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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, frondose, and showy, especially the
first species, which grows to more than 40 yards in height. Carica
glandulosa, monte papaya. Caballeria dentata, dependens, ferruginea,
latifolia, and pellucida, manglillos and lucumas. Mimosa punicea,
huaita rebozo, on account of the color of its red flowers, similar to
the rebozos or mantillas that are commonly used by the Indian
women, and monte pacae for the resemblance to Mimosa Inga
or pacae. Celtis aspera, chichillica. With the bark of this tree
the Indians make fishing nets, bags, and other rough and ordinary
weaves, as they do not do anything to refine them; they use them
frequently for ropes and for cables. Adiantum reniforme. Morenia
fragrans, sia-sia. Saracha punctata. Carludovica trigona.
CHAPTER XLIII
Pavon's misfortune Itinerary Plants, barks, and seeds A large shipment
prepared for Spain Ruiz studies the Malvaceae of Huanuco and refutes Cavanilles
Illness of Ruiz.
JOURNEY FROM MUNA TO HUANUCO
On the 20th of September, 1786 the three draftsmen returned
to Huanuco, and on the 24th we three botanists left Muna and,
without any other inconveniences than a brief shower and the great
heat of those places, we spent the night in Llamapafiahui. On the
25th we left Llamapafiahui, and a few steps ahead in climbing a
winding hill, one of the mules pushed another loaded one, and the
latter came tumbling down several yards to the place where Dn.
Jose" Pavon was traveling and collided with his saddle mule, which
might have gone the same way but was stopped without misfortune
because Pavon had dismounted before the pack mule stumbled
against his. We continued with good luck, climbing the hills called
Torre sin Agua and Cuerno Retorcido, or Twisted Horn, which we
climbed on foot because of the excessive steepness of the very narrow
and sandy road that had been completely stripped by the burning
that still continued that day all over the hill. We ate in the town of
Chaclla and for the night went a league ahead, after we had been
caught by a shower that lasted, although with short intermissions,
until 9 o'clock the next morning. Then we started to load, but it began
raining again and continued for more than an hour from eleven
o'clock on. We arrived in the pueblo of Panao to supply ourselves
with provisions, and we found there the priest and his assistants,
who were celebrating all the feasts of the whole year, a feat which
they accomplished in eight consecutive days; we slept in front of
Panao on a hill; there we also collected several plants. We spent
the night of the 27th in Yanamayo, and there we were caught by
a brief shower after we had already put up our tents. On the 28th
we arrived happily in Huanuco.
On the way we gathered a great number of plants that were
placed to dry, and I described and finished describing them during
the following days. Among these plants was Cinchona ovata,
cascarilla de pata de gallareta, on account of the external color of
its bark, spongy and light.
In the months of October, November, and December of 1786,
we finished the drying of the plants gathered in Muna and on the
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 215
way; we arranged the dried specimens according to classes, and
made them into bundles, packed them well in boxes to send them on
their way, with many seeds, barks, roots, and other products and
curiosities that we had accumulated.
Every month I sent to the Ministry of the Indies several pack-
ages of fresh seeds for the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, at
the same time giving information of the progress of our discoveries
and work.
On the 23rd of November draftsman Brunete went to Lima,
declaring that personal affairs obliged him to make the trip.
YEAR OF 1787. On the 12th of January, 1787, my companion
Pavon left Huanuco with Pulgar, the assistant, taking to Lima 73
boxes of dried plants and other natural products, and 586 drawings
and 18 crates of living plants in which were included about 40
quinos or plants of Cinchona officinalis with other precious shrubs
of those montanas. All of this was shipped to Spain in the vessels
"Brillante" and "Pilar," addressed to H. M. in care of the Exmo. Sr.
Minister of the Indies.
Having perfected the descriptions that I had prepared at
Macora, on the way, and in Huanuco, and having made a fair
copy of them, I started anew to gather the plants of the vicinity
of this city that I thought had been lost in the shipwreck of the
vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara," although I did not have definite
information of this loss. I corrected the descriptions of many,
and I devoted myself especially to examining anew the Malvaceae
that abound in Huanuco. I did this because of the information
that Abbe" Dn. Antonio Cavanilles gave us about having found
nine new genera of this family among the herbaria of different
botanists; by the four printed leaves that he sent us about the
character of said genera, I did not find a solid basis for separating
those plants from other genera already established by Linnaeus
and other botanists. I devoted myself with eagerness to the
examination of this family, and I verified, in part, the mistakes
made by Abbe" Cavanilles in the dried specimens he had examined.
As we did not have any definite information concerning the
loss of the 800 drawings sent in the vessel "San Pedro Alcantara,"
the draftsmen were determined not to reproduce them until they
had proof of their loss.
At the end of April I had an attack of croup that passed with
the help of two bleedings and a copious sweat that I had the 2nd
216 HIPOLITO Ruiz
of May, and on this day I received a messenger from Pavon sent
from Pasco asking that we send him authorization to collect our
salaries from the royal coffers.
On the 12th of May, Pavon and Pulgar arrived in Huanuco
with twelve loads of paper and our salaries and other equipment
needed for our journey into the montanas of Pillao.
CHAPTER XLIV
Illness and death of Brunete Details Intervention of Ruiz.
DEATH OF DRAFTSMAN BRUNETE
On the 16th of May at 9 in the morning I received a messenger
with a letter from the accountant of the Royal Coffers of Pasco,
in which he informed me that draftsman Dn. Jos Brunete had
been given the last rites of the Church in his own house and re-
quested me to come without delay to that town because the sick
man was asking for me. At 3 in the afternoon I left Huanuco with
Galvez, the draftsman, and we spent the night on the farm of Ambo.
On the 17th near the pueblo of Huariaca I received a second letter
from the accountant and another from the subdelegate of the prov-
ince, in which they announced the death of Brunete and asked me
to come without further delay and get the belongings left by the
dead man, as he had named me his first executor. We spent that
night in Huariaca and on the 18th arrived in Pasco, where the ser-
vants of the deceased, the subdelegate, and the accountant gave me
the following account of the happenings that preceded the death of
Brunete.
On Brunete' s return from Lima to Huanuco with his two ser-
vants, he had the misfortune to have the mule that was carrying
the two traveling cases with the bed, clothing, and several other
things for his use, fall down a precipice of the high and dangerous
ladera of Pacron. On account of this happening he stayed there
that night, after sending the servants to the pueblo of Canta to
look for people to help gather the traveling cases and their contents
that had been scattered along the steep hill and to the other side
of the river, where the mule had been catapulted and mangled.
With the aid of the Indians, he gathered almost all the effects,
although some of them were damaged. Regret for this misfortune
and the bad night that he was forced to spend, affected him very
greatly, so that the servants noticed from that day that his expres-
sion was troubled, that his breathing was labored, and that he was
very sad; all of these symptoms increased more and more as the
travelers were nearing the cordillera, punas, and mines. When
they reached Pasco, Brunete decided to wait for the mail; at that
time the accountant observed what the servants had noticed in
Brunete, especially on the fourth day when they went together
to the coffers, and he noticed that Brunete could not follow him
218 HIPOLITO Ruiz
without resting every ten or twelve steps; Brunete, however,
attributed his fatigue to the gases or vapors that are constantly
expelled by the minerals of those hills and that sometimes fatigue
and choke mules that arrive tired.
On the night of the llth the accountant, observing that Brunete
fell asleep during the conversation, asked him if he felt anything
the matter with his health and, although he repeatedly denied this,
the accountant made him go to bed and, as soon as he had fallen
asleep, they heard such a loud and extraordinarily harsh sound that
the companions felt compelled to wake him and ask him again if
he felt any indisposition; he answered that there was a slight pain
in the chest and some difficulty in breathing. They gave him
some cups of hot water with sugar, and this mitigated the harsh
sound, and he went to sleep and was more calm. On the 12th he
went to church and, when he returned to the house of the accountant,
the latter and the rest of those present noticed a great change in
Brunete's face; therefore they advised him to go to bed and called
a doctor to give him some medicine, to ease the respiration, and
to soften the sound in his chest. The ointment, enemas, and hot
water that were ordered by the doctor did not produce the desired
effect, and during the night he became lethargic; for this reason
they advised him on, the 13th, to make his confession, which he
did immediately, and a little later he asked for extreme unction.
The illness grew worse each moment until the 14th, when they asked
him to make his will in the presence of the subdelegate judge, and
between 8 and 9 o'clock at night he died in the place that during
his life he had hated the most because of its severe climate and
because every time he passed through there he had felt sick. On
the 16th they buried him in the church of Pasco with a magnificent
attendance ordered by the accountant.
An inventory was made on the 19th of May before the subdele-
gate judge and the proper witnesses, of the belongings of Brunete
found there, and this, together with the receipts for the expenses
incurred in the burial, was given to me as first executor.
On the 21st, after all details had been attended to, we left Pasco
and spent the night at Huariaca, where we waited for the muleteer
until the 22nd; he arrived then with the belongings of the deceased
and, after changing the mules, we went to spend the night at the
Ollerias. We arrived at Huanuco on the 23rd, and on the three
following days all of Brunete's belongings were sold at auction.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 219
The rest of the month I spent in rewriting various descriptions
of plants that I had in rough draft.
In June I gave notice of the death of our companion Brunete
to the general superintendent of the Royal Exchequer of Peru and
to the Ministry of the Indies and to the facultative director of the
botanical expeditions.
I continued the rest of the month describing plants and drying
new specimens of many lost on the "San Pedro." I made a clean
copy of the descriptions and gave some to be drawn.
In July of the same year I repeated the notice of the death of
the first draftsman and continued replacing the specimens of plants
lost on the "San Pedro" and renewing their descriptions.
After having prepared supplies for a trip to the montanas of
Pillao, we decided to begin this journey in August.
CHAPTER XLV
Chulguillo Vegetation of hills and ravines Preparations for the work.
JOURNEY TO P1LLAO AND ITS MONTANA
On the 3rd of August, 1787 I left Huanuco with my companion
Pav6n and Tafalla, the assistant, at 9 o'clock and went to pass the
night at Chulguillo, a hacienda 3 leagues distant from Huanuco,
where there are four date palms that do not yield ripe fruit because
they are all females and lack the male palm, a circumstance that
was not known to the owner of that property. On the 4th we
arrived in Pillao, without anything worth mentioning except the
great heat of the sun. On this road nothing special is to be found
except the various plants covering the hills and ravines; among them
there is an abundance of cactus, tillandsias, manglillos or caballeri-
as, bignonias, pipers, Macrocnemum, Poinciana, Rubus, calceolarias,
and orchids, and many other larger and smaller plants in those
good pastures.
On the 5th we arranged everything necessary to start our work,
placing the camp tents in front of the small rancho that had been
been assigned to us by the mayor, in order to be able to dry the
plants with convenience and good light. On the 6th we began
our excursions through the woods and hills of Pillao. On the 10th
in the afternoon, the draftsmen Galvez and Pulgar arrived, and
the next day we began to give them plants to draw. We continued
working in Pillao until the 25th of September, and during this
time we gathered many dried specimens of new plants.
CHAPTER XLVI
Location, climate, pastures, fields Population Building construction Fishing
Minerals Birds Waters Healthfulness of the place.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PUEBLO OF PILLAO
The pueblo of Pillao is situated to the north-northeast of
Huanuco and at a distance of 12 leagues from this city, near the
summit of an extensive and high hill where the temperature is
pleasant in the daytime but quite cool at night, as they often
have frosts. Fogs are also very frequent during the time of the
rains, and in the summer there are clouds and showers of short
duration. From the town to the Huanuco river, that passes
at the foot of the hill, there is a very steep climb of a league and
a half, but all of these grounds are covered with good pastures,
bushes, shrubs, and trees, as is the entire ground from the town
upwards to the highest of the hills where the quinos or slender
cascarillos grow among an infinite numbers of other trees, shrubs,
bushes, and grass. The pastures found on the highest ground of
Pillao are very abundant and extend, in part, four leagues until
they enter the dense montana where no more grass can be seen.
In these pleasant places with good pasture, the Indians graze
some cattle and some mules with which they travel to the montanas
to get quina and coca, the only articles of commerce that those
Indians have.
The fields are excellent for all kinds of plantations, but because
of the small number of inhabitants the fields are idle, and the
natives are satisfied to plant only the few seeds and roots that
they need for their nourishment, these being reduced to corn,
beans, potatoes (which are very good, for this reason they some-
times take loads to sell in Huanuco), yucas, and some poorly
cultivated vegetables.
The population hardly exceeds 55 inhabitants, all of them
Indians and poor, in the midst of the riches of those vast grounds
they possess, because this is the last town that we Spaniards have
in that region, the rest of it being the royal montanas adjacent
to the heathen Indians. Pillao belongs to the government of the
montanas and to the parish of Valle. Thoughout most of the
year it lacks the spiritual nourishment that it had a few years ago,
when it was assigned to the missionary fathers of Ocopa, as the last
settlement of that place.
222 HIP6LITO Ruiz
The other buildings and the church of Pillao are built of soil,
adobe, lime, and stone, and are roofed with wooden framework
and straw. The ranches are separated one from the other to
prevent fire from spreading; behind each rancho the owner has
a garden with some vegetables and various flowers with which
images and altars are decorated.
