EL BRONCE DE PETORCA. 



205 



large a proportion of it is incapable of irrigation, 

 that its population must hereafter be infinitely less 

 than that of the Pampas, although at present it 

 very much exceeds it. 



On getting into the small town of Aconcagua, 

 the church of which is in ruins, and almost every 

 house cracked by earthquakes, we found the same 

 sort of festivities which we had joined the evening 

 before, but they were less interesting, because they 

 were more formal. The Plaza (square) was covered 

 with sheds, in which were people dancing, and 

 when we rode up to the fonda, or inn, we saw 

 the yard filled with people, sitting in bowers made 

 of branches of trees, with others dancing or 

 drinking. 



We were eating our dinner at a small table in 

 the yard, when a person came up and offered us a 

 room at his house, and in the evening he came to 

 take us to it. When he unlocked the door, which 

 was on the ground-floor, we found the room filled 

 with sacks of Indian corn, hides, rubbish of all 

 sorts, and swarming with fleas ; however, we made 

 room, and slept there, and in the morning, after 

 thanking the man for his lodging, we breakfasted 



