Ch. i. SOUTEÍ AMERICA. 307 



The stone of which the houses and churches are 

 built, is a kind of Pumice, or spongy stone, ejected 

 from volcanoes^ inexhaustible quarries of it being 

 found in the neighbourhood. It is so light that it 

 will swim in water, and from its great porosity the 

 lime cements the diíFerent pieces very strongly toge- 

 ther ; whence, and from their lowness, the houses 

 are now enabled to support themselves during a con- 

 cussion' much better than before the earthquake, 

 when few were without a story ; and if they should 

 be unfortunately thrown down, the crush in all pro- 

 babihty would be much less fatal. 



The jurisdiction contains these prmcipal villages : 



I. Zichios Mayor. X. San Miguel de Mol- 



II. Zichios Menor. leambato. 



III. Yungas, or Colorados. Xí. Saquisili. 



IV. Ysilimbi. XII. Pugili. 



V. Chisa-Haloj or Toa- XIII. Tanicuchi. 



caso. XIV. Cuzubamba. 



VI. Pillaro. XV. Tisaleo. 



VII. San Phelipe. XVI. Angamarca. 



VIII. Mula-Halo. XVII. Pila-Halo. 

 IX. Alaqucz. 



Th e air of this assiento is the colder, from the place 

 being only six leagues from the mountain of Coto- 

 paxi, which, as it is not less in height and extent 

 than those of Chimborazo and Cayamburo, so it is, 

 like them, covered with ice and snow. The com- 

 bustible substances within the bowels of this moun- 

 tain first declared themselves in the year 1533, 

 when Sebasdan and Belalcazar, who undertook the 

 conquest of this province, had entered it, and prov- 

 ed very favourable to the enterprise. For the In- 

 dians, possessed with the truth of a prediction of their 

 priests, that, on the bursting of this volcano, they 

 would be deprived of their country, and reduced un- 

 der the government of an unknown prince, were so 



X 2 struck 



