XI B RAR.Y
OF THE
UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS
S8O.S
FB
v-ai
B10L06I
, n
8
Return this book on or before the
Latest Date stamped below. A
charge is made on all overdue
books.
University of Illinois Library
i IS
1968
M32
TRAVELS OF RUIZ, PAVON, AND DOMBEY
IN PERU AND CHILE
(1777-1788)
BY
HlPOLITO RUIZ
WITH AN EPILOGUE AND OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
ADDED BY
AGUSTIN JESUS BARREIRO
TOE LIBRARY OF THE
APR 13 1940
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
TRANSLATION
BY
B. E. DAHLGREN
CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
V NATURAL
HISTORY
BOTANICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 21
MARCH 28, 1940
PUBLICATION 467
TRAVELS OF RUIZ, PAVON, AND DOMBEY
IN PERU AND CHILE
(1777-1788)
BY
HlPOLITO RUIZ
WITH AN EPILOGUE AND OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
ADDED BY
AGUSTIN JESUS BARREIRO
TRANSLATION
BY
B. E. DAHLGREN
CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
THE LIBRARY OF THE
APR 13 1940
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
NATURAL
HISTORY
BOTANICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 21
MARCH 28, 1940
PUBLICATION 467
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface 5
Foreword of Spanish edition 6
Title page of Spanish edition 7
Hipolito Ruiz, Travels in Peru and Chile ". 9
Epilogue by Augustin Jesus Barreiro 243
Appendices: Documents from Spanish Archives 277
Index of chapters in Ruiz, Travels in Peru and Chile .... 333
Index of chapters in Epilogue v 338
Index of Appendices 340
Index of Botanical Names 341
Index of Vernacular Names of Plants 360
Index of Geographical Names 366
MAPS
FACING
PAGE
Provinces of Peru visited by Ruiz, Pavon and Dombey with
itinerary of Ruiz and companions 8
Provinces of Chile visited by Ruiz, Pavon and Dombey . . 112
ERRATA
p. 27 last line L., read R. & P.
p. 28 line 18 Cujute, read Cujete.
p. 30 last line Parkinsonia, and glandulosa, read Parkinsonia glandulosa.
p. 43 line 7 caerulea, read coerulea.
p. 46 line 13 coccinia, read coccinea.
p. 48 line 13 Sepium, read Sapium.
p. 67 line 32 huaura, read huanucara.
p. 78 line 17 allata, read alata.
p. 118 line 11 continu-, read continued.
p. 136 line 30 amentos, read aments.
p. 182 tisaceiro, read tisackeiro.
p. 211 line 30 picna, read picma.
p. 232 line 36 Mais, read Mays.
p. 367 Index & pp. 116, 126 Concura, Corcura, read Colcura.
p. 368 Index & pp. 136, 138, 140, 149 Huilguelemu, read Huilquilemu.
p. 367 Index & p. 152 Collumo, read Coliumo.
Questions of orthography of place names on the maps generally may be
settled by reference to the Index of Geographical names at the end of the volume.
Note on the Ms. of Ruiz (cf. Chapter X of Epilogue). British Museum
(Natural History) Library Catalogue, p. 1765 lists a Ruiz Ms. as follows: Ruiz
Lopez (H.) [original manuscript] Relation historica del viaje que hizo a los Reynos
del Peru y Chile el botanico H. Ruiz en el ano de 1777 hasta el de 1788, en cuya
epoca regreso a Madrid, fol. [ ].
[Revised transcript of about the first half, fol.] There is the beginning of an
English translation bound in at the end.
PREFACE
The various botanical expeditions dispatched to the Western hemisphere
in the last quarter of the 18th Century unquestionably deserve high rank among
Spanish contributions to science. Undertaken at a time when botanical work had
received a powerful stimulus through the publications of Linnaeus, these expedi-
tions mark an important epoch in the botanical history of this continent. To
students of the flora of the former Spanish possessions the names of Peter Loefling,
Sess6 & Mocino, Ruiz and Pavon, and Mutis and his collaborators will always
remain enduring landmarks.
Unfortunately the preparation of the reports of these expeditions and the
publication of their results did not always fulfill the magnificent intentions of
their promoters and patrons, nor correspond with the diligent and often elaborate
performance of the botanists in the field. An outstanding exception is furnished
in the published works of Ruiz and Pavon. Their Quinologia, Systema, Prodromus,
and three splendid folio volumes all that were actually completed of the Flora
form a monument to the zeal, industry and persistence of the botanical explorers
of Peru.
A brief outline of their travels is given in the Quinologia (1792) and again in
the Prodromus (1794). The existence of a more detailed account of their excursions
among the mountains and valleys of Peru and Chile was generally unknown and
even unsuspected until the discovery of the manuscript of a Relation del Viaje
which Ruiz had prepared from his diaries and completed for publication in 1793.
The circumstances of its discovery after the lapse of almost a century and a half
are set forth by Father A. J. Barreiro in the Epilogue provided by that eminent
member of the Academy of Sciences of Madrid, who edited and annotated the
original and appended pertinent official documents from Spanish archives.
The fact that this work of Ruiz awaited publication for a hundred and forty
years detracts but little from its present value or interest. His original account
of the historic botanical expedition, on which he and his famous companions
spent more than ten years, must be considered a major addition to the still
relatively meager literature of Peruvian botany.
In view of the fact that Field Museum has undertaken to publish a new
Flora of Peru, it is considered appropriate to call attention to this recently dis-
covered account of the botanical explorations of the early Spanish students and
to provide an English translation. For permission to do so, the Museum is under
obligation to the Royal Academy of Sciences of Madrid, particularly to Dr. Jose
Cuatrecasas, through whose offices authorization was obtained during the trouble-
some period of the recent Spanish civil war.
The text of the work is mostly of botanical interest, and the translation is
intended primarily for botanical readers. It follows the original as faithfully
as the English language permits and at times perhaps even more closely. No
literary graces have been added in the translation; no attempt has been made to
alter the style or to improve the author's more rambling sentences. In the
matter of scientific names, only obvious typographical errors of the Spanish
edition have been corrected, generally with reference to the other published
works of Ruiz and Pavon; however, many of the names that appear in the text
seem not to have been published elsewhere. No attempt has been made to modern-
6 PREFACE
ize terminology; thus, for example, Jatropha Manihot, Pinus chilensis and Platanus
otahetianus are transcribed without footnotes. The spelling of vernacular and
geographical names also follows closely that of the Spanish edition, sometimes
to the point of inconsistency. Doubtless some typographical errors remain, and
in spite of all care, others have crept into the translation.
Ruiz was not a zoologist and one looks in vain for a single scientific name for
any of the relatively few animals mentioned. A zoological index to the volume
would consist of a list of vernacular names; but the author must be credited with
some zoological knowledge such as of the life history of the liver fluke of the
sheep, and with one of the earliest of existing accounts of the habits of leaf-cutting
ants. Curiously enough, he evinces no suspicion of the true nature of the almost
unbearable irritation of the skin that robbed him and his companions of sleep after
excursions into the forest.
For assistance in the task of preparing the present publication, acknowledg-
ments are made to Mrs. Pura Ferrer for making a first draft of translation, to Miss
Sophia Prior for checking the botanical names and preparing the index of plant
names which substitutes that of the Spanish edition, to Miss Lilith Butler for
typing, proofreading, and work on the geographical index, to Mr. Albert Frey
for the production of the maps, and especially to Mr. David Gustafson for his
careful and scholarly editorial work and close attention to diction.
B. E. DAHLGREN
FOREWORD OF THE SPANISH EDITION
Thanks to the diligence and interest of R. P. AcusTfN JESUS
BARREIRO, it has been possible to recover the manuscript of the
Report of the Journey of Ruiz and PAV6N in Peru and Chile which,
unpublished, remained in the hands of an individual of the family
of the former; and the Commission has decided to begin with it the
publication of documents concerning the naturalists of past centuries
who contributed so much to clarify our knowledge of the American
flora, in consideration of the interest it has because of the many
facts that it contains relative to the state of the countries that
were surveyed by these naturalists at the time their journey was
made. The manuscript has been edited by said member of this
Commission, supplied by him with explanatory notes, and divided
into chapters preceded by short titles indicating the contents of
each one of them, for the convenience of the reader.
Madrid, June, 1930.
THE COMMISSION
COMISION DE ESTUDIOS RETROSPECTIVOS DE HISTORIA NATURAL
DE LA REAL ACADEMIA DE CIENCIAS EXATAS, FISICAS Y NATURALES
RELACION DEL VIAJE
HECHO A LOS REYNOS DEL PERU Y CHILE
FOR LOS BOTANICOS Y DIBUXANTES EN-
VIADOS PARA AQUELLA EXPEDICION,
EXTRACTADO DE LOS DIARIOS
POR EL ORDEN QUE LLEVO
EN ESTOS SU AUTOR
DON HIPOLITO RUIZ
Publicada por primera vez por la Comisidn de EstudlOS
retrospectivos de Historia Natural de la Real Acade-
mia de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales de
Madrid y revisada y anotada por el vocal de la misma
R. P. A. J. BARREIRO, 0. S. A.
MADRID
EST. TIPOGRAPICO HUELVES Y COMPANIA
CALLE DE HiLARi6N ESLAVA, 5
1931
Lima to Huaura
Lima to Lurin
Lima to Tarma
Tarma to Concepcion
Tarma to Huasahuasi
Tarma to Lima
Lima to Huanuco
Huanuco to Cochero
Huanuco to Quivilla
Huanuco to Pasco
Huanuco to Lima
Lima to Huaura
Lima to Huanuco
Huanuco to Pozuzo
Huanuco to Macora
Huanuco to Muria
Huanuco to Pillao e
Huanuco to Lima
iz and Companions in
of the Provinces of
ted by Ruiz, Pavon and Dom
ftiusuH oJ smij
nnuJ oJ smij
nooqsonoO oi srmsT
izaurtszeuH oJ emicT
emij oJ einT
oisrtooO o oounftuH
slliviuO o) 03un6uH
ooaS oJ oauneuH
6(T1|J OJ ODUMKoH
eiueuH o) mij
oounsuH oJ smij
oiuso9 o) oounsuH
stoo*M oJ oounbuH
fcOuM oJ ODunsuH
oi9 o) oounsuH
mij oJ oounsuH
Map of the Provinces of Po,ru
Visited by Ruiz, Pavon and Domb
1H LIBRAKt
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
CHAPTER I
Organization of the expedition Gomez Ortega consulted Botanists and drafts-
men Addition of Dombey From Madrid to Cadiz Preparations for the voy-
age Departure Good voyage Arrival at Callao.
REPORT OF THE JOURNEY
Our Majesty, the Catholic Monarch Dn. Carlos, eager for his
subjects to receive the benefits and profits that could be obtained
from the vegetable kingdom by methodical investigation, and also for
the promotion of botany throughout all his domains in America,
and thus to make it possible to discover and increase the number
of medicinal plants and others of commercial, industrial, artistic,
and economic interest, issued, on April 8, 1777, royal orders that two
botanists, disciples of his Royal Garden of Madrid, should go to the
said kingdoms with two draftsmen to observe, describe, and draw,
and to form herbaria of the plants that they might discover in those
parts of South America.
The King was informed by the first professor of botany, Dn. Ca-
simiro Gomez Ortega, about the most studious and advanced pupils
in this science. He named me as first botanist and chief of the
expedition, and as second Dn. Jose* Pavon, and as first draftsman
Dn. Jos Brunete, and Dn. Isidro Galvez as second. Likewise, he
gave permission to the French botanist Dn. Jose" Dombey to go in
our company to said kingdoms of Peru as commissioned by his King
for the purpose, and with the definite condition that on his return
from Peru, before going to France, he should leave in Spain a copy
of his observations so that the Spanish botanists could incorporate
them in their works; this he apparently never did, or only in part,
submitting some specimens of dried plants with very few notes and
a few descriptions. 1
FROM MADRID TO CADIZ
On September 19, 1777, the five individuals mentioned above
departed from Madrid for Cadiz, where we arrived the 2nd of
October without having experienced any setbacks of importance;
on the contrary, I, who left Madrid sick, had recovered when we
reached Cadiz, to my surprise and that of the doctors who had
1 Dombey, J., French naturalist, born in Macon in 1742, died in 1794; was
commissioned by Minister Turgot for the exploration of Peru, in the company
of the learned Spaniards, and sent to France a precious herbarium that is pre-
served in the Jardin des Plantes of Paris.
10 HIP6LITO RUIZ
predicted for me in accordance with the dangerous character of the
disease that I had been suffering from for more than four months.
In the 18 days that we lived in Cadiz we equipped ourselves with
the things most necessary for the voyage and were ordered to make
it by way of Cape Horn in H. M. S. "Peruano," which was com-
manded by Dn. Jose de Cordova. On October 18, 1777, we, the two
Spanish botanists and the second draftsman, passed in taking on
board the boxes of paper, books, presses, and so forth, but returning
a little late to Cadiz we found that the port was closed for the night,
so that, after the sailors had carried us out of the boat on their
shoulders for a long distance, and a little wet, we had to spend the
night, dressed, in the poor house of the keepers. The French bota-
nist and draftsman Brunete, who missed us in the lodgings, were
convinced, by what was said that night in Cadiz, that the boat had
set sail, and they spent a very anxious night; before dawn they
brought all the equipment to the Puerta de Bahia, having forgotten
in the lodgings some of our things that we could not find later, and
with an order of the president that as soon as it was daylight they
should be permitted to board a boat to overtake our vessel if this
had already set sail.
EMBARKING IN THE BAY OF CADIZ
The 19th found us all aboard, and at nine in the morning, with
a moderate E. N. E. wind, we departed with all sails set. At 11:30,
the wind having died down, we anchored in 8 fathoms of water. On
the 20th we set sail, at 3 in the morning with a fair E. wind as before,
steering to the W. At noonday the wind came a little cooler from
the S.W., and the horizon became dark and windy; for this reason
the captain, with the approval of officers and pilots, decided to
return to Cadiz.
At 2 o'clock we raised flag and pennants; a little later we fired a
gun calling the harbor pilot, repeating this four times. At 3 o'clock
the weather cleared after several showers, and we could see the tower
of San Sebastian to the N.E. At 4:30, coming through the shoals
of San Sebastian, the pilot boat arrived and took charge of our
entrance into the bay. At 5:45 all sails were furled and we cast
anchor in 8 fathoms of water, mud bottom, the Punta de San Felipe
being to the W. % S.W. and the Castillo of Santa Catalina to the
N.N.E., all by the compass. At 6:30 we launched the boat and the
jolly boat. Dusk came with the horizon dark and showery.
A fresh wind came from the S.W. and thus we remained all
night, with the anchor to the larboard.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 11
The 21st came with showers, and the pilots, having come aboard
at 10:30, decided that the weather was unfavorable for starting; for
this reason we stayed in port until November 4th, and at this
time the weather cleared and we set sail at seven in the morning
with the three maintopsails. At 8 o'clock we unfurled all sails;
at 8:30 we lowered the boat and the jolly boat, and the pilots left
when we had rounded the points. At noontime we sighted the
tower of San Sebastian at an angle of 82 1' 4" E.; according to this
observation in the latitude 36 34" and longitude 10 8' we were
4^ leagues from the tower by the French chart.
We continued our voyage, and on it we saw swordfish, many
ballenatos, tiburones, bonitos, bufeos, albacoras, lobillos, and other
fishes and a variety of birds that were seen also on the return from
Peru. On the 12th of November we saw the island of Salvajes and
Ascension, and on the 7th of February Tierra del Fuego, and Staten
Island on February 8, 1778, without having seen during the whole
voyage more than one vessel until we came to the vicinity of Pisco
where, about 25 leagues from the port of Callao, we met two small
packets that were carrying slaves of both sexes to Pisco. On April
20, 1778 at 8 o'clock in the morning, we discovered land at a dis-
tance of 10 leagues. The 6th of February we saw the island of San
Lorenzo, and we thought that we had run aground on one of the
banks in front of the pueblo of Lurin. We dropped anchor in the
port of Callao April 8th, 1778.
CHAPTER II
Presentation to the Viceroy Visited by the literati Survey of the environs
of Lima Surprise of the Indians Botanical work Extent and limits of the
province of Cercado Climate Parishes The stay in Carabaillo The robber
Uracan Hacienda of Torreblanca Work accomplished.
ENTRANCE TO THE CITY OF LIMA
We landed on the 9th and went to Lima with the officers of the
ship to present ourselves to the Viceroy of Peru, His Excellency
Sr. Dn. Manuel de Guirior, who received us with great affability
and offered us his protection in anything that was in his power.
We were later visited by the literati and by the most distinguished
people of Lima, visits which we all together returned at once.
FIRST HERBORIZATION
After having secured the license and passport from the Viceroy,
we started our botanical excursions the 4th of May of the same year,
about the ravines of Lima and the truck farms and villages of the
province of Cercado, walking on foot and with our portfolios under
our arms in order to collect in them any plants that we could find.
This work caused great curiosity among the natives, who were
not accustomed to go on foot in the country nor to see such activities
as ours; for this reason they stopped everywhere to observe us
with surprise and astonishment, pointing their fingers at us and
calling us herb doctors.
Nevertheless, we three botanists continued to look for herbs
and plants on foot through the fields of Lima and the towns near
the capital until the 22nd of July; during this time we dried, de-
scribed, and sketched various new plants and some already known
to botanists, but observed and described in a hurry and with less
care and exactness than by the method used by Linnaeus, which
was the one we had adopted as the most approved in all Europe
for determining and describing plants, new as well as those already
known, being satisfied to indicate the generic, specific, and trivial
names of the best described, and to record their local names and
their virtues.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF CERCADO
The province of Cercado is 13 leagues in length N.S. and 8 in
width. It is bordered on the north by the province of Chancay;
on the northeast by the province of Canta; on the east by the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 13
province of Huarocheri; on the south by the province of Caneteand
on the west by the South Sea. Its climate exposes one to fevers,
colds, influenza, tetanus, diseases of the lungs, rheumatism, small-
pox, mal del valle, and much venereal disease.
The winter cold is not felt by people from other colder countries,
but it is penetrating for the natives, and in this season the atmosphere
is laden with a mist that lasts all morning until noonday and some-
times all day and night; they call it garua, which means drizzle.
There are no storms, but in the spring, which comes in October
and November, there are great earthquakes.
As it does not rain in this district nor along the coast, the houses
and ranches are roofed with wood, reeds, chacla, and so forth, and
a cement of a very sticky clay. All the fields give an abundance
of corn, beans, some barley, squashes, and various types of pumpkins,
vegetables, sweet potatoes, fruits, and flowers in the gardens and
orchards. The most important products are alfalfa and maizillo,
which are taken to market in Lima to sell for fodder for all kinds of
animals. Without these plants it would be impossible to maintain
so many animals, notwithstanding that in the winter many people
take their cattle 5 or 6 leagues from Lima, to the pasture grounds
of the farms, which some people own for that purpose.
There are a few haciendas where they make some sugar, but
what is manufactured mostly is atuarapo (sugar-cane juice), miel
(syrup), chancaca (bread prepared with molasses), and alfenique
(a paste of sugar and oil of almonds).
The rivers that water these fields are the Rimac, the Carabaillo,
and Lurin, that come from the cordilleras of Canta and Huarocheri.
When the snow melts, these rivers have abundant water, sufficient
to water the whole valley, but in the dry season the water is very
scanty.
In the towns of this province illness is treated with medicines
that come from Lima, but those who cannot afford to pay use herbs
administered by themselves.
The city of Lima, capital of Peru, belongs to this province, and of it we shall
give a separate description. 1 Aside from the parishes of Lima, there are seven
more in the province, which are that of Carabaillo with an annex called Lacosi;
of Late with an annex named Rinconada; of Lurigancho with its annex called
Huachipa; of Bellavista, founded after the event of October 28, 1746, when
a flood covered the town and garrison of Callao, a fourth of a league from this
port in direct line toward Lima.
1 Such description could not be found in the copy.
14 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
On the site of the town there is now the fort or garrison of San Fernando,
also called Callao. In this bay, which is protected at the southeast by an
island called San Lorenzo, there anchor all the vessels that come from the southern
parts of America and those that arrive from Spain.
The fifth parish is that of the town of Magdalena with an annex called Mira-
flores. The sixth is that of Surco with an annex named Chorrillos inhabited by
fishermen who sell their catch every day in Lima. The seventh parish is that
of Lurin with an annex at Pachacamac; the Indians of Lurin also are fishermen
who sell their catches in the capital.
FIRST TRIP TO THE PROVINCE OF CHANCAY
On July 22, 1778 we left Lima bound for the province of
Chancay. We stopped over night in the hacienda of Caravaillo
three leagues from the city, the Marques de la Rl. Confianza, owner
of the hacienda, and the lawyer Dn. Manuel Graso with two more
gentlemen having accompanied us from there. We spent the night
of the 23rd in the tambo or inn of Copacabana, where we were
attacked, a little after evening prayers, by robbers whose chief,
named Uracan, came in disguise to the tambo to ask for alfalfa
for his horses. He was accompanied by two negresses who remained
on horseback while Uracan entered into a dispute with the innkeepers
for the purpose of surprising us and taking our arms and every-
thing that could be found where we were lodging; but having seen
through his trick, we surprised him by pointing two pistols at his
chest, and the five of us surrounded him, making him give up a
long sword with which he scared the poor muleteers and passengers
that he met, robbing them of whatever gold and silver they had.
This the mayordomo of the Count of Villar told us when he arrived
with two negroes shouting to the innkeeper to tie that hardened
bandit, the captain of four others that had gone a little ahead, where
he knew they were waiting for him or his results. The negresses,
seeing Uracan tied, left on a run to inform their companions, but
the mayordomo with his negroes ran after them, and, when they did
not want to halt at his command, the mayordomo fired twice and
shot the mare on which one of the negresses was riding, and the
other, not daring to continue, stopped and was taken prisoner by
the negroes and the mayordomo. Tied with Uracan, they were
conducted to the hacienda of the Count of Villar and, the three of
them having been separated, they confessed that their intention had
been to come at 10 o'clock at night to rob us when we were asleep.
At this news we decided to stay awake and stand sentry in the
gate under a huarango tree near-by, changing sentries every half
hour. At 9 o'clock in the evening we heard the hoofs of the horses that
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 15
the four companions of Uracan were riding, and three times they
were asked in a loud voice "Who goes there?" The sentinel dis-
charged his gun in that direction with such good aim that the bullet,
having passed through the ear of one horse, struck Uracan's body-
guard, who fell to the ground badly wounded, and his companions
escaped leaving him helpless; all of this was discovered the next
morning when the mayordomo went to inspect the field in the
direction in which the shot was fired the night before, and found the
man with a broken thigh and weakened by much loss of blood.
That very morning the mayordomo took the two bandits and the
two negresses to Lima. The wounded man died on the third day.
Uracan was exiled to Valdivia, and the two negresses were given
back to their owners as no other offense could be proven against
them than that of having been carried off by the bandits to travel
in their company. The two bandits that were in jail were denounced
by public crier as fugitives from several prisons.
The 24th we arrived at Torreblanca, hacienda of Dn. Toribio
Brabo de Castilla and half a league from the town of Chancay.
This gentleman treated us with great generosity and ordered his
servants and mayordomo to give us food and anything that we
might need during our stay in his house, which lasted until the end
of August, and at this time we went to the town of Huaura where we
lodged in the beautiful hospital founded by the Illmo. Sr. Castaneda,
a short time before.
We stayed in Huaura until the 22nd of October, when we returned
to Lima with a quantity of dried plants, descriptions, and sketches
of plants gathered on the coast, hills, valleys, and ravines of the
province of Chancay, with not a little fatigue and difficulty because
of the excursions we made on foot through those mountains and
hills where the horses could not take us, and because of the intense
heat of the sun.
CHAPTER III
The town of Arnedo Jurisdiction of the province Limits and extension Ports,
coves, and small bays Rivers Animal and vegetable products Climate Fertil-
ity of the valleys The huano Silver mines Grave mounds Ancient monuments
Salt mines Parishes of this province.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF CHANCAY
At a distance of 12 leagues to the north of Lima, and half a league
from the sea, is the town of Arnedo, capital of the province and the
first settlement that one meets on the road from Lima. This town
is commonly called Chancay. It has been the residence of many
magistrates, but today they reside in Huaura.
The jurisdiction of this province starts six leagues from Lima.
It is divided into two territories: one to the east, with cold climate,
at the head of the cordillera is called Chacras, and the other warm
one, toward the sea to the south, is named Costa or Valles.
There are 30 leagues of road along the coast from south to north,
and 27 from west to east. It is bordered toward Lima by the pro-
vince of Cercado, to the north by that of Santa, to the north and
northeast by Caxatambo, and to the east by that of Canta. There
are several ports on its coast. The first one in the south is the most
spacious and calm, called Ancon, on the coast of which live a few
fishermen that take their fish to Lima. Traveling to the north, one
finds that of Arnedo or Chancay, where all the huano [guano] or fertili-
zer used in the province to fertilize the soil is landed, and some wood
brought from Guayaquil. A little farther on is that of Chancaillo;
at this small port very few vessels land huano. The port of
Huacho follows. It is also small, but nevertheless some vessels
usually anchor in it when they go or return from Guayaquil to Lima.
Besides these ports there are a few coves and small bays but they
offer little safety.
This province is irrigated by two rivers. In the southern part
is the Pasamayo river that comes from the Cordilleras of the province
of Canta and fertilizes the valley of Arnedo and Pasamayo, and in
the northern part the Huaura river that descends from the moun-
tainous country of Caxatambo and waters the beautiful sugar-cane
valley of Huaura. This river has more water throughout the year.
Near Huaura it passes under an arched bridge built between the
rocky banks that confine it for more than four hundred feet. To
one side of the town there is a small fort that was used in earlier
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 17
times to guard the town from the enemy. At the entrance to the
gate of the bridge, there are two columns under which are two stones
in the ground. On one, there are carved the royal arms of Spain,
and on the other is found this inscription, "Reynando Philipo 3o.
This bridge was begun and completed in the year 1611, the com-
missioner being Dn. Jose* de Rivera y Avalos." On two other stones
placed in the columns, one reads the following inscription: "His
Excellency Sr. Dn. Juan de Mendoza y Lima, Marques de Montes-
claros, built me, being Viceroy in 1611." And on the fourth stone
one reads the name "Juan del Corral," the artisan that directed
the construction.
In the mountainous country of this province and its cool ravines
the following products are gathered: arracachas, yacones, massuas,
potatoes, and ockas. In the ravines that are temperate in climate
there are produced beans, corn, and wheat. In the punas or high
cold grounds where there are only herbs, there is an abundance of
ichu and other grasses that feed many herds of sheep and cattle
that are consumed by the hacienda owners and their negroes.
From the Castilian sheep they get some wool with which they
manufacture xerga in the workshops, and from the milk of the cows
they make butter and cheese.
On the punas one finds vicunas, llamas, huanacos, and viscachas.
In the ravines and mountain ravines are found some deer, bears,
foxes, small pumas, and sheep.
In the coast and valleys the climate is milder and more pleasant
than that of Lima because the air does not allow the formation of
so many dense clouds, and thus the sun is not covered all day as
happens in Lima almost every day in the winter. In spite of its
general pleasantness there are a few places exposed to intermittent
fevers and other sickness due to the great humidity and stagnant
irrigation water, together with the excessive heat throughout the
year; these are also the reasons for the abundance of fleas, piques,
or jigger-fleas, and mosquitos, and all of these insects are insufferable.
These valleys are extremely fertile in wheat, barley, corn, and
sugar cane. There is an abundance of yucas [cassava], camotes
[sweet potatoes], several varieties of zarapayo [squash] or calabazas,
and all kinds of vegetables, like cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli,
lettuce, endives, onions, ynyus, and cashuas.
The following fruits are very common: sandias [watermelons],
pepinos [cucumbers] that are different from those in Europe,
18 HIPOLITO Ruiz
chirimoyas, anonas, huanabanas, huayabas, palillos, paltas, lucu-
mas, paeans, granadillas, tumbos, ciruelas de Fraile, agrias, and
peras, manzanas, membrillos, melocotones, and duraznos, which
are produced only in the foothills of the mountainous ranges.
There is a great abundance of oranges, limes, lemons, sweet and
sour citron, and grapefruits. In the gardens as in the orchards,
one finds a great variety of flowers such as arirumas, narcisus,
pilillas, amoncaes, coronillas del rey, flor de cuenta, feligranas,
pelegrinas, junquillos, tulipanes, azuzenas, margaritas white
and blue, lirios, alelies, flores de muerto or chinchi, taconcillos,
paxarillos, ambarinas, marimonas, piochas, narbos, claveles, roses,
jasmin, espuela de caballero, chochitos, albaca, oregano, mejorana,
manzanilla, aromas, suches, flowers of chirimoya and azar, and so
forth.
In the time of the garuas or rains, the hills and slopes of this
coast are covered with many different plants that in flower
present a beautiful carpet to the visitors as well as to the people
that go there for diversion and a few days in the country; the lomas
of Lachay, that are situated between Arnedo and Huaura, have
great name and fame in Lima for variety of plants and flowers.
As to the opinion of the people who think that it is a paradise
covered with a multitude of different plants, there are at most
some 40 species that cause this beautiful and varied ground cover
of Lachay, and only 12 species more conspicuous and more abundant
than in the other lomas of Lima, Lurin, etc., where the same plants
exist but without producing the beautiful sight of those at Lachay.
With these plants and their roots they feed great quantities of pigs,
horses, and cattle at the time they call the season of lomas, which
is in the winter. As these lomas are on the road along the coast,
the plants serve as pasture for the animals of the muleteers when,
tired from the heat and dust of the sandy grounds, they come
eager to refresh themselves on these juicy pastures.
Maize is the most abundant grain gathered in the valley of Arne-
do, because it serves for the maintenance of the negroes and workers
of these haciendas; in addition, the owners of these fatten about 30,000
pigs. The greater part of them come from the valley of Huaura and
are fattened in the valley of Arnedo, whence they are taken to
supply Lima.
Each hacienda owner slaughters his cattle mostly on Saturdays
and sells the lard and fat together at 2 rs., 2^, 2^, so that the money
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 19
that is collected each year in the province of Chancay from lard
alone comes to more than 340,000 pesos.
Formerly, the main harvest in these valleys was of wheat and
wine; at the present time there is none of the latter.
The valley of Huaura is more than 10 leagues in length and
more than 2 leagues in width at the site of the town but continues
beyond, becoming narrower near Sayan. It is occupied by sugar-
cane plantations. There is an hacienda in this valley that sends to
Lima 50,000 pesos worth of sugar of superior quality, each arroba
selling for 3}^ and 4 pesos.
In this province it has become so necessary to use huano or
manure to fertilize the maize plants that without it they produce
very little. The natives use two handfuls for each plant as they
plant it, and two more when it grows and they clear away the
weeds. In the whole province more than 60,000 fanegas of huano
are consumed per year, and each weighs 8 arrobas and is worth
4 rs. Each one of the vessels carries from 600 to 1,000 fanegas.
The pilots maintain, and apparently with good reason, that huano is
the true manure of birds called huanoes, and of others that sleep at
night on those small islands situated at 5 leagues from Pisco and near
Canete and Arica, towards the northern part of the coast. They assert
that so great is the multitude of birds that come and inhabit those
islands that there cannot be the slightest doubt that they produce
yearly as many fanegas of huano as are used in the provinces of
Chancay, Pisco, etc. Moreover, they affirm that some islands that are
buried in the manure have been bare of this soil for some years, as
some have thought, or of this huano, as is evidenced by the petrified
eggs that are found buried in the manure and the ground of bare
rock of which those islands of the southern sea generally are made,
and that after a certain time the carriers have returned to gather
and load innumerable fanegas of it.
The use of this huano has recently been discovered, and the
birds have been living on these islands since time immemorial, so
it is not surprising that it is only manure of birds reduced to the
consistency of yellowish soil of the color of ochre of Siena, by the
action of marine acid, wind, sun, and water. It gives off such a
heavy odor that it gives headaches to those unaccustomed to it.
In the hill of Jeguan near the town of Arnedo, there is a silver
mine that a few years ago was worked and produced from 50 to
80 marks [8 ounces] of silver per box.
20 HIPOLITO Ruiz
Between Jeguan and Torreblanca there are a multitude of huacas
or Indian graves from which we took several instruments and vessels
of clay and a thousand other trifles that accompanied the bodies that
had gone to waste there since paganism.
At a distance of one league from Huaura to the north, there are
some strong walls three yards in width at the base and gradually
narrower at the top; they extend about three leagues; apparently
they served as a boundary between the lands of some caciques.
Beyond the port of Chancaillo, there are found two lone stones that,
because they bear some remote resemblance to the "sea wolf" [sea
lion], the Indians call "the wolf" and "the she- wolf," and they are
convinced that they came out of the sea and were turned into stone.
The truth is, that they are two very peculiar stones and the only
ones found in those hills and sandy beaches on which there are many
sea lions and great quantities of carrion vultures that come to eat
the ones that perish. Four leagues to the south from Huaura, at
the edge of the sea, there are abundant deposits of salt which is taken
in rectangular blocks of 75 and 100 pounds. This salt, as has been
said in the survey of Lima, is a natural muriate of lime that, in the
damp climate, dissolves in great quantities in a short time; for this
reason, in the mountains, montafias, and other damp places, they
keep it near the fire so that it will not stick together. From these salt
deposits there are supplied the provinces of Cercado, Caxatambo,
Caritas, Huarocheri, Tarma, Xauxa, Huanuco, Huamalies, Con-
cuchos, and Huaylas, for cooking as well as for the extraction of silver.
They use large quantities for the sheep of Castille to preserve them
from an insect called alicuya in Peru and pixguin in Chile that,
damaging the liver, causes their death.
This province is divided into nine parishes that in all comprise 14,000 souls
of all classes. The first parish is that of the town of Arnedo or Chancay, capital
of the province; it was founded in 1563, the Viceroy then being the Conde de
Nieva, who destined it for the university which never was established. It is the
best city of the province, the one with most inhabitants of all classes, but with
few families that are fairly well-to-do. It has the best buildings and a very spacious
square in the middle of the town at one side of the parish house; the camino real
[royal highway] that goes to the coast and mountainous regions, passes" through
it; it is called the Calle Mayor, being very straight from one end of the town to
the other. Besides this there are other streets that cross without order.
There is a royal hospital and a convent of Franciscan monks. The pueblo
of San Juan de Huaral is the only one annexed to this parish, but there also belong
to this parish district the many haciendas in the valley which are owned by native
gentlemen who have their families living in Lima, though some of them stay the
greater part of the year on their chacras, that are cultivated by negro slaves.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 21
The town of Arnedo is located a quarter league from the sea at the entrance
to the valley. It is surrounded by orchards and farms that beautify it with a
variety of vegetables and fruit trees.
The buildings are of one story only, like those in Lima; some have a second
one for grain. They are constructed of the same materials and in the same style
as those of Lima, as are also all the buildings along the coast. Near the salt
deposits there is a port where they land the huano.
The 2nd parish is that of Huacho, the first town that is found from Arnedo
to Huaura beyond the sands and hills of Lachay. It is located a mile from the sea,
at the beginning of the valley of Huaura. Although in the part of the town where
there is a church there is a large square, there are but few small buildings. Its extent
is about a league square and it is divided into chacarillas or orchards, each with
a rancho where the farmer and his family live; for this reason it is the most beauti-
ful and best cultivated town that can be found in the vicinity of Lima, and I am
of the opinion that of its kind it is the only one in Peru, as each Indian has around
his house or rancho his fields with grain, vegetables, and fruit trees in sufficient
abundance not only for his support and that of his family but for sale to travelers
and for transport to Huaura, Arnedo, and Lima.
There is no land without cultivation, so that the cattle must be fed in their
stables.
You find in this town the most exquisite anonas that are known in Peru,
and you find also the canafistola and tamarinds. In fact, Huacho is a small
garden where nothing in the vegetable kingdom is lacking for the amusement,
pleasure, and support of its inhabitants, all of whom are Indians, very industrious
and of good disposition, with an occasional half-breed.
The natives of Huacho supply the town of Huaura with all kinds of provisions;
in the morning they are brought for sale by the women who from maize make
a chicha among the best that are known in Peru.
The 3rd parish is that of the town of Huaura founded in 1608. It has two
annexes, Mazo and Vegueta, with few Indians near the sea; one convent of
Franciscan monks, rebuilt in the year 1781 and a royal hospital, finished in 1764
by the Illmo. Sr. Dn. Juan de Castaneda Velazquez de Salazar, bishop of Panama
and later of Cuzco. He died the in same year that the hospital was finished, and
for that reason he could not endow it in accordance with his charitable intentions.
The construction of this hospital was paid for by the King, and for its main-
tenance there was assigned the tomin [head tax] of the towns of Vegueta, Supe,
and Barranca, which meant that each Indian had to pay 5 reales a year.
In those times the Indians were numerous so that there was enough for the sub-
sistence and treatment of the sick. Today the tomin amounts to only 34 pesos
and some lands and annual pensions that make a total of 250 pesos. The main
church is a cross-vault in whose arms and head there are placed the beds of the
sick, and the rest serves as a chapel so that the sick can hear the Mass from their
beds, as the altar is placed in the center of the vault.
The town of Huaura has only one street, straight and wide and about a
quarter of a league in length. Its buildings are low and in the style of those of
Lima. The population is composed of Indians, criollos, mestizos, and other classes.
The main road passes through the same street.
22 HIPOLITO Ruiz
The 4th parish is that at Barranca, seven leagues from Huaura. Its
annex is Supe, five leagues distant from the village. The 5th is that of Aucallama,
founded in 1551. In this parish, they worship a miraculous image of Nra. Senora
del Rosario, that was donated with appropriate ornaments by Sr. Carlos V. The
6th is that of Sayan, with two annexes, Tapaya and Quintay. This last town belongs
to the province of Caxatambo. The 7th is that of Chanchas, Marayo Checras,
with ten annexes, Juraciaco, Picoy, Parquin, Yacul, Canin, Moyobamba, Punun,
Turpay, Tongos, and Chiuchin, where there are some baths of thermal waters,
where many people come crippled from rheumatism and venereal diseases, and
become well after bathing in and drinking those waters; our colleague Dn. Jose
Dombey analyzed them when he went there with a Sra. Oydora of Lima, who was
crippled and returned in the same condition to this capital. Here Dombey found
several plants of which we had gathered many in Tarma and other places at the
time when Dombey was in Chiuchin. The 8th parish is that of the pueblo of
Paccho with eight annexes: Ayaranga, Huacar, Musga, Llacsanga, Apache, Santa
Cruz, Huanangui, and Auquimarca. The 9th and last parish is that of the
pueblo of Yguari with six annexes: Llancao, Obeguet, Huachinga, Yunhuy,
Acotama, and Huaycho.
CHAPTER IV
Miraflores and Surco Picturesque landscapes The ruins of Pachacamac The
Lurin river Location of Lurin Form of the houses Administration Entertain-
ments and patrons Products Militia Manner of fishing Most common
fishes Fevers and their remedies Birds Plants.
JOURNEY FROM HUAURA TO LIMA AND FROM THERE TO LURIN
On October 22, 1778 we returned from Huaura to Lima, where
we finished the drying of the plants we had discovered in the province
of Chancay and put in order and boxed up for safe transportation
all the other natural products, and we provided ourselves with every-
thing necessary to go on to Lurin, because we had heard of the
fertility of its lomas and coasts.
On the 5th of December we started together from Lima to Lurin,
passing to one side of the pueblos Miraflores and Surco, both
situated on level ground and with pleasant breezes; for this reason
and because of the luxuriance of the trees of the farms, orchards,
and gardens abounding in all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and flowers,
many families from Lima come for fifteen, twenty, or more days
of rest. At a quarter of a league from Surco we found the hacienda
called San Juan, where they manufacture a quantity of sugar, alfe-
niques, chancaca, miel, and huarapo from the sugar cane. Farther
on there is a beautiful olive grove; passing this, one enters on a sandy
stretch that extends to the Lurin river and in which not a trace
of plant life is found even in times of rain. To the left there are
the lomas of Lurin, which in winter are covered with small plants;
then many people from Lima come for recreation in the country.
On the right hand side near the river, there can be seen over a
bluff the ruins of the Castillo de Pachacamac, in which the Gentiles
[Incas] kept five thousand men in arms. At the foot of this castle
are also the ruins of a town very populous in the times of the Incas.
At a short distance from this, there flows through the reeds the river
called Lurin, which at times when it rains in the mountains increases
in volume so much that the fords are lost; and for this reason
they send chimbadores [guides] who look for the shallow parts
in a river to carry the travelers from one side of the river to the
other, but notwithstanding this help, many persons and cattle are
usually drowned every year. At times of drought, this river is almost
without water, but its banks are pleasant and beautiful with the
shrubbery and plants by which they are covered.
24 HIPOLITO Ruiz
A short distance from this river is situated the hacienda of the
fathers of San Pedro, which is a small sugar estate, as is that of
San Juan. It produces more than 10,000 pesos worth of sugar,
alfenique, etc.
LURIN
Beyond this hacienda there is found the pueblo of San Pedro
de Lurin, distant a short six leagues from Lima and a quarter of a
league from the sea in a luxuriant and beautiful valley with a mild
and much healthier climate than Lima and the other towns of the
vicinity; for this reason some viceroys and other gentlemen of
Lima and their families spend some holidays and amuse them-
selves there. This pueblo is inhabited by 120 well-to-do Indians
with as many houses or ranchos, mostly constructed of quincha or
wild cane and straight logs that generally are of willows and Ery-
thrinas called hauyros, green and frondose; many of them are
plastered in and out with mortar, and sometimes they are white-
washed, especially on the inside, with lime made of shells. They
are of one story only, square, with a flat roof. Each house has an
orchard with various kinds of flowers, and in each are found suches
or Plumarias of as many as five different and beautiful colors.
There are four principal streets named Calle de Malambo, Calle
del Mentidero, Calle Nueva, and Calle de la Costilla. The others
have no name, except one called de la Palma.
All the streets are straight and in the center of the town is
situated the main plaza, square and spacious, with the church at
one side and the assembly house on the other.
Every year they name three alcaldes [mayors]: two for the
pueblo and one for the country, with one alguacil [constable] each.
Furthermore, there is a cacique, governor and defender of the Indians.
This pueblo presents such a beautiful sight with its luxuriance
and variety of flowers that can be seen among the adobes in the
orchards, that it could be called "the Town of Recreation" because
all of it is a delightful place. Nevertheless, it has a walk called the
Una del Diablo [the devil's claw] because the shape of a hand is
stamped on a stone to be seen there.
On the day of San Pedro, the patron of the place, there are bullock
fights and fireworks. On the day of San Miguel there are the same
entertainments, and some years there are bullfights; for this reason
many people come from Lima and occupy themselves with diversions
and games for fifteen to twenty days.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 25
They celebrate also the day of Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe; and
on the day of San Nicasio, festivity of "precepto" for the Indians,
in the afternoon there are cock or duck races for which the birds
are hung by the legs, head downwards, so that the most dexterous
rider on horseback who pulls the head off the animal, is the winner.
When the races are over, they set off a few fireworks hung from the
same cord, while the Saint's procession enters the church. When
the procession is finished, all the Indians go to the houses of the
mayordomos, where they celebrate with several jugs of chicha.
Although the land of Lurin is very fertile and productive, the
natives are satisfied with sowing only what is necessary for their
support. Their most important commerce is in fish, which they take
to Lima to sell; nevertheless, with the fish, some of them also take
yucas, sweet potatoes, beans, and squash, the only foods with which
they maintain themselves, using instead of bread, boiled maize, of
which they raise a big crop for the chicha which is never lacking in
the town, and they make it in the following manner. They take as
much corn as they want and put it to soak for one night, then lay
it out on banana leaves, and cover it with other leaves until it
germinates. In this condition they spread it out to dry in the
sun so that they can reduce it between two flat stones into meal,
which they boil twice, each time with a suitable quantity of fresh
water. When it is almost cold, they strain it, squeezing it out well,
and put the liquor in earthen jugs to ferment for two or three days,
in which time a pleasant-tasting beer or intoxicating liquor is pro-
duced which they call chicha.
Of all the neighbors, there are formed two companies of militia
of fifty men each, whose duty it is to go to the port of Callao twice
a year for work on vessels and to take care of the sick in the hospital
of Bellavista. While they are on this duty they are paid two reales
a day.
The method of fishing used by these Indians is to sit on big
floats of Mora [a rush], well tied and capable of floating two or
three days in the water, and to go out to sea for a distance, where
they cast the net, and then they separate in opposite directions as
far as the rope allows. Afterward they return to shore, and when
they are near land the two fishermen approach each other to close
the net so that the fish within it may not escape. Then they land,
and by the strength of their arms pull the fish ashore. The most
common ones that are taken here are corbinas, lenguados, robalos,
chitas, cabrillas, cazones, chalacos, pintadillas, lornas, xureles,
26 HIPOLITO Ruiz
bonitos, anchovetas, pexe reyes, pexe sapo, pexe gallo. The an-
chovetas are greatly esteemed in Lima for their delicious taste
when fried.
Although Lurin enjoys a very mild climate the greater part of
the year, fever is common in winter; they cure this with a
concoction of yerba hedionda, apples, and the juice of lemons,
and cream of tartar, taken before breakfast for three days, half a
quart a day. Some years there is much smallpox. There is always
caracha or itch and gonorrhoea, and it also happens that some
women suffer from cancer and spasms. The medicines commonly
used are herbs administered according to the ability and experience
which they have acquired one from another.
In a little brook in the hills there is a spring between two rocks,
with very pure and clear fresh water.
Between the town and the sea, there are some small lakes from
which some of the fish already named are obtained and, in addition,
ducks, zambullidores, aradores, herons, flamingoes, and other aquatic
birds. In one of these lakes, called that of Sn. Pedro de Quilcai,
is the site of the ancient town of that name; but its inhabitants
had to abandon that place on account of the frequent overflow of
the sea caused by earthquakes, and those that were not drowned by
the sea moved to the present site of Lurin.
Opposite the shore at Lurin, and about three leagues out at sea,
there are a number of rocks or banks extending from N.W. to S.E.
in a straight line, the first about two leagues distant from the last.
The first rock is called Viuda [Widow] because it is alone and farther
distant from the rest; then follows the one named Pachacamac,
which is the largest of all. There are several caves in this barren
island inhabited by a variety of birds, among which are a mass of
nestlings. When a person approaches the entrance of one of these
caves, they set up such a clamorous squeaking that it sounds like
a multitude of braying asses that deafen you with their noise.
On this island they gather quantities of huano for the benefit
of the corn fields. Farther on there is another rock called Arenisco.
It is very small and has the shape of a pyramid. After that comes
one named San Francisco, a little smaller than Pachacamac and of
the shape of a tall pyramid, and finally, one finds the one named
"The Hunchback," for its shape, and the only one among the smaller
ones that has a name.
Besides the many fruit trees, seeds, vegetables, and ornamental
flowers that we mentioned from Chancay, there are found in Lurin
27
almost the same plants that have been noted at Lima, but there
is an abundance in the former place of species that are rare in these
fields, and there are also found some that are different, of which I
gathered and described the following. Dianthera repens. Heteranthera
reniformis. Lithospermum dichotomum, tiqui-tiquil. Nolana acutangu-
la, chaves. The chickens feed on the last-mentioned plant. Convol-
vulus secundus, campanulas de lomas. This is a plant which can
serve as an ornament in gardens because of its light blue flowers
and the size of its corollas; its root is purgative. Convolvulus sepium
L. The infusion of this milky plant also is used as a laxative. Con-
volvulus stipulatus. Cordia rotundifolia, tina and membrillejo, for the
shape of their leaves, which are much used in infusions for jaundice.
Lycium falsum, cachicasa, that is, salty espino, because of the taste
of its leaves. Potamogeton compressifolium. Atropa umbellata.
Asclepias sp., arbol de la seda, flor de la reina, and chuchumeca,
because you find it everywhere in abundance and always in bloom.
Asclepias haslata, amarra judios, because its shoot is very long and
branchy and is used to tie various things. Solanum variegatum,
pepino; they propagate this plant by the stems as the seeds do not
give fruit until the second year after it is transplanted from the
nurseries which they make for that purpose. This plant is laden
with fruits the size of eggplants, varying in color from yellowish,
whitish, and spotted with different colors: purple, violet, and some-
times reddish. Its excessive use causes tertian fevers and stools
with blood and is very harmful for the mal del vicho or dysentery.
Its taste resembles that of melons, but is not so sweet and
pleasing. Hydrocotyle vulgaris and umbellata L., orejas de abad
and patacones, for the shape of their leaves. The juices of these
two species are used to cure mouth sores and, if applied to
pimples, they clean, heal, and cure them. Plumeria rubra, suche,
purple and rose. P. tricolor, suche blanco-rosado, and carinata,
suche turumbaco. They are milky-juiced trees of beautiful luxuri-
ance and loaded in January, February, and March with thousands
of beautiful flowers. They grow to a height of 6, 7, and 8 yards.
They can hardly be distinguished from each other except by the color
and size of their flowers. They last two or three years without dry-
ing out after they are cut, and they take root easily, if planted
after one or two years. They bear leaves only at the tips of the
branches and flowers in the center, as if in flower pots. They
are beautiful trees for gardens and their shade is not harmful.
Alstroemeria peregrina L., pelegrina, for the beauty of its variegated
28 HIP6LITO Ruiz
flowers; it abounds in the ravines of the hills of Lurin and Chancay.
It is a plant that is cultivated in gardens for ornament. Amaryllis
aurea, amancae antiguo, a beautiful flower for gardening; its bulb
is surrounded by many smaller ones. Polyanthes tuber osa L.,
margaritas blancas. Its odorous flowers are used for ornament in
gardens and in mixtures, and its bulbs are applied as an emollient
in poultices. Pancratium flavum. A beautiful flower of an orange
color. Cassia mimosioides L., huarandillo, and Cassia Tor a L.,
canafistola cimarrona. With an infusion of one or the other of these
species, the natives purge themselves. Bauhinia aculeata, unas de
gato, for the thorns on its branches. Sapindus Saponaria, jabonera.
It is a tree of about 8 or 12 yards in height, of ordinary wood and
leafy. Its fruits, called cholocos and bolillos, with which the children
play, are covered with a rind that is used to wash baize cloth, as
it forms suds like soap. Sesuvium Portulacastrum L., litho. With
this plant, that resembles purslane, they make glass in lea and
it is used in some places for soap in place of the bars. Malva rotun-
difolia and sylvestris. Crescentia Cujute, tutumo, is a tree of 6 to
8 yards in height, with masses of branches erect like rods and
of a beautiful green. See the account of the plants of Chancay for
the use of its fruit called tutumas. Lantana salvifolia, maestrante.
Its decoction and infusion are used against jaundice. Dolichos
uncinatus L., trifolitos and taconcitos. Dolichos Lablab L., frijol
de Antibo, and in the mountains sencapuspu. Although the seeds
are somewhat bitter, the slaves on the plantations consume quanti-
ties of these beans, and remove the bitterness by leaving them in
hot water over night. Phaseolus vexillatus, frijol cimarron [wild
bean]. Crotalaria incana L., cascabelillos, for the noise that the
seeds make within the pods. Hedysarum asperum, pega-pega, because
with the stickiness and roughness of their leaves and pods, they
adhere to the clothes of those that pass near them. Erythrina coral-
lodendron L., huayro and huayruru. This tree grows to be 8 or 10
yards tall; it is covered with thorns and it bears so many flowers
that when these trees bloom, they form together the most beautiful
sight from a certain distance, because they appear like trees loaded
with coral the color of scarlet. The pods are eaten when green, but
are somewhat bitter. They are propagated by cuttings and root
very quickly, and in a short time they grow thick trunks; there-
fore they use them for straight posts in the corners of the ranches.
Hypericum angulare. Senecio scandens. Eupatorium scandens, yedra.
Bidens cuneifolia. Lobelia decurrens, contoya. The Indians use the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 29
infusion and decoction of this plant as a drastic purgative, and when
they want to stop its action, they drink cold water. Pistia Stratiotes,
lechuga cimarrona. Passiflora minima, borbo cimarron. Passiflora
foetida L. Mimosa pernambucina L., cierrateputa, for the action of
closing its leaves when the plant is touched. It is abundant in the
grain fields. Mimosa punctata ? L., tapateputilla. It is the most sen-
sitive species that I have seen, for as soon as you touch a leaf
with a finger or any other object, all the other leaves of the plant
suddenly appear retracted and closed, so that in a whole after-
noon I could not gather an open leaf between sheets of paper in
spite of all the efforts I made. It is found spread on the ground where
it is dry and sandy between the huarancales. The powder of its
leaves is esteemed in Lurin as the best healing remedy for ulcers.
Mimosa Inga L., pacae, is a very frondose tree of about 15 or 20
yards in height. From its thick trunk is obtained wood valued
for various purposes, and the pulp of its fruits or pods is like white
cotton, juicy and sweet, of pleasant flavor, and it is much esteemed
by the fair sex because real of pacaes serves for entertainment at
the holidays. Laurus Persea L., palto, is a very stout and frondose
tree of about 12 to 28 yards in height. Its wood is valued for several
uses, and the flesh of its fruits, called paltas, which is of a light
green-yellowish color, is very tender, and buttery, and partakes of
a flavor very similar to that of fresh nuts, especially if eaten with
bread; but the more usual way to eat this fruit is to add some salt
to it; nevertheless, it is very good with honey and not to be despised
in salads. These fruits do not ripen so that they can be eaten
until a few days after they have been cut from the tree; then they
are seasoned. The largest and best paltas that are known in
Peru are the ones from Sta. Olalla and Chavin. The seeds from the
palta are used as astringent in dysentery and give a red ink that is
indelible and is used by many to mark white clothes. The meat
of this fruit relieves the burning sensation of piles when applied by
itself to the parts and without the need for the addition of oil,
saffron, and egg yolk that some people add to it. Sagittaria sagitti-
folia L. Gentiana Conchalaguala, conchaguala. It grows only six
inches high and is found in the hills in the time of lomas or in winter.
CHAPTER V
Stay in Surco Plants collected and their uses First shipment of plants and
drawings sent to Spain (1779) Shipment by Dombey.