In the river they catch bagres and cachuelos with a very deli-
cious taste. A fine black sand is found at the margin of the river,
below Pillao. In different places there are signs of minerals, of
silver and gold, and even in the town itself we started to dig a vein
that gave signs of being a branch of a gold mine because of the
varied colors of the soil excavated in the two days that we had
six men at work there. In the hills of Pillao there are several species
of clay of different colors.
In the town, thrushes and sparrows abound; but in the country,
there are turkey hens and gallinas del monte, parrots, treguilles,
condors, dominicanos, picazas or woodpeckers, that also are found
in the town, and several other small montana and water birds.
There are many deer and a few leoncillos and michus.
The waters of the brooks of Pillao are very good, but on the
heights there are some waters containing lime because they pass
through or are detained in cretaceous or calcareous ground.
The ground of Pillao is healthful because of its altitude, but
conducive to colds and pains in the side. The Indians cure them-
selves with herbs applied by the women, because physicians are
not known there. The enemas are administered by means of a
cow's bladder with a little tube made of carrizo or cana braba
[wild cane].
CHAPTER XLVII
Tiresome march Misfortunes Narrowness of Chacahuasi Torrential rains
Earthquakes Landslides Location of Chacahuasi Dangerous environs
The Pilco river and fishing in it Birds Butterflies The heat Fogs Unhealth-
fulness Parrots and monkeys The bridge over the Rio Grande Hardships of
the cascarilleros Procedure in crossing the rivers Skin affections caused by the
humidity and heat.
JOURNEY TO CHACAHUASf OR CASA DEL PUENTE
On the 26th of September, 1787, we left Pillao for Chacahuasi,
passing the night on the hill of Sillcay. On the 27th we had traveled
barely a quarter of a league from Sillcay, when we entered a very
narrow road, which for more than two leagues is made almost
impassable by the deep miry places and holes, with the frequent
showers that are experienced at that elevation all year round;
indeed it is a very rare day that does not bring rain or fog, though
most of the days succeed in getting some interval of sunshine.
We spent more than six hours in traveling those two leagues,
because it was a rare pack mule that did not fall or get stuck in
the mud at least ten times; and there were occasions when they
all were mired or lying down at the same time in those swamps
and narrow places. The muleteers, being tired of contending not
only with the mules but also with the ground in which they sank
to above their knees, and not being able to attend to everything
at once, sat down tired and disgusted until we encouraged them by
dismounting and helping them to unload, load, and get the mules
out of the mud; otherwise we would not have been out of that
small hell until the next day. When we were almost out of those
mudholes, to complete the show, two of our pack mules fell down
a slope between trees and bushes which we had to cut to be able
to pull them out with ropes and help them climb the slope to the road.
The muleteers, mules, and loads were covered with mud every-
where; and it was pitiful to see those unfortunate men, who are
naturally patient and silent, almost crazed and desperate. Finally
we reached solid ground, but the road was very narrow and had
high stone steps and was covered with coarse gravel for more than
a league. On this stretch the mules suffered greatly from pounding
those steps, from the swaying of the loads, and with the pain in
their feet caused by the stones; for this reason they arrived bruised
and most of them very tired at Iscutunam, a place distant a league
and a half from Chacahuasi, with very little and poor grass. Here
224 HIPOLITO Ruiz
we were obliged to spend the night that had overtaken us an hour
before arriving at this place, which was very inconvenient, situated
on steep ground, damp and surrounded by different trees, among
which abound Cinchona pur pur ea, the purple-leaved quina tree.
On the 28th, after having descended from Iscutunam to the river,
we had to climb another hill; the winding of its steep road makes
its descent no less dangerous, especially for the pack and saddle
mules and even for men who walk on foot wearing boots, because
the soil is of coarse sand and therefore slippery. We arrived in
Chacahuasi, that is, the "House of the Bridge," because there is
one there made of reeds, for communication with the other side
of the river, where the natives were drying fine cascarilla and
making extract of its fresh bark.
When we found ourselves in that very narrow, deep dungeon
where the sun penetrates only at midday and, surprised, surveyed
with our eyes that oppressive and gloomy, place, in which at night,
if it ever were clear at that season, one could count the stars; nothing
could make us stay one single day, except the desire to comply
with our commission by examining those three towering and inac-
cessible hills, covered from the summit to the banks of the two
turbulent rivers, with tall trees, shrubs, and bushes. Nothwith-
standing our feeling of oppression, we discharged the muleteers,
and we asked the Indians, who, by order of the mayor of Pillao
and at our expense had begun to construct a rancho or shelter, to
surround it with pieces of balsa trees, because we had hardly
arrived in that deep, dark cavern when copious showers began to
fall, the water coming in on all sides of the shelter, the low eaves of
which were not sufficient to prevent its entrance.
On the 29th the enclosed rancho was finished and, since the
Indians had gone with the muleteers, we were left alone with four
gatherers of cascarilla who lived in as many small ranches that
two of them had made for this purpose; because the other two
ranchos on the opposite side of the little river were already con-
structed in two small coca groves that belong to the Indians of
Pillao. At nightfall the rain continued and throughout all the next
day, the 30th, without let; because of this the river became so swol-
len that its precipitate, noisy current frightened us terribly. At
7 o'clock in the morning the ground shook, and this phenomenon
caused great uneasiness on account of the depth and narrowness of
the place in which we were. At noonday we heard a sudden, terrific
displacement of several cliffs that came down accompanied by
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 225
stones and a great quantity of soil and trees into the big river
from the hill of the other side opposite our rancho. The landslide
lasted more than half an hour with repeated intermissions. In
the afternoon the slides were repeated until the rain stopped.
These landslides of the hills and trees are very frequent in the
montanas in the time of rains, and therefore it is very dangerous
to travel at that time over its narrow, badly formed trails.
Chacahuasi, or the "House of the Bridge," is situated at the foot
of one of the three very tall, rough hills that form that narrow,
triangular depth, bathed by two confined rivers that descend
from the quebradas of the south and east; uniting there with
incessant noise, its waters run very precipitately through the
quebrada of the north towards Cuchero.
In the vicinity of Chacahuasi there is not the smallest clear
space to be found and, although there are three or four coca groves,
these are located on the slopes of the hills and at the margins of
the rivers on rocky ground and surrounded by bushes and precipices,
so that no one could travel through those places at night without
being in imminent danger of losing his life. The river that passes
by the south quebrada is the same that flows past Huanuco with
the name of Pillco, but carrying much more water, and its waters
are quite salty, on account of the several saline springs that empty
into it from Huanuco on. They fish in this river, getting bagres,
boconcitos, cachuelos, and corbinas up to half a yard in length and
six pounds in weight, but we lacked fishermen.
There are few species of birds in that deep dungeon; the most
common are the kuiches or poccochicuis, the tunguis, quianquianes,
and papamoscas; but half a league from the bridge on the way
to Pillao one may hear the melody and sweet singing of several
small birds of different sizes and colors, such as the oropendolas
[weaverbirds], ruisenores [nightingales], and organistas. There
are few beautiful butterflies, but there is no lack of small moths
or Phalenas, that at night come to fly around the candles until
their wings are burned and they fall ; there are also many mosquitoes
and other insects of different sizes that help the crickets, frogs, and
cicadas that kept us company in that gloomy depth, to annoy us
day and night with their discordant singing and disagreeable and
incessant creaking and buzzing. This disorderly orchestra, accom-
panied by that of the two noisy rivers, did not permit us to under-
stand each other's conversation without shouting and repeating
most of the words, and it made us stupefied and almost crazy, and
226 HIPOLITO Ruiz
tired of ourselves, and we had the disadvantage of not being able
to have recourse to any place more quiet, nor to better company
or conversation.
The heat there is excessive and the rains frequent, and from the
rivers comes a dense and continuous fog especially from September
until May, all of which makes that place unhealthy and dismal,
and so damp that the food taken there spoils very readily. Even
the little coca that is harvested in that spot is of bad quality on
account of the excess of dampness and lack of sunshine, so that it
scarcely is desired even by the Indians who cultivate it.
On the way to Chacahuasi very small fields are planted with
sugar cane for chewing and for making huarapo [fermented cane juice],
a drink enjoyed by the Indians. In the same coca groves and sugar
fields there are some pineapples, plantains, papayas, red peppers,
yucas or cassava, sweet potatoes, and ssaguis.
In the mornings and afternoons one sees, flying high, flocks of
parrots and magpies in such numbers that they shade the ground
as if they were clouds. Every day flocks of monkeys come down
to the river, jumping from tree to tree with great clamor and racket.
There are two kinds, black and purplish; the first are big and ugly,
and the others small and well shaped.
The bridge over the large river by which the cascarilleros and
peons who come for the quina have to pass, is about sixty yards
in length and is made of three cables of vines very well joined;
the two lateral ones serve as handrails, and the one in the middle
for walking on. From the laterals to the other cable thin vines are
laced and passed with a turn around the middle rope; they secure
and hold together the three ropes or cables, forming all together a
bridge with very light balustrades and one that because of this is
very dangerous to cross. They renew it every year or before if
necessary, and mend it frequently, changing the transverse vines
that break or stretch too much, thereby preventing the passengers
from reaching the guide ropes; this happened to my companion
Pavon, and when he was at the middle of the bridge and not
able to reach the balustrades, he would have been in the greatest
danger of perishing in the river below if one of the peons had not
helped him in that predicament. Likewise the following day, a
peon crossing the bridge with a load of three arrobas of quina was
saved from falling, as did his load, into the river but, although he
complained of having hurt his neck, he saved his own life.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 227
Only the interest in the valuable and universal specific quina
could move man to live as those laborers live so many days; they
appeared at times, in the frequent showers, dense fogs, and very
dark nights of those dark solitudes with the greatest of inconveni-
ences and poverty, going little short of naked, and nourished with
ccamcha and coca when their salted meat and green peas or beans
gave out, soaked continually in the woods, and walking over
precipices and inclines so dangerous that only to think of them
makes one shudder. When there is no bridge, the Indians pass
this and other rivers with rafts that they make of the wood of two
species of Bombax or of the huampo, a species of Heliocarpus dioica.
Also from the barks of the chuuima, a species of Bombax, they make
cables with which they cross the river after having fastened them
to trees, timber, or rocks, loaded with a quie or bundle of three
arrobas of quina that they bring down from the mountains on their
shoulders four, five, or six leagues; many times when they cross
the river, this will carry the load away, and sometimes it has
happened that the Indians have drowned.
In these deep places the heat is so great and damp that one
perspires continually, and those who are not used to walking through
the montafias reales 1 are attacked by innumerable eruptions, par-
ticularly on the legs, with intolerable itching that starts in the after-
noon and continues most of the night, compelling one to scratch
with the back of a knife, because the nails are not sufficient, until one
makes a bloody mess; this has happened many times to us botanists
after we have arrived from the montafias at the ranches or camp
tents.
1 See footnote on page 56.
CHAPTER XLVIII
Miserable condition of the cascarilleros Abuses and outrages Improper fell-
ing of trees Imperfect methods of packing Order for our return to Spain
Plants gathered in Pillao and Chacahuasi Their uses.
The Indians of the pueblos of Comayo and Panao and especially
those of Pillao, have brought thousands of arrobas of cascarilla;
nevertheless they are always naked, and they owe almost continually
a hundred or two hundred arrobas, the intrinsic value of which
greatly exceeds that of all their dwellings, fields, and cattle.
This obvious truth will surprise those that do not know that the
buyers recover the money that they always pay them in advance
for the quina, by odd and not the most direct methods; but this
is not the worst, for most of them die without spiritual help,
as we have witnessed several times. Their burial, too, that by
schedule is not worth any more than four and a half pesos, is not
paid with 50 and sometimes 100 pesos and will never be completely
paid, because the priests, interests, and magistrates keep the
accounts as they see fit, and they never cancel debts even if they
have been paid three times over. The feasts of the Church, since
they are observed by the Indians not because of true devotion, rather
for getting drunk and so that the priests may make their harvest,
are often transferred and postponed by orders of the priests, so
that the parishioners may first gather the arrobas of cascarilla that
they need to pay Dn. So and So, who has applied some pressure;
that is, when they are not relations of the priests, in which case,
like these, they will never be completely paid. The people who
trade in this branch of commerce try to advance to the Indians
not only money, but also baizes, light cotton goods, clothes, and
other effects, for which they are always in debt, a practice which has
made agricultural production in the frontier towns of the montanas
notably backward, so that the Indians, because of lack of nourish-
ment, are more subject to illness and their pueblos are on the decline.
In the year 1784, in only eight days 55 Indians from Pillao
gathered 1000 arrobas of quina, but if one examines the wealth
of the whole town, he will find it not worth 100 arrobas.
