WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 39I 



catastrophe and chastisement which God sent upon that city for His 

 just judgments. [Immediately] After the shock of the earthquake 

 which caused this damage at Trujillo had passed, within a quarter 

 of an hour it reached Lima, but without any further force that I 

 could discover; but within 5 days a message [from Trujillo] reached 

 Lima with the news of the earthquake and disaster, and the hour 

 when it happened, asking them to send some aid to the city for the 

 destitute survivors. 



1158. The Guaca of the Sun which used to stand in this valley, 

 was in the days of the Indians' heathendom one of the greatest 

 sanctuaries in that realm ; from many quarters within it, [many] 

 Indians came on pilgrimage to carry out vows and promises [they 

 had made], and mutilate themselves [which was their gratitude for 

 favors received] and offer gifts [at their mutilation]. And so in 

 this Trujillo Valley and in that of the settlement of Chimocapac, 

 where there are [many very] sumptuous guacas, they have found 

 great treasures, and [very great] treasures remain to be found today ; 

 among the [many very] rich ones already found and discovered 

 was one guaca out of which they took so much wealth that merely 

 His Majesty's 20 percent amounted to over 80,000 pesos. 



1159. The guacas are the burial places where the heathen were 

 buried with all the wealth in silver and gold and valuables [and 

 prized possessions] which were theirs, as was the custom in the days 

 of David and Solomon. These guaca burial places are like castles, 

 [all] built of [many] adobes which are sun-baked bricks, and with 

 [many] merlon battlements. Every guaca is very elaborate ; there 

 are [great] quantities of them in this settlement which belonged to 

 King Chimocapoc. Whether by the sea or in the Trujillo Valley 

 or in all the other Peruvian valleys, in [all of] which it never rains, 

 they are of one same type ; in the circuit of the guacas, among the 

 battlements and walls [of them], there are innumerable skulls of 

 those heathen, which look as if they had been put there only a short 

 time ago ; and the construction of each guaca is so massive that even 

 if it is certain that there is great wealth and treasure in them, many 

 have been ruined in their search for them, if they were not perfectly 

 sure where to find the opening of the entrance or gateway to the guaca. 



Chapter III 



Of the Corregimientos and Curacies of the District of the Diocese 

 of Trujillo. 



1160. In the district of the Diocese of Trujillo there are 12 Cor- 

 regimientos, and in them 109 dotrinas or curacies, 44 administered 