JOURNEY FROM LURIN TO SURCO AND TO LIMA
On February 3, 1779 we went from Lurin to Surco without
any misfortunes on the way. We stayed there until March 6th. Dur-
ing our excursions in the fields of Surco, a pueblo of few Indians and
with some houses and orchards belonging to gentlemen from Lima, we
gathered several plants, and among them I observed and described
the following. Utricularia aphylla. Sagittaria dulcis, escobilla.
Heliotropium pilosum. Cynoglossum pilosum. Ipomoea acuminata and
subrotundifolia. Cedrela odorata L., cedro. A few trees of this kind
are found transplanted from the forest. In some orchards they
are up to 20 yards in height, leafy and beautiful for the short time
that they have been planted. Illecebrum Achyrantha L. This plant
is preferred to others for leaves in which to wrap fruits that
mature or become soft, so that they can be eaten, such as the
chirimoyas, anonas, huanabanas, paltas, lucumas, ciruelas de
Fraile, platanos, and so forth. Cynanchum racemosum?, piochas.
Plant well suited to cover summerhouses and lanes in gardens as
it spreads and tangles very much. Its milky juice is reputed to be
a strong cathartic, and with the flowers women embellish their
hair. Anethum parvum, heneldo cimarron. This plant is used in
place of the heneldo. Pancratium maritimum L., coronas de Rey
and caribaeum?, pilillas. Women adorn their hair with both flowers;
they are also used as ornaments in gardens. Achras mammosa,
lucumo. Tree of about 15 to 20 yards in height, thick, leafy, and
of beautiful green color; gives abundant fruit called lucumas,
globose with a small point and weighing 4 to 10 ounces, green on
the outside and with dark yellow flesh; the fruit cannot be eaten
until a few days after they are gathered and covered with cloth,
bran or chaff, plants, or other materials, to keep them warm
and to start vinous fermentation. The wood is of excellent
grain, flexibility, color, and resistance for various kinds of con-
struction. Tropaeolum majus L., mastuercillo. This plant is used
against scurvy, and the buds of the flowers are often pickled like
capers. Innkeepers and people of refined tastes also add the flow-
ers to salads, which attain a not unpleasant taste. Larrea glauca,
Parkinsonia, and glandulosa. Poinciana bijuga, tara. Shrub, about
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 31
4 to 6 yards high, of beautiful appearance when in bloom. Its
pods are used instead of galls for making ink, and with them, as well
as with the wood, they tan and dye leather. Triglochin paluslre.
Euphorbia hirta, hypericifolia, and Chamaesyce, yerbas de la golon-
drina. They make use of the milky juice of these three plants in
Peru to destroy cataracts of the eyes, and with infusions they
purge the bowels. Spondias Mombin L., ciruelo agrio. This tree
grows to almost 6 yards, is a handsome tree with bunches of fruits
called ciruelas agrias, which are bittersweet and not at all unpleasant
to the taste. Cleome triphylla L. Cassia tenuissima, Malva coro-
mandelina? Escoba cimarrona. Corchorus siliquosus L. Melochia
corchorifolia L. Dolichos suberectus, Geoffraea spinosa L., azofaifo.
Ageratum conyzoides, huarmi-huarmi, i.e. woman-woman, because of
the property that this plant has of correcting menstruation. Bi-
dens tripartita L. Sisyrinchium palmifolium. Acalypha indica L.
Ambrosia maritima L., artemisa, which is used instead of Artemisia
officinalis. Zizania octandra. Juglans nigra L., nogal de la tierra,
native walnut; this is a tall tree, frondose, and with very good wood
for many purposes. From its fruits, when they are tender, they
make candies like those of limoncillos and from its small nuts, with
honey, peanuts and other seeds, they make an alfajor of very good
taste. Castiglionia lobata, pinoncillo: this shrub grows almost to
5 yards; it has leaves four months of the year; the rest of the time
it is bare, but not of fruits, for these stay a long time afterwards,
and each one of the fruits encloses three seeds called pinoncillos,
a little larger than pine-nut kernels; they contain a small almond,
white and sweet but very laxative, and for this reason people use
them to play mean tricks, preparing them as candies or extracting
the milk and mixing it with cow's milk so that the deceit cannot be
detected. The way to check the bowels is by drinking a lot of cold
water. Some have the habit of purging themselves with three or
four of those seeds or almonds, especially those that suffer from
venereal troubles. Even the boys know its properties, and it is
perhaps to their curiosity and pranks that we owe our knowledge
of this and many other plants. Erigeron philadelphicum, Samolus
Valerandi, Psoralea capitata, yerba de San Agustin, de la Trinidad,
del carnero, and huallicaya. In Peru they frequently use the fresh
leaves of these plants to cleanse dirty ulcers and produce new flesh,
and afterwards they heal them with the powder made of dry leaves.
We went to Lima to put in order the collections made up to
this time, and we sent them to Spain in the vessel "El Buen
32 HIPOLITO Ruiz
Consejo" that left the port of Callao for Cadiz, in the month of
April (1779). This first shipment of dried plants and other produc-
tions of the vegetable kingdom was composed of seventeen boxes
of live plants, 242 drawings, and 11 boxes of dried plants in which
there were included 300 different species.
On March 11, 1779 Dn. Jose Dombey left us to accompany
Sra. Oydora from Lima, who was going to the baths at the thermal
waters of Chiuchin. For this reason he asked me to ship together
with our boxes, seven that he had packed with dried plants, hun-
queros, and other curiosities from the mineral kingdom.
After we had made the shipment of 18 boxes and 17 containers
of live plants, we asked permission and passport from the Viceroy
to go to the forests of Tarma and Xauxa, for we had been informed
of their fertility and abundance of rare and valuable plants. After
securing everything that we asked and being equipped with all we
might need for the trip, we decided to start on the 12th of May.
CHAPTER VI
Journey to Tarma Incidents of the journey Yauliaco Pucara Dangerous
ridges The encanada of San Mateo The province of Huarocherl Fauna of the
punas and lagoons Flora The parishes.
FROM LIMA TO TARMA
On May 12th, 1779 we left Lima for Tarma. We traveled
6 leagues and passed the night in a dilapidated ranch house, without
undressing, for fear that we might be surprised by a band of negro
bandits that were committing atrocities and robberies in that terri-
tory. The mosquitoes and fleas tormented us to their satisfaction.
On the 13th we reached Surco, a town of the province of Huarocheri
with a population of about 100, without any other incident than the
excessive heat and the plague of mosquitoes, over the troublesome
and dangerous road that starts from San Pedro de Mama. On the
14th we passed through San Juan de Matucana, a town of about
160 people, and reached San Mateo, where the corregidores
[magistrates] of Huarocheri often reside; we had walked long stretches
on foot, along those dangerous inclines, ravines, and walks of steps
made of small stones from the river put one on top of the other, with-
out the use of lime, plaster of Paris, mud, or any other equivalent
material to hold them together, so that in parts the road is a wall
of stones brought together on the mountain side and the top is
covered with soil tramped down by foot. If one stone gives way
on those roads, it is certain that the rest will follow, likewise any
beast or person traveling there at the moment.
On the 15th we waited in San Mateo for the mayors and other
persons that were at their little farms, so that on the following day
they might give us beasts of burden; we finally obtained them by
force of insistence with the mayors, and at eleven we left San Mateo
and passed the night at San Juan de Chicla.
On the 17th we were informed that the muleteers and peons that
the mayors had given us had gone back to San Mateo taking with
them three transport mules, and we were left with only one muleteer
unable to load and conduct so many loads of baggage over those
roads. Although we were in a district of 60 people, we found only
with great difficulty three pack mules instead of those that had
been taken by the muleteers to San Mateo. After having searched
in all the ranches of Chicla, we found only one man that was going
to the mill at Yauliaco; we asked and begged him kindly to help
34 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
the muleteer to load the beasts, which he would not do until we
used force and threats; then we all helped those two men to load.
We again begged the Indian to accompany us to the next town
with the loads, paying him in advance what the muleteer told us
to pay him, but we were unable to make him take even double pay.
We had walked barely 50 yards when the Indian that we had
begged and forced to aid us disappeared; for this reason we
all had to act as muleteers until we reached Yauliaco, where
the Indian had preceded us and told the mayordomo all he pleased
about us. This man came with several Indians to the road, and
he had the first load that came along brought to his room and
unloaded to pay for what he thought was our insolence in forcing
his worker to help our muleteer. My three companions that reached
Yauliaco first, received the volley of threats from the mayordomo
and, being unable to contradict him, they decided to abandon the
load and to continue on their way.
They were already about one-eighth of a league distant when
I arrived at Yauliaco with the last loads and, finding the mayor-
domo with the two chests by his side and surrounded by all
his workers, I greeted him with courtesy and asked him what those
chests were doing there; he answered me with such imperiousness
and such words that the whole world seemed too small for him at
that moment. Thinking that he was Andalusian, I answered him even
more strongly, and I told him all that had happened to us, and
he not only yielded but begged me to call my friends and pass the
night in the rancho, and he promised to give us for a guide the In-
dian that had caused all the trouble, and all the aid that we might
need to continue our trip. The good Vizcayno, ashamed of that
Andalusian temper, served us an excellent supper and breakfast,
and next day he provided us with the three mules required, taken
from the field, and the same Indian to help the muleteer. So
ashamed was this mayordomo that he did not dare dine or
breakfast with us, as we found out later from his employer, Dn.
Pablo Carreras, owner of that mill.
On the 18th we left Yauliaco with only two muleteers. We crossed
the snow-covered ridge of the cordillera without mishap, although
with some difficulty, because of the small number of muleteers for
so many loads. We had just reached the punas when night de-
scended, and for that reason one of our mules was stuck in
the mud and drowned with two loads in a channel of Lake
Huacracocha, where the ford is. At that time, notwithstanding
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 35
the excessive cold, my servant went in to cut the straps from the
loads, and with a rope we succeeded in getting them to solid ground
where we left them, and we walked alone through those punas and
where the mules wanted to take us, until, stumbling here and falling
there, we came to Pucara at 10 in the evening very cold and very
hungry. At 11 at night the miners of Pucara sent two men and
two he-mules to bring the chests that had been left on the banks of
the laguna, and they returned at 12:30. The 19th we stayed in
Pucara so that I could dry in the sun my clothes, books, papers,
and so forth, all of which I found tinted with several colors that the
artists had put in loose in papers in the chests at the time the clothes
were packed.
In all these silver mines that are found from San Juan de Chicla
to Pucara and that are in very cold mountains and punas, they use
the llamas or sheep of the region to carry the metals from the mines.
Instead of wood they use champas or turf that they get from the
swamps in which many plants grow, very small although with
many-branched, strong roots which, with the soil that they hold,
form a kind of material suitable for fuel; but it gives off much
smoke of a very unpleasant odor, and harmful especially to persons
not used to its odor and continuous smoke, because it produces a
a choking sensation with bad headaches and irritation of the eyes,
and causes nosebleed and inflammation of the throat when one goes
out into the fresh air to get rid of the headache.
In the midst of all these difficulties these men live engaged in
extracting the treasures hidden under the snow in these moun-
tainous regions.
The most common plants that exist in these damp places from
which they get champas, are gentians, geraniums, valerians, and
some grasses, all very small plants that spread or adhere to the
spongy ground; the beasts become stuck there very easily, and then
one sees the water that is covered with the champas.
We four travelers left Pucara on the 20th, with headaches,
watery eyes, rash on the face, and open or cracked lips, and more
or less dizzy from the smoke that is continually present in all the
rooms of the houses.
At a distance of about half league from this smelter, we passed
a short natural bridge formed by the waters of a brook that passed
under it. Another half league from the hacienda Pachachaca we
crossed a plain called Chaplanga or Chaplamha that extends more
36 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
than 600 feet in length and as many in width. It is so level that a
a brook of very clear, petrifying water extends and runs over all of it,
and it is no doubt this quality that has made it form that
gentle and beautiful cascade, which looks like a single piece of
porcelain made and placed there on purpose. At a few feet from
Chaplamha there is another natural bridge under which the water
of this cascade runs rapidly, and the water from the brook of the
former bridge and from many other small brooks that descend from
the cordillera and punas. A little ahead, this brook unites with
the famous river Pari, the first bridge over which is of rope or cables,
so that with pulleys they pass the people in a wicker basket or in
a sack of leather from one side to the other. At 8 P.M. we reached
the Puente de la Oroya, built with cables made of hide and thin
vines. Beasts cannot be transported over this bridge, so that it
is necessary to carry all the loads on the shoulders and leave the
burdened animals to cross the river swimming; we started this work
at such a late hour that bunches of ichu grass, with which the two
roofs at the entrance of the bridge were covered, served us for lights.
Before we passed the loads, one of the party tried to get a mule
across the bridge, and as the hole where the cables are fixed had
only two boards, the mule fell in, and to get her out of it required
more than an hour; for this reason the others were taken across
at the ford and, as the river runs so rapidly, one of them was drowned.
It took us three hours to take the loads and saddles across the bridge,
so that it was 12 when we arrived at the pueblo of Oroya.
The above-mentioned bridge is about 40 yards in length and less
than two in width. When one crosses, it shakes and swings from
one side to the other so that with the noise of the river below, it
causes terror even to think of crossing it at night.
On the 21st, because the alcalde of San Mateo had sent us some
more muleteers who joined us before we reached the bridge of
Oroya, we four travelers were able to set out from this pueblo at
daybreak and entered the pueblo of Tarma, capital of the province
of that name, leaving the loads to the care of the muleteers that
arrived next day without any trouble.
On this trip we suffered many hardships and repeated tragedies,
as may be inferred from what has been said already and, to com-
plete our tribulation, after two mules had been lost by drowning,
another was stolen the day the muleteers arrived at Tarma.
All the way and specially around the quebrada of Huarocheri
we collected many of the new and rare plants which cover the margins
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 37
of the canon river and the frequent little brooks and falls that drain
into that river, with which we shall deal later.
From Lima to San Pedro de Mama, the grounds of which are
level on both sides of the river, you find in succession farms or
plantations of sugar cane, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cassava,
yacones, squashes, porotos or beans, maize, figs, plantains, and many
other seeds and fruit trees belonging to the country, which make
all of that large, luxurious meadow handsome and delightful.
From Chaclacayo to Cocachacra one can see, on the sides of the
hills, the ruins of several towns of the gentiles, most of them showing
that they had had but few houses. Near Surco, there is a little
brook that passes through the road and comes from a small cut in
the hills, and the natives assured us that the water of this brook
causes the sickness there called verrugas [papules] and is contracted
especially by those who, sweating, drink of it.
From Lima to Cocachacra the hills on both sides are arid and
bare, so that in most of them one cannot find a green thing at any
time of the year.
In the canon from San Pedro de Mama to the cordillera, night
comes one hour earlier and dawn an hour later than in the heights and
open places, because of the elevation of the mountains and the
narrowness of the gorge; into its depths the sun does not reach
until 9 or 10 in the morning and is concealed by the lofty crests
at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. While the rays of the sun pierce the
depths, one feels such an excessive heat that it would be intolerable
to walk in the gorge if it were not for a fresh breeze that comes down
from the mountains at the same time almost daily, tempering and
at times refreshing the whole gorge.
From Cocachacra on, the mountains and hills are covered with
various herbs and shrubs all year round, and in its valleys potatoes,
beans, corn, and arracachas are planted and harvested. The climate
of this gorge is generally mild and healthy; nevertheless, there are
some places where the people suffer from tertians at the beginning
or at the end of the rains, the seasons for which should be called
autumn and spring. The Indians cure themselves of this and other
maladies with herbs administered by themselves because there are
no doctors or surgeons.
From Surco to San Juan de Chicla, as the valley is very narrow,
there are very few farms and properties, except small fields of alfalfa,
38 HIPOLITO Ruiz
maize, potatoes, abas, and okas. From Chicla on, one finds only a
few rows of green barley that the miners plant to feed to their animals.
The road in this gorge is, throughout almost all of its length,
very narrow and dangerous, since it is near the river bank, and as
this river comes from the mountains to San Pedro de Mama by such
a narrow cut and with such velocity that it forms an almost con-
tinuous waterfall, in parts it is made frightful by the noise and
concussion of the water against the great rocks that are found in
the middle of the river, so that it is impossible for travelers to hear
each others' questions even if shouted, and with the fog or mist
and small drops of water that are scattered in the atmosphere and
around the circumference of the big rocks, necessarily, travelers
cannot avoid getting wet in many places along the way. In some
places the falls of the river are so serene and beautiful that they
charm and distract the imagination with the foamy, smooth water,
which at a distance appears like pure snow that is always in move-
ment or in total repose, forming extraordinary and beautiful designs.
Among the various declivities and narrow passes of the road there
is one called Punta de Diamante, situated between San Juan de
Matucana and the tambo called Viso. This declivity is so steep
and narrow that one shudders at crossing it, and the animals have to
climb it at a run and stop from time to time at the small offsets
to rest and recover their breath in order to continue to the summit.
If any person or animal should fall from this declivity, it would
be useless to look for him, for the force of the fall and the pounding
of the waters against the rocks would mangle him completely.
Many pieces of the road are formed from small rocks put one
over the other from the border of the river to the top of the road,
which, if any stone from its foundation should become dislodged,
would be entirely ruined. The resistance of these roads is particularly
worthy of admiration, as the rocks are not cemented together with
any lime, gypsum, mud, earth, or any other material used for that
purpose, and they resist those tall pilcas or walls the pounding
of the water and have endured since the time of the Incas unto the
present with no other care than some repairs when needed.
In this gorge of San Mateo there is an abundance of a species
of little parrots and other birds that with their singing and variety
of colors help to amuse the curious traveler and offer him dis-
traction from the sadness caused by that long, narrow, deep,
and murky gorge.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 39
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF HUAROCHERf
This province borders to the west on the jurisdiction of Cercado,
which begins five leagues from Lima. On the north it is bordered
by the provinces of Canta and Tarma and on the east by that of
Xauxa. It is 30 leagues in length and 6 in width. It has two distinct
climates: one more or less temperate in the valleys, gorges, and
canons, and the other more or less cold in the mountains, punas,
and Cordilleras.
In the encanadas and temperate lower elevations as on some
slopes of the hills, they cultivate various roots, fruits, and seeds
such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, arracachas [apio], yucas [cassava],
yacones, okas, ullucas, massuas, plantains, pacaes, paltas, palillos,
guavas, lucumas, chirimoyas, soursops, membrillos, and frutillas,
corn, abas, and porotos or beans. Alfalfa is never lacking in
this district, and in those places that, even if they are valleys, are
near the punas and Cordilleras where frigid temperature does not
allow the production of alfalfa, it is replaced by alcazer, which can
be planted in some punas, but must be in enclosures made for this
purpose within the towns.
The mountain ridges are barren and during the greater part of
the year are covered with snow; for this reason there are very few
plants that can be seen in the crevices of the holes and rocks. In
the punas the grass and the ichu are abundant, and support great
flocks of sheep and many herds of cattle and horses, and the great
number of llamas or native sheep which, as has been said before,
the miners use to transport metals from the mines to the smelters
which are always situated in the creeks and canons.
In the punas there is an abundance of vicunas and huanacos
and a species of rabbit called viscacha [chinchilla].
There are many lakes in these punas; one of the largest is that
of Huacracocha, which is three quarters of a league in length and
about one league in width. In some of these lakes there are fish
called vagres and cachuelos, both delicious in taste. There is an
abundance of several species and kinds of birds, such as the huachas
(the maw of which applied to cotos or goitre, the Indians affirm has
the virtue of dissolving it), ducks, swans, freguilles, sarapicos domini-
canos (a kind of eagle), condors or vultures, neverillas llorones or
burladores, because they moan and later make a sound as if they
were laughing heartily. These and the ducks always inhabit the
lakes; the birds of prey are found in the rocks and punas; the swans,
40 HIP6LITO Ruiz
sarapicos, neverillas, freguillas, and huachas are always near the
border of the lakes and swampy places.
Near the towns some other birds are found, such as cascabeli-
llos, papamoscas, zorzales, and gorriones or pichuisas, and one species
of aloica or calandria.
Some small lakes that are met before one reaches Tuctu, give rise
to the Lima river, and others empty by way of the provinces of
Yauyos and Canete, and swell the Mala river, which like the Lima
has its outlet in the southern sea; the little brook of Sta. Olalla
joins the Lima river near San Pedro de Mama. The remaining
lakes of this province empty their waters to the north and form
the voluminous Pan river.
In the quebradas and heights are found various medicinal plants,
some of which are taken to Lima to be sold, such as the authentic
and true calaguala, the quinchamali, salvia, excorzonera, puma,
and santra, and several others of which they make frequent use.
In the gorge of San Mateo de Matucana, 3 species of loasas
abound, 2 calceolarias, 2 celsias, 2 saxifragas, 2 chilcas or molinas,
2 mespilus, 1 ferraria, 1 tropaeolum (which is cultivated and the
root is eaten), 1 duranta, 1 talictrum, 1 fuchsia, 2 euphorbias, 1
buddleia, 1 sapium, several species of cactus, and various other
plants of the Diadelphiae, Syngenesia, and Cryptogams, of which
individual mention will be made in the Flora Peruana.
Among the different silver ores of exquisite purity, the most
abundant are found in Pucara and in the Cerro del Nuevo Potosi
that is situated in Sauli, where there are thermal baths.
Between Cocachacra and Surco, there is, as has been stated before,
a brook that drains into the Lima river and the waters of which pro-
duce the trouble called verrugas. On the way between Pucara and the
Pari river, there are two small bridges of one arch each, cut by nature
in the rock, and a plain called Chaplamha, as is told in the account
of the journey from Pucara to Oroya.
This province is divided into eleven parishes that are : The 1st, that of Huarocheri
with two annexes named Calahuaya and Alloca. The pueblo of Huarocheri is
the head of the district. The 2nd parish is that of the pueblo of San Lorenzo de
Quinti with the four annexes of Huancayre, Quinti, Tantaranchi, and Carhua-
pampa. The 3rd is that of the pueblo of Olleros with the annexes of Mactara and
Chatacancha. The 4th is that of the pueblo of Chorrillos with 6 annexes, viz. : Chon-
tay, Cochahuayco, Huamansica, Sisicaya, Langa, and Lahuaytambo. The 5th par-
ish is that of San Cosme and San Damian, with the annexes of Sunicancha, Tupi-
cocha, and Santiago de Tuna. The 6th is that of Sta. Olalla [Eulalia] (where they
grow beautiful and large paltas [avocados], chirimoyas, and other fruits proper to
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 41
that country) with four annexes: San Geronimo de Punan, Chaclla, Xicamarca, and
Collata. The 7th that of Carampoma with the annexes of Laraos and Huanza.
The 8th is that of Sa"n Pedro de Casta with four annexes; San Juan de Iris, Hua-
chupampa, Chanca, and Otao. The 9th, San Juan de Matucana (pueblo of 160
inhabitants) with these annexes: Surco (town of 100 inhabitants), Nangos de
Cocachacra or Cochacra, San Pedro de Mama, San Bartolome, and Sta. Ines.
The 10th parish is of San Mateo de Huanchor. This pueblo, which is usually the
residence of the mayor, is divided into two suburbs called San Antonio and San
Mateo and has 100 inhabitants. This parish has 3 annexes, that are those of
San Miguel de Viso, San Antonio de Yauliaco, and Pumacancha. Between this
pueblo and San Mateo is found a district named San Juan de Chicla with 60
inhabitants. Some say it is a pueblo, but others say it is only the residence of
Indian peons that come from other towns to work in the mines.
The llth parish is that of San Antonio de Yaulia with 13 annexes, namely:
Pumacocha, the Asiento de Carahuacra, Pucara, Pachachaca (past Pumacancha
are the haciendas de Ingenio, called Bellavista, after which come Ciricamcha,
Yauliaco, Yanacolpa, Tingo, Casapalca; on the right-hand side one leaves Piedra
Parada, and beyond the ridge of mountains and in front of Pucara is the Ingenio
de Tuctu), Santa Rosa de Yaco or Saco, Conception de Pacha, San Cristobal
de Hucumarca, San Francisco Solano de Trapiche, San Geronimo de Callapampa,
Santiago de Huayhuay, San Antonio de Huari, and San Lucas de Chacapalpa.
The Indians of this province occupy themselves with mules
and work in the mines. The women generally work the fields,
though at the time of planting and harvesting the husbands help
them.
These women, on church holy days, take care of decorating the
altars and saints with flowers from the country and others that they
grow in the little gardens around their houses.
In each town there is usually no more than one church or chapel
with 3, 4, or 5 altars.
CHAPTER VII
Stay in Tarma Plants found in this province and their medicinal value
Landscapes The convent of Ocopa.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOTANISTS IN TARMA
On the 21st, as soon as we arrived in Tarma and since the governor
of the province was absent from the town, we went to the house of
the comandante, Dn. Francisco Gomez de Toledo, to ask for quarters,
which he arranged for immediately and with great activity, enter-
taining us that night and the next day at the table in his house.
On the 23rd of the same month of May, 1779, we wrote to the
governor, Dn. Juan Jose de Abellafuertes, who was at Pasco, giving
him notice of our arrival and the object of our commission, so that
with his consent we could go in search of plants in every place in
that province and be helped with food and beasts and all other
necessities for the excursions and journeys that we began on the
26th, and continued to the 24th of April, 1780, through the cuts,
canons, and hills of Tarma and through the montanas of Huasa-
huasi and Palca. During this time we discovered a considerable
number of trees, shrubs, grasses, and herbs, many of them of known
uses and virtues, all of which will be described extensively in the
Flora of Peru, and I restrict myself here to indicating their generic
and trivial names and the Indian ones, if they have any, together
with their medicinal and economic uses.
PLANTS DISCOVERED AND DESCRIBED IN THE PROVINCE OF
TARMA AND IN THE FRONTIERS OF ITS MONTANAS
Cassia undecimpiga, setacea, procumbens, and hirsuta, the first
two known by the names of hatumpacte and pachapacte. These
have been used for a long time as purgatives, and their leaves are
preferred to those senna leaves brought from Lima for the same
purpose by the doctors. Celsia (affinis) lanceolata, huayansacha.
Solanum calygnaphalum, nufiumya. Solatium lyciodes, foetidum, ama
de casa, aserplanatum, sericeum, quercifolium, menhas, havanense,
and tomentosum, hormis. Saxifraga tridactylites L., puchuppus and
siempreviva. Bignonia stans L., ciarhirachero. Limosella subulata.
Eupatorium aromaticum, chilca. They use this plant to dye green
and yellow, and the pounded leaves are used to clean and heal
ulcers and, above all, to soothe bruises and sprains. Buddleia incana,
quisoar, quishuara, and colle, the trunk of which is used for buildings
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 43
and plows, for its strength and durability and for the peculiarity of
being resistant to insects. The Indians boil the shoots and drink
the water as a cleanser for viscous humours and for colds, and from
the pounded shoots, with urine, cooked over the fire, they form
a poultice to banish toothache, applying it inside and outside.
Some people color their food with the little heads of the flowers.
G. n. Polygala aff. caerulea, chisp-huinac and pahuata-huinac,
that is, grows at night. The women wash their hair with an infusion
of this plant, rubbing it in water because its soapy substance cleans
the hair and makes it grow if the infusion is used frequently. Gar-
doquia canescens, sacconche, suyunmpai, and chinchi. They
make use of the infusion or decoction of this fragrant plant,
not only in Tarma but also in Lima and other places, against
melancholy, pain in the sides, and lassitude, for which it is boiled
in wine or rum with water. Psoralea punctata (Dalea? L.), with
which some of the hills are covered, forming a beautiful carpet
with the green of its small leaves and flower spikes, exhaling a certain
pleasant odor when the sun shines upon them in the morning.
Sisymbrium Sophia L. This plant is very common in this province
and in Huamalies. It is greatly esteemed by some for the virtue
they claim it has against the retention of the urine. They give it
the name of ucuspatallan. Hedyotis conferta, thymifolia, juniperi-
folia, and setosa. Krameria triandra, pumacuchu and mapato.
Briza media L. Sedum ceallu, ceallu, for the likeness of its leaves
to the human tongue. They use the juice of this plant to destroy
cataracts of the eyes. Salvia grandiflora, plumosa, andfragtostissima,
chenchelcoma and sal via menor. Salvia sagittata, huarnica and
salvia real. Some Indians eat the leaves to prevent worms. They
attribute remedial virtues to this plant in asthma and as a pectoral,
and they think that it makes sterile women fecund. They use it
as an aperitive plant, diuretic, vulnerary, consolidant, and as a
restorative of the appetite.
Periphragmos uniflorus. This shrub is found only at the edges
of orchards and plantations near the towns and in the ruins of the
towns of the pagans, who because of their superstitition regard
it as a magic plant; but today the Indian women decorate the
church altar's and saints with bunches of these flowers. Panicum
purpureum. Lupinus argenteus, quitatauri. Passi flora ciliata,
urra-purupuru. Passiflora mammosa and biflora. Pteronia spinosa.
Rhinanthus sagittata and glutinosa. Polylepis emarginata, quinhuar
or quinuar. The trunks of these trees are used by miners for
44 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
the beams of their factory buildings. It is a very strong wood and
is not spoiled by borers. Its bark peels off in many layers thin as
sheets of paper. Tillandsia recurvata, revoluta, coarctata, Huehle,
huehle, and usneoides L., sal vagina and sadcopra, millmahina and
cotalaura. The Indians make great use of this plant in hot baths
to invigorate the nerves, to recover lost strength, and to induce
sleep. They make mattresses with the leaves, because they claim
that it is shunned by fleas and other insects and that moreover it
benefits those who suffer from backaches and kidney trouble. They
apply this plant, pounded and with lard, to cure piles. Astragalus
capitatus, garbancillo. Animals die that eat too much of this plant.
Cleome glandulosa, tacma. Lycium obovatum, espino. Senecio nitidus,
revolutus, abrotanifolius, frutescens, and quercifolius. Acaena ovali-
folia and lappacea. Cacalia serrata. Polypodium serratum, lineare,
Calaguala, fine callahuala which is the true and authentic calaguala
of the shops and the Polypodium incopcam, cuca-cuca and incopcam
that is, coca of the Inca, because the Incas used it instead of coca.
Reduced to powder it is used to induce sneezing and to relieve the
head. Polypodium crassifolium L., puntu-puntu and lengua de
ciervo. They make use of the infusion and decoction of these roots
against pains in the sides, and they are gathered in Peru to send to
Europe under the name of calaguala gruesa. See my discourse about
the calagualas included in the 1st book of the Memoirs of the Royal
Academy of Medicine of Madrid printed in 1796. Acrostichum
palmatum, Marantae L., and Cuacsaro, cuacsaro. See the same dis-
course about this plant. Pteris ternata, culantrillo, lineata, tri-
angulata, tomentosa, and trifoliata. Polypodium coronarium, exalta-
tum, erecto-lineare,fibrosum, glabrum, nutans. Phylitidis L., repandum,
revolutum, rhombeum, obovatum, scolopendroides L., and virginianum
L. Acrostichum revolutum, lineare, and calomelanos L. Asplenium
caudatum, falcato-lineare, multifidum, and lineatum. Adiantum capil-
lus veneris L. Trichomanes crispum, lineare, and obovatum. Lycopo-
dium corymbosum and lanceolatum' Polytrichum subulatum. Bryum
nitidum. Lichen ruber, subulatus, cinereo-viridis, multifidus, oculatus,
palidoviridis, and pyxicatus L. Sessea dependens. Munnozia tri-
nervis. Justicia incana. Margyricarpus subfructicosus, yerba de las
perlillas, for the resemblance of its sweet and tasty fruits to pearls.
On the coast of Chile they are abundant, also Plantago hirsuta and
tomentosa. Acrostichum squamato-tomentosum, nitidum, sulphureum,
obovatum, squamatum. Asplenium cultrifolium, obovatum, praemor-
sum, fissum, acutifolium. Hemionitis rigida. Lycopodium subulatum.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 45
Cervantesia tomentosa, whose fruits, that resemble the hazelnut in
taste and size, I ate several times without any harm, although
they are not used for that purpose in that country. Datura sanguinea,
floripondio encarnado and puca-campanilla. This tree is very
beautiful because of the abundance of its large red flowers. Its leaves
have emollient and anodyne properties, and its seeds stupefy and
cause insanity, and the natives say that some people have become
crazy by merely going to sleep under its shade. Galium mucronatum,
croceum, corymbosum, and ciliatum. Calceolaria scabra, uniflora,
tomentosa. Peperomia pubescens. Valeriana lanceolata, huarituru.
Its roots are used to heal fractures. Valeriana thyrsiflora, coronata,
pilosa, interrupta, globiflora, and oblongifolia. Pinguicula stellata.
Ipomoea subtriloba, papiru. Its tuberous root is used as a very
strong purgative. Jarava Ichu, ocssa and ichu. In Huancavelica
they use it in place of firewood to melt cinnabar. When tender
it furnishes excellent pasture for cattle, llamas, vicunas, alpacas,
venados, and huanacos all ruminant animals. They use this grass
as roofing for buildings and they fill mattresses with it; it is also
used as fuel for cooking and for warmth for, even if it is green,
it burns very well and gives good heat. Finally they make it
into rugs, mats, and many other similar things. Anchusa alba.
Gomphrena purpurea. Atropa biflora. Saracha biflora, the small fruit of
which is eaten by children. Gardenia spinosa, milluscassa. Oenanthe?
pedunculata. Celastrus triflorus, rurama and picma. From its wood
they make carpenter tools because of its strength. Anemone digitata,
arracacha cimarrona. Dichondra repens, fragosa, crenata, multifida,
reniformis, frutilla de monte, for the similarity of the leaves with
those of the strawberry. Anemone pubescens, polizones. Gentiana
maculata. Caucalis grandiflora. Viburnum verticillatum. Rhamnus
acuminatus. Lithospermum aggregatum and incanum. Cynanchum
minimum and glandulosum. Asclepias cordata. Illecebrum lanatum.
Achyranthes mucronata. Sambucus glandulosa. This small tree can
be found only in the mountain towns, and they use it as they do
Sambucus nigra. Stereoxylon resinosum, tiri encarnado and chacha-
coma. Its shoots are used to dye red and purple. Gentiana biflora,
subulata, umbellata, and quinquepartita. Desfontainia spinosa.
Alchemilla pinnata. Nicotiana Tabacum, true tobacco. Varronia
rugosa and obliqua. Tournefortia polystachya and virgata. Nerteria
repens? It is very abundant in Chile near Conception. Pancrati-
um coccineum, margaritas encarnadas. Crinum? sagittatum, marga-
rita. Pancratium viride. Its flowers are all green, like half of those
46 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
of the white lily. Berberis mucronata and tortuosa. Hydrocotyle
asiatica L. Ribes luteum and dependens. Swertia corniculata. Lo-
ranthus luteus and pentandrus. Piper scabrum and Churumayu,
churumayu. Cynoglossum revolutum. Triglochin ciliatum. Cheno-
podium tuberosum, ulluco. Its roots are used as food, and its decoc-
tion serves as an expectorant and is claimed to make childbirth
easier. Astronemia linearis. Ornithogalum pyrenaicum L. Cyperus
striatus. Tropaeolum tuberosum, massuas, the tuberous roots of which
are cultivated and eaten in Peru and are of an inverted conic shape
and of a golden or yellow color. Dodonaea viscosa L., chamisa and
chamassa. Its crushed leaves are applied effectively in poultices for
sprains, and its trunk and branches are used for fuel in Tarma and
many other towns. Alstroemeria trifida, pini-pini, coccinia, spiralis,
capitata, and crocea, chocllocopa. Coccoloba nitida and volubilis,
muyaca. The infusion is used as a superior diuretic in urinary
troubles. Gualtheria cordifolia, alba, hirsuta, rhinnin cussau. Colu-
mellia ovalis, ullus and usluss. A very bitter shrub, wonderfully
effective against tertian fevers. Used as an infusion. Fuchsia
apetala and verticillata, mollocanto; its ripe fruits are eaten by
children, and they often make of them an excellent preserve with
sugar. Embothrium emarginatum, catas and mastimpanrani, i.e.
priapus simiae, for the shape of the pistil and follicle, very similar
to the genital parts of monkeys. Its pounded leaves are used
for bruises; from its flowers the Indian women form sprays to
decorate the altars and arches that they erect for processions.
Vaccinium biflorum. Rhexia repens, ola-ola and olla-olla. It serves
as a yellow dye if mixed with other plants. Rhexia hispida. Wein-
mania oppositifolia. Arbutus multiflora. Andromeda affin. purpurea,
macha-macha. Its fruits eaten in excess are intoxicating; for this
reason they gave it the name. Vaccinium affin. trinerve, punctatum,
grandiflorum, uchu-uchu, i.e., aji-aji or pimiento-pimiento, for the
shape of its corollas, nitidum, lanuginosum, and alatum, pucssato. Its
fruit is eaten and is often sold in the market by the Indian women.
Polygonum subulatum. Portulaca pilosa. Cuphea cordata. Acunna
oblonga, rosa-rosa. Psychotria coerulea. Cacti species variae.
Potentilla prostrata. Rubus biserratus, salvifolius, and fructicosus L.,
siracas. Geum urbanum L. Loasa spiralis. Vallea cordata, cunhur.
Rubus roseus, chilifruta. Psidium nitidum, aseca. Duranta plumosa,
and tomentosa, sanacassa and tantarprieto. Gardoquia conferta.
Rhinanthus rugosa. Thalictrum polygamum L. Bartsia hirsuta,
purpurea, and prostrata. Mespilus uniflora, ferruginea, prostrata,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 47
and subspinosa, millucassa. Its fruits are eaten. Geranium filiforme.
Slum biternatum. Hedysarum pubescens. Ruellia prostata. Cytisus
purpureus. Hypericum subulatum, chinchanho. This plant is
generally used as a yellow dye. Eupatorium angulatum and trinerve.
Tagetes odoratissima, chinchi. Bidens nasturcifolia. Artemisia
hirsuta. Lantana involucrata. Aster pinnatus, tomentosus, auri-
cularis, foliaceus, vira-vira del monte. Hieracium triflorum. Gnapha-
lium trinerve, and Vira-Vira, vira-vira, i.e. gordura-gordura, since
the plant is crushed and used for contusions and sprains. Melastoma
tomentosa, tiri bianco. This plant is used to make a yellow dye,
the color changing with the addition of other plants. Molina
scabra, taya. They make great use of this plant to fumigate the
rooms, and the Indians employ it also as a superior stomachic.
Helianthus glutinosus and lanceolatus. Molina uniflora, ferruginea,
caespitosa, and obovata, taya hembra, and emarginata, taya macho.
The same use is made of these species as of the preceding. Eupa-
torium subsessile and Huaramachia, huaramachia. Pteronia? gemina.
Polymnia resinifera, puhe and taraca. This plant is plentiful in
Xauxa, Chaclla, and Tarma, where many gather the resin that exudes
in transparent white drops which, when reunited, form a compact
mass that loses its transparency but not its odor, similar to that of
the goma de limon. They apply it as a plaster for fractures and
headache. Bacasia spinosa. Atragene villosa. Perdicium lanatum.
Cosmos laciniata. Bidens pinnato-multifida. Ranunculus cordatus.
Virgularia revoluta, mancapagui. Talinum ciliatum. Viola obliqua,
parviflora, and subulata. Lobelia purpurea, tomentosa, purpureo-
viridis, and bicolor. Maxillaria alata, bicolor, tricolor, grandiflora,
and cuneiformis. Humboldtia aspera, spiralis. Masdevallia uniflora,
rima-rima. Epidendrum maculatum, croceum, volubile, emarginatum,
biflorum, triflorum, acuminatum, lineare. Gongora quinquenervis,
angulata, uniflora. Sobralia dichotoma. Cypripedium grandiflorum.
Satyrium album, luteum, bicolor. This family of orchids is so plen-
tiful in the quebradas of Huasahuasi and Palca, that it would
be difficult to find any other place in which there are so many plants
of this kind, for it appears that nature has destined this land for
that purpose since the beginning of creation.
Notwithstanding the variety and abundance of these plants in
these parts, there is no lack of many other species at the other
entrance to the montana of Panatahuas, and even in the actual
mountains they grow upon the trees, rocks, and sunburnt ground.
48 HIPOLITO Ruiz
This family deserves a monograph upon these localities, and
the number of species would probably be more than 500. Among
the maxillarias there is bicolor which is called caeca, that means
pavement, because the land is so covered with its bulbs that it
looks like a pavement placed there on purpose. These bulbs are
so juicy and tender that they can be chewed very easily, and they
give so much tasteless juice that six of them are sufficient to quench
the thirst; the Indians do this very frequently when they pass
through those places in order not to go out of their way to drink in
the depths of the quebradas. Plazia conferta. Cissus obliqua. Croton
pulverulentum and striatum. Siegesbeckia occidentalis L. Clusia? thu-
rifera, arbol del incienso, for its exuding resin that is used in Peru
for incense. Sepium nitidum, chichis. Coriaria pinnata. With the
racemes of this plant the Indians dye their cotton and wool. Aralia
aff . digitata, Myrica sternutatoria, tuppassaire and ssaire. They use
this shrub to dye cordwain black, and its pulverized bark makes one
sneeze immediately on snuffing a little powder instead of tobacco.
Although this powder excites speedily to ten or twelve sneezes with-
out pause, it does not irritate or harm the nose as do other excitants,
for when the nose is blown and wiped with a handkerchief, the sneez-
ing stops and the stimulus also. It has been found that this powder
clears the head and relieves headaches, etc. Sisyrinchium luteum
and purgans, ossca purga and paja purgante, for the value of its roots
used by the Indians as one of the best and most active purgatives.
Its action is restrained by simply drinking cold water. Urtica spiralis.
From the incisions and cut branches of this little tree there flows a
clear gum like gum arabic. Urtica orbicularifolia and fumans.
When the rays of the sun strike this plant in the morning, it expands
such a multitude of flowers that the fine dust from the anthers fills
the air as if it were a dense pall of smoke, remaining for more than
two hours, and during this time it continues to open flowers and
anthers with marked elasticity greater than that of the other spe-
cies of the genus. Ephedra distachyd L. Atriplex monoica. Betula alba
L. Salix pyramidalis. Viscum luteum and sessile. Lycopodium dichoto-
mum. Mutisia acuminata, chimchiculma, chincumpa, and huincus.
It is a beautiful flower for gardens because of its size and color.
On the 13th of June the peons and train of pack animals in the
company of Dn. Juan Jos de Avellafuertes left the pueblo of Tarma,
governor of the province, to join the peons that P. San Jose, Apostolic
missionary of Ocopa, had taken with him on the 10th, and also the
P. Guardian of this convent, who had started from Tarma on the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 49
llth with the idea of opening the road to Chanchamayo that was
impassable for many years, because the inhabitants of that town had
moved to Tarma after the last invasion by the Indians, and also with
the idea of establishing a fort with a corresponding settlement such
as there had been formerly.
On the 27th of July I went with draftsman Dn. Isidro Galvez
to the province of Xauxa, two leagues from Tarma. We found in
ruins the conspicuous castle of Tarmatambo, from which can be
seen the ruins of a pueblo of the pagans that is situated at the very
top of a hill. By this castle passes the royal highway of the Incas
that runs from Cuzco to Quito. We continued by this road a long
way and, leaving it after about two leagues, we turned to a wide,
barren plain or pampa of more than half a league and, crossing
a hill, we came to another pampa of more than one and a half
leagues, at the end of which there is a spring of abundant clear,
cool, soft, and very fine water, that probably comes under ground
from a lake that can be seen on the right-hand side of the road and
about a quarter league distant. With this water they irrigate two
small quebradas where they raise wheat and barley. From this spring
we passed to a wide plain very fertile in grass with which they feed
great numbers of sheep, cattle, horses, and pigs. Afterwards we
entered another plain also abounding with pasture. Having passed
a small ridge, we crossed the little brook that comes from the spring
already mentioned and came to a pampa in which there is a lake
about one league in length and a quarter of a league in width.
At the left-hand side of the lake are seen two towns, and various
haciendas extend all over the pampa, which on account of the climate
produces nothing but pasture that, although it is scanty, is good for
the cattle. There are, in this lake, an abundance of totoras or eneas
and various aquatic birds. At the end of this pampa one goes down
to another lake almost as large as the last, but with less water and
more marshy and muddy, and at a short distance there is seen the
pueblo of Xauxa, the capital of the province of this name, where
we stayed for the night.
On the 28th we went to the convent of Sta. Rosa de Ocopa, six
leagues distant from Xauxa, passing through the pueblos of Mojon de
San Lorenzo and Apata, in the vicinity of which a small lake is seen
to the west. We arrived in the convent after midday, and we
used the afternoon to inspect that magnificent construction and to
examine the neighborhood with the purpose of discovering a few
new plants, distinct from those produced in the province of Tarma,
50 HIPOLITO Ruiz
but we scarcely found any that were different; among them abound
the true calaguala, Calceolaria linearis, and Polymnia resinifera or
taraca.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CONVENT OF OCOPA
The convent of Sta. Rosa de Ocopa is situated at the foot of
some hills, not very high, that border on the montanas of the pagan
Indians, in a beautiful plain guarded by the hills that form a cove in
the form of a half-moon.
The architecture of this convent is of the best that is found in
Peru. It is whitewashed inside and out. It is surrounded by tall
and luxurious alders at the facade, which is of excellent modern
architecture. It has a spacious court with various rooms for the
travelers that come for religious exercises, and at the rear it is
adorned by a beautiful garden with an abundance of excellent vege-
tables. In the interior there are two cloisters, each one with its
little garden of different flowers and aromatic plants of Europe and of
the region.
In one of these cloisters there is painted the life of Saint Francis
of Assisi, done by a good painter in pictures that fill the recesses of
the four walls. In the other cloister are the paintings of the mar-
tyr missionaries that suffered martyrdom on various missions
and excursions into the montanas of the heathens. Among the
martyr missionaries, there are found several seculars that accom-
panied the missionaries in their preaching and martyrdom. An
extensive plan of converted pueblos is also to be seen. On the second
floor there is another cloister with a Calvary, and in each one of the
three angles a big cross with a crown of thorns and a clock with
an appropriate case.
The silence and retirement, and the care taken with the mystic
ornaments that are found in this convent edify and inspire to the
deepest devotion and meditation.
The church has only one single, spacious nave, very light and
beautifully decorated, as are its altars, dedicated to different Saints.
The vestry is a square room, decorated as much as the church,
with some beautiful cabinetwork for the ornaments and chalices
occupying the four walls. For each priest there is a vestment and a
chalice. The walls are adorned with beautiful paintings brought
from Europe. Among these there is a Passion of Our Lord, in pic-
tures covered with glass. This entire collection is of Roman paint-
ings. In another higher row, there is found the life of Sta. Rosa in
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 51
small squares of stone. This convent possesses an abundant library
of books on various subjects and arranged in alphabetical order.
Many windows in the vestry as well as in the cloisters are of
white and transparent stones resembling glass, for which they
are substituted.
On the days of the Porciuncula of Saint Francis, in Lent, and
on other religious days, many people come from the province of
Xauxa, from the province of Tarma, and elsewhere in the vicinity
to confess and to receive Holy Communion, and many come to en-
gage in spiritual exercises.
From this convent they send missionaries to all the towns border-
ing on the heathen Indians, in order to give them spiritual nourish-
ment and instruct them in Christian morality, providing the mis-
sionaries with all that they need for support and for the fulfillment
of their ministry; to the expenses for this, His Catholic Majesty
contributes a certain number of pesos.
In the orchard of Ocopa there is a birch (Betula alba L.), from
the root of which there rise nine new trunks, thick, very tall, straight,
and very luxuriant. The rest of the birches that surround the con-
vent are wont to produce two to four equal and very frondose trunks
from one root.
The brook that waters the orchard and the trees, even though
small, has sufficient water to irrigate much more ground.
After having examined this convent of Ocopa, we went on to
pass the night at the pueblo of Concepcion, distant a league from
Ocopa, crossing a brook that in time of rain carries much water and
is dangerous to ford.
On the bank of this brook I found the Calceolaria linearis, which
was sketched by Galvez in Concepcion, and I described it and put
it to dry.
In the pueblo of Concepcion a company of soldiers is stationed
as a garrison. The pueblo has many inhabitants, with an abundance
of food, with a large square plaza, and its jail is the most secure
one in the province, and for this reason prisoners of importance are
sent there.
On the 29th we returned to the pueblo of Xauxa, that is situated
at the foot of small hills, in a spacious and somewhat sloping plain.
The streets are straight and are paved only at the principal crossings.
When it rains, a mud forms that makes them impassable. The
buildings are of the usual kind, and some houses are very good and
52 HIP6LITO Ruiz
have two stories, but most of them have only one story. They are
built of mud, lime, and stone and roofed with tile. The largest
plaza is a large square and always supplied with provisions. In
this plaza is the principal church, served by two priests, and on the
other facade there is a beautiful, roomy chapel where masses are
celebrated daily.
The temperature of this pueblo is cool throughout the year, and
one feels the cold more here than in the rest of the valley.
The water that is used in this place comes from a chalky spring
to which everybody comes to fetch it, and to give the animals drink;
drink, for this reason the water is always muddy or turbid at the
first movement that the people make to get it and with the
hooves of the animals that come there to drink. The truth is that
this defect, of having water always turbid, could be remedied at a
very small cost by the numerous inhabitants of Xauxa by building
a reservoir and an aqueduct from that to the town.
CHAPTER VIII
Climate Seasonal differences in the vegetation Abundance of cattle The
Xauxa river Revolt of the Indians (1742) Plants Towns and annexes
Excursions of the naturalists Hardships and misfortunes Journey to Hua-
nuco Details of the landscape Dyeing processes The town of Reyes Its
products Origin of the Ucayali, Huallaga, and Maranon The town of Pasco
Its mines Caxamarquilla.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF XAUXA
The province of Xauxa is situated 45 leagues from Lima in a
level valley, or pampa, which extends for eighteen leagues from
east to west and twelve from north to south. To the north and
northwest it borders on the province of Tarma, to the east on the
montanas of the heathen Indians, to the southeast on the province
of Huanta, to the south on that of Angaraes, to the southwest on
that of Yauyos, and to the west on that of Huarocheri.
The climate of this beautiful valley is generally temperate, but
in the highest parts one feels the cold, especially at night, on account
of the winds that come from the nearby cordilleras. In winter there
are continual frosts, and for this reason vegetables become scanty,
and they cannot get the alfalfa that is raised in the vicinity of some
pueblos near Xauxa.
Six leagues away the climate is milder and on higher ground is
good for sugar cane, which in fact is produced ; from it they get some
sugar. They gather plentiful harvests of wheat and barley. There
is no lack of maize, potatoes, ockas, yucas, arracachas, yacones, and
some fruits, vegetables, and flowers in the gardens and orchards.
On the ridges and at the entrances to the montanas, coca, pine-
apples, plantains, papayas, and other fruits are gathered.
In time of drought one cannot find in the greater part of this
spacious valley any plant that measures any more than half a foot
in height, except in those few lower spots where sugar cane is pro-
duced, but in spring all the fields are beautiful.
Many pigs are raised; from them good hams and sausages are
made. In the heights where it is cold the natives raise innumerable
heads of sheep, and with the wool they make xerga (a cloth by that
name), and the women weave wool and cotton, especially into ponchos.
In the higher and colder punas, there is an abundance of vicunas
and huanacos, the wool of which is gathered to make delicate weaves
54 HIP6LITO Ruiz
such as for neck scarfs, kerchiefs, girdles, belts, garters, stockings,
caps, socks, etc.
To be able to catch these animals to advantage, the natives
arrange chacos or hunts, as is explained in the account of the province
of Tarma.
Through the middle of the province of Xauxa runs the Oroya
river, called by others the Pari; it comes from the province of
Tarma and has its origin in the famous Laguna de Reyes, or Lake
Chinchaycocha, of which we have already told[?] in the description
of the latter province.
This river that in Xauxa is called the Xauxa river and takes
on a different name wherever it passes, until it enters the Ucayali
that joins with the Maranon river, is of very little use for watering
the valley of Xauxa because of its depth; nevertheless, its waters
could be conducted through canals if there were more need of it.
In the time of the Marques de Canete, Viceroy of Peru, at about
5 leagues from the pueblo of Xauxa, they built a stone bridge with a
single arch over the Pari river, but its waters destroyed it because
of the laziness of the natives, who took no care to repair it, unlike
that over the Huancayo river which, though built at the same
time, exists up to the present and is very advantageous for
communications and traffic in those pueblos. Thus the Huancayo
river, like all the small brooks of the province of Xauxa, joins the
Pari river after having irrigated many fields of the province.
In past times they thought of founding the capital of Peru in
this valley of Xauxa, but several obstacles prevented its establish-
ment there.
In the year 1742 the Indians of many towns already converted
to the Catholic faith, revolted and threatened hostilities in this
province, such as took place in that of Tarma and Huanuco, where
all the new pueblos were destroyed, some of them with many inhab-
itants, such as Huancabamba, Cerro de la Sal, Metraro, Eneno,
Tulumayo, Urubamba, and others.
In the territory of this province there are several old pueblos in
ruins and some small forts of the pagan Indians.
Although there are several silver mines in this province, at present
only one, that was discovered in the year 1779, is worked as the rest
do not pay the cost of the labor.
There are various medicinal plants in this province, but all are
very small and adapted to that cold climate. Among them, there
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 55
is an abundance of the true legitimate calaguala, Polypodium Cala-
guala Ruiz. Diss. de la Calag. Act. Acad.
The plants that are produced in this valley are very few, and
the fruit trees and other trees very rare.
All of this is described in the Flora of Peru, 1 in which is cited the
place and province with the uses and properties that they have.
This province includes fourteen parishes: The first is that of Xauxa, head
district of the whole province, with two annexes named Ricran and Mojon. The
second parish is that of Apata with the annexes Uchubamba and Huamali.
The third is that of Conception with a convent of Observancia de San Francisco.
