ULLOA'S voyage to south AMERICA. 49 1 



and Macas the fouth, with the country of Camelos lying betwixt them. As their 

 fituation and other circumftances require that each fhould be treated diftindly, I fhall 

 begin with Quixos, which on the north lide borders on the jurifdidion of Popayan ; 

 eaflward it reaches to the river Aguarico, and weftward is feparated from the jurif- 

 didions of Quito, Latacunga, and the town of San Miguel de Ibarra, by the Cordilleras 

 of Cotopaxi and Cayamburo. The firfl difcovery of the country of Quixos is owing to 

 Gonzalo Diaz de Pineda, in the year 1536, who, among the officers fentfrom Popayan 

 by Sebaftian de Belalcazar, to trace the courfe of the river of Magdalena, and take a 

 furvey of the country adjacent to that which had been conquered, was appointed to 

 make difcoveries in thefe parts, which he performed with great care and difpatch ; and 

 finding it to abound in gold, and caffia trees, he returned to his commander ; and on 

 his report, Gonzalo Pizarro, in the year 1539, at that time governor of Quito, marched 

 to it with a defign of reconnoitring its whole extent, and making fettlements. But, 

 his expedition mifcarrying, the conqueft of this country, though from Pineda's report 

 very defirable, was fufpended till the year 1 549, when the Marquis de Canete, Viceroy 

 of Peru, gave a commiffion to Gil Ramirez Davalos, a man of undaunted courage 

 when intereft was in view, for reducing the Indians and making fettlements in the 

 country ; which he accordingly accomplifhed, and founded the town of Baeza, the 

 capital of the government, in the year 1559; and it was foon followed by other 

 towns and villages, ftill exifting ; but with very little improvement beyond their 

 firft ftate. 



The town of Baeza, though the moft ancient of the country, and long the refidence 

 of the governors, has always remained very fmall, which is owing to the building of 

 the two cities of Avila and Archidona, ftill fubfifting, and at that time the chief objedt 

 of the attention of the fettlers, Baeza being left as firft built ; and thefe, fo far from 

 having increafed fuitably to the title of cities, which was given them at their foundation, 

 remain on their firft footing. The caufe of the low ftate of the places here is the 

 nature of the country, which, in air, fertility, and other enjoyments of life, being 

 inferior to that of Quito, few fettle here who can live in the other. Baeza is indeed 

 extremely declined, confifting only of eight or nine thatched houfes, with about 

 twenty inhabitants of all ages, fo that from the capital it is become annexed to the 

 parifh of Papallada, in which town refides the prieft, who has befides under his care 

 another town called Mafpu. This decay was no more than a confequence of the re- 

 moval of the governor, who of late has refided at Archidona. 



The city of Archidona is a fmall place, lying in one degree and a few minutes fouth 

 of the equinodial, and about one degree fifty minutes eaft of the meridian of Quito, 

 The houfes are of wood, covered with ftraw, and the whole number of its inhabitants 

 is reckoned at betwixt 650 and 700, confifting of Spaniards, Indians, Meftizos, and 

 Mulattos ; it has only one prieft, under whofe care are alfo three other towns, called 

 Mifagualli, Tena, and Napo ; the laft receives its name from the river on the borders 

 of which it ftands ; and this fituation proved its ruin on the 30th of November 1744, 

 when, by the explofton of the Volcano, or Cotopaxi, of which a more particular ac- 

 count fhall be given in another place, this river became fo fwelled by the torrents of 

 melted fnow and ice, that it entirely bore down the town of Napo, and the houfes 

 were carried along by the impetuofity of the current. 



The city of Avila, but very much below that title, ftands on 0° 44" S. lat. and 

 near 2° 20" E. of Quito. It is fo much lefs than the former, that its inhabitants fcarce 

 amount to 300 of both fexes. Its houfes are built of the hvoff materials. It has alfo a 



,3 » 2 prieft. 