The Indians, who by nature are indolent and lazy in their work,
are oppressed with orders from the priests and justices if they do
not pay at the time specified and, to get out of debt, they attempt
to gather in a few days all the quina that they owe, and so in
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 229
their rivalry they destroy mountains of cascarilla, cutting all the
tree they can in one or two days. Then when they want to remove
the bark, the trees are already too dry, so that, not being able to
cut it with ease, they abandon a great number of trees, or the bark
is very poorly cut. Other and no less damage has been done to the
mountains by cutting the old and new quino trees near the ground,
and so it has come to pass that in less than 10 years the Indians
of Pillao, who formerly gathered cascarillos at a distance of one
or two leagues from the town, have to go more than 14 leagues into
the montanas to be able to obtain cascarilla, and they have to
transport it on their shoulders 5 and 7 leagues, as they were doing
in the year 1787. This same mutilation of quino trees has been
going on in Cuchero, Sayan, Cayumba, Muna, Panao, and in the
provinces of Huamalies, Tarma, and Xauxa, from the montanas
of which they have taken, in eight years, according to ordinary
calculations, more than 140,000 arrobas of quina, without counting
the many arrobas that have been worked for extract made from
fresh bark, superior to any made from dry, stale bark.
On the llth of October they took out, from the Puente de Pillao
to Huanuco, 120 arrobas of quina and 6 of extract. On this occasion
I observed anew the poor method employed by the gatherers in
sacking up and packing the quina in bags of coarse weave or
homespun cotton, because while many barks are still wet and
somewhat mouldy in their interior, they put them into the sacks,
stepping on them vigorously and breaking them excessively so as
to be able to get more into the sacks. Afterwards they travel to
Huanuco without any covering or, if they use anything to protect
the sacks from the rain and fog, it is thin blankets of the same
weave, that has little or no value for the purpose.
On the 12th of October of the same year, I received a notice from
the general superintendent, Dn. Jorge Escobedo, that, because of a
royal order, I should return with my companions to Lima to go on
from there to Spain. This order I communicated immediately to my
companions as the most favorable, according to my feelings, that
I could give them, considering it as redemption and rest from the
repeated hardships, hard toils, and misery that we had suffered
through those thickets and precipices, as we wandered over moun-
tains and deserts, badly nourished and completely exhausted.
During our excursions through the montanas of Pillao and
Chacahuasi, I gathered and put in press a great number of plants,
of which some were sketched, and I described the following.
230 HIPOLITO Ruiz
Canna iridiflora, achyra; on account of its beautiful and va-
ried flowers it serves as decoration in gardens. Buddleia incana,
quisoar; its wood because of its strength and durability is val-
ued for buildings. Basella diffusa, uspica. This plant is used in
stews, called locros, a common food in Peru. Salvia acuminata.
Myosotis humilis. Veronica rotundifolia, peregrina, and serpylli-
folia L. Acaena globosa. Celsia affin. ovata and linearis. Phyto-
lacca icosandra L. Gualtheria rubra and alba. Calceolaria um-
bellata. Abatia rugosa, tauhac-tauhac, Yoriturp, and Galvetana.
Alchemilla rotundifolia and tripartita. Cinchona hirsuta, fine and
thin cascarillo. Dillenia aff. rubra, incense tree. Pinguicula
stellata. Stapelia hirta. Alstroemeria tomentosa. Rhynchotheca
spinosa. Eriocaulon vaginans and parvum. Psychotria coerulea.
Weinmannia ovalis, machi; from its trunk one gets beautiful boards
and planks for buildings and boxes. Virgularia lanceolala, manc-
capagui. Stereoxylon patens, tassta. Cuellaria revoluta, ferru-
ginea, cineraria, linearis. Columellia corymbosa. A very thick tree;
its wood is suitable for various purposes, and its leaves have
febrifugal properties and are very bitter. Anthericum aff. falcatum.
Weinmannia pubescens, ovata, and alata. Hypericum subulatum
and corymbosum, chinchanho, plants used by the Indians for dyeing
wools and cotton yellow. Munnozia corymbosa and venosissima.
Arbutus parvifolia, macha, on account of the intoxicating properties
of its fruits. Betula nigra, ram-ram. With the bark of this tree
infused in urine, the Indians tan and give color to sole leather,
and give a cinnamon color to cotton and woolen goods. The leaves
ground with lard in the shape of poultices clean and heal ulcers,
and without the lard are used against inflammations; applied to
recent wounds they stop the flow of blood. Maxillaria paniculata.
Browallia demissa L. Antirrhinum avenium. Sisyrinchium anceps
and ocsapurga, palma-palma and paja purgante, for the purgative
value of its roots when administered as a concoction. From only
tasting of the roots, the mouth retains for more than six hours a
biting and bitter taste which is very disagreeable; for this reason
I think that this laxative should be administered with care, although
in Huanuco, where they call it paracso, and in Tarma, where it is
known by the name of ocssa purga, they use it very frequently.
Gentiana violacea. Vaccinium dependens; a beautiful shrub for
gardening because it can be shaped like the box; it is known by the
name of sachsauro. Mespilus ferruginea, llinlli. Senecio foetidus.
Piper granulosum and ovale. Cuphea cordala. Acrostichum Cuac-
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 231
saro, cuacsaro, that is, masked back; in the market they sell its
roots for the true calaguala, although it does not have the same
virtues as this specie of Polypodium, as anyone who likes may in-
form himself in my Memoir on the Calagualas in the first volume of
the Memoirs of the Royal Medical Academy of Madrid, printed
in 1797. Andromeda aff. glauca, congama. And. an , mellifera,
sumacmisqui, that is, sweet honey, for the nectar contained in
its flowers. And. aff. bracteata, pucsato; its fruits are very tasty,
and the Indian women take them to the market place of Huanuco
to sell. Ternstroemia globosa and quinquepartita, beautiful shrubs
for gardening on account of the shapes that may be formed from
them. Xyris lutea. Perdicium lanatum. Cineraria lanceolata.
Foveolaria ferruginea, ovata, and oblonga. Molina corymbosa, nitida,
prostrata, incana, and salicifolia; resinous, balsamic, and corro-
borant plants. Prunus ovalis; tree with an ordinary wood. Mela-
leuca coriacea; shrub ten yards in height. Juniperus aff. Tree of
Dioecia monadelphia. Passiflora rosea, puru-puru. The children
eat its fruits. Loranthus luteus, enlaora. Shrub of 10 to 12 yards
in height and not parasitic, as are the other species of this genus;
when it is in bloom, it is very beautiful because of the abundance
of its yellow flowers. Polygala aff. discolor, mascca. With the bark
of its roots, which are very bitter and form a foam as of soap,
the Indian women wash their hair to clean it and make it grow.
Cytisus canescens, chucchoclle. Its shoots or saplings are used to
make ramrods, and the leaves are eaten with relish by the cuyes or
ccoyes [guinea pigs]. Solanum nitidum, oblongum, nutans, and stella-
tum, campucassa, and in Panao called huiscacassa. Their leaves when
toasted have the virtue of expelling thorns in the hands or any
other part of the body and draining putrid sores. Caballeria venosis-
sima. Solanum granulosum, chuculate. Anthemis striata, virgen-
hacha and manzanilla cimarrona or wild chamomile. Anthemis
pallescens; the roots of this plant are more burning and excite
salivation with more activity than pelitre; the sharpness lasts on
the tongue for six hours. Cuscuta odorata, cabellos de angeles.
Acunna lanceolata, tall tree. Fernandezia denticulata, graminifolia,
and haematodes. Bowlesia lobata. Epidendrum scabrum.
In Chacahuasi, I described the following plants. Heliconia
tricolor. Cissampelos villosa. Clusia rosea, matapalo; see the
chapter on Cuchero for the application of its resin. Maxillaria
longipetala, ligulata, and hastata. Glycyrrhiza undulata. Eupatorium
stridens. Varronia dichotoma. Olyra latifolia, bombilla. Its
232 HIP6LITO Ruiz
culms or hollow canes are used to make bombillas or canoncitos
for drinking mate or any other hot liquors, according to the custom
in Peru. This grass is excellent nourishment for the animals, and
deserves to be extended for that reason all over the world, as it is
a magnificent grass and well bunched. Scirpus fragrans; the pre-
cious fragrance of the roots is similar to that of spikenard in the
green state; it serves also as feed for the cattle that come from
Pillao to Chacahuasi. Heliconia angustiflora. Actinophyllum
conicum. In this shrub as in the other species of its genus, there
are found drops of white and clear gum that dissolves in water.
Tafalla laevis, aitacupi. Sauvagesia subtriflora, yerba de San
Martin. Its concoction is employed by the natives against sick-
ness of the chest. Tovaria pendula. Spermacoce capitata. Guarea
nitida. Piper nitidum, asperum, punctatum, crocatum and longi-
folium, secundum, betulioum. Marcgravia monopetala and penta-
petala, purumhigos, that is, false figs, on account of the similarity
of the shape and taste of its fruits to figs; when ripe, they are eaten
by the Indians. Erythroxylon patens. Costus laevis. Cellis spinosa.
Peperomia rhombea and secunda. Nycterisition ferrugineum, chic-
chimicuna, that is bat's food; a tall tree, leafy, and with a straight
thick trunk with strong wood of good grain. Villaresia emarginata.
Clusia decussata and trioecia. Turraea guinata. Croton acutifolium.
Peperomia variegata. Pourretia sympaganthera. Fagara corian-
driodora, culantro, on account of the odor similar to coriander.
Its wood is of extreme hardness and, although it is not a very tall
tree, it has a medium trunk and good foliage. In Chacahuasi
I observed that this tree was dioecio-polygamous, but it had been
considered before as hermaphrodite of the class Tetrandria where
it was placed by Linnaeus. Cissus compressicaulis. Cynanchum
acuminalum. Milium crinense, maiz de Guinea [Guinea corn]. They
plant small patches of this plant in the pueblos of Pampamarca,
Pueblo Nuevo, Cuchero, and other places in the montanas in
order to harvest its grain which they eat afterwards as camcha,
or roasted. After being made into flour, it is used to make maza-
morras or pitches [a sort of pap], and ullpus; its flour is very white
and has a better taste than the flour of Zea Mais. Justicia longi-
staminea. Psychotria violacea. Melochia cordifolia. Elephantopus
capitatae. Ruellia curvata. Acladodea pinnata. This small tree
has only a trunk without any branches; the leaves are found at
the top and, although they proceed from separate points, they
present the shape of a parasol in the manner of the tree ferns and
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 233
palms: from the extremity of the trunk arises a single cluster of
flowers, large and beautiful. This is the only tree I have seen with
the peculiarity of lacking branches and not bearing more than one
cluster of flowers, which, after the new tip of the tree has grown
out, stays inserted at one side of it. Neea oppositifolia. Humbold-
tia lanceolata. Chondodendron tomentosum. Tafalla racemosa and
angustifolia, aitacupi. Synzyganthera purpurea. Stereoxylon pani-
culatum. Miconia emarginata. Hedyotis filiformis. Echites laxa.
CHAPTER XLIX
Fatigue of the mules Fury of a mule Illness of Tafalla Painful march
Deadly gases Arrival and work at Huanuco The year 1788.
FROM CHACAHUASf TO HUANUCO
On the 22nd of October, 1787, we left Chacahuasi at ten o'clock
and spent the night at Iscutunam, and in the vicinity we collected
several plants, which we put in press. It rained a little on the way.
On the 23rd we left Iscutunam at nine in the morning; after half a
league of travel, two of the pack mules became tired. One of them
had to stay on the spot because she could not walk any farther,
and the other continued with the load a quarter of a league farther,
where we left her, changing the load to my servant's saddle
mule. The fatigued beast was so furious that if any one ap-
proached her after she had been unloaded, she attacked, biting,
and in one of her attacks she seized a mouthful from the side of
Tafalla, the assistant, and pulled a strip off his coat from top to
bottom, and in half a turn that the mule gave she tore from an
Indian a piece of his trousers and afterwards followed him around
like a wild beast for about ten paces until he saved himself by
hiding behind a tree. In both cases the spectators were surprised,
and a little later we laughed excessively at the mere thought of the
antics and of the cries of "bull" and "bullfighters" of those who were
as frightened as if they had been in the claws of a lion. That lawless
animal was left there, and we continued on our way; about two
hundred yards farther on, Tafalla's saddle mule felt so tired that it
was necessary to take the saddle off and place it on my servant's
saddle mule, leaving the tired mule. From this place the assistant
and the servants went on foot. A little farther ahead, another
fatigued pack mule fell into a patch of reeds by the side of the road,
from which it had to be pulled out by the combined efforts of all;
we left only a half load on her, and the other half was carried by
a muleteer until we climbed the tiresome hill of Saria, where this
last mule became so completely exhausted that we had to transfer
the half load she was carrying to Pavon's servant's saddle mule, the
muleteer continuing with the other half load from Achapatumam
until Torrehuasi, a long half league of mudholes and bad road.
When the last of us reached the Pascana, the muleteers had gone
ahead and had already fixed the camp tents over a place filled with
short grass but full of water. There Tafalla, the assistant, who
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 235
had gone ahead since he found himself on foot, and was in bed
shivering with cold and with such a high fever, owing probably to
fatigue on the way and to the cold that is felt at that altitude the
year round, that we though he was going to die that same night;
but with the help of some hot water with sugar and of shelter, he
perspired and recovered sufficiently to be able to travel by mule
the following day. This night a very heavy shower fell that lasted
three hours and soaked almost all of our baggage.
