63 « ulloa's voyage to south America. 



empire, being under an indifpenfable obligation of vifiting it once a year, and offering 

 fome gift. Accordingly they always brought, in proportion to their zeal or ability, 

 gold, filver, or jewels. This immenfe mafs of riches, the Indians, on feeing the 

 rapacious violence of the Spaniards, are thought to have thrown into the lake ; as it 

 is certainly known, they did with regard to a great part of thofe at Cufco, among 

 which was the famous golden chain made by order of the Ynca Huayna Capac, to 

 celebrate the feftival of giving name to his eldeft fon. But thefe valuable effefts were 

 thrown into another lake, fix leagues fouth of Cufco, in the valley of Orcos ; and 

 though numbers of Spaniards, animated with the flattering hopes of fuch immenfe 

 treafures, made frequent attempts to recover them, the great depth of the water, and 

 the bottom being covered with flime and mud, rendered all their endeavours abortive. 

 For notwithftanding the circuit is not above half a league, yet the depth of water is in 

 mofl places not lefs than twenty-three or twenty-four fathoms. 



Towards the fouth part of the lake Titi-caca, the banks approach each other, fo as 

 to form a kind of bay, which terminates in a river called El Defaguadero, or the 

 drain, and afterwards forms the lake of Paria, which has no vifible outlet ; but the 

 many whirlpools fufficiently indicate that the water ifliies by a fubterraneous paflage. 

 Over the river Defaguadero is ftill remaining the bridge of rufhes, invented by Capac 

 Yupanqui, the fifth Ynca, for tranfporting his army to the other fide, in order to 

 conquer the provinces of CoUafuyo. The Defaguadero is here between eighty and a 

 hundred yards in breadth, flowing with a very impetuous current under a fmooth, and, 

 as it were, a fleeping furface. The Ynca, to overcome this difficulty, ordered four 

 very large cables to be made of a kind of grafs which covers the lofty heaths and 

 mountains of that country, and called by the Indians ichu ; and thefe cables were 

 the foundation of the whole fl:ruQ:ure. Two of thefe being laid acrofs the water, 

 fafcines of dry juncia and totora, fpecies of ruflies, were fafliened together, and laid acrofs 

 them. On thefe the two other cables were laid, and again covered with the other 

 fafcines fecurely faflened, but fmaller than the firfl, and arranged in fuch a manner 

 as to form a level furface ; and by this means he procured a fafe pafl^age to his army. 

 This bridge, which is about five yards in breadth, and one and a half above the fur- 

 face of the water, is carefully repaired, or rebuilt every fix months, by the neigh- . 

 bouring provinces, in purfuance of a law made by that Ynca, and fince often con- 

 firmed by the Kings of Spain, on account of its prodigious ufe ; it being the channel of 

 -intercourfe between thofe provinces feparated by the Defaguadero. 



VI. The lafl: jurifdidion of this biflioprick is that of Paucar-Colla, whofe capital is 

 the town of Puno. Its jurifdidion fouth ward borders on that of Chucuito, and has 

 the fame temperature : confequently is obliged to have recourfe to other provinces for 

 the greateft part of its grain, and efculent vegetables ; but abounds in all kinds of 

 cattle, both of the European and American kinds. The Indians of the town weave 

 bags with their wool, and fell them to great advantage. The mountains in this pro- 

 vince contain feyeral filver mines, and among the refl; the famous Laycacota, which 

 formerly belonged to Jofeph Salcedo, and where the metal was often cut out of the 

 mine with a chiflel ; but its prodigious richnefs accelerated the death of its owner, 

 fbon after which the waters broke into it ; nor has any labour and expence been able 

 to drain it, fo that it is at prefent abandoned. Few of the refl: are worked,^ the general 

 cafe with almofl: all the filver-mines in this audience, efpecially of thofe in the arch^ 

 biihopric qi Charcas, and this diocefe of La Pa;s, 



^ II. Biftiopric 



