52 



SAN MATEO. 



chupe. The productions of the country are maize, alfalfa, and potatoes — 

 the maize very indifferent ; but the potatoes, though generally small, 

 are very fine, particularly the yellow ones. We saw here, for the first 

 time, a vegetable of the potato kind called Oca. It resembles in 

 appearance the Jerusalem artichoke, though longer and slimmer ; and 

 boiled or roasted it is very agreeable to the taste. Richards compared 

 its flavor to that of green corn ; I suggested pumpkin, and he allowed 

 that it was between the two. We also saw another vegetable of the 

 same species, called Ulluca. This was more glutinous, and not so 

 pleasant to the taste. Gibbon shot a pair of beautiful small wild 

 ducks that were gambolling in the stream and shooting the rapids 

 with the speed of an arrow. 



May 26. — Started at eleven, and passed the village of Matucana, a 

 mile from Moyoc. This appears about the size of Surco, and is the 

 capital of the province, (still Huarochiri.) The Guia de Forasteros 

 states the number of its inhabitants at one thousand three hundred and 

 thirty -seven ; but this is manifestly too great, and I believe that the 

 statements of this book concerning populations are made with regard 

 to the district in which a village is situated, or the doctrina or ecclesias- 

 tical division of which the Cura has charge. Service was going on in 

 the church, and Gibbon and Richards, who were far ahead, had time 

 to go in and say their prayers. 



The river is now reduced to a mountain torrent, raging in foam over 

 the debris of the porphyritic cliffs, which overhang its bed for hundreds 

 of feet in height. The valley still occasionally widens out and gives 

 room for a little cultivation. Where this is the case it is generally 

 bounded on one side or the other by cliffs of sandstone, in which 

 innumerable parrots have perforated holes for nests ; and the road at 

 these places lies broad and level at their base. We crossed the river 

 frequently on such bridges as I have described at San Pedro Mama, and 

 arrived at San Mateo at half-past 5 p. m., having travelled only 

 twelve miles. The barometer shows a much greater ascent than we 

 have yet made in one day's travel. We pitched in an old and aban- 

 doned alfalfa field above the town, and got supper from the postmaster. 



May 27. — San Mateo, a village about the size of Surco and 

 Matucana, is situated on both sides of the Rimac, and at an elevation 

 of ten thousand two hundred feet above the level of the sea. The men 

 work the chacras of maize, potatoes, and beans ; and the women do all 

 the household work, besides carrying their meals to the workmen on 

 the farms, over hills that would make a lazy man shudder even to look 



