tJLLOA S VOYAGE TO SOUTPI AMliUICA. 44 1 



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laft king of Quito ; and being extremely fond of him, on account of his many amiable 

 qualities and accomplifhments^ in order to procure him an honourable fettlement, pre- 

 vailed on his legitimate and eldefl fon Huafcar to allow him to hold the kingdom of 

 Quito as a fief of the empire ; it being an invariable law, that all conquefts were to be 

 perpetually annexed to the empire, and not alienated from it on any account whatever. 

 Thus Hueyna-Capac enjoyed the fatisfa6iion of feeing his favourite a fovereign of large 

 dominions. But on the death of his father, this prince, of whom fuch great hopes had 

 been conceived, ungratefully rebelled, feized on the empire, imprifoned his brother, 

 and foon after put him to a violent death. His profperity was, however, but of Ihort 

 continuance ; for he fuftered the fame fate by order of Don Francifco Pizarro, who had 

 fent Sebaftian de Belalcazar to make a conqueil of the kingdom of Quito. He routed 

 the Indians wherever they ventured to face him ; and having foon, by a feries of vic- 

 tories, made himfelf mafter of the kingdom, and in the year 1534, rebuilt the capital, 

 which had fuffered extremely from intefline commotions, called it San Francifco de 

 Quito, a name it ftill retains, though it was not till feven years after that the title of 

 city was conferred upon it. 



We found, from accurate obfervations, that the city of Quito is fituated in the lati- 

 tude of o^ 13' 33'' fouth, and in 298^ 15' 45" of longitude from the meridian of Te- 

 neriffe. It ftands in the inland parts of the continent of South America, and on the 

 eallern Ikirts of the Weil Cordillera of the Andes. Its diftance from the coaft of the 

 South Sea is about thirty-five leagues weft. Contiguous to it, on the north-weft, is 

 the mountain and defert of Pichincha, not lefs famous among ftrangers for its great 

 height, than among the natives for the great riches it has been imagined lO contain ever 

 fmce the times of idolatry ; and this only from a vague and unfupporled tradition. 

 The city is built on the acclivity of that mountain, and furrounded by others of a mid- 

 dling height, among the breaches, or guaycos, as they are called here, which form the 

 eminences of Pichincha. Some of thefe breaches are of a confiderable depth, and run 

 quite through it, fo that great part of the buildings ftand upon arches. This renders 

 the ftreets irregular and extremely uneven, fome being built on the afcents, defcents, 

 and fummits of the breaches. This city, with regard to magnitude, may be compared 

 to one of the fecond order in Europe ; but the unevennefs of its fituation is a great 

 difadvantage to its appearance. 



Near it are two fpacious plains ; one on the fouth called Turu-bamba, three leagues 

 in length ; and the other on the north, termed Inna-Quito, about two leagues in extent. ^ 

 Both are interfperfed with feats and cultivated lands, which greatly add to the profpedfc 

 from the city, being continually covered with a lively verdure, and the neighbouring 

 plains and hills always enamelled with flowers, there being here a perpetual fpring. 

 This fcene is beautifully diverfified with large numbers of cattle feeding on the eminen- 

 ces, though the luxuriancy of the foil is fuch, that they cannot confume all the 

 herbage. 



Thefe two plains contrad as they approach the city, and, at their junftion, form a X 

 neck of land, covered with thofe eminences on which part of Quito ftands. It may, 

 perhaps, appear flrange, that, notwithftanding two fuch beautiful and extenfive plains 

 are fo near the city, a fituation fo very inconvenient fhould be preferred to either. But 

 the firft founders feem to have had lefs regard for convenience and beauty, than for 

 preferving the remembrance of their conqueft, by building on the fite of the ancient 

 capital of the Indians, who made choice of fuch places for erefting their towns ; pro- 

 bably from their being better adapted to defence. Befides, the Spaniards, during the 

 infancy of their conqueft, little imagined this place would ever increafe to its prefent 

 magnitude. Quito, however, was formerly in a much more fiouriihing condition than 



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