The 24th arrived with a dense fog, so that it was difficult to get
the mules; for this reason we loaded a little late and were caught on
those heights by a long, heavy shower, with the result that the pack
mules were stuck at each step. Because the muleteers were not able
to get them up, we constituted ourselves their helpers, as before,
until the shower stopped, and they could manage their charges alone.
Those of us who rode mules were obliged, by the frequent muddy
places, to walk on foot most of the way through those marshes,
mires, moors, and mudholes, and we fell into them many times,
not one of us escaping these tiresome mishaps during the two leagues
of this bad road. All of us came out of this well soaked and covered
with mud from head to foot.
From the bridge to Achapatumam there are five leagues of
dangerous and very trying climb, because the road is a continuous
and narrow declivity of a rocky, rough ground, with high, narrow
steps, and on account of there being there what they call beta, that
is a silver mine, with antimony, from which gases are expelled that
fatigue even the most resistant animals and take the life of many
beasts, as is evident from the multitude of bones that are found
there. From Achapatumam to Sillcay there are three leagues of
road, perennially marshy, especially the two leagues near to
Torrehuasi. Any animal that is tired when it reaches the mires,
generally dies in them, and for this reason the Indian muleteers
try to pass this place in one single day. Only interest or honor
could make a man travel by such a miserable road as the one from
Pillao to Chacahuasi.
We arrived before dark at the pueblo of Pillao, and we remained
there the 25th to dry the baggage that had arrived wet and covered
with mud.
On the 26th at midday, we were able to leave Pillao, and we
traveled three leagues until we reached the Tingo, or union of the
Acomayo river with that of the Huanuco, having had a brief shower
236 HIP6LITO Ruiz
on the way. On the 27th we arrived in Huanuco without any other
unpleasantness than the excessive heat of that quebrada.
From the 28th of October until the end of December of the same
year we continued drying the plants that we brought in presses
from the montanas and the ones we gathered on the way, and the
roots, seeds, and other parts of various plants. I finished several
descriptions, and worked anew with other plants of the vicinity of
Huanuco. I answered all official letters, and sent to the Ministry
of the Indies all the seeds collected in the montanas and at Huanuco.
We made packages of all the dried plants after classifying them.
Our entire collection of natural products we boxed to take to Lima.
I corrected the descriptions of many Malvaceae and made clean
copy of various descriptions.
THE YEAR 1788
We asked for beasts of burden to go down to Lima and return
to Spain in the first vessels to leave for Cadiz.
In the month of January, I described Berberis lutea, ccarhuas-
cassa, that is, "espino amarillo," common sea buckthorn, with
wood of which the Indian women dye baizes and cottons a beautiful
and permanent yellow color; the Indians make axe handles, hoes,
etc., from its wood because it is very strong. I continued making
fair copy of several descriptions.
On the 17th of January, we received from the province of
Huamalies and from the pueblo Chaucha, 32 mules, with which we
equipped the assistants, who left that same day with 25 loads of
boxes and other effects.
On the 24th there arrived from the pueblo of Chaulan the
additional mules needed for the rest of us for our departure for
Huanuco. This very day we sent the remaining loads with the
muleteers a distance of a league from the city. Because it rained
all day the 25th, we could not leave until the following day.
CHAPTER L
Itinerary Plants gathered and described The Limonia trifoliata and Verbena
citriodora The Cerbera salicifolia Uses of its seeds Packing the collections
Good offices of Father Gonzalez Laguna Settlement of accounts Prepara-
tions for embarking Living plants for Madrid Reversal of the edict Embark-
ing in the "Dragon." Arrival in Spain.
RETURN FROM HUANUCO TO LIMA
On the 26th of January, 1788, 1 left Huanuco with my companion
Pa von and our servants; on the advice of a mestizo that joined us on
the way near the district of Ambo, we spent the night in the pueblo
of Chaucha, without having been able to overtake the muleteers.
On the 27th, we overtook the last muleteers in the descent of
the pueblo of Rondos, and we spent the night in the pueblo of
Huariaca, where the assistants were detained with the other loads.
On the 28th we all left Huariaca, passed by Yacan, a small
pueblo surrounded by elders that beautify it and make that height
conspicuous from a distance. We slept at one of the several
baguenas, or grazing farms, that are found in those cold and high
places with bad trails, with many mudholes, mires, and rocks.
Here I picked and described the Nicotiana parviflora. On the 29th
we arrived at the town of Pasco, crossing through the mine at the
hill of Yauricocha, without any other mishaps than frequent hail-
storms and showers upon those muddy trails. On the 30th we
waited in Pasco for a change of mules, and on the 31st we went on
to sleep at the estancia Diezmo.
On the 1st of February, 1788 we went on to the pampa of Palca-
mayo, and we had showers several times. We spent the night of
the 2nd on the pampa of Hacaybamba with hail, snow, and showers
the 3rd we came to Obrajillo [coarse wool and cotton cloth factory],
after having successfully passed the cordillera and its difficult de-
scent by the rocky, stony road to the pueblo of Culluay.
For lack of mules we were detained in the pueblo of Obrajillo
until the 7th. This gave me opportunity to put in press several
plants, and I described anew Oestrum auriculatum, hierba hedionda ;
its properties and uses are already referred to in another place.
Lycium umbellatum, quiebra ollas. Molina, scandens, chilca, a
resiniferous, balsamic, and corroborant plant. Physalis subtri flora.
Verbena cuneata. It is found in Mayobamba. Salvia ovata and
linearis. Carica canescens, mito, the ripe fruits of which are the size
238 HIPOLITO Ruiz
of an ordinary lemon with a good odor and a not unpleasant flavor.
Pancratium uncinatum, chihucanhuaita. Calceolaria inflexa, angusti-
flora, crenata, maculata, nutans, trifida, cuneiformis, virgata, pulve-
rulenta. Valeriana virgata. Galium hirsutum. Saracha contorta,
dentata, and procumbens. Rhinanthus lutea. Scutellaria coccinea.
Euphorbia tuber -osa, huachamccana; with the roots of this plant the
people purge themselves frequently in several parts of Peru, and
the Indians of Canta bring them down to Lima with other roots
to sell them on the corners of the plaza mayor. Although the
purgative is strong, the Indians moderate its action with only a
glass of cold water. Staehelina sarmentosa, rincri-rincri, that is, oreja-
oreja [ear-ear]. Achyranthes purpureo-violacea. Periphragmos uni-
florus, ceantu, a beautiful shrub with which they decorate the fences
of the orchards and properties, and that in the time of the pagans
was used by the Indians in their auguries and superstitious rites.
Baitaria acaulis. Kageneckia lanceolata. Its bark and leaves, which
are bitter, are used in infusions against tertian fever.
On the 7th the mayor, using his power, compelled the Indians by
force, putting some of them in jail, to transport our baggage because
our commands or money paid in advance could not make them do it;
in this way we left Obrajillo near noon. We spent the night at
the foot of the hill of Pacron, where Brunete's mule had fallen down
the precipice and had had other mishaps that bad night, costing
it its life. On the 8th we climbed and luckily passed the
ascent to Pacron, although, in a most dangerous place, the girth of
one of the pack mules broke. We slept at Checta. We spent the
night of the 9th at the hacienda of Caballero, and from there we
went to Lima on the 10th without other unpleasantness than the
excessive heat on the way.
After we had delivered the boxes of products in the customhouse,
we went to look for a place to live and to put our baggage; it arrived
in Lima the next day with part of the boxes, and these were also
taken to the royal customhouse.
On the 14th we went to present ourselves to the Viceroy and gen-
eral superintendent, Dn. Jorge Escobedo, who repeated to us the
order for our return to Spain in one of the vessels that were about
to sail.
During the following days of this month I continued drying the
plants gathered on the way. I described Limonia trifoliata, the limon-
cillo of China, from the fruits of which they make the sweets called
limoncillos de China. This plant is not a native of Peru but was
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 239
carried from some Asiatic country to Panama and from there
brought to Lima. I examined it and also the Verbena citriodora, cedron,
that was sent from Chile to Lima, and there I repeated the description
that I made in Santiago de Chile, where this plant was brought from
Buenos Aires. I described the Cerbera salicifolia, which, with the
previous ones, the R. P. Francisco Gonzalez Laguna was cultivating
in his Jardin de la Buena Muerte. With the shells of the fruits
of this plant the Indians make a string called cascabeles, which
they use frequently in their dances, placing them about the neck,
arms, and legs for the rattle they make when they are shaken against
each other. To be able to form these strings, they burn the nuts or
bony fruits of the Cerbera on one side, not only to open them there
to take out the almond, but to make them more solid.
I went to the office of the secretary of the Viceroy and there they
handed me a copy of a letter of the minister, Dn. Antonio Porlier, in
which he gave us the pleasing news of how satisfied the King was with
our work and important acquisitions. On this occasion, the Viceroy,
Dn. Theodoro Croix, talked with me, asking that one of the two
botanists remain there for the establishment of the catedra and
botanical gardens ordered established in Lima by S. M.; His Excel-
lency thought that Tafalla, the assistant, might be a little too young
to perform these duties. I answered His Excellency and his sec-
retary, Dn. Esteban Varea, that the assistant, Dn. Juan Tafalla, was
already sufficiently well trained in botany to be able to discharge his
commission, and that we others were both called to the court for the
publication of our "Flora Peruana" and, that for my part, I could no
less than obey the orders of the King. With this answer His Excel-
lency desisted from his proposal ; and he showed himself well pleased
with my way of thinking.
After having dried the plants we had gathered on the way and
made them into bundles by classes and with their generic and specific
names, I boxed them up for a safe journey together with various
seeds, stones, ores, and many other products gathered after the pack-
ing done in Huanuco. I made fair copy of some descriptions, and I
had boxes made and fixed others for transporting to Madrid the
living plants deposited in the Jardin de la Buena Muerte in the
care of the R. P. Francisco Gonzalez Laguna, who had preserved
them with the best of care since we sent them from the mon-
tanas of Huanuco.
I appeared in the name of all of us to ask permission of the Vice-
roy for our return to Spain with our collections of natural products.
240 HIPOLITO Ruiz
On the 26th we went to say our farewell to Sr. Dn. Jorge Escobedo,
who sailed for Spain on the 27th in the vessel "La Concordia."
Because the Viceroy had decreed that our boxes should be divided
between the vessels "Dragon" and "Jason," I went to make ar-
rangements with the masters of both vessels about the places
where the boxes could be stowed and, when we had decided that they
should be placed between decks, I went to tell the Viceroy, and it
was thus ordered.
In the probate court I presented the accounts of the executor-
ship of draftsman Brunete, exerting myself with Sr. Moreno so that
my companion's property might be sent to his sister Dona Agustina
Brunete by the very vessels that were getting ready to set sail after
our frigate; this the judge promised to do without delay and
assured me that the property would not be delayed in the coffers
as usually happens.
In March, 1788, we three companions called on the Viceroy and
asked for our pay as far as due and an advance of some months so
that we might adjust our accounts with the merchants and supply
ourselves with the necessities for the voyage. There were difficulties
about everything, concerning the request by the royal officials from
Lima to stop our pay from the officials of the Royal Coffers of Pasco,
although we had not received anything from them except by an
order from the general superintendency, where they found all of the
documents. After we had presented the accounts of what we had
asked in Pasco, they gave us our pay for the months due and some
advance wages with which we paid our creditors and provided our-
selves with the necessary things for our voyage.
On the 18th my two companions went to the port of Callao with
the boxes to be distributed as arranged with the masters of the
"Dragon" and the "Jason."
I wrote to the Viceroy, asking him for a cabin in which to put the
pots of plants; this request was conceded, and I was assigned another
adjoining cabin so that I could take care of the plants and could
continue writing my botanical observations, as I did during our
voyage at the same time as I was bringing to Madrid 23 crates of
living plants with 68 species out of the 87 with which I left Lima.
I asked for a report of the proceedings about the fire at Macora,
and it was ordered that I be given a decree annulling the sentence
passed by the assessor of Tarma, Dn. Bartolome Bedoya, that charged
us, the plaintiffs, with the expenses and charges of the lawsuit against
Dn. Mathias Trabuco, administrator of the hacienda of Macora.
TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE 241
On the 30th the permit for our voyage to Spain was given us, and
the same night we went to bid farewell to the Viceroy; he asked me to
return next day in the morning for the document concerning the fire
at Macora.
On the 31st we left Lima for the port of Callao, and we shipped
our baggage in the vessel "Dragon" with the 24 pots of plants
brought from Lima in six heated cases, placing them in the cabin in
such a way that they would not suffer with the rocking of the vessel
and so that they could be taken to the quarter-deck when the weather
permitted.
At 12 o'clock at night after the permits had been signed by the
governor of Callao, we set sail and we traveled about a league,
anchoring with a kedge anchor because the master was still to come
with some things he had to bring from the port.
On the 1st of April at three in the afternoon we set sail. At dawn
on the 2nd we saw the vessel "Jason" that also was making the
voyage to Cadiz, but we did not see it again until after seven days.
