Ch. XIV. SOUTH AMERICA. 157 



according' to the ordinance, contain eight pound* ; 

 and its current price at Ururo, Potosi, and the other 

 mine towns, is from nine to ten pieces of eig;ht, and 

 sometimes more. The colder parts feed huge herds 

 of cattle: together vvitli vicunas, guanacos, and 

 other wild creatures. This province has also some 

 silver mines, hut not so many, nor so rich, as the 

 preceding pro\ince. 



XIV. Attacama is the western boundary of the 

 audience of Charcas, extending to the south sea; and 

 the principal town, called also Attacama, is no less 

 than 120 leagues from Plata. Its jurisdiction is of a 

 considerable extent, and a great part of it very fruit- 

 ful; but intermixed with some desarts pa,rticularly to- 

 wards the south, where it divides the kingdoms of Peru 

 and Chili. On the coast in this province there is every 

 year a large fishery of tolo, a sort of fish common in 

 the south sea, with which a very great trade is carried 

 on with the inland provinces, it being there the chief 

 food during Lent, and the other days of abstinence. 



CHAP. XÍV. 



Account of flic three Dioccsses of La Paz, Sajita 

 Cruz dc la Sierra, and Tucuman ; and of their re- 

 spective Provinces. 



npHE province in which the present city of la 

 -^ Paz is situated, was formerly known by the 

 name of chuquiyapu, which in the idiom of that 

 country is commonly thought to signify chacra, or an 

 inheritance of gold, and is there corruptly called Chu- 

 quiabo. Accordingly Garcelaso pretends that Chu- 

 quiyapu signifies lanza capitana., or principal lance ; 

 but this is deriving it from the general language of the 

 Yiicas, and with a difíercüce in tjie penúltima, it not 