The fourth is that of Comas with one annex called Andamarca, and is situated on
the frontier of the montana. The fifth is that of San Geronimo with the annexes
Hualhuas and Quichuay, and the sixth that of Huancayo, with two priests and the
annexes Pucara, Huayucachi, Caxas, Punta, Zapallanga, Miraflores, Hualayo,
and Mejorada. The seventh is that of Cochanhara with the annexes Pariahuanca
and Acobamba. The eighth is that of Chongos with the annexes Carhuacallanca and
Colca. The ninth parish is that of the town of Chupaca. The tenth is the pueblo
of Sicaya. The eleventh is that of Orcotuna, the twelfth that of Mito. The thir-
teenth is that of Matahuasi and Cincos, with the annex of San Antonio de Huan-
cani. The fourteenth is that of Huaribamba with the annex named Muquiyauyo.
There are scarcely 53,000 inhabitants in this province, most
of them half-breeds and Indians, because there are barely 2,000
Spaniards and sixty slaves, negroes and mulattos.
On the 30th of July I returned with the draftsman to Tarma, be-
cause I saw that in this province of Xauxa there were no products
with which I could occupy my time to advantage, and, without
anything special having happened to us on the way, we entered
Tarma before vespers. The distance from the pueblo of Tarma to
that of Xauxa is nine leagues.
Until the 2nd of October, 1779 I continued making my excursions
among the quebradas and hills of Tarma, in which time I discovered
a great number of plants that I dried, gave to be sketched, and
described.
In September, Mr. Dombey came from Chiuchin to Tarma, be-
cause of the return of Senora Oydora, whom he had accompanied
during the time she stayed at the thermal waters.
Our companion Pavon went with draftsman Brunete to the fort
of Palca.
October 2, 1779, at 9 o'clock in the morning, I left in the com-
pany of Mr. Dombey for the fort of Huasahuasi 5 leagues distant
1 Flora Peruviana et Chilensis sive descriptiones el icones planlarum peruvi-
anarum et chilensium secundum syslema Linneanum digesta. A. A. Ruiz et J. Pavon.
Madrid 1798-1802. 3 vols.
56 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
from Tarma; we lost our way and after we had reached the pueblo
of Picoy, the natives directed us to the path that should have taken
us to the road to Huasahuasi, on which we found one of our mule-
teers with whom we continued until we reached the top of the
Portachuelo, where there is a wooden cross; in that place there almost
always blows a strong cold wind, and a thick, humid fog commonly
covers the place, so that at 12 to 14 feet travelers cannot distinguish
each other. Here we were caught in a heavy rain for over an hour.
We arrived at three-thirty in Huasahuasi, a pueblo of those
parts, the last of the province of Tarma, with its lands bordering on
those of the heathen Indians. It is situated in a deep ravine on the
bank of a river that is small, but quite noisy because of the rush
with which the waters descend and break on the rocks and stones.
In this small pueblo that has only 40 inhabitants, there is a
fort with a garrison of eight men with two small cannon, one of iron
and the other of bronze and forty new muskets that just had been
sent to replace as many old ones of no further use. Two leagues
from this town there begins the montafia real, 1 to which the savages
often come on their hunts.
On the 7th we made the first excursion with the ensign of militia
and three peons, penetrating down the river until we reached the
hut of the advance sentinel, where we left all the horses and started
on foot to inspect those beautiful fields, delightful for the variety
of the plants and the fragrance they exhale.
There are so many and different species of gynandrous plants
that the rocks appear to be paved with their bulbs and the ground
tinted with their flowers. We returned to the fort with more than
forty plants, all new, and different from those that we had found
near Tarma and its ravines. We continued working in Huasahuasi
until the 12th, and on that day we went to the Royal Coffers of
Xauxa to get a third of our salary, Mr. Dombey having stayed
in Huasahuasi.
On the 15th I returned with draftsman Galvez to this fort, our
companion Pavon having stayed in Tarma with draftsman Brunete,
resolved to come to Fort Huasahuasi after Pavon's return from
Lima, where he arrived on the 25th with two chests of dried plants
that had been gathered in Palca, where they found, as we did, great
numbers of precious plants, Gynandrias or orchids. They went on
to Huayabal, the road to which was already open at that time, and
1 Forest of tall trees without undergrowth.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 57
the missionary fathers continued to Chanchamayo for the purpose
already stated.
On the 31st of October, 1779 I went with Mr. Dombey and drafts-
man Galvez to the montana called Churupallana, a distance of 5
leagues from Huasahuasi, on account of the height of its ridge and
the many turns that the road makes to climb to the summit. Accom-
panying us were the ensign of militia, our servants, and four Indians
that went as peons. We had hardly climbed halfway up the moun-
tain when it started to rain; it continued without interruption
until dawn next day. A short time before dawn we heard mournful
screams in the woods that sounded as if they were made by people
in conflict and that put us into a state of apprehension, especially all
those of us who did not know the cause that produced such an extra-
ordinary lamentation in that solitude, but the ensign of militia
acquainted in those parts, and having some cattle feeding there the
whole year on account of the abundant, tall, and good grass as-
sured us that the noise was not from the Indian savages as
might be presumed, since the place was only six leagues from
Chanchamayo, where at present there were thousands of those
Indians for the purpose of preventing the construction of the fort
and town that we Spaniards were going to repeople in that plain
and on the banks of the river. The ensign added that the extraor-
dinary noise and those mournful screams that we heard in the
montanas, were caused by certain birds, called almas perdidas
[lost souls], that commonly inhabit the most isolated parts of these
montanas and are heard regularly at night and at dawn. At
this time we lighted a big fire to dry our clothes that had become
wet during the night. After having warmed ourselves, although the
woods were full of water and it was threatening to rain again,
I went into them with the peons and servants, the draftsman
staying in the hut in company with Mr. Dombey who, having
slipped the afternoon before, could scarcely walk because of the
pain in the injured leg. I came out of the woods very soon after-
wards with an abundance of flowering branches from beautiful trees
and shrubs; we made a big bundle of them and took it to Huasa-
huasi and, after having aired them, we put them to dry, but left
some branches in water, to describe and sketch as we did on the
following days.
On the 1st of November, 1779, seeing that the rain continued
without a let-up and that there was no prospect that the weather
would improve that day, we decided to return to Huasahuasi.
58 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
We had hardly come down a league when we found ourselves out
of the dense cloud which continued to discharge rain all day on
Churupallana, but from there on we experienced a very strong,
stinging sun, which compelled us to find shade under the luxuriant
trees on the banks of the Siusa river, where we collected several
plants, some of which we dried and preserved, keeping others to
describe and sketch. We arrived at the pueblo at sundown.
On the 3rd we sent a servant to Tarma for the drawings that our
partner and Brunete the draftsman had made at Palca and Huayabal,
in order not to have to do them again but to progress with our work
by doing others. The servant came from Tarma on the 4th, bringing
the drawings.
On November 24th I went with Mr. Dombey to a place called
Lanco, a league and a half distant from Huasahuasi; in this place
there are so many species of orchids, and in such abundance, that
it is astonishing even to look at the patterns they form on the ground
with the peculiar structure of their flowers, leaves, and bulbs which
the Almighty gave to this rare family of plants, of which there are
some bulbs of which we chewed and drank the juice to relieve our
thirst, as did the Indians who came with us, without need of going
down to the river to drink, because their taste was pleasant and
we noted no suspicious flavor.
On November 26th, Dn. Jose Pavon having returned from
Lima, I went with Brunete to Huasahuasi to complete several
drawings of the orchids, of which he had found an abundance in
Palca, and of other Dioicas and Polygamias, plants that had been
taken incomplete on the expedition from Palca and Huayabal.
On the 5th of December, 1779 I returned to Tarma with Mr.
Dombey and draftsman Galvez, and Pavon and Brunete stayed in
Huasahuasi until the 12th, perfecting the sketches from Palca.
The five of us continued our excursions and work until the 19th
of January, 1780; on this day I left for Lima with draftsman
Galvez, taking along the dried specimens of plants and other
products gathered in Tarma and Xauxa. Mr. Dombey, Dn. Jose
Pavon, and Dn. Jose Brunete came to Lima on the 13th without
incident on the way, save a few showers.
I left Tarma with Galvez on the 19th at 2 o'clock in the after-
noon, traveling without mishap to the top of Oroya, where we en-
countered a good hailstorm and afterward a heavy, continuous shower
that not only soaked us and silenced us neatly but also hid some
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 59
parts of the road from view. Galvez, trusting in his mule and think-
ing that he could reach the town of Oroya before sundown, went
ahead leaving me behind, but had the misfortune to wander off
the right road about a quarter of a league, which I noticed when
I saw him almost at dark, at the summit of a hill, where at my loud
cries and whistling he stopped, but as the distance that separated
us made it impossible to understand each other, I went toward
my partner after marking my way by throwing pieces of paper on
the ground, shouting at intervals, until he understood me and
followed me in search of the road. After having found it, as it was
dark already, we were forced to allow the mules, very tired by this
time, to take us at their own will, and at a slow and tired pace they
brought us to the pueblo of Oroya at 8 :30 at night, very wet and
very cold. We had the good fortune to have the mestizo, at whose
house we arrived, give up his bed with good, clean wool bedding,
in which both of us found room; and the mestizo and his wife put
all our clothes to dry around a fine fire.
Our servants, who had come ahead of the muleteers, each one
leading a horse by the bridle, were lost, although one of them was fam-
iliar with the road, and they went on so as to sleep at the pueblo of
Reyes, having strayed from us at least eight leagues. The muleteers,
being unable to climb to the summit of Oroya on account of the
rain, took shelter in a cave, where they spent the night; at 10 o'clock
on the next day they arrived at this pueblo, whence we had sent
an Indian to look for the servants, who arrived at 11 on the same
day, and we started all together at 1 o'clock from Oroya, after
having crossed the famous Pari river and lost a mule by drowning.
At a distance of a mile from the bridge we were caught by several
squalls of hail and rain, until we reached Pachachaca, where we
stayed a good while until the afternoon would clear. At 5:30 we
continued our journey and arrived at Pucara at vespers. On the
21st we left this smelter, accompanied to the cordillera by the
miner of this property. We crossed the cordillera under an intoler-
able sun, although it was well covered with snow.
Coming down to Casapalca, I had the misfortune to fall into a
narrow cut or gorge formed by the rains, but was fortunate enough
to stay astride the mule and to have the horse, which was tied to the
girth of the mule, although he fell after me, strike the mule on one
side while I was bending to the other, thanks to the warnings of
my partner to guard myself against the fall of the horse; it was
hurt very little, but the mule was hurt in the haunches and head,
60 HIPOLITO Ruiz
and the saddle was torn to pieces. I broke one of the silver spurs
and completely smashed the head of my whip, and I received a light
scratch on the right cheek from a hoof of the horse, which, on
getting up, delivered some kicks at the mule and myself, who found
myself down with one leg under the mule, being unable to move
from the place, not even an inch. No sooner had I cut the halter
by which the horse was tied to the girth of the mule than he started
to walk down the gorge, scratching his belly at some very narrow
places, but because he was free and had long legs, he could pass the
narrow places while the mule could not, with or without saddle,
because she was short and pot-bellied, so that I was forced to remove
the saddle, and with a rope my partner hoisted it and with a rock
tried to open more space to get the injured mule out from that
ravine. This was finally accomplished. The animals were caught
by a mestizo who was passing at the time, and we tied the saddle
the best we could and continued our retreat to San Mateo.
A short time after we left the gorge into which I had fallen, we
found that another traveler had had the same misfortune, but his
horse had broken a leg.
On the 22nd we left San Mateo and went without mishap to pass
the night at San Pedro de Mama, where we arrived at 8 o'clock at
night and slept in a field so that the horses might graze during the
night.
We arrived in Lima at noon on the 23rd, without any other incon-
venience than the excessive heat of the quebrada. On the 24th the
muleteers arrived at Lima.
We stayed in Lima until the 23rd of April, 1780, rearranging
and moving the dried plants, completing the drying and description
of several we had gathered on the way and of some collected in the
fields at Lima. I made a fair copy of the descriptions from Tarma,
arranged my herbarium by classes, putting the generic and trivial
names on the plants, boxed them for shipment and cleaned several
packages of plants that I had left in Lima and that had become
infested with the insects that Linnaeus calls Termes fatidicum Syst.
Nat. Tom. 1, par. 2, fol. 1016, which he claims to have been the
first to examine in dried plants that were sent him by Loefling.
I also found in some plants another species of insect, smaller
but of a different genus and not at all harmful to herbaria, in
which they are never found if the plants are well dried. Neverthe-
less I fumigated the boxes with sulphur before placing the herbaria
in them.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 61
After having finished this and other work that we did in Lima,
we all decided to leave the boxes of dried plants in the Royal Armory,
for which we presented a petition to the Viceroy, who ordered that
a suitable place be assigned us for them. At the same time, we asked
to be advanced some months' salary in order to proceed to the
montanas of Huanuco, and notwithstanding some objections made
by the officials of those coffers, the Viceroy ordered it to be given to
us, on account of our having to go to places distant from the Royal
Coffers, and we were obliged to become bondsmen for one another for
the return to the treasury of the salaries that in case of death
would not become due.
We rented a room for storing the trunks, boxes of paper, and
other equipment that was not needed on the journey which we were
about to undertake.
JOURNEY TO HUANUCO
On April 23, 1780, we despatched the muleteers with the drafts-
man Galvez' and my loads, and on the 24th we left by the gate
of the Maravillas at 6 o'clock in the morning. We passed the night
in Cocachacra, using our capes as bedding. We met with no other
inconvenince than the excessive heat of the sun. On the 25th we left
Cocachacra at daybreak and went on, expecting to sleep at the
hacienda or ingenio of Pumacocha. Having traveled that day along
the sides of mountains and very dangerous slopes, we arrived at San
Mateo at 4 in the afternoon and, thinking that we could climb
and descend the hill of Cacray, we resolved to leave San Mateo and
go to San Juan de Chicla, but night came when we were in the
upper part of the ridge, and we were forced to let the mules conduct
us until we came to a dangerous pass, where we alighted on the
advice of the miner of Pumacocha whom we had met before we
came to this place. He invited us to his house to pass the night
there; for this reason we did not go on to San Juan de Chicla.
On the same day, Dn. Jose Pavon and Dn. Jos Brunete left Tarma
by the same road, and Mr. Dombey took the road through the
quebrada of Canta.
At 8 o'clock in the morning on the 26th we left Pumacocha with
a rather cold wind that lasted until we climbed the mountain
where, although it was covered with snow, we were well warmed by
the sun. Having passed the mountain and Lake Huacracocha, we
arrived without incident at Pucara, where we passed the night. We
had already alighted when there came a terrific hailstorm accompa-
nied and followed by a long and heavy rain.
62 HIP6LITO Ruiz
On the 27th we left Pucara and came at nightfall to Tarma without
mishap. On the 30th the muleteers arrived in Tarma. We stayed
in this town until the llth of May, 1780, finishing several descrip-
tions that had been left incomplete during the preceding excursions.
At the same time I inquired from some women that were occupied
with dyeing wool and cotton, about the colors they used for their dyes.
Red color. To dye red they prepared the following mixture: Of pircay, or
pilcay as some pronounce it, which is a mass made with true cochineal, eight ounces
of red tiri, two pounds and one ounce of alum put to boil with four azumbres
[gals.] of water, and into this the cotton or wool that is to be dyed. After it has
taken the color well, it is washed and dried. The mass called pircay is formed with
liver and cochineal well mashed and then dried.
The cochineal is gathered, although but little of it, in the quebrada from
Tarma to Acobamba, but it is not as good as that which is cultivated and brought
from other places; this is not done in Tarma because of the laziness and abandon
of the natives. The tiri is a species of Melastoma.
Violet color. They take two quarts of lye of quinoar or quinhuar [Polylepis] ,
two ounces of Greek pitch (resin), and all of this mixed with the red tint makes a
very good violet.
Yellow color. They take equal parts of fine or yellow tiri and of chinchanho,
a species of Hypericum, a little piece of alum and some urine, boil all together in
water with the wool until this takes the color that they desire. If they do not
want a bright yellow, they omit the alkali.
Aromo color. They take four ounces of pahuau, a species of Bidens (foliis
Nasturtii), boil it with 16 pounds of the above-mentioned yellow, and the wool
comes out a beautiful aromo color.
Orange color. They take four ounces of pahuau, boiled in 6 quarts of water
until the color is well extracted, and afterwards they put the wool that has been
wet, in alum water first, and boil it until it takes the orange color.
Green color. They take sticks of the male chilca, a species of Eupatorium, and
they boil them in plain water with indigo and urine and, after the color has become
green, they boil the wool until it takes the color.
Violet color. They take sticks of the wood of tara, Poinciana bijuga, and they
cut them in pieces, put them in the sun, taking care to sprinkle them from time
to time with urine and, after they are aired, they are boiled in plain water with red
tiri, and the wools or cottons take on a beautiful violet color when boiled in that
water.
Rust color. They take dry pods of tara, and with a little soot they boil them
in plain water, and then they put the wool in the mixture ; after this wool has been
treated with green vitriol and washed well until the acid cannot be detected, the
wool comes out a good rust color.
Cinnamon color. They take pahuau and tara sprinkled with urine as has
been said about the violet color, a little alum, lemon juice, and soot, and boil the
wool until it is dyed the color of cinnamon.
Raisin color. They take the bark of the walnut-tree, Juglans nigra L., soot,
and Greek pitch, which are boiled together in ordinary water, and then they add
wool treated with alum, and boil it until it takes the color of raisins.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 63
On the 9th of May, 1780 we sent the muleteers from Tarma to
Huanuco; and because it had rained on the 10th when Dn. Jose*
Pavon and Brunete left in the early morning, I delayed my trip
with Dn. Isidro until the llth, when at 8 o'clock in the morning
we left Tarma and started for the pueblo of Reyes, where we spent
the night, passing a hacienda called Las Casas, three leagues distant
from Tarma, where they harvest a great quantity of potatoes and
barley, short-eared but very well filled. A half league from this
hacienda one enters a beautiful and very extensive pampa or plain,
with very little grass, that reaches to Reyes, 10 leagues distant from
the pueblo of Tarma.
The pueblo of Reyes is situated in the middle of the pampa of
the same name, and has a cold climate the year around; for this
reason trees, shrubs, and grass are not found in its vicinity, and they
must plant barley in order to have alcazar [green barley] in the
months of April and May to maintain their animals and to sell to
travelers, because the rest of the year it cannot be produced on
account of the cold.
This little green barley is planted in fields enclosed with stone
fences that they have around the town and even within it, because
far from the town they cannot plant on account of the cold.
On the whole of these pampas of Reyes and Bombon they plant
no other crop than roots called maccas, and even these not beyond
the pueblos of Ordones, Carhuamayo, Ninacaca, and the annexes of
these three parishes.
The natives are convinced that by eating the root of the maccas,
which are as big as hazelnuts and taste very good when they are
boiled, women can make themselves fruitful; for this reason many
who are childless request them. The truth is that the maccas are
stimulating, at least when eaten in quantities.
On the 12th we left Reyes at 7 o'clock in the morning. It was
very cold due to the frost of the night and the dense fog that generally
comes almost every day at 4 or 5 in the morning and lasts until
8 or 9, when the sun disperses it.
Half a league from this pueblo is the beginning of the famous
Lake Chinchaycocha, which extends to the vicinity of the pueblo of
Vico (as has been said in the description of the province of Tarma) ;
we crossed the already mentioned highway of Reyes with great diffi-
culty, as that great work of the pagans was already almost entirely
destroyed, and we passed Carhuamayo and Ninacaca and, leaving
Vico to one side, we came to Pasco before vespers.
64 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
In these large pampas of Bumbun, or Bombon,asitis called today,
the three famous rivers Ucayali, Huallaga, and Maranon have their
origin. The first comes from Lake Chinchaycocha and follows
its course through the province of Xauxa and the montanas with
the Apurimac river, which joins the voluminous Pano or Beni river
that crosses the pampa of the Sacramento, where it takes the name
Ucayali and joins with the Maranon river in the lands of the Omagua
Indians; the second comes from Lake Yauricocha two leagues from
Pasco and waters the province of Huanuco to the montanas of
Cuchero and joins a little below this town with the Monzon river
that comes from the province of Huamalies, and together they
traverse the lomas to form the Huallaga river that empties into
the Maranon river near the pueblo of Laguna.
The 3rd river, called Maranon, has its origin in Lake Lauricocha
that lies between the pueblos of Jesus and Lauricocha and, crossing
through the provinces Huamalies, Chota, Caxamarca, and Pataz
and by the kingdom of Santa Fe", it joins farther on with the two
previously mentioned rivers. Lake Chinchaycocha is hardly 4 leagues
from Lake Yauricocha and 10 from Lake Lauricocha and, although
their waters take opposite directions, after they have gone their
separate ways many leagues, they join in the country of the Oma-
guas, under the name of Maranon, the most voluminous river that
is known in the world. Its mouth at the ocean of the North is
85 leagues wide. Some are of the opinion that this river was given
the name of Maranon on account of the many turns that it makes
through extremely tangled territory from its origin to its outlet into
the sea.
TOWN OF PASCO. On the 13th of May we left the town of Pasco,
where the Royal Coffers are situated so that the miners of all those
mines can come .to pay their fifth and to smelt the cones of silver
that are extracted in their works. This town is situated at the foot
of a lake the waters of which are retained by a dam that lets out only
enough for the use of the smelter.
The streets, improperly called so, as they are without order, are
not paved except for some pieces of sidewalk, and are perennially
filled with mud.
The buildings are the best of all of the towns situated in the
pampas and punas of Bombon, because several miners, merchants,
and silver refiners live there; the construction is of mud and stones,
and they are roofed with wood or ichu; they are one story high and
their shape is rectangular, square, or conical; few are whitewashed
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 65
on the outside but many of them on the inside, although most of
them are completely smoked; they are not clean inside. Their rooms
are generally dark because of the few and small windows they use
on account of the continuous cold that prevails the year round,
and the inhabitants are forced to keep a brazier or fireplace always
burning with champas and taquia, which is sod and manure from
sheep; for this reason smoke is always present and an intolerable
stench that gets into the clothing and even into the body, and lasts
many months, even though the natives may go to other warmer
climates and stay there a long time.
Only the interest in the silver could induce people to live in those
places and force them to live closed in, smoked, and frozen with the
cold, and unable to walk any long distance on foot without resting
and taking fresh breaths, so as to be able to breathe and not suffo-
cate with the nitrogen and carbonic acid gas that are expelled from
the calcined minerals and the champas, and that fill and infect the
atmosphere with a mephitic and fatal air that they call beta.
Passing several smelters of minerals and lakes we came down to
the quebrada of Quinua, a name given to it for the tree called
the quinar or, as others pronounce it, quinhuar, which is abundant
there and is very useful to the miners of the hill of Yauricocha for
the construction of houses and smelters and for fuel, as the wood is
very strong and resistant. From this tree we established the genus
Polylepis, a name taken because of the peculiarity of its bark to peel
in many thin layers in the manner of vellum or of paper the color
of molasses.
PUEBLO OF CAXAMARQUILLA. We went on to Caxamarquilla,
a pueblo of a few inhabitants, situated on the summit of a high
hill, though it has also a few houses with several families on the
bank of the river; throughout the year they enjoy the best climate in
the valley, and they have very good pieces of ground planted with
maize, massuas, potatoes, alfalfa, cabbages, lettuce, garlic, onions,
and carnations and other ornamental flowers.
We had hardly dismounted in Caxamarquilla when a furious
storm came up with thunder and lightning accompanied by a hail-
storm that lasted continuously for more than an hour.
The road from Quinua to Caxamarquilla is a succession of
puddles and .mud-filled pits which are produced by the animals when
it rains and, when the downpour stops, they become open graves
affording very bad footing and very likely to cause horses to stumble
and fall, and break their hind or front legs, as happens many times.
66 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
On the 14th we left Caxamarquilla at 10 and, because of the
hail of the day before, we found the holes all filled with water and the
ground very slippery; for this reason we traveled with not a little
discomfort and much effort to the pueblo of Huariaca, situated on
the brow of a hill with good soil and covered with various plants
which are continually green, and some of them in flower. From
Huariaca on, there is a road about half a league long with very few
holes, but dangerous because of the declivities and ravines sloping
toward the river; beyond this space the road is more level and with-
out hazard until half a league past San Rafael, a small pueblo
situated in a small valley with a good climate and at the bank
of the river; from there one climbs by a steep hill and about a
league of bad road to Rondos, a small Indian pueblo situated on a
plateau that is formed at about the middle of the high hill. Its
temperature is cool, and cold at night; for this reason there are
in its neighborhood only potatoes, quinoas, and abas, and some
vegetables for consumption, and in the deep quebradas plenty of
maize. This hill of Rondos is covered with a variety of minor plants,
bushes, shrubbery, trees, and with excellent grass for all kinds of
cattle, and for this reason numerous deer frequently appear at
the road.
We passed the night in Rondos. From Quinua to San Rafael
there are found at all times alfalfa, vegetables, meats, and other
kinds of provisions, but bread is not to be had from Pasco to Huanuco.
This entire quebrada is covered with various and diverse herbs
large and small, green, and some of them flowering throughout
the year.
In some of the lakes that we passed on the way from Pasco to
Caxamarquilla, we saw only two species of ducks and a bird called
huehne of the size of a heron with long, thin legs and long, sharp
bill. On its head it has two white, long linear feathers. Its body
is gray, with some white feathers on the breast.
DISTRICT OF AMBO. On the 15th at daybreak, we left Rondos and
climbed more than a league of road, very bad because of the many
holes that are found in it until one reaches the summit of the hill
over which the road continues to the district of Ambo, a distance of
five leagues from that pueblo. At this place the river that comes
down the valley of Huariaca joins the river that descends from
Huacar, and they form the Pillco river that with that name passes
Huanuco. From Ambo to the city of Huanuco there is a level
road five leagues in length and very attractive because of the many
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 67
houses and orchards that are found along its course. One notes on
this road a penetrating and agreeable scent, produced by the per-
fume that is exhaled continuously by the chirimoyas, guavas, and
other fruit trees native to this country and the orange and lemon
trees that are plentiful in those orchards. We entered the city of
Leon de Huanuco de los Caballeros at three in the afternoon burned
by the sun, although its rays were tempered by the north wind
blowing in the whole valley from 11 in the morning to 4 or 5 in the
afternoon.
The day before, all my other companions had arrived at Huanuco,
and all together we spent the following days until the 21st in making
the necessary preparations to begin our work, looking for rooms,
and returning the visits that we received from all the most dis-
tinguished persons.
On the 21st we made the first of our excursions, and we continued
them until the 2nd of July, when we set out for the montanas of
Cuchero.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF HUANUCO AND ITS PROVINCE
The city of Leon de Huanuco is the capital of the province of this name,
which borders to the south on that of Tarma, to the east on that of Huamalies,
and to the north and west on the province of Panatahuas and the montanas of
the Andes. It enjoys two climates, etc. (1)
During the 42 days that we remained working in Huanuco, we
gathered various plants of which I could describe only the following:
Buddleia sarmentosa. Solanum incanum and spicatum. Sessea
stipulata. Calyxhymenia viscosa. Loranthus puniceus, liga. Prunus
virginiana, cherry, for the color, size, and taste of its fruit. It is
cultivated in some orchards of Huanuco. Cuphea ciliata, yerba de
culebra, the decoction of which is used frequently to relieve weak-
ness and lassitude. Gardoquia striata, socconcha and pichuisa. Gen.
nov. Celsia aff. linearis. Heliotropium incanum, parvicalycum, and
lanceolatum. Lepidium foetidum, pichiccara, huaura, and mastuerzo
silvestre. It is used frequently in enemas to cure the mat del valle,
the plant being extracted and rubbed in water and applied hot to the
affected parts to clean and heal them. Pounded with lard it is ap-
plied to the abdomen for the swelling preceding the stopping of the
menses. Lantana purpurea. Malva aspera. Urena trilobata, and
biserrata. Bignonia coerulea, yaravisco. The natives use the bark
of this tree for anti-venereal decoctions; from the wood they make
1 In the original the rest of this description is missing.
68 HIP6LITO Ruiz
vases in which they put water and drink of it freely against rheumatic
pains, and finally they use the powder of the leaves to heal sores
after having cleaned them. Coreopsis trifida. Viola pur pur ea. Passi-
flora quadrangularis L., tambo. Its fruit, which is the size of a grape-
fruit, has a bittersweet taste that is not pleasant, but nevertheless
the natives eat it. Mimosa expansa. Tessaria integrifolia, paxaro
bobo. Verbena hispida. Salvia nodosa, sacconche, and racemosa.
Oestrum undulatum, miu.
CHAPTER IX
From Huanuco to Acomayo Fatiguing march Appearance of the soil
Accident to a mule Description of plants Departure from Acomayo The
landscape Rosapata Difficulties on the march.
JOURNEY TO CUCHERO AND TO ITS VERY FERTILE MONTANAS
On the fourth day after I had left my bed, I made arrangements
for the journey to Cuchero and, feeling that I had strength enough to
undertake it, I left with the two draftsmen on the 2nd day of July,
1780, following the two botanist companions who had started the
day before from Huanuco for the same pueblo. We traveled three
leagues this day with no little difficulty caused by my lack of strength.
On the 3rd at dawn we continued our second day's journey through
a very high declivity, dangerous because the road was in part very
difficult and the hill so steep that there is no way to save one's life
if one falls from that narrow declivity to the river. After passing the
latter, one arrives at a regular and pleasant road with many kinds
of shrubbery and plants that are found up to the town of Acomayo,
that is situated at the entrance to the quebrada, where the montana
begins. At a distance from this small Indian pueblo, we spent the
night under a big rock where we could scarcely find room, and we
passed the hours awake because of the disturbing noises that came
from a near-by rock and of the singing of the thousands of little
toads that inhabit that place. It had scarcely begun to be daylight
on the 4th when the muleteers went to get their animals, and they
found a mule dead that had not been tied for grazing like the rest
but had come to harm. One of the muleteers went to Acomayo in
search of another mule, and we continued our journey accompanied
by two men from the pueblo of Huanuco who were passing to the
montana, traveling always among shrubs and thorns and other
twining plants that cross the narrow road from one side to the other
so that it is necessary to walk with the utmost care in order not to
hurt one's face and hands on the thorns and branches. At a distance
of about a league and a half we found in some fields a number of
deer that were grazing without fear of those of us who passed among
them. Half a league ahead we came to a very dense montana and a
road full of holes, where it is necessary to let oneself be guided by
the mules without attention on part of the rider except to free him-
self of the branches of the trees that cross the road, in order not to
fall, as happens many times to those who travel absent-mindedly.
70 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
Most of those who travel here walk on foot, because the roads are
free of branches to the height of a loaded mule, and they walk bare-
foot on account of the ever prevailing mud that is found all year
round in those places, and on account of the wretchedness in which
the natives live. We climbed the steep, hard ridge with great toil,
because of the very narrow and deep road and the high steps of
which it consists and its deep holes and mires.
Frequently, these roads are blocked with fallen old trees, and
for this reason the transport men carry hatchets to cut them, and
the Indians never travel through these montanas without carrying
machetes for the same purpose. At two in the afternoon we arrived
at the place called Tambo, which is a small plain with a roof made
of branches and ferns, under which travelers take cover at night
and when it rains. In this place I described the purple-leaved cas-
carilla or quina, that is, Cinchona purpurea, which is abundant
there. At 4 we arrived at the pueblo of Chinchao where we rested
from the fatigue of the road and the bad past nights. On the 5th we
left this town at 8 o'clock in the morning, although the roads were
impassable with the rain that fell all night. We passed many farms
or plantations of coca, the only product that is cultivated and sold
in this quebrada, because all the other things that are planted are
only for consumption at home together with other provisions that
necessarily are brought from Huanuco.
We found the road to Rosapata in which chacra we passed
the night so bad that the mules could scarcely walk without slipping
at every step, and many times they slipped with great dexterity
by placing the four feet together when the road was steep; other
difficulties of this road were the crossing of branches that impeded
the traffic, the narrowness of the slopes, and the continuous climbs
and descents.
On the 6th we arrived at 2 o'clock in the afternoon at Cuchero
after having suffered numerous falls and great discomfort on the
way, because this road was even worse than those of preceding
days. Dombey and Pavon told us that they had had the same
difficulties on their trip. We slept that night all together in a small
ranch that our companions had found.
On the 7th the three of us lodged in another one-room hut of
the same kind, damp and badly protected from wind and water,
as are the very few that can be found in that poor pueblo.
CHAPTER X
Extent of Cuchero Pueblo Nuevo The Huanuco river and its tributaries
Pampahermosa Commerce of the Indians of Langostan The Inca Blow-
guns Manner of hunting with them Products of the mountains of Cuchero
Climate Its effects and the apparel of the peons Fauna of the district of Cuchero
Flora Sufferings and want Before the Chuncho Indians Departure from
Cuchero Plants described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PUEBLO OF CUCHERO
At a distance of 26 leagues toward the north from the town of
Huanuco, the pueblo of Cuchero is situated in a small plain on a
hill surrounded on all sides by other higher and rough hills clothed
with big trees, shrubs, reeds, and innumerable plants that cover
the entire ground, without leaving the smallest place to plant any-
thing, and without pasture. The pueblo of Cuchero hardly occupies
300 yards in length and 50 in width; in this space there are 11
ranches, a small church with a room for the missionary under
whose direction and spiritual guidance there are also recently
converted Indian inhabitants, who, being unable to support them-
selves except with maize and yucas that they planted in small clear-
ings near the pueblo to the east, and with the fish and game that they
obtain from the river and mountains, were conducted two years
ago by P. Fr. Juan Sugrafiez to a better place, where they founded
the pueblo of San Antonio de Chicoplaya or Pueblo Nuevo. The
cascarilleros, or collectors of quina, took possession of the ranches
as soon as the Indians were moved to Pueblo Nuevo. There are
only two entrances to Cuchero, one to the south from Huanuco
and the other through the north on the road to the landing
place two short leagues downhill to the Huanuco river; it passes
there with a considerable volume of water, which comes from the
Chumayo, Cascay, Acomayo, Yarumayo, Panao, Sto. Domingo,
and Chacahuasi rivers, and many other small brooks that descend
from all those mon tanas. At half a league from the wharf it is joined
by the Chinchao river, a league farther down by the Cayumba river,
and five leagues down the large Monzon river empties into it, going
on through Pampahermosa to Lamas until it joins the famous
Maranon river near the pueblo of Laguna.
The Indians of Pampahermosa go up this river in canoes to the
wharf at Cuchero, going upstream in eight to twelve days a hundred
miles, which they make in four days coming down. The Indians of
Lamas spend two or three months in going up to Cuchero and
72 HIPOLITO Ruiz
return in about twenty days. The trade of these Indians consists
only of certain cotton materials, tobacco, cacoa, loros, monkeys,
parrots, and some resins and poisons for hunting with a weapon
called the zerbatana [blowpipe], in the use of which they are very
skilful. They mix this poison from several milky plants called
vejucos, boiling and preparing them in the form of a solid extract,
so that to use it and to anoint the points of the little sticks, called
darts, they dilute it first with the milk of the roots of yuca, or
Jatropha Manihot, that is cultivated in abundance in the hot valleys
and montanas of Peru, as an edible root when roasted or boiled;
from it they get an excellent starch and in some places also make
the bread called cazabe. They use the leaves boiled in water to reduce
oedematous inflammations, bathing them with the decoction. They
make the zerbatanas from the chonta palm, the wood of which is
black and very hard, making two half-tubes beautifully worked and
polished on the inside with very fine sand as smooth as the bar-
rel of a gun; afterwards they unite them and dress them with
agave thread and they smear them with some resins, producing
a perfect tube about two and a half yards long, placing in the opening
two tusks of wild boar or other animals, adjusted perfectly so that
no air escapes at the time of discharging the dart. This is a small
stick of the size of a darning needle, made of wild cane with a very
sharp point in front and covered at the other end with wool or
cotton of inich, a kind of Bombax, forming a little ball so that it may
enter snugly into the zerbatana and without much pressure, so that
the breath may discharge the dart with violence and it will take its
direction without deviation. The poison is so active that the
blood of the bird or other animal hit with the dart begins to clot
immediately. In shooting at monkeys, the Indians take the pre-
caution of cutting off the point of the dart and then replacing it
again, because the speed with which those cunning animals pull
out the darts does not allow the poison to act, and if this is not
left in, they do not die no matter how deep it may have gone in
unless it be in a vital spot, but when the point has been cut it remains
within and takes effect actively. The game that they hunt with
this poison is eaten by the Indians without any fear of the slightest
bad effect.
On the 9th day of this month three individuals from the Renta
de Tabacos, accompanied by the priest of Cuchero, embarked to go
down to Lamas with the order to establish navigation and the trans-
port of tobacco by the river to Cuchero and to send it afterwards
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 73
in loads to Huanuco and Lima. Inasmuch as a few days later there
arrived at Cuchero a countermand to the effect that in case the
individuals had not embarked they were not to do so, but to return
to Lima, it is to be suspected that this excellent project will not be
carried out which in my judgment would be the principal means
of expanding the province of Huanuco and of founding new settle-
ments from the pueblo of Lamas along the whole course of the
river and of establishing a good commerce in cacao, resins, quina, bal-
sams, seeds, and various other products that grow wild in those
fertile montanas, such as the arbol del sebo, the almendron, the
pinoli or pucheri, vanilla, and so forth.
The climate of Cuchero is continuously mild ; in the daytime the
thermometer registers 19, 20, and 21 degrees Reaumur and in the
nighttime it falls to 6, 7, and 8 degrees. Among the natives it is
reputed with good reason to be unhealthy, as are all the places in
the mountains where humidity and heat are frequent; to this is
added the poor ventilation of those places and the abundance of
carbonic acid gas that is expelled by the trees and plants during the
night, all of which contributes to excessive transpiration, so that
one perspires and drinks water to excess and the body swells and
loses its coloring, or auriflamen, as they call it. No less unfavorable
to the health of those people and to the peons that come from
Huanuco and other places for the gathering of coca and cascarilla,
is the food with which they maintain themselves, for they are reduced
to salted meats, yucas, maize, peas, and beans, and to going barefoot,
covered only with a shirt and short pants of tucuyo or of thin baize.
There are two scanty springs of water in the neighborhood of
Cuchero. To conduct the water from one of them to the town, the
missionary father has taken trunks of the tree called tucuna, a
species of Cecropia, splitting them in two lengthwise and leaving
them like channels by removing only the septa at the joints.
In the whole district of Cuchero there is no pasture since it is all
covered with very tall trees, shrubbery, and minor plants; for
this reason they do not keep any other stock than some chickens and
pigs, but in the mountains there is an abundance of parrots, magpies,
turkey hens, mountain chickens, pajaros arrieros and bacas, two
kinds of mountain pigeons, and some night birds with a sad song,
like the so-called alma perida, owls, and bats with such a love for
the blood of the horses that the animals that spend the night in that
place show many bites on their necks in the morning. There are
many little birds of sweet song, such as the oropendola [weaver
74 HIP6LITO Ruiz
birds], picaflores [hummingbirds], papamoscas [flycatchers of fam.
Tyrannidae], a kind of ruisenor [nightingale], zorzales [thrushes],
and birds of seven colors, and above all the so-called "organist"
that with its melodious warbles and trills, enraptures, enchants,
and amazes; if its song were lengthy instead of short, there prob-
ably would be no other bird in the world to compare with it.
This little bird, as big as a canary, feeds on the berries of the innumer-
able species of Melastomas that abound in that whole montana. In
the mountains of Cuchero there are also found monkeys, peccaries,
michus, bears, armadillos, casonas or forest dogs, cavies, macamucas,
leoncillos, and huayhuas, a kind of small weasel a little larger than a
house rat, but longer, and swifter in all its movements, moss-colored
on the back and yellowish on the belly, and with a bushy tail like
the fox; it is tamed very easily and hunts rats. I had one for more
than four months, and during the last days she used to jump to eat
at my table and got on my chest without hurting me. A variety of
small butterflies, ants, horseflies, mosquitoes, and many other insects
are abundant in those forests. There are three species of bees, two
that manufacture very good honey and wax, especially the larger
one, which in size is a half smaller than the common European bee,
with the difference that it does not sting and almost always makes
its hives in the ground or sometimes in the trunks of trees; the
other two are very small, the size of an ant. One of them makes
small honeycombs of good honey and wax and does not sting; the
other, which is all black and looks like an ant, produces an intoler-
able smarting when it stings and causes a large swelling that lasts
many hours. Although the natives say that there is a snake more
than six yards long, I saw only four or five small species and a viper
called flamon, that, although very slow in its movements, is so
dreaded by the natives that they flee from it as from a great enemy,
on account of the force of its bite and the speed with which the
poison coagulates the blood. The antidote that those people have
discovered to save themselves from death when they have been
bitten by the flamon, is human excrement dissolved in urine or
water, taken by mouth, and applied to the bite. I dissected one of
those vipers which was two yards long, and I have seen them as
long as three and one-half yards. This one was about as thick as a
wrist, and it was of a dark gray color on the back and a darker gray
on the belly with lines whitish and brilliant. It had a wide head and a
flattened mouth like that of a toad with only one row of curved
teeth in each jaw, with only the difference that the fangs are longer
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 75
and more curved; its eyes were dull, and the tail was 6 or 8 inches long
and round like the rest of the body. When the Indians saw me
skinning the first one, they left me and told me not to touch it be-
cause the poison might kill me.
Among the many species of trees, shrubs, and plants with which
these rocky montanas are covered, one finds the beautiful cascarillo
from which cascarilla bark or official quina is obtained, especially
in the hills of Casape, Casapillo, Cayumba, and San Cristobal de
Cuchero. In these places the trees grow to excessive size, some of
them being more than 40 yards tall, and thick and luxuriant in
proportion.
In order to live in this pueblo, one must bring food from Huanuco
because there is no surplus to be found among the poor, unhappy
people who inhabit this place and the coca haciendas that are found
in that quebrada.
At the end of the month that we stayed in Cuchero, we suffered
continual difficulties and need because, as we were inexperienced
in this place, the food that we brought on the advice of the natives
was insufficient and not of the best, so that some days we had to
eat salted meat half putrid, and boiled maize and roasted yucas
instead of bread.
Hardly a month had passed since we came to Cuchero when, on
August 1st, 1780, a few minutes after vespers, a peon of the casca-
rilleros (gatherers of Peruvian bark), named Salinas, spread the alarm
and assured Mr. D. and Pa von that we were surrounded by more than
three thousand Chuncho, or savage, Indians. To the questions asked
him he added that he had seen in Alcalde Minaya's clearing about
half an hour before sunset, more than two hundred Indians who
had climbed the trees to examine the ground. This sudden inci-
dent at such an hour not only surprised and alarmed every-
one in that pueblo, but it also frightened Dn. Pavon and Mr.
Dombey, to whom the information had been given by the peon
Salinas, to s,uch a degree that they decided that the five of us should
leave by the road to Huanuco notwithstanding the darkness of the
night, which was dangerous with the dense fog that had come after
vespers in that whole montana, and the wretchedness of the road
all filled with holes, mud, and great precipices. The reasons that
we gave one another for remaining in the pueblo had no weight
with any of us, so, taking our arms and some bread in our pockets,
and loaded with our books of botanical descriptions, we left Cuchero
with a boy as guide, followed at a few paces by Dombey, Pavon,
76 HIP6LITO Ruiz
Galvez, and Brunete. I alone stayed behind on account of my
weak state after the sickness that I had just passed through, but I
resolved to defend myself or die. At that time of the night we sent
a man named Rafael Figueroa to an hacienda about half a league
from Cuchero to call the cascarilleros, and about fifteen more
men from Cuchero, and they joined us before nine in the evening.
As Brunete and Galvez were not accustomed to the road like Dom-
bey and Pavon, at the beginning they called to the others and
followed the echo, but since those that were ahead did not answer,
those in the rear called me so that we could return to the town, where
after much talk we decided to pass the night with sentinels at the
end of the road so that the peons should not escape and leave us
alone. Among the 45 people that we were, we hardly had one and a
half firearms, because the mayor had provided himself with a rusty
blunderbuss, without a lock, that he found in a corner of the house
of the missionary who on this occasion was in Lamas with the to-
bacco officials and to be able to discharge the blunderbuss, he had
provided himself with a half-burned stick from the fire. The second
piece of firearms was that of draftsman Galvez, whose flint had broken,
and the largest piece was as big as a silver real; to fire it, it was neces-
sary to strike seven or eight times. To this misfortune was added
another one. When he went to load it for the second shot, he was
unable to get the ramrod out of the gun and it was necessary to dis-
charge the second bullet and lose it, so that we had only my car-
bine, and its ramrod was used by Galvez and me. With these three
firearms we discharged about twelve or fifteen bullets into the air in
the course of the night to frighten the Chuncho Indians because they
are much afraid of firearms. The peons, our servants, and we ourselves
prepared the other arms that were reduced to half a dozen sabers
and three or four swords, cutlasses, and knives, and all armed point-
blank, we passed the night, some playing and others sleeping. The
three companions served as sentinels at the end of the road and,
observing how hastily the fog gathered in the quebradas, went down
to the river to get water, climbing slowly and spreading over the
hills; they repeated this operation three or four times during the hours
between midnight and five in the morning. At this time it began
to dawn, and we could relax our vigilance, sending two men to the
place where Salinas had said that he saw the savage Indians. Our
companions Dombey and Pavon spent more than four and a half
hours in getting to Casapillo, which is about half a league distant
from Cuchero, suffering indescribable hardships on the way where
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 77
thickets and the inky darkness of the night compelled them to
travel almost on all fours in order not to fall into the ravines or to
break a leg or the head in the deep holes where they had to walk in
mud up to their knees. The boy who served as guide did not know
the way, and for this reason they would have fallen into a precipice if
their fear had not kept them back. They arrived at Casapillo cov-
ered with mud; there they secured clothes and dried those that they
had on. They passed the rest of the night at watch over their arms
with no less care and fear than we had of the Indians; but the peons
were happy with a jug of rum that our companions paid for.
The 2nd day of August it was barely daylight when our com-
panions sent Juan de Mata and two men with him to Cuchero to
find out if the savages had killed us; they thought this had hap-
pened, because that and how they could save their lives, had been
the subject of their conversation all night long.
Informed by the foreman Juan de Mata that our companions
were not thinking of returning to Cuchero, we seized two mules,
that had just arrived with food for the cascarilleros, to carry our
loads and to take loads of cascarilla on their way back.
We left Cuchero at three in the afternoon, and with no little
trouble, because we were traveling on foot, we went to pass the night
a little beyond Casapillo, and there in the morning after the third we
met our companions, and together we continued our trip on foot
until we came to the hacienda of Machainio or Rosapata where we
spent the night. On the 4th, after having been provided with horses,
Dombey and Pavon went off on the road to Huanuco, leaving the
loads in Cuchero in the care of their servants until they sent mule-
teers from Huanuco to get them. We three went to Chinchao to
continue our botanizing for another month.
With the arrival of our companions at Huanuco the city's mili-
tia was set in motion, and the news spread even to Lima that
we had been killed by the savages and that these Indians had
invaded our lands; for this reason the Commandante of the mon-
tafias, Dn. Simon Govea, sent to them Lieutenant Dn. Francisco
Senas so that, after being informed of what had happened, he might
take the necessary measures to resist the heathens. When the said
Senas reached Chinchao, he was informed by us that all had been an
invention of Salinas, and he returned to Huanuco after going through
Casapillo, where he also was one of the principal overseers.
During our stay in Cuchero we discovered many plants, of which
we described the following. Cinchona nitida, cascarilla or quina tree.
78 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
Cinchona magnifolia, flor de Azahar. Vainilla officinalis, vainilla,
the fruits of which are gathered by the Indians and sold in Huanuco.
Sauvagesia ciliata, yerba de San Martin. Polypodium simile L.,
Lonchitis cultrifolium, amomum, racemosum, and tyrsoideum, the seeds
of which are quite aromatic and oily, for they spot all paper in which
they are kept. Psychotria lutea, repanda, and rubra. Heliocarpus
glandulosa, balsa wood, as the trunk of this tree is used for balsas or
rafts, very light and buoyant. Prunus nitida. Hippotis triflora.
Tafalla glauca, aitacupi and almaciga, for the resin that this tree
produces in drops, very similar in odor and color to the grains of
the almaciga. Condalia sessilis. Laurus aurantiana. Acalypha
pubescens and purpurea. Melastoma grossularioides. Lisianthus
quadrangular is. Begonia lobata and obliqua. Melastoma grandiflora,
hispida, flexuosa, and latifolia. Solanum anceps, ternatum, and
laciniatum, rocotico de monte. The Indians eat their fruits. Com-
melina nervosa. Lobelia scabra. Besleria radicans and biflora.
Ruellia allata and paniculata. Rhexia purpurea. Poly gala affinis albo-
purpurea. Lantana aculeata. Browallia demissa. Vandellia diffusa.
Hopea tinctoria, gives a beautiful canary-yellow color. Godoya
oblonga and spathulata; both species are known by the name of laupe,
and their wood is valued for durability and resistance. Sanchezia
oblonga. Miconia pulverulenta, triplinervis, and lanuginosa. Cypri-
pedium grandiflorum. Paulina striata. Maranta capitata. Cuellaria
obovata. Ageratum secundum. Guatteria glauca. Clusia rosea,
matapalo, the resin of which is used in hernia. Senecio pyramidatus.
Cissampelos cordata and peltata. Convolvulus quinquefolius. Ci-
trosma pyriformis. Cestrum pulverulatum. Molina quinquenervis.
Laugeria hirsuta. Verbena adpressa. Eupatorium hirtum. Cytisus
purpureus, chucholle. Sobralia dichotoma. Cecropia aquifera, tacuma.
Coussapoa latifolia and obovata. Ficus striata. Coffea occidentalis.
Theobroma Cacao. Erythrina incarnata, haynura, abundant in
Puzuzo. Palma pullipuntu. Palaua hirsuta. Peperomia obliqua,
striata, scandens, and concava. Echites acuminata and subsagittata.
Piper acutifolium, scabrum, polystachion, obliquum, filiforme, acu-
minatum, ovatum, and mite. Calceolaria perfoliata. Justicia tenui-
folia and punctata. O'Higginsia aggregata. Riqueuria avenia. Negretia
plana. Vismia tomentosa. Macrocnemum pubescens. Bixa Orellana,
achote, achiote, and huantura. The seeds are reputed to be an
excellent diuretic, and they give color to food and serve also as dyes.
This tree is cultivated in the whole of Peru. Pothos volubilis.
CHAPTER XI
Location of Chinchao Inhabitants The clergy Climate and temperature
Lack of pastures and cattle Agricultural products Fauna Plants gathered.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PUEBLO OF CHINCHAO
Eighteen leagues by the road from the city of Huanuco to the
north, there is situated the pueblo of Chinchao, on the east side of
the river, in a small plain between this and the top of the hill which
on that side forms the quebrada. It consists of 9 ranches, with as
many families, and another eleven who live on chacaritas or small
coca plantations, situated near the pueblo. There is also a church
where mass is said and the other church festivities of the year are
celebrated only in the three or four days when the priest from Valle,
the parish to which it belongs, comes to this place accompanied by
two other priests to help him with the confessions and to celebrate the
observance of Lent, Corpus, and the burials that have been made
during the year by the inhabitants; however, the priest does not
neglect to collect in full all the fees usually charged, besides the
tax prescribed by the laws of the Indies.
The materials of the huts and of the church are stakes and mud
or adobe, and the roof is of straw. The sky in summer is very bright
and, although in the other seasons of the year it rains frequently,
there is not a day when the sun does not shine. The prevailing winds
are north and south, and for this reason the climate is mild. The
thermometer goes down to six or eight degrees Re'aumur during the
night, and rises at most to twenty-four degrees.
In the vicinity of Chinchao there passes a little brook of good,
cold, and transparent water that descends by a small gorge situated
at the entrance to the town. No cattle are raised because there is
no pasture, and the little that is found where they have cut down the
trees is a very rough and hard grass that is eaten only as a matter
of necessity by the mules that come and go in the valley to take
the loads of coca and cascarilla or quina.
To be able to get that poor and scanty pasture, the natives are
obliged to burn those places in the months of July and August to
prevent any trees and big plants from growing, and in that way to
get more tender grass.
Some food is usually to be found in this pueblo since it is on
the route from Huanuco to the 74 coca plantations that exist
80 HIP6LITO Ruiz
in the valley up to Cuchero, but the natives are reduced to four or
five common, ordinary articles. Aside from the coca, Erythroxylon
Coca, which is the only commercial product of that valley, they
plant some roots and fruits for their support, such as yucas, achyras,
arracachas, potatoes, mallicas, a species of Dioscorea, ssagui (a species
of Calla), montafia cabbage (a species of Carica}, sugar cane, maize,
beans, anonas, avocados, plantains, papayas, and some pineapples.
The chicha is seldom missing in this pueblo and on those haciendas
the houses of which are on the road to Cuchero.
There are the same kinds of animals, birds, and insects that have
been mentioned in the account of Cuchero. Like that of this pueblo,
the terrain of Chinchao abounds in various kinds of trees and plants.
During the month that I stayed in this place, I gathered a beautiful
collection of plant skeletons (dried plants) and sketches, of which I
described the following. Erythroxylon Coca, coca. This shrub is
cultivated in the whole quebrada of Chinchao, in Puzuzo, Chaca-
huasi, and in all the entrances to the montafia of Peru. Acosta
aculeata, monte-lucuma, that is, lucuma of the mountain; this
fruit when ripe tastes good. Schinus Mayco, mayco. A beautiful
little tree, but its shade causes a great number of poisonous boils,
with burning and itching, that appear on the hands and the exposed
parts of the body of those who seek shade under it. Not all con-
stitutions are receptive to this poison, which is cured with the
Valeriana chaerophylla, known by the name of albergilla, roasted
and applied as hot as it can be borne. Sisyrinchium Bermudiana?
Peperomia purpurea, filiformis, quadrangularis, Irinervis, uniflora,
foliiflora. Psychotria truncata. Solanum diformifolium, obliquum,
pubescens, variegatum,andacuminatum. Fuchsia mitifolia. Melastoma
subsessilis and cordata. Amaryllis miniata, lacre de montafia,
because the gluten of its bulbs which, when cut and exposed to the
air turns the color of sealing wax, is used to close letters that then
cannot be opened without tearing the envelope. Crotalaria retusa?
