ify*^* 



468 ULLOa's voyage to SOtJTH AMERICA. 



From what has been faid, it Is evident that neither this, nor the preceding jurifdiclion^ 

 has any general temperature, the degree of cold and heat depending on the fituation ; 

 and that to this difference is owing the delightful, and even profitable variety of all 

 kinds of fruits and grains, each finding here a temperature agreeable to its nature. 

 Accordingly, in travelling only half a day, you pafs from a climate where the heat 

 fufficiently indicates that you are in the torrid zone, to another where you feel all the 

 horrors of winter. And what is ftill more fingular, and may be efteemed an advan- 

 tage, no change occurs during the whole year j the temperate parts never feeling the 

 viciflitudes of cold and heat. This, however, mufl be allowed not to hold preclfely 

 with regard to the mountainous parts, the coldnefs of which is encreafed by the violence 

 of the winds, or a change of weather, called tiempo de paramos, when the clouds 

 involve the greateft part of thefe mountains, and precipitate themfelves in a fleet ; at 

 wl]ich time the cold becomes Intolerable : and on the other hand, when thofe frigorific 

 clouds are difperfed, and the wind allayed, fo that the rays of the fun reach the earth, 

 they feel the comfortable heat of his cheering beams. 



Moft of thefe villages are built with very little regularity. The principal part of them 

 is the church and parfonage, which they call the convent, from the priefts being all 

 formerly religious. Thefe ftru£tures have fome appearance of decency : but the other 

 parts of the village confift of a number of huts with mud walls, fcattered all over the 

 country, where every one has his fpot of ground, which he tills for his fubfiftence. A 

 great part, and in fome villages the whole of the inhabitants are Indians, who live there 

 when out of place ; though in fome parts the Inhabitants are Meftlzos, and here and 

 there a, Spanilh family ; but thefe are extremely poor. 



IV. The firft jurifdicllon to the fouthward of that of Quito, is the affiento of Lata- 

 cunga. The word Afliento implies a place lefs than a town, but larger than a village. 

 This place Hands in a wide plain, having on the eall fide the eaftern Cordillera of the 

 Andes, from whence projefts a very high mountain, and at a fmall diflance from its 

 foot is fituated Latacunga, in 0° 55' 14" 30"', fouth latitude. On the weft fide of it 

 is a river, which, though fometimes fordable, on an increafe of the waters muft be 

 paffed over by the bridge. This afliento is large and regular ; the ftreets broad and 

 ftraight ; the houfes of ftone, arched, and well contrived : but on account of the dan- 

 gerous confequences fo often refultlng from earthquakes, without any ftory. This 

 precaution the inhabitants were taught by a dreadful deftru6tion of all the buildings, 

 on the 20th of June 1698. This terrible concuflion was general all over the province 

 of Quito ; and its effects, as we fliall fliow in the fequel, in many other places, equally 

 melancholy. Out of fix hundred ftone houfes, the number of which this affiento then 

 confifted, only a part of one, and the church of the Jefults, were left ftanding ; and even 

 thefe were fo greatly damaged, that there was a neceflity for pulling them down. But 

 the greateft misfortune was, that moft of the inhabitants were burled under their ruins, 

 the earthquake beginning at one in the morning, a time of general filence and fecurlty, 

 and continuing its concufllons, at Ihort intervals, the greateft part of the day. 



The ftone of which the houfes and churches are built, is a kind of pumice, or 

 fporigy ftone, ejefted from volcanoes, inexhauftible quarries of It being found in the 

 neighbourhood. It is fo light that it will fwim in water, and from its great porofity 

 the lime cements the different pieces very ftrongly together ; whence, and from their 

 lownefs, the houfes are now enabled to fupport themfelves during a concuffion, much 

 better than before the earthquake, when few were without a ftory j and If they ftiould 

 be unfortunately thrown down, the crufli in all probability would be much lefs fatal. 



8 The 



