I 



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300 



A M E %I C A. 



Chap. IX. 





Tonionttac. 



Ktv* Gra- 

 nada a Pro- 

 vince of Nor- 

 thern America 



% 





Its Dtfcrip- 

 tion. 



I 





TOntonteac is mention'd by fo few, and by thofe few fo obfeurely, that it can- 

 not well be determin'd to be any other than that Countrey which lies about 

 the great Lake Tonteac , above fpoken of in Qbola, and which being made Habitable 

 by fix or feven Towns notinconfiderable for Habitations of native Indians, might 

 haply pafs for a diftinct Province. And perhaps the reafon why this Province hath 

 been fo obfeure, and little taken notice of, might be from the ruine of thefe Towns 

 by War, or fome other Accident : and to thispurpofe are the words of a late Wri- 

 ter, T/;efVoV/7/ceo/~Tontonteac (faith he) hath five Houfes onely left, which ft and on the 

 Shore of a fait Lake. 



^'T0va Granada, befides that it is a generally known and defcrib'd Province of 

 ^1 Southern America, is alfo nam'd amongft the Provinces of Northern Jmtrica, 

 particularly by fBertius, Cluverius, and Golnit2JM, and in fome late Maps of America fo 

 confpicuoufly fpecifi'd, that it might appear to be all that Tract of Land which 

 contains both ijfto Mexico and the feveral Provinces adjoyning to it • but fince we 

 find it not defcrib'd by any at large, it will with moft verifimility pafs for that 

 part of New Mexico where ftands the City of St. Foy . and this is moft plainly exprefs'd 

 by Monfieur Martini, though there are who confound Cibola with New Granada. Wa- 

 ving which Decifion, we fhall onely infert a fliort Defcription of the Place, accor- 

 ding to Qornato, who feems to have been one of the firft Difcoverers of thefe Parts, 

 and whofc Credit is preferred before that oi Marcus de Nt%a. 



Nova Granada (faith he) confifts of feven Villages, built in the circumference of 

 four Leagues, the chiefeft whereof boafts two hundred Hoiiies, which for the moft 

 part are four or five Stories high, and built of Stone ; the Cellars thereto belong- 

 ing, being neatly Pav'd, ferve for Stoves againft the Cold : they afcend to their 

 upper Rooms by Ladders. The Inhabitants go naked, onely fome Covering about 

 their Middle, and over their Shoulders Cotton Cloaks, painted with divers Co* 

 lours. They live on Maizj white Peafe, Hares, Rabbets, and Venifon : their Salt 

 wherewith they feafonthe fame, they fetch from a neighboring Lake. The Tur- 

 kies, which they have in great numbers, are kill'd onely for their Feathers, not- 

 withftanding their Flefli is exceeding good Meat. The Soil is for the moft part 

 plain, yet hath fome high Mountains . and the Paftures flourifh with Grafs. The 

 Woods abound with Bears, Tygers, Lyons, wild Hogs, Rhinocerots, and the like 

 ravenous Beafts, which make the Ways dangerous for Travellers. Befides large 

 Deer, there are alfo Sheep, which in bignefs may compare with Horfes, having ex- 

 ceeding great Horns, and little Tails. 



Concerning the abundance of Turko'fes, of which Ni%a makes mention, Cornato 

 could give no certain account, becaufe a little before his Arrival the Granadtam had 

 convey'd their Children, which were under fifteen, and the aged People, who were 

 above fixty years of age, with their chiefeft Goods, into remote places. However, 

 it is not unknown, that this Countrey affords Turfoifes ; for Cornato in his Journey 

 to Quivira, Befieg'd a City in thefe Parts near a great River . the Inhabitants 

 whereof, when they were not able to defend themfelves any longer, throwing their 

 Cloaks, Turkoifes,and other Riches into the Fire, Sallied out upon the Spaniards, and 

 died aot altogether unreveng'd, as fhall be fpecifi'd more at large in the Defcription 

 of Tignes, which being nam'd among the Towns of QuiVira, will upon the compa- 

 ring of Circumftances,be apparently found to be the fame with this. 



Laftly, NLew Granadahsiih no Fruit-Trees, but little Cedars fit for Building. 



CHAP. 



