Cii. I. SOUTH AMERICA. 13 



are all liidians, and consist of near 400 families, 

 who are all employed either as drivers of the mules 

 or fishermen. The houses of all these towns are 

 quite simple ; the walls consisting only of co'nmoii 

 canes and reeds, fixed a little way in the ground, 

 with flat roofs of the same materials, rain heing 

 hardly ever known here ; so that they have sufficient 

 light and air, hoth the rays of the sun and wind easily 

 find a |>assage. The Indian inhabitants of this place 

 use a diilereut language from that common in the 

 other towns both of Quito a.id Peru ; and this is 

 frequently the case in great part of Valles, Nor is 

 it onlv their language wiiich .distinguishes them, but 

 feveu their accent ; for besides their enunciation, which 

 is a kind of melancholy singing, they contract half 

 of their last words, as if they wanted breath to pro- 

 nounce them. 



The dress of the Indian women in these parts, 

 consists only of an aiiaco, like that of the women of 

 Quito, except its being of such a length as to trail 

 upon the ground. It is also much larger, but with- 

 out sleeves, nor is it tied round them with a girdle. 

 In walking they take it up a little, and hold it under 

 their arms. Their head-dress consists of cotton clotii 

 laced or embroidered with diiferent colours ; bui 

 the widows wear black. The condition of every one 

 may be known by their manner of dressing their 

 hair, maids and widows dividing it into two platted 

 locks, one hanging on each shoulder, whilst mar- 

 ried women braid all their hair in one. They are 

 very industrious, and usually employed in weaving 

 napkins of cotton and the like. The men dress in 

 the Spanish manner; and consequently wear shoes; 

 but the women none. They are naturally haughty, 

 of very good understandings, and differ iu some 

 customs from those of Quito. They are a proof 

 of what hay been observed (Book VI. Chap. VI. 

 vol. 1.) with regard to ihe greiit improvement they 



receive 



