e64 OLLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



Guaura begins. The town is populous, and many of its inhabitants Spaniards, though 

 the houfes do not exceed fixty or feventy. The fame day we reached Guaura, which 

 from Guamanmayo makes a diftance of nine leagues. 



This town confiils only of one fmgle ftreet, about a quarter of a league in length, and 

 contains about one hundred and fifty or two hundred houfes, fome of which are of 

 bricks, others of baxareques, befides a few Indian huts. 



This town has a pariih church, and a convent of Francifcans. Near it you pafs by 

 a plantation, extending above a league on each fide of the road, which is every where 

 extremely delightful ; the country eallward, as far as the eye can reach, being covered 

 with fugar canes, and weftward divided into fields of corn, maize, and other fpecies 

 of grain. Nor are thefe elegant improvements confined to the neighbourhood of the 

 town, but the whole valley, which is very large, makes the fame beautiful appearance. 

 At the fouth end of the town of Guaura, ftands a large tower, with a gate, and 

 over it a kind of redoubt. This tower is erected before a ftone bridge, under which 

 runs Guaura river ; and fo near to the town that it walhes the foundations of the houfes, 

 but without any damage, being a rock. From the river is a fuburb which extends 

 above half a league, but the houfes are not contiguous to each other ; and the groves 

 and gardens with which they are intermixed, render the road very pleafant. By a folar 

 obfervation, we found the latitude of Guaura to be n" 3' 36" fouth. The Iky is clear, 

 and the temperature of the air healthy and regular. For though it is not without a 

 fenfible difference in the feafons, yet the cold of the winter, and the heats of fummer, 

 are both eafily fupportable. 



In proceeding on our journey from Guarmey we met with a great many remains of 

 the edifices of the Yncas. Some were the walls of palaces ; others, as it were large 

 dykes by the fides of fpacious high-ways ; and others fortreifes, or caflles, properly 

 fituated for checking the inroads of enemies. One of the latter monuments ftands 

 about two or three leagues north of Pativirca, not far from a river. It is the ruins of 

 a fort, and fituated on the top of an eminence at a fmall diftance from the fea j but 

 the veftiges only of the walls are now remaining. 



From Guaura we came to the town of Chancay ; and though the diftance between 

 this is reckoned only twelve leagues, we concluded, by the time we v/ere travelling, 

 it to be at leaft fourteen. From an obfervation we found its latitude 11° 33' 47'' S. The 

 town confifts of about three hundred houfes, and Indian huts ; is very populous, and 

 among other inhabitants can boaft of many Spanifti families, and fome of diftinguilhed 

 rank. Befides its parifti church, here is a convent of the order of St. Francis, and 

 an hofpital chiefly fupported by the benevolence of the inhabitants. It is the capital 

 of the jurifdidion of its name, and belongs to that of Guaura. The corregidor, whofe 

 ufual refidence is at Chancay, appoints a deputy for Guaura. The adjacent country 

 is naturally very fertile, and every where well watered by canals cut from the river 

 Paffamayo, which runs about a league and a half to the fouthward of the town. 

 Thefe parts are every where fowed with maize, for the purpofe of fattening hogs, in 

 which article is carried on a very confiderable trade 5 the city of Lima being furniflied 

 from hence. 



We left Chancay the 1 7th ; and after travelling a league beyond the river Paffamayo, 

 which we forded, arrived at the tambo of the fame name, fituated at the foot of a 

 mountain of fand, exceeding troublefome, both on account of its length, fteepnefs, and 

 difliiculty in^alking j fo that it is generally paffed in the night, the foil not being then 

 fo fatiguing. 



From 



