WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 381 



in this city, appointed by the Royal Council, and Officials of the 

 Royal Patrimony and a Royal Treasury. [The city] has an excellent 

 parish church, Dominican, Franciscan, and Augustinian convents, 

 a convent of nuns of La Concepcion, and other churches and shrines. 



1131. The city has over 300 Spanish residents, not counting the 

 service contingent of Indians, Negroes, and mulattoes. Five leagues 

 S. of the city, the Rio del Catamayu runs through a grand, wide 

 valley covered with cattle, sheep, and mule ranches. They raise 

 quantities of wheat in this neighborhood, with corn and other cereals 

 and visgetables, and abundance of Spanish and native fruit. Beyond 

 the Catamayu lie the Provinces of Los Paltas and Calvas and the 

 village of Garruchamba ; these are the last to the S. in the district 

 and Corregimiento of Loja, and its boundary with the Province of 

 Ayabaca in the district of the Diocese of Trujillo belonging to 

 the Corregimiento of Piura ; and at the Rio de Calva, which is 100 

 leagues from Quito, the Circuit Court districts of Lima and San 

 Francisco de Quito, meet ; Lima is 330 leagues from Quito. 



[Chap. 17. Of the Town and Mines of San Antonio de Zaruma.] 



1132. The town of San Antonio de Zaruma lies 13 leagues WNW. 

 of the city of Loja ; it is the center for very rich gold mines, all in 

 veins ; they have 36 mills to grind and smelt the metal ; they take 

 out a great amount, in addition to 16^- and 17-carat silver. The 

 whole country is paved with very rich veins of gold ore, from the 

 hill of Tomagatos for over 4 leagues round about, according to what 

 I learned from miners in that town in the year 1614 when I was 

 there ; there is enough to keep them busy forever. Great wealth has 

 been derived from these mines, particularly by Juan de Montesdoca 

 and Alonso de Montedoca( !) his son; they have generously given 

 large contributions to impecunious travelers, and built the church in 

 that town, and supported the Franciscan convent. 



1133. This town is built on an incline high up on a ridge which 

 is all underlaid with gold ; most of it is honeycombed with the tunnels 

 following the veins. To the S. flows a small stream which carries 

 much gold, running i or 2 carats higher than that in the mines. Many 

 Indians go there to wash the gold sand and by washing it in their 

 trays they take out on the average 40 or 50 pesos' worth a week, 

 or more. The town has 200 Spanish residents, 50 of them miners ; 

 it attracts many traders with merchandise and wine, eager for the 

 profit in buying and taking out the gold ; they buy it from the Indians 

 at 9 reals the gold peso, in quantities at 10; and they make a large 



