60 Sketch of the Mine of Pasco. 



mandi y el gremio or, and the corporation of miners, they began to 

 make deeper excavations, and find the rich pavonine ores, the pol- 

 vorillas, and native silver, and while they were making the three 

 machines of Yaurichoca, St. Rosa, and Caya, there was considera- 

 ble profit, although they did not dig more than fifteen yards below 

 the excavation of St. Judas, where there ought to have been forty, 

 according to ■ the contract. The drain of the mines of the ridge was 

 made by an excavation, and a machine now totally in ruins. The 

 excavation begins from the Lake of St. Judas ; it has an opening of 

 about four hundred yards, and afterwards continues under ground ; 

 in Portachuelo, it divides into two branches, one of which goes to 

 Champianca, towards the East, and the other from Yaunancanca to 

 tlie North. The eastern branch runs along near the mines of Trini- 

 dad, Descubridora, St. Augustin, &;c. as far as the church of Champe- 

 marca ; the northern range, passes by St. Philip, Caya, and goes very 

 near the church of Yanachanca ; but in reality, the greater part pre- 

 cipitates into Chucarillo. The excavation is about two yards wide, 

 and two and a half high, its length is from twelve hundred to four- 

 teen hundred yards, to the portachuvelo ; this work has cost the 

 miners more than one hundred thousand dollars ; Don Viente, Ami- 

 visea y Don Bernado Cardenas, were promoters of it, in 1780, and 

 it was finished in 1800 5 but its branches continued to be worked 

 until the year 1807, by the Messrs. Maiz, Alverez, and Cordero. 

 Upon the excavation of St. Judas, is the sky-light of St. Rosa, which 

 has about forty yards to the excavation ; this has been dug by the 

 company, twenty yards below the surface of the excavation ; but on 

 account of the excessive hardness of the soil, in which twelve men 

 could only dig half a yard a mondi, they could not finish the forty 

 yards of contract, and were obliged to fill up six yards, and at twelve 

 they drew a rasgo for the mines near the Cumbrcera, of Yauricocha. 

 This rasgo is about a yard and a half wide in some places, in others 

 less, and about a yard and a quarter high. Owing to bad manage- 

 ment they lost four or five yards of its level, and for this reason the 

 waters do not reach the mine Descubridoria, or St. Augustin, he. 

 for some days. With this rasgo the rich mines of St. Catalina were 

 drained, but in proportion. The company of miners observing that 

 the excavation of the mineral was expensive, and that the excava- 

 tion was not sufficient, they took in hand that of Quinlachoca, which 

 has its origin in the lake of the same name. This all important 

 work, which will make the Peruvians happy, has met with a thou- 



