532 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



I real for every 6 leagues he had to travel to come to the mines and 

 to return home ; the 2^ reals were to be paid to the Indian and the 

 real for his coming and returning and the ^ real should be deposited 

 in the fund for the payment of salaries which he prescribed in his 

 decree, as follows : 



For three priests, clerics, whom he named as curates, two for the city 



and one for the ranges, each 800 assay pesos a year salary (de sinodo) 2,400 



For an Overseer, 800 assay pesos a year 800 



For a Protector of the Indians, 600 assay pesos 600 



For the Paymaster of this Royal Treasury, 300 assay pesos 300 



For the hospitals for the care and comfort of the sick Indians, 800 assay 



pesos 800 



For the doctor, 600 assay pesos 600 



In addition, this treasury pays salaries to the curacas, who come from 

 their provinces as captains of the Indians whom they bring down from 

 there ; this comes each year to 1,000 assay pesos 1,000 



Chapter LXIV [65] (66) 



Continuing the Description of the Preceding Topic. 



1451. The I real which is applied to the salaries is called the grano, 

 and so the treasury into which it is paid is called de Granos. Of the 

 1,560 Indians assigned (repartidos) to work in the mines, their 

 masters take as many as are necessary for the mills and the handling 

 of the ore, i.e., in each mill there are ordinarily engaged 40 Indians 

 and I or 2 Spaniards. 



Each year they bring in over 15,000 quintals of fine salt for the 

 treatment of the silver ore. Each quintal costs 8 reals, and | real 

 is paid to His Majesty for each quintal at the salt works. The Indians 

 on forced labor (mita) earn 2^ reals each day; and the mingados, 

 who hire themselves out to free-lance miners (aventureros), get 

 4 reals. 



1452. In the Royal Treasury, besides the Royal Officials, there 

 is an Assayer appointed by the Viceroy. This Treasury receives a 

 I^ percent impost, the derechos de cobos formerly assigned to the 

 Crown ; 10 percent instead of the royal 20 percent on the silver from 

 the mines, this 10 percent being a grant from the Viceroy to the 

 residents and miners in this city ; and although he made them this 

 grant in the year 1611, His Majesty has extended it. These imposts 

 on the average come to 20,000 assay pesos a year ; the mine leases 

 bring in 1,500; the payments on the sale of the quicksilver which 



