312 



TOPOGRAPHY. 



de Fuentes, a native of Andalusia, on whom he conferred the 

 title of captain-general and president of justice, allowing him 

 a retinue of fifty men. This title bears date in the city of la 

 Plata, whither his excellency had proceeded to prosecute the 

 general visitation he had undertaken, the 2 2d day of January^ 

 1574; and the urgency of the measures that were adopted, 

 may be estimated by the tenour of the clauses, which provided, 

 that on the 28th of the same month, or sooner if possible, the 

 expedition should set out. 



Fuentes, who was justly considered as the Hernan Cortes of 

 that part of South America, did not lose any time in devising 

 the means of peopling the above vallies, to the end that they 

 might serve as a barrier, and afford security to the roads of 

 Peru, and to the bordering provinces. This man, who was 

 certainly deserving of greater celebrity than he acquired, and 

 of a better fate than the one which attended him, commenced 

 his proje6l by the adoption of measures that ought to have 

 served, and should still serve as a rule to all conquerors, 

 occupied the principal valley, ere6ted and peopled the city 

 which is the capital of that distri6t, and thence made war 

 against the Indians. As soon as he had driven them to a con- 

 venient distance, he formed other settlements, such as Cha- 

 raja, Concepcion, &c. until he had, by this method, succeeded 

 in conquering and peopling, at one and the same time, an 

 extent of fifty leagues of that abundant and fertile territory ; 

 and until the odious name of Chirihuano was not heard in 

 Peru, except by the reports from Tarija. 



For the sake of humanity, it were to be wished that a cir- 

 cumstance which is painful to relate, and which shews the 

 want of gratitude in the human heart, could be passed over 



in 



