530 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



1446. They grow potatoes, which are Hke ground truffles ; ocas ; 

 macas, which are like small turnips ; and ollucos ; these are all root 

 crops. Their manner of cultivating the ground is as follows ; they 

 use a small plow, which the Indians call taclla ; they carry it in their 

 hands and drive it in with the right foot to penetrate the ground. 

 These roots come to 20 or 25 to the f anega ; they cannot grow wheat, 

 barley, or corn, for the land is too cold, although there are some 

 ravines nearby, at a quarter league and a league, where they do very 

 well, downstream by the river passing by the city and others near 

 at hand ; they raise cabbage, garlic, lettuce, peaches, and f rutilla de 

 Chile, which is their strawberry, but larger and better. They get 

 wine from the lea and Pisco Valleys, and Umay, and the Governor 

 regularly apportions Indians for the transport, so that the city may 

 be provided with wine, flour, and other necessary foodstuffs. Six 

 arrobas of flour usually sell for 6 or 7 pesos ; corn the same ; an 

 arroba of beef cost 4 reals in the year 1610; at present it is worth 

 less ; a sheep sells for 8 reals ; 22 ounces of bread, i real ; a cuartillo 

 (quart) of wine, i.e., half an azumbre (-^ gallon), 3 reals, and so on 

 for other supplies, so that the city is well provided all the year with 

 the products and fruit coming up to it from the valleys. 



In the year 1610 there were four cattle ranches, four sheep ranches, 

 five of goats, and one of mules, and a few farms. On these ranches 

 there were 1,600 cattle, 5,000 sheep, 12,000 goats, and 400 brood 

 mares. At present there are many more, for they breed well and 

 multiply rapidly. Each head of cattle was worth 10 8-real pesos ; 

 a goat, 10 reals; a sheep, 6; an unbroken mule, 45 pesos; they are 

 all cheaper now. 



Chapter LXIII [64] (65) 



Of the Mines and Mills in This City, and How They Manipulate 

 the Ore. 



1447. In the San Juan del Griego and La Trinidad ranges, over 

 50 principal veins of silver have been recorded, and on them, more 

 than 400 mines each 60 varas long and 30 wide. Those of San 

 Augustin and Santa Lucia are very rich and good, not to speak of 

 many others, all silver mines ; there are some garnet and lead mines, 

 at a distance of from i to 12 leagues. 



In this district there are no salt or saltpeter deposits. There are 

 20 Spanish superintendents employed in the mines, and 1,560 Indians, 

 as will be observed in the table following. The ore is all treated with 

 quicksilver in the following manner: the 13 mills are all run by 



