368 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



Chambo and many others in the Province of Los Piiriiaes, which is 

 very cool and inhabited by Indians, with very large cattle and espe- 

 cially sheep ranches, for there must be over 600,000 sheep in these 

 districts. Five leagues from Ambato, all of it level country, is the 

 tavern (tambo) of Mucha, where the Incas had apartments in very 

 imposing buildings ; and at four leagues is the town of Villar de 

 Don Pardo, or Riobamba. This is built in a cool and fertile valley 

 25 leagues S. of Quito on the King's Highway to Lima. It was 

 here that they originally started to establish Quito, in the Province 

 of Los Puruaes, where the Inca rulers had extensive apartments. 

 This is the place where Capt. Belalcazar had a very hot fight with 

 the Indians and defeated them ; and it was here that Almagro and 

 Pedro de Alvarado made their agreement about the fleet he had 

 brought. In this valley is a town with over 400 Spanish residents ; 

 it has a lively trade [and is very rich]. There are an excellent parish 

 church, Dominican, Franciscan, Augustinian, and Mercedarian con- 

 vents, a nunnery named La Concepcion, and other hospitals and 

 churches. There are numerous woolen mills here and in most of 

 the places in its neighborhood, particularly at Chambo, where they 

 turn out much cloth and grogram. The town has a level site ; the 

 country is well supplied with wheat, corn, potatoes (which are a 

 kind of ground truffles), Spanish fruit like peaches, quinces, apples, 

 figs, and other kinds of native fruit. All the Indians in this country 

 are very docile and clever. In the nunnery in this town there is a 

 small image brought here from Macas, through which God has 

 wrought many miracles ; it is a very holy relic and is held in much 

 veneration in that country. It is on a paper print. 



Chapter X 



Of the City of Sevilla del Oro in the Province of Macas. 



1111. Thirty leagues from this town to the SE. is the city of 

 Sevilla del Oro in the Province of Macas ; it is mountainous country, 

 and after crossing the Cordillera to get to this city, there is a paramo 

 called Sufia (which means cold sierra) on which there are two very 

 large lakes. Of the rivers issuing from them, one runs W. and 

 passes near Riobamba ; they call it the Rio de Chambo ; after cutting 

 through the Cordillera, its current turns E. and it becomes a large 

 river; the Indians of the first provinces call it Corino, those of the 

 second, Parosa. At 180 leagues from its source it unites with the 

 great Rio de Orellana ; there are extensive provinces on both sides 

 of it, but thinly settled. 