There was no mishap on the whole trip that lasted until the 12th
of October of the same year, 1788; on this day we landed in Cadiz,
and there I was in bed with fever for ten days. Dn. Jose" Pavon and
Dn. Isidro Galvez set out on their way to Madrid on the 18th of the
same month. I left Cadiz the 27th, accompanying the plants. On
the 29th they were placed in carts at the port of Santa Maria, and
we left for Madrid, where I arrived on the 16th of December. There
I was met by Dn. Mario Loredo, my uncle, and Dn. Casimiro Ortega
in his carriage. I deposited the crates with plants in the Botanical
Garden.
EPILOGUE
BY P. AUGUSTfN JEStJS BARREIRO
I
Words of Lagasca Indifference of the government to the encouragement of
the natural sciences The travels of Ruiz and Pavon in Chile and Peru The
Quinologia of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and the problem of the quinas Description of
this work and its success Appointment of Dn. Juan Tafalla and Dn. Juan Agustin
Manzanilla for the continuation of the campaign of Ruiz and his companions in
Chile and Peru Tafalla discovers new species of quina trees Attack of Zea on the
doctrines of Ruiz and the latter's answer The Suplemento a la Quinologia of Ruiz.
More than a century has elapsed since the botanist Lagasca, after proclaiming
the-advantages of the Spanish and American soil for all classes of natural products
and the great sacrifices made by our countrymen to study them, expressed himself
in the following words in his Amenidades Naturales de las Espanas: "The learned
men who wrote about the natural products of Spain and its colonies, could
only in this way obtain from nature the knowledge that they left of our soil,
climate, and products. Knowledge as precious as unjustly forgotten, scorned,
or at least, held, strangely enough, by the government to be of little value, because
it seldom promoted it sufficiently so that it could give the abundant fruit that it
promised; rather, smothered it many times in the very cradle that had been
prepared. Such are the effects of the neglect and lack of enlightenment of a
government: to spoil the fruit of many expeditions, after having spent on them
more money, perhaps, than all other nations put together!"
What a sad confession to make! But the conduct of the public authorities in
respect to the natural sciences has changed little, at least since Lagasca's time.
Without the least injustice they may well be accused, if not of lack of intelligence,
at least of apathy and indifference in this respect. The only important scientific
expedition organized by the Spanish government in the entire XIX century was
the one in 1862 to the coasts of the Pacific, and the fruits of that expedition, so
poorly prepared and so neglected, were also smothered in their own cradle, the
indispensable means being refused for printing the works in which the collections
of said expedition were studied. 1
In regard to other scientific expeditions of less importance as, for example,
the ones made to Marruecos, there has prevailed, almost always, a financial nig-
gardliness so extreme that at times the travelers were placed in the position of
having to resort to their own pockets to defray some of the expenses for the jour-
neys. It is not, therefore, surprising that our governments should forget the very
rich collections of the past centuries, when those of the present time are of so
little interest to them. This explains why the Flora Guatemalensis of Mocino
and the Flora Novae Hispaniae of Mocino and Sess6 were locked up in the
archives; the latter was finally published by Mexicans, although without the
corresponding plates, because those had been lost here in Spain. 2
1 See our Historia de la Common cientifica del Pacifico. Madrid, 1926.
2 The history of these plates is very eventful. They were brought from Mexico
by Dn. Martin Sesse in the year 1808; they later passed into the hands of Mocino,
244 EPILOGUE
Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and Dn. Jose Pavon were not so unfortunate with their
work, but even so their luck and the government were far from favoring them
completely. They left Spain in 1777 and arrived at Callao in April, 1778. They
stayed ten years exploring Peru and Chile, returning to Spain in the year 1788.
Their first work was the Quinologia o Tratado del drbol de la Quina o Cascarilla
con &u description y la de otras especies de Quinos nuevamente descubiertos. Del
modo de benefitiarla, de su election, comercio, virtudes y extracto elaborado con cortezas
retientes y de la eficacia de este comprobada con observaciones; a que se anaden algunos
experimentos quimicos y noticias acerca del andlisis de todas ellas. Madrid, 1792.
The problem of the quinas offered at that time a truly exceptional medical
interest, on account of the proved efficacy of quina against fevers, and this explains
why the Ministry of the Indies came to assign to these botanists the examination
and study of the cascarillas, or quina trees, as one of the principal objects of their
trip. It was for that reason, doubtless, that the treatise mentioned had the advan-
tage of being printed before the rest of the works of Ruiz and Pavon. A glance at
its pages is sufficient to reveal the care and patience with which it was prepared
and the care with which it was edited. There is nothing missing from it that
might be of interest for the perfect knowledge of the subject.
In the introduction to the work, Dn. Hipolito Ruiz tells of his first observations
on the quina tree, in these words: "Even before the departure of Mr. Dombey
who, because of his poor health, was obliged to return to Europe in the year 1784, 1
had had the good fortune to recognize the true cascarillo in bloom, in the year 1779,
in the montaiias of Cuchero in the province of Panatahuas, 85 leagues from Lima
and some 140 from Loja, an observation which I confirmed by repeated exami-
nation of its fructification and communicated to all my companions. This happy
circumstance . . . made me devote myself to this, during the four years that we
lived in Peru after Mr. Dombey departed, namely, to investigate, to collect,
describe and have sketches made of as many species of cascarillos as I could find,
the number of which I succeeded in bringing up to seven. The observation and
comparison of such a considerable number of species made it easier to correct
and perfect more and more the description of the character of the genus Cinchona,
sketched by the immortal Linnaeus and improved in the Suplementum plantarum
by his son, with the help of the information furnished by our noted botanist and
naturalist, Dn. Jose Celestino Mutis, from whose careful and extensive work in
the kingdom of Santa Fe, for the term of nearly thirty years, we should promise
ourselves excellent observations about the true quina tree, and the history of some
species of quinos. These are said to have been discovered on his journeys, quite
different, in general, from those here described, and among them, it is to be be-
lieved, there would also be some common to the very territories which I have
covered in my travels. And although Mr. de la Condamine, in his memoir upon
the "Arbol de la Quina," that is found in the volume of the Royal Academy of
Sciences of Paris of the year 1738, described and sketched a branch of the cas-
carillos that he had observed in the mountains of Caxaruma, one will notice, by
the comparison of his drawing and description with ours, that he did not take
who carried them to France in 1814, handing them to DeCandolle who had copies
made of them. In the year 1819 they were returned to Mocino, who lived in
Barcelona, and later were handed to the doctor who attended him. In 1862 they
were in the possession of Dr. Dn. Rafael Esteve, and they were requested in
vain. Since then their whereabouts is unknown. There were in all 3,000 plates,
botanical and zoological.
EPILOGUE 245
time to distinguish botanically the species he indicates and that he had seen as a
curious traveler. He reduces them to only one, which is number three, Cascarilla
lampina, and not number one, Cascarilla oficinal, that is Cascarillo fino, called quino
par excellence, and almost all the writers have been influenced erroneously by this
learned academician." Thereupon the author demonstrates the advantages that
would accrue to commerce as well as to medicine by the proper differentiation of
species of quinos, and he states how pleased he was to see his opinions confirmed,
in a writing of Dn. Jose Celestino Mutis about the virtues of the quina, that
reached his hands when the prologue of this work was being printed. "What
enlightenment," Ruiz adds, "may we not expect from the publication of the Quino-
logia of such a learned master!" Ruiz also tells that he presented a box of bark
of all the different species of quinos to the King, so that he could see the differences
at a glance and could convince himself of those of their properties. "If with this
treatise," he adds, "one could succeed in removing such serious difficulties [he refers
to the confusion and mixture of the different quinas], I should consider justifiable my
labors and the risks to my life which I have run more than once in order to gather
the materials for this Quinologia with sufficient care, climbing through mountains
almost inaccessible, and never marked by human footsteps, and climbing tall
trees the branches of which gave way under my feet, to have the satisfaction of
being able to present to the public my descriptions made in bad weather under
those hardships and with the fatigue and danger that is familiar to any experi-
enced botanist who knows how to appreciate and distinguish these works from
those made in the shelter and comfort of a study, which are as different from the
first ones as are the plants that are described and sketched in their native places
from those that are cultivated for other purposes in gardens or are seen dried in
herbaria and are published, although lacking a part as impo rtant as is the infor-
mation about their uses and properties, in anticipation of the works of their
discoverers." 1
The author divides his work into two parts, and in the first he deals with the
following subjects. Discoveries of the quino tree and names given to it. About
trade in cascarilla. About the damage to the mountains where it is found. Re-
planting of these and preparation for exploitation. False and true signs by which
to distinguish the species of quina trees. The properties of quina in general and
of extract made from fresh bark. 2
1 Quinologia. Prologue, page 8. In these last phrases the author seems to
refer to Cavanilles.
2 This first part comprises 8 articles, in which the following subjects are
studied.
ARTICLE I
Of the first discovery of the cascarilla in the province of Loja and other terri-
tories, and information concerning its uses to Europeans and other nations. Of
the origin of the name quina and of the names by which it is known in the phar-
macies, and of what is there called cascarilla.
ARTICLE II
Of the discovery in the last few years of the trees of cascarilla fina or quina fina
of Lpja, and other species of cascarilla, in the province of Huanuco and the vicinity
of Lima.
ARTICLE III
Of the commerce and consumption of cascarilla in general, deterioration of the
mountains where it is found, and proposal of means to restore them and increase
the number of cascarillas and improve their quality.
246 EPILOGUE
Dn. Hipolito Ruiz judges probable that the Indians of the province of Loja
knew the virtues of quina as a remedy against fevers and made use of the same
before the Spaniards arrived. When our botanists arrived in Peru in the year 1778,
persons worthy of credit asserted that, according to a tradition current there, an
Indian of the province of Loja, in the year 1636, had informed the then corregidor
of that province, who was suffering from fever, about the virtues mentioned.
This gentleman used the remedy recommended and, as he regained his health,
the news began to spread in the Spanish colony, which promptly followed the
example of this public official. Two years later this man heard that the wife of
the Viceroy of Lima, Dn. Jeronimo Fernandez de Cabrera, count of Chinchon,
was suffering from tertian fever, and without delay he sent some quina bark with a
letter to the corregidor recommending very earnestly the use of this remedy.
The Viceroy, being of the opinion that no one else could direct the experiment
better than that man, called the official to Lima and entrusted him with making
experiments together with the doctors in the hospitals. The order was immediately
executed, and the results could not have been more satisfactory.
Then they decided to recommend it to the countess, and she also recovered
her health, to the great satisfaction of all and especially the corregidor. The
countess was eager to make known to the rest of the people the benefits of the
bark and began to distribute quina bark free, and when she left Lima in 1640,
she gave some to the Jesuit fathers, so that they might do the same.
These in turn sent some to Rome, which was used by Cardinal Lugo with
satisfactory results. That is the reason for the names polvos de la condesa, polvos de
los Jesuitas, polvos de Lugo, as well as others such as quina, quinquina or kinquina,
kina-kina, corteza peruviana, loxa, china-chana or china-canna, china-chinae or
corteza febril, genciana indica, antiquatanario peruviano, and palo de calenturas.
The author of this work tells us where the different species of quino were
found and who the discoverers were, citing on this account Dn. Francisco Ren-
quifo, who found the cascarilla fina or quina de Loja in the year 1776 in the moun-
tains and hills of San Cristobal de Cuchero, in the province of Panatahuas. Three
years later, it was observed there in bloom by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz when he visited
the same mountains, as has been said above. He says that the first years that the
ARTICLE IV
About the native place in which cascarillos finos and other species grow.
About the maturity and cutting of the bark, and of its drying, transport, and other
operations in its preparation.
ARTICLE V
Of the waste that occurs in the cutting and commerce of cascarillas, because too
much attention is paid to the color of the back, and of the arbitrariness with which
they are mixed and are given preference in commerce for one reason or another.
ARTICLE VI
Of the principal dependable criteria that distinguish good cascarilla of any
species cut at maturity and well prepared and stored.
ARTICLE VII
About the properties that unanimously and generally have been recognized in
cascarilla or quina.
ARTICLE VIII
About the method of producing the extract of fresh cascarilla in Peru. Of
the reasonableness of its price. Of preference for it to that manufactured in
Europe, and even above the extract of quina in certain cases. Of new observations
of its efficacy and means to guard against its adulteration.
EPILOGUE 247
doctors began using the cascarilla, a pound of it was worth 6 pesos gold in Peru
and 12 in Spain, but later these prices decreased for a time, owing to the campaign
against quina started by the same doctors, who condemned and disparaged its use,
whether on account of the ordinary aversion to anything new or because of a maxim
of Hippocrates that says: "Fever should be considered an excretion that nature evacuates
from morbific matter." 1
Regardless of this, quina regained its value, prevailing in the whole world to
such an extent that between the years 1778 and 1788 more than 70,000 arrobas of
quina were taken from the mountains of Peru. This gave rise to thousands of
abuses in the exploitation of the quina trees, which were cut near the ground, the
mountains by such methods being stripped with great injury to the industry.
