ii8 ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



of this kind could ever prevail upon them, though born and bred among the Spanifh 

 women ; and to talk to them of it, even to thofe among them who love to be fine, 

 would be like giving them a cut over the face, fo great a horror they have for any 

 '^•ST^iV thing that is fo very contrary to their ancient cuftoms. They wear nothing on their 

 heads, but their hair plaited behind their Ihoulders, and divided handfomely upon their 

 forehead over their eye-brows, and have locks which cover part of their cheeks ; fo 

 their face is handfomely and fimply adorned, without any artifice. When they go 

 abroad, they put upon their fhoulders another half mantle, fquare, and faftened before 

 with a bodkin, or crotchet, which anfwers the two others on the fhoulders ; and thus 

 they go abroad with their eyes fixed upon the ground ; for they are naturally very 

 modefl honeft women. 



This manner of cloathing themfelves, with fo much fimplicity and plainnefs, as well 

 in the women as the men, with fo little pride and vanity in their houfes, does not much 

 encourage artificers, who have little to do ; and by that means there are the more men 

 of war, which is the thing in which thefe men place their honour and felicity, as other 

 nations do in the fumptuoufnefs of palaces and furniture, or in other riches and emi- 

 nences, either of arts or learning : of all which thefe Indians never had any notion ; 

 and yet they-ream them eafily, when they are taught them, and to a great perfedion. 

 They can neither read nor write among themfelves ; but as to their way of remembering 

 and keeping account, they have their Quipoes, which is a fort of firings of different 

 bignefs, in which they make knots of feveral colours, by which they remember, and 

 ' can give an account of things committed to their charge. With thefe they will give 

 an account of a great flock, and tell which hav^e died of ficknefs, or other accidents, 

 and which have been fpent in the family, and for the ihepherds ; and they will tell 

 every particular that happened in fuch and fuch occafions, and of what they did and 

 faid. When they. go to confefs, thefe Quipoes ferve them to remember their fins, and 

 tell them with diftindion and clearnefs : they have befides excellent memories of their 

 own, and do remember things of very ancient date, jufl as if they had happened but a 

 little while before ; and when they begin to talk them over, (which happens generally 

 when they drink, and begin to be warmed with wine,J it is wonderful how they will 

 repeat things pafl, with all their circumftances, and particularly affronts and injuries 

 that have been done them, or their anceftors, refrefhing the memory of things that 

 feemed to be quite forgotten. For proof of the care they take to keep the memory 

 of remarkable pafTages, I muft relate here what I learned from Father Diego Torres 

 Bollo, a very extraordinary man, both for holinefs of life, and fkill in government. 



This great man returning from Rome (whither he had been fent as procurator of 

 the province of Peru) to found the province of Quito, he faw in a place where four 

 ways met, an Indian, who, to the found of a drum, was fmging a great many things 

 all alone in his own tongue : the father called one in his company, who underftood it, 

 and afked him what that Indian meant by that adion ; who told the father that that 

 ^,,,^,' Indian was, as it were, the regifter of that country, who, to keep up the memory of 

 what had paffed in it from the deluge to that time, was bound every holiday to repeat 

 it by the found of a drum, and fmging, as he was then doing. He was moreover 

 obliged to inftrucl others in the fame way, that there might be a fucceflion of men to 

 do the fame thing after he was gone ; and that which he at this time is fmging is, 

 that in fuch a year there had been there a white man called Thomas, who did great 

 wonders, preaching a new law, which in time was lofl and forgotten, &c. And thus 

 we may fee the manner by which the Indians fupply the want of books and 

 writing. 



The 