Gonzalagunia dependens. Cornidia umbellala. Passiflora maliformis,
granadilla de mono. Urtica sparsa, geniculata, striata, nuda, and
fumigera, which has been discussed in another place in this book.
Dracocephalum? odoratum. Aster crosum. Condalia lanceolata and
obovata. Eupalorium obovatum, carinatum, and coriaceum. Ageratum
secundum and trinerve. Melastoma crenata and carinata. Macro-
cnemum venosum and corymbosum, ccarato, i.e. cow's hide, from the
size and consistency of its leaves. Achyranlhes geniculata. Molina
venosa. Calla acuminata and polystachia, ssagui and gaqui. They
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 81
cultivate this plant in order to eat its fleshy roots, which are bitter
and poisonous when they are not cultivated. Pothos sagittato-
cordata and hastata. Arum rosaceum, a plant that climbs the trees
and kills them. Roetia glandulosa. Arum lanceolatum. Clinopodium
procumbens and biserratum. Althaea cornuta, an Urena? Eupatorium
balsamicum, the flowers of which are in great corymbs and exhale a
sweet aroma very similar to that of black or Peruvian balsam,
and which may be noticed all over the quebrada from sunrise to
midday. Serapias ciliata. Echites spiralis. Besleria diversicolor
and auriculata. Senecio odoratus. Palaua biserrata. Polygala aff.
incarnata. Ficus retusa? Lobelia hirsuta. Escobedia scabra, saffron and
spice of the montana, the roots of which they make the use already
mentioned. Dioscorea triloba, mallica or papa de montana, which they
cultivate between the coca trees to gather the fleshy roots, that
are quite large and are divided into several branches like the roots
of Peonia; inside their color is purple, and the flavor is very good
and pleasant to the taste when they are boiled or roasted . Mecardonia
ovata. Cacalia? pubescens. Bombax trilobum, huampo and balsa wood ;
its moss cotton, although a little short, can be used for mattresses
and pillows owing to its softness and light weight and because, when
compressed, it returns to its spongy state by exposure to the sun. Its
wood is esteemed for rafts because of its light and buoyant quality.
Sobralia dichotoma and amplexicaulis. Actinophyllum pentandrum.
Gesneria acinaciformis. Heliconia latifolia and angustifolia. Mal-
pighia glandulosa, Costus ruber. Satyrium pubescens. Lisianthus
corymbosus and ovalis.
CHAPTER XII
Departure of Galvez, Brunete, and Ruiz Finding of cinchona trees Tire-
some march Plants gathered Stramonium and its uses Case of intoxication
The maguey and its many uses.
JOURNEY FROM CHINCHAO TO HUANUCO
On September, 1st 1780, draftsman Galvez left Chinchao for
Huanuco, and on the 3rd Brunete set out in my company, and
without trouble we reached the inn at Pati, where we spent the
night with much inconvenience as the cold wind came through that
shelter everywhere. Here is found not only Cinchona purpurea, but
also officinalis, of which a few arrobas of bark have been gathered.
On the 4th at 8 o'clock in the morning we left Pati, and
at 5 o'clock in the afternoon we arrived in the pueblo of Acomayo
after having suffered greatly on the steep ridge of Carpis from the
climb and descent of those steps and the holes and bad condition of
the road. On the 5th we arrived in the city of Huanuco at 4:30 in
the afternoon, leaving the muleteers behind with the loads.
During the months of September and October I gathered, dried,
and described the following plants in the vicinity of Huanuco.
Coccoloba carinata, mullaca, the infusion from which is used against
bladder trouble. Ruellia ciliata. Pectis trifida, afcapichana, a bitter
plant used against fevers in infusions and decoctions. Lycium
spathulatum. Croton nudus. Varronia erecta[f]. Agenium pimpinelae-
folia. Tribulus maximus L. Indigofera argentea. Melochia plicata.
Allionia incarnata L. Lathyrus incanus. Cineraria perfoliata.
Triumfetta subtriloba and Lappula. Rauwolfia flexuosa, turucaffa.
Its flowers expel a beautiful fragrance in the morning, and from its
branches small crosses are made in some places, the thorns serv-
ing as arms. Bignonia pentagona. Zinnia pauciflora L. Datura
Stramonium L., conco tronco and franuco, the name by which it is
known in all of Peru for its abundance and the bad use that the
Indians make of its seeds reduced to powder, to stupefy one another
when they feel offended, by putting a certain quantity into food or
drink; hence the common saying in Peru: Esta chamicado or chami-
cada, a person who is pensive, taciturn, or too happy or drunk.
At the time we were in Huanuco it happened that a boy ten
years of age gave another boy of his own age chamico powder
in bread, and in a few hours its malignant properties produced their
effect, making him drunk as if he had taken wine. Our companion
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 83
Dombey was called to treat him and, although he administered
repeated emetics, the boy became stupefied and did not at that time
regain his natural happiness and skill in boyish games and pranks.
This plant is so abundant in Huanuco that there is not a street where
it is not found and, on account of what had happened, the corregidor
ordered that all the plants in the town be burned; this order was
carried out exactly as given but, when we later returned to Huanuco
we found the same abundance in the streets. The crushed leaves
and seeds are applied as a poultice to skin bruises with very good
results. Some drink the infusion of a few leaves for irritation of the
urine and sores caused by drastic purgatives. The crushed leaves ap-
plied with vinegar to spine and kidneys are often used to mitigate the
fevers and pains of gout and to reduce the inflammation of hernias.
Agave americana, maguey of Mexico, pita and ancas champatra,
a plant very abundant in the province of Huanuco; its boiled
roots are employed by the Indians as an excellent sudorific for
rheumatic and venereal pains. The stems, that regularly grow to
8 or 10 yards, are straight and as thick as a thigh at the base and,
getting thinner toward the tip, are used instead of beams to roof
houses and, although they are spongy so that their heart serves as
excellent tinder, they resist the weight that is put on them and
never become insect-eaten. From the leaves the natives get thread
for various purposes, and from their juices they make an admirable
extract, or "honey," as it is called, to clean and heal ulcers. The
method of obtaining this honey is to half-roast the leaves and
express the juice while still hot and then to evaporate to the con-
sistency of honey, which they apply to cure the scabies that
animals get in the head and feet. They use maguey to enclose or-
chards, and it forms an impregnable enclosure for all kinds of animals.
Padre Acosta, speaking of the maguey, calls it "the tree of
wonders" because of the many useful things that are made of it, such
as wine, vinegar, oil, syrup, honey, needles, thread, and ropes.
Yucca laevis and escabra, cabullas or native magueyes; from
these thread is obtained for various purposes, and their stems are
used to cover roofs in the whole province; removing the woody ex-
terior, they use it as tinder, burning it first at one end so that it
will catch fire more readily at the stroke of the flint against the stone.
It is an excellent substitute for cork, for stoppers in jugs and bottles.
After I had arranged the dried plants of my collections into classes
and had put the generic and trivial names on each species, I decided
to go with draftsman Galvez to the province of Huamalies.
CHAPTER XIII
Departure from Huanuco The picturesque ravine of Huanuco Loss of Gal-
vez' mule Arrival at Chavinillo The corregidor Dn. Ignacio de Ulloa
Cahuac, Ovas, and Chupan Vegetation Woolen works.
JOURNEY TO THE PROVINCE OF HUAMALfES
On October 25th, 1780 I left Huanuco with draftsman Galvez at
8 o'clock in the morning; there was some cloudiness that ended in
a copious rainfall just as we had passed the quebrada of Las Higueras,
pleasant and interesting on account of the luxuriance and fertility of
its fields and the plantations of vegetables and corn with which the
two banks of the river are covered, cultivated by the Indians of those
ranches. Six leagues from Huanuco the guide stayed behind because his
mule was tired, and Galvez, a servant, and I continued our trip half
a league ahead, where we lost our way until a traveler put us right.
As Galvez was turning his mule to return to our road, the animal
lost its footing and fell over a high, sloping bank, Galvez being saved
by holding on to a small plant. At this misfortune we left the servant
with the injured animal and, Galvez mounting the servant's mule,
we continued our way to the town of Chavinillo, a distance of 14
leagues from Huanuco, where we arrived all wet at 5 o'clock in the
afternoon without having been notified that the corregidor Dn.
Ignacio de Ulloa had just left the town after he had finished the trial
of several rebellious Indians later sent to the house of correction in
Quivilla; for this reason we found only women and four men in the
town. We passed the night in great discomfort, reclining on some stone
benches on which there was a little ichu that served us as mattresses.
On the 26th we passed through the pueblos of Cahuac and Ovas,
where the corregidor, with 200 mestizos that he had with him, had
finished meting out justice to the rebellious people of that town and
had sent them to Chupan where he punished those who had taken
part in the revolt.
The town of Chupan is situated like the others in high hills with a
cold climate; one finds there only grass on which great numbers
of cattle and sheep are raised, and one sees no large plants, unless it
be Sambucus nigra within the settlements, but in the depths they
plant potatoes, the only product in those towns.
On the 27th we went on to Quivilla, taking ahead of us the rebel-
lious people to make them pay for their guilt in the house of correc-
tion that is operated in this seat of the corregidores.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 85
On the 28th it was raining, and we could not go out to find
plants in that quebrada, and we were satisfied to examine the work
of the house of correction and the warehouses for woven goods which
are brought by the Indians of that province in great quantities, as
this is the largest branch of trade that they have.
The following days until the 2nd of November I made several
outings through the quebrada, notwithstanding the continued
showers, but I found scarcely any larger plants, and the few that are
found there I had already examined in Huanuco and other places.
For this reason we decided to return to Huanuco by way of the old
town of Huanuco, but this we could not do on account of the rains,
and we passed on the 2nd to Chavinillo, wet to the bone, and had
several scares as we traveled for more than an hour in the dark
over bad roads with narrow and dangerous precipices. On the 3rd
we arrived in Huanuco.
CHAPTER XIV
Boundaries and extent of this province The river that crosses it is the
Maraiion, according to La Condamine and other geographers The Patay Ron-
dos, Tazo, and Huanuco rivers Fertility of the soil Abundance of cattle The
trade in wool Discovery of silver in the desert of Huayanca Discovery of mer-
cury and silver in the hill of Chonta and district of Ayras Placer gold in Chavin
Thermal springs and ancient monuments Aetites Parishes Quivilla and the
bridge Inhabitants of this province and their dress Drunkenness and its con-
sequences Love of dancing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF HUAMALfES
This province borders to the north on that of Pataz, to the
southeast on that of Huanuco, to the south on that of Tarma, to
the southwest on that of Caxatambo, and to the west and north-
west on that of Conchucos. It also borders to the north on that
montanas of the pagan Indians.
Its length from north to south is 82 leagues, and its width from
east to west is 30, although in some parts it is only 12.
It is divided into mountains and valleys, the latter having a mild
climate and the high ground a rigorous one, especially in its southern
part. In the principal quebrada or narrow valley of this province,
there is a river that Padre Fritz in his geographical letter holds to
be the Maranon, an opinion also held also by M. de la Condamine;
Padre Fr. Manuel Sobreviela confirms their opinions, in a map made
in 1791.' It has its beginning in Lake Lauricocha at the end of the
province of Tarma, 6 leagues distant from that of Huamalies. The
Patay or Rondos river and the Tazo river go to join the Monzon
that joins with the Huanuco seven leagues farther below the wharf
of Cuchero. In the parish of Huacaybamba there are found some
farms with so much heat the year round that to this is attributed
the fact that the inhabitants are darker than those of the rest of
the province; that is the reason they call them zambos.
In the depths and warm quebradas they gather abundant and
excellent fruits, vegetables, and seeds, such as some wheat, barley,
much maize, potatoes, ockas, alfalfa for the animals, sugar cane from
which they make chancaca, alfenique, honey and guarapo, guavas,
excellent and large paltas and chirimoyas, plantains, tunas, figs,
peaches; and, in the montana, very good pineapples.
1 This last statement is written in the margin of the original, and no doubt
it was added by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz when in Spain he finally wrote the history of
his journey. P.B.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 87
In gardens they cultivate a variety of flowers with which,
during the year, the women decorate the altars and images in the
churches. The montanas produce a multitude of trees and plants with
medicinal and various other uses. They also produce the cascarilla
or quina oficinal and other species, samples of which I have in my
possession. At the entrances or edges of the montanas there are some
coca trees the leaves of which they sell to the miners of Huayanca
and Pasco. There are also found precious woods.
As for the elevations where no fruit is raised because of the cold,
thousands of heads of cattle and horses graze there, and for this
reason there are many farms in the punas. The pasture on which
all these cattle are maintained is the grass called ichu, and some other
smaller grasses and small nutritious plants.
They gather considerable amounts of wool from which they
make native cloth; the principal commerce of this province is tak-
ing this cloth to be sold at Bombon, Lima, and other places.
Besides the wool that they obtain from the sheep of the whole
province, they buy many arrobas from other places, so as not to
stop the work in the mills, and usually these purchases are paid with
the cloth made from the same wool.
In the years 1778 and 1779 many silver mines of good yield
were discovered in the desert of Huayanca. Some ores had given
400 marcos [3,200 ounces] per box. For this reason there is a town
of about 500 inhabitants today, while in the year 1776 there were
only vicunas and other animals of the punas inhabiting that site.
In the hill called Chonta they have discovered a mercury mine,
from which they have taken some small quantities of that metal.
Some twenty years ago they discovered silver mines in the district
of Ayras, where there are only two miners working and there is only
one country house, at a short distance from Huayanca.
There are some gold mines that are not worked because of the
great cost of operations. In the town of Chavin there are gold wash-
ers, and some persons have taken out good quantities of the metal.
Between Aguamiro and Banes, there are fountains of thermal
water. Near this last town are the royal highway of the Incas which
I mentioned under the province of Tarma, the ruins of one of their
palaces with a bath of stone perfectly joined, and the ruins of
a temple and fort in the summit of a mountain looking towards the
Quivilla or Maranon river. Finally, in a pampa or plain with a cold
climate, called Huanuco el Viejo, 14 leagues distant from where the
88 HIPOLITO Ruiz
city of Huanuco is situated today, there are found thousands of
aetites, or del aguila stones.
The province of Huamalies is divided into 8 parishes distrib-
uted on the two banks of the river, and most of the towns are located
on high ground.
The first parish is that of the town of Banos with 7 annexes named Rondos,
Cosma, Chupan, Quipas, Chuqui, Marias, and Margos that belong to the juris-
diction of the province of Tarma. The second is that of the town of Jesus with
the annexes Xivia, Huaccrin, Choras, and Llacos that also belong to Tarma.
The third is that of Pachas with the annexes Sillapata, Lianas, Aguamiro, Ovas,
Cahuac, and Chavinillo. The fourth that of Llata with the annexes Pufios
and Miraflores. The fifth that of Zinha with the annexes Punchac and Huacachi.
The sixth that of Chavin de Pariarca with the annexes Tantamayo, Hacas, Xican,
Chipaco, and Monzon. The seventh is that of Huacaybamba, in which they
grow sugar cane, with the annexes Rondobamba and Huarihancha. The eighth is
that of Huacrachuco, where sugar cane is raised also, with the annexes Llamos
and Quirin.
The valley of Arancai, situated to the east [?] of the Monzon river,
has five farms that belong ecclesiastically to the parish of Uco pertain-
ing to the province of Conchucos.
In the large house of correction at Quivilla, that is in the center
of the province on the banks of the Maranon, the corregidores had
their residence until the year 1780 when Dn. Ignacio de Santiago de
Ulloa established his in Huayanca, on account of the discovery of the
mines. Quivilla belongs to the parish of Pachas.
In Quivilla, to facilitate the communication of the pueblos of
one bank with those of the other, there is an excellent cable bridge
constructed by Corregidor Dn. Domingo de Cagiga, who was killed
by the Indians who later went to Quivilla and burned his house in
the dead of the night. This bridge is more than 30 yards long and is
well constructed on top of some rocks.
The majority of the inhabitants of this province are Indians, and
some are mestizos but very few are whites. They dress in clothes
from their own looms, of a navy blue color. They walk barefoot
even on the coldest of days and, if at any time they protect their
feet, it is with a piece of cowhide to cover the sole of the foot, tied
with two strips of the same hide, This footwear is called sucuyes.
Many women dress in petticoats, although many dress in arracos
in the towns as on the farms where many spend their lives taking
care of the cattle and spinning wool in the fields, for the making of
xergas, tucuyo, ponchos, neckpieces, handkerchiefs, and rugs of
different forms and sizes, decorating them with various animals,
birds, and other figures.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 89
The Indians are given to drunkenness, especially on holidays,
and under the influence of this, they continually start disturbances
among themselves or with the mestizos and sometimes with the
priests, justices, and corregidores.
In the towns where there is a cacique, dissensions are known to
have lasted more than a year, the cacique inciting the Indians
not only of his town but of other towns as well, and neither the
authority of the justices nor the respect for the priests has been
sufficient to control the natives.
The women are more peaceful and not at all inclined to drunk-
enness, and they try to keep the Indians from many fights. They
are more industrious in any type of work and prove it by their con-
tinuous attention to the ranches, family, and cattle, and they do not
take part in the drinking bouts of their husbands; if they do so at
any time, it is when they seed or plant the little farms and at this
work the husband helps with all of his relations. If it were not for the
chicha that their wives make for these days, the Indians would not
help with this work.
In the harvest the women work alone and likewise at the urias,
or weedings.
The Indians are very fond of dancing festivities and, when they
have them on the days of the Feast of the Three Kings, Corpus, and
the days of the patron saints of their pueblos, and so forth, the fun
and drunkenness last eight or more days, and if the corregidores
and justices did not make them work to pay their tribute to the
King, and other taxes that are imposed, the whole year would be a
holiday; so it is said that one day of drinking is worth more than
hundred lashes.
The Indians are not religious, in contrast with their wives, who
on feast days as well as on workdays decorate the altars and
images with various flowers which they cultivate in their gardens
for that purpose.
They are also more friendly and charitable in the midst of their
poverty produced by the laziness and abandon of their husbands,
who spend in drink what their wives make with their continuous
work of spinning wool, weaving, and planting.
On November 2nd we returned to Huanuco through Chavinillo.
CHAPTER XV
Misfortune of a muleteer Incidents of the trip Work of the botanists during
the year 1780-81 Plants gathered and their uses.
TRIP TO PASCO
On November 20th, 1780 I went from Huanuco to the Royal
Coffers of Pasco to receive all my companions' salaries with
authority given to me by them for that purpose. I spent the night
in San Rafael. On the 21st, when we had traveled more than a
league and a half beyond Huariaca, the leading muleteer's animal
became tired, and the rider dismounted in the middle of a very
dangerous and narrow incline, so that he had to walk behind his mule.
On arriving near the summit of the hill, the mules that were going
ahead stopped and, to make them start again, he threw a stone, but
at the same time his mule gave him a kick in the face that broke the
cheek bone, and he fell to the ground unconscious, where with his
twistings he would have been in imminent danger of falling into the
river from those heights, if I had not dismounted so quickly and
pulled him by the legs to the middle of the road. At my cries his
brother and my servant that were ahead came immediately, and
between the three of us we were able to hold him until he came to his
senses. For the time being I placed two handkerchiefs drenched in
brandy on his cheek to stop five spouts of blood that came out of that
poor muleteer in profusion, as if from as many incisions. We took
him to the first brook and washed him, and I applied some balsamic
plants pounded between two stones, and with these I succeeded in
stopping the bleeding completely, because he was almost fainting
and could scarcely speak. We took him afterwards to the first house,
where I treated him again and left him with instructions, telling them
what to do with him until my return from Pasco; the rest of us con-
tinued our journey thither, reaching that town at eleven at night with
great difficulty on account of the darkness of the night and the
lightning and thunder that followed us for more than two leagues
on the heights of Bombon where we lost our way. I stayed one day
in Pasco, and on the 23rd we returned to Caxamarquilla, being unable
to continue farther because of the heavy showers, and because my
servant and the muleteer had gone astray more than two leagues.
On the 24th we stopped to sleep at Rondos, and we found the
man who was hurt at Huariaca more spirited and determined to go
to Huanuco by way of the quebrada, which he did as soon as he had
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 91
been treated. We arrived at Huanuco on the 25th without any other
trouble than losing a mule and its load of silver in one of the prec-
ipices. The wounded man recovered within two months, after hav-
ing had four pieces of bone extracted from his cheek.
From the 4th of November, 1780 until the 22nd of March, 1781
we continued our work in the hills, quebradas, and valleys of Huanu-
co, and during this time I finished several descriptions of the plants
I brought from the montanas. I dried and described the following
plants gathered on the road and in the territory surrounding
Huanuco. Viola bicolor. Eupatorium scabrum. Spermacoce pilosa,
and tenuior, uspica. Cardiospermum biternatum. Vermifuga corym-
bosa, matagusanos, contrayerba and chinapaya, which is employed
crushed and is applied in the form of a poultice to cure maggots
in beasts; for this purpose it is very useful. Calceolaria pinnata L.,
mancapagui. Callisia repens L. Ricinus communis, higuerilla de la
tierra. Ricinus ruber, higuerilla mexicana. From the seeds of
these two plants the natives obtain, by expression, an oil that is
used for lighting their houses, and especially for the lamps in the
churches. They also use this oil as a caustic and suppurative for
external tumors. Achyranthes obovata and rigida, Moorish grass,
female and male, the decoction of which is used to stop hemorrhages,
and when ground with salt is applied to clean ulcers and heal them,
poultices being changed every 24 hours. Finally, with them they
cure injuries to the feet caused by the pricks of their calyces to
those that go barefooted, for the grass is so common in Huanuco
that its plazas and streets are paved with them. Celosia conferta, yer-
ba de la sangre, on account of the property of the juice and decoction
of its bulbs, of stopping the flow of blood. Sicyos cirrhosa, calabaza
cimarrona, or wild pumpkin. Bauhinia rosea and aculeata. Gen-
tiana serrata, minutissima, and luteopurpurea. Lobelia subpetiolata,
hirsuta, biserrata, and purpurea. Acaena amentifolia. Molina
ferruginea, palmito. Malva incana. Tagetes integrifolia, chinchi.
Passiflora subtripartita. Eryngium coeruleum. Salvia alba. Calceo-
laria dentata, bicolor, verticillata, and viscosa. Periphragmos uni-
florus and flexuosus. Pineda incana, llogui. Strong wood suitable
for making ramrods and walking canes. Horminum? triangulare.
Aster lyratus and lanuginosus. Dioscorea acuminata. Urtica ru-
gosa. Sida incana. Mimulus subumbellatus. Piper angustifoli-
um, moho-moho, and lineatum. Psychotria hirsuta. Solanum
angustifolium, dichotomum, and diffusum. Caballeria ferruginea.
Sanicula canadensis L. Cuellaria ferruginea. Banisteria fulgens.
92 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
Pothos volubilis. Silphium dichotomum. Acrostichum acutum.
Asplenium salicilifolium. Adiantum trapeziforme and brachiatum.
Hemionitis falcata. Polypodium acanthifolium, volubile, racemosum,
furcatum, trilobum, dichotomum, and acutifolium. Pteris bipartite,,
curvata, auriculata, and crenata. Marchantia polymorpha L. Tri-
chomanes fimbriatum and interruptum. Lycopodium peregrinum,
nutans, and prostratum. Scorzonera ciliata and peruviana. Bryonia
cordifolia. Phyllanthus Niruri L. Narcissus odorus, abundant in
Lima and Chancay. Eupatorium sagittatum.
CHAPTER XVI
Dangers of the road The advice of a traveler Arrival at Huariaca Plants of
this region Sickness of Ruiz and Pavon.
JOURNEY FROM HUANUCO TO LIMA
On the 22nd of March, 1781 I left Huanuco for Lima and, with-
out any mishap on the way, I slept that night at the site of Ambo;
on the 23rd I went on from there to the pueblo of Rondos ahead of
the muleteers, with the purpose of gathering the plants that were in
bloom at that season.
For this reason the muleteers stopped one league from the
pueblo, claiming that the road was too heavy from the rain that
overtook them during the trip.
The draftsmen Brunete and Galvez left Huanuco on the 23rd,
and Dombey and Pavon on the 24th. This same day my muleteers
arrived at Rondos at 10:30, and at this hour I made them unload
the paper and presses to accommodate and change the plants that I
had gathered. At 12 I left Rondos, travelling with the muleteers
until 5 in the afternoon when, to avoid a furious and sudden storm,
I went ahead with my servant and my bed, leaving the muleteers
with the rest of the loads because it was impossible to hurry the
mules, frightened as they were by the noise of the thunder and light-
ning, and the heavy showers that followed. The men had to stay in
that place in order not to expose the mules to a fall down one of the
precipices and ravines of the slippery road that remained to Huari-
aca, where, in spite of the dark night and the terrible storm, I
arrived happily, following the sound of the steps of a person that I
heard walking ahead of me with his donkey after my servant had
fallen behind and failed to answer my calls.
I asked the Indian or mestizo where he was going, and what the
distance was to Huariaca, and how many bad passes there were. To
all my questions he answered in Spanish, and he promised to tell
me when we reached the bad passes; this he did properly, other-
wise I would have fallen into the river on one of the three occasions
when my mule slipped, but the Indian told me to let the animal get
up and walk at his will without my touching the bridle. After
having passed all the bad places, I begged the Indian, offering him
money, to go back and look for my servant, but he answered that
the latter would appear sooner or later. Nevertheless I continued to
repeat the whistling, calling for my servant, and he did not answer
94 HIP6LITO Ruiz
long after the Indian, or whatever he was, had gone ahead by another
path, leaving me after he had told me that I was near the town.
For more than half a league my servant did not answer me; for this
reason I thought that he had fallen down the precipice to the noisy
river that prevented us from hearing one another.
A little before reaching Huariaca I repeated the whistle and had
the satisfaction of hearing my servant answer, saying that the mule
with the bed and the other saddle mule that came unencumbered
had been lost.
We arrived in Huariaca at 8 o'clock at night, wet from head to
foot, and the priest, having been informed of our whole story, gave
orders to the alcalde to send two Indians in the morning in search
for the bed; they found it, a league and a half from Huariaca, on top
of the mule which was resting in the road. For the saddle mount
he asked to have a horse tied in the plaza, and after it whinnied, the
mule appeared in a quarter of an hour.
Never before had I found myself in such imminent danger of
losing my life as on this nocturnal trip over a narrow path made
slippery by the water that poured without ceasing from the bursting
of the frequent clouds that succeeded each other without inter-
mission for more than an hour.
The muleteers arrived at Huariaca on the 25th, with the loads
soaked, and for this reason we had to stay and dry them that day.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the draftsmen arrived at this
town, and they went the next day, leaving the loads behind. I
followed my muleteers about 2 leagues, going ahead then to the
mine at the cerro of Yauricocha, being detained there by another
storm like the previous one.
I arrived at the cerro without having experienced on the road
any misfortune except the cold of those heights, the inconvenience
of several mudholes, and a brief shower that caught me a little
before arriving in the town. The muleteers did not come until the
27th. On the following day, the 28th, we left the mine of the cerro;
I slept in Diezmo on the skin used under the riding-saddle, because
my muleteers had taken a different route. The 29th I spent the
night in the estancia of Palcamayo without any other trouble than
the cold of those punas, situated at the foot of the cordillera where,
notwithstanding the cold of the nights, they keep numerous cattle
and Castilian sheep ; these graze on the ichu and the short but abun-
dant grass that is found there throughout the year with other plants,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 95
among which there are several gentians and some Diadelphias, Syn-
genesias, and Cryptogamias.
On the 30th we were overtaken a league from Palcamayo by a
thunderstorm and by lightning, and a copious fall of hail followed
that lasted for two hours until we crossed the lofty Cerro de la
Viuda, that is permanently covered with snow because it is the
highest in all those cordilleras.
At 8 o'clock at night we arrived at the pueblo of Culluay so wet
and shivering with cold that the overseer of the muleteers came
down with an attack of tertian fever such as he had just had in
Huanuco.
On the 31st we travelled only four leagues, because some of the
mules had bruised their feet, owing to the dampness and the hardness
of the roads.
On April 1st, 1781, we spent the night in a small hut, a quarter
of a mile from Obrajillo; the extreme heat caused by the rays of
the sun is felt there in the daytime. On the 2nd we slept in another
little hut half a league from Quibe, and because I could not find
there any plants different from those found in Lima, I went ahead
of the muleteers by the road to Rioseco, a very hot, dry, and sterile
place, as it is boxed in between two high hills of rock and sand.
I passed the hacienda of Caballero where they maintain a number
of cattle and horses in the alfalfa and grass fields. I arrived at
Lima at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
My loads arrived on the 4th. On the 8th the draftsmen arrived
in Lima without any special incidents on the trip they had made
through the town of Tarma and the quebrada of Huarocheri. Finally
on the 15th Dombey and Pavon arrived by way of the quebrada
of Canta without other misfortune than many showers and cold
weather such as I had experienced, and that of being held up by
robbers who tried to steal their mules one night.
As the result of our daily excursions, our legs were covered, as
in Puzuzo, with a kind of eruption that ended in very annoying and
itching pimples, so that especially at night we passed whole hours
scratching until our skin was raw. The remedy for our trouble was
either to leave the montanas or not to walk on foot in the bush.
Our companion Pavon was stricken, besides this itch, with a skin
disease called mayco, resembling the itch but consisting of papules
filled with matter which cover the hands and the buttocks and some-
times the neck, accompanied by some fever. This malady originates,
96 HIPOLITO Ruiz
according to the Indians, from two species of Schinus, known there by
the name mayco. This affliction is cured with albergilla, a species
of Valeriana, which is applied roasted in bunches as hot as it can be
borne over the boils, and in that way they disappear in 8 or 10 days.
While this malady lasts the patient is almost unable to work.
CHAPTER XVII
Limits of the province of Canta Products Rivers Lakes Sicknesses
Plants of this region Population.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF CANTA
The province of Canta borders to the northeast and east on the
province of Tarma, to the west on that of Chancay and part of the
province of Chacras, to the south on that of Huarocheri, and for
the rest on the province of Cercado. It extends 24 leagues from
north to south and 35 from east to west, forming a rectangle.
The climate in the mountains and in the punas is quite cold,
and at night it freezes and there is ice, but in the daytime this is melted
by the heat of the sun. In the folds and low places of the moun-
tains it is temperate, but in the luxuriant quebradas hot all year
round. The land is broken, although on the sides of the mountains
and in the quebradas there are some small plains where they plant
and gather various roots and seeds, such as potatoes, massuas,
arracachas, maize, abas, beans, barley, alfalfa, vegetables, and several
fruits of the country, such as guavas, granadillas, pacaes, chirimoyas,
avocados, soursops, etc.
In the heights and mountainous regions where there is an
abundance of ichu and short grass, many cattle are kept and many
sheep and horses. In the punas there is an abundance of llamas,
vicunas, huanacos, and viscachas.
In the houses and farms of the punas and the mountains, they
burn champas or tufts, prepared as I have already told in the
account of the mine of Pucara.
On the way down the range of mountains toward Culluay there
are a few mines that formerly were worked and gave as much as
200 marcos [3,200 ounces] of silver per box, but none are worked
now in this province. There are gravel pits, and hematite, alum,
and vitriol ores and two hills of magnetite.
There are various small brooks that descend from the range of
mountains and quebradas, but there are only two rivers with an
abundance of water; one is the Carabaillo that has its origin in the
lakes Hacaybamba and Sorococha; it empties into the sea to the south
between Lima and Chancay. The other river is the Huombra that
comes from Lake Punrum, which is 3 leagues in length and 2 in
width, and enters the Pari or Oroya river, as do also the waters
98 HIPOLITO Ruiz
that pour from lakes Huaychao, Pamacocha, Cullue, and from Lake
Huayllasrun, that is 5 leagues in length and 2 in width.
In the pueblo of Santa Catalina there is a spring of thermal waters
that join the Carabaillo river.
From the mountain of Hacaybamba all the snow is obtained
that is needed in the icehouses of Lima.
In some quebradas, the malady called verrugas is common and,
if it does not break out immediately, there follows a long, trouble-
some, and dangerous sickness. To cure the verrugas the natives
make much use of Mespilus uni flora,
Also very common is a malady with corrosive ulcers, particu-
larly of the face; it is healed only after a long time and with diffi-
culty, and for this reason many people die of it. The natives blame
this affliction on the sting of the uta, a very small insect almost im-
perceptible to the naked eye.
Finally there are in this province some cases of tertians, pains
in the sides, and spotted fevers; all of these maladies are treated
by the Indians with herbs, as there are no doctors there, nor could
any be maintained with the scanty means of the inhabitants, so
that they make use of medicinal herbs which are very abundant in
those quebradas, serranias, and punas. Among these plants there
are the true calaguala, the ramaysantra, quinchamali or chimchamali,
chancano or huachancano, that is, poor man's purge, Euphorbia tu-
berosa, of the roots of which the Indians make frequent use, taking
about a drachm in an infusion for a laxative and, when they want to
stop the action, they take a glass of cold water. In Huanuco they
make a conserve with equal parts of sugar and fresh roots, and they
give two drachms for each dose; in this way the purge is more gentle.
There are many different species of cactus found in the hot
quebradas and on the sides of the hills, and in the depths there is
an abundance of calceolarias, several Syngenesias and Malvaceas;
there are many other precious plants, such as the molinas, sarachas,
ambrosias, ferrarias, periphragmos, loasas, Fraxinus, Scorzonera
peruviana, etc., Loasa rosea.
This province includes 54 pueblos and some ranches and farms,
12,150 inhabitants, most of them Indians, and not more than 60
Spaniards and 1,730 mestizos.
It is divided into 9 parishes, which are: The first that of the pueblo of Canta
with the annexes Chaqui, Carhua, Obrajillo, and Pariamarca. The second that
of Pamacocha with the annexes Ccarhuacayan and Llanta. The third that of
Pari with 12 annexes: Uchayucarpa, Huayllay, Huaychao, Pacaraos, Vichaycocha,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 99
Santa Cruz, Sta. Catalina, Chapca, Ravira, Chuspas, Culli, and Viscas. The
fourth that of the high Atabalillos with the annexes Pasachisque, Huaroquin,
Ccormo, Pirca, Banos, and Ataxpamarca. The fifth that of Lampian with the
annexes Cotoc and Carac. The sixth is that of the low Atabalillos with the
annexes Pallac, Chaupis, San Agustin, Huascoy, San Juan, and Pampas. The
seventh that of Huamantanha, where they worship a sacred crucifix which is
visited very often; with the annexes Puruchuco where there is excellent earth
for the making of pottery Quipan, Marco, Sumbirca, Aina Huandaro, and Rauma.
The eighth is that of San Buenaventura with the annexes San Jose, San Miguel,
Huacos, Huaros, and Culluay. The ninth is that of Arahuay with the annexes
Bucas, San Lorenzo, Pampacocha, Anaica, Yaso, Mayo, Quion, Tansa, and Quibe.
Here is found a poor chapel that was the house in which the glorious Sta.
Rosa de Lima lived several years.
The natives of this province work mostly as drivers of mules,
especially in the mines of the hills, carrying the ore from the mines
to the smelters. Others work at digging mines and for that reason
have many mules. The women work the fields and take care of
the family while the husbands labor at the mines. They also spin,
and one sees some wool and cotton cloth for their use. They dress
in anacos and many petticoats.
From the 16th of April, 1781 until the 4th of July of the same
year, we stayed in Lima drying the plants that we had gathered on
the trip. I finished with the descriptions of the same, and I arranged
them by classes in packages and then collected several plants in
the hills and valleys of Lima to replace those sent in the boat "El
Buen Consejo," which, we were told, had been captured by the Eng-
lish, but we did not know then that it had left all the freight in the
Islas Terceras.
After packing in boxes the products gathered in Tarma and Hua-
nuco, and their montanas and trails, we decided to go to the prov-
ince of Chancay a^ain, to replace the loss of the dried plants and
sketches from that province that were sent to Spain in the vessel
"El Buen Consejo."
After permission had been obtained from the Viceroy, and all
preparations had been made for the journey, we sent the mule-
teers with our baggage to Chancay on the 4th.
CHAPTER XVIII
The hacienda of Torreblanca and Dn. Toribio Bravo Botanizing and plants
gathered Trip to Huaura and plants studied Tutumos, huanabanos Uses and
common names.
SECOND JOURNEY TO THE PROVINCE OF CHANCAY
On the 5th of July, 1781, we, the Spanish botanists and drafts-
men, left together for the hacienda of Torreblanca, a distance of
half a league from the pueblo of Chancay. Mr. Dombey stayed in
Lima by order of the Viceroy, to go in the company of an official of
the navy and a pilot to the port of Callao where they were to make
some observations on the tides. We arrived at Torreblanca at 7:30
at night without mishap.
From the 6th of July, 1781 until the 10th of August of the same
year, we stayed in the hacienda of Torreblanca, accompanied many
days by the owner, Dn. Toribio Bravo of Castilla, a gentleman of
the most distinguished nobility of Lima and one of those who took
pains to help us in that country, for he not only asked us to stay
in his house but also provided us with food at his table both times
we stayed there, and sometimes he accompanied us on our trips.
During this time we explored the hills, slopes, and valleys of
Chancay, Pasamayo, Jeguan, Retes, and Laral, where we discovered
several new plants of which I described the following. Chenopodium
album, yerba del gallinazo, the decoction of which is used with good
results against jaundice. Amaranthus retroflexus and spinosus L.?,
yuyu. We ate its leaves several times in boiled salads, and they
have the property of softening the stools. Allium triquetrum L.,
and angulosum, feligranas. Serapias flava. Satyrium viride. Ban-
lisa rivularis. Solarium repens and peruvianum, wild tomato. Jussi-
aea peruviana, flor del clavo. Euphorbia striata. Galinsoga quinque-
radiata, and quadriradiata, pacoyuyu. The natives make use of the
juice of these two species for treating sores of the mouth. Eclipta
alba L. Sida frutescens, pichana. The roots are sold in little bunches
by the negroes and are used in Peru to clean the tartar off the teeth;
they also serve the fair sex for diversion, especially on holy days at
home, in the carnage or when visiting, and are not removed from
the mouth, except for spitting. Sida capillaris, matayerno. Croto-
laria incana. Bidens cuneiformis. Calceolaria pinnata L. Helio-
tropium synzystachyum. Spilanthes urens, salivatoria. Valeriana
pinnatifida. Malva peruviana L. Buddleia occidentalis. Boerhaavia
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 101
viscosa, pegajosa. Hedysarum prostratum. Passiflora suberosa. Sper-
macoce tenuior L. Potamogeton compressus. Xuarezia biflora, thee del
Peru. Oenothera prostrata. Encelia obliqua. Sidalutea. Elateriumpe-
datum, caihua. It is cultivated in Peru, and its fruits are used in-
stead of young pumpkin, filled with ground meat or meat balls.
When eaten young and tender, they taste like Spanish cucumbers.
Elaterium bifidum, caihua de lomas. Atriplex crystalline/,. Bowlesia
palmata. Sobreyra repens. Matricaria tripartite,. Campanula biflora.
On the llth day of August, 1781 we went from Torreblanca to
the pueblo of Huaura, where we arrived at 10 o'clock in the night,
without other inconvenience than the excessive heat, after we had
crossed the hills of Lachay where there were dense fogs.
We stayed in Huaura until the 3rd of September of the same
year. During this time we sketched and dried some plants, and I
described the following. Crescentia Cujete, tutumo. From its fruits,
called tutumas, the exterior of which is very heavy and strong, the
natives make cups to drink chocolate or mate. They are made by
merely sawing the fruits transversely and cleaning out the pulp and
seeds with which they are filled. Afterwards they trim them
around the edges and bottom with a thin plate of silver or gold to
embellish them. They also use these calabashes or tutumas
to keep balsams and resins, making a small hole in one of their
extremities and emptying the pulp through that. From this pulp
they make a preserve, excellent for the cure of internal abscesses,
by adding equal parts of sugar and sweet oil of almonds and cooking
them in the same fruit over a low fire to the consistency of honey.
The dose is a half to one ounce. Cassia Tora, wild canafistola.
With the pulp found in the pods the natives purge themselves, as
also with the infusion of the fresh leaves from a half to one ounce.
Molina scandens, chilca. From the crushed leaves and shoots of this
they make a poultice to soothe pain from sprains and bruises. Sida
jamaicensis and cristata L. Salvia rhombifolia. Anona muricata, huana-
bano. Tall, thick, luxurious tree of beautiful green, cultivated in Peru.
The fruit called huanabano is of the shape of a heart, and some
of them are from one to six pounds in weight, Its meat is white
and has a bittersweet taste, inferior to the chirimoya and the ano-
nas in all its qualities, and for this reason one cannot eat so much
of this fruit as of other delicate fruits that are species of the same
genus. From the trunk of the huanabano are obtained good boards,
beams, and planks for buildings and other works. Dolichos Soja?
L., frijolillos, the seeds of which are eaten boiled and have a very good
102 HIPOLITO Ruiz
taste. Anona squamosa, anono, a big, tall, and luxurious tree,
cultivated in Peru. Its fruit called anona is between round and conic
in shape and resembles the pineapple, with a hard and scaly skin
and a white, tender pulp, sweet and soft like butter and of a more
delicate taste than the fruit of the chirimoya, particularly those
that are grown in the town of Huacho, from where they sent them
to Lima as a great delicacy. Its wood has the same uses as that of
the huanabano. Dianthera mucronata. Lycium aggregation, maca-
pagui or quiebra ollas, because its wood bursts when it burns and
usually burns and breaks the pots that happen to be at that time on
the fire. The ground leaves mixed with lard are applied as an emollient
and suppurative. Alstroemeria peregrina L., peregrina, a plant with
flowers of varied tints, that serves for decoration in the garden.
Boerhaavia scandens L., yerba de la purgation, on account of the prop-
erty that its decoction has to resolve and cleanse gonorrhoeal dis-
charge. Centaurea napifolia L. The infusion and decoction is used for
treating intermittent fevers. Cissus compressicaulis, yedra. Mal-
pighia nitida L., ciruela de Fraile. Its fruit has a very sweet and cloy-
ing taste, and its seeds taste like almonds but are very nauseating.
In order to mature, this fruit must be kept in straw, bran, or
other matter for a few days after it is ripe, and then it becomes as
soft as butter. Its flesh is red. Cordia rotundifolia, tina and membri-
llejo, because it resembles the quince. Its decoction is used with good
results for the cure of jaundice. Poinciana . . . , pai-pai. Luxuriant
tree the trunk of which has several uses in carpenter shops because
of its strength, and its pods are used for black dye and to make
a very good ink on account of the gallic acid in which they are rich.
Malva coromandelina? Calyxhymenia ovata and expansa. Mimosa
sensitiva, tapate and cirrateputa, for the peculiarity that this plant
has of contracting its leaves when touched. Passiflora foetida, puche-
puche. The children eat the ripe fruit, and the ants eat it before it
is ripe. Salvia excisa. Physalis angulata L. Basella rubra. Tillaea
connata, almizclilla, because of the "odor it exhales, similar to musk.
Atropaumbellata. Crotalaria laburnifolia L. Mimosa latisiliqua, yerba
de la lancha. The natives say that the animal that eats of this plant
loses the hair of the mane and tail, and that the hair does not come
back in a long time. They also say that any person who washes his
hair several times with the water in which the leaves of this plant
had been rubbed will become bald-headed. Sida americana and
repens, pila-pila. Water in which this plant has been rubbed is used
by the women of Peru in combing their hair to make it grow.
CHAPTER XIX
IThe hacienda El Ingenio Its sugar production Quipico Plants described
The farm of Andahuasi Its good management.
JOURNEY TO SAYAN
On September 3rd, 1781 we went from Huaura to the pueblo
of Sayan, a distance of ten leagues inland, crossing the hacienda
called "El Ingenio," of Dn. Francisco de la Puente, a gentleman
from Lima, at which they make every day from 20 to 30 loaves of
fine sugar, each one weighing two arrobas. Each one is sold at 30 or
40 reales of that coinage. At this hacienda, which was formerly the
property of the Jesuits and is about one league in length and one in
width, and on level ground, two sugar mills operate every day.
When we had crossed this hacienda, we traveled through the
one named Pativilca, owned by Dn. Pedro de la Presa, a gentleman
from Lima, larger in extent than the previous one, but actually
they have only some cattle, and they do not make the excellent
sugar that in ancient times used to be made there, because the
owner has taken all the negroes away to another hacienda. From
Pativilca we went to the hacienda Humaya, much larger than the
previous one and the property of the sons of Dn. Juan Antonio
Blanco. This hacienda had also been property of the padres of the
Compania. Sugar cane is ground day and night with four, and
sometimes six, changes of oxen, and every day they get 30 to 40
loaves of sugar of quality superior to that of any of the neighboring
haciendas. This hacienda needs about 150 negroes more than it
has, so that the work in the mills may not stop, as happens frequently
for lack of men, and because the negroes are liable to be sick there.
Because of the great humidity and excessive heat many die and
others are crippled for life and unable to do even the simplest manual
labor. The place is about 5 leagues from the pueblo of Huaura. From
there we went to the hacienda Quipico, owned by Dn. Antonio
Boza and administered by one of his sons. In that also they harvest
about 24 to 30 loaves of sugar, and it is more than two leagues in
length. The workshops, living quarters, and church of this hacienda
are better arranged than any of those previously mentioned and
than the others in the valley.
The buildings of the haciendas Paila, Punga, Seca, and Almacen
do not detract any from those at Quipico, and yet the best are in
the hacienda de Puente. The millroom of the hacienda Humaya is
104 HIPOLITO Ruiz
larger than those in other haciendas, and the rest of the shops where
the sugar is worked are not inferior at Humaya.
We slept in Quipico, where we stayed a day because we found
there Sr. Dn. Joaquin Galdeano, the attorney general, who was
exiled with half his salary by order of Sr. Visitador Areche. He
stayed at this hacienda thirty months, until by order of the Ministry
of the Indies communicated to him by the same visitador, his
exile was ended, and he was named Oydor de Mexico, an appoint-
ment that came thje^day before our arrival at Quipico.
On the 4th we inspected the whole hacienda, at which I described
the Momordica operculata of Linnaeus, so abundant there that the
dried fruits, called jaboncillos, serve the negroes as excellent
dishcloths to wash the gourds or calabashes from which they eat.
On the 5th we left a little after noon, accompanied by Sr. Gal-
deano, and went to the pueblo of Sayan where, arriving at 3 in the
afternoon, we noticed that those near-by hills and quebradas did
not have materials for our work; informed by the natives that until
we reached the sierra we would not find plants, we decided to return
to Torreblanca to finish several plant descriptions. We made the
muleteers load the mules, and we went to spend the night at Anda-
huasi, hacienda of the Augustine fathers of Lima, where they make
18 to 20 loaves of sugar daily. They had just finished a big rec-
tangular addition with many rooms or little separate ranches well
distributed in uniform rows, so that the negroes that were married
could sleep separated from the single men under one key, and each
couple in its own ranch. The priest or monk that made this hacienda
from the arid field, began work with only 14 pesos, but through
industry he had improved it so that it produced a profit of 60 pesos
a day with the prospect of soon yielding more. In this hacienda
there is an abundance of Parkinsonia aculeata that we sketched and
dried the next day.
This valley is very pleasant, gay, and interesting because of the
many sugar-cane properties, the variety of fruits and seeds that
are gathered there, and the variety of trees and plants that grow
spontaneously.
It is surprising that almost all the hacendados of this valley are
always short of money and without a sufficient number of people
for their work, especially since they have discontinued the yearly
shipments of negroes that used to arrive in Lima, the owners mak-
ing from 40,000 to 60,000 dollars annually in sugar, sirup, chan-
caca, and alfenique.
CHAPTER XX
Location of Sayan Its houses and ranches Inhabitants Barrenness of the soil.
THE TOWN OF SAYAN
The pueblo of Sayan is located at the foot of a hill of purple soil
or red clay and at the entrance to one of the quebradas at which
the valley begins and from which the river that waters it descends.
When it rains, the river is voluminous and without a ford, and there-
fore at that time can be crossed only by the bridge of Huaura or
that at Sayan, which is made of timbers lashed together. On the way
to Sayan there is a big rock broken from the mountain in the form of
an arch under which the road passes. Around the town there are
several small plantations of alfalfa with some fruit trees. The
houses and ranches are quite distant one from the other, excepting
the houses around the plaza where the well-to-do mestizos live.
These are built of quincha or canes and afterwards covered with
mud. The inhabitants are mestizos or tributary Indians, and the
rest live on their small plantations where each one has his rancho.
The hills that surround the quebradas of Sayan and five leagues
ahead, are arid all the year round, without any plants to be seen on
them, large or small. A league distant from the pueblo of Sayan by
the same quebrada, begins the jurisdiction of the province of Caxa-
tambo, where there are some silver mines. Through the other
quebrada descends a small brook whose waters suffice to irrigate the
small plantations situated on both sides.
All through this valley and these quebradas the heat is excessive
all the year round, and the sky is generally clear night and day and
without rain or drizzle except on the coast and for about two leagues
inland from the sea, which has its drizzles and mist as on all the coast
of Lima, etc.
On the 6th the draftsmen went to Huaura, and from there they
went on to Lima. With my companion Pavon I returned from
Andahuasi to Torreblanca by the narrow passes of Jeguan in which
I experienced great heat because of the bare and sandy hills and
ravines until a league before entering the hacienda of R . . . , by
which we crossed to that of Esquivel. Later we reached Torre-
blanca where we again found Dn. Toribio Bravo of Castilla, our
benefactor and lover of botany and other sciences, as he showed by
accompanying us to the country, not only at his hacienda but also in
Lima in the hills of the Amancaes where he gathered various plants.
106 HIP6LITO Ruiz
On the 7th I went to survey the hills of the hacienda of Jeguan,
the property of Dn. Mauricio Zuazo, a gentleman from Lima. There I
gathered several plants, among them the Salsola fragilis that is
plentiful in those open fields of sulphate of soda that are there called
salitrales, because this salt in fact contains much niter or nitrate of
potash; of this I picked some crystals on the grass.
In all of these haciendas in the vicinity of Chancay, they keep
and feed a great number of hogs in order to supply lard to the city
of Lima and the pueblos of that province.
CHAPTER XXI
Plants gathered Uprising of Tupac-Amaro.
JOURNEY TO LIMA FROM TORREBLANCA
On the 9th of September, 1781 we two Spanish botanists went
on to Lima without experiencing other discomfort on the way than
the heat of the sandy places between Torreblanca and the heights
of Ancon or plain of Copacabana.
We remained in Lima until the 13th of December of the next
year, completing the drying and description of various plants gath-
ered on the way from Huaura and Sayan and from this town to Tor-
reblanca and Lima, among which there were the following.
Dodartia fragilis. The famous Platanus otahetianus, called the
arbol de las mantas, because in the islands of Otaheti, they get
from its bark, blankets of four and five yards in length and two
and a half in width, without any other labor than pounding the bark
on a flat stone and freeing the fibrous parts of sap and woody crust:
afterwards they often paint them with circular spots in several
colors. In Lima I saw two small trees about four or five yards tall,
brought there from the islands of Otaheti, with several bread trees
that had been destroyed by some mules in the same orchard, so
that I could see only the trunks divested of bark. Rudbeckia multi-
fida or Cosmos pinnatus of Cavanilles, which is used as an ornament
in gardens. Llagunoa triphylla, rosary tree, because the round and
black seeds resemble the beads of a rosary. Hibiscus rosa sinensis, and
esculentus L., napu, with the fruit of which the negroes prepare a dish,
disagreeable and offensive to us for its mucilaginous quality. Helian-
thus pubescens, anisillo de lomas, for its fragrance that is more pleas-
ing than that of anise seed. Weinmannia pinnata, transplanted to
Lima from the mountains. Parkinsonia aculeata L. The leafstalks
of this plant could be used for their flexibility, length, and strength,
to make little baskets, mats, and several other things, especially if
they would prepare them as is done with esparto grass and flax.
Atropa aspera. Ipomoea hirsuta. Tessaria dentata, paxaro bobo;
the wood of these two shrubs is that most frequently used in Lima
and in the towns of the coast, although as firewood it does not last
long because it is light; they use their branches to cover the roofs
of the ranches.
I changed all the herbaria or dried plants to new paper to free
them from the humidity that might remain and, after distributing
108 HIPOLITO Ruiz
them in packages according to classes, I packed them in boxes for
safe shipment.
After we had arranged all the work and collections made in the
province of Chancay and the vicinity of Lima, and had deposited
the boxes of dried specimens, sketches, seeds, and other natural
products in the hall of the Royal Armory in Lima, we resolved to
embark for the kingdom of Chile, not only because of the information
we had of the fertility and abundance of the plants and other natural
products of that earthly paradise, but also because we could not
penetrate into the montaflas of Peru, as several of its provinces
were in revolt because the brothers Gabriel and Diego Tupac-Amaro
were determined that one of the two should be crowned in that
kingdom. They might have succeeded if it had not been for the
activity, speed, and zeal with which Sr. Visitador Areche beheaded
these rioters, going for this purpose to Cuzco.
Granted permission from the Viceroy of Peru and from the
Visitador to go to the kingdom of Chile to continue our undertaking,
we arranged for our passage with the captain of the vessel named
"Nuestra Senora de Belen."
CHAPTER XXII
Departure from Callao Navigation Phosphorescence of the sea Strong wind
and heavy sea Misfortune on board.
VOYAGE FROM LIMA TO THE KINGDOM OF CHILE
On December 19th, 1781, we left Lima with our baggage to
board the vessel "Belen" in the harbor of Callao. It was going
to the kingdom of Chile to load wines and grain in the port of Con-
cepcion. On the 20th the ship was inspected by the chief guard of
the port of Callao, and the 21st we set sail at 10 o'clock in the morn-
ing with little wind; at 6 o'clock in the afternoon we could still see
the point of the island of San Lorenzo near the port of Callao, but
a short time later it was concealed from us by a heavy fog. We
traveled two miles per hour during the day. The south wind calmed
during the night.
