602 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



Viceroy appoints a Corregidor for it and its district, for its wise 

 government and the administration of justice. 



1608. The Corregimiento of Quispicanche comes next to the 

 Yucay Valley, along the King's Highway from Cuzco to CoUao and 

 Potosi to the S. In this district lie the villages of Lluyna ; Urcos, 

 which is 6 leagues from Cuzco ; and farther on, the village of 

 Quiquijana, over a road made rugged by the mountains between 

 which the Rio de Yucay flows ; this is crossed by a bridge like the 

 others. Next come the Indians of the Cavina tribe ; all these villages 

 were founded by the great Mango Capac. The Viceroy appoints a 

 Corregidor for the administration of justice in this district. 



1609. Next to the Corregimiento of Quispicanche and along the 

 same King's Highway, comes the Province of Los Canches. These 

 are very reasonable Indians, unassuming and great workers ; for 

 their mita (forced labor) they go to Potosi, which is 200 leagues. 

 They have large llama ranches, and wear native costume, like the 

 others, made of llama wool ; they have good fields for their wheat, 

 corn, potatoes, and other cereals and root crops. Next comes the 

 Province of Los Canas (Marg. : Canas y Canches) comprising Atun 

 Cana, Chinquana, Oruro, Cacha, which is 16 leagues from Cuzco 

 and in which Inca Viracocha had a temple built to the god Viracocha, 

 called Ancocagua. In it there was a stone idol the height of a man, 

 with clothing almost like that of the Apostles, with a beard, and a 

 diadem on his head, and tied at his feet an animal with sharp claws ; 

 hence some maintained that it was the likeness of the Apostle St. 

 Bartholomew, who had gone through those regions preaching. The 

 plains of the Collao begin at this province and continue for many 

 leagues. The Province of Los Canas contains vast level meadows 

 which they call savannas or pampas, and they have great numbers 

 of llama and sheep ranches on them, on account of their wide pas- 

 turage. This is very cold country and yields no crop but potatoes ; 

 they wear their native woolen costume and on their heads, a coiled 

 black scarf. The tombs of the ancients rise in the fields ; they are 

 like turrets ; they all have doors facing the sunrise, and contain the 

 bodies of those heathen, whole and dried up, and looking as if they 

 had just been laid there, whereas it is over 100 years since heathen- 

 dom disappeared. The reason is that the country is of an even cold 

 temperature and the air is dry and keen. This will be true of all the 

 other Collao and upland provinces ; that was the way they buried 

 their dead in the days of their heathendom. The chief village in these 

 provinces, and the seat of the Corregidor whom the Viceroy appoints 

 for them, is called Tinta. 



