WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES — VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 475 



priorate, in the village of Huancayo ; it has under it the villages of 

 Sicaya and [that of the] Chongos, which is close to the sierra ; both 

 are on the other side of the river, W. of Huancayo. Near the river 

 is the village of Sapallanga, where there is an excellent cloth and 

 grogram mill. At the end of the valley is the village of La Mejorada, 

 with another cloth and grogram mill which belongs to the nuns of 

 the Lima convent of La Concepcion. At the S. end of the Jauja 

 Valley is a small stream which separates the jurisdictions of the 

 Archdiocese of Lima and the Diocese of Guamanga ; in the center 

 of the valley there are seven more villages, under the religious instruc- 

 tion of the Franciscans. On the E. side of the river are the villages of 

 Apata, Matahuasi, San Jeronimo, and La Concepcion, which comes 

 between them, and is a guardiania (seat of local superior), to which 

 the others are subordinate, and residence of the Corregidor of this 

 province and that of the Andes, appointed by the Viceroy. Opposite 

 this village on the other side of the river on the W. is the village 

 of Mito, which is a guardiania with two subordinate villages, Sincos 

 and Orcotuna. 



1339. This Jauja Province and Valley is very fertile and prolific, 

 with abundance of excellent products. They make very good bacon 

 and ham here, ranking with the best in that Kingdom. [And rich 

 though it is, prices are very low for] A fowl costs i real, 20 eggs 

 are sold for a real ; everything is on the same scale. The Sierra King's 

 Highway passes through the valley on its way from Lima and Quito 

 to Cuzco, Potosi, and all the upland country. It contains many 

 artisans of all crafts and many [Indian] silversmiths; these, with 

 tools very different from ours, manufacture and produce articles 

 of remarkable delicacy. They do not use hammers but their native 

 implement, a four-cornered piece of bronze, and with it they turn 

 out anything they desire ; for bellows they use blowpipes. On all 

 the heights on the W. side of the valley rise many of the ancient 

 buildings erected by order of the Inca kings, some as fortresses and 

 others for the storage of corn, potatoes, and other provisions. On 

 the E. it has the hot country Andes, whose products are brought 

 to this valley, and where they get coca. This is a low tree with 

 leaves like myrtle leaves ; the Indians value it highly ; with it in their 

 mouths, they do not feel hunger, thirst, or fatigue ; in short, this 

 plant is for them what tobacco is for its devotees. I consider each 

 of them a vice and an abuse, while admitting that used temperately 

 and in moderation, they are wholesome. Along this stretch of the 

 Andes eastward there are great provinces to be converted to our 

 Holy Faith, extending to the provinces of Brazil, which are on 