On the 22nd at nine in the morning the wind began to blow from
the south, and we traveled at two to three miles an hour, the sky
remaining cloudy all day until it cleared at night. We saw a great
number of bonitos, dolphins, and seals. The 23rd dawned cloudy and
with the same wind blowing from the south, and we traveled up to
three miles an hour; we had some heavy seas, the sun came out, and the
seasick came to dinner, as they had not done on the previous days.
Up to the 27th we sailed with the same wind, traveling from two to four
and a half miles per hour without having changed the sails since we
left Callao. At night, on the 25th, a handsome calf fell into the sea, but
we could not rescue it, and later we missed it. From the 28th
the wind freshened more from the south, and we had some showers.
We traveled from three to six miles until the 15th of January, when
it was observed that we were at 32 2' without having had any
mishap of importance, nor having noticed in the sea anything of
more importance than some goldfish and, during the last seven days,
some streaks of fire.
The 15th of January we noticed such fire or sparks of light in
the sea that it looked as if the rudder, stern, and prow of the boat
were on fire with wine or sulphur spirits, also the wake left by the
boat. The cause that produces this light or phosphorus is attributed
by some to the bituminous or oily substances that are expelled by
various fishes, which, mixed with the marine salt and churned by the
rudder or prow of the vessel or with the waves motivated by the
wind, form the beautiful phenomenon. To observe if there were any
110 HIPOLITO Ruiz
insects, as others had suspected, or to see if it was some oily substance,
we bailed some pails of water and agitated it with sticks and other
instruments of several kinds of metals, but we discerned only a few
small lights, but no insect or oily substance although we used
good lenses.
From the 17th to the 26th the wind continued to cool, and it was
so strong that it was necessary to gather the sails, and in those days
we sailed with only the mainsail and the foresail. There were many
showers, continued and violent rolling, and pitching from stern to
prow, and heavy cracking of the knees and other timbers of the ship ;
endless numbers of heavy waves came in by the hatchways, and we
suffered continuous and troublesome heavy seas, all of which kept
us in constant fear. When we went to eat, we had to do so holding
ourselves with ropes, each one with his plates in the hand, and con-
fined to the cabins.
On the 24th at 6 o'clock in the morning, a passenger from Vizcaya,
named Baltaya, fell into the sea and, although everything possible
was done to rescue him, we never saw him again on account of the
heavy seas and the vessel's having seven miles of headway. This
unfortunate person was going to the city of Conception with
sugar and other commercial products. Not daring to go to the
privy, he tried to move his bowels at one of the chain wales, from which
he fell when the boat rolled.
On the 26th we sighted the island of Sta. Maria by the prow, and
a little later the Tetas de Biobio; for this reason, and because the wind
had increased its velocity, we gathered the sails until it calmed
down at nightfall and they were lowered anew. With the moon-
light the pilot decided to enter the port of Talcahuano, and this we
accomplished without mishap until midnight when the wind died
down and did not blow again until 7 in the morning; at this time,
the sails being hoisted, one of them knocked a sailor, who was work-
ing, into the sea from the main-topsail. As the wind was blowing
gently and the sea was calm, the vessel was turned with ease, and
they threw two pieces of wood overboard, to one of which the sailor
laid hold; it served to support him until they lowered a boat, for
which he was asking insistently. This was done with the utmost speed,
and four sailors went in it; they picked him up a mile away from the
vessel and, when he was in the boat, he took an oar to warm up and
to drive away the cold, so that he arrived at the vessel without
further mishap, and he suffered no ill effects.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 111
At 9 o'clock on the 27th there came from Talcahuano with an
officer of the royal squadron a boat, commanded by Sr. Bacaro,
that was anchored in that port. He was given the mail and returned
to the port.
At 2 in the afternoon near the anchorage, the vessel missed
the turn, and for this reason it was on the point of being dashed
to pieces on a rocky bank, from which we were saved by the activity
of the boatswain, who cut the anchor's cable, and the boat was
stopped a few yards from the banks. The captain went ashore and
went to Conception for a license to permit him to unload.
It became calm on the 28th, and the vessel was towed to sea
after the hoisting of the anchor, and we set sail. The vessel succeeded
in making the first and second turns, but on the third we lost some
ground, and we could not steer close to the wind on the fourth, so
we dropped anchor again in nine fathoms of water. Suddenly we
found ourselves in four, but in a little while the wind carried the
vessel to ten fathoms, where we stayed anchored until the next
day because the wind had increased.
CHAPTER XXIII
Arrival at Talcahuano Hospitality of the maestre de campo Arrival at
Concepcion.
ARRIVAL AT THE PORT OF TALCAHUANO
On the 29th we anchored in the port, the vessel being towed in.
On the 30th the ship was inspected and we went ashore with our
luggage. We introduced ourselves to the Mre. de Campo of Con-
cepcion, Dn. Ambrosio O'Higgins, who had come to Talcahuano on
account of the arrival of the vessel and because the fleet was
there. This official received us very affably and offered us all
the help that he could give. He fulfilled his promise very generously,
giving us our meals for as many days as we wanted to go to eat at
his house. After 12 o'clock we went to Concepcion without any
incident.
When we reached Concepcion de Chile, rooms could not be had in
one place until the 7th of February, 1782 and in others until the 12th,
because the houses were not big enough, as the city was only 31 years
old. The buildings had been finished only 17 years on the site
where the people who moved from Penco el Viejo have been living
since the 24th of November, 1764, on account of the flood and de-
struction caused there the 24th of May, 1759 by the great earthquake
and tidal wave, when nothing was left in Penco but some remains of
the ruins and a fort with some farm buildings.
On the 13th of February, after having returned the visits received
by us from the most distinguished people of the city, we began our
botanical excursions through those fertile fields, and we continued
them with many discoveries until the 24th, when we went to the
fort of Arauco in company with the mre. de campo.
Map of the Provinces of Chile
Visited by Ruiz, Pavon and Dombey
CHAPTER XXIV
Crossing of the Biobio The rafts The territory Abundance of horse farms
The guazos Plants and their applications The cinnamon tree Superstitions
of the Indians Reception of Mre. de Campo Villagra Murders committed
by the Indians Defeat of the mre. de campo The Araguete river The plain
Arboreal vegetation The Carampangue Piedras de cruz Salutations Speeches
Instructions Enthusiasm of an old man Plants of the field near Arauco
Farewell to the Indians Preparations for the parliaments Revolt of 1766
Quarrelsome character of the Indians Cremation of dead from the plague
Pehuenches and Huiliches.
TRIP TO FORT ARAUCO
On the 24th of February, 1782 at 2:30 in the afternoon, the two
draftsmen and botanists Dombey and Ruiz left in company of Dn.
Ambrosio O'Higgins Vallenar, Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal
Armies and Mre. de Campo of the plaza of Concepcion, for the plaza
of Arauco where he was going to talk with the Indians of that vutal-
mapu. As we arrived at the shore of the Biobio river where the
rafts were ready, it began to rain very hard, so that some were of
the opinion that we should go back to the city and make the trip
another day; but the rest of us insisted on going on, and this was the
opinion also of the mre. de campo. He ordered the rafts to be
brought, so that in half an hour we safely crossed the river, which
at this season is about half a league wide but in the wintertime
widens to about a league. This river has a sandy bottom without
rocks to interfere with the passage of the rafts. They are con-
structed of five or seven logs a quarter of a yard wide and three
or four yards long, nailed to others that cross underneath and, the
middle beam being longer and the laterals gradually shorter, there
is formed a long raft over which they make a lengthwise seat or
barbacoa of sticks joined together with strips of hide, as a place
for the baggage and a seat for the passengers. At the ends of
the raft there is a short space left free for the use of the ferrymen,
and from this they guide it with poles four or five yards in length.
They may also tie the raft to the tail of a horse, which, sometimes
walking and at other times swimming, pulls it and passes from one
side of the river to the other; but this method is more dangerous
because the horses are apt to stick in the sand and, with the violent
movements which they make to free their feet, they may upset or
bury the raft in the sands, a thing that did not happen this time to
those that were hauled by horses. Farther down the animals cross
114 HIP6LITO Ruiz
this river swimming, directed by one or two naked men on horse-
back who go with them.
After passing the river, we went up to the fort of San Pedro,
and from there we were escorted by a company of militiamen, to
sleep at Esquadron, a country house 5 leagues distant from San
Pedro by a smooth and pleasant road covered with spreading
trees and plants that are green throughout the year and form a
beautiful sight. We crossed some plains called lagunillas because
in time of rains they fill with water and must be crossed in rafts.
This place is one league from San Pedro and the same distance
from the sea. On this whole unappropriated coast, there are sev-
eral pasture grounds for the king's horses, which are cared for by
many families of guazos that live in ranches scattered over that
extensive and pleasant plain, and on this they plant and gather
various fruits and seeds for their support, with the definite obliga-
tion of militia service and an understanding to be ready in case of
necessity to go out and fight against the Indians. The weapon that
is used by these guazos 1 is a long spear, of about three or four yards,
in the use of which they are very skilful, running on horseback with
surprising speed and freedom through those hills and plains. The
more hilly region and the mountains are inhabited by pagan and
renegade Indians.
On the 25th, because of a heavy rain that lasted from the night
before until 10 o'clock in the morning, we stayed in Esquadron,
inspecting those fertile fields, and in them we gathered many plants
that we dried; we sketched and described the following. Sarmienta
repens. Schizanthus pinnatus. Laurus Peumo. Drimys acris,
canelo, because of the odor and taste of the wood, leaves, and bark,
which are extremely pungent. These trees exude a few tears of aro-
matic gum. The smoke of their wood is annoying to the eyes. The
bark and leaves preserve clothes from moths and, boiled, they
furnish baths against convulsions, nervous debility, spasms, par-
alysis, empyema, itch, and ringworm, and against the frush and
louse of horses, for which many use it, adding urine and salt.
Its smoke purifies the air, and for this reason they use it for fumiga-
tions against contagious diseases and against insects. The infusion
of its shoots brightens the color of indigo; for this reason they mix
it with the dye of that substance. Some use it against venereal
eruptions, in baths and fumigation. The natives make use of the
leaves of these beautiful and showy trees for fishing, pounding and
1 Americanism equivalent to llanero, a man of the plains.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 115
placing them in the brooks and rivers. They get very good planks
and boards for buildings from the canelos, and under their shade the
Indians used to hold their councils and conjurations in order to
discover hidden offenders and punish their crimes. For this super-
stitious ceremony they call the most famous and oldest machi or
soothsayer who, when the whole multitude of Indians are kneeling
around a tall and spreading canelo tree, with the greatest respect,
silence, and attention and with their eyes fixed on the ground,
climbs the trees from which she makes her invocations, calling to
Pillan, or God, in the direction of the four principal winds, throwing,
after various ceremonies, a little stick in each direction. These
ceremonies are followed by a long speech and, when finished, she
answers all questions put by the caciques. The machi, as if she
were an oracle, answers what she pleases, and in that way she
blames those she has in mind to destroy, for her sentence is executed
as if it were a true order from Pillan. Finally, in a short speech, she
exhorts all to give thanks to Pillan and then recommends that her
sentence be carried out. Then she descends from the tree and, while
all are standing, she is given a small drum, so that at its sound all of
them will follow her around the canelo tree until the machi thinks
it is time to start drinking the chicha that they have prepared for
feast. With this they get drunk, and killings and warfare between
the opposite parties result from her diabolical sentences. The canelos
are abundant in the damp and muddy places and in dry and smooth
fields in summer and are covered with water in winter. Their bark
and leaves have a very bitter, biting, sharp, and nauseous taste,
although somewhat similar to that of cinnamon. Wild doves are
very fond of eating canelo berries or fruits, and for this reason
great flocks of them come during the time that the tree is in fruit,
but their meat then gets tough and is very disagreeable to the taste.
On the 26th we left Esquadron, and without any mishap we
arrived at the stopping place called Coronel, a distance of two leagues
from that horse farm; here the militia company was exchanged for
another, also armed with lances which they carried resting them in
the saddle or stirrup, with the metal point upwards. To change the
militia the captain of the company sent an officer with sword in
hand to come and meet the mtre. de campo long before he arrived at
the place where they were stationed. After he had given the message,
which consisted of greeting the chief and saying that his captain
was awaiting him in a certain place, and had received the answer, he
returned at a gallop to his company. This, divided in two lines, then
116 HIPOLITO Ruiz
passed in front of the whole retinue after both performed the custo-
mary courtesies and ceremonies and after two or three men from the
heights were examined to see if there was any trouble on the part of
the Indians.
At a distance of a league from Coronel we arrived at Playa Negra,
a place so called on account of the dark color of the sand, and also to
distinguish it from another farther on with white sand and called
Playa Blanca. Following this is the hill of Concura, and at the
top of this is situated the plaza of the same name, five leagues from
Coronel. In this plaza they changed the militia again with the
same ceremonies as in the other places. When we came down the
hill of Concura, we came to a beach a quarter of a league in length,
by which the Indians from the plains or from Santa Juana had an easy
outlet, that is from Fort San Pedro to this beach, because from
San Pedro up river the Indians have several outlets. They use these
from time to time, as happened in 1772, when they cut off the head
of a valiant officer who had beheaded three Indians a few days before,
while defending himself bravely from a band that had encircled
him in the woods; from this danger he saved himself then, but he
could not free himself after he was surprised together with two
soldiers, whom they burned alive in a ranch after having tied them
together.
After passing the beach we crossed the hill of Villagra, with three
leagues of climb and descent. This name was given to it after the
battle that the Indians fought there against Mre. de Campo Villagra,
who was buried there, and his men destroyed.
At the foot of this hill there is another beach about a mile long
where we ate in the shade of several apple trees and other trees by
which it is surrounded. Afterwards we climbed the hill of Chivilingo
where a guard is placed by the mre. de campo to prevent the passage
of arms, wines, liquors, merchandise, and contraband, which the
Spaniards and guazos often exchange with the Indians for ponchos, a
trade that is not allowed without permission from the mre. de campo.
After descending this hill, we crossed the river Araguete, a
name that is also given to the beach and plain that extend to the
Carampangue river, five leagues distant from the other. On this
plain there are seven spacious and straight lanes of different wild
trees, formed, according to the natives, by nature; but it seems
impossible that nature would place the seven lanes at the same
distance, giving them forty to fifty yards of equal width throughout
their length of five leagues, so that there is not a plant or a shrub in
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 117
those lanes except the trees that make up the rows, namely arayanes,
pataguas, bolbus, maytenes, peumos, litres, voguis, and other
climbing and twining plants, the variety of the foliage of which, the
intertwining of the branches themselves, the diverse and continuous
green of their leaves, and the size, color, and fragrance of their
flowers and fruits and other parts present the most beautiful tones
and the most wonderful rustic sight. The ground, which at this time
was covered with small fruits or strawberries of exquisite taste and
other small plants with various flowers, contributed not a little
to heighten the effect. The streets or lanes are the distance of a rifle-
shot from the sea and are situated on a sandy ground, which proves
that these lanes have been made by art and not by nature.
Beyond the plain is the river Carampangue, a name that means
car a de leon [lion face], derived perhaps from the great flood and ebb
of more than a league when the tide rises or falls; but when the river
swells, it is crossed in rafts. The Carampangue is perhaps 100
yards in width at this place. Three leagues up river from this ford,
there is a creek in the vicinity of a mill, where one finds cylindrical
stones, somewhat oblong, with both extremities flat, showing a cross
resembling that of the Order of Malta, which is present also in every
transverse fragment into which it may be divided. The stones are
of several sizes and of different colors; most of them are white with a
black cross, and black with a white cross; some are bluish and others
purplish.
When we had crossed the river, the governor of the Indians,
named Neculgud, which means perdiz corredora [running partridge],
presented himself to the mre. de campo with two companies of
Indians on horseback formed in two lines without any other arms
than the sabres that were carried by those in charge of their small
banners. The music they had was produced merely by some small
flutes or little wind instruments, called pivilcas, the sad and mourn-
ful sound of which can scarcely be heard at a distance of fifty feet.
Governor Neculgud, after he had greeted the mre. de campo,
ordered his companies to start at a good gallop, as is the custom on
such occasions, and they were followed by two other companies of
our militia armed with lances; after them followed the suite of the
mre. de campo, closing the two lines. Near the plaza there was a
crowd of Indian men and women in shelters of branches they
had made on both sides of the road for cover during the five days
they had to be there until the end of the meeting. When the mre.
de campo passed with his suite, these people saluted, repeating many
118 HIPOLITO Ruiz
many times the words: "maximari senor, maximari capitan." At
the entrance to the plaza the companies of Indians were stationed
in two lines through which all our people entered Arauco, in front of
of the barracks, in which we found the troop of that garrison formed
in a row and playing a march to the sound of the drum and fife while
the chief and his suite passed.
The mre. de campo dismounted and gave orders by means of
the interpreters for the caciques to come in and greet him and to
appoint the day and hour for the parliament. The greetings lasted
the rest of the afternoon, or about one hour and a half. This
ceremony, that was begun by High Cacique Neculgud and was contin-
in order by the oldest and most honored caciques, consists merely
of their presenting themselves one by one at two paces from the mre.
de campo. The cacique greets the latter with a bow and then,
raising his head, he goes to the chief, saying "maximari senor" and
puts his right hand over the left shoulder, and with the left hand, in
which he carries his hat, he gives a pat on the back. Then he retires
with another bow; to all of this the mre. de campo responds, as do
all the others that have had to suffer this long, tedious welcome.
Finishing the greetings, the mre. de campo gave thanks, in the
name of the King and the President, to the caciques that had shel-
tered and had given help to the troops that passed freely, without
the least extortion, through their lands to the plaza of Valdivia;
then he reprimanded several caciques who had encouraged others to
start a riot against their neighbors. All of this he made clear by
means of the interpreters. Many of the principal and better-inclined
Indians offered to inform the mre. de campo in case of any new feud
or any suspicion of riots and uprisings. At the sound of retreat the
caciques and the Indians that were in the plaza went out, and
the doors were closed until the next day, the day marked for the
parliament.
On the 27th at nine in the morning, when the caciques had con-
gregated and had seated themselves in the patio of the house of the
mre. de campo, with a multitude of Indian men and women stand-
ing behind them, and when the same greetings had been exchanged
as on the previous day, the parliament was opened by a short speech
in which, in short, the mre. de campo said that His Catholic Majesty
would be very sorry that there could be no peace and harmony among
the Indians and no co-operation with the Spaniards, because he had
to use force to punish the mischievous and put an end to their plots,
disorders, bad conduct, etc. Afterwards they were notified, and the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 119
order was repeated, that at no time were they to leave the coast with-
out sentinels, so that they could inform the plaza of any vessels that
might be seen in numbers above two. That they should not per-
mit any deserter from the plaza of Valdivia to pass through
their lands. That they should not admit or hide any fugitive
offenders there. That any person who for any reason promoted a
revolt, or discords and misunderstandings, or who incited some
caciques against others, should be taken prisoner and safely conducted
to the plaza to be punished as he deserved. That every robber, Indian
or Spaniard, should be captured and brought to the plaza, or at
least held, and notice be given to the commander immediately.
That they should help one another in case that the Pehuenche or
Huiliche Indians, their bitter enemies, should make war on any of
their number. That they should take care to plant their land with
seeds and fruits for their sustenance. That they should live without
disorder and drunkenness and should observe all that makes for a
peaceful and well regulated government.
The junta was finished at one o'clock in the afternoon, and
the caciques were given a glass of wine with which they hailed Our
Monarch and his Family. Among the caciques there was one 86 years
old who, when hailing the King, threw the wine into the air with joy
and happiness, and in the performance of his act he burst into tears.
This good old man had walked 85 leagues on foot to come to the
parley and showed so much pleasure when he heard that more towns
were wanted, that he offered to build the church of his district at
his own cost, and asked earnestly that priests be sent for the divine
service and spiritual nourishment which they had been without for
some years.
On this day we walked over the entire hill of Colocolo, and the
coast and vicinity of Arauco, where we gathered several curious
plants that I described and gave to be sketched. Among these
plants there was the nipa, Stereoxylon rubrum. Its decoction applied
in baths relieves nervous pains, and its wood is strong for handles
of instruments. Mutisia spinosa, Cymbanthes punctata, etc.
During the days of the parliament the young Indians passed the
time riding their horses in a small plaza outside the other in the
manner of picaderos, making the horses bend their knees, stand on
two feet and on three, and jump in various ways until the animals
were tired.
We inspected the ranches in company of the mre. de campo, and
the wives of the caciques treated us to their chicha; in return we
120 HIPOLITO Ruiz
gave them some money which they accepted as a singular form of
politeness.
At 8 o'clock in the morning of the 28th, the caciques gathered
to say good-bye with the same ceremonies as on the previous days;
the articles of the previous day were repeated to them, and several
caciques were reprimanded who had been accused by the others of
various crimes. Then they gave thanks to the mre. de campo, or
"Martin Campo" as they called him, for the good and sane advice
he had given them, and anew they offered to warn him of any dis-
orders that might occur and to maintain peace and quiet among
themselves. This same day the Indians left for their lands, and no
one remained in or out of the plaza, except Neculgud.
For the celebration of these parleys, by order of the King, a cer-
tain quantity of wine and meat was sent to the caciques to be dis-
tributed among the Indians; because these provisions are not
sufficient food for the five, six, or seven days that the juntas
often last, they also provide their own chichas, and ulpo, roasted
corn flour. With all of this they make merry, and most of the
Indians get drunk; they also use these days to run on horseback
around the shelters, a form of amusement they are sorry to end
so soon.
These Indians, called coast and plains Indians, are generally
short in height and commonly have ugly faces, in contrast to the
Peguenches or those of the cordilleras, who are tall, or to the Huiliches
or Indians of the southern part, who are of taller stature the nearer
they are to the Strait of Magellan and the lands of Patagonia. The
men dress with jacket, breeches, and waist, and short, rough woolen
stockings without soles; some use plain homespun cotton shirts, and
the caciques use linen ones. They cover themselves with a poncho,
instead of a cape; they use slouch hats but they do not wear shoes
or any equivalent. The women wrap their bodies with a cotton
blanket tied at the waist with a belt, ribbon, or band, also of cotton,
fastening the ends on each shoulder with a wooden pin, so that the
whole body is covered except the arms and from the ankles down.
Over this blanket they cover their backs with two or three other
smaller blankets of about a yard or a yard and a half square, whose
upper ends, carried over the shoulders, are fastened over the chest
with other stick pins introduced or pinned horizontally with the
point to the left side, leaving its head, small face, or plate on the
right side. From the two sides of the tupos [stickpins] they hang
several llancatas or chaquiras, that is, beads and ribbons of several
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 121
colors. They put two, three, or more strings of beads of various
colors about their necks. They decorate their ears with uples or
arracadas [earrings], that are little plates of silver very thin, square,
or half-moon-shaped, about two or three inches long and each
weighing about half an ounce, with a little handle that is curved
from one upper corner to the other and that pierces the ear. The
hair, which is generally thick, long, and abundant, they divide into
two braids, each one falling between ear and cheek to the chest, and
on the forehead there is a large lock of hair of the length of the
face, which, divided into two parts along its sides, makes them look
very well. They walk barefooted, and do not use shirts or petti-
coats. When they do housework, they pin the ends of the ex-
terior blankets to the back to be out of the way of the work they
are doing; in this way they leave the arms bare. They wait on their
husbands even to saddling their horses. The younger girls obey
the older one that is married and, even if this one is uglier than all
the rest of them, she is the most beloved and the most respected in
the house. Among the Indian women there are graceful and grave
faces, although in general the women are not beautiful.
The Indians are very fond of all kinds of alcoholic liquors, and
they drink until intoxicated, chicha of corn, apples, huighan (Schi-
7ms), and quinoa. They marry as many women as they can support,
without other ceremony than giving a present to the fathers or
relations of the brides. When any of the wives die, the parents or
relatives return to the husband another gift equivalent to the one
that he gave them when he married. They have no religion or
cult, although they believe in a supreme being, whom they call
Pillan, and they believe in the immortality of the soul. On this sub-
ject see chapter V of the Sistema de religidn y funerales, of the Com-
pendia de la historia civil del Reyno de Chile, by the Abb Dn. Juan
Ignacio Molina, translated in Madrid in 1795 by Dn. Nicolas de la
Cruz, page 84. They are very superstitious, accepting all that the
male or female machis or soothsayers say, as revealed to them by
Pillan, and of it they say that it was communicated when they asked.
Among these Indians there live many Christians who renounced
their religion after the general uprising that happened in the year
1766. It was started in Angol on December 25th, at three o'clock
in the morning, by the Indian Cunifiancai; he stole mules and horses
belonging to the Spaniards, wounding three soldiers and the capataz
of the troop Alberto Fernandez, and killing one of the servants.
On the 31st at five o'clock in the morning, General Mre. de Campo
122 HIP6LITO Ruiz
Dn. Salvador Cabrizo ordered the signal given which calls the troops
to arms to go to the plaza of Nacimiento, where he arrived safely at
nightfall, because he was not secure in Angol. Commonly, the rene-
gades are the most crafty and principal agents of disorders and
uprisings.
The Indians are generally sullen and belligerent; they fight and
make frequent excursions on horseback, and they use the lance and
lague, arms that they manage with dexterity. For war they dress
in untanned leather jackets of cow- or horsehide, with a hat of the
same material decorated with feathers of various colors on the crown.
Their war music consists of some small drums and pivilcas, small
instruments on the order of a horn. If any one contracts a contagious
disease or has died from one, they burn him alive or dead, with his
poncho and other belongings and even with those who have taken
care of him during the sickness; sometimes they take him to the
woods where they throw him tied into a fire, so as not to contaminate
other people.
The Indians of Chile are divided into four principalities called
uthanmapus and vutalmapus, aillos or partidos. At this time they
are somehow subject to the President of South Chile. Those from
the three vutalmapus of the coast, plains, and slopes of the cordi-
lleras, grow several kinds of grain for their support, keep herds of all
kinds of animals, and catch the excellent fish and mussels that are
found abundantly in the rivers and on the coast. Most of the
Indians of the fourth vutalmapu, called Pehuenches, that inhabit
part of the mountain range, are given to laziness, lewdness, and
stealing; so they live miserably, eating horseflesh, tallow, and
pine nuts and what they can steal at the nearby haciendas from
Indians and Spaniards, or from travelers. In their frequent forays,
like the Huiliche Indians in the pampas of Buenos Ayres, they
generally kill the men and capture the women to serve them as their
own; as a result of this union there are among them many white
Indians of fine figure. Some of these women prisoners become so
accustomed to that type of life that later they have no desire of
returning to the Christians; such is the lure of that liberty and mode
of living, without subjection to anything or fear of God.
The Pehuenches have frequent fights with the Indians of the
plains and coast, with the Spaniards and, above all, with the Hui-
liches who also inhabit the Cordilleras, the montanas, and the
frontiers of the pampas of Buenos Ayres, spreading towards the south.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 123
The first vutalmapu is on the coast and extends from the Arauco
through Tucapel, Imperial baja, to Toltero bajo. The second is
in the plains that start in Santa Barbara and continues through
Angol, Mopecura, Imperial alta, Maguehue, and Tolten alto.
The third is through the slopes of the cordillera from Nacimiento
past Chacayco and Menayco to Querchereguas. The fourth is in
the cordillera and comprises only the Pehuenche Indians. These
four vutalmapus are distributed among the president, mre. de campo,
commander of infantry, and the sergeant-major. Beyond the Pehuen-
ches, towards the south, the Huiliche Indians live; they are not sub-
ject to any of these chiefs and are much more savage than the most
harmful and violent in the pampas of Buenos Ayres.
There is clear proof that the Huiliches also believe in the immor-
tality of the soul, since they live in the belief that when they die
they make a voyage to another shore; for this reason they are buried
with food and saddle horses to travel in greater comfort, and the
mourners pray to Pillan and the Ballena to help them in their voyage.
There are many old people among the Indians, from 100 to 120
years of age, without gray hair, and with all the teeth white and
strong, either as an the result of their way of living or by reason of
the mild climate.
All the Indians are declared enemies of the Spaniards and other
Europeans, or rather of our ideas and customs, and it is very
difficult to induce them by mild and reasonable methods to live in
settlements. If the Chileans were permitted to dominate them by
force, they would compel them to live in settlements, or in a few
years they would put an end to them, to be free from their forays
and frequent robberies at the haciendas that they destroy at times,
killing some of the people that live in them.
When these Indians start a general revolt, besides the signals
that they place in the mountains with lights and fires, they try to
capture a Spaniard. Then, forming a cahuin or council of war, they
put the man in a hole and, with superstitious ceremonies, they kill
him with a blow of a macarra, take his heart, dip the points of their
lances in his blood and then suck it. Afterward they cut all his
fingers and toes and distribute them to the factions in what they
call the running of the dart, and the caciques that receive any of
those parts of the Spaniard, are thereby sworn to join in the uprising,
for which, with the utmost secrecy, they also call the Yanacorras,
Indians who serve the Spaniards, who buy them for that pur-
pose, but without considering them as slaves or mistreating them.
124 HIPOLITO Ruiz
During their travels, forays, and revolts, each one of the Indians
carries with him the necessary rations for a few days; these consist
only of a little bag of ulpo or flour of roasted corn, or of beans,
wheat, or barley. They also carry a vessel of horn that they call
huampar, in which to mix the flour with water; that usually is their
only nourishment and on it they live for many days. When it is
gone, if they do not find any better food, they nourish themselves
with the blood of their own horses; and if these animals die from the
repeated bleedings they suffer, they also serve for food.
The men ride well and on horseback are skilful in handling lance, la-
gue, macarra, spade, cutlass, knife, and dagger. They fight and attack
in platoons. They make their assaults and quick forays from ambush,
and these they call malocas. When any of them die in battle, good
care is taken to hide them from the Spaniards, to whom they
never give any mercy as they kill them immediately.
They are excellent swimmers, especially the Indians of the coast.
When they assemble to gather mussels, they put out in rafts or
canoes with their wives, who are the ones that dive into the sea to
pry loose and get the shellfish, and the men stay in the rafts to
receive the catch and to help them come up from the bottom of the
sea when they signal.
When the women give birth, they have the habit of washing
themselves, as well as their babies, in cold water.
To establish tranquil relations and commerce with these Indians,
we Spaniards have sought to use all means that policy has dictated,
but none has been enough to conquer their persistence in their wild
and savage life. The last method was to force them to live in
settlements, and this idea was accepted by some; but in the year
of 1766 they revolted, as has been told, and they burned all the
churches and buildings of Angol and other pueblos.
In several parleys that have been held repeatedly, they have
promised peace and good harmony; but this has lasted a very short
time. In the last general parley celebrated the 21st of Decem-
ber, 1774 by Governor Dn. Agustin de Jauregui in the Campo
de Tapique, they agreed, among 18 other stipulations, to send
several caciques to Santiago with the title of ambassadors, and to
date they maintain this kind of embassy and, to hold them more
firmly, twenty-two young men, sons of the caciques and principal
Indians, are educated in the college of San Pablo.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 125
The general parliaments that are celebrated with these Indians
to talk about peace or its continuation, consist of some juntas
of the caciques and principal Indians, attended by the president of
the royal audiencia as captain general of the kingdom, the mre. de
campo of Conception, and other officers of the army. For this
occasion they make shelters of branches and camping tents in the
level and spacious plains. When the parleys are finished, the
president distributes among the Indians hats, knives, scissors,
razors, colored beads, ribbons, and many other baubles that, though
of little value, are greatly prized by the Indians.
CHAPTER XXV
Orders regarding the plaza of Corcura Fishing on horseback in the sea Bot-
anizing in the vicinity of Concepci6n Plants sketched and described.
RETURN TO CONCEPCI6N FROM ARAUCO
On the first of March, 1782 at six in the morning, we left the
plaza of Arauco in company with the commandant of the place,
and Neculgud, and two companies of our militia until we reached
the Carampangue river; from there the commandant and Neculgud
turned back with one company of militia, the other accompanying
us to the Araguete river. At ten o'clock we arrived at the plaza
of Corcura, where the mre. de campo gave the necessary instruc-
tions to do some repair work on it. We went to eat at the district
of Capitan, after remaining a while on the beach that is situated
at the foot of the hill of Corcura. There we watched the act of
fishing on horseback; this performance the fishermen execute with
great dexterity and without danger because the horses are so well
trained that, when they see a wave coming, they turn their backs
to receive the blow in the back, and the horseman at the same time
bends his body so that the water passes over him. Turning immedi-
ately towards the sea, they continue gaining ground until the horses
start swimming, and then the two fishermen get together and,
closing the net, they take it to shore with the fish that is in it. At
two o'clock we left Capitan, and we reached Fort San Pedro at four.
We crossed the Biobio river in rafts pulled by the horses, and we
entered Concepcion before vespers, without having had any trouble on
this hurried trip that was made at a trot and gallop from Arauco.
From the 2nd of March until the 24th of April, we continued
working in the vicinity of Concepcion, making daily trips on horse-
back through those fertile fields and woods in which we gathered,
dried, and sketched great number of valuable trees and plants of
which I described the following. Calceolaria scrophulariaefolia, rugosa,
sessilis, and dentata, arquenitas and arguenillas. Cotyledon lyratum.
Nicotiana angustifolia, wild tobacco. Cestrum virgatum, pargui and
palgui; its decoction is used by the natives as a remedy against
intermittent fevers; of the infusion of the inside bark they take
some large cupfuls hot for stomachache. The lye from the trunks
and roots of the palgui is very good for cleaning clothes, and the
juice of the berries gives a beautiful bluish color tending somewhat
toward purple. Aster lanuginosus. Santolina tinctoria, poguil, used
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 127
for dyeing a beautiful, permanent yellow color. Solidago secunda,
bullel; this plant they also use for a yellow dye. Coriaria nervosa,
deu. Myrtus revoluta, patagua; this tree is abundant in several
provinces of Chile, and the places where it grows are called by the
natives pataguales; from the trunks they get excellent timbers,
boards, and beams. Loranthus verticillatus, ictnigo. Oenothera
lineatiflora. Schinus, huighan or huignan; from its ripe fruits or
pods the Indians and Creoles make an excellent chicha, valuable
against bladder trouble and dropsy. From this sickness they had
recently cured three persons by frequent use of the chicha. The
Indians, in spite of its repugnant taste, resembling pepper, charac-
teristic of the whole tree, drink this chicha all the time; they make
it by rubbing the fruits in water until they give up the sweet part,
and in this state they leave it to ferment for three or four days
until it gives off a vinous odor. A resin produced from these trees
is excellent for toothaches and headaches, applied in a plaster on
the temples and behind the ears, and it is frequently preferred to
other resins by musicians for use on the bow of the violin. Tri-
cuspidaria nutans, patagua, the trunk of which makes very good
boards, while its bark serves for tanning. In some places one finds on
these trees a kind of silkworm. They grow in damp places. Mutisia
subulata, wild carnation. Mollugo radiata. Myrtus nuda, white
arrayan. Loranthus semicalyculatus, michtria, ictnigo, and quintral,
names also applied to the other species of Loranthus; it is used for
a black dye. Aristotelea glandulosa, maqui; from its fruits they
make a bittersweet and tasty chicha, excellent for refreshment;
applied on the back and kidneys, the mashed shoots of the maqui
mitigate and temper the excessive heat of these parts in a person
with fever and, masticated, they clean and cure sores in the mouth.
The pounded bark is good for making rope, and the wood, because
of its light weight and flexibility, is suitable for rafters of roofs,
for hoops, and for musical instruments. Molina concava and
linearis, romerillo; its leaves mashed and applied to bruises and
sprains, hardens and strengthen the parts. Myrtus communis,
cheguen and arrayan. Coreopsis Bidens. Chenopodium amarum
and dulce, quinoa amarga and quinoa dulce. Chenopodium multi-
fidum, paico; its infusion in hot water is used in Chile as a digestive
in place of tea. This plant is quite fragrant. Myrtus acuminata,
arrayan Colorado, for the color of its strong lumber, useful for many
kinds of carpentry work. Gomortega nitida, queule. After the
Chilean pine, this tree is the most leafy, tall, and handsome to be
128 HIPOLITO Ruiz
found in Chile and, at a distance, it is distinguished from all others
by the verdure and brilliance of its leaves. From its trunk exqui-
site wood is obtained of a dark red color and beautiful luster. Its
leaves, that have an acid, astringent taste, stick to the teeth when
chewed, because of the great amount of resin that they contain;
squeezed between the fingers they expel an odor similar to rosemary
and to spirits of turpentine; for this reason it is much used in
medicine to stimulate and comfort. Its beautiful fruits are as big
as a small hen's egg and have a brilliant yellow color that invites
tasting, but if one eats many, they cause a headache. The pulp is
quite sweet but has little juice; and its pit or stone, as hard as a
rock, contains two or three small almonds. This tree is always green
and in flower or fruit all the year round, and it is usual for it to
flower again when the fruits are ripe. Another species of cuzle,
the natives say, is grown in the mountains from Arauco to Valdivia,
but I have not seen any but the stones of the fruits. Acaena trifida,
pinnatifida, pimpinela cimarrona, and amaerinifolia, broguin. The
pinnatifida is used as an excellent diuretic and refrigerant, and the
decoction or infusion of the broquin is used to resolve gonorrhoea.
Triptilium spinosum, siempreviva, because the odor of its flowers
continues after they have been dried for many years. It is a beautiful
plant for decoration and has excellent diuretic properties; for this
reason it is frequently employed in urinary troubles. Fuchsia
violacea, thilco; its wood is good for making black dye, and its in-
fusion and decoction is applied as a refrigerant in taberdillo (a hectic
burning fever) and chavolonjo. Santolina scabra. Eupatorium
urens. Euphorbia portulacoides L., pichoa; the natives take the
decoction of this plant as a purgative. It is very drastic, and to stop
its action they drink cold water. Volkameria verticillata, haumun,
and its fruit chaguis; when this shrub blooms, it is all covered with
flowers, and it gradually fills with fruits, forming a beautiful sight.
Euphorbia tricuspidata. Bromelia bicolor, and sphacelata, chupon.
Sophora cassia L., mayo. Cassia reflexa, mayo and mayu. With
the bark of this plant they dye the color of golden yellow. Quadria
pinnata, avellano de Chile and negu; its wood is excellent for mak-
ing oars, and its fruits are sold in the market of Lima by the
name of avellanas.
CHAPTER XXVI
Woods and fields of Culenco Cattle and fruit trees Vineyards A special
kind of olives Origin of the name Culenco.
TRIP TO THE HACIENDA OF CULENCO
The 24th of April, 1782 draftsman Gdlvez and I went to the
hacienda of Culenco, twelve leagues from Concepcion, fording
the Andalien river eight times through Palomares and crossing
the Nongen.
During our stay in Culenco we explored the woods and fields,
as well as those at the haciendas of San Salvador, Yeguaragui,
Collico, Cheguen, Pelchoguin, Loicacas, Santa Rosa, Santa Ana,
Parral, Rosario, Cangrejillos, and Chaymavida; the fields are
suited to all kinds of fruits and seeds, and with the abundant grass
and excellent water of the quebradas, for the breeding of cattle
and horses. There are few hacendados that plant wheat and barley,
because the pasture is so good that they are satisfied to breed cattle,
of which they slaughter great numbers for changuis or hung beef,
grease, and tallow; and to have one or two vineyards of 40,000 or
50,000 vines from which they obtain great harvests of exquisite wine
as good as that of Valdepenas. In the orchards of these haciendas
they cultivate several fruit trees from Spain, such as the apple,
pear, cherry, clingstone and freestone peach, fig, walnut trees, and
some pines, chestnuts, olive trees, and quince trees that they call
lucumas, with a delicate taste and odor. There are several kinds
of grapes, among which the muscatel and Italian are delicious,
as are also the Joaquin pears and other European fruits, which
are of better quality in this climate than in Spain. They prepare
olives there so small that they look like peas, and they are eaten with
a spoon because their pits are so small and tender that they can be
chewed with ease; there is no need of ejecting them if one does not
wish to. In the woods there are wild trees of beautiful wood for
buildings and other uses, as in Concepcion and other provinces.
In one word it is a beautiful country in every way.
The name Culenco is derived from the abundance of culen or
Psoralea glandulosa that grows there in all the valleys and gullies.
Very few plants were found on these excursions that differed from
those found at Concepcion; among them we sketched the Sophora
cassia and the Mimosa carbonaria, espino, of which I shall speak
elsewhere as well as of the other plants gathered on this trip.
CHAPTER XXVII
Plants gathered Medicinal and industrial uses.
RETURN FROM CULENCO TO CONCEPCION
On May 3rd, 1782 we returned to Conception, where we
continued our excursions and botanical work until the month of
December; during this time we dried and sketched many plants and
trees, of which I described the following. Campanula filiformis,
hunopergi. Embothrium obliquum, dentatum, raral. The bark and
leaves give a good black tint or dye, and the wood is used in the
construction of arches. Emb. lanceolatum, nothro. When our
troops were surrounded by the Indians in the hill of Villagra, they
found themselves obliged to make small cakes with the seeds of this
shrub, although they are so small and give so little flour, but the
need of food forced the men to use what they could find. Lardizabala
biternata, coguillogi or traunuvoqui. The pulp of its fruit has a
very good taste and is eaten by the natives. With this reed they
tie walls of clay and cane, and the roofs and crosses of the houses
because of its flexibility, durability, and strength. Aextoxicon
punctatum, aceitunillo, for the resemblance of its leaves and fruits
to that of the olive tree. The fruits of this tree are poisonous to
goats; from its trunk the natives get very good wood, beams, and
boards for construction and other carpentry work. Decostea scandens,
yelmo; this climbing shrub stays green the year around. Ruizia
fragrans, boldu; this small tree stays green the whole year, grows
from ten to twelve yards, blooms in August, and sprouts in October.
It gives beautiful and pleasing shade by the density of its branches
and leaves; their wonderful fragrance that it continually exhales,
somewhat resembling cinnamon, spreads all over those fields for
long distances. The mashed leaves are used by the natives to
strengthen the stomach and to cure its pains, and with their juice
extracted with water, they stop earaches. They apply them half-
roasted, crushed, and sprinkled with wine, for colds in the head.
Hot baths made with the leaves are reputed to be antirheumatic
and antihydropic. They are boiled for general baths and are used
like bay leaves for condiments and for pickling fish. The ripe fruits,
although small, are very appetizing because of their fine, sweet taste.
With the stones of these fruits some persons make rosaries since,
besides being hard, they are naturally carved. Barrels made of the
wood improve the quality of the wines that are contained in them.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 131
Periphragmos foetidus, huevill-huevill ; they use the infusion of this
plant in enemas to move the bowels. Dioscorea filiformis. Azara
obovata, lanceolata, and elliptica, corcolen; all these small trees are a
beautiful sight when in bloom, and their yellow flowers are as
deliciously fragrant as the flowers of the aromos. Erysimum tube-
rosum. Sophora alata, pilo or pelu. Tree with an excellent, white,
solid, and heavy wood for making keels of boats on account of its
hardness and resistance; the pods are used for black dyes. Viola,
lutea and chilensis, violets, are used in place of Viola martia.
Anemone digitata, anemona. Croton trinerve. Ribes punctatum.
Coccoloba hastata, quilo. Horminum? salviflorum, alhuelaguen. Cyno-
glossum decurrens and pauciflorum. Fagus Pellin. They call this
tree pellin when it is old, roble when it is in its greatest vigor, and
gualle when it is small. From its trunks they get beautiful timbers,
beams, boards, and planks, and its wood is of the best known for
the making of keels and keelsons of boats and for many other
kinds of building, also for carts and parapets. The crushed
bark prepared with lime and bran tans and dyes sole leather red.
This tree breeds two species of excrescences: one is called diguenes
and is a kind of puffball of an obovate shape and the size of a chest-
nut of white color, but when the balls get ripe they become reddish
and full of holes like a honeycomb in which one finds some insects;
for this reason I thought that they must be insect nests. The natives
eat them raw, notwithstanding their insipid taste, similar to that of
some tender mushrooms. The other excrescence is a small gallnut,
reddish and adorned with small blunt points that the natives take
to be the fruits of the tree, without noticing that they enclose
only small worms while the true fruit has three seeds. Macignata,
guillipatahua, a tall tree with a thick trunk that makes good timber.
Its bark is used to pickle hides; it is also a powerful emetic, and in
greater doses purges the bowels, as do also the fresh leaves infused
in water, which is the way they use them. Gnaphalium uniflorum.
Talinum monandrum, nitidum, and umbellatum, yerba de la mistela,
because with its flowers, that are the color of lac, they color mistelas
(drink made of wine, water, sugar, and cinnamon), and the guaza
women use them to redden their cheeks with the juice. Valeriana
hyalinorrhiza, crispa, and Cornucopiae L. Gunnera thyrsiflora, panke.
The root of the panke or pangue is as big as a thigh, it penetrates
almost a yard into the ground and divides into two or three branches
of the same thickness; the people use them for tanning hides. The
stems of its leaves, called nalcas, are eaten raw when cleaned of the
132 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
fibrous parts; they have an acid, astringent taste, and the gum
that is found in abundance in the shoots and tender stems is applied
with considerable benefit to the kidneys to mitigate the heat of the
blood in high fevers. Gualtheria acuminata. Pourretia coarctata,
cardon and puya; the wood of the stem is used in place of corks for
the cover of earthen jars, and a bunch of its flowers, which are
fragrant and pleasing, applied to the ear mitigates pain and restores
hearing. Poly gala vulgaris L., quinclin; it is used as a diuretic in
infusions. Geum urbanum L., quelgon and canelilla, for the odor
of its roots, used in decoctions as an aperitive and resolvent.
Sisyrinchium cavum. Cymbanthes punctata, arquenilla, the infusion
of which is given as a diuretic. Myriophyllum verticillatum L.
Solanum cristatum, natre; it is used in infusions with good results
against the chavalongo, a kind of tabardillo [burning fever]. Orni-
thogalum coeruleum. Loasa tricolor, ortiga. Serapias plicata, gavilu
and margaritas. Soliva sessilis. Rhamnus pretiatus, retamilla, and
prostatus, Hague; these two thorny plants are used by the Chileans
as a hedge around their properties, and with the barks of the roots,
which make suds like soap, they wash cotton clothes, tocuyo, and
even linens. Aster repens. Amaryllis formossisima L. Galvezia
punctata, pitau, a tree small but leafy, of handsome appearance,
green all the year round and of better fragrance the more its glossy
leaves dry. Torresia utriculata, ratonera, because its tuberous roots,
tender and transparent and of the size of small misshapen pearls,
serve as food to the many rats that come to the places where these
plants grow. Silene anglica L. Alstroemeria Salsilla L. Sapium
fragrans, collihuay; its roots when burned expel a delicious frag-
rance, but produce headaches in those that get too close to the fire
of this plant. Its juice or milk is very caustic, and so active is this
quality that persons have lost their sight when some of the milk
got into their eyes while they were cutting firewood. Myoschilos
oblongum, godocoypo, that is, food of the coypo. This small shrub
is one of the very few in Chile that lose their leaves, and it blooms
before budding. Sisyrinchium echinatum. This plant, after it is
dried and kept between papers, leaves a beautiful pink color stamped
on them; from this it is presumed that it might be very valuable
as a dye. Cineraria fasciculata. Sonchus purpureus. Statice Armeria
L. Phlox aterifolia. Lithospermum muricatum. Serapias lutea.
Mimulus luteus L. Sisyrinchium caducum, setaceum, and quadri-
florum, guilmo; its roots are used frequently in decoctions to purge
the bowels and for venereal humours. Ornithogalum plumosum; its
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 133
white flowers are covered with long hairs. Pavonia sempervirens,
laurel of Chile, is a tall, luxuriant, and beautiful tree which stays
green throughout the year; its wood is white and workable, and has
wavy stripes in the center. It is fragrant like sassafras; from
the trunk they get good beams, girders, and boards for buildings
and other works of carpentry. In Chile they use its leaves instead
of bay leaves in the preparation of pickled fish and other dishes;
it might find excellent employment in medicine, on account of its
fragrance and the corroborant properties of its leaves and wood,
hot baths of which fortify the nerves and are useful in paralysis,
spasms, and convulsions; an infusion of the leaves taken at all meals
relieves rheumatic pains. Ferraria Lagues. The bulbs or onions of
this plant, called lagues, grow in abundance in Chile, and are eaten
baked, boiled, and even raw; but the baked taste best, and after
that the boiled, the taste being like that of hazelnuts. The pigs
that graze in the places where these plants grow become admirably
fat, and their meat is delicious. Loasa laciniata, wild ortiga. Budd-
leia globosa, pagnhin. It is a beautiful shrub when in bloom and in
fruit; in this case the fruits are of the size of a small hen's egg and
are found hanging. Sisyrinchium alatum, and multiflorum, tecal
and quilmo bianco. The Chileans use this species as an active
purgative, infused or boiled in water. Rhamnus verticillatus, chacay;
the infusion of its bark is employed against boils. The wood is in-
corruptible; for this reason they build huts with it. Plantago
hispidula. Hedysarum plumosum. Ornithogalum sympagantherum,
illmo. Its bulbs or onions that have the shape of a Cucurbita La-
genaria, or calabash, taste very good when boiled, and even raw
they are delicious. Verbena corymbosa, and multifida, sandia laguen.
They use the decoctions to produce menstruation, to hasten child-
birth, and to lessen bladder pain. Herreria stellata, quila and
salsaparrilla, because their creeping roots are used instead of the
Smilax Sarsaparilla. This plant is an excellent food for cattle, and
the shoots, resembling canes, have the same uses as reed grass.
Dioscorea hastata. Lotus utricularis. Salpiglossis sinuata. Senecio
capus. Oenothera mitis and oblonga. Hypochaeris laciniata. Lathyrus
albus. Scabiosa sympaganthera. Lupinus rhombeus. Myosotis
corymbosa and gracilis. Cissus striata, vogui, a name also used
by the Chileans for turbulent and troublesome people. Malva
hispida. Aldea pinnata. Weinmannia corymbosa, tiaca, a small
tree whose wood is used for buildings, raft poles, and other works
of carpentry. Lathyrus lutescens. Alstroemeria Ligtu, Hutu. From
134 Hip6LiTO Ruiz
the roots of this plant the Chileans get a very white starch with
which they make very delicious mazamorra [a sort of pap, made of
flour, honey, and sugar], or puches, soft and transparent as jelly,
that not only is rich nourishment for children and old people, but
also is preferred to any other nourishment for the sick, because it
can be digested with ease and because it has no odor or taste that
could make it disagreeable; on the contrary, with the sugar and
powdered cinnamon they add, the taste is delicious. They get this
starch, or "flour of Hutu" as they call it in Chile, by grinding the roots
between two stones and placing the product in water, collecting the
liquor in trays or troughs and straining it; after sedimentation, they
decant it, and the flour stays in the bottom, is dried in the sun,
and is kept to be sold. Each zelemin [about an English peck]
usually is worth 2 rs. in their currency. In Fort San Pedro they
make much of this flour, that is greatly esteemed in Lima and in
the whole kingdom of Chile by people of good taste. From all the
species of Alstroemeria they can get a similar flour because all of
them have tuberous roots of the same consistency, odor, taste,
color, and transparency. Oenothera incurvata. Astragalus dependens.
Serapias alba. Kageneckia oblonga, red guayo. This is a beautiful
tree, and its trunk is used for many purposes because its wood is
strong and red and becomes brighter by pouring urine over it, so
that they make walking canes of it and various articles turned on
the lathe. The bark is used to dye hides, and with the seeds they
sometimes purge themselves. Laurus rubra, peumo. A tall and very
leafy tree, and therefore, of beautiful appearance and lovely shade,
especially when it is full of its red fruits, the size of small olives.
Although these contain little pulp and are disagreeable in taste to
those who are not used to eating them, they are very tasty to the
natives who, after boiling them in water without any condiment,
suck with avidity the little pulp covering the seeds or pits, which
are bitter, viscous, and so disagreeable in odor and taste, resembling
that of celery, that they cause nausea. The wood, bark, and leaves
have the same taste and odor as the pits. From the trunk of this
tree they get very good beams, planks, and boards for various uses,
the wood having good working qualities and resistance. The bark
possesses astringent properties and gives an orange color in tanning.
To the fruits they attribute antihydropic properties. The country
people, who are very generous in inviting to their table any traveler
that happens to arrive at their house at midday, encourage him
to eat with this expression: "Join us, my dear, in the pot; it has
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 135
peumo." Celastrus dependens, maythen and magthun, a handsome
tree because of the abundance of its pendant branches, the perennial
green of its leaves, and the many flowers and fruits with which it
becomes loaded. It generally grows among shrubs and small plants;
this circumstance makes it stand out and be more conspicuous and
well-known to all. This little tree is the antidote to the malignity
of the lithre or lithi, a species of Schinus, that regularly is found on
the same grounds; its shade and smoke, when it is burned, produce
a multitude of poisonous pimples on the exposed parts of the body
of persons who take shelter under it or inhale the smoke or the
vapors expelled by it when it is cut. Divine wisdom seems to have
placed these two trees near each other on purpose so that one could
curb the bad and rapid effects of the other, simply by applying the
the crushed leaves in the form of a poultice over the pimples and by
purging the bowels with an infusion of leaves. In Chile some people
use the leaves of maythen, instead of senna leaves. Many persons,
although they sleep under the lithre and inhale its vapors and smoke,
do not get sick or suffer any harm; but there are some who are so
susceptible to this poisoning that after a short time they become ill
and are attacked by fever. The wood of the maythen is white, and
pink and glossy in the center; it is of good quality, and suitable for
odd pieces. The cattle eat its tender branches with relish.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Boundaries of the province of Puchacay Botanizing at Huilguelemu The Chile-
an pine Plants of Rere Medicinal and industrial uses The pizguin More plants.
VISIT TO THE PROVINCE OF RERE AND FORT NACIMIENTO
In December, 1782 the three botanists and the draftsmen
left together, for Fort Nacimiento, that is situated at the foot of the
cordillera, where by royal order they were cutting Chilean pines
for masts and the interiors of boats. We passed through Hualgui,
capital of the province of Puchacay, which borders to the west on
the province of Concepcion, to the south on the Biobio river, to the
east on the province of Rere, and to the north on that of Itata. It
has two parishes; they are those of Florida and of Conuto, besides
that of the town of San Juan Baptista de Hualgui.
