WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 483 



these they grow this large amount of wine referred to ; much is 

 carried on llamaback through the Province of Los Chocorvos to 

 Castrovirreina, HuancaveHca, Guanianga, and other points. Between 

 the valley of San Martin and the town there is another valley or 

 vineyard district which is called San Juan, from an Indian village 

 close beside it ; there also they produce much wine. 



1355. This town has an abundant supply of fruit, of both Spanish 

 and native varieties, the whole year round ; they are all of delicious 

 flavor, on account of the excellent soil, climate, and water; excellent 

 melons grow throughout the year, and are among the best produced 

 in that kingdom ; fine large watermelons ; and native cucumbers, 

 which are [much] better and more wholesome than ours. They grow 

 much garden truck : pumpkins of Spanish origin and the big ones 

 which they call sapallos there ; eggplant, white cabbage, sugarcane, 

 aji or pepper; in fine, not to weary the reader, this town is one of 

 the finest tracts of land in the whole world. Up the valley toward 

 the sierra, before the vineyard district begins, they raise [and harvest] 

 much wheat, corn, and other cereals and vegetables ; and from these 

 uplands and thereabouts they draw ofif irrigation canals from the 

 river — the large one, called the Chirana canal, which waters a num- 

 ber of valleys and vineyard districts, and other irrigation ditches of 

 less volume than that mentioned. The grapes begin ripening about 

 Christmas, and it starts raining about that same time ; but it is in 

 Lent that they are most solicitous about water, when the grapes are 

 already ripe ; at that time plenty of water comes down the river, 

 and they irrigate the vineyards to give the grapes full [ripeness and] 

 maturity; the vintage comes by the end of March, usually by Holy 

 Week. 



Chapter XLI [42] (44) 



Continuing the Theme of the Preceding Chapter. 



1356. All these grapevines grow tall, much like those artificially 

 trained. The vidueno is a black grape ; it bears very heavily. Most 

 of the vineyards have avenues looking like very tall forcing walls ; 

 at times they form vaults of the vines themselves, or make a sort 

 of pyramid of them. Their way of handling the grapes to make 

 wine is very dififerent from what I have seen in Spain, although 

 agreeing with it in some respects. They cut the grapes ; then, having 

 spread large mats next the house or wine press, they keep them there 

 in the sun for 2 or 3 days, to wither the green stems. Some then 

 throw them in the press just as they are ; others, who work more 

 carefully, have large bags of coarse linen or melinge ; they fill them 



