2O0 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC 



CHAPTER III. 



History of the founding- of Lima. 



Every circumstance connected with the founding of a new 

 empire is more or less interesting. It is curious to see the an- 

 ticipations of greatness, displayed by the founders, in the care 

 and exactness observed in the planting of great cities. Fran- 

 cisco PizARRO, the conqueror of Peru, looked forward, no 

 doubt, with feelings of exalted interest, to the day when the 

 City of Kings" should be as magnificent as its name portended. 

 And when he traced the streets and squares of the metropolis 

 of the empire he had won, he felt that his name would pass to 

 future ages with that of the city he planned. 



Where the capital should be placed was a question not has- 

 tily decided upon. Several situations were tried and aban- 

 doned, for want of those conveniences and resources required 

 by the inhabitants of a great city. 



In the year 1533, the site of an Indian village called Jauja 

 — anciently Xauxa, which is about forty leagues east of Lima, 

 was selected as the capital of conquered Peru. In the first few 

 months, an university and several public institutions were 

 founded. In order to have a sea port for this city, Pizarro 

 despatched Don Nicolas de Ribera, as captain and lieutenant 

 general, to take possession of Pachacamac in the name of the 

 king, and to leave population enough on the coast to form a 

 town. The execution of this order gave birth to the town of 

 Sangallan, thirty-five leagues to the south of Lima, and near 

 Caiiete. On the 29th of November 1534, the situation of 

 Jauja having been found not adapted for the metropolis, an or- 

 der was obtained, in consequence of a petition from the Ca- 

 bildo and the Alcaldes, to move the city to Sangallan. At the 

 expiration of ten or twelve days, they became dissatisfied with 

 this change, and leaving thirty men in Sangallan, marched to 

 the village of Pachacamac Here they found some advantages 



