birds as Caceres, from which it is 24 leagues 

 distant. Seven leagues from the town runs the Rio de San Jorge, 

 which empties into the Cauca; some dugouts come up it. There are 

 10 encomenderos in this town ; they raise what is needful in products 

 of the soil. 



1037. There are very rich mines of free gold, and two hills which 

 are paved with veins of this precious metal. In the ravine of Urare, 

 a Negro belonging to Don Francisco Velez de Guevara, by name 

 Lorenzo, found a gold nugget which weighed 900 pesos ; many others 

 have been found of 400, 200, and 100, so that this region is one of the 

 richest in the world in this metal. 



1038. There are in this district many aromatic trees ; abundance 

 of canime oil, turpentine, balsam, copal, benzoin, and other aromatic 

 resins, with quantities of game and fish. This town was settled and 

 built in the year 1595 by Capt. Juan de Erano, of the Kingdom of 

 Navarre, native of the town of Luquin. He was a valiant cavalier 

 in the conquest of all that State, being Lieutenant General of Gov. 

 Andres de Valdivia. He named it San Jeronimo del Monte in com- 

 memoration of his wife, Doha Jeronima de Valdivia. 



Chapter XXV 



Of the City of Mariquita, otherwise known as San Sebastian de 

 La Plata, for the Rich Mines It Contains. 



1039. The city of Mariquita, called San Sebastian de La Plata, 

 is on the outskirts of the State of Popayan, 30 leagues SW. of the 

 city of Bogota. It was established and settled in an agreeable level 

 spot on the banks of the Rio Guali, 3 leagues from the port of Honda 

 on the Rio de La Magdalena. It is the capital of a Corregimiento, 

 to which His Majesty appoints in consultation with the Supreme 



