ovalle'^s historical relation of chile. tx>^, 



they are of gold, which is feen among the filver ore : there are come very underfland-- 

 ing miners from Potofi, who cannot give <piver commending them. There come people: a.^ 

 from St. Jago to work them, and Captain Loren90 Soares is named for Alcalde Mayor ^^ 

 of \hefe mines.*'] There ?re others who write the fame thing ; and there is no doubt 

 to be made, but that if they can have people, that country will be one of the richeft of 

 all the Indies ; for its great fertility wants nothing but people to cultivate and confume 

 its produQ. This will make the three cities of that province, which are that of Mendo9a, 

 that of St. Juan, and that of St. Luis of Loiola, increafe mightily, which fince their firfl 

 foundation have been at a ftand, by reafon of the neighbourhood of Chile, which has kept 

 them down ; many of the firfl inhabitants of Cuyo having left it to go to Chile, as being 

 more temperate, and more abounding with the conveniences of life ; for the fame reafon 

 that we fee in other parts mofl people flock to the capitals of a kingdom, as is evident 

 in Naples and other great cities. But if the Spanifh inhabitants increafe as they have 

 done hitherto, there will be enoiigh for all thefe parts; and already fome of St. Jago 

 have fettled, and married at St. Juan and Mendo9a ; neither can it be otherwifoi, for 

 the people of Chile are beginning to be fo flraightened, that they cannot hav-e all the 

 conveniences of being at large, and fo are forced to feek them abroad. 



And it is mofl certain, that the conveniencies of this province are very great ; and 

 their not appearing fo, is owing only to their neighbourhood to Chile, in coraparifon of 

 which thefe countries appear a place of banifhment, and is looked upon as the mofl 

 rigorous that can be given any one in Chile ; becaufe to fay trurh, the diflerence is 

 very great, confidering the proprieties of each place ; but if we confider Cuyo, without 

 comparing it, it is not only a good place, but furpaffes many others, where neverthelels 

 the inhabitants think themfelves very happy, though wanting the abundance of Cuyo^ 

 where the flefh is very fubflantial and favoury, and great abundance of game, as 

 alfo of pork, turkeys, ducks, hens, and other tame fowl. 



The wines are very generous, and of fo much ilrength, that though they be carried 

 three or four hundred leagues over thofe plains, and the intolerable heat of the Pampas, 

 and that by oxen, yet they come good to Buenos Ayres and other places, and are 

 preferved with the fame facility, as long as one pleafes, without fpbiling ; and they are 

 in fuch quantity, that all the provinces round are fupplied with them, nay, as far 

 as Paraguay, which is three or four hundred leagues more. The bread is excellent, fo 

 is the oil, and all forts of legumes and gardening ; the fifh better than the fea-fifh ; 

 the flax and. hemp as good as that of Chile; the materials for tanning very good ;- 

 and, in fhort, it has all neceffaries for life, with as much advantage as any other 

 country. 



This being thus, and even more than I relate, what is there wanting to this land, o¥ 

 what are its blots ? punaifes, thunder, lightning, hail. And what other country has 

 not fome of thefe? Shall we fay, becaufe God has exempted Chile by a fmgula? 

 providence from thefe things, that therefore Cuyo is an ill country ? No, for then we 

 mufl condemn mofl countries where thefe afflifting circumflances are found. And though 

 it mufl be owned, that in the fummer the heats are great, yet they do not exceed thofe 

 of Tucaman, Buenos Ayres, and Paraguay ; and they are inferior to thofe of Brafil, and 

 thofe of Carajas, Carthagena, Puerto Bello, and Panama, as I myfelf have experienced in. 

 fome of thofe places. And thefe parts of Cuyo have fome amends made them from 

 the neighbourhood of the fnow; for the city of Mendo9a is not above a league from 

 the Cordillera, which is full of it ; and likewife the good qualities of the air do fome- 

 thing moderate the heat ; for it is fo healthy, that it never hurts any body by being in 



It 



