102 "*'••. ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



There are almofl: perpetual thunders and lightnings, and many polfonous reptiles and 

 inl'eds, though not fo many as in Tucuman and Paraguay. There are likewife a fpe- 

 cies of mofquitos, or gnats, no bigger than tiie points of needles, and as fharp in their 

 fling, though themfelves are almofl imperceptible ; they get into the hair of one's 

 beard, and one cannot be rid of them any other way, than by killing them. 



Thefe are the evil qualities of the land of Cuyo ; let us now mention the good ones. 

 The land is fo fertile, that in many things it exceeds even the richeft foil of Chile ; the 

 crops are better, the fruits larger, and of better tafle, by reafon of the great heat, 

 which ripens them more : there is good flore of corn, wine, flefh, all forts of fruits, 

 roots, and herbs of Europe ; as alfo great quantities of olive-yards and almond-grounds ; 

 fo that the only eflential difference between it and Chile, is the many venomous ani- 

 mals, and the thunders and rains in fummer ; though to make fome amends, if Chile 

 exceeds in fummer, Cuyo has the adv^antage in winter ; for though the cold is fharp, 

 yet it is not with fuch clouds, nor fuch fnow and rains, as in Chile ; but rather the 

 weather is ferene, and the fun beautiful and clear, without any dark weather, which 

 makes it very temperate. 



There i& no fea-filh in this province, it being very far from any fea ; but it has ponds, 

 which are called the ponds of Guanacache, where they catch gre^t quantities of trouts, 

 as they call them, which are very big, like the Savalos of Seville, but much better 

 without comparifon ; for they have no fmall bones, and are of a higher relifh, and a very 

 healthy food. 



Befides the fruits of Europe, this country has feveral very good of its own. The 

 firft is called Chanales, which are like filberts or fmall nuts; only the difference is, 

 that that which is to be eaten is not within, but on the outfide of the fhell : the other 

 is the Algaroba, of which they make bread fo fweet, that it naufeates thofe who are 

 not ufed to it. All Tucuman, as far as Buenos Ayres and Paraguay,' are provided 

 from hence with figs, pomegranates, dried peaches, and dried grapes, apples, oil, and 

 excellent wine, of which they have abundance, which they carry over thofe vafl plains 

 called the Pampas, (where for many leagues together there is not a tree, nor a flone to 

 be found,) in large carts, fuch as they ufe here in Rome ; and they are a caravan of 

 them together, to defend themfelves fromjj certain Indians, who are enemies, and 

 often attack them by the way. 



Some years ago, they began to difcover here rich mines of filver, the fame of which 

 drew people from Potofi when I left Chile, becaufe they were reputed to be richer, and 

 of more profit than thofe of Potofi, all provifions being more abounding and cheaper 

 too. Thefe mines were alfo faid to be in a plain country, where carts might come eafily. 

 They write me word likevdfe, that there have fmce been difcovered gold mines of a 

 prodigious richnefs. It is true, indeed, that in this matter of mines, there is a great 

 difference between the aflaying them in little parcels, or in great ones ; for often the 

 ore that promifes much, yields but little, when the affay comes to be made in great. 

 This is a common obfervation in mines ; and if thefe of Cuyo do not prove extraor- 

 dinary rich, there will hardly come any people from abroad to them, particularly from 

 Chile, where they have already fo many and good ones, of fuch a known profit, and 

 yet they do not work them, the people being more profitably employed in hufbandry, 

 which turns to greater account. 



I will give here an extra£l of a letter which I received in Rome this year from father 

 Juan del P090 of our company, a perfon of great piety, and worthy of credit, who is 

 at prefent in the college of Mendo9a, the chief of all thofe of the province of Cuyo, 

 and it is thus : — '' The greatefl news here, is about the mines which are begun to be 

 difcovered, which if it holds as they relate, it will be the greatefl thing in the world : 



they 