Fortunately, nature itself provided a remedy for such abuses, endowing those
trees with the property of sprouting and recuperating ten or twelve years after
being cut, as Dn. Hipolito Ruiz well observed. For his part he exposed in
his work the deplorable consequences of these abuses, and the King, Dn. Carlos
IV, having resolved to stop them, sent to Loja, in the year 1792, the botanist
and chemist Dn. Vicente Olmedo, an advanced pupil of the Botanical Garden of
Madrid, for the task of examining the quina trees, directing the cutting and ship-
ments, and of coming to an agreement with the corregidor of Loja about what
could be done for the betterment and prosperity of this industry.
In this same book are set down the most reliable signs by which cascarilla fina
may be known and distinguished, the procedure employed at that time in Peru
to prepare its extract, and finally the testimony of reliable doctors who testified
to its virtue and efficacy in the cure of fevers.
The second part contains the botanical descriptions corresponding to the
seven species then known by the author, followed by some observations on the
same species. 2
1 Quinologia, page 8.
2 SECOND PART
Botanical description of the seven species of cascarilla trees that are found in
Peru, some of them recently discovered. About the characters by which quina
colorada, calisaya, and hoja de olivo are distinguished, and description of the
tree that gives the bark originally called quina-quina, with some chemical experi-
ments and information about its analysis.
ARTICLE I
Generic character of the quinos or cascarillos.
ARTICLE II
Description of the tree of the cascarilla fina or quina oficinal.
ARTICLE III
Description of the second species of cascarilla from the heights of Pillao,
considered in commerce one of the quinas finas.
ARTICLE IV
Description of the third species of quina trees, known in the montaiias of
Panatahuas, adjoining the one of Huanuco, by the name cascarillos bobos or
cascarillos amarillos.
ARTICLE V
Description of the fourth species of quinos, known in the montanas of
Panatahuas and Huanuco by the name cascarillos bobos or de hojas moradas.
248 EPILOGUE
By way of supplement, next comes the description of Myroxylon peruiferum,
of Linnaeus, a tree known in Peru by the name of quino-quino and its bark as
quina-quina, later applied to the quina or cascarilla of the genus Cinchona, of the
same Linnaeus. 1
The publication of this Quinologia constituted a scientific event of great
note, not only in Europe but also in Hispano-America. The proof of this is in the
versions made of the same in Italian in Rome (1792), recently printed in Spain;
in the German language (1794) in Gottingen, and in English in London (1800).
Before our botanists left American soil, they had the foresight to teach and
instruct, by order of Carlos IV, Dn. Juan Tafalla and Dn. Augustin Manzanilla,
so that they might continue the investigations; the first-named, by study of the
flora, and the second as a draftsman. And to those tasks they consecrated them-
selves with the greatest zeal and industry, as is demonstrated by the numerous
collections sent to Spain-, especially by Tafalla. Among the discoveries made by
him, we should mention here four new species of quina that received, respectively,
the names of cascarillo de flor fina (Cinchona micrantha), cascarillo ahorquillado
(C. dichotoma), cascarilla de hoja aguda (C. acutifolia), Cinchona glandulosa (C.
glandulifera).
At that time Dn. Sebastian Jose Lopez Ruiz brought from Santa Fe the
cascarillo or quina with narrow leaves, and this he called quina turnita, C. land-
folia of Mutis, and C. angustifolia of Ruiz.
In the year 1801, Ruiz and Pavon published the Suplemento a la Quino-
logia, with descriptions of the four species from Peru sent by Tafalla and also the
quina unita of Lopez Ruiz, who had sent a dried specimen of the same to Dn.
Hipolito Ruiz.
In this volume the two naturalists included a work under the following title:
Defensa que hacen de las Quinas finas peruvianas y las de Loxa, los botdnicos de la
Expedicion del Peru, D. Hipolito Ruiz y D. Jose Pavon, respondiendo a la Memoria
que Don Francisco Antonio Zea inserto en los "Anales de Historia Natural," cuaderno
no. 5 (1800), sobre las quinas de Santa Fe y demonstracion de que estas son muy
inferiores a aquellas.
In fact, this Sr. Zea had lived for some time in Santa Fe, where he cultivated
the science of botany for two years under the direction of Mutis. When the Quino-
logia of Ruiz was published in the year 1792, he thought, no doubt, that they were
taking the credit from his teacher, and he asserts that they had appropriated the
ARTICLE VI
Description of the fifth species of quinos, known by the natives of the prov-
inces of Panatahuas and Huanuco by the name cascarillos de flor de azahar.
ARTICLE VII
Description of the sixth species of quinos, known in Panao, a town of the
province of Panatahuas, ten leagues distant from Huanuco, by the name
cascarillos con corteza de color de pata de gallareta.
ARTICLE VIII
Description of the seventh species of quinos, known by the natives of Puzuzo
and Muna by the name asmonich.
1 This famous botanist wanted to make the name of the counts of Chinchon
immortal, and so created the genus Chinchona, dedicated to them, in which there
are included the various species of quinas. [Linnaeus erroneously wrote Cinchona
instead of Chinchona.]
EPILOGUE 249
third part of his discoveries to the damage of his prestige. 1 He then discussed the
matter of the quinas, endeavoring to claim for Mutis and his expedition priority in
the discovery of those from Santa Fe and denying that merit to Doctor Lopez, whose
botanical competence he places in doubt. He says that there were known only
four classes of quina: the orange, red, yellow, and white; he enumerates their
virtues and finishes by trying to reduce the Cinchona hirsuta, the purpurea, and
the micrantha of Ruiz to mere varieties of the C. cordifolia of Mutis. Zea's attacks
upon the Quinologia of Ruiz caused him, as well as Dn. Jose Pavon, real surprise,
and both were quick to refute them in the "Respuesta," which offers truly interesting
information about the expedition of Mutis. According to them 2 Mutis did not
start his botanical work in Santa Fe until the year 1784, that is, seven years later
than Ruiz and Pavon in Peru and Chile; consequently they could not well appro-
priate discoveries that had not yet been made. They add, besides, the following
observations: First, that the expedition to Chile and Peru was carried on for eleven
years by the same individuals, without any other casualties than the death of
Brunete the draftsman, in 1787, while there were very important changes of
personnel in the expedition of Santa Fe. Second, that the botanists sent to Chile
and Peru traveled on foot over a great part of the territories, making the observa-
tions in open country on living plants growing wild, while Mutis, for various
reasons, was unable to travel and had to rely upon the information of persons
more or less competent, which was very far from supplying personal observations.
Third, that the expedition of Ruiz had constantly remitted, since it had made the
first excursions, numerous specimens of living and dried plants, dried animals,
antiques, etc., to the Ministry of the Indies, as it had been ordered to do, but this
had not been done by Doctor Mutis, not even once during the seventeen years
that he had then (1801) been the head of the expedition. And finally, that Mutis had
neither sent to Spain any information about his discoveries or personal observa-
tions made in the 23 years prior to his appointment as director of that expedition,
nor had he given to the press any other works than El Arcano de la Quina (without
descriptions or sketches) and some others of little importance; this, in spite of the
magnificence with which he was aided by the Viceroy, Archbishop Dn. Antonio
Caballero and Gongora, as well as by the governor of the metropolis. 3
1 Suplemento a la Quinologia, page 23.
2 Suplemento a la Quinologia, pages 110-114.
3 "In article No. 1 that appears at the beginning of the letter of appointment
of Mutis, Ruiz and Pavon say (Suplemento a la Quinologia," pages 24 and 25):
"His Majesty ordered to be delivered to him at one time a gratuity of 2,000 doub-
loons, to pay his debts and to pay the cost of concluding and perfecting his manu-
scripts in order to send them to His Majesty before starting the expedition. Be-
sides, he assigned them the salary of 2,000 pesos (money of the Indies), and for
traveling 4,000, although from then on he always drew the latter amount and,
according to information from Sr. Zea, he came to receive even 6,000 pesos." And
we add that Dn. Jose Celestino Mutis doubtless knew how to use to advantage the
abundant resources with which he was supplied, in influencing effectively the
general culture and development of the sciences in that country, that will remember
him always with gratitude and veneration; but we suspect that this magnitude
of his program and enterprise was a great obstacle that prevented him from
completing his botanical work, about which he always seemed to maintain reserve.
If the text had been done like the iconographical part, his Flora of Santa Fe would
not have a rival in the world today.
250 EPILOGUE
In the matter of the quinas it is observed in this reply: first, that the physicians
always applied that of Peru and Loja, because they judged it superior to that of
Santa Fe, and second, that the classification of the quinas by their respective
colors was completely arbitrary and of no scientific value. Such is, in short, the
answer of the botanist-explorers of Chile and Peru, to the memoir of Dn. Francisco
Antonio Zea. This controversy caused great excitement among naturalists, and
constitutes an eloquent testimony to the interest taken at that time in questions
of natural history.
II
The Prodromo de la Flora Peruviana y Chilense Draftsmen and engravers
Contents Genera dedicated to botanists and patrons of botany Discussions
between Cavanilles and the authors of the Prodromo Criticism of Antonio
Lorenzo Jussieu of this work and reply of Ruiz The Systema Vegetabilium
Florae Peruvianae et Chilensis of Ruiz and Pav6n.
In 1794 there appeared the Prodromo de la Flora Peruviana y Chilense, o sea Des-
cripciones y Idminas de los nuevos generos de plantas de la Flora de Chile y Peru,
by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and Dn. Jose Pavon. After the Quinologia of Ruiz, the
Prodromo was the first result of their work to come off the press. It formed
a volume in great folio with thick linen paper, bilingual text (Castilian and Latin)
in two columns, with good type and clean and careful printing.
The text has 175 pages, including the preface, and there follows the icono-
graphical part, consisting of 37 engravings, with 219 drawings made by Dn. Isidro
Galvez, 1 and engraved by the artists Jose Rubio, Jose Castro, Vicente Enguidanos,
Tomas Enguidanos, Manuel Alegre, Vicente Garcia, Felix Prieto, and Melchor
Prado.
This work begins with a preface in which an outline is sketched of the history
of botany in Spain from the time of the Romans to the end of the eighteenth
century; it also has a brief account of the expedition of Ruiz and his companions
during the years that they spent in Chile and Peru.
Then follow the descriptions of the genera, made with the greatest clarity
and order in two languages, Latin and Castilian, and at the end of the text are
the corresponding illustrations, executed with great exactness and detail.
In this work we have yet to recognize another merit, and not a small one:
it is that of the dedication of the majority of the genera to Spanish personages
eminent in the natural sciences. Across its pages march the names of those who
either cultivated them, especially botany, or encouraged and promoted them by
their support, material or moral. Confining ourselves to the eighteenth century,
we can assert that the Spaniard will be very rare who does not have his place in
the Prodromo, if he was a protector of the science of plants or had dedicated his
abilities and zeal to it. Thanks to this foresight, we can recall here the names
of P. Martin Sarmiento, Benedictine mathematician and botanist, to whom they
dedicated the genus Sarmienta; of Dn. Jos6 Sanchez, professor of botany at
the end of the eighteenth century at the Royal College of Cadiz, to whom they did
the same with the genus Sanchezia; of Dn. Cosmo Bueno, cosmographer and
author of the Historia topogrdfica y natural del Peru, genus Cosmibuena; of Dn.
Antonio Condal, physician and botanist of the expedition of Iturriaga and Loefling
(1751) to the Orinoco, genus Condalia; of P. Francisco Gonzalez Laguna, pious
divine, "a truly industrious person, learned, and patron of the studious, tireless
promoter of learning and arts and the applied sciences, of whose help, guidance,
favor, and generosity we took advantage during our residence in Peru and, since
the King confided to his direction our pupils and successors Tafalla and Pulgar,
we utilized his epistolary correspondence to the benefit of the Flora of Peru and
1 His signature appears only on the first engraving, but we think, with reason,
that he is the author of the rest.