On arriving at Huilguelemu or Estancia del Rey, capital of the
province of Rere, all of us spent the night there in the house of
Dn. Miguel Montero, corregidor of the province, who informed us
of the fact that there were very few plants in Nacimiento to occupy
us according to the purpose of our commission; for this reason,
impressed by this information, I determined to stay in Huilguelemu
with draftsman Galvez to gather and sketch the plants that were
present in those fields and woods. My companion Dn. Jose" Pavon,
with draftsman Brunete and Mr. Dombey, went ne*xt day to Naci-
miento; they returned on the fifth day to Concepcion, having
satisfied themselves about the information given us by Corregidor
Montero. Dn. Jose" Pavon went in company of Dn. Isidro del
Postigo, naval official in charge there of the commission for the cutting
of the pines, from Nacimiento to the cordillera to get branches of
these pines that we might inspect them. This I did myself when
my companion left for me in Huilguelemu, while on the way back
to Concepcion, branches with strobiles or small cones and amentos
or male shoots, after the three botanists had agreed that it was a
species of the genus Pinus of Linnaeus, although a dioecious tree.
I remained with my draftsman one month in Rere. During that
time I gathered and gave to be sketched several plants of which I
described the following. Stereoxylon virgatum, revolutum, Hun and
siete camisas, and pulverulentum, mandono. Alstroemeria revoluta,
discolor, tricolor, and sanguined. All these plants are valuable for
gardens on account of the color of their showy flowers, and useful
for their tuberous, white, and juicy roots from which one can get
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 137
the same kind of starch that is taken from the liuto or Alstroemeria
Ligtu. Smegmadermos emarginata, quillay, a big, tall, and luxuriant
tree; from its crushed bark the natives make balls, that they sell for
half a real, for washing cloth instead of soap, and with the decoctions
they give enemas against hysterical attacks. These trees are also
found in abundance in the provinces of Puchacay, Concepcion, Itata,
Cauquenes, and Maule, and in almost the whole kingdom of Chile,
where they make use of their trunks for beams, planks, and excellent
boards for buildings, framework of windmills, and mines, and other
work, because it is more resistant in damp places than in dry.
Stachys lanuginosa. Eryngium ciliatum, achupalla; trifidum, anisillo
and Eryngium tripodum, calcha; its stalks, or part of them that grow
buried underground, are eaten raw as a salad and taste like endives.
Fabiana imbricata, pichi, a shrub that is abundant on the beaches
and sands of the rivers and lakes near the sea of the provinces of
Rere and Itata; it is recognized there as an admirable specific to
cure the pizguin of the goats and sheep, a sickness produced by an
insect that breeds in the livers of those animals and that causes the
death of whole flocks. However, the hacendados, experienced in
the knowledge of this sickness, immediately take their flocks to
graze where there is pichi, and with this nourishment they get well
and fat in a short time; when they kill a goat or a sheep later, no
pizguin is found in the liver. This same sickness strikes the sheep
of Peru when they have grazed on weeds, particularly in the mon-
tafias where there are no grasses or small plants, as we ourselves had
found in case of the sheep that we had taken there at various times.
Calceolaria alba, arguenilla blanca. Fragosa spinosa. Sisyrinchium
campanulatum. Aster multifidus. Carthamus ciliatus. Tropaeolum
hexaphyllum. Chaetanthera ciliata and serrata. Navarretia in-
volucrata. Gardoquia multiflora. Oldenlandia uniflora.
CHAPTER XXIX
Boundaries of the province of Rere Its climate Salting industry Gold wash-
ers Round stones Birds of the province.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF RERE
The province of Rere is bounded to the west and northwest by
the province of Puchacay, and to the east and south by the fortresses
that we have there to prevent raids by the Indians living in the
cordillera. The capital of this province is the town of Huilguelemu
or Buena Esperanza and today called San Luis Gonzaga or Estancia
del Rey, with a parish in the same town, where all the people from
the nearby farms and haciendas gather for Mass and all the other
Christian observances, except from those places where they also
have Masses on holy days.
The climate of this province is almost the same as that of Concep-
tion, so that good harvests of wheat are gathered. Little wine is pro-
duced, and it is very inferior to the wine of Nipas and other haciendas
of Itata and Puchacay. Plenty of cattle are slaughtered for charqui,
fat, and tallow. Some flocks of sheep and goats are also raised in
those fine pastures.
There are deposits and washers for nuggets of fine gold, of which
they gather considerable quantities in the course of the year by
only washing the sand of those deposits that are from two to five
yards deep. They sometimes get nuggets, or papas, as they call
them, of a half or one pound, and even of two pounds in weight;
those of half an ounce are common.
At a distance of two or two and one half leagues from San Luis,
there are some hills near the Biobio river where one finds round
stones like bullets and others larger than-'walnuts; of these I gathered
two bags, digging with a knife on the surface of that copious deposit.
In Rere there is an abundance of small parrots, treguiles, aloicas,
sparrows, and other small birds called huros, that destroy the
plantations of maize, beans, wheat, and other small grains, not only
in this province, but also in others in the kingdom.
At a short distance from San Luis Gonzaga, there is a brook
abounding in shrimp and crabs that have a delicious taste.
CHAPTER XXX
Excursions in the neighborhood of Concepcion Plants gathered The shade
of the lithre The maythen Uses of the merulanguen and other vegetables
Collection of woods The Chilean pine and its great utility.
RETURN FROM RERE TO CONCEPCI6N
In January, 1783 I went with my draftsman to the city of Con-
cepcion, without having experienced any particular trouble on the way.
We continued all of our botanical excursions through the moun-
tains and fields of Concepcion and Cauquenes until the 29th of March
of the same year; during this time we dried and made drawings of
a great number of plants of which I described the following. Lardiza-
bala triternata, coguillvogui ; its fruits are edible and, although they
are smaller than those of biternata, are equally sweet and tasty.
Schinus frondosus, lithre and lithi. A large tree, about twenty yards
in height and handsome on account of its globose crown of foliage
and green color the year round, though it is greener in spring and more
exuberant then than in winter. It gives such fine shade that, more
than any others, it invites the traveler to shelter in summer and on
days of hot sun. The lithre shade is so malignant that it immediately
produces in many persons that have sought its shade, a certain kind
of purulent pimples accompanied by fever on all those parts of the
body that have been uncovered during the siesta.
The same effect is caused by the smoke from its wood and the
vapors it expels when the wood gatherers cut it, as has been explained
in the description of maythen, which is its antidote, as are also,
according to the repeated observations made by the natives, grains
of corn chewed and applied to the eruption caused by lithre.
Notwithstanding the malignant property of this tree, its thick
trunk yields valuable timbers for the keels of boats on account of its
peculiarity of increasing in strength the longer it stays in water;
they also make from these trunks excellent beams, planks, and boards
for buildings, wheels, and axles of carriages, points of ploughs, and
other uses. Loasa multifida. Stemodia maritima. Laurus revoluta,
ligney-lingue. This tree is very common in the bishopric of Concep-
cion and in many places in that of Santiago. Its trunk is valued for
small articles because its wood is solid and spotted like jasper, and
it is made into wash basins, trays, and bowls. With the bark they
tan sole leather and red gauntlets. The fruit gives a bitter taste
to the flesh of doves that eat it, and it is poison to ruminant animals.
140 HIPOLITO Ruiz
Linum confertum, merulanguen; the infusion and decoction of this
plant is much used in affections of the chest and also against coughs
and colds; mashed and mixed with wine and applied as a poultice,
it reduces swellings and stiffness. Apium graveolens, panul and wild
celery; the natives eat its raw leaves to curb hemorrhages from
the chest, as they say, and to cure this sickness. Oenothera grandi-
flora, guadalaguen. The natives assure us that the juice and the
hot infusions of this plant will make internal abscesses discharge. Hys-
sopus? punctata. Molina reticulata, racemosa, viscosa, and oblonga.
Erigeron scabrum and canadense L. Hydrocotyle akhimilaefolia,
exhales a fragrance like the torongil. Campanula denticulata.
Arbutus racemosa. Fagus oblongifolia, pellin; luxuriant tree with ex-
cellent wood for buildings, parapets, keels, keelsons, props, and other
works of carpentry, for its durability in water; it is one of the
few trees that loses its leaves in winter in Chile; with the bark
wools are dyed dark purple. Oxalis prostrata, yerba de la perdiz.
It is so abundant in spring that the fields of the coast of Concepcion
form a beautiful carpet with the green leaves and the more or less
brilliant gold color of their flowers. Its leaves are very agreeable
to the taste and, because of their slight acidity, some people use them
in salads.
While we remained in the bishopric of Concepcion, we made an
excellent collection of woods in small cut boards which, by their
colors, grain, and consistency, makes one admire the greatness of the
Creator. These were lost with all the collections from the kingdom
of Chile there were many representing all the three kingdoms of
nature in the wreck of the ship "San Pedro de Alcantara." We
also sent to Madrid, every month, packages of all the seeds that
we found in those beautiful fields, mountains, and fertile coasts.
I finished the description of the Pinus chilensis started in Huil-
guelemu, by going with Dn. Jos Brunete, so that he might sketch
the habits of this magnificent tree, to the road of Talcahuano, where
there were three female trees, one of them stretched on the ground,
but held to it by the roots. This very tall tree, although dioecious,
corresponds in all its parts of fructification with the generic character
of Pinus of Linnaeus, according to the examination made by us
three companions; we agreed unanimously that it was a new species
of this genus and probably the most valuable of all those discovered
up to that time for its exquisite white wood of excellent grain for
working and for use for masts of boats and many other purposes,
for its pine nuts contained in great cones and serving as nourishment
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 141
to the Pehuenche and Huiliche Indians, and finally for its resin,
very useful in medicine. There are cones that contain as much as
a celemin or almuz of pine nuts, bigger than acorns, in the shape
of a wedge, and of the the color of chestnuts in and out, and with a
similar taste raw, boiled, or baked, for they are eaten in all these
ways. The resin possesses especial balsamic virtues and to large
wounds it is applied by the very men that cut the trees, when by
neglect or accident the axe slips and they get cut themselves. They
also apply it as a soothing remedy for all fractures in any part of
the body. (See the description of this singular tree in the Flora
Peruviana et Chilensis, where the curious will find all the account that
they could desire of its structure and its economic and medicinal
uses and virtues.) I will say here only that the Chilean pine rises
to forty, fifty, and sixty yards in height and that, according to the
account of the natives, forests of it extend more than 200 leagues
from 36 south unto near the straits of Magellan; its territory is
inhabited by the Pehuenche and Huiliche Indians. Padre Ignacio
Molina in his Natural History of Chile, describes this pine. La-
marck has separated it from the genus of Pinus and called it Dom-
beya and Antonio Lorenzo Jussieu, Araucaria. This last was adopted
by my companion Dn. Jos4 Pavon in the description of this tree
that he presented to the Real Academia Me*dica of Madrid, but on
no other grounds than his own choice or that of a third person, as
I have proved in my Respuesta para desengano del publico a la im-
pugnacion que ha divulgado prematuramente el presbitero Jose Antonio
Cavanilles contra el Prodromo de la Flora del Peru, impresa en Madrid
en 179 J^.
CHAPTER XXXI
Shape, limits, and parishes of the province of Concepcion The bay of Quiri-
quina Talcahuano and its castle Valdivia and its origin Earthquakes and
inundations in 1730 and 1751 Description of Concepcion Its inhabitants
Convents Birds Mammals "The amphibious horse" Fish Crustacea
Mollusks Echinoderms Amphibia Reptiles Arachnids Insects Plants.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE AND THE CITY OF CONCEPCI6N OF CHILE
AND ACCOUNT OF THE NATURAL PRODUCTS OF THE WHOLE BISHOPRIC
OF CONCEPCION AND THAT OF SANTIAGO
The province or corregimiento of Concepcion of Chile consists
only of the small territory that lies between the sea on the west
and the boundary of the provinces of Cauquenes and of Puchacay
that lie to the east and northeast of Concepcion about two leagues
distant. From north to south it extends from the Andalien river
to the Biobio river, including the places called Mochita, quebrada of
Carcamon, and Hualpen, and the ports Penco el Viejo and San Vicente,
not frequented by boats and situated behind the Tetas de Biobio
next to the port of Talcahuano and in which the vessel "San Miguel"
was launched in our presence, and, finally, the port of Talcahuano
with a great bay that has at its entrance a desert island called Quiri-
quina, where they quarantine people that come from Peru and
other places with smallpox and other contagious diseases, which
the officials try to discover when any ship gets into port. This
bay has two entrances: a big one in the north where the big ships
come in, and a small one on the south for smaller vessels.
In Talcahuano, that may have thirty people, there are bodegas
or warehouses for products and goods that are taken to Peru;
from there four to six ships come annually. In the hills of Talca-
huano there is a castle to defend the port and guard the entrance;
in this there is small garrison of troops, regulated by a commandant
who governs as a political and military official.
This province has three parishes: Concepcion incorporated in
the Cathedral, and those of Hualgui and Talcahuano.
In the year 1550 Valdivia founded the city of Concepcion at the
port of Penco, in 36 43' southern latitude and 303 18' longitude
from the meridian of Tenerife. In 1567 the Royal Council was
established there; this was ended in 1573, and in 1609 it was re-
established in the city of Santiago. Concepcion of Chile was de-
stroyed several times by Indians, and by earthquakes, especially
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 143
on the eighth of July, 1730, an earthquake being followed by a tidal
wave that flooded most of the city. On the 24th of May, 1751 with
another earthquake, the sea again overflowed twice. The first time
the people were warned to flee to the hills, which they did, most
of them in undershirts, as it was night; the second time the sea
flooded and ruined the whole city. For this reason it was moved to
the valley of Mocha on the 24th of November, a distance of three
leagues from Penco, near the Biobio river, and at the foot of the
hill of the Puntilla where the gunpowder warehouse is situated.
The streets of Conception are laid out in straight lines from
northeast to southwest and from northwest to southeast; its ground
is sandy and remains uneven, because of the few inhabitants and
the short time it has been built, The houses are of a single story,
constructed of timber, lime from shells, and stones, with adobe baked
in the sun, and are roofed with tiles; most of them have partitions
of boards, which is the quickest and cheapest material because of its
abundance in woods and fields. The population is composed of
ten thousand souls, more than half of whom live in their haciendas,
or campanas as they call them, most of the year. The men are
generally of good stature, of good appearance, healthy, and serious
and formal in their behavior and dealings. They dress in Spanish
style, but on horseback they use ponchos. The women are of medi-
um stature, pretty, healthy, clean, affable, and obliging; they dress
in the fashion of Lima.
As to politics, this city is governed by a council composed of
one corregidor [magistrate], two ordinary alcaldes [mayors], four
regidores [aldermen], a royal alferez, and the other corresponding
officials. The ecclesiastic chapter consists only of the bishop, dean,
archdeacon, a magisterial canonry, and another of mercy; although
according to the regulations the number should be much larger, the
small decimal taxes have not permitted it to date. There is a small
cathedral situated in one of the facades of the big town plaza or
square which is in the center of the city, to the right of the Bishop's
palace, where they worship Our Lady of the Snows, a miraculous
image by whose intervention there have been many miracles. The
religious convents are five, namely those of the Agustinos, Mer-
cedarios, Franciscos, Dominicos, and San Juan de Dios. There is a
monastery of barefoot Trinitarians, a colegio, and a meeting house.
Although this city is not walled, it is the principal garrison
place of the whole frontier, and the commandant or mre. de campo
and the sergeant-major of the kingdom reside there. Formerly, the
144 HIPOLITO Ruiz
captain general and the president of the royal council of Santiago
lived in this city six months each year, but now they live in this
capital of the kingdom of Chile the entire year. There are also
royal coffers with their accountant and treasurer, customhouses, and
some traders in European and native products.
The bishop resides in this city, and his jurisdiction comprises
the six provinces or corregimientos of Concepcion, Cauquenes,
Chilian, Itata, Puchacay, and Rere, none of which has appropria-
tions; nor do the corregidors [Spanish magistrates] have other salary
than the very small judicial revenues. For this reason these posts
are not desirable and no one wishes to claim or solicit them at court,
so that this and the bishopric of Santiago are provided for almost
always by the captain general of the kingdom.
Besides these corregimientos there are three governments belong-
ing to the kingdom of Chile which are provided for by the king;
these are Chiloe", Valdivia, Valparaiso, with the comandancia
[district] of the island of Juan Fernandez, the commandant of which
governs in political and military matters.
The climate of this province during the four seasons of the year,
as in the other provinces of this bishopric, is generally milder than
the climate of Spain, with which country the kingdom of Chile has
a notable resemblance in this as well as in many of its natural
productions. The winters are not so cold, nor the summers so
excessively hot; for this reason, most of the trees are green and leafy
throughout the year, especially on the coast and at the seashore
where the waves beat against the trees. The sky is beautiful, and
in clear weather the nights are bright, even when there is no moon.
The most usual and healthful winds are from the south and south-
west; with the winds from the north it rains abundantly. The
wind, called puelche, that comes from the cordillera is cold and dry
to extremes and very harmful to the health, causing paralysis, con-
vulsions, colds, that turn into burning fevers that are called chava-
longos, though others more dangerous come from sunstroke; the
Indians and the people of the country cure these with cold baths
on the head and with infusions of several plants. When the puelche
blows for a long time, it is a sign of earthquakes.
This bishopric, like the whole kingdom of Chile, is a country
very fertile in pastures; for this reason there are many mountain
animals of all species, such as zorzales, gallinas, aloicas, gilgueros,
pirenes. Those used for food are the torcaces, perdices, papagayos,
tortolitas, cotorras, the small chickens of which, called tricahues,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 145
have a delicious taste. The papagayos breed in the steepest ravines
of the rivers, where the guazos, or people from the country, get
them with rash fearlessness, coming down the ravine tied with
a rope that at the other end is tied to some tree, if there is any,
or if not, to the horse they are riding; as they gather tricahues, they
haul them up by the same rope without thinking that their lives
depend on the strength of the rope and of the girth and on the
loyalty and tameness of the horse, because if that fails they fall into
the river, or if the horse gets restless or frightened or cannot hold
the weight, they are liable both of them to fall into the river or be
dragged along and cut to pieces. Besides the birds used for food,
wild or domesticated (that are the hens, turkeys, doves, ducks, and
geese), there are in Chile calandrias, or tencas, that imitate the song
of the birds they hear; tordos, papamoscas, and small birds that sing
softly; picaflores, diucas, announcers of the new day with their
singing, inhabiting towns and villages; woodpeckers that bore trees
with their beaks, making quite a noise with their blows; tichles
or chilis from which this kingdom took its name; pillos, a kind of
heron, from which they get beautiful feathers for writing; treguilles,
watchmen dependable day and night, because when they hear the
least of noises of persons or animals they fly away, repeating inces-
santly the word treguill, so warning others of their species, (they
commonly live in damp places and near the lakes); gualas, urus,
that eat the seeds that are sown, and because they are small birds,
neither the beans, vetches, nor peas, nor even the abas are free from
them; gallinazos with black and with red heads; small eagles, of
brown color; condors, big eagles; gavilanes and lechuzas; herons or
garzotas; Martin pescador, golondrinas, piuques, cucus, and chon-
chones, a nocturnal bird of such sad singing that when the Indians
hear it, they take it as a bad omen.
At the seacoast and lagoons, there is an abundance of potojuncos
and rabijuncos, nestling birds, gulls, alcatraces of beautiful feathers,
jardelas, cuervos marinos and of game birds, ducks; zambullidores,
a species of duck; flamingoes, geese, swans, bandurrias, piuquenes,
gallinules, gualas, and coscorrobas, a specie of goose the cackle of
which is called coscorroba, whence the name.
The domestic animals are cattle, Castilian sheep, goats, pigs,
good horses, mules, and asses. The wild animals are small pumas,
small wolves, foxes, and chingues [skunks]. In the cordilleras, there
are vicunas, huanacos, deer, chilihuegues, topos, mice, and pericotes
or ratones. In the lakes, rivers, and coastal marshes you find the
146 HIPOLITO Ruiz
coipo, a species of large rat, otters, wolves, pumas, cats, and bears.
They assure me that in Lake Avendano there is a kind of amphibious
horse that sometimes has been seen playing on land. In the year
1723 a guazo roped one such, but it jumped into the lake where
it developed such strength that, if the man had not cut his rope,
he might have been drowned with his mount, as it dragged him to
the shore very violently. In Lake Papal, a distance of twelve leagues
from Avendano, they found one of those horses dead and floating
in the lake; it was taken ashore in the presence of the corregidor and
many people, and we noticed that it was double the size of the
land horse, of a sorrel color, with thin neck, small ears, and plenty
of long and thick hair on the neck and tail; the limbs were slim
and without joints, and to all appearances with gristle instead of
bones, and terminating in soft and flat paws in the shape of wings. 1
For lack of interest they were satisfied with this short examination.
Fish and shellfish are found in quantities, and there are some
of very delicious taste. In the rivers are found truchas, corbinas,
eels, puyegues, anogagatos, and mirereyes. In the sea the following
are very common: bobalos, one of the most excellent, corbinas,
cabrillas, lenguados, pexe reyes, pexe sapo, pexe gallo, pexe perro,
puyeguenes, aoumes, lisas, pintadillas, dorados, caugues, anchovetas,
sardinas, tollos, congrio, vieja, pampanito, chichi, boconos, terguillas,
pintarrojas, vagres, chalacos, tembladerilla, bollizos; ballenatos of
large size that come to the island of Quiriquina and even to the
Bay of Talcahuano; tiburones [sharks], or taurones as they are
called by the sea people and in America (when they are small they
call them cazones, and at this time they taste very good and are
much esteemed), and octopuses, a kind of "mamas." The best-
liked shellfish are chores, cholhicas, and female dollimes [mussels]
the flesh of which differs notably in its color being like the yolk of an
egg in taste and consistency, from the flesh of the males of the three
species which is gray or viscous white, loathsome, and almost chalky;
most times they are full of very tiny pearls, among which are found
some of the size of peas and even the size of small chick peas, but
because the supply is small and because in general the pearls are so
tiny, the natives do not care to gather them. Dollimes are also
found in rivers and lakes. There are four species of apancoras or crabs
of the sea called talicunas, reynas, remadoras, and peludas; two species
of crawfish or crabs, one with a delicious taste being found in the
rivers, salt marshes, and lakes, and the other on land, where it bores
1 The reference is probably to the manatee [sea cow].
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 147
into the earth like the mole. For this reason Linnaeus called it
Cancer talpa; ordinarily this is not eaten, because it has little meat
and its shell is very hard. In the rivers and salt marshes there is
a kind of small apancora that, because it has little flesh and because
its shell is very hard, is not gathered either. There is an abundance
of sea urchins and shellfish: picos, tracas, navajuelas, chapes, peta-
cones, palanganas or aseytaderas; locos, the flesh of which needs to
be pounded with a heavy stick to make it tender; pipes, a kind of
barnacle that adheres to fish and other shellfish; oysters in banks;
peninpenin, so called for its shape; potos, that are rosas, olonturies,
and sea anemones. Pinnes, starfish, and several other small snails
and shellfish are found in rivers, salt marshes, and lakes. Frogs
are found of more than two pounds in weight. Large toads are seen in
the fields when it rains in the summer; there is another smaller species
of toad that is scarcely larger than a cricket but much more trouble-
some than this, and with a similar noise. There are two or three
species of small snakes. Scorpions are found in the quebradas under
the stones; among the several species of house and country spiders,
three are rather conspicuous. One is big and hairy, another smaller,
about one-sixth the size of the former; both are harmless and carry
their young on their back, but the bite of the third, which is much
smaller than the second and of a dark color with a pink posterior,
is very poisonous and sometimes fatal, causing a strange convulsion
that contracts the limbs with very intense pain. As night approaches,
the pains increase until next day when, as soon as the sun comes up,
they diminish, and the limbs begin to relax, so that at noonday they
feel normal again as if completely recovered. This species is found
frequently in the summertime in the grass, and it is at this season
that they bite.
Insects are numerous in the kingdom of Chile, and the best known
are a kind of silkworm that breeds in the quebradas of Petorca and
Cordillera; cucuyos [fireflies] breed commonly on the laurels, and
in the night they give a beautiful phosphorescent light; concorras,
a kind of caterpillar of several sizes and colors, and one that lives
on the huignhanes is very abundant and among the largest that
are found there; from this comes various species of butterflies. Of
pinathas or pinathras, that is moscones, there are several species.
There is an abundance of zancudos [mosquitoes] and a very small spe-
cies that breeds in the manure of cows. When they fly, they fill the
/air and expel a fragrance similar to ambar; some people catch the
mosquitoes to put them in their clothes so that these may become
148 HIPOLITO Ruiz
impregnated with that fragrance. Perhaps this odor can be attrib-
uted to Geranium moschatum, which is found in those pastures.
Fleas are abundant in the whole kingdom. Bedbugs are not missing
in Santiago, where you also can find some chiggers or piques.
Thus in the bishopric of Conception as in that of Santiago, the
vegetable kingdom is no less favorable than the animal, because,
besides the wheat, barley, legumes, grapes, and other fruits and
seeds that are cultivated and gathered, the ground is generally
covered with shrubs and trees of excellent timber for factories and
construction, plants and herbs of known economic uses and medicinal
virtues, as has been said already. With these the natives cure their
sicknesses and pains, many being guided by a natural instinct for the
application of these medicines and specifics, and by accident and
observations gained by experience. The trees and shrubs suited
for construction are the Chilean pine, for the masts of boats; and
pellines, ranlies, and listres, for the keels; nebu or avellano, for
oars; queule, laurel, peumo, lumas, coihue, belloto, aceitunillo,
quillay, guayo Colorado, wild lucumo, algarrobo, and espino, a
species of Mimosa, molle de Chile, canelo, voldo, several arrayanes,
patagua, guillipatagua, pitau, pilo, manihue; pines, olives, cypresses,
and walnut of Spain, lingue or linge, huayacanes, coquito palms.
The uses and properties of these trees, as of the other plants of
Chile, have already been stated or will be stated in their respective
places, as I have been describing them; for this reason I shall not
repeat them here. Among the fruits found there is the famous
Fragaria chiloensis; those called frutillas are found up to an ounce in
weight; avellanos and pinones different from those in Europe; nuts,
almonds, peladillas, peaches, pears, the excellent Joaquin pear that
is sent to Lima as a present; quinces, apples, plums, and grapes
of several kinds, and beautiful decorative flowers, and vegetables.
CHAPTER XXXII
Gold Metals Lime Gypsum Coal Clays Minerals Thermal waters
Lakes Rivers Ports Products Textile and other industries Ulpu.
GOLD MINES: STONES AND SOILS
In the bishopric of Conception, at the boundary called Quilacoya
belonging to the province of Rere, there are several placer mines of
gold dust and nuggets of 21 carat gold up to one gram; of these
considerable quantities have been gathered, not in Quilacoya alone,
but also in Huilguelemu, the capital of the province. But as the
country gives its inhabitants an abundance of provisions and much
hospitality, there are very few who undertake to recover this treasure
that nature so generously offers on the face of the earth. The natives
say that, in the sand and salt marshes, there are various other mines
of gold, silver, iron, and copper in this bishopric, but because of lack
of workers they are abandoned.
Lead, tin, and iron are found in some places of the kingdom and
especially in Coquimbo.
Amianthus is found in the salt marsh of the quebrada of Millan-
Antun, a distance of six hundred feet from Nacimiento; it is of
the strength and color of chalcedony, and the natives use it for fuel.
The natives are sure that it consists of roots of petrified willows
because of the form that it presents, and because those trees are
found there. It appears to be the species of Amiantus immaturus
L. Syst. N. 158, Num. 2, T. 3, page 55.
Stone bullets are round stones the size of a gun bullet, found in the hill of
Tanahuillin, situated near the Biobio river about two leagues from Huilguelemu,
where I gathered a good quantity, digging on the surface of the place.
The natives assert that there are other deposits of these bullets, as well as
others of several sizes, in different places of this bishopric; I acquired several of them.
Cross stones are found in a salt marsh four leagues distant from Arauco, as I
have already said in the description of the trip to that place.
Lime is found in several quarries excellent for making good lime. Neverthe-
less, they use only the lime from shells of picos, locos, chores, cholinnas, and
tracas, calcined; it is not very strong. There are deposits of these shells in many
places in the kingdom.
Gypsum, a very special mineral easy to calcine, is taken from several places
near Santiago in the Cordillera; after being calcined, it is taken from there for
sale to several provinces of the kingdom for use in wine-making over the pressed
grapes to facilitate the extraction of the must and its fermentation. In Santiago,
it is sold for two or three reales per arroba, and in Conception for eight reales.
150 HIP6LITO Ruiz
Hard coal. There are some mines in Chile. One of them is found near Tal-
cahuano on the road to Conception, another near the road to Penco el Viejo, and
another in Nacimiento.
Black sand, or salvadera, is found in a mine on the hacienda of Culenco, 12
leagues from Conception; another is hi the island of Quiriquina, and there are
several others in other places in the kingdom.
Robo is a black soil found in marshy places; it is used to dye cloth black, the
first dip being given with this soil.
Colos is a kind of clay more or less pure and of several colors, such as yellow,
red, violet, buff, etc.; this the Indians and other natives use to color jugs, jars,
pots, gourds, and pitchers and other pieces of pottery, and also to paint the
churches, portals, halls, and friezes and baseboards of houses. It is found in the
vicinity of Penco el Viejo and other places in Chile.
Rap or gredas. A kind of clay marl which they use to make
gourds, cups, small jars, plates, pots, and barritas of several fig-
ures that they call barritas de Indias. They put it into water
and clean out all the sand and other extraneous substances, passing
it through a thin cloth and changing the water several times after
the heavier portions have settled to the bottom; afterwards they leave
it standing for some time, and when the water has been decanted,
there remains at the bottom of the vessel the fine and soft clay,
which is left to take the consistency required to work it and form
pieces of pottery as desired.
They dry these in the shade, as the heat of the sun would shrink
or crack them too much. In case that any of the pieces crack, they
attempt to cover the crack with a little of the same clay. When they
are thoroughly dried, they are polished and shined as much as possible
with small touchstones and other very soft stones until they shine
like mirrors; later they bake them or not, depending on the use
they are going to have, and they give them the colors they desire
for making them beautiful. The black color that they give to the
pitchers and gourds is obtained with the burnt straw of any grass;
at the same time they bake them with the same straw put in little
piles without the use of an oven. . Thus in the use of this method,
as in the manufacture of ponchos, blankets, bands, and other textiles,
the Indians have advanced very little from ancient times, because
in the graves or huacas there are found pieces similar to those made
today. The Chilean ponchos are different from the ponchos of Peru
in being of one piece, those of this kingdom being of two or four parts.
Jasper is found in several parts of the kingdom.
Marble is also found in Chile. In the hill of San Cristobal of Chile there are
red, strong marbles, and in the hill of Santo Domingo of Chile white, soft ones.
Ordinary topaz and some of average fineness is found in Maule province.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 151
Amethyst, or cristalmontano morado, is found in the province of Maule, in
that of Petorca a distance of two leagues from the town on the hill called Pol-
cura, and in that of Quillota between Pupio and Flana, where they are better.
Cristal montano is found in Algue in the province of Rancagua and in that
of Maule.
Pumice stone is found in abundance on account of the many volcanoes that
this kingdom has, the principal ones being that of Aconcagua, that of Rancagua
towards San Pedro Nolasco, the volcano of Villa Roca near Valdivia, and another
in a plain between Chilos and Valdivia.
Mine salt, or rock salt, is found in some places towards Copiap6.
Lake salt is found on the other side of the Cordillera towards the side of the
provinces of Maule and San Fernando or Colchagua.
At springs, salt is found in the shape of small tubes like candles, on the other
side of the Cordillera.
White and red polcura, a kind of alum, which is used by the natives to grease
and dye; it is found in different parts of Chile.
Yellow sulphur, good and pure, is found in Copiapo.
Mineral tar is found in the province of Maule and in the cordillera, but the
natives do not know how to give it the required preparation.
Brea vegetal. They get it by boiling a shrub called paxaro bobo, in Copiapo,
and they use it to seal jugs.
Resins are taken from pines, huinghan, litre, and a species of Helianthus that is
very abundant in Coquimbo and in Chile; they call this resin "incense of Coquimbo."
Hot and thermal waters, very effective for all kinds of venereal troubles and
for cripples, are found in Chilian and in Caugue, province of Colchagua. In
Colina, twelve leagues from Santiago, there are also temperate baths.
Loadstones are found in Copiapo, and twelve leagues from Santiago towards
the coast.
There are several rivers that irrigate the kingdom of Chile from
Huasco to the Plaza of Arauco and toward Mendoza: the largest
are the rivers Colorado, Tachal, San Juan, Mendoza, Tunuyan,
Choapa, Huasco, Limon, Ligua, Longotoma, Aconcagua, Mapocho,
Maypo, Claro, Tinguirinica, Cachapual, Lontue, Teno, Maule, Itata,
Andarien or Andalien, Lapa, Biobio, Araguete, and Caram-
pangue. These last six are tidal rivers; that is, they flow and ebb
and can be navigated with rafts and boats, but not as Molina says
(page 44), in ships of the line, from the river Maule and Biobio.
Besides these rivers there are many salt marshes or shore lakes aio.
other rivers from Arauco to Chiloe': Cautin, Tolten, Valdivia,
Chaivin, Rio Bueno, and Rio Sinfondo. There are several lakes in
Chile; the best known are the Choapa, Avendano, Papal, Huana-
cache, Quinel, Nahuelguapio, Villarica or Lauquen, Tahua-tahua,
Aculeu, Bidahuel, Bojeruca, Cahuil, Bocalemu.
152 HIPOLITO Ruiz
At a distance of seven leagues from San Fernando there is a
lake at whose surface there is an extensive floating sod formed by
the interlaced roots of the maytenes, arrayanes, voldos, and other
minor plants, with an abundance of grass which tempts cattle to
to go on this small ajid buoyant island when it approaches the shore;
they may stay on it for many days until the wind returns it to shore
so that they can leave it.
The principal ports of the kingdom are those of Coquimbo,
Valparaiso, and Talcahuano. There are several others, as those of
San Vicente, Penco el Viejo, and Collomu, that is a very good port.
The commercial products that are produced and shipped to
Peru and elsewhere are big harvests of wheat, 2,302 fanegas
being shipped to Callao in 1780; barley, charqui or hung-beef, fat,
which the people of Chile use for cooking instead of the lard of
hogs or oil; tallow, of which they export to Peru 302 quintals;
hides, tanned goatskins, sole leather, dressed sheepskins, chamois,
cheese, of which the best liked is from Chanco; butter, the best
being from San Pedro on the other side of the Biobio river; brandies
and wines, the best being from the provinces of Puchacay and Itata,
the finest and most famous being the wine from Nipas; walnuts,
cherries, hazelnuts, almonds, lentils, wild marjoram, saffron, bastard
saffron. 1 Other products circulate only in the kingdom, as olive
oil, of which they get a very small harvest, greenish, thick, and
with not too good a taste; the best is from Coquimbo. Soap is made
in quantities in Santiago, with tallow and lyes of espino, and aromo;
from this tree they get an excellent wood and make very good soft
coal that lasts in the fire pan up to 24 hours, and even two days
if sheltered. Linen and hemp are produced in the province of
Quillota, where they manufacure riggings, ropes, twine, and tow, all
of which is supplied to vessels that come to Valparaiso. Other articles
manufactured are baize, country bedspreads, and a coarse frieze.
In Chilian and other places they also make superior ponchos,
woolen blankets, spreads, cotton blankets, rugs, and pellones [robes]
make of skins for saddles, mats of wool to place as runners
over rugs in the wintertime; they manufacture hundreds of them in
Petorca. From the sugar cane that is cultivated in Quillota they
make some honey, as also from the shoots of the coquito palms;
it is very tasty and is called miel de cocos. There is a kind of reed
that they use instead of cotton for wicks for candles; they give
beautiful light, make little smoke, and can be snuffed with little
1 Species of saffron; its seeds are used to fatten birds. Spanish ed.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 153
trouble. They last a little longer than those that have cotton wicks
and do not give headaches; their light is bluish and, when they fall
on the floor, they break into several pieces. The people say that
the sosa or barrilla grows towards the coast, but I have been unable
to find it. From the root of the Hutu they manufacture an excellent
flour, as I have already mentioned, which they call Hutu flour; it
is in demand in Lima and other places. They manufacture great
quantities at Fort San Pedro and in all of that level country. In
Chile they use a great deal of a drink called ulpu, that is made
of one tablespoon of roasted corn flour, sugar, cinnamon, and of a
huampar, or glass, of water. Many, when they do not have corn
flour, use wheat, barley, or beans, and the Indians drink this without
any dressing; bean flour taken with water is much appreciated in
Chile as a sure remedy against distress.
The principal commerce from Peru to Chile is in sugar and some
Castilian products, that is, from Europe.
The kingdom of Chile is unquestionably, as might be inferred from
its benign climate, its products, and the character of the inhabitants,
one of the most pleasant and enviable countries in the world.
CHAPTER XXXIII
From Concepcion into Chile Reception in Talca Arrival in Santiago Plants
observed during the trip Kindness of the authorities and nobles Ruiz becomes
ill Survey of the mercury mine of Coquimbo by Dombey Earthquakes and floods.
JOURNEY TO SANTIAGO DE CHILE
After I had put in order and boxed the collection of dried plants ,
seeds, minerals, stones, and other natural products gathered in the
bishopric of Concepcion and I had made the preparations for a
journey of 160 leagues, I left Concepcion on the 19th of March,
1783 with the two draftsmen and a soldier who was given to us by
Sr. Mre. de Campo Dn. Ambrosio O'Higgins to accompany us to
Santiago. We passed the night in Penco el Viejo. Mr. Dombey and
my companion, Dn. Jose" Pavon, accompanied by another soldier,
could not follow until the 31st because they had no horses.
On the 30th we spent the night in Potreros del Rey, territory
belonging to the province of Cauquenes where, as we went, I gathered
several plants. The following day we entered the province of Chilian,
and we spent the night in a country house.
In April, 1783 we continued our trip in company of the muleteers,
crossing the provinces of Chilian and Itata; their river we crossed
in a raft, with the animals swimming, and we reached Talca, the
capital of the province of Maule, where we stayed two days to rest
the horses. In this beautiful town we were entertained very kindly
by the corregidor and visited by the persons of the greatest distinc-
tion. From the province of Maule we passed to that of Colchagua;
we spent the night in the town of San Fernando in the house of the
corregidor, who was very obliging to us and showed us a vineyard
near his house where he had put as fertilizer four thousand fanegas
of wheat that had spoiled. From this province we entered that of
Rancagua; in its capital we spent the night.
On the 15th, Holy Tuesday, we arrived in the city of Santiago
without having had any mishaps on the whole trip, not even a shower.
Without trouble we crossed the big rivers on the way from Concep-
cion to Santiago; the roads are generally level, although there are a
few hills, but so low that they cannot be called by that name.
On that whole road we could scarcely find any plants different
from those already gathered in the provinces of Concepcion, Cau-
quenes, Rere, and Puchacay, and the hill of Arauco. We could find
only an abundance of small trees about six or seven yards in height,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 155
called espinos, that are a species of Mimosa (when in bloom it
expels a wonderful perfume throughout all the fields), and the
higarrobo or Mimosa in the province of Rancagua, which are not
found in the above provinces. There are very few towns along
this road, but there are large haciendas of grain and cattle of all
kinds, with good and large country houses, where the owners receive
travelers with the greatest readiness and good will, generously
offering them even food, as happened to us in some places.
Having reached Santiago, the five of us went together to see
Sr. Presidente Dn. Ambrosio Benavides, who received us very
graciously and offered his assistance and his table any time that
we wished to dine with his Lordship. The same offer was made
to us by the Ilmo. Sr. Obispo Aldaz and the Sr. Regente of that
Audiencia, Dn. Thomas Alvarez de Acevedo. All of these three
officials gave us a day of entertainment, each one taking pains to
place on the table the most delicious food of the country and the best
liquors of the whole kingdom, and many from European countries.
Following the example of these three officials, all the nobility
of Santiago paid us a visit and persisted in taking pains to feast
us in their houses during the time that we stayed in that capital
of the kingdom of Chile.
A few days after we reached Santiago, as a result of the trip
and of my being overheated during botanizing, I contracted a kind
of illness that they call chavalongo, which kept me in bed with
fever twenty-five days and another twenty-five with a strong pain
that settled in my right side and extended to my shoulder; it did
not permit such bodily activity as coughing, sneezing, yawning,
laughing, or any kind of work.
When I was at the worst stage of my sickness, the Sr. Regente
resolved to send my companion Mr. Dombey to inspect the quick-
silver mine of Coquimbo, which he did on the 21st of May. On
this trip he wished to take with him one of the draftsmen, who
did not go because I had asked but failed to receive some guarantee
against the separation of the two individuals. Mr. Dombey left
alone and returned in a few days with samples of the mineral from
several mines, to make the desired tests of all of them. They
revealed, as it was said then, that they yielded one ounce of quick-
silver for every three pounds of metal; for this reason they sent
tyhe general superintendent of Lima two bags of ore, that M. Dombey
left deposited in the royal customhouse, without hearing later the
result of this transaction. The miners of Coquimbo assert that the
156 HIPOLITO Ruiz
mine did not pay in proportion to its expense; for this reason many
of them suspended extraction as many times as they started it.
On the 25th of May, 1783, an earthquake of short duration
although quite strong, was felt in Santiago.
On June 15th, 1783 at 10:30 in the morning, it began to rain
heavily and continued to do so without cessation until 2 in the
afternoon of the 17th; for this reason and because the snow of the
cordillera started to melt, the rivers of the bishopric of Santiago
overflowed so extensively that experts calculated that the losses
suffered by the hacendados of this bishopric were more than two
million silver pesos. The Mapocho river, that passes through
Santiago, overflowed in such a manner that, after carrying away
many ranches and several houses that were located on its banks,
it entered the city of Santiago in two places, destroying the parapet
above the hill of Santa Lucia and flooding many houses and
convents of the district of the Canada and the calle of Santo Domingo.
A little farther down the bridge, it broke the parapets also and
carried away an avenue of trees planted in the time of Sr. Guil
and more than three hundred ranches and huts of the poor people;
these unfortunate unhabitants were left without clothes, as we could
see in the morning of the 17th when they were found, sheltered by
the walls, many of them in shirts and covered with the mud that
the river had left in the streets and houses where the confusion
and crying continued the whole day.
The river carried away a great part of the stone bridge that
served as communication between the city and the district of Chimla,
when it destroyed, on that side also, the parapets and the convent
of the Carmen Bajo, where the nuns climbed to the tower and rang
the bells and signaled with their handkerchiefs. From the city three
men on horseback crossed the rapid stream by swimming their
horses and, entering over the walls of the orchard, took the nuns
one by one on the croups of their horses to the convent of the
Dominicans which was being finished in that same district. In the
church of this convent, the waters reached more than a yard in
height, and brought in a quantity of mud. The gardens, cells,
and other rooms of the nuns were completely flooded and full of
sand and clay for more than a yard and a half. The furniture and
images that the nuns had in their rooms were entirely swept
away by the river. The destruction of this convent was such that
it could not be rebuilt for less than 100,000 silver pesos. In this
district the beautiful house and orchard of one Dn. Luis Zanartu
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 157
was also flooded; it had been made in front of the convent of Carmen,
when that sumptuous convent was built by Tajamanes del Rio, at
a cost of many thousand pesos for all these magnificent works that
the Mapocho river destroyed in one day.
Many were the farms, orchards, and pastures that were flooded,
and such was the terror caused by this flood that the people of
the towns situated on the shore of these rivers went one and all
in great confusion to seek shelter in the hills, as happened to the
inhabitants and cattle of Carrizal, where the river carried away
forty-five houses. Many odd things happened in several places in
this flood; many persons were caught unawares and found them-
selves isolated and protected by the roofs of their ranches or houses,
waiting for death from one moment to another; others climbed trees
and held their own against the fury of the waters, and others took
to swimming and found refuge in the near-by hills. We had informa-
tion in Santiago that, in a ranch already surrounded by water,
there was a man sick in bed, and when four men that went swimming
to help him were very near to the ranch, the water carried the
ranch and the man downstream. There was a cradle on the river
with a nursing baby in it, and a man who was on the shore of the
river, thinking that it was a bundle of clothes, had the good fortune
to catch the baby by the clothes and to pull him out alive, after
he had floated in the water for more than a quarter of a league.
The parents that had followed the cradle a long distance had turned
back heartbroken, without their child until the following day
when they were informed of the deed.
The Mapocho river carried away the carriages of Srs. Guil and
Guirior that were stored near the convent of Carmen. On the
second and third days of the rain, there was much confusion in
Santiago with the prayers, cries, and lamentations that were heard
everywhere in the city.
After the rain had stopped a few hours later and the river had
receded, by its shores and margins there were found several pieces
of furniture and between them a small box with 260 pesos, a pair
of silver spurs, rugs, pictures, and a San Juan de Bulto standing up
unharmed with a glass chalice in his hands, and, hanging on a tree, a
cart that lacked more than a yard and a half of touching the ground.
, During our stay in Santiago we gathered and sketched several
plants and completed and revised several descriptions.
CHAPTER XXXIV
Location Buildings Monasteries Inhabitants Garrison Provinces Mines
Strange event.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF SANTIAGO DE CHILE
The city of Santiago is situated at 33 35' latitude and 71
longitude, at the foot of the hill of Santa Lucia and at a distance of
about five leagues from the cordillera. It lies to the south of the Ma-
pocho river, in a big and beautiful plain a little sloping and airy,
with two large districts called the Canadilla and the Chimba on the
opposite side of the river, and at the south, at a distance of four
blocks from the main square, with a street of about 50 yards in
width and 1,800 yards in length called the Canada. From east
to west the city has thirteen similar squares and from north to south
nine, with as many straight streets, in the center of which is located
the plaza mayor, a square in size; the facade that faces the south
is occupied by the palace of the president and the royal council;
on the opposite side there are houses and shops with porticos;
on that which faces the east are the cathedral and episcopal palace,
and opposite these there are several individual residences.
The buildings, although generally only one story high, are spa-
cious and beautiful with their flower gardens, most of which can be
seen from the streets, and a big court at the entrance; they are
constructed of lime and sun-baked bricks, stones, and tiles, and the
bases, halls, and courts are painted with earths of different colors,
which embellish them wonderfully. Some of the buildings have a
second floor. The streets are paved. The houses all have drains
of running water which are covered by the pavements of the streets
and, although the atmosphere is clear most of the year and the
sky beautiful, nevertheless in wintertime there rise from the river
and drains dense fogs that cannot fail to be injurious to health.
In Santiago, there is a royal council, established in 1609, composed of the
president who is governor and captain general of the kingdom, of a regent and five
judges, two attorney generals, a head constable and chancellor, a head auditor
of the royal treasury, also royal coffers with an auditor and treasurer. The secu-
lar chapter is composed of the corregidor, two ordinary mayors, twelve aldermen,
and other corresponding officers. The ecclesiastic chapter is composed of one
bishop, five prebends, dean, archdeacon, precentor, teacher, and treasurer, four
canons of Mercy, and three prebends of rations. A Roman architect was finishing
a magnificent and sumptuous cathedral at the expense of the Illmo. Sr. Dn. Manuel
de Alday, its very reverend bishop.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 159
There is a mint in which they coin from 700,000 to 800,000 pesos in gold and
from 200,000 to 300,000 in silver. There is a university with the title San Phelipe,
with 10 professorships, a seminary college for the Creoles, and another of studies
for the Indians in the college of San Pablo, that was a Jesuit institution. There are
five regular orders; that of Mercy, which was the first to come to the kingdom to
preach the gospel; and those of the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and
Joannites. Besides the principal convents, that of the Dominicans has a new con-
vent in the Chimba and, at a short distance, the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary,
called de la Vida, very miraculous. The convent of Mercy has a school below
the dale; that of the Augustinians has another one in the same place; and the con-
vent of the Franciscans has a school in the division of San Diego, and a small convent
called Monte Alverne outside the walls of the town, and a convent in the Chimba.
There are seven monasteries; two of Santa Clara, an old one founded for the
nuns that found refuge from the cities destroyed during the general uprising of the
Indians, and a new one, that of Concepcion, of the Augustinian order; two of
Carmen, one in the city and another in the Canadilla that are of the reformed
discipline of Santa Teresa; one of the Capuchins and one of Nuestra Senora de
Pastorina de Santa Rosa, Dominican.
There are a shelter house, houses of meditation, a foundling home, a chapel
of Charity and another of San Lazaro. The Jesuits had three houses. The parishes,
besides that of the cathedral with two priests, are those of Santa Ana, San Isidro,
and San Borja.
In the district of the jurisdiction of the corregimiento of this city, the parish
of Tango is situated. The parish of Nunoa, with four sub-parishes, that
of Colina with four, that of Renca with four. In the church of Renca, they
worship the miraculous image of Santo Cristo del Espino.
The number of inhabitants of all races amounts today to about
34,000; among them there are many illustrious families and some
descendants of the first conquerors. The number of Indians is very
small. The majority are Spaniards and Creoles. They are of good
height, of fine appearance, well educated, serious in their dealings
and business, and gentlemen in their bearing and manners. The
feminine sex is beautiful, clean, affable, and obliging, and generally
very devoted to music, so that one can scarcely find a young lady
who cannot play some kind of instrument, and there are many
able to play three or four instruments rather well; and at the same
time they sing music taught by teachers, as they are fond of this
honest and pleasing diversion.
All the natives of Chile are usually generous towards strangers
and the helpless. They gather in groups for popular diversions and
picnics, going to these in covered carts with cushions and carrying
various musical instruments.
There is a company of dragoons and the splendid regiment of
mounted militia that I saw arrayed on the plaza mayor where they
made their evolutions with great skill during the three days of Easter.
160 HIPOLITO Ruiz
The bishopric of Santiago comprises the eleven following pro-
vinces: Copiapo, Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Quillota, Valparaiso,
Melipilla, Santiago, Rancagua, Colchagua, Maule, and Cuyo, in
all of which all kinds of grains are produced and many kinds of natural
products and, especially, the following minerals are found.
In the corregimiento of Maule in the hill called ths Chivato, there are three
gold mines in the same run, two of which yield twenty-five to thirty pesos per
box of ore and the third from fifty to eighty pesos. This gold is twenty carats
and two grains pure. From a mine owned by Dn. Ignacio Zapata they had
taken 100,000 pesos, but because a spring had been struck in the depths of the
mine, that was about a hundred estados deep, the mine filled to the top with
water, and Zapata lost nearly 200,000 pesos worth of metal that had already been
prepared but could not be gotten out on account of the condition of the ground.
In this same corregimiento, in the hill called Loma Blanca, there are other gold
mines that give seventy to eighty pesos per box of ore; it is fourteen, fifteen,
and sixteen carats pure. In this same mine they discovered a rich vein that
was called the Mulamuerta that gave 16,000 pesos in only two boxes of ore, each
box of ore comprising twenty loads of fourteen arrobas each.
In the corregimiento of Colchagua or San Fernando, there are several mines,
the best known being in the town of Nancagua; between these are the ones called
Cocinilla and Millague, which give 100 pesos per box, and their gold is of eighteen
to twenty carats in purity. In the same hill there is another mine called Descu-
brimiento de las Catas; the purity of its ore is of about seventeen carats. There
are several other mines in this corregimiento, but they are of little value.
In the corregimiento of Rancagua or Santa Cruz de Triana, a mine is being
worked that is called Alhue (meaning the Devil) where there are many nug-
gets of gold of from thirteen to twenty-one carats and two grains. There is
another mine called the Alto de las Salinas, from which, when it was discovered,
they took many thousands in gold of eighteen to nineteen carats. It yielded from
twenty to three hundred and even six hundred pesos per box of ore; it is worked
by Manuel Benegas. In this corregimiento there are also the silver mines called
San Pedro Nolasco and San Simon; they were worked by Dn. Agustin Castillo,
Dn. Manuel Mena, Dn. Miguel Fernandez Quintano, Dn. Jose Palma, and Dn.
Agustin Tapia. These ores yield from twenty to forty marks [1 mark equals
8 ounces] of about eleven dineros [1 dinero equals 24 grains] and two grains per
box of ore. In the same corregimiento, in the hills called the Potreros, that had
belonged to the Church, Dn. Xavier Palacios works some mines of copper mixed
with silver of which it is not known, or they have not figured out, how much it
yields per box, but it is known that he has sold ore in Santiago at 150 pesos
per quintal [a hundredweight].
In the corregimiento of Santiago de Chile there are the gold mines called
Tiltil and the Guindo, Chicauma, Lampa, Caren, the Manzano, Membrillejo, and
Durazno. The gold is twenty to twenty-one carats and two grains pure. These
mines produce sufficient to pay their cost. The gold of the Durazno is of thirteen
carats in purity, or in small lots of trabajo acido without fixed purity: at intervals
they find gold but, as there is much [sic], it is worked with difficulty. In the
district of Tiltil there are copper mines that do not go deeper than sixteen to
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 161
twenty fathoms; they yield about sixteen or eighteen quintals per box; it is
superior copper for working, but not so good for smelting.
In the corregimiento of Quillota are situated the mines called La Dormida,
from which they extracted more than 100,000 pesos; although these riches are
gone, some is still being extracted. This gold was found to have a purity of
twenty-three carats and three grains. In the same place you find the mine washers
of Culiguay, where they extract much gold of twenty-one to twenty-three carats
in purity. In this same corregimiento is situated the mine called La Ligua that
has been very rich but is on the decline today. Its gold is of twenty-two carats.
In the same ore there is an old mine called Mazon that yielded from four to six
thousand dollars per box of ore; today that mine is tumbled down, and it yields
its owners only enough to pay its cost. In the hill of Petorca there is a copper
mine called La Corrida; it yields from five hundred to one thousand pesos per box
of mineral and, when it is low-grade, it yields two hundred dollars; year in and
year out it yields 100,000 pesos; its purity is of seventeen to nineteen carats; it is
worked by Dn. Antonio Muxa, Dn. Jose Sepulveda, and Dn. Francisco Larranaga.
