3ia A VOYAGE TO Book VI. 



This afliento (lands in the latitude of i° 41' 40'' 

 fouth, and 22' weft, of the city of Quito. In 1533, 

 it was an Indian town, of which Sebaftian de Belalcazar 

 having made himfelf maftcr, the following year marfhal 

 Diego de Almagro laid the foundation of the prefent 

 afliento. It ftands in a very large plain furrounded 

 by mountains ; particularly on the north fide, which is 

 bounded by Chimborazo, from the foot of which it is 

 at no great diftance. Ort the fouth fide is a lake, 

 called Colta, about a league in length and three quar- 

 ters of a league in breadth, where there are great num- 

 bers of wild geefe and gallaretas j and its banks co^ 

 vered with plantations. 



The principal fquare and fl:reets are very regular, 

 ftrait, and airy ^ the houfes of a light ftone, but fome- 

 thing heavier than the pumice made ufe of at La- 

 tacunga. Some, efpecially thofe in and near the 

 fquare, have a ftory but the others are univerfally 

 vvithout any, being built low on account of the earth- 

 quakes, which this place has often felt, particularly 

 that already mentioned of 1698, when many of its 

 houfes and public buildings were thrown down. The 

 Indians who inhabited this place, and all thofe to the 

 fouthward in this jurifdidion, before their converfion 

 to Chriftianity, were known by the name of Puruayes \ 

 and are to this day diftinguilhed from all the other In-; 

 dians in the whole province. 



Besides the great church, here is another called St^^ 

 Sebaftian, with convents of the fame orders as at Lar 

 tacunga, and a nunnery of the Conception ; contribu- 

 tions are ftill raifed for the ufe of the hofpital, though 

 it is in fp ruinous a condition as not ^o admit of pa-? 

 tients. 



On the weft fide of the afliento is a river cut intQ 

 fmall channels or trenches, for watering the adjacent 

 fields by which means they are rendered fo remark- 

 ably fertile, that they produce clover the whole year. 



The 



