3o6 AVOYAGETO Book VL 



walls, fcattered all over the country, where every one 

 has his fpot of ground, which he tills for his fubfift- 

 cnce. A great part, and in fome villages the whole, 

 of the inhabitants are Indians, who live there when 

 out of place : though in fome parts the inhabitants 

 are Meftizos, and here and there Spanifli family j 

 but thefe are extremely poor. 



IV. The firft jurifdidion to the fouthward of that 

 of Quito, is the Affiento Latacunga. The word Affi- 

 cnto implies a place lefs than a town, but larger than a 

 village. This place (lands in a wide plain, having on 

 the eaft fide the eaftern Cordillera of the Andes, from 

 whence proje6ts a very high mountain, and at a fmall 

 diftance from its foot is fituated Latacunga, in 55 

 min. 14 fee. 30 thirds, fouth latitude. On the weft 

 fide of it is a river, which, though fometimes fordable, 

 on any increafe of the waters, muft be pafled over the 

 bridge. This affiento is large and regular ; the ftreets 

 broad and ftraight ; the houfes of ftone, arched, and 

 well contrived : but, on account of the dangerous 

 confequences fo often refulting from earthquakes, 

 without any ftory. This precaution the inhabi- 

 tants were taught by a dreadful deftrudtion of all the 

 buildings, on the 20th of June, 1698. This terrible 

 concuffion was general all over the province of Quito ; 

 and its effeds, as we fhall fhew in the fequel, in many 

 other places, equally melancholy. Out of fix hun- 

 dred ftone houfes, the number of which this affiento 

 then confifted, only a part of one, and the church of 

 the Jefuits, were left ftanding ; and even thefe were fo 

 greatly damaged, that there was a neceffity for pulling 

 them down. But the greateft misfortune was, that 

 moft of the inhabitants were buried under their ruins, 

 the earthquake beginning at one in the morning, a 

 time of general filence and fecurity, and continued its 

 concuffions, at ftiort intervals, the greateft part of the 

 day. 



Th? 