In this same district there is a mine that is called the Arcaya,
owned by Dn. Martin Brito. The workings of this mine are very
deep; an Indian laborer, having found a rich vein in the mine's
depths in 1780, covered it up with the idea of stealing its metal,
and for this purpose he called eight of his companions and at night
they went to get metal. The first to go down to get a sample was the
Indian who discovered it and, when he went to load the quipe, there
came to him a terrible apparition without hair; however, the Indian
came up with the metal, but he was so frightened that he could
scarcely speak. He told his companions what had happened, but
they did not believe his tale, and six of them decided to go down into
the mine with the Indian; the two that had been left behind, noting
that the other seven had been in the mine a long time, decided also
to go down themselves to see why they did not come up, and a few
steps inside they found one man lying on the ground. Thinking
that he was asleep, they passed on and shortly found another man
stretched out and when they found that he was dead, they returned
to inspect the first one and found him also dead. This made them go
to the town to notify the authorities, who came with more people;
going down into the mine, they found all the men dead, long before
they had reached the place where the vein was. The people attrib-
uted this natural accident, doubtless caused by gas in the mine,
to /a punishment from above for the theft the men were about to
commit. One of the two peons that had been saved from the tragedy
was an apostate from the religion of the Santo Domingo de Santiago
de Chile and, frightened by what had happened, he resolved to
return to his convent, but in the neighborhood of Renca he died
suddenly. The owners of this mine asserted that it is very difficult
162 HIPOLITO Ruiz
for them to find people to work in the mine on account of the depth
and the continuous, terrifying noises always heard there. By the
way, we will say here that offenders, and other like them, go as
mine workers and as crafty people, even though occasionally there
are some good ones among them, and they prefer to work for half
wages in a rich mine rather than for whole or double wages in a poor
one. This is because they are possessed with the idea that they can
take the metal of the guia for their own without any scruple, as they
say that the proprietor is the owner of the vein only because of the
custom of naming only him in the petition and title that must be
obtained to work it. For this reason, most of the peons steal the
best metal from their owners, and therefore the father-confessors
have to go to the mine owners to find out if they forgive them their
thefts, so as to be able to absolve these dissolute people; they have
little or no respect for their employer and less for the judges, because
when pursued by them, they get together and with stones keep them
out of the mine, which they use as a parapet and shelter for their
wickedness and insolence.
There is another gold mine in Petorca, called Old Yerro, which yields little
gold but of a quality superior to that of any of those that have already been men-
tioned in this corregimiento. There is another mine is the province of Quillota,
called Illapel, in which there are many workings close together and others quite
a distance apart. This mine and the one at Petorca are the richest in the kingdom,
or they yield more gold, that at Illapel exceeding in purity that of Petorca, as
the gold is twenty twenty-two and a half carats pure. There is another gold
mine between Petorca and Illapel, called the Pupio; its gold is of twenty-two
carats, but the ore is not plentiful. Finally, in Quillota there is a mine called Las
Bacas, near Illapel; it is filled with water which they remove with a windlass and
with much work. It yields a pound of gold per box, of a purity of twenty-one
grains and of an excellent color.
In the corregimiento of Aconcagua they have discovered some sil-
ver mines that ancient people worked for copper, and this metal was
brought in quantities to Spain. As the copper became exhausted
and it began yielding silver, the miners abandoned it because they
did not know how to extract the ore until the mining was resumed
with modern methods. It yields from twenty-five to thirty marks
per box of picked or double guia; it is silver of high purity. In this
valley the copper mines have declined very much because most
people have devoted themselves to the mining of silver. The
corregidor of this district cannot live from the proceeds of visiting
the mines, like the one of Quillota; he draws 1,600 to 2,000 pesos
a year from those visits, each mine paying six pesos, and in that
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 163
way he can meet his expenses with the taxes he takes in wheat at
harvest time, conveying it later to be sold at the port of Valparaiso.
In the corregimiento of Coquimbo, there is the Talca mine, that
yielded a pound of gold per box and up to six hundred pesos from
the picked mineral or guia. Today, this mine is on the decline, and
is worked only by pirqueneros, or peons without masters, because
the later can get no profit from it. Two rows of houses and ranches
have been abandoned at this mine by their owners who, on account
of the decline in ore, have gone to another place with their business.
This gold is twenty carats and two grains pure. At a distance of
twelve leagues from Talca there is another mine called the Amo-
lanas, which is in the same state of decline as the mine of Talca;
about the year 1750 this mine was very rich, and the gold was
of twenty-one carats. There is another mine in Chillamahuida
that is being worked, and there they get gold of twenty-two carats
and two grains. This gold can never be worked because it is so
friable that it turns into small flakes. In the valley of Limari there
is situated the copper mine that was worked by Dn. Jos4 Guerrero
with the aid of Indians and other neighbors of Coquimbo. In the
years 1778 and 1780 there were discovered in this neighborhood some
silver mines that promised riches on the surface, but nothing was
realized through digging, so that work was suspended. Near this valley
there is a hill called Andacollo; on its slope or brow is situated the
chapel of Our Lady of Andacollo, whose image is greatly venerated
and miraculous. On the hill there are gold mines that are worked
although they are of low grade. There are also quicksilver mines
in the same hill, which, for lack of encouragement, are not worked.
On May 21st of this year, 1783, my companion Mr. Dombey went
on a commission to survey and inspect this mine and to assay the
metal. Finally, between Coquimbo and Copiapo there is another
gold mine called Quebrada Onda which has had its ups and downs;
today it yields a pound of gold per box of ore, of a purity of twenty-
one carats and a half.
The corregimiento of Copiapo, the last town of the kingdom of
Chile and where begins what is called the despoblado [uninhabited
region], reaching to Peru, has an open mine where they work ores
of gold/ silver, and copper. The gold, which is of the kind they call
capote, is of twenty- two carats and two grains. In 1772 and succes-
sive years they discovered the silver mines, and because careful
administrators had come from Peru, they got much pina silver, but
this work has declined. With the instructions that the natives have
164 HIPOLITO Ruiz
had from the miners from Peru, they are discovering several mines
towards the cordillera one of which, worked by Dn. Francisco
Vercasacin, is on top of the earth; its metals are very rich, and it
was expected that it would soon produce silver in bars. Between the
Quebrada Onda and Copiapo, there is a valley called the Huasco,
where they work many copper mines, and all of this metal regularly
goes to Spain; the best mines are the Cortes and the Corbalan.
These mines also extend towards the cordillera, where they find
the ore called tarilla, of the same metal, worked by Dn. Jacinto
Perez. Besides the minerals already referred to, there are others
of little value throughout the kingdom, and it can be said that all
of it is ore of gold, silver, copper, etc. From one year to another
from 14,000 to 16,000 quintals of copper are exported from the king-
dom of Chile a quantity much less than that stated by Padre Molina
on page 100 of his Compendium of the History of the Kingdom of
Chile.
Since my daily accounts for the period of three years, among which
were those from Chile, were burned in the fire at Macora, it has been
impossible for me to insert in this place the descriptions of each one
of the provinces of this kingdom, which I wrote out at length during
my stay there; consequently it has been very difficult to describe
in detail the natural products that I saw and about which I had
information that they could be found in such or such a district.
But anyone interested will find many of them in the descriptions of
Padre Molina. 1
1 Historia geogrdfica natural y civil del reino de Chile. Madrid, 1788, 95.
. CHAPTER XXXV
Itinerary Plants gathered Arrival at Callao Stay in Lima Material shipped
in the "San Pedro de Alcantara."
FROM SANTIAGO TO VALPARAISO
On October 5th, 1783 the five of us left Santiago and, with-
out incident, we went to spend the night at a distance of three
leagues, on the shore of the Mapocho river; we passed through the
provinces of Aconcagua and Quillota and reached Valparaiso on
the 9th; we stayed there until the 14th, waiting for the departure
of the native vessel called "Nuestra Sefiora de las Mercedes,"
which set sail at 2:30 P.M. on the fifteenth with a favorable wind.
On the way from Santiago to Valparaiso and in the vicinity of
the port, I gathered several plants and described the following.
Suriana apetala. Aristolochia vaginans; its leaves expel a fetid odor
similar to that of the zorrino, and its flowers emit a still more nause-
ous one. Lobelia purpurea, tupa. Helianthus resinosus, maravillas;
in Coquimbo, arbol del incienso, because there they gather its resin
that is used in churches instead of incense. Stachys hastala, male
salvia; they make the same use of these salvias as do the Spaniards.
Fuchsia rosea. Polygala tricolor. Eupatorium salvifolium, barbas
de viejo [old man's beard]. Schinus procera, molle de Chile.
We arrived at the port of Callao on the 3rd of November, 1783
at night, and in the morning of the 4th we dropped anchor at the
anchoring-ground, without having experienced any other incon-
venience during our trip than the poor and scanty food served to
us by the captain of the vessel, but seasoned with jokes and witty
stories. We could not put our baggage ashore until the 6th because
of holidays. That same day we went to Lima, and we deposited the
boxes in the customhouse; from there they were brought to the
vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara," in which we were ordered to
return to Spain.
We stayed in Lima, waiting for the departure of the "San Pedro
de Alcantara" until the month of April, 1784, and during this
time I put in order various plants that I had brought from Chile
in leather hampers and had packed with many other products for
safe transportation. I finished some descriptions and copied them
all in two folio volumes that were sent by mail to the Minister of
the Indies, Sr. Visitador Don Jorge Escobedo. I put names on
the drawings and made a list of all of them. And finally I surveyed
166 HIP6LITO Ruiz
anew the hills and fields of Lima to gather and describe the new
plants that the season exhibited to view. I described the Psoralea
americana and Theobroma Cacao.
After all of our baggage and the necessities for the voyage and
return to Spain had been prepared, there came a royal order for
us to continue our work through the montafias of Tarma, Huanuco,
and Cuchero; for this reason we had to provide ourselves anew
with necessary equipment like that which we had sold at a bar-
gain a few days before.
Complying with the royal order, we shipped in the vessel "San
Pedro Alcantara," 55 boxes of dried plants, ores of gold and silver,
animals, birds, dried fishes, shells, stones, soils, and other curious
natural products and instruments and Indian clothing; also 800
sketches of plants painted in their natural colors, and 6 heated
cases with 33 pots of plants of valuable trees of Peru and Chile
which had been cared for by an intelligent young man for 50 pesos
that were given to him in Lima for his work.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Departure from Lima Plants gathered in Yaso Tiresome march Illness of Ruiz.
FROM LIMA TO THE MONTA&AS OF HUANUCO
Because of the voyage we had made to Chile, the disadvantageous
sale that we had made of the outfit we had for traveling by land,
and the expenses caused by the preparations for our voyage back
to Spain, we were left without the means required for new excursions;
for this reason we informed the Sr. Superintendente of the impossi-
bility of our undertaking it. This minister, after having taken our
statement under consideration, offered to make it known to His
Majesty so that our pay might be increased; in the mean time he
ordered that a year's salary be given us in advance. By this we bene-
fited during our travels and were able to provide ourselves with the
most important equipment, I, for my part, spending 1,004 silver pesos.
Provided with the most necessary items, I left Lima with my
companion Dn. Jose' Pavon on the 12th of May, 1784 at 12:30 P.M.,
and we spent the night in a field two leagues distant from the capital,
without any other incident than experiencing two earthquakes, one
at eight o'clock at night and the other at daybreak of the 13th.
On this day we went to Yangas, where I described four new plants.
On the 14th we traveled a league and spent the night in a
country house, where I described three plants. During the after-
noon I felt a disturbance of the pulse. On the 15th we went to
spend the night near the pueblo of Yaso, where I described five
species of Cactus: squamatus, lanatus, erinaceus, echinatus, and cance-
latus. Oxalis, okas. Mimosa spicata. Hedysarum mimosioideum.
Hydrolea urens. Clematis Vitalba? The fever continued to increase,
as did the headache. On the 16th we went to Carrizal, where we
spent the night in the open and I felt worse than on previous days.
On the 17th we arrived at San Buenaventura, the capital of the
province of Canta, where we stayed one day to rest the animals
and to see if, with some rest, I could feel better, but I was stricken
witn a strong pain in the right side that did not permit me to carry
on some of the natural bodily activities, such as coughing, yawning,
sneezing, laughing, and changing to certain positions.
On the 19th, in spite of the insistence of the corregidor that I
move to his house and stay there until I recovered from my illness,
we left at noon and went to pass the night in the pueblo of Culluay,
where I felt quite weak. On the 20th, although overcome by sickness,
168 HIP6LITO Ruiz
we climbed the cordillera; in the middle of this climb we had to
spend the night on the snow because the mules had become tired
out when we climbed the Cerro de la Viuda, and darkness overtook
us there. I thought I was going to die in that uninhabited place
for lack of some warm nourishment and on account of the cold
I suffered during the night. I was attacked by a terrible griping
and thirst, and we had to break the ice to drink water. They had
to put me on horseback on the 21st because I had not the strength to
do it by myself, and we went to spend the night at the rancho of
Palcamayo, where we had a sleet storm of more than two inches. On
the 22nd we went to Diezmo, where I felt a little relieved of the
pain in my side. On the 23rd we came to the town of Pasco, where
we stayed until the 27th in order that I might keep to my bed
for a few days and be able to continue our journey, as we did on that
day, going to Caxamarquilla where, with the benefit of a good lettuce
salad and the apples that I had eaten in Pasco, I felt much better.
We reached Huariaca on the 28th, and there I repeated the salad and
felt much relieved. On the 29th we left this town, and at a distance
of half a league a load with two of my companion's cases fell into the
river, but we fished them out and put all that they contained in the
sun and succeeded in drying everything that day. On the 30th
we went to the pueblo of Rondos, where I felt quite feverish on
account of my exposure to the sun the day before. On the 31st we
went down to the asiento of Ambo, where I arrived sore and almost
without strength to keep myself on my feet. The following day,
the 1st of July, 1784, my companion found himself without his
muleteer, who had fled with the mules, afraid that several debts
he had in Huanuco would land him in jail; finally they furnished us
with mules, and we reached Huanuco, where I spent a few days
in bed and succeeded in recovering my health.
The draftsmen Brunete and Galvez came to Huanuco on the
fourth day after our arrival without having had any special mishap
on the way.
We all rested from our trip and, since I had recovered from my
illness, we acquired the provisions necessary for the three months
that we decided to spend in the montanas of Puzuzo, forty-five
leagues distant from Huanuco, after we had been informed of the
fertility of that place bordering the territory of the Carapacho Indi-
ans. On the 5th of July we sent two men with fifty sheep for our
maintenance.
CHAPTER XXXVII
Departure from Huanuco Itinerary, and plants found Hardships Arrival
in Puzuzo Work done by the botanists.
JOURNEY TO THE MONTANAS OF PUZUZO
At noon on the 8th of July of 1784 I was able to leave Huanuco
with twenty-one loads of food, presses, papers, books, and other
necessary equipment for my use and that of the expedition. I
camped about two leagues from Huanuco, near the town of Valle.
On the 9th I spent the night at Tambillo, eight leagues distant from
Huanuco, where I described Ambrosia Marco, which some Indians
apply under the saddle pad of the horses to prevent their fatigue,
Cestrum rigidum, and a species of Rhexia, cachigusi, a plant used
for a yellow dye. In this place, among many other plants, Psoralea
glandulosa is found in abundance. On the 10th I passed the pueblo
of Panao, where I stayed one day, the llth, to change mules and then
continued my trip. This same day my companion Dn. Jose" Pavon
left Huanuco. In Panao I gathered several plants and corrected
some descriptions. I described Ornithogalum compressifolium, Per-
dicium lanatum, and Psoralea datesa?
I left Panao on the 12th with fifteen Indians to conduct the loaded
mules through the declivities and dangerous places. I spent the night
in the pueblo of Chaclla, situated in a beautiful elevated plain with
a cold climate and abundant pastures, three leagues from the river.
On the 13th I left this first pueblo, accompanied by an Apostolic
Missionary father from Ocopa, and went to pass the night in a place
called Llamapanahui, where I examined Smilax China which I
had found a league back, and I described the beautiful Dalechampia
rosea. This day I gathered many and special plants, notwithstanding
the difficulty of the way, especially at the Cuerno Retorcido and
Torre sin Agua. Before reaching the Cuerno Retorcido, we found
a silver mine which a miner had abandoned because he had no
money to work it. On the 14th we went to the pueblo of Muna,
accompanied also by the missionaries of Ocopa, after having crossed
the quebrada and river of Santo Domingo and the steep hill of this
same name. On this side the climb is painful and dangerous, in-
cluding some forty long and excessively steep turns; on the opposite
side, however, it is more gradual and not really dangerous. We
crossed another brook and began the ascent to the pueblo of Muna
by another hill no less difficult and dangerous than the last one,
170 HiPdLiTO Ruiz
particularly the Ladera de la Colmilla, where the narrowness and
elevation above the river make one shudder when crossing.
On the 15th we left Muna, and we passed the night three leagues
from there in a small clearing called Tambo Nuevo which, although
cold and filled with water by the frequent showers that fall there
almost daily, so abounds with ichu that the muleteers stopped, in
spite of the dense and damp fog, to let the animals graze on that
grass and rest, so as to be able to continue the ascent of this elevated
hill, for at the summit there are no trees nor any other larger plants
except a species of Stereoxylon corymbosum, known there by the name
of suiba. These small trees grow to be eight or ten yards tall; their
trunk and branches are so covered with black mosses and lichens
that they appear like trees singed and clad in mourning. They
have the property of burning so badly and emitting so much smoke
that no one can get warm by their fire or endure the nuisance of the
dense smoke. Among the smaller plants, there is an abundance of
two species of Ranunculus with a beautiful pink flower and another
with green flowers, the Swertia corniculata, two Gentiana, one Hedyotis,
and two Syngenesias. I felt indisposed and had such distress that
I could hardly continue the trip next day, the 16th, but it was
necessary to go on a league and a half where, on account of the
grass and the continuous showers, we had to stop at the side of a
field somewhat sheltered from the cold that was felt in those heights.
Although we made six big fires, we spent a very cold night with
great inconvenience on account of the dense smoke formed by the
wood of the suiba, after having crossed the Portachuelo in the snow
and sleet that are very frequent the greater part of the year though
they do not turn into ice. From this summit one can see a multitude
of peaks of the cordillera of the Andes all covered with snow, and a
great expanse of hills and mountains covered with trees and plants
that extend to the pampas of the Sacramento. On the 17th we
left this sheltered place, harassed by the cold, wind, and smoke,
and by an immense number of white mosquitoes called huahuaches,
which can hardly be seen on account of their small size; their bite,
however, can be felt a great deal, as is the insupportable irritation
which lasts for more than an hour, without leaving a wheal or any
other mark. We slept in a place called the play a [shore], where
we were wet most of the night from a shower that did not stop until
after midnight. Here the muleteers had to go to the woods to look
for carrizo to feed the animals. On the 18th we went to the place they
call the Tramo, where I felt much better from the stomach pains
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 171
and the distress that had hindered me from picking many more
plants than the ones I gathered in these delightful woods. Next day
I arrived in Puzuzo at the time the bells were being rung by order
of the missionary, who was in that remote place to administer
spiritual nourishment to the fourteen families of which the pueblo
is composed. Three leagues from Puzuzo there are salt-water springs
that are sufficient to salt the waters of the river and make it un-
pleasant to the taste. On the 20th I put my luggage in order and
prepared everything necessary to begin work.
My companion Pavon arrived on the 21st, and the two drafts-
men Galvez and Brunete on the 22nd, without having experienced
any other inconveniences than such as I had suffered.
We started work on the 23rd that continued until the 20th of
September, when the draftsmen left Puzuzo to go to Huanuco, which
neither my companion nor I could do until the 27th, when the
muleteers arrived with mules for both of us.
During our stay in Puzuzo, I described 403 plants and corrected
descriptions of some 250 of those gathered in Cuchero, Chinchao,
and other places. About 300 plants were sketched, and I dried 314.
We gathered many seeds and several species of woods and other
odd native things. The fear of the jaguars, bears, wild hogs, tapirs,
and other animals that are found in the luxuriance and denseness
of those forests, and the difficulty of traveling through those fertile
montanas made it impossible for us to examine a great number of
very tall trees, reeds, palms, and beautiful plants with which those
low and high hills, ravines, springs, and margins of the river are
entirely covered. Although we had to walk on foot and scrape
ourselves to pass, we went as far as the Huancabamba river that
joins the Puzuzo river two leagues below this town, the two forming
quite a large river.
There were days when we walked on foot through those forests
f our, , five, six, seven, and eight leagues and returned at night to the
towrj all in tatters caused by branches and thorns, and thirsty, out
of breath, and exhausted, but loaded with beautiful plants. Many
times we were saved from death from the sudden fall of some old
trees and from landslides of rocks and of soil that followed the fall,
especially if it had rained, and at other times from the resulting
havoc caused by the fall of the trees that our peons felled for us
to examine. We botanists worked so hard here that we left Puzuzo
practically naked and with our legs and thighs flayed on account
of eruptions and itch that followed after any walk in those woods.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Location of Puzuzo Lack of pastures The river Particles of gold Harsh-
ness of the water and its effects Inhabitants Vegetable products Commerce
Climate Fauna Bridges Harmful insects Plants.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PUEBLO OF PUZUZO
This last Spanish pueblo is situated in a deep ravine which is
at most four to eight blocks in width in some places. It is surrounded
by high and continuous hills entirely covered by large and spreading
trees, reeds, or twining plants, shrubs, bushes, and herbs. There
is no grass for the animals to graze, and for this reason the fifty
sheep that we brought for our food, became so thin in a few days
that, after they were skinned, they were as transparent as parch-
ment; several died from the pizguin, a little animal or fluke, of the
shape of a watermelon seed, that consumes the liver. This ravine
is bathed by a river which is formed by the water that descends
from the Portachuelo of Mufia and the following hills, cascades,
and several salt-water springs that are found at its margins. The
bed of this river is of big rocks and sand with clay. In its water
there are lisas, cachuelos, and boconcitos of from two to three
pounds. All these fish have a delicious flavor.
In the sand and soil there are also found small particles of gold;
we gathered some of them one day when we took some soil from the
bank to wash.
Three leagues from Puzuzo the quebrada begins to widen and,
a little more than a league below, it narrows again in such a way that
there is no more space than is occupied by the river. Because of
its depth this river cannot be used for the irrigation of the small
plantations that the inhabitants have, and they use the water
of some springs which, wherever it passes, leaves stalactites or
lumps of white lime of various shapes.
They drink daily of this water, and for this reason they are so
sickly and swollen and have such bad color. The natural laziness
of these Indians keeps them from using the water of a rivulet called
Chinizo, which is a quarter of a league from the town; from this
place we had it brought to us for our own consumption, because
it was sweet, clear, and without a sign of containing the least trace
of gypsum, alum, or other earths or salts. The advice we gave
them, not to drink that limewater on account of its harmfulness,
was of very little use to the Indians, and only the missionary father
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 173
sent with a little more frequency than before for the water of
Chinizo for his use.
The pueblo of Puzuzo is reduced to fifteen small huts, one church,
the house of the missionary father which they call the convent, and
a hut for the traders that are in the habit of coming to this miserable
town.
There are only fourteen men in this pueblo today, miserable
because of their poverty and bad nourishment. They are small
and ugly-faced. They use trousers and jacket with a shirt made of
tucuyo, and they go barefoot. The women, whose appearance is
even worse, wear aprons and skirt and also go barefoot. They love
chicha and Venus.
There is not a valley or a meadow in that whole vicinity; for this
reason the Indians have a few clearings on the mountain slopes and
river banks for cassava, sweet potatoes, ssagui, corn, and mountain
beans, the daily food of these poor people. The rice that some-
times is planted by the missionary is very welcome, as are also the
peanuts and sugar cane which they eat as sweets. In their clearings
they also plant a Diadelphia that they call berbasco, and it is used
in fishing. Without cultivation they have anonas, caimitos, guavas,
sweet and bitter oranges, and limes, and lemons; these trees and the
place where they are found indicate that there was a large town in
ancient times and that its founders or inhabitants were more industri-
ous than the present people. There are other wild fruits that they
eat with appetite, such as a species of Spondias which they call
manzanas de monte [mountain apples], and the species of Celtis that
they call atpuallin. Pineapples, bananas, and papaws are found
at the side of the plantations and are the fruits that they use most.
The only article of commerce they have is coca, which they exchange
with the traders that come there, for corn, cakes, woolens, cotton
goods, tucuyo, belts, beads, and other trifles, with which they dress
and adorn themselves on festival days and when they get drunk from
chicha made from corn. The men as well as the women are much
given to the use of coca, which they keep in their mouths con-
tinuously; for this reason their mouths are always green and filthy.
They also eat the shoots of the chonta and other palms and as many
animals and birds as they can hunt with arrows or gun.
These Indians are so lazy and slack that if the missionary father
did not make them plant and cultivate the soil for the few products
that have already been referred to, they would live very happily
174 HIP6LITO Ruiz
like savages and would go naked like the other barbaric Indians of
the Carapacha tribe.
The climate is very hot and damp all year round so that one
perspires to excess. The heat is tempered by the north wind that
blows from eleven in the morning until nightfall; without this relief
one could not go out of doors at this time in places bare of trees.
Storms and showers are very frequent, but we noticed no thunder.
It rains to excess during the months of December to April and some-
times also in November and May; for this reason the place is not
very healthy.
These Indians can give no account of the diseases that are com-
mon there; but it can be seen that they suffer continuous pains in the
whole body, that they are covered with purulent pimples, that they
lose their color, that they have little strength and are short-lived.
They treat themselves with herbs.
In the woods there are found tigers [jaguars], leoncillos [pumas?],
osos [bears], javalies [peccaries], gran bestias [tapirs], saginos,
osos ormigueros [anteaters], guamataros, michus, mucamucas, [opos-
sums), and huaihuas [coatis]. The most common birds found there
are pichicapapanes, no vengas aqui, yasefue, woodpeckers, humming-
birds, pajaros hediendos, pajaros de siete colores, quianquianes,
fandangueros, and some very small ones with beautiful song, such as
the organists, papamoscas, and oropendolas. There also can be seen
one or other aquatic bird and some herons. Mosquitoes are very rare
and cause little trouble. There are no reptiles or insects other than a
variety of small ants, but the bite of one that is found in the palo santo
is insufferable, and its smart lasts for several hours. There are a
number of butterflies of beautiful colors. There is also a species of
bee, the honey and wax of which are very good; it makes its honey-
comb in the trunks of trees or on the ground.
The Puzuzo river has two bridges made of reeds, one at one side
of the pueblo and the other two leagues farther down, where it joins
the Huancabamba river. The way to the Mayro is by this bridge,
but it is usually out of order as it is used only when the missionary
fathers pass over it for the conversion of the pagans. At one side
of this bridge grows a multitude of palms of several species, such as
the chonta? wild chonta, camona, cuyol, sia-sia, and palmitos, on
the fruits of which many wild animals feed. This is one of the most
beautiful places in this quebrada.
About three leagues from Puzuzo, there are several coca plantings
of poor people who are persecuted for debts by justices, priests, and
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 175
the worthies of the pueblo where they leave their families abandoned
for many years.
Among the plants that I described while we remained in Puzuzo
are the following: Spigelia Anthelmia. Sanchezia ovata. Pitrex
unguiculatum. Bixa muricata, maxpachin and wild achote; the natives
use its seeds to dye various things and to color food, as they do
also with Bixa Orellana. Paullinia pinnata, rubicaulis, gracilis,
obliqua, lacticinosa, hirsuta and rubra, all of these species being
climbers. Ficus gemina, hirsuta, retusa? L. Gesneria violacea, hirta,
viscosa, and verticillata. Ruellia bicolor, coccinea, maculata, punicea,
and violacea. Hamelia secunda. Gardenia longiflora, iscumnim;
the corolla is eight to nine inches in length, and white; the Indians
eat the sweet pulp of their ripe fruits that are three inches in length,
cylindric in shape, and yellow. Banisteria papilionia, auriculata,
and flabelliformis, climbing plants. Aralia aff. trinervis. Foveolaria
cordata. Clitoria? pubescens. Cerdana alliodora, garlic tree, on
account of the odor of its leaves and bark, which are used by the
Indians as a condiment. On this tree small ants gather, the bite of
which produces a wheal that lasts from sixteen to twenty hours, with
considerable sting at first but subsiding later. These insects total-
ly destroy the leaves of the Cerdana and, cutting them into triangular
pieces like deltas, they carry them to their anthills, where they store
them in a peculiar, symmetrical way one on top of the others, without
wasting space. To convey these uniform fragments of the leaves
to their nests, they hold them by the shortest side and pushing
the longest upward and the other forward, they carry them as if
they were small boats with lateen sails swaying with the wind,
with the greatest speed although the small piece of leaf is six times
bigger than the ant. There are so many ants busy in this exercise
all day that they have made a path about eight inches in width.
They call them tragineras [porters], on account of their ceaseless
activijty. Having inspected some anthills, I have at times found
more than two arrobas of the fragments of the leaves beautifully
arranged. Cinchona grandiflora, azucena. Cinchona rosea, asmonich.
With the leaves of these trees the ants make the same havoc, and
for this reason one occasionally finds on these two trees only
one or two branches with whole leaves. The bark of both species
is a little bitter. The Indian women decorate images with bunches
of flowers of asmonich. Tabernaemontana corymbosa, a tall tree that
abounds in resin that is white when it first exudes and later turns
red; the milk that springs from these trees when they are cut is so
176 HIPOLITO Ruiz
abundant that it stains the ground. Bletia catenulata and ensi-
formis. Peperomia alata, septemnervis, pilosa, dependens, and emargi-
nata. Cecropia canescens, tacuna, a tall, beautiful tree, the jointed
and hollow trunk of which sometimes contains, from joint to joint,
a clear, drinkable water without any taste, and the Indians, when
in the mountains and unable to find water, quench their thirst
with it. Coussapoa radicans, chichillica, a tall tree; from its trunk
roots are produced that descend and push into the ground or
twist themselves about other tree trunks in the vicinity. From
its flexible bark the Indians make fishing nets, and pouches in which
they gather coca or other products to carry home, and several
other implements; they also make rope, and finally they tie and hold
together the timbers of their houses with them. Passiflora Vesper-
tilio, vesicularis, serrata, and rubra. Pothos apetala, sagitatto-cordata,
geniculata, laciniata, and umbellata. Arum auritum L., lanceolatum,
lineatum, parviflorum, tripartitum, and volubile. Calla nuda, remedy
against snakes, because of the virtue attributed to the roots against
snake bites. Calla bracteata, pinnata, radicans, and undulata.
Clarisia racemosa, tulpay. Clarisia biflora, yasmich. A thick-
stemmed and very tall tree, with beautiful wood, from which there
is obtained by incision an abundance of white resin that exposed
to the air becomes gray and has some elasticity. This resin is excel-
lent for waterproofing, and the Indians cover their blowpipes with
it. An incision made in any part of these trees brings forth so great
a quantity of milk that it covers the ground and curdles into resin.
The bark of the tulpay is of a bloody color and brighter; the bark of
the roots that extend horizontally shows through in many places
so red that it looks as if blood had been spilled there. Capsicum
frutescens L., arnaucho, and pubescens, rocobo; both species very
abundant in Peru. Solanum grandiflorum, mite. Betula acuminata.
Myristica longifolia, arbol del sebo. From the seeds a fat like tallow
is pressed out; for this reason they have given it that name. This
precious tallow with no bad odor or perceptible taste, but only oily
and smooth, is used by the Indians for light. To obtain this oil, they
pound the seed very well and press it hot between two stones.
Myroxylon peruiferum, quino-quino, a very tall, leafy tree, with a
large trunk, straight, smooth, and ash-colored outside as are all its
branches. The bark is of a straw color, white on the inside; according
to the greater or smaller quantity of resin with which it is permeated,
it is more or less grainy and heavy and sometimes has a greenish
color, at other times a yellow, and at others a dark brown. It has
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 177
an odor and a taste quite similar to the balsamo rubio peruviano,
that, under the name of white balsam, is sold in stores and phar-
macies. Many persons in Peru call this resin estoraque [storax],
and they use it to perfume their rooms, as they also do with the fruits
which, powdered together with the bark, they mix with tallow or
resins and apply in plasters to relieve headaches. The freshly crushed
leaves heal new wounds as do the balsam and bark, known as
admirable balsams and vulneraries. From the fruit of the quino-
quino, called quina-quina, they make the oil of the same name.
They take four ounces of well mashed fruits and soak them in a pint
of wine for twenty-four hours, after which they boil them over a
low fire with a pound and a half of common oil until it dries; then
they add a pound of turpentine and finally an ounce and a half of
incense and as much of myrrh. This balsam is said to have a miracu-
lous effect on ulcers of the breasts, and to close up and cure ulcers
and sores.
From the trunk they get beams for stanchions, and they prefer
these trees to others for their strength and durability. At the end
of the branches of these trees, as they are farther removed from
the trunk, the birds poccochycuys, kcuychis, or hediendos, make their
nests in preference to other trees. See the description that I have
given of this tree in the appendix of my Quinologia, printed in Madrid
in 1792, where the reader will find all other information regarding
this matter. Olmedia aspera and laevis. Trees that on incision give
an abundance of a very white milk, which, exposed to the air, turns
into a very elastic resin of a reddish-chestnut color; it can be shaped
into any form desired. Aechmea paniculata. Pourretia lanuginosa.
Bromelia incarnata. A very showy plant because of the color of its
leaves, bracts, and flowers. Crinum? luteum. Plant with beautiful
flowers of goblet shape, of a yellow color, and green at the borders.
Achras tetrandra, caimito. A very luxuriant tree about twelve to
sixteejn yards in height and very green; its fruits are the size of
duck eggs and are yellow like peaches; they have a delicious taste
when fully ripe. Alstroemeria fimbriata. Guarea abrupta, ferruginea,
and purpurea, yechenor; the last one is used by Indian women to
dye their wools and cottons a violet color. Laurus pubescens,
purpurea, fragrans, muca-muca. The seeds of this last species are
aromatic and good for the stomach, and the Indians gather them to
sell to the traders that come there. Swietenia macrocarpa, an Mahomi?
A tall tree with a large trunk and valuable wood. Heisteria coccinea
L., a tree twelve yards high and very leafy. Cassia procera, canafistola.
178 HIP6LITO Ruiz
Tree more than forty yards in height, thick-stemmed and leafy;
its pods, that are from four to six inches long, contain a bitter pulp
with which the natives purge themselves. Cactus parasiticus.
Calyptranthes paniculata. Shrub with flowers that exhale a wonder-
ful fragrance. Prunus amara. Calyplectus acuminatus, cabeza de
monge. A corpulent, very tall, and leafy tree. Verticillaria balsami-
fera, aceyte de Maria. A conspicuous tree on account of the disposi-
tion of its branches in whorls and the bright green color of its leaves
and branches. It distils a greenish resin that the Indians call
balsamo and aceyte de Maria, which they gather in quantities in
the rainy season. Trillis auriculata. Guatteria lutea. Erinus
prostratus. Verbena virgata. Bombax aculeatum, inich?; its cotton
they call sun cotton and blowpipe cotton. It is a thick-stemmed,
tall, and leafy tree. Bombax microcarpon. A very tall, corpulent,
and leafy tree, of which the cotton has a tobacco color or the color
of the wool of the vicuna. One of these trees that was cut by the
peons for us to examine might have killed my companion and me if
we had not fled in a hurry at the warning cries of the peons. Ery-
thrina glandulosa, villcatauri, articulata, Vilkatauri, and volubilis?
Securidaea scandens and punctata. Polygala rhombiflora. Galega
hirsuta. Dolichos umbellatus, mountain bean. The natives eat
its fruit, which has a good taste but produces flatulence. Lobelia
coccinea and laciniata. Satyrium bicolor and plantagineum. Epi-
dendrum coronatum, cristatum, viride, and equitans. Vanilla volubilis,
vainilla. Gongora quinquenervis. Sobralia biflora and dichotoma.
Phyllanthus foetida. Urtica baccifera and aculeata. Begonia cucul-
lata, purpurea, and repens. Jatropha urens. Anguria trilobata and
trifoliata. Smilax China, purampui and santo palo. The infusion
of its roots is an excellent sudorific and anti-rheumatic. See the use
made of them in Peru, in my memoir on the Raiz de China, published
in the first volume of the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Medicine
of Madrid, printed in 1797. Carica septemlobata, papayo. Its fruit,
called papaya, is as large as a small melon and tastes much like one,
but to improve its taste a few longitudinal incisions need to be made
the day before, so as to rid it of a certain milky substance that imparts
a somewhat bitter taste. Clusia radicans, pullapuil, quelpuan. A
small, leafy tree, beautiful when bearing fruit that somewhat re-
sembles the apple or, more closely, the mangosteen. The fruit is
of a pinkish white color and impregnated, like the whole tree, with
a resin which the people gather and use as incense. Heliocarpus
serratus. Celtis biflora and spinosa. The Indians eat the fruits of
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 179
both species called atpuallin; they are of the size of a cherry, yellow
in color, and sweet. Celtis scabra, chichillica. Its bark has the
same uses as the bark of the Coussapoa radicans. Guarea tomentosa.
Mimosa quadrijuga, and nodosa, pacae de monte. Carludovica
acuminata and palmata. From the unexpanded leaves of this last
plant, thin, straight, and flexible splints are formed. Martinezia
ensiformis, linearis, interrupta, cuyol, and ciliata, chonta. This
palm has the trunk covered with long, black, sharp spines. Its
wood is black on the exterior, solid, and very hard; nevertheless it
is easy to work lengthwise, so that the Indians make bows of it
and the points of their arrows, ramrods, walking sticks, and blow-
pipes, beautifully polished. The shoots, called palmitos, are tender
and tasty, raw or cooked, but reputed to be coarse. I have eaten
them in salads, raw and cooked, and they have not caused me any
harm. Nunnezharia fragrans, chutasllium. The flowers of this small
palm exhale a wonderful fragrance, superior to that of the lilies of
Florence, which spreads a long distance through this montana.
Morenia fragrans, sia-sia. A beautiful palm. Iriartea deltoidea,
camona. A very tall and luxuriant palm. Calamus hamatus,
cacharpurin. Climbing palm that extends many yards, holding on
with the barbs that it has at the end of its leaves, as if they were
long fishhooks; for that reason they have given it the name cachar-
purin, which means walking courier. Its fruits are found in large
racemes and contain a yellow pulp or meat, sweet, and with a very
good flavor when they are well ripened. From the small stem the
natives make fish poles or walking sticks, straight, black, glossy;
they can be bent into a loop with ease without breaking, when well
seasoned and cured with smoke. Dianthera ciliata and appendicu-
lata. Fagara coriandriodora, culandro, from the smell of its leaves,
reminding of coriander. The trunk of this small tree, although it
is hardly as thick as a thigh, has wood that is almost as hard as
iron. Rivina secunda. Convolvulus cymosus. Ipomoea angulata
and villosa. Oestrum lanuginosum. Strychnos brachiata, comida de
venado, because deer like its fruit. Strychnos auriculata, abilla.
The seeds of this plant yield a great deal of oil by expression, and
the Indians make various uses of it. Achyranthes papposa. Cynan-
chum macrocarpum and pentagonum. Aralia globosa. A luxuriant
tree about ten to fifteen yards in height. Tournefortia volubilis
and longifolia. Bromelia Ananas, pinas, because of the shape of
its magnificent and beautiful fruits, some of which are from four
to eight pounds in weight and have an excellent flavor when they
180 HIPOLITO Ruiz
are cut already yellow; they can then be eaten without adding
sugar or without having to be kept in a sheltered place for a few
days, as is commonly done, so that they may improve in taste after
they have been cut from the plants when green. The plant forms
a clump, similar to the aloe, that gives off many shoots, and each
one in time carries a pina at the tip of its low stem. If the fruits
are cut before they are ripe, they lose so much in quality that many
times they cannot be eaten because of their bitter, viscous taste,
and they cause intolerable pain in the teeth, and indigestion and
pains in the stomach. From the piiias a tasty and excellent chicha
is made, and they give a pleasant flavor and odor to lemonade
and chicha or beer. Pinas cut in circular slices with sugar are put
on the table as an appetizer. Everybody knows the superiority
of this fruit, when perfectly ripe, over almost all others known in
North and South America for its bittersweet taste, its special
fragrance, and the cooling property it possesses. The beatas [re-
ligious women] of Huanuco have singular skill in making pina
candy. They first peel the fruits and then boil them in water with
or without salt, to remove the acidity and viscosity. When the fruit
is in this state, they remove the pulp from the heart that constitutes
about half of its bulk, and they pound it with almonds, raisins,
sugar, and cinnamon, forming a soft dough with which they fill
the empty fruit already cooked with sugar. Later they give these
pinas two or three baths in sugar, and the result is a very delicious
candy from two to six pounds in weight; it is sold very dear on
account of its tedious and lengthy preparation. Finally from the
cooked and peeled pinas the natives make crushed sweets and
jellies of exquisite taste and wonderful fragrance when the
operator is skilled. Justicia spicata. G. aff. Piper hexandrum.
Neea verticillata. The fruits of both species give a dye of a bright
violet color. Erythroxylon stipulatum. Oxalis frutescens. Euphorbia
erosa. Psidium rugosum, huayabo de monte. It is a small tree of
about twelve to fifteen yards in height, and its fruit has scarcely
any pulp. Myrtus limbosa. Shrub of about four yards; its flowers
exhale an admirable fragrance. Bignonia lanuginosa, muricata,
clavata, brachiata, planisiliqua, and alba. On the 17th of September,
early in the morning, we noticed that many of the trees that covered
the sides of a hill were in bloom and looked as if it had snowed
over them, but on the 19th we could see only a single flower here
and there, although the trees were naked of leaves but full of sprouts
or tender fruit. This tree is one of the few that, in these montafias,
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 181
becomes bare of leaves. Gomara racemosa. Besleria radicans.
Elephantopus spicatus. Cleome aculeata and longisiliqua. Cavanil-
lesia umbellata, arbol del tambor, because its bark is used for drum
hoops; it is a tree of thirty to forty yards in height with a trunk
very thick and out of proportion and with such soft wood that it
has the consistency of cork or mushroom. The axe cuts into it as
if it were a pumpkin, and for this reason, although two men could
not embrace or clasp the tree that we asked to be cut, one of them
felled it easily with a few strokes. Its crown of branches, that also
looks swollen, has almost a spherical shape. This is another tree
in these montanas that loses its leaves, and it blooms before the
new leaves come. The flowers are so short-lived that on the fourth
day the ovary has attained its greatest growth, and as their fruits
are formed of four or five big wings, they appear, in the top of the
tree, like a multitude of small lanterns placed on purpose on the
branches. The wood, as it is so porous, is extremely light; for this
reason it might be very useful for buoys and rafts. Erythrina
glandulosa. Tall and thick tree, with a very straight trunk,
and very luxuriant. Its wood is soft, white, and of good figure.
This species, like the other of this genus, loses its leaves, and the
flowers sprout before new leaves come in; in this state the trees
present a most beautiful sight on account of the red color they have
as if they were of red coral; a few days after the flowers have faded,
the leaves expand, and the trees acquire a beautiful verdure. Negretia
spinosa, llamapanaui, that is, eye of the llama or of the carnero de la
tierra. The seeds reduced to powder are applied to the bite of
reptiles and insects, and the Indians assert that drinking about a
drachm of the powder in water is an excellent antidote. The little
thorn's or small hairs that in some places are called picapica on
account of the ease with which they enter the skin, causing
acute pain and indisposition, several persons assured us are an
excellent anthelmintic, half a scruple being taken in a cup of choco-
late, milk, or honey and water. Aristolochia caudata. Cynomorium
ramosum, puyutchrin. The Indians use the heads or aments of this
plant, that look like a bunch of mushrooms in the shape of clubs
or maces attached to a long and branching root, infused in water,
to recover the strength lost on long journeys, and therefore they
have recourse to puyutchrin when they are tired and fatigued.
Acalypha betuloides and polygama. Croton hirsutum, umbellatum,
and gummiferum, sangre de drago [dragon's blood], on account of
the bloody, gummy-resinous juice that drips in abundance from
182 HIPOLITO Ruiz
an incision. Some people gather this resinous gum in calabashes
and sell it later as true dragon's blood, and in truth its taste and
astringent flavor make it worth using. This small tree grows to
twelve or more yards in height, its trunk is straight and somewhat
ashen gray, and its semispherical leafy crown gives good shade.
Tragia peltata. Juanulloa parasitica. Gimbernatia oblonga. A tall
tree with a strong wood suitable for various purposes. Triplaris
octandra, palo santo, chupillo, and tisaceiro. This tree grows
from twelve to fifteen yards high, very straight with its top in the
shape of a pyramid; for this reason and because its leaves are very
large, it makes a beautiful sight when in bloom, especially the female
tree with its flowers. They are large compared with those of the
male, and of a showy reddish color and, as they are found in large
racemes, make a very agreeable sight from a distance. The upper
trunk and branches of this tree have joints and are hollowed; hence
it serves in Puzuzo as habitation for a certain species of ant; thus
we found in the trees that we had cut, myriads of these insects,
whose bite produces the most intolerable smarting, stinging pain, and
a wheal sometimes lasting for more than eight hours. Contrayerba;
from its habits and fruits I assume it to be a species of Cissampelos
or vejuco de la estrella. I was not able to see the flower of this
twining plant, the alternate and heart-shaped leaves of which are
covered by a tomentum, as are the shoots and bunches of the one-
seeded, drupaceous oval fruits, with little pulp, four lines long
and three wide. The root of this plant that is quite long and as thick
even as a wrist, consists of a thick bark, brittle when dry, and of a
singular fragrance; the woody part if cut transversely, presents
like many others the obscure figure of a star; therefore, they give
it the name of vejuco de la estrella. The Cholone Indians use
this root to cure rheumatic and venereal troubles, drinking the
decoction of it at night, and not only the Indians, but also the
missionary fathers, assert that a few hours after drinking the decoc-
tion the patient's temperature rises; this is followed by a very copious
sweating that lasts until the third day and, entirely well, he is out
of bed on the fourth day with a disposition to work and without the
least ill effects. The only thing for which I have applied this root
in Peru on the recommendation of the missionary padre Francisco
Gonzalez Laguna, has been to relieve the pain of a toothache. It
is to be expected that in time this root will have great value in
medicine because its taste and odor indicate excellent properties
and various applications. Cedrela odorata, cedro. On the side of
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 183
the hills that face to the east of Puzuzo, there are very tall and leafy
cedars that shade a great area, and their trunks are more than eight
yards in circumference. Two trees that we ordered to be cut to make
boxes, carried with them, when they fell to the ground, many
other smaller trees that grew beneath them and dislodged so many
big stones and so much soil from the hill that all together they made
such a frightful noise that we thought at the moment it was an
earthquake, or a cave-in of the hill, as we were on the spot and
had forgotten that in the morning we had sent the peons to cut these
trees. They were able to bring them down after six hours of work
for four men. Besides this beautiful wood, there are many more
trees in Puzuzo, valuable for their color, grain, and other qualities.
The variety of plants in these montanas is so great that all of them
could scarcely be examined in one hundred years by a whole succes-
sion of botanists.
CHAPTER XXXIX
Itinerary Report and seeds sent to the Ministry of the Indies Addition of
Tafalla and Pulgar to the expedition Illness of Ruiz.
JOURNEY FROM PUZUZO TO HUANUCO
On the 20th of September the draftsmen left Puzuzo to go to
Huanuco, while we stayed until the 27th, when our muleteers arrived
and we left about midday without other misfortune than the lack
of good nourishment, because instead of bread we were eating
baked yucas and boiled corn, and the little meat we had was salty
and not very good. We spent the night in the Tramo and the 28th
in Cushi, having been caught by a heavy shower that lasted from
two o'clock in the afternoon until about nightfall. My companion
Pavon's three mules tired, but the muleteer had the good luck to
find a change of animals on the way, otherwise it would have been
necessary to leave the loads in the desert until after we had reached
the pueblo of Muna. On the 29th we went to spend the night on the
height of Playa, where we were caught in a dense or thick fog until
early morning of the 30th; my muleteers then went to the pueblo of
Muna to rest and feed the animals, which could not be done by
my companion's muleteer, because the fourth mule became exhausted
and two of the three that became fatigued the day before died.
In spite of the inconvenience of the bad road, we gathered for drying
several plants that we found in fruit between Puzuzo and Muna.
On the 1st my muleteers stopped in Muna, and in the afternoon
my companion's muleteer arrived with mules that were lamed on
account of the brambles on the roads and the lack of food. On the
2nd my muleteers persisted in traveling to the hill of Santo Domingo
but could not be followed by my companion's muleteer until the
3rd; I spend that night in the town of Chaclla. On the 4th I
compelled my muleteers to wait for my companion's driver, and
on the 5th we started together from Chaclla with the idea of passing
the night in the Portachuelo of Panao, where my companion's
muleteer's animals could not climb, so he was obliged to sleep on
the bank of the river. This day we had a brief shower. On the 6th
I arrived in Huanuco and my companion, not willing to abandon
his loads, slept in Yanamayo and arrived without incident in Huanuco
on the 7th, although his muleteer had lost another mule. Notwith-
standing the troubles of the trip and the lack of food until our
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 185
arrival in Muna, we worked along the way and gathered a good
number of plants, which we finished drying in Huanuco.
On the 12th I notified the Ministry of the Indies of the discoveries
made in Puzuzo and its montanas, at the same time sending a good
package of seeds for the Royal Botanical Garden. I sent additional
packages by the three mail boats of the following months, and
during this time I arranged my dried plants, perfected my descrip-
tions, and packed them in boxes for safe transportation with a
quantity of packages of seeds and other curiosities.
The Indians of Panao brought to Huanuco the loads of raiz de
China for which I had contracted with them, and after having had
them cleaned and dried, I placed them in five well arranged boxes with
two other boxes of roots of the contrayerba or vejuco de la estrella.
ADDITION OF TAFALLA AND PULGAR
On the 14th of November, 1784, two young men were added to
our group by order of the general superintendent of Peru, one to
learn botany and the other to perfect himself in drawing, with the
idea that after our return to Spain, they could continue working
and clearing up doubts and answering questions that might come from
Madrid during the publication of the Flora Peruana. On the 20th
of this month, Dn. Juan Tafalla started to take lessons in botany un-
der our guidance, and Pulgar in drawing under that of the draftsmen.
The whole month of January, 1785, I spent in bed with a kind of
sunstroke like the previous ones; I became free from it at the begin-
ning of February, although I had severe pain in one side and in the
back and kidneys for more than fifteen days. % When restored, I
continued until June making clean copy of the descriptions worked
out in Puzuzo, and on the way, and of others that I made and
corrected anew in the vicinity of Huanuco with the idea that at the
same time they might serve as lessons for the new assistant.
On the 12th of May, 1785 I notified the Ministry of the Indies of
the expeditions we were going to make to the montanas by way of
the quebrada of Chinchao.
CHAPTER XL
Tafalla's misfortune Arrival at Macora Excursions Very abundant col-
lections Hardships Comforts of the draftsmen Excursion of the peons
Cholon Revolt of the draftsmen The catastrophy at Macora Flight of
the mayordomo Great losses Praiseworthy conduct of some hacenderos
Departure from Macora with great hardships Return to Huanuco Intendente
Galvez Meeting with him, and proposal of the botanists The draftsmen
reprimanded by Galvez Illness of Ruiz Ruiz asks permission to return to
Spain Order of the Ministry of the Indies for the discharge of the new assistants,
and objections of Ruiz Shipment of living plants.
TRIP TO MACORA
In June, 1785 we made the necessary preparations to go to
Marimarchahua, a coca hacienda in the quebrada of Chinchao. On
the 10th we sent two men with 55 sheep for our food. On the 12th I
left with Pavon and Tafalla and went to Chulgu to sleep; from there
we started on the 13th. When we were three leagues from Huanuco,
assistant Tafalla's mule ran away. He followed it and reached
Huanuco at night, tired and exhausted not only by the walking but
because of having to carry the weight of the pellon that the mule
had thrown on the ground; he lost his traveling case with his clothes
and 20 duros that were later recovered almost intact by the alcalde
of the town of Cascay. We spent the night on the pampa of Mayo-
bamba because one of the muleteers could not go on to the pueblo
of Acomayo where the rest had gone. On the 14th we overtook the
first muleteers, and very late we camped for the night a little beyond
the tambo of Pati, where we arrived with some trouble caused by
the bad road that was full of holes. We gathered several plants
that we put in the press. On the 15th we camped for the night beyond
Chinchao in a small clearing at the side of the road. Next day
we arrived at the hacienda Macora, where my companion Pavon
had gone ahead in the company of Dn. Mathias Trabuco, the admini-
strator of that hacienda, persuaded by him that the place was more
advantageous for our work than Marimarchahua and that he could
provide us with food and give us information about those mountains.
On the 17th and 18th we occupied ourselves with the arrangement
and disposition of everything necessary to begin our excursions and
botanical work, and we continued this until the 6th of August, the
day of the lamentable fire. Assistant Tafalla arrived on the 19th
from Macora, after having gone to Marimarchahua. The three
draftsmen arrived in Macora on the 22nd.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 187
On the 24th they began to sketch, and they continued until the
5th of August, when their muleteers arrived for the draftsmen's
return to Huanuco without our consent.
During our stay in Macora we made several excursions in the
woods, where we discovered a great number of fine trees and plants
that we dried. We collected an infinite amount of seeds, many tree
barks, roots, and some gums and resins; several birds were shot
down with gun and with the blowpipe wielded by an Indian from Pam-
pahermosa who very seldom lost a shot no matter how small the bird.
I described not only the plants that had been sketched, but also
many others that were left unsketched, and finally I corrected
various descriptions and finished others that had been made when
we first came to these montanas.
One day, when we had gone farther than usual into the woods, the
guides that accompanied me lost their way, and we walked for
more than two hours at night without knowing where we were
and without hope of finding a way out. I ordered the guides to
discard the plants they were carrying and to follow me, because they
had already decided to stay there for the night.
Although we had to descend through some ravines, in half an
hour we found ourselves in the cocal of Mesapaba, barefooted, half-
naked, and bruised by the branches and continuous falls we had had.
Finally we reached Macora at 10 o'clock at night, fatigued and
exhausted by the long struggle and walk through the mountains.
