WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 727 



fertile and corn yields very plentifully here. It contains the vineyard 

 and sugar enterprises of Gen. Francisco de Aguirre, and mines of 

 turquoises and other precious stones. The Governor of Chile appoints 

 a Corregidor for the administration of justice in this valley and that 

 of Titon and Huasco. 



1920. Thirty-five leagues S. of this valley lies that of Huasco, 

 and between the two that of Titon. There are vineyards in both of 

 them ; they make some wine and harvest abundant crops of corn, 

 wheat, and other cereals and fruit. There are many partridges, 

 guanacos, fallow deer, and squirrels with wonderful fur for linings, 

 and other valuable and highly prized animals. This Huasco Valley 

 is in full 29° S. All the Indians on this coast are fishermen. It does 

 not rain here, just like all the rest of the Peruvian plains ; they have 

 puquios or jagiieyes, which are wells, from which they get drinking 

 water, for they lack water in all that region and coast. 



1921. From Huasco it is 24 leagues S. to the port of Coquimbo, 

 which is at 30°3o' ; that is about 2 leagues from the city of La Serena, 

 which is the first city with Spanish residents, as one comes from 

 Peru. It was founded by Gov. Pedro de Valdivia on a plain by the 

 bank of a small stream in the year 1544, after he had explored part 

 of that Kingdom and first founded the city of Santiago de Chile. 

 La Serena is a short half league from the sea; it has an admirable 

 climate with bright skies and healthy breezes. It rains rarely in that 

 region, for the rainless plains district of Peru comes as far as this. 

 It has 100 Spanish residents, not counting the service Indians and 

 Negroes. It contains a parish church, Dominican, Franciscan, and 

 Mercedarian convents, a hospital for the care of the indigent sick, 

 and other churches and shrines. 



1922. This country is very rich in gold, for it is all paved with it. 

 Little is extracted, for lack of labor and water, there being no rain. 

 It has copper mines which are the best in the Indies, because of the 

 large amount of gold in the ore. The copper taken from these mines 

 was used for the casting of all the culverins and artillery pieces 

 of the Callao forts, and also for those on the ships of the navy in 

 that Kingdom. 



1923. The residents have farms of wheat, corn, and other cereals, 

 and vineyards and olive groves producing quantities of wine and 

 oil ; they have cattle and sheep ranches, and many goats, from which 

 they make the best cordovan leather in the Indies ; there is a large 

 trade in this and they freight boats with it for Lima. They have all 

 kinds of Spanish fruit, and strawberries, which they call frutilla 

 de Chile, and which are very large and delicious. The Governor 



