io6 ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



account, as not having made any flay in thofe parts ; neither am I in a place where I 

 can advantage myfelf of thofe relations, that others might give me ; and which may 

 ferve for larger hiftories than mine, I pretending only to brevity. Therefore let this 

 fuffice for an account of the fituatien, foil, heavens, proprieties, trees, plants, fruits, 

 metals, flocks, fountains, rivers, fea-fi{hes, and birds, in all the three parts or divifions 

 of the kingdom of Chile. Let us now fay a word of its inhabitants, the old Indians, 

 who have pofibfled it all formerly. 



BOOK III. 



OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM OF ^CHILfi, 



CHAP. I. — Of thefirfi that peopled Amerkay and their Antiquity, 



'T'HE knowledge of the firfl inhabitants of the kingdom of Chile, depends necelTarily 

 upon that of the firft inhabitants of America, which is not eafy to be made out» 

 If we fhould take the opinion of the Indian Guancas, near the valley of Xavia, they 

 would certainly aflirm, that which is a conftant tradition among the natives of Peru, 

 and before they had any knowledge of our faith, and is, that many years before there 

 were Ingas, who were the kings of thofe parts, the country being very populous, there 

 was a great deluge : (thus far it is well. J But then they add, that in the hollow rocks 

 of the higheft mountains, there remained fome alive, who returned and peopled the 

 earth afrefli ; and the fame tradition is received by the Indians of Quito in Collao. If 

 this were fo, the Indians of Chile might lay claim to the new peopling of America ; 

 for if any, their mountains were moll capable of refilling the deluge, they being the 

 higheft that are yet difcovered. There are other Indian mountaineers, who are lefs 

 miftaken ; for they affirm, that none could' be faved in the mountains, becaufe they 

 were all covered with water ; but that fix were faved in a float they made. If they had 

 laid eight, they would have hit upon the number which the apoftle St. Peter fays 

 efcaped with Noah in the ark which he built. 



Antonio de Herrera, in the third tome of the General Hiflory of the Indians, ex- 

 cufes thefe errors of the Indians, faying, it was probable there was fome particular 

 deluge in thofe parts, to which they might allude, becaufe all the nations of that 

 world are agreed in this tradition. The true and natural excufe is, that thefe poor 

 wretches have not had the good fortune to fee the chapter of Exodus, where they 

 would have been undeceived ; for there it is faid, that '' out of the ark of Noah there 

 was not left any living thing upon the earth, and that the water was fifteen cubits 

 over the tops of the higheft mountains. " Th^;Other Indians, who talk of the fix 

 men faved on the float, may have had fome tradition from their forefathers, who were 

 nearer the time of Noah, about the ark j and as they are a people who have no 

 books, becaufe they cannot read, whatfoever they might learn from their anceftors,^ 

 and retain in their memories, might by degrees be loft, or diminiflied ; and fo the 

 defcendants came to have the tale of the float and the fix perfons, not examining how 



