winsbip] TRANSLATION OF CASTANEDA 513 



this land of New Spain is part of the mainland with Pern, and with 

 Greater India or China as well, there not being any strait between to 

 separate thein. On the other hand, the country is so wide that there 

 is room for these vast deserts which lie between the two seas, for the 

 coast of the North sea beyond Florida stretches toward the Bacallaos 1 

 and then turns toward Norway, while that of the South sea turns 

 toward the west, making another bend down toward the south almost 

 like a bow and stretches away toward India, leaving room for the lands 

 that border on the mountains on both sides to stretch out in such a 

 way as to have between them these great plains which are full of cattle 

 and many other animals of different sorts, since they are not inhabited, 

 as I will relate farther on. There is every sort of game and fowl there, 

 but no snakes, for they are free 2 from these. I will leave the account 

 of the return of the army to New Spain until 1 have shown what slight 

 occasion there was for this. We will begin our account with the city 

 of Guliacau, and point out the differences between the one country and 

 the other, on account of which one ought to be settled by Spaniards 

 and the other not. It should be the reverse, however, with Christians, 

 since there are intelligent men in one, and in the other wild animals 

 and worse than beasts. 



Chapter 1, of the province of Culiacan arid of its habits and customs. 



Culiacan is the last place in the New Kingdom of Galicia, and was 

 the first settlement made by Nuiio de Guzman when he conquered this 

 kingdom. It is 210 leagues west of Mexico. In this province there are 

 three chief languages, besides other related dialects. The first is that 

 of the Tahus, who are the best and most intelligent race. They are 

 now the most settled and have received the most light from the faith. 

 They worship idols and make presents to the devil of their goods and 

 riches, consisting of cloth and turquoises. They do not eat human flesh 

 nor sacrifice it. They are accustomed to keep very large snakes, which 

 they venerate. Among them there are men dressed like women who 

 marry other men and serve as their wives. At a great festival they 

 consecrate the women who wish to live unmarried, with much singing 

 and dancing, 3 at which all the chiefs of the locality gather and dance 

 naked, and after all have danced with her they put her in a hut that 

 has been decorated for this event and the chiefs adorn her with clothes 

 and bracelets of tine turquoises, and then the chiefs go in one by one to 

 lie with her, and all the others who wish, follow them. From this time 

 on these women can not refuse anyone who pays them a certain amount 

 agreed on for this. Even if they take husbands, this does not exempt 

 them from obliging anyone who pays them. The greatest festivals are 

 on market days. The custom is for the husbands to buy the women 



* The Newfoundland region . 



2 Ternaux's rendering. Compare the Spanish text. 



'Compare the Spanish. Several words in the manuscript are not very clear. Ternaus omits them, 

 as usual. 



14 ETH 33 