252 EPILOGUE
explanation of all our works; 1 of Dn. Antonio de la Cuadra, tireless promoter of
arboriculture, genus Quadria; of Dn. Luis Riqueur, first apothecary of Philip V,
cultivator of fruit trees in Soto de Migas Calientes and generous donor of this farm
to the then Prince of the Asturias, later Fernando VI, for a botanical garden; of
Dn. Francisco Aldea, director of the Royal College of Apothecaries of Madrid,
professor of botany and companion of Quer on his explorations through Spain,
genus Aldea; of Dn. Benito Paltor, Loefling's companion on the expedition to the
Orinoco, genus Paltoria; of Dn. Francisco Fernandez Navarrete, very learned collector
and possessor of natural history manuscripts, especially of Nueva Granada, genus
Navarretia; of Dn. Martin Sesse, director of the Botanical Garden of Mexico and
chief of the expedition to Nueva Espana, genus Sessea; of Dn. Francisco Fabian
Fuero, Archbishop of Valencia, who in his botanical garden at Puzol cultivates
the rarest plants from both Indies, taking advantage of the benignity and fertility
of that very fortunate climate, passing them on with the greatest generosity to
the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, genus Fabiana; of Dn. Gaspar Xuarez,
native of Tucuman, who, with Dn. Felipe Gil, devotes himself in Rome to the
cultivation of exotic plants little known and used, with the idea of investigating
their properties and of extending that information and use for public benefit,
genus Xuarezia; of Dn. Jorge Juan and Dn. Antonio de Ulloa, companions of La
Condamine, Jussieu, etc., who traveled in Peru for the purpose of measuring a
degree of the equator to determine the shape of the earth, genus Juanulloa; of
P. Isidro Saracha, Benedictine, "who has continuously engaged in the observation
of plants, is happy in communicating his knowledge to several young men, and
does not tire of enriching the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid with extremely
rare plants," genus Saracha; of P. Matias Villares, Bernardine monk, "who most
of his life cultivated a botanical garden in the monastery of Santa Espina (Valla-
dolid) and generously distributed his plants and seeds to the other botanists of
Spain, genus Villaresia; of Dn. Francisco Cerda y Rico, active protector of our
botanists, genus Cerdana; of Dn. Vicente Cervantes, first professor of botany in
Mexico and also in America, genus Cervantesia; of Dn. Jos6 Antonio Alzate,
Mexican, a man of great knowledge in natural sciences, genus Alzatea; of Dn. Jose
Cornide, "diligent and learned investigator of antiquities and of the works of
nature, as is manifest in his Ensayo de la Historia de peces de Galicia and other
publications printed in Madrid, genus Cornidia; of Dn. Antonio Porlier, marquis
of Bajamar, who, when he was minister of the Indies added Ruiz and Pavon to
the Botanical Garden of Madrid and ordered the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis
to be prepared for printing, genus Porlieria; of Dn. Antonio Valdes, minister of the
Navy and founder of the Botanical Garden of Cartagena, genus Valdesia; of Dn.
Pedro de Acuna y Malvar, who promoted the edition of that work, genus Acunna;
and finally of thousands more who for reasons already stated had made them-
selves worthy of such homage.
In this respect the Prodrome constitutes a curious register in which are in-
scribed the names and merits of the majority of those who cultivated the natural
sciences, especially in Spain.
The Prodrome had scarcely been published when there arose about it the
liveliest discussions, as happened with the Quinologia but, while in the case of
the latter, the adversary had been Dn. Francisco Antonio Zea, this time it was
Dn. Antonio Jose de Cavanilles. He was born in the year 1745 and carried on
1 Prodrome, page 12.
EPILOGUE 253
various studies, without paying attention to botany. In 1777 he went to the
capital of France and there, under the direction of the friar Chaligni, he began the
study of that science when he was 36 years of age. He became acquainted with
Lorenzo Antonio Jussieu, with Thouin and other men of learning, and made rapid
progress in that science, as can be seen from his Disertaciones sobre la clase Mona-
delfia de Linneo, which he began to publish in the year 1785. Cavanilles was of
an open nature, original and bold; he had near him the herbaria of Commerson,
Jussieu, Sonnerat, and Thouin, made in various places in Asia and America, and
taking advantage of this material, he formed new genera and species in great
numbers. The first of his Disertaciones had hardly been published when there
appeared a certain article signed by a vecino de Lima [neighbor from Lima]
in which it was stated that Cavanilles had made himself a botanist impromptu,
by establishing his genera and species from specimens dried and deformed by
cultivation, and finally, by creating new groups without good reasons. The
author of the aforementioned article was Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, who, true to his
judgment, demolished the new genera Molina, Palaua, Pavonia, and Ruizia,
established by Cavanilles.
In the year 1799, Pavon handed Ruiz an extensive note received from the
French botanist Antonio Lorenzo Jussieu, by way of Cavanilles. In this were set
forth some observations about the genera and species contained in the Flora
Peruviana et Chilensis, inviting an opportune reply. Dn. Hipolito Ruiz did
not delay answering with a very careful letter (January, 1800), in which he
explained the motives that had impelled him not to admit the new genera Palaua,
Pavonia, etc., created by Cavanilles, 1 and he answered in detail the rest of the
questions of Jussieu.
He also enumerated many species published by Cavanilles as new and that,
according to him, were already known and some even cultivated in botanical
gardens, and he finishes with these words: "Let us confess in good faith that
the one who describes from dried specimens is in danger of making great mis-
takes when he even makes them so frequently about plants that he examines
while living, as were most of those that I have just referred to." We must
observe that such phrases reflected perfectly the antagonism already exist-
ing between Dn. Antonio Jose de Cavanilles and the botanists of the expedi-
tion to Peru.
Dn. Hipolito Ruiz had published his Respuesta a Cavanilles in 1796, including
in it a multitude of objections and charges against the botanical works of the
latter, and in the same year there appeared the answer of the pupil of Jussieu,
replying to the reasonings of Ruiz. 2 Who was right in this debate? With respect
to the genera, we can affirm today that Cavanilles was right. The genera Molina,
Palaua, Ruizia, and Pavonia have been accepted by science and they continue to
exist, admitted by all botanists.
In regard to the species, they also figure as legitimate in the works of botany,
not all, but a fair number of them.
1 See Suplemento a la Quinologia, pages 131-135, and volume III of the
Flora Peruviana et Chilensis, IX-XXIII.
2 Coleccion de papeles sobre controversias botdnicas, by Dn. A. J. Cavanilles.
Madrid, 1796.
254 EPILOGUE
In the year 1798 Ruiz and Pavon published the Systema Vegetabilium Florae
Peruvianae et Chilensis, 1 describing in this work 620 species pertaining to the first
four groups of the system of Linnaeus. At the same time they made known three
new genera: the genus Alonsoa, the description and sketch of which was sent from
Peru by Dn. Juan Tafalla; the genus Monnina, dedicated to Dn. Jose Monino,
count of Floridablanca, and the genus Phytelephas. Taking advantage of this
opportunity, they corrected also some genera of the Prodrome, following indica-
tions and information given by Tafalla and other botanists.
1 A volume of 455 pages in 8vo, without plates. Madrid.
Ill
Publication of the first volume of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis (1798) Inex-
plicable delay Diligence of Dn. Antonio Porcel Support of ministers Llaguno
and Jovellanos The preface to the work Classification adopted Character
of the descriptions New genera Species described Draftsmen Engravers
Appearance of the second volume of this work (1799) Contents.
In the year 1798, the first volume of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis of Ruiz
and Pavon was published. 1 This work should have followed immediately on the
Prodrome, which was printed in 1794, but its authors say that it was delayed by
unexpected difficulties. We do not think that these could have been from lack
of money, because in 1789 the King, Dn. Carlos IV, sent a circular to all the official
corporations of our colonies, stimulating their zeal to relieve the penury of the
public treasury, with their contributions so that the Floras of America might be
published; in fact, soon afterwards there arrived in Spain funds more than suffi-
cient for the object mentioned. 2 But whatever the nature of the obstacles, it is
certain that they were not removed until the year mentioned, in which, thanks to
the repeated efforts of Dn. Antonio Porcel before the Minister of the Indies, Dn.
Eugenio Llaguno, a royal order was obtained for the immediate publication of
the rest of the volumes of this Flora. Dn. Zenon Alonso was charged with sup-
plying all the means required to carry out this royal order, and thanks to this and
to the efficient help of Dn. Melchor Gaspar de Jovellanos, who succeeded Llanguo
in the Ministry, the botanists of Peru and Chile saw the accomplishment of their
desires, although in part only.
This volume has an appearance identical with the Prodromo and is headed
by a preface with interesting details that deserve to be recalled here. According
to Ruiz and Pavon, the only botanists who explored the flora of Chile and Peru
were Jose Jussieu, Fevilles, and Father Ignacio Molina, but these explored only
the littoral regions without reaching the very fertile and extensive montanas of
the Andes. They also add that some of the species described in this work had
already been mentioned or studied by Jacquin and Aublet, who traveled in Mar-
tinique, Santo Domingo, Guayana, etc., and others by Vandel, L. Heritier, Jussieu
(A. L.), Smith, Cavanilles, Lamarck, Vahl, and Dn. Casimiro Gomez Ortega,
respectively.
In the Prodromo they had estimated that the descriptions included in this
work would reach 2,400 and the corresponding sketches 1,800, but here 3 they affirm
that the former would reach 3,000 and the latter 2,000.
The classifications have been made according to the manner of Linnaeus,
concise and clear language being employed to describe the species with the most
1 Flora Peruviana et Chilensis sive Descriptiones et Icones plantarum peruviana-
rum et chilensium secundum systema linneanum digestae, cum characteribus plurium
generum, evulgatorum reformatis. Auctoribus Hippolyto Ruiz et Josepho Pavon.
Reg. Acad. Medic. Matriti Sociis.
2 "Contribucion de las colonias espanolas para imprimir las floras de America
en el siglo xvm," by P. Barreiro. Trabajos del Congreso Hispano-Americano
de Geografia e Historia de Sevilla, 1930.
3 Flora P. et Ch. Preface, p. 1.
256 EPILOGUE
appropriate terms. At the foot of each one there are cited the corresponding
locality, or localities, and vernacular names. For reasons of economy, they have
now omitted the descriptions in Castilian, contrary to what they did in the
Prodromo.
In this volume they make known three new genera; the genus Anthodon, the
genus Jovellana, dedicated to Dn. Caspar Melchor de Jovellanos, and the genus
O'Higginsia, that was dedicated to Dn. Ambrosio O'Higgins de Vallenar, marquis
of Ozorno and viceroy of Peru.
The species described sum up to 277 belonging to the four first classes of
Linnaeus. The book is illustrated with 106 plates, with 219 figures, drawn re-
spectively by Brunete, Galvez, and Francisco Pulgar. They were engraved by
Francisco Suria, Isidro Galvez, Vicente L. Enguidanos, Miguel Gamborino,
Jose Maria Bonifaz, Jose Querol, Pedro Nolasco Gasco, Tomas Lopez Enguidanos,
Francisco Marti, Vicente Pascual Perez, Jose Salas, Narciso Cobo, Manuel Navarro,
Vicente Mariani, Mariano Brandi, Jose Rico, Guillermo Orejon, Felipe Prieto,
J. Fonseca, Pedro Gasco, Vicente Albarracln, Vicente P. Perez, Rafael Camaron,
Julio Calvo, Francisco Ugena, Fernando Selma, Francisco Perez, Jose Rodriguez,
Cipriano Mare, Juan Rodriguez, Jose Bruneti, Jose Castro, E. M. Torre, Juan
Bruneti, Francisco Ribera, Jose Vega, Francisco Mollera, Juan Becquer, Francisco
Panfil, Mariano Latasa, Faustino M. Torres, Nicolas Besanzon, and Jose Rubio.
A year after the first volume, that is in 1799, the second volume of this Flora
was printed in a form identical with the first one. In it the authors included two
new genera, namely, Calydermos and Leonia (the latter dedicated to Dn. Francisco
Leon, who promoted the publication of the volume), and 251 species belonging to
the class Pentandria Monogynia of L. The illustrations in this volume consist
of 116 plates and 203 figures, executed by the artists already mentioned. They
state that some plates of the present book are colored to satisfy the curious, and
in fact, these plates exist in the archives of the Botanical Garden of Madrid, but
have not been incorporated with the text in many copies. The authors congratu-
late themselves on the many species described in this volume pertaining to the
genera Heliotropium, Tournefortia, Nolana, Linanthus, Varronia, Rauwolfia, Plu-
meria, Cestrum, Solanum, Saracha, Sessea, Periphragmos, Psychotria, etc., etc.
They also include here ten species of quinas: eight discovered by them and two
by Dn. Juan Tafalla.
Finally they inform us of the following:
1st, that the corregidor of Loja called to Lima by the count of Chinchon to
administer the quina to the countess, was named Dn. Juan Lopez de Canizares;
2nd, that Dn. Manuel Alcarraz was the first person to enter the mountains to
obtain quinas, and took them to Lima to promote commerce in them in the prov-
inces of Huanuco and Panatahuas, in advance of Dn. Francisco Renquifo, who
found the Cinchona nitida in the hills of San Cristobal in the year 1776 when he
was returning from the province of Lomas.
IV
The third volume of this work comes off the press (1802) Its contents and
illustrations New genera published by the authors Personages to whom some
genera included in the third volume were dedicated Material sent from Peru by
Dn. Juan Tafalla Plans of Ruiz and Pavon for the Suplemento de la Flora
The preface to this volume and the letter from Ruiz to Jussieu.
The third volume of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis came off the press in
1802, edited, as were the others, by Gabriel de Sancha. It contained 223 descrip-
tions, corresponding to as many species of classes V, VI, and VII of Linnaeus.
The plates that illustrate this volume number 104 and the figures 176. The
authors state that the respective fruits are not represented separately in some of the
plates, because they are already found in the drawings of the plants or branches.
By the time that this volume was published, Ruiz and Pavon had already
described 142 genera, as follows: 134 in the Prodromo, 3 in the first volume of
this Flora, 2 in the second volume, and 3 in the Systema Vegetabilium. In this
are included 7 new genera : Bonapartea (dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte) , Lapageria
(dedicated to Josefina Lapagerie, wife of Napoleon), Luzuriaga (to Dn. Ignacio
Maria Ruiz de Luzuriaga, famous Spanish physician, chemist, and botanist),
Isidrogalvia (to Isidro Galvez, draftsman of the expedition), Guzmannia, (to Dn.
