644 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



Pedro de Escalante founded the town of Santa Maria de la Guardia 

 at the instance and with the commission of the Marques de Mon- 

 tesclaros who was then Viceroy of that Kingdom. The valley is very 

 fertile, abounding in everything, with fine skies and soil, marvelous 

 climate, healthful and temperate breezes, and gentle waters which 

 flow down from gold beds. It contains many farms with vineyards 

 and sugar plantations ; they produce quantities of jugs of wine and 

 sugar in abundance ; from the excellent Spanish and native fruit 

 grown in the valley, they put up large amounts of delicious preserves. 

 They raise much wheat, corn, and other cereals, excellent melons, 

 native cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and other root crops and vege- 

 tables ; and in the river running through this lovely valley they catch 

 quantities of delicious fish. It contains large cattle, sheep, and llama 

 ranches ; all the farms are worked with Negroes and Yanacona In- 

 dians, the natives having fled inland among the heathen ; if there 

 were only people to work and exploit these valleys, this would be 

 the most fertile and attractive country in the world. 



1686. The Pojo Valley is 6 leagues E. of that of Santa Maria 

 de la Guardia ; it has the same fertility and abundance of wine, sugar, 

 wheat, corn, and other cereals, fruit, and delicious fish, as the last. 

 There are many farms and cattle ranches here. This was likewise 

 settled in that same year of 1615 by Capt. Don Pedro de Escalante, 



1687. Seven leagues beyond the Pojo Valley, on a straight line 

 with Santa Fe and San Lorenzo, is the Valle Grande, which is larger 

 than those last described. It is very fertile and abounds in wild fruit : 

 it contains much wild and cimarron cattle, the offspring of those 

 brought into the Cordillera in the days of Don Francisco de Toledo, 

 when they started pioneering and settling that country. This lovely 

 valley is not cultivated, for lack of settlers. It contains countless 

 deer, cimarron cattle, tapirs, and many other animals of various 

 sorts, much feathered game, paujies, turkeys, pheasants, partridges, 

 quail, ostriches, and many other birds and animals impossible to 

 enumerate. 



1688. The Saguaypata Valley lies 2 leagues nearer San Lorenzo, 

 after the Valle Grande, It has a hotter climate than those just men- 

 tioned ; it is very fertile and abounds in wild fruit. Here they grow 

 and gather the Indians' precious coca. There is much large and 

 feathered game, as in the last valley, with great numbers of jabalies 

 (peccaries) and many other animals. The whole mountain environ- 

 ment of this valley is paved with very rich silver and gold ore. 

 On the E. is the Cordillera of the Chiriguanaes Indians, who are one 

 of the largest tribes in those vast expanses; today they persist in 



