356 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



of provisions and native fruit. It has a parish church and a Fran- 

 ciscan convent. On the other side of the Cordillera live the Paeses 

 and Pijaos Indians ; the town of Neiva was built near them, but 

 was abandoned on account of the barbarities of these savages, who 

 ravaged, robbed, and murdered and time and again waged actual war ; 

 although many of them were killed or starved or betrayed by slaves, 

 that was not enough to quiet and tranquillize them, but they keep 

 going from one point to another like fierce wild beasts doing what 

 harm they can, and there has been no decisive action with them, 

 this being rough country with much woods, forests, rivers, and 

 swamps. In this city of Almaguer a resident Corregidor is appointed 

 by the Governor of Popayan, both for the administration of justice 

 and for the defense of the country against these savages. 



1077. The city of Mocoa in this State is on the same parallel as 

 Pasto to the E. It has a few Spanish residents ; the climate is hot 

 and they raise much cotton in its district ; they have rich gold mines 

 and alluvial deposits. 



1078. The city of Calacoto, on the frontier of the Paeses Indians, 

 is i6 leagues E. of Popayan ; the climate is hot. It has a few Spanish 

 residents. Near this city is the home of the Sucumbios tribe, where 

 the city of Agreda has been established. All these provinces are rich 

 in gold mines and alluvial deposits, but for lack of labor they do 

 not get much out and enjoy this great wealth, for all this country 

 ranks among the richest in the world in gold. 



1079. They have some cattle ranches and raise corn and much 

 native fruit ; the climate is hot. Furthermore, in all the ravines and 

 streams of this State, gold is found in abundance, to such a degree 

 that in the cities the very sweepings of the houses and the dirt, when 

 washed, yields gold, for it is all paved with this metal. This is why 

 their gold shows the greatest variety in quality that is known or 

 observed anywhere in the world ; for it runs from under 12 carats 

 to over 23, and if there were only people instead of the present lack 

 of labor, since there is abundance of mineral, this country would 

 be among the richest in the world. 



Chapter IV 



Continuing the Description of the District of Popayan, and in 

 Especial of Pasto and of the Sources of the Great River Orinoco. 



1080. The city of San Juan de Pasto was founded by Capt. Lorenzo 

 de Aldana in the year 1539. He called it Villa Viciosa, for the site 

 where he established it is very pleasant and attractive, with wide 



