478 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



crumbled ; and the saddest thing is that they perished without having 

 known the true Faith, and that they were in the torments of Hell. 



1344. The valley is very broad ; it contains many farms or ranches 

 of Spaniards and Indians. They grow quantities of wheat, corn, and 

 other cereals ; they raise the largest and finest mates or pumpkins 

 to be found in all the Indies; in fact, some of them grow so large 

 that a half pumpkin, or sapallo, as they call them here, is like a large 

 basin or tub; some are so big that they do their washing in them; 

 and they carve and paint them with great skill. Up the valley are 

 vineyards ; here they make the largest and best cows'-milk cheeses 

 [made] in the whole Kingdom, [and they are esteemed all over the 

 rest in its whole extent; from this valley the Corregidor takes the 

 title of Canete and Chinchas. This must suffice ; I shall now describe 

 the Corregimiento of lea.] 



1345. Five leagues S. of this Chincha Valley is the splendid 

 [valley] of the port of La Magdalena de Pisco, at i3°3o' S.; it is 

 thirty-six leagues from the city of Lima. It is within the jurisdiction 

 of the town of lea, whose Corregidor appoints a deputy here. The 

 village will contain over 150 Spaniards, and [lies] at the water's 

 edge. It is a [very] good harbor, and [many] ships put in to load 

 wine from its valleys and those of lea, which are considerable. The 

 place is one of the richest to be found in all the Kingdom ; it is 

 abundantly supplied with meat, [excellent] fish, bread, and all else 

 necessary for human life, with great abundance of fruit, of Spanish 

 and native varieties. It is a modern town, its settlement dating from 

 only 30 years back ; most of the residents are [very] well off. The 

 parish church, which is named San Clemente, was founded by Licen- 

 tiate Rosillo, whom I knew there ; it is [very] well built and served, 

 having two curates and many priests usually also in attendance, on 

 account of the great charity dispensed here. All these priests have 

 their special farms, where they go and say Mass on feast days. 

 [Almost] All the ranches or vineyards have [very sumptuous] houses, 

 wine presses, and storerooms for the exploitation of their vines, and 

 there are chapels in all of them for the service contingent and in 

 particular for the Negro slaves; every ranch has a village made up 

 of them [for them to hear Mass and so] many of these priests in 

 attendance at Pisco get [very] good salaries for going to say Mass 

 at the ranches on feast days. There is a convent of Barefoot Fran- 

 ciscan Friars, which is outstanding, and would be considered remark- 

 able, excellent, and devout anywhere in the world. As this place was 

 growing when I was there [11 years ago], the Jesuits and other 

 orders were intending to build there. 



A 



