ovalle's historical relation of chile. 109 



x\mongll other precious pieces of gold work, authors make particular mention,' 

 and admire with reafon, that chain which the king Guaynacapa, the eleventh king of 

 Peru, caufed to be made at the birth of his fon Guafcar., who was to inherit his crown, 

 for each link of it was as big as the wrift of a man, (as is reported by GareilalTo de 

 la Vega, who had it from an uncle of his, an Inga alfo, who told him, when he alked 

 the bignefs, as big as this, fhewing his wrift,) and as long as twice the length of the 

 great place of Cufco, which in all might be about feven hundred feet long. And the 

 condator, Auguftin de Varate, in his firft book, chap. 14. treating of the incredible 

 riches of that Inga, fays thefe words : " Guaynacapa at the birth of his fon, caufed 

 a great cable of gold to be made (as is attefted by feveral Indians now alive) of fo much 

 weight, that two hundred Indians could but jufl lift it up from the ground ; for me- 

 mory of which they gave the name of Guafcar Inga to the new-born prince ; for 

 Guafca fignifies a cable ; and the firname of Inga was added, as that of Auguftus to 

 the Roman emperors. " Thus far this author : but this name, or word Guafca, not 

 being fo decent in its fignification for a prince, they added the r to it, and neverthelefs 

 eternized the memory of that rich chain. 



The chiefeft motive the king had to order this chain to be made, was, that the 

 dances which were to be made at his birth, might be more folemn and worthy of his 

 royal perfon ; becaufe the manner of dancing of the Indians, is to take one another 

 by the hands, and make a circle : and fo moving two fteps forward, and one back- 

 ward, draw clofer and clofer to the king, to make their obeifances ; and the king 

 caufed this chain to be made, for them to take hold of, inftead of taking hold of 

 one another. 



A great proof likewife of this antiquity of the empire of Peru, is thofe two high- 

 ways mentioned by Herrera ; for being of that vaft length, and worked with all thofe 

 conveniences for travellers, they could not be made but by length , of time, and with 

 a long continued labour. This is what I find of the antiquity of the firft inhabitants 

 of America, in which we may comprehend the Indians of Chile. 



CHAP. II. — Of the great Courage and Boldnefs of the Indians of Chile, 



THE Indians of Chile are- famed by all who have writ of them, for the boldeft and 

 moft valiant warriors of all the vaft extent of the new world : it were to be wifhed 

 by us, that this had not been confirmed by woful experience, for then the kingdom 

 of Chile would have been one of the moft flouriftiing kingdoms of the Indies, without 

 the continual wars which it has maintained for about an hundred years, without ever 

 ceafmg, or laying down its arms. This is the more confiderable, if we refledt, that 

 the Spaniards having fubjeded, in fo little a time, thofe vaft empires of Mexico and 

 Peru, have neverthelefs not been able, in fo great a time, to conquer the Indians of 

 Chile, fons of the great Cordillera, from whofe rocks they feem to borrow their 

 untameable ftrength and fiercenefs. Except we fliould fay with Friar Gregory of 

 Leon, that this bravery comes from the fertility of the earth, which, as he fays, and 

 is true, does not need any thing from abroad. To which he adds, the birth of thefe 

 people, who all their life tread upon fo much gold, and drink the water which runs f^^ 

 over thefe rich minerals, by which they participate of its good and generous qualities, 

 as it is obferved of thofe who live at Potofi, near that vaft mountain of filver, who 

 are fo ftout and haughty, as has appeared in the many revolutions that have happened 

 there. Let this be as it will, all authors agree, that they are the top nation of America, 



though 