My companion with the assistant had already planned to search for
us in the morning with firearms, so that by the sound of the guns we
might find them if we had not been killed as they had suspected.
Our draftsmen, as always, worked with every possible comfort
without having to go out to the fields or woods, and without taking
the long walks that the botanists took almost every day on foot.
Thus they escaped the two most troublesome illnesses as well as the
constant hardships, knocks, falls, heat, hunger, thirst, showers,
storms, and torn clothes that the botanists had to suffer because of
the roughness and steepness of those montanas and ridges.
On the 12th we sent three peons to the new pueblo of Chicoplaya
to bring us back information of the condition of the road and also
of the plants of that place, with the idea of going there to further
the discoveries of our mission. After ten days our peons returned
loaded with a great number of rare seeds and other curiosities that
they had gathered by themselves in the mountains, and with others
acquired from the Indians, one of whom accompanied them on
188 HIPOLITO Ruiz
their return. This they made by boat by the Cuchero river so as
not to suffer again the hardships that they had experienced by land.
This Cholon Indian stayed with us several days, getting birds for
us with his blowgun which, as already has been said, he handled
with unique mastery; he hunted even the smallest hummingbirds
without damage to their smallest parts. This Cholon was equally
skilful in handling the bow and arrow, and with it he hunted all
kinds of animals. We therefore asked him to accompany us in our
travels; with apparent willingness he promised to do this, not only
in America but also to Spain. When we thought he was most
content and obliging, he made an excuse of having to go on a very
important errand to the pueblo of Cuchero, but from there he
returned to his country, leaving us deceived.
Before starting from Huanuco to the montanas of Chinchao,
we had decided among ourselves to continue at least three months
on this excursion; nevertheless the draftsmen, disgruntled, it seemed,
with living in an uninhabited country, agreed among themselves to
leave Macora at the beginning of August and to leave us alone in
the montana. To justify their premature departure they used two
pretexts, that there were no more plants to sketch, and that they
were sick.
The first excuse was to satisfy the mayordomo of the hacienda
and other "montaneses" that had gathered there and knew before
we did of this untimely march; the second, although one could
detect no sign of sickness on their faces and none was ever verified,
was for our benefit, so that we should not wonder at the arrival of the
muleteers with whom they had arranged for the beginning of August
for their return to Huanuco. This departure took place on the
6th, in spite of the reproaches and representations that for our part
we made regarding the need we had of them in order to advance
the work in their care, which was far behind, on account of the loss of
the 800 drawings in the vessel "San-Pedro de Alcantara," and because
of the numerous plants daily coming into flower that we had already
described without drawings, besides many other new plants that we
were discovering.
Before this occasion we had not discerned here, any more than in
other parts of Macora, the aim and desire of the draftsmen and we
gave each one of them 2, 3, and even 4 plants a day to sketch as they
were wont to do, even though incompletely, and without the care
and accuracy with which they worked many times in the cities.
For this and other similar reasons, few sketches were finished to
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 189
our satisfaction and, although we complained of the inaccuracy
of their work, they answered that they did not know how to do any
better. Nor did we succeed in getting them to draw the fructifica-
tion first, as being the most important part and most likely to wilt
and spoil before the branch or plant. Hence, in Macora as in other
places, many sketches were left without the parts of the fructification.
On the 6th of August, after we had sent a peon to Huanuco with
the mail and with a package of coffee that we had discovered in that
montana, so that Sr. Visitador Dn. Jorge Escobedo might send it
as a sample to the minister with ten special small trees, the drafts-
men's muleteers arrived in Macora. To avoid the unpleasantness
produced by their departure, with a repetition of reproaches, I
left for the woods with three peons to look for wood to make boards
for boxes and to gather new plants that I might discover on the way.
At five o'clock in the afternoon on our return towards Macora,
one of the peons announced from the top of a hill that the hacienda
had been reduced to ashes. The fright, pain, and grief that this bad
news caused us cannot be told, particularly what it did to me who
was affected more than any one else, and on account of the drawings
that by accident had been spared because they had been left aban-
doned on the threshing floor when the fire surrounded it on all sides
and the men fled from the place reached by the sparks and flames.
Without stopping we ran in haste down the hill; I fell several times,
and almost without breath I reached Macora and went through the
fire, where the flames had almost finished consuming the houses
and all the furniture, baggage, skeletons of plants, books, manu-
scripts, provisions, and all the products we had gathered in our
big house. The first question I asked was about my manuscripts.
I barely heard my companion and the assistant say that every
thing had been burned except the few pieces of furniture that they
had near them, when, without thinking of the danger to which I
exposed myself and without paying attention to the warning cries
of the people present, I dived into the midst of the flames in search
of my manuscripts and in vain sought to save them; but two peons
came after me and dragged me away from the danger I had exposed
myself to. It was already one o'clock in the night, when at the
request of an old man who was there, called Dn. Agustin Ruiz,
and when I was already exhausted from walking from one side to
the other and threatening, like a man out of his mind, the mayordomo,
the draftsmen, and even those present, I sat down tired, hoarse,
weak, sad and pensive, in the middle of the threshing floor, where
190 HIPOLITO Ruiz
all had thrown themselves down and were sleeping quite cold,
although surrounded by fire, resting from the bodily fatigue resulting
from the work they had done during the day in the effort to save the
movables and the houses.
On the 7th, in the morning, feeling calmer and ready to hear an
account of the unexpected and deplorable misfortune, I asked how
it had happened, and they told me that, as soon as I had gone out,
the mayordomo of the hacienda, taking advantage of the favorable
day to burn the clearing and the stumps of the trees that had been
cut north of the buildings, set fire at the foot of the hill at the sum-
mit of which the houses were, and that, the north wind having in-
creased about 10:30 in the morning, at the time the draftsmen depar-
ted, the fire extended throughout the entire clearing with the rapidity
of fireworks. Almost immediately the fire was on the roof of our
big house, and because of the violence of the flames many leaves on
fire passed over the chapel, from which the draftsmen had just left;
noticing this from the house of the mayordomo, the above-mentioned
Dn. Agustin Ruiz called out to the companions of the assistant and
to the servants and peons that were inside. While two peons went
on the roof to extinguish the fire, the chapel caught fire, and from
this the flames passed with incredible force to the big house; having
lost all hope of extinguishing the flames, they started in the confusion
to pull out furniture without order and got in the way of one
another and, when they tried to go in for the second and some for
the third time, the roof caved in completely, burying under it all
the things we had stored there and all the plants we had hanging
on the walls and racks we had built to preserve things from damp-
ness. My companion was the only one to suffer a slight burn in his
leg when they were coming out of the house and the roof caved in.
At this calamity some came with water to try to extinguish the fire,
but there were very few people, and the water served only to
nurse the flames more and to leave the men too exhausted to be
able to rescue the furniture from the main house where the mayor-
domo lived, which was the last to get on fire with two outbuildings
that served as kitchens. When they saw the terrible spectacle,
several persons came from the neighboring farms, but they arrived
too late. Only the draftsmen continued unsympathetically on
their way, although the owner of the hacienda where they were
spectators of the misfortune, had insisted, as he later told us, that
they return to help their companions.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 191
The mayordomo of the hacienda ran away, as soon as he found
I had arrived at Macora from the fields; I did not see him again
until I was in Huanuco, where the unfortunate man was made a
prisoner and remained almost half a year in jail following the trial
for something he probably had not done with any evil intent but for
lack of reflection and thought. Nor did we, knowing his innocence
and integrity, ask for his imprisonment, but we were satisfied to
get a certificate attesting the true facts of the event as we requested
and the intendente Dn. Juan Maria de Galvez asked to be made,
but his assessor Dn. Bartolome" Bedoya unjustly made the event a
criminal one as he had an interest in the houses of the hacienda.
In this fire I lost all the clothes and baggage that I had carried
from Huanuco for my use, all the natural products gathered in
those montafias during two months, diaries for three and a half
years, the botanical descriptions for four years (among which there
were 600 observed in the preceding years, and finally corrected and
perfected in Puzuzo and the quebradas of Chinchao from the same
living plants); the works of Linnaeus, Murray, Plumier, Jacquin,
and several other books on botanical as well as other subjects; the
presses, and drying, preserving, and writing paper; six saddles with
bridles, saddle skins, and other accessories; two rifles, pistols,
and swords; the greater part of my companion's luggage and
the clothes belonging to the assistant, servants, and peons,
and finally the two months' supply of food we had, with the pewter
plates and some silver pieces that were melted and mixed by the fire.
At a moderate estimate, the botanists, servants, and peons lost
that day from 4,000 to 5,000 pesos, silver, aside from the botanical
works mentioned, the loss of which was more painful to me than
the 2,404 pesos that I had to spend later to provide myself anew
with the most essential implements, as I stayed in the montana
like another Simonides, although more disconsolate than he because
of the lack of my manuscripts.
On the morning following the 7th, many of the hacendados of
that country side came at daybreak with as much food as each one
could afford to bring for our immediate need; we thanked them
hastily, and against their will they were paid immediately in cash.
Then all together we went to extinguish the fire in our big house,
and in the ruins we picked up pieces of silver and iron from the
presses and bridles that were found there. When we had finished
this work, we arranged as best we could, in two hampers which had
been saved by my companion and in another one of mine that they
192 HIP6LITO Ruiz
saved, the seeds and other things that were spread out on the thresh-
ing floors, and several packages of dried plants that had been saved
from the fire were packed in pieces of canvas which were found
half-burned in the ruins; carrying on our shoulders as much as we
could, we went to the small, dismantled rancho of the hacienda
called Hualqui, where we arrived worn out although it was less than
half a league distant. We spent the night there with much discom-
fort and trouble, because at 10 o'clock there came up a furious
storm with thunder and lightning, followed by a heavy rain which
wet almost all of our poor and ragged luggage although we tried to
save it by making small ditches and canals with the pieces of iron
we had and with stones about the small rancho.
On the 8th it rained continuously until noon; but in spite of the
tragedy that had befallen us, we tried to collect and dry several
plants that were found around the rancho in some papers that had
been saved from the fire; and at the same time I started to describe
them with pencil on brown paper.
The weather clearing, we decided to go to the road to commandeer
the mules of the traders that came to that montana to get coca;
and in fact, we succeeded in assembling the necessary mules to load
the little goods we had saved from the fire. Making bundles with
the pieces of canvas and chichillica bark, we left Hualqui on the
9th at eight o'clock in the morning, all walking on foot until we could
find saddle mules that of necessity had to be the trader's pack
animals that we seized on the way. Some hacendados provided us
with saddles, and the servants and peons that could, climbed on the
mules with packsaddles, changing from time to time, as they got
tired. We reached the pueblo of Chinchao in the afternoon, where
we spent the night and I described some plants, and the companion
and the assistant changed the ones that gathered on the road and
placed them in the press that we still had.
On the 10th we left Chinchao and slept in the inn at Pati. On
the way we gathered several plants to dry, and I described six of
them. On the llth we left Pati and passed, fortunately, without
encountering any showers, the steep, high hill of Carpis, reaching
the hacienda Chulgue" at eight o'clock at night, after we had gath-
ered many plants to dry and describe. On the 12th we entered Hua-
nuco at noon, and people came to their doors to see the trophies of the
fire evidenced by the pieces of canvas in which were wrapped the
loads of plants that had been saved from the fire, because some of
them were at the threshing floor at Macora and others at the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 193
entrance of the big house where those that were near the door
could be saved.
Until the 17th we continued drying plants and seeds gathered
on the way, and describing the ones we brought dried. On that day
two companies of the regiments of Estremadura and Soria arrived
in Huanuco, commanded by their captains Dn. Diego Herrera and
Dn. Juan Vibes to enter the Mayro and establish towns there and to
clear the way for navigation and communication with the Portuguese.
On the 19th, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, there arrived in Huanuco
the intendant of Tarma, Dn. Juan Maria de Galvez, accompanied
by several persons from Pasco and the subdelegado of the secu-
lar chapter and by some priests, officials of militia, and several
other important persons that had set out from Huanuco to meet
them at the district of Ambo, 5 leagues distant from the city, where
they were received with the ringing of bells and with fireworks, the
troops of the militia being extended from the entrance of the city to
the house that had been assigned to them. As soon as the chief of
the province and of the expedition to the Mayro dismounted, we
botanists, together with the secular and ecclesiastical chapters, the
prelates, and all the principal people of Huanuco went together to
congratulate him.
In spite of this event, so unusual in that country, I described
three plants and continued the other work of my commission.
On the 20th the botanists and the draftsmen with the principal
people of Huanuco were called by the intendant to a general meet-
ing to decide about the expedition to the Mayro. The journey was
postponed for that year because the season was too far advanced to
undertake it. At the conclusion of the meeting, the intendente men-
tioned his desire to see the city and its vicinity, and several people from
the meeting went along to accompany him. When we had reached the
place called Carrera del Campo, it was pointed out to him how use-
ful it would be for beautifying the city, to plant an avenue with
different kinds of trees to make a public walk and to furnish recrea-
tion and desirable shade. The proposal was accepted, and he com-
missioned the subdelegate and some regidores to accomplish this
with the aid of the botanists in the shortest time possible, and this
was done, four streets being planted with trees, and two small
squares at the ends.
In the remaining days of that month I described various plants
of which the descriptions had been burned in Macora, and we con-
tinued drying many others of the vicinity and hills of Huanuco.
194 HIPOLITO Ruiz
In September, 1785 I replaced, with the drawings and dried
specimens, many of the descriptions consumed in the fire at Macora,
and later I perfected them with living plants as opportunity offered
in the montanas.
On the llth of this month I wrote the news of what had happened
in Macora to the Ministry of the Indies, to the acting director, Dn.
Casimiro Ortega, to the superintendent of Peru, Dn. Jorge Escobedo,
and to the R. P. Francisco Gonzalez Laguna, in charge of botanical
matters in Lima. On the 16th I, with my companion, presented a
brief to the intendant of Tarma, soliciting a certificate of the
happening in Macora so that at any time it could serve us as authen-
tic testimony. So this was decreed, and his assessor was asked to
make it, after taking testimony from all the persons that were
present at the fire. The assessor, perhaps on purpose, delayed
attending to the matter until the 29th, when, at our request, the
intendente asked again to have it done, but because the administrator
Dn. Mathias Trabuco had not appeared, afraid of being compelled
by judicial order, the investigations that remained in order to give
us the certificate were suspended for the reason that the intendant
and his suite had gone to the province of Huamalies.
On October 7th, 1785 I received orders from the ministry of the
Indies, for myself and companion to replace the small trees lost on
the vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara" at 45' south.
The same day I received a letter from the general superin-
tendent in which he informed me that he had sent an official order
to the intendant of Tarma to make a judicial investigation of the
fire of Macora, accompanied by another letter to the effect that in the
future the draftsmen and others of the expedition would be under
the orders of the first botanist. This he did on the grounds that he
had had information that the trip was going to last at least three
months, and that the draftsmen had left the montanas before this time
was up without the consent of the botanists, adding that, if they had
stayed in Macora, as they should have done, until the departure of
the botanists, they might at least have helped to save from the fire
the things that were burned after they left Macora. From all of
this he inferred that there existed in the expedition a monster with
many heads and no subordination. When the draftsmen read this
letter, they got very angry and burst out saying that they did not
recognize any other chief than the king and the minister, and that
since the last order was for the botanists to replace the small trees
that had been lost in the "San Pedro de Alcantara," and did not
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 195
make any mention in it of the draftsmen, they considered them-
selves already free from the expedition, and for this reason they
were going to Lima to return to Spain.
On the following days up to the 14th, I continued describing
several plants, and I answered the letter of the superintendent,
sending him a package of seeds of those saved from the fire so that
he might forward them to the Ministry of the Indies, to which I wrote
giving information about all that had happened on the expedition.
On the 15th I became ill and kept to my bed until the 4th of No-
vember, when I got up, though with some difficulty on account of ex-
treme weakness and the pain that, as on other occasions, had settled
in my right side; on the 14th I started anew to describe plants and to
transcribe the descriptions made after the fire. I continued this
work until the 17th of December, when I went to bed again with
the same sickness until the 1st of January, 1786, when I got up
with the same pain in the back and without any appetite until the
23rd. Then with the help of lemonades and four bleedings I was
able to recuperate and to drive off the fever and the dry cough that
kept me exhausted until the 22nd of February; then I began to eat
fruits, vegetables, and fresh fish, and through this means I was
completely restored to health.
On the following days of February and in March, I replaced a
good number of descriptions and I corrected not a few of those
made on the coast, of plants that were found also in Huanuco, par-
ticularly of the Malvaceae.
Already harassed by repeated sickness and realizing that
the work of the expedition that was in my charge was very hard on
me and that I felt the burden more every day because I had not the
necessary strength to continue, I wrote on the llth of March, 1786
to the Minister of the Indies, asking to be returned to Spain.
On the 13th of March Galvez, the draftsman, and Tafalla, the
assistant, went to Pasco to collect pay for all of us from the Royal
Coffers. The assistant returned on the 25th with his salary and that
of his companion, Galvez staying there a few days longer to await
the arrival of money to the coffers so as to receive the salaries of the
others. On the 9th of April I received a letter from Galvez, in
which he told me that a mule had fallen down a precipice at the
Huariaca river with four thousand pesos and that I should go
without delay and see if I could give some advice on how to recover
the bags, because the river was getting very high. On the 10th,
early in the morning, I left Huanuco in company of Pulgar and my
196 HIPOLITO Ruiz
servant; I arrived that day at the Ollerias [pottery place] where
Pulgar and I spent the night dressed because the servant had not
been able to arrive with the beds. The multitude of guinea pigs
and the fleas that those small animals bred kept us awake all
night. On the llth, on entering Huariaca, we were informed that
Galvez with all the Indians of a near-by town had succeeded in
getting the money from the river and that he had gone to Rondos
the afternoon before by a road different from the one we had traveled.
Without dismounting in Huariaca, we returned to Huanuco, where
we arrived at 11:30 at night, very sore and tired after the 20 leagues
that we had traveled that day and the 10 of the day before through
rough country; nevertheless, I brought back to Huanuco six plants
that I described the next day, after I had sent off the correo de
Espaiia [mailman] with a package of seeds.
On the 10th of May we sent to Lima, with Dn. Juan Tafalla, 28
pots of live plants, and on the 27th Pulgar took to Lima as many
more plants of different and beautiful trees, with which we not only
replaced the loss of the plants on the ill-fated vessel "San Pedro
Alcantara," but also increased the shipment a great deal with the
specimens of quinos, laupes, Weinmannias, laurels, arboles del sebo,
yasmich, arboles de incienso, Triplaris or santo palo, coca, Porlieria,
quino-quinos, Bombax, and other very special ones from those mon-
tanas of Panatahuas.
On May 12th I showed the superintendent the urgent need of
added funds to continue the explorations in the montanas, send-
ing him an exact account of the extraordinary expenses incurred
with the peons on the journeys and the conveyance of the effects
of the expedition.
On the 7th of June I received orders from the Minister of the
Indies that the work of the assistants should stop as soon as we
returned to Spain. By virtue of this I answered on the llth of the
same month that the royal order would be obeyed; but that at the
same time I could do no less than explain to H. M. the application and
progress that the assistants had shown, and how important it would
be to have them continue the mission after our return to Spain, to
clear up doubts that would arise, to answer questions that might be
made from Madrid, and to add to the work with new discoveries
that they could be making. I made the same representations to
the superintendent of Peru and to the director of the faculty, Dn.
Casimiro Ortega.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 197
I described and dried various new plants. I corrected and made
fair copy of several descriptions.
On the 9th of July the assistants returned from Lima, after
leaving in the care of Padre Gonzalez the 56 pots of living plants,
bringing the necessary funds to make the expedition into the mon-
tanas. They had the good luck to get to Lima almost all the live
plants that they took from Huanuco without having lost but one
or two because of the shaking with the ups and downs of the road.
CHAPTER XLI
Shipwreck of the vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara" Plants gathered after the fire
at Macora Their use Curious observations.
SHIPWRECK OF THE "SAN PEDRO DE ALCANTARA"
On the 19th of this month we received news that the vessel
"San Pedro de Alcantara" had stranded on the coast of Portugal
and that only some three hundred persons had been saved. On the
30th it was learned that the fortune the vessel carried in gold and
silver had been saved and also some boxes. We had the hope then
that among them might be some of our 53 cases of plants, drawings,
and metals, etc.
After the fire of Macora until the end of July of 1786, I described
the following plants, most of them described before the fire at
Macora, and in Huanuco.
Nepeta, muna and coca. The natives apply the concoction of
this plant with salt in hot baths for oedematous and gouty swell-
ings and for pains in the side; and to relieve the head they take hot
infusions of this plant as an aperitive and diuretic remedy to banish
gloomy and melancholy choler, to clear the spleen, and to diminish
obstructions. Cynomorium fungiforme, hatum, puyutchrin. This
plant has the form of a spongy and reddish cake, and over it are
found sessile many big catkins in the shape of clubs of the size of a
hen's egg, also reddish. The Indians eat them to regain the strength
lost after long travels and after too heavy work. Heliconia discolor.
Begonia ciliata. Cecropia coriacea. Elephantopus capitatae. Clusia
aff. triflora. Palaua lanceolata. Amomum racemosum, achyra de
monte. Its seeds are still more aromatic than the seeds of cardamon
and, preserved between papers, they give off so much oil that the
papers become entirely spotted. Escobedia tinctorea, saffron and
mountain spice, because its root is used, instead of saffron, to give
color to stews and for dye. Bocconia frutescens, palo amarillo, on
account of the color of its juice and because the whole of the shrub
is used to dye cotton, wool, and other cloth. Hippocratea viridis.
Anthodon decussatum. Olmedia aspera. When incisions are made
in this tree, a white resinous milk flows, that is very elastic when
condensed. Miconia pulverulenta. Costus argenteus and scaber.
Purum pina. Sobralia amplexicaulis. Its flowers are very fragrant
and beautiful on account of their size and color. Chaetocrater
pubescens and serrata. Ceanothus granulosus. Lettsomia tomentosa
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 199
and lanata. Tovaria pendula. Marcgravia calyptrata, purumhigos
and higos de monte [mountain figs]. The Indians eat the fruits
when they have opened. Loranthus triflorus. Lobelia volubilis.
Citrosma echinata. Lisianthus .... This is a beautiful plant for
gardens on account of the large size of its pink flowers. Prunus
virginiana, cerezo or cherry tree. It is cultivated in some orchards
of Huanuco, where they call the tasty fruits cherries. Cestrum
undulatum, hierba hedionda or fetid herb; although this small shrub
is fetid, its flowers exhale an agreeable fragrance at night and in
the morning; the natives use the infusion and concoction of the miu
to temper the heat of the blood and for many other uses, and for
this reason they call it yerba santa. Schinus Molle, molle. It is
said that the Incas called it the "tree of life," because of its prop-
erties and uses. In cases of dropsy, gout, and oedema, baths are
prepared with the leaves and bark with salt. From the ripe fruits,
rubbing them in water so that they give up their saccharine matter,
and later fermenting this liquor, the Indians make a chicha, sweet
and agreeable to them and excellent against dropsy. In Peru, even
the most intelligent people are persuaded that the fruit of this tree
is the true pepper of the East and that it is because they do not
know how to prepare it that it is not as much esteemed. Because
of the slight taste and resemblance in size and odor that the seeds
of the molle have to the grains of the true pepper, some after roast-
ing mix them with the latter, with great harm to their health; for
this they should be severely punished if, after being warned, they
should continue with these harmful mixtures, for from them originate
the vicho or mal del valle and terrible hemorrhoids. The white,
fragrant resin of the molle, applied in plasters, is excellent for mend-
ing fractures and sprains and for cleaning and healing ulcers. From
its ashes results an excellent fixed alkali for the purification of sugar
and for dyes. The wood is quite strong and lasting in the fire, but
its smoke causes headaches. From its trunk they cut excellent
boards, beams, and timber for various purposes. Vermifuga corym-
bosa, matagusanos, contrayerba, and chinapaya, in the region of
Cuzco; when ground together with salt and lard, it kills the maggots
of the beasts more rapidly than when applied alone. Mimosa
farnesiana L., aromo; on account of the special fragrance of its
flowers, the ladies adorn their heads with them, and they are used
in the making of the puchero mixtura, as a mixture of various
fragrant flowers is called in Peru. Its seeds when chewed and
ejected with saliva in any room, give off an insufferable odor,
200 HIP6LITO Ruiz
resembling that of human excrement. Galinsoga quinqueradiata and
quadrimdiata, pacoyuyu. The leaves and juice of this plant are
used to cure sores of the mouth, as an excellent detergent, and to
promote healing. Boerhaavia viscosa, pegajosa. Boerhaavia scan-
dens, yerba de la purgation, on account of the virtues of the infusion
and concoction against venereal infections. Calyxhymenia viscosa
and Mirabilis Jalapa, trompetillas and flor de Panama, the root of
which is used as a mild laxative. Achillea urens, botoncillo; a plant
with burning taste, that stimulates salivation as does the pelitre,
and they use it against toothache in place of the roots of the latter.
It is a deadly poison to guinea pigs. Achillea lutea. It has the same
vernacular name as the other and produces similar effects; it appears
to be merely a variety of the other. Talinum dichotomum. Tafalla
laciniata. Krameria triandra, ratafia, pumacuchu, and mapato.
This plant grows in the provinces of Tarma, Huanuco, Canta, and
Huarocheri. Its root has such powerful astringent properties that
it stops any bleeding; and when the infusion or decoction of half an
ounce of dried root per dose is taken, or a drachm of its watery
extract is diluted in two or three ounces of water, this root serves
to clean and strengthen the teeth. This use it had already in Peru
when I discovered its great astringent virtue, superior to that of
any other plant known to date for stopping hemorrhages, without the
bad effects of other astringents, as has been demonstrated by the
experience of more than 800 persons who have taken its extract
under the direction of physicians of the best reputation. See my
memoir upon the ratafia inserted in the first volume of Memoirs
of the Medical Academy of Madrid, printed in 1797, where all that
I have observed about this particular will be found. Zannichellia
palustris. Pectis trifida, ascacpichana, escoba amarga [bitter broom],
and canchalagua cimarrona; it is a low plant, extremely bitter and
an excellent febrifuge and a stomachic tonic. Porlieria hygrometrica,
tarucasa and huayacan in the kingdom of Chile. In this country,
balls, ladles, bodies, and shafts for various instruments are made of
its wood in preference to other substances on account of its
density and resistance. In Huanuco these shrubs are used for
fences, and handles of axes, hoes, and hammers are also made from
their wood. Its leaves watch by day and sleep at night, closing or
folding in such a way that the tree appears to be without leaves
or to be dead. The leaves begin to open or unfold half an hour and
a few minutes before sunrise and are completely open an hour and a
few minutes after the sun has risen; they start folding up 30 to 40
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 201
minutes before the sun sets, and they are all closed an hour and a
few minutes after sunset. If it is going to rain the next day, they
always announce it the evening before, delaying the folding of the
leaves by half an hour and a few minutes more or less, probably
according to the saturation of the atmosphere; to this cause I
attribute this movement of the leaflets. I do not doubt that the
same phenomenon could also be observed in plants with winged or
compound leaves, such as mimosas, cassias, poincianas, and other
legumes. It remains, however, to make exact observations to dis-
cover this movement of the leaves that varies according to changes
in the weather, as I have done with two plants of Porlieria in the
voyage from the port of Callao to the Bay of Cadiz, keeping an
exact account in writing, every day from the 16th of June, 1788
until the 12th of September. On that day I landed the 24 crates of dif-
ferent small trees that I was lucky enough to bring from Lima to the
port of Santa Maria, where they arrived after 5 months and 12 days
of sailing by way of Cape Horn, 77 live plants out of 87 that
I brought from Peru. On the 16th of November I delivered to
the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid 68 living plants, notwith-
standing the cold season that overtook me on the way between
Sierra Morena and Madrid.
Croton ciliatum, huanarpo macho and higos del duende. The
natives assert that the infusion of the root of this plant excites
powerfully to sensual pleasures, and they say that its opposite
is the infusion of the huanarpo hembra, or female, another species
of the same genus, whose flowers are white, while the flowers of the
male are red. Cacalia punctata, a plant of more pleasant fragrance
than that of the Tagetes, which it resembles considerably. Solatium
sicioides. Spondias Mombin, ciruela agria [bitter plum]. Its fruit
is red and has a bittersweet taste, quite agreeable. Psidium pyri-
ferum, sahuintu and huayabo. It is so abundant in the whole
valley of Huanuco that for that reason the natives are called huya-
beros, a term they apply to impostors; to say, "What a big lie!" they
use in Peru the expression, "Que huayaba tan gorda" or "What a
big guava!" The fruits of the huayabo [guava] tree vary so much
in color, shape, and size that there are found more than ten varieties,
to which they give as many names, like verde sahuintu, ducasahuintu,
coarhuasahuintu, yorasahuintu, etc., meaning green guava, red
guava, yellow guava, white guava, etc. From these fruits, that are
desirable to many, they make a very good candy resembling pear
jelly, stop bloody urine, excessive flow of menstruation and of the
202 HIP6LITO Ruiz
bowels; this is usually done with fruits not quite ripe, and with ripe
fruit the action is the same but less effective. The trunk of these
trees looks as if it had no bark because it is smooth and has a dull,
tawny color. The leaves, as well as the fruits have a fragrance resem-
bling somewhat that of arrayan and are astringent like the leaves
of the latter; for this reason they are sometimes chewed to relieve and
strengthen the teeth. Campomanesia palillos, palillo. This tree,
like the preceding, is cultivated in Peru, where they eat its fragrant
fruit called palillos, and it is placed in the "mixture of flowers" to
add to the attractive fragrance of the latter. The wood is very good
for various purposes, and its leaves have a very agreeable odor. Galium
lappaceum. Buddleia diffusa, quisoar. Oenothera lyrata. Dianthera
hirsuta. Asclepias curassavica? , arbol de la seda, and chuchumeca.
Urena villosa and hamata, lausahacha; the women wash their hair
with the gum of these two plants, extracted in cold water, for the
purpose of removing dandruff and grease from the hair and of
making it grow. Spermacoce gracilis.
Anona reticulata, chirimoya. In Peru they cultivate this beauti-
ful and luxuriant tree, the trunk of which is very good for various
purposes; its flowers exhale a very sweet fragrance, and for this
reason they are added to the compound of flowers called "mixtura."
In Huanuco its fruits reach a weight of 10 to 12 pounds and, although
there are few of this size, there is an abundance of those weighing
3 to 6 pounds, which I have not seen in the rest of Peru, their regu-
lar weight in other places being half a pound to a pound and a half.
The skins of these fruits vary, being more or less smooth or rough,
and so they call the chirimoyas that have points, chirimoyas de
cabeza de negrito, and the ones that have the surface smooth,
chirimoyas reales. The flesh or pulp is white, juicy, sweet, and
very soft. Solanum incanum, yurahuacta, that is, white back, on
account of the white color of the back of the leaves; the natives use
the leaves to clean ulcers, applying to them the upper surface, and
then to cure the sores they apply the under side of the leaves. Mal-
pighia nitida, ciruelo de Fraile. They cultivate this tree in Peru;
its fruits, after they have reached a certain ripeness, are picked and
put in chaff or bran, straw or grass, so that, with the heat and the
slight fermentation that takes place there, they will ripen completely
and their pulp become soft and sweet, red and cloying. The seeds
that are sweet also and somewhat similar in taste to fresh almonds
serve as a purgative and produce nausea. Rubus fructicosus? , siraca;
its fruit is bittersweet. Nicotiana Tabacum, tabaco verdadero or
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 203
true tobacco. Although this plant is cultivated in several provinces
of the kingdom, where they have large crops and make them into
bundles that they call tabaco de andullo and long cigars, it is found
wild in abundance in all torrid climates. Physalis pubescens L.,
capuli; the children eat its bittersweet fruits, and the women that
sometimes also eat one or two add them to the mixtura of flowers,
anointing them with a little amber to give them greater fragrance
than they naturally have. Finally they serve as ornaments for the
hair, placed among the other flowers with which those cleanly people
adorn themselves.
I described anew 180 plants of those of Puzuzo, the descriptions
of which were burned in the fire of Macora; their generic and
specific, as well as vernacular names and uses, are already recorded
in the chapter on that journey.
Those that I succeeded in describing in Huanuco, of those that
were worked on in Macora and that were burned in that fire, are
the following.
Canna paniculata, achyra: the natives eat the roots like the
roots of the Canna indica L., also called achyra. Acosta aculeata,
caimito de monte, on account of the similarity of its fruit to that
of Achras Caimito. Peperomia foliiflora and concava. Hirtella race-
mosa. Dorstenia ovalis. Its root is as fragrant as that of D. con-
trayerva. Coffea occidentalis, cafe"; name introduced by us among
those natives that knew the plant. Cynanchum lanuginosum.
Stapelia volubilis. Rhus atrium. The juice of its bark and stalks
give a black and glossy ink like the best printing ink; when one
writes it is clear, but as it dries it becomes darker with a varnish-
like luster. Ornithogalum rubrum. Laurus crassifolia and coerulea.
Murraya racemosa. Cassia viminea L. Melastoma acuminata and
coerulea. Vaccinium ? bicolor. Trichilia acuminata and trifoliata.
Valdesia repens and ovalis. Triumfetta fructicosa and Lappula L.
Myrtus pseudopimentas. The berries have an odor quite similar to
the tabasco or malagueta pepper. Prunus nigra. Anona lutea,
anona. The fruits of this species ripen on the trees until the skin
turns completely yellow; this does not happen with the chirimoyas,
huanabanas, and anonas of the coast that have to be covered with
grass, bran, or clothes so that through a short period of fermentation
they may become tender and fit to eat. The pulp of the anonas of
the mon tafias seems to me more delicious than that of those from the
coast. Mollinedia lanceolata, repanda, and serrata. Justicia mucro-
nata. Peperomia filiformis, purpurea, tetragona, and trinervis. Piper
204 HIPOLITO Ruiz
Carpunya, carpunya. Its leaves are aromatic, and they acquire
greater fragrance when well dried; natives with delicate taste often
drink one or two cups of the infusion of these leaves made with
boiling water to help the digestion, in preference to the tea of the
East. Piper dichotomum. Its leaves can be substituted for those
of carpunya as they have almost the same fragrance and taste.
Callicarpa globiflora. O'Higginsia aggregata. Convolvulus quinque-
folius. Gimbernatia obovata, chuncho; a tall, leafy tree with a thick
trunk and with very strong wood. Lisianthus acutangulus, oblongus,
and ovalis. Echites acuminata. Cestrum longiflorum and racemosum.
Clavija lanceolata. Macrocnemum pubescens and venosum. Psycho-
tria umbellata, tinctoria, coronata, viridis, glandulosa, angustifolia,
and acuminata. Coffea tetrandra. Porcelia dependens, platanos de
monte [mountain bananas], on account of the similarity in the shape
of the fruits to that of the banana. This tall, leafy tree has a
straight, thick trunk with good wood. Its fruits, that grow in
clusters of as many as nine from each flower, are about 5 inches
long, cylindrical and with prominences; between the seeds they
contain a sweet and pleasant pulp which can be eaten if the fruits
after picking be allowed to ripen in a sheltered or warm place. Chio-
cocca ovata. Cedrela inodora. Tree with an excellent wood; for this
reason, on the day of the fire at Macora, I had had a trunk of that
tree cut into boards to make boxes. Achyranthes secunda. Alzatea
verticillata. The trunk of this tall, leafy tree, that I examined on
the top of Mesapata, was divided into six thick props that formed an
arbor underneath, and at the height of four yards they united in a
single trunk, divided a little farther up into five arms, thick and
leafy, the central one being erect and the lateral ones extended out-
wards, and all of them subdivided into airy, straight branches.
Cynanchum lanceolatum. Staphylaea serrata. Aralia aff. ferruginea.
Pourretia paniculata and lanuginosa. Loranthus retroflexus. Guarea
acuminata. Rhexia grandiflora, a beautiful plant for gardens because
of its flowers. Rhexia flexuosa. Semarillaria obovata, acutangula,
and subrotunda, monte lucuma. The Indians eat the fleshy, white,
sweet arils that half cover the seeds. Laurus alba, foetida, obovata,
and subpubescens. Melastoma carinata, nitida, sericea, and serrulata.
Banisteria rugosa. Guatleria dependens and hirsuta. Anona micro-
carpa; a small leafy tree with small fruits. Mendozia racemosa and
aspera. Gesneria frutescens. Cleome coccinea. Bombax polyandrum
or Carolineal Tall tree with thick trunk and soft wood, the fruits
or capsules of which contain a very soft white cotton very excellent
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 205
for mattresses, pillows, sofa pillows, settees, and for stuffing chairs
and other articles of rest and comfort. This wool can also be spun
by mixing it with wool of the vicuna of Huanuco, because by itself
it is very difficult to spin. This wool has the property that, when
it is compressed, it puffs up in the sun, and for this reason it is called
sun cotton. When with the heat of the sun the capsules open and
the wool covering the seeds expands, each fruit forms a mass of
very white and quite bulky fleece. Erythrina articulata, huilcatauri.
These thick, tall, and leafy trees flower before the leaves come out,
and then they present a beautiful sight. Hedysarum pilosum and
virgatum. Indigo/era Anil, anil. From this plant is extracted the
indigo blue that is used in dyeing. Crotalaria trigona. Negretia
mitis. Trifolium hirsutum. Eupatorium canescens and sambucinum.
Elephantopus tuberosus. Tagetes chinchu and anisidora, anis-anis.
This species is the smallest that I have seen of its genus, but the
most fragrant. Orchis punctata. Epidendrum ferrugineum and
cordatum. Maxillaria ramosa. Rodriguezia lanceolata and ensi-
formis. Humboldtia polystachya and acutiflora. Limodorum coria-
ceum and lineare. Calla canaliculata. Pothos perforata. Arum ali-
aceum, on account of the very penetrating odor of garlic that this
caustic plant exhales when it is trampled or ill-treated. Satyrium
virescens. Phyllanthus gemina. Urtica diaphana. Cucumis pur-
pureus. Cucurbita fragrans, upe. The natives eat the fruits or
calabashes of this plant stewed, and with them the women decorate
altars and rooms on account of the delightful fragrance that the
fruits exhale for many months and even without noticeable loss in
a whole year; after this they replace them with new ones. Bego-
nia ciliata. Synzyganthera purpurea; a small, low, slender, tree.
Cucumis quinquelobatus. Cecropia digitata and aspera. These trees,
called tacunas, grow from 30 to 40 yards; the trunk is very straight
and jointed and hollowed in the upper joints, in which quite often
there is found a quantity of clear, potable water without any
disagreeable taste whatever. In some of them the cavity reaches
almost to the roots. The trees are of a beautiful luxuriance, and
the leaves follow the course of the sun, remaining during the night
with the face downward and in the daytime inclined toward the
sun. Ipomoea glandulifera. Auroras, because their flowers open
in the morning and remain open until eleven or twelve of the
same forenoon and wilt at two or three o'clock in the afternoon
when they have been beaten by the sun so that the pollen or
fructifying powder has scattered; they are ephemeral as are almost
206 HiPtiLiTO Ruiz
all the flowers of Ipomoea and Convolvulus; they emit an abundance
of white milk when their branches are cut. Smilax lanceolata.
Its fibrous roots have the same use as that of the zarzaparilla.
Populus glandulosa. A very tall, leafy tree, with a thick trunk.
Schinus aculeatus, huillca. It is a tall, leafy tree with a very
thick trunk and covered completely with thorns swollen at the
base, in the shape of little nipples or teats with a sharp point in
the center. Coussapoa obovata and triloba. These tall trees have
a thick trunk and admirable foliage. Isquierdia aggregata. Carica
monoica, col de montana [forest cabbage]; although the fruits
of this species are not eaten because they are tasteless, its leaves
are put in the pot in place of cabbage. The Indians of Pampaher-
mosa carried the seeds of this plant to the quebrada of Chinchao,
where it has multiplied abundantly. Myrislica longifolia and
oblongifolia, tallow trees, because a heavy oil, similar to cocoa
butter is expressed from the seeds and is used by the Indians
for illumination. The seeds of the first species are the size of a
nutmeg, and the second are the size of hen's eggs. Tafalla triflom,
aitacupi, and its resin, almaciga, which they gather in some places
for soothing plasters: the whole tree exhales a pleasing fragrance;
its resin is white and flows in drops spontaneously. Mimosa
planisiliqua. Ficus acuminala, cordata, and lineata. Carludovica
latifolia and angustifolia. Martinezia lanceolata. Pullipuntu macro-
car pon and microcarpon, pullipuntu. Luxuriant palms that bear
their fruits at the base of the trunk. The fruits are numerous and
united in big prickly heads like clubs. At the beginning the fruits
are filled with a liquid as clear as water, in place of which it is
sometimes used by those that walk through the woods; when some
days have passed, it turns milky and acid, and later it changes
into a sweet and pleasant emulsion and successively acquires greater
consistency, solidity, and weight, until it becomes as hard as ivory.
For this reason we gave it the name vegetable ivory because it
seems to have almost the same qualities as that animal matter,
with the superiority of remaining white even after being carved
and exposed to the air for many years. Small objects may be
turned in a lathe from these fruits with more ease than in the
case of ivory, because the substance of the former is neither splintery
nor fibrous like the bones and teeth of marine or land animals.
Ephedra distachya L., suelda consuelda, on account of its property
of uniting fractures, when applied in the form of poultices. Urtica
globifolia, pini-pini. It is the only plant that I know with globular
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 207
leaves. Portulaca pentandra and cristallina. Euphorbia Peplis?
In Peru almost all Euphorbias are known by the name yerba de
la golondrina, because their milk cures cataracts of the eyes.
Coreopsis trifida. Lycopodium ciliatum. Elaterium glandulosum.
Pineda incana, llogui. From the woody shoots they make staffs,
walking canes, and ramrods of great resistance. Cleome concava.
Solanum pubescens. Coffea subsessilis. Nepeta ciliata and calyci-
clausa, hupaimuna, both species. Valdesia repens and ovalis.
Acunna oblonga. Cissus lobata.
CHAPTER XLII
Stops on the way Arrival at Mima Excursions Description of Muna Occu-
pation of the natives Products of the country Population Peaceful char-
acter of the Indians Clothing Flora.
TRIP TO THE MONTANAS OF MUNA
On the 2nd of August, 1786, we botanists left for the montanas
of Muna, and we spent the night on the farm of Taullan, near the
town of Valle. On the 3rd we went on to Tambillo without other
incident than the excessive heat of that ravine. On the 4th, passing
through the pueblo Panao, we went to spend the night at Huaman-
mayo. On the 5th, passing through the pueblo Chaclla, we went
to spend the night at Pinapata, where we felt quite cold with the
frost that is a daily occurrence there. In this place we collected
some new plants. On the 6th we slept at the summit of the hill
of Santo Domingo; its steep and dangerous ascent has 39 steps
in the shape of winding stairs, besides the climb from the river to
the beginning of the winding stairs. On the 7th we arrived happily
in Muna, having gathered on the way a great number of plants
that we put in press to dry.
From the 8th to the 12th we were busy arranging the things
needed for work and in making a spacious rancho of timber and
branches to accomodate our beds and effects, because the room
assigned to us by the missionary father and justice of Muna was
too small. Besides, we arranged our traveling tents so as to be
able to work with more ease and with better light and to make
place at night for the presses and dried plants with which we worked
under shelter. Finally I corrected several descriptions made on
the trip from Puzuzo and that were burned at Macora.
On the 13th we started our excursions through those thick
montanas; in them we found a great number of new plants that we
discovered by means of long walks and continuous work through
those woods.
On the 15th the draftsmen arrived in Muna and, after being
housed in the house or convent of the missionary father, they
began their work on the 16th.
In the mail that the draftsmen brought me from Huanuco, I
received definite information of the loss of the vessel "San Pedro de
Alcantara," dashed to pieces on the coast of Portugal against the
rock of Papona; but I was not informed whether our 53 boxes of
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 209
products of nature had been rescued as were the boxes with gold
and silver.
We remained in Mufia until the 24th of September, 1786, when
we returned to Huanuco because the rains were becoming con-
tinuous, and we could no longer work with freedom or to advantage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PUEBLO OF MUNA
The pueblo of Muna is located at 10 latitude almost opposite
Huanuco, to the east 24 leagues by the road from that city, on a
plateau that is formed there by that very tall mountain which rises
from the river on with five leagues of continuous incline to its
summit, a league and a half from the river. Muna is located in
a place sheltered from the south, west, and east winds and is
reached by the north winds only; therefore the heat is excessive
during the day, but is usually tempered by the north wind, which
begins to blow at eleven o'clock in the morning.
The ground at Muna, called the rinconada, which is where the
natives plant grain and roots for their maintenance, is fertile and
suitable for all kinds of grain and fruits, but the natives are satisfied
with maize, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, gourds, zapayos,
arracachas, achyras, and some poorly cultivated vegetables.
Although there are good pastures between Muna and the river,
the natives do not have any cattle grazing except a few mules or
horses for their transportation to Puzuzo and Huanuco. Most
of the Indians occupy themselves by day with gathering the
cascarilla or quina that is abundant in those montanas, as much
of the fine, or officinal sort, as of the yellow and purple-leaved
kind. They also pick small lots of incense and carry them to
Huanuco to sell for use in the churches.
In Muna there are two small brooks with very good water
that comes by two gorges from those hills.
There are some wild animals and fowls, as elsewhere in the
montana, and there is no lack of redheaded buzzards.
Near Muna on the slope of a hill of the rinconada at a corner,
there is abundance of a kind of black slate which is found in long,
quadrangular pieces in the shape of bars more or less perfect.
I picked up one that I have in my possession, three fourths of a
yard in length with four level faces, the two opposite ones polished
perfectly and the other two, although one not as much as the other,
sufficiently so to sharpen an edged instrument if you put oil on
210 HIPOLITO Ruiz
them; it does not have the same effect if you use water. At its
extremities this slate is cut diagonally, one slant in the opposite
direction from the other. Some of these slates are found to be
of a very dark gray color on some faces. So many were found in
that place that from some distance I thought they were pieces of
burned tree trunks.
The number of inhabitants in Mufia barely reaches 40 Indians
and a few mestizos, governed by a missionary father from Ocopa,
who provides their spiritual nourishment, living continually with
them. For this reason there are no serious disorders, as happens
in other towns where there is no one to restrain them from their
drunkenness. These Indians are very obedient in all that the
missionary father asks them to do; so they meet in church every
night and morning after they return from their work and before
going out to it, to pray and sing their petitions and praises to God
and the Virgin Mother, with the greatest devotion, and no one is
absent except for good reason. Although these Indians do not
possess riches, nothing is lacking for their sustenance or for ordinary
simple clothing, which consists merely of a cloak, jacket, vest,
shirt, and pants, and for the women, skirt, blouse, and shirt. Each
inhabitant has his own rancho or house, with corresponding fields
for plantation, with no sign of superiority of riches among them.
On working days only the alcalde [mayor], uses the cloak; but
on feast days all the married men use it to church while the bachelors
come in their jackets. During the week the padre says Mass
early, and most of the people go to hear it, but no one is required
to do so on those days except for the praises and prayers in the early
morning and at night.
While we remained in Muna, I corrected many of the descrip-
tions already made and described the following, most of which were
sketched.
Salvia incurvata and galeata* Justicia racemosa. Calceolaria
heterophylla. Peperomia acuminata. Valeriana decussata and pani-
culata, macae. The root of this species can be used in medicine
instead of Valeriana officinalis as it has almost the same fragrance.
Embothrium pinnatum, emarginatum, and monospermum. Paco-paco,
the first species, is a small tree, but leafy and has rather fetid
bark; the second species is called catas, picahuai, and machinparrani.
The Indian women decorate the altars and images with the racemes
of these flowers, and they form arches with their branches in bloom,
which are a beautiful sight when there are church parades; the third
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 211
species they call paco-paco de la sierra. Spermacoce corymbosa.
Callicarpa cordifolia. O'Higginsia obovata and verticillata. Bud-
dleia spicala. Periphragmos flexuosus. Lygodisodea foetida, yura-
huanium and vejuco bianco [white vine]. This twining plant,
whose stems are used as rope to tie the beams in buildings on account
of their flexibility and resistance, have a fetid odor like rotting
cabbage. Cinchona angustifolia, cascarillo bobo amarillo, on ac-
count of the color of the inner side of its very bitter bark. Asclepias
reticulata. Staphylea serrata. Synzyganthera purpurea. Solanum
acutifolium, lineatum, sessile, incurvum, pendulum, and scabrum.
Nicotiana tomentosa. Psychotria alba. Gumillea auriculata. Fragosa
corymbosa. Eccremocarpus viridis. Stereoxylon pendulum, puma-
chillca. This small tree, when in bloom, makes a beautiful sight
with its racemes of pendant flowers. Its wood is resistant and is
used for handles of instruments and various other purposes. Its
leaves, especially the buds, are covered with a soothing resin; for
this reason they are crushed and applied in the form of a poultice
to soothe sprains and bruises. Huertea glandulosa, cedro macho.
A tall tree with good wood. Laugeria stipulata. Cestrum rigidum.
Genliana violacea. Portlandia corymbosa. The bark of this small
shrub is somewhat bitter, and from a certain distance its white
flowers resemble those of jasmine. Hydrocotyle tennis and globosa.
Heliotropium oppositifolium. Clavija spathulata and macrocarpa,
monte lucuma, from the shape of its fruits. Echites glandulosa.
Lisianthus revolutus and viscosus. The calyces of this small shrub
as well as the flower stalks are covered with a white, crystalline
gum that dissolves completely in water and crackles in the fire
like gum arabic. Gardenia viscosa. Marcgravia pentandra. Its
flowers, that are found in long bunches, exhale a very agreeable
fragrance. Celastrus corymbosus, picna, and in Huasahuasi, rurama.
When the seeds of this shrub are preserved between papers, these
in a few days become soaked in oil; from this one may infer that on
expression they might yield a considerable quantity. The wood
is strong and very suitable for handles of axes and other imple-
ments; its foliage is found in corymbs; for this reason it is a garden
shrub suitable for forming into various shapes. Celastrus lutescens.
This is a tree with very good timber for varied uses. Aralia aff.
digitata and lanceolata. From these shrubs there flows a white
and clear gum that completely dissolves in water. Sambucus
glandulosa. They make the same use of this shrub as they do of
Sambucus nigra. Berberis lutea, ccarhuascassa and palo amarillo,
212 HIP6LITO Ruiz
gives a canary-yellow dye and is a strong wood for various purposes.
Varronia globosa. Solanum stellatum, huiscacassa and campucassa;
the spines of this plant introduced into the flesh produce blisters,
filled with a watery fluid, that burst and are cured by applying to
them the half-baked leaves. Solanum granulosum, chuculate.
Tillandsia recurvata, paniculata, juncea, and parviflora. Loranthus
dependens, liga. Loranthus grandiflorus, moma. Alslroemeria
punicea, tomentosa, and secunda. Tradescantia deflexa. Actino-
phyllum angulatum, acuminatum, and pedicellatum. Gilibertia um-
bellata. Rhexia alba, quinquenervis, and trinervis. Fuchsia grandi-
flora, involucrata, parviflora, pubescens, and punicea. Tropaeolum
discolor. Melastoma repens, olla-olla. They use this plant for a
yellow dye, mixing it with several others. Axinaea lanceolata and
purpurea. Andromeda aff. cordifolia and punclata. Brunellia
aculeata and inermis. Eugenia procera. A tall, branching tree
with strong wood that has a pleasing smell like that of its leaves.
Negretia inflexa and elliptica, llamapafiaui, that is, eye of llama
or sheep of Peru, on account of the shape of its seeds, to which is
attributed the virtue of being an antidote. Divided into two parts,
it is taken in powder and applied to the bites of poisonous animals.
[N.] planata; a plant with beautiful flowers for gardens. Munnozia
lanceolata. Molina latifolia. Soliva pedicellata. Palaua glabra.
Bacasia corymbosa. Mutisia. Cypripedium grandiflorum, rima-
rima. Anguloa uniflora, flor de Espiritu Santo. Sobralia dicho-
toma, tahue-tahue; its flowers are beautiful for their color, size,
and fragrance. Maxillaria ciliata, grandiflora, longipetala, and
undulata. Epidendrum corymbosum, flor de todo el afio [year-
around flower]. Epid. nutans, paniculatum, and parviflorum. Fer-
nandezia contorta, ensiformis, laxa, and punctata. Humboldtia
cordata, conlorta, oblonga, parviflora, and revoluta. Pothos acaulis.
Arum tuberosum. Llagunoa nitida, arbol de cuentas de rosario,
or tree of rosary beads. Acalypha glandulosa and granulata.
Begonia monadelpha, coccinea, hirsula, incarnata, parviflora, rosea,
and utriculata. All these plants have beautiful flowers. Jatropha
aphrodisiaca, simayuca. The Indians attribute aphrodisiac proper-
ties to the root of this plant. Urtica citriodora, on account of the
odor exhaled by its leaves. U. cymosa, hirsuta, dauciodora, longifolia,
punctata, and rugosa. Morus nigra and spinosa. Citrosma muricala,
pyriformis, ovalis, and tomentosa. On all of these small shrubs there
is found a fluid that looks like saliva purposely thrown over them.
Schinus oblongifolia, mayco. A shrub the shade of which produces a
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 213
bitter, stinging rash, that later ends in papules with matter, accom-
panied by fever. Schinus aurantiodora, mayco, produces the same
effects as the former species, but the Indians say that the shade
of this shrub is more harmful than that of the former. Its effects
have been already been explained in another place. Tafalla scabra,
aitacupi. It is a branching, leafy shrub with the same fragrance
as the species already mentioned elsewhere. Cecropia alba and
tubulosa, tacuna. Both species are trees beautiful for their luxuri-
ance and the size of their leaves; these follow the course of the sun,
and they always turn their face to it until at night they turn the
back up and the face to the ground, although not completely,
because they face a little obliquely. Clussia aff. macrocarpa, arbol
del incienso [incense tree], rotundicapsula, arbol del incienso. From
both species in Peru they get a beautiful, crystalline resin that
is used in the churches as incense; it is found in drops of more than
a pound. These trees are tall
