200 MINES OF POTOSI. 



LIB. iv. w ith, and with some other discontents, discovered this 

 secret vnto his inaister called Yillaroel a Spaniard, who then 

 remained at Porco. This Yillaroel, desirous to vnderstand 

 the trueth, went to Potosi, and finding the riches his Yana- 

 cona or servant had discovered vnto him, caused the Indian 

 Huanca to be inrolled, undertaking with him the saide 

 veine, which was called Centeno, they call it vndertaking, 

 that is as much as to note and mark the mine, and so much 

 ground in circuite for him, which the Lawe graunts vnto 

 those that discover any mine, or vnto those that digge 

 . them : by meanes whereof, having discovered them to the 

 Justice, they remayned Lords of the mine, to dig and draw 

 foorth the silver, as being their owne, paying only their 

 duties vnto the King, which is a fift parte. So as the first 

 discovery and inregistriug of the mines of Potosi was tho 

 21 of April, in the yeare of our Lord, one thousand five 

 hundred fortie five, in the territorie of Porco, by the saide 

 Yillaroel a Spaniard, and Huanca an Indian. Presently 

 after they discovered another veine, which they called the 

 veine of Tinne, the which is very rich, although it be rough 

 and very painfull to worke in, the mettall being as hard as 

 flint. Since the thirtie day of August in the same yeere of 

 a thousand five hundred forty and five the veine called 

 Mendieta was inrolled, and these are the foure principall 

 veines of Potosi. They say of the rich veine, the first that 

 was discovered, that the metall lay above the ground the 

 height of a launce, like vnto rockes, raising the superficies 

 of the earth, like vnto a crest of three hundred foote long 

 and thirteen foote broade, and that this remained bare and 

 vncovered by the deluge. This veine having resisted the 

 violence and force of the water, as the hardest part. The 

 mettall was so rich as it was halfe silver, and this veine 

 continued in his bounty fiftie or three score eslados, which is 

 the height of a man, and then it failed. In this maner the 

 mi nes of Potosi were discovered by the Divine Providence, 



