WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES- — VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 549 



but since they were near the imperial city of Cuzco, the headquarters 

 and court of the Inca kings, lords at that time of that empire, they 

 had great fights and battles with them ; and they went with a large 

 army to surround and capture Cuzco by force of arms. Their pre- 

 sumption so startled the Inca Yaguarhuacac that with all his Incas 

 and fellow citizens, he abandoned the city, since they felt they were 

 no longer secure there ; and if the Chancas had speeded up their 

 campaign, they could have captured it and become the masters of 

 that empire. But it seems that they had about the same experience 

 as the famous Hannibal the Carthaginian ; he proceeded victorious 

 and triumphal through Italy and blockaded Rome, and if his good 

 fortune had held, he would have triumphed over Rome and all the 

 Roman Empire. But fate was adverse ; he raised the siege and the 

 Senate followed him up ; Scipio went over into Africa, blockaded 

 Carthage and did not raise the siege until he had laid waste the city 

 with fire and sword and beheaded all its citizens. The same thing 

 happened to the valiant Chancas ; not having followed up their victory 

 with speed, they were later beaten by the Inca Viracocha ; but they 

 were treated with greater humanity by the Incas than the African 

 Carthaginians were by the Romans, for the latter were deprived of 

 their wretched lives, their city, and their republic with great cruelty 

 by the Romans ; the Chancas were merely conquered and made their 

 vassals by the Incas, who visited them in their provinces, honored 

 them and restored them to their territories, thus acting far better 

 than the Romans. Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general, after 

 his misfortunes, rather than see himself ordered about and triumphed 

 over by the Romans, went off to foreign realms. 



1480. But Ancoallo, the famous general of the Chancas, after the 

 defeat of his tribe, although restored to his territories and honored 

 by the Incas, rather than be ordered about by them and by their 

 governors, expatriated himself and abandoned his country, taking 

 some of his men with him ; he won great victories over the Tarmas, 

 Chinchas, and other tribes, and went up into those wild mountains 

 where he continued to bring under his rule all the tribes he came 

 upon, fleeing from the authority of the Incas, until in the interior 

 of that extensive region he found fertile, rich, and suitable country, 

 which he colonized. Many of the Indians say that this was on the 

 banks of a large lake, on which and round about it there are large 

 settlements, very extensive, of which Casas Blancas (White Houses) 

 is the court city and capital ; these have a large population. The 

 country is very rich, with many traders and much commerce, and 

 many silversmiths among them. There is a tradition that this tribe 



