206 JOURNEY TO THE GOLD MINE OF 



at the fonda, where we might have slept much 

 better. 



Early the next morning we started on our fresh 

 horses and mules, leaving the tired ones in a po- 

 trero, or field, and visited a silver-mine, which was 

 within a league of the town. We then pursued 

 our course over barren mountains, and at about 

 twelve o^clock in the day we reached the village 

 of Petorca, which consists of one long principal 

 street, with other short ones at right angles. 

 The church, like that at Aconcagua, was over- 

 turned by the earthquake of 1822, and the walls 

 of the houses were cracked and rent from top 

 to bottom. 



I had a letter of introduction to the principal 

 person, who was extremely polite, and was very 

 anxious that we should spend the evening with 

 him ; however, I at last prevailed upon him to get 

 us fresh mules, and about two o'*clock, after we had 

 nad some refreshment, we set off with him to visit 

 some trapiches and mills which had existed before 

 the earthquake. We found the roofs shaken from 

 two of the huts, and the rest tottering. The two 

 mills were so completely annihilated, that it was 