Anastasio Guzman, pharmacist and naturalist), Conanthera, and Cosmibuena.
These botanists state here that, having received enough material sent by
Dn. Juan Tafalla after their return, they are keeping, for the Suplemento de la
Flora, the descriptions of all the species of this material pertaining to the first
eight classes of Linnaeus, and of others belonging to the less known American
genera, besides the study of the new species included in genera unknown in Europe.
In the same Suplemento they had expected to include many plants, specimens
of which were lost in the shipwreck of the vessel "San Pedro Alcantara," and
which they hoped to replace by new ones, substituting with examples from
Dombey's herbarium of those that Tafalla could not supply from Peru.
The Suplemento was to be composed of four volumes dedicated to the study of all
those plants that, after having been discovered in America by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and
his companion, had been described and represented defectively by other botanists.
In the preface to this volume 1 they defend themselves against the charges of Zea,
repeated by C. Alibert; 2 they inform Cavanilles of the inconsistency of his conduct
in retaining the genus Gynopleura after having agreed that it was a species of
Malesherbia; finally they cite the praise accorded by Jussieu to the Flora Peruvi-
ana et Chilensis.
In the front of the same volume is printed the letter of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz to
Jussieu and the answer to the doubts expressed by him. There is also a note upon
the material destined to form the Suplemento. 3
1 Pages n, in, iv.
2 Dissertatio defebribus pernicioni intermitentibus, p. 228.
3 Catalogue of the species of some genera that we have in our possession,
together with drawings of them, pertaining to the first thirteen classes of Linnaeus,
which were not inserted in the first four volumes, for the reasons explained in the
preface, and for others that need not be mentioned here. All of this and other
species sketched in America will be published in the supplement to this work.
V
Preparation of volume IV Approximate date of its conclusion New genera
described in it New species Illustrations Genera and species published by the
authors Genera corrected in this volume Suppressed genus Sending of collec-
tions by Tafalla Ruiz and Pavon criticize the reforms introduced by several
botanists in the classification of Linnaeus.
After having finished the printing of the third volume of the Flora Peruviana
et Chilensis in 1802, Ruiz and Pavon continued the work necessary for the prepa-
ration of the fourth one. They were moved to do so by the natural desire to bring
their undertaking to a happy conclusion, thus keeping the promise made in the
preface of the third volume; aside from this, they were also inspired by the warm
praise bestowed by national and foreign botanists 1 and even by the lively discus-
sions to which it gave origin. The exact date on which the fourth volume was
finished is not known, but we suppose it was from four to six years after the
third one. In this volume Ruiz and Pavon made known three new genera, de-
signated respectively with the names Alstroemeria, dedicated to Claus Alstroe-
mer, Swedish botanist; Thibaudia, in honor of Thibaud, a professor of botany in
Strasburg; and Villamilla, in remembrance of Dn. Juan Perez Villamil, translator
of Columella and former Spanish minister. Adding the three genera to the 138 already
described as new by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and Dn. Jose Pavon in their former publi-
cations, brought the number of such up to 141. The number of species described
in this volume reaches 164, remarkable, they say for their medicinal or industrial
virtues. 2 They belong to classes VII, VIII, and IX of Linnaeus. Of these, 124,
with their corresponding sketches, are distributed among 100 plates executed by
the artists Dn. Jose" Rivera, Dn. Francisco Pulgar, and Dn. Jose Brunete. We
have counted 37 colored by hand, that accompany the original manuscript.
The authors state that, up to this time, they had made known 922 species,
of which 722 had been illustrated, and they add that they proposed to include in
the Suplemento the plates for many of them, especially those that had not been
described or had been described insufficiently by other botanists.
In the volume in question (fourth of the Flora), the characters of several
genera are described, corrected, and revised, that are already in the Prodromo,
and even some of the same Linnaeus and other botanists, as for example, Dodonaea,
Weinmannia, Francoa, Sophora, and Myrospermum. They also corrected the descrip-
tions and illustrated the forms of many plants already known and others that,
discovered long before in America by the expedition to Peru, had been published
by others with defective sketches and descriptions, such as the Dodonaea viscosa L.,
Weinmannia trichostoma Cav., W. dentata Flor. Peruv., Larrea glauca, Hoffmann-
seggia falcaria and trifoliata Cav., etc., etc.
As can be seen, our explorers did not turn from their desire to perfect the
"Flora of Peru and Chile" and to find fault at the same time with the work of
Cavanilles, with whom they had continued arguments.
l Comentario Literario, in number 29. "This famous work [Flora of Peru] will
have a prominent place in botany. The edition is without doubt, splendid, the
figures deserving particular praise. . . ."
2 Prologue, p. 1. Ms.
EPILOGUE 259
In this volume they abolished the genus Acunna, temporarily established in
the Prodrome until they could consult the descriptions of related genera, to
be found only in books that were not at hand at the time. In consequence of
this, the species with which this genus had been formed were included in the genus
Bejaria. Nevertheless they retained as legitimate the genus Stereoxylon, against
the objections of Mutis and Zea.
They also thought it suitable to include in the genus Caesalpinia, the genera
Poinciana and Parkinsonia.
While the first volumes of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis were being pub-
lished, Dn. Juan Tafalla was continuing his explorations through Quito, Guayaquil,
and the montanas of Panatahuas, and sending to Madrid, as a result thereof
beautiful sketches, of which four represented as many species of quina trees
new to science, that is: Cinchona viridiflora, C. rugosa, C. globiflora, and C. rubi-
cunda. With these and the ones collected by Ruiz and Pa von during their trips
through those countries, they succeeded in bringing together in their herbarium all
the species known at that time, giving information of them in the Gaceta de
Madrid of September 8th, 1807.
In this volume several new species are included, belonging to genera also new
or known. The genus Laurus is increased with 28 species; the genus Weinmannia
with 11; the genus Talinum with 11; the genus Psidium with 6; with the same
number, the genera Thibaudia, Semarillaria, and Axinaea; and finally with 5, the
genera Foveolaria and Miconia.
In the last decades of the 18th century, and even later, modifications began
to be introduced in the botanical classification of Linnaeus, classes being abolished
according to the particular judgment of each author. Thus Linnaeus fil. and
Willdenow reduced the first 24 to only 20; Cavanilles reduced them to 15, and
Brotero finished by admitting only 12. Ruiz and Pavon protested against these
innovations, denouncing them as unjustifiable and confusing to knowledge. 1 Also
the carelessness with which some foreign botanists proceeded to cite the Cienfue-
gosia of Cavanilles, calling it Antonio L. Jussieu, Fugosia; Willdenow, Cienfuegia,
and Lamarck, Cienfugosa, which destroyed the original, legitimate name, without
any of them taking pains to add it to the genus Hibiscus, from which it should
absolutely not be separated. 2 As can be seen, Ruiz and Pavon followed with great
interest the march and development of botanical studies, taking advantage of as
many opportunities as were presented to them to perfect their work. Another
proof of this is offered to us in the section that under the title of "Addenda et
Corrigenda" immediately follows the preface. There are set down interesting observa-
tions and new details about the genera already published in the former volumes.
Finally, this volume is published with an alphabetical index of genera and
species, which shows that it was ready then to be sent to the printers.
1 See their words. Preface to volume IV, p. 3. Ms. "One is astonished by the
fact that, during the last twenty years, while noted botanists were perfecting the
science, employing the natural method and the artificial system of Linnaeus, other
botanists, have forcibly imposed defective classifications liable to errors and very
difficult to use, urged thereto by an itching to make innovations and to capture the
applause of the public by that procedure. But how much more benefit could
accrue to botany if they, omitting the reductions in the classes, would have dedi-
cated themselves to reforming and perfecting the generic characters and to estab-
lishing the names in a permanent and consistent way! . . ."
2 Preface, p. 3. Ms.
VI
The authors of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis continue their work Contents of
the manuscript and unpublished volumes of this work: V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X,
and XI Idem of volumes I, II, III, IV, and V of the Suplemento The plates
The botanical work of Ruiz and Pavon.
With the same zeal and steadfastness of which they had given magnificent
proof since the first days of their enterprise in 1777, Ruiz and his companion con-
tinued working at the compilation of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis, with-
out allowing themselves to be hindered by the great confusion and excitement
brought to Spain by the French invasion. This is made clear with great eloquence
by the rest of the unpublished manuscripts and sketches with which we shall
occupy ourselves immediately, reviewing their contents.
Volume V of the Species Plantar um. Several new genera are published in this,
among them the genus Pineda, dedicated to Dn. Antonio Pineda, naturalist of the
Malaspina expedition (1781-1795). The species described are more than 180, and
the plates number 114. It has a preface, without signature, but there is no doubt
that the author is Dn. Jose Pavon, who directed the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis
after the death of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, which took place in 1816. 1
Volume VI of the Species Plantarum consists of 99 pages (on each one of which,
with the exception of very few pages, is described a new genus or species) and of
153 plates, all colored by hand, with the exception of eight, in black. Draftsmen:
Galvez, Brunete, Pulgar, Cortes, and Alcocer.
Volume VII. Ms. Consists of 131 pages in folio and as many descriptions of
genera, some of them new, and of species also new, many of them belonging to
1 The interesting information that it contains moves us to insert it here as a
document worthy of being known. It is as follows:
"This volume V comprises classes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and part of 16, so
many new genera, corrected or reformed, new species with their descriptions and
with pictures engraved with the best of care by outstanding professors.
"Most of these plants are shrubs and subshrubs, trees of great interest in
medicine, dyeing, and civil, military, or naval construction, or as food for living
beings. Some plants are natives of Peru, others of Chile, some are from Guaya-
quil, and others from the kingdom of Quito.
"Of the live plants whose condition: has permitted it, we have represented the
anatomy of the generative parts, some of them enlarged by means of the micro-
scope because of their minuteness. Part of the branches are of natural size, as is
the anatomical part of the fructification.
"This volume V was quite advanced, although not corrected, during the life
of my never-enough-mourned and wise companion and botanist, the immortal Dn.
Hipolito Ruiz, my loyal and generous companion, esteemed for his kind manners
and virtues, whose conduct was irreproachable and tireless during eleven years of
traveling on very laborious journeys through the rough and fertile mountains,
forests, valleys, and Cordilleras of the Andes, of Peru and Chile; he was in peril of
death then, both at the hands of savage Indians to whom he exposed himself, and
also by the very dangerous illness from which he suffered from the time he left
Madrid on the expedition.
"Some of the observations are written in Latin and others in Spanish but,
instead of translating them into Latin, I think it is more proper to send them out
EPILOGUE 261
classes XVI, XVII, and XVIII of Linnaeus. It is illustrated by 101 plates, two
in black and the rest colored by hand. Draftsmen: Jose Rivera, Brunete, Pulgar,
and Galvez. Without preface or index.
Volume VIII. Ms. Contains the descriptions of several new genera and about
100 species, belonging to class XX of Linnaeus. Plates in colors 105, done by the
artists mentioned above.
Volume IX. Ms. The descriptions amount to 55, class XXI of Linnaeus.
Some lack the name of the genus and species, and others the name of the latter.
The plates in color number 116. There is one in black. Draftsmen, those
already mentioned.
Volume X. Ms. Descriptions 80. Classes XXII and XXIII of Linnaeus.
Colored drawings, 115. Some of these without title. Draftsmen: Brunete, Pulgar,
and those already mentioned.
Volume XI. Contains 97 pages with descriptions of several genera and some
90 species belonging to classes XXIII and XXIV of Linnaeus; 81 colored plates
of the class Polygamia, 20 of the Cryptogamia, and 20 of palms. The draftsmen,
those already mentioned.
During the time that the botanists were completing the volumes of the Flora
Peruviana et Chilensis that we have just finished citing, new shipments of plants,
descriptions, and plates were being received from America, sent by Tafalla and
his companions.
In the study of this material new genera and species were found belonging to
the classes already included in the volumes printed, or unpublished but already
written. Ruiz and Pavon did not want so much effort and sacrifice employed in
gathering such material to go to waste; in consequence, they determined to make
it known in a supplement, that comprises the following volumes, a review of which
we are offering here.
to foreign countries in our majestic, fluent language so that it may be seen by all
the writers on the natural sciences.
"This volume V and the succeeding ones, as to the historic, descriptive part and
drawings (some in black and white, others in colors), are equally entitled to share
in the praise that the supreme tribunal of justice of the learned national and
foreign naturalist-botanists might find it suitable to bestow on Dn. Hipolito Ruiz,
my companion and first botanist of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis, and Dn. Juan
Tafalla, a very progressive, tireless, and industrious botanist, pupil of Ruiz and
Pavon, who stayed in charge, instructed to continue the new discoveries, by order
of the King, Sr. Dn. Carlos IV. In respect to the drawings, the draftsmen
are worthy of all praise for their care and skill. Dn. Jose Brunete, who died from
pneumonia in the mining town of the cordillera called Pasco, was the first drafts-
man, a very accomplished painter in oils and miniature, and pupil of Dn. Antonio
Rafael Menor. His loss was greatly felt because he was so much needed; but he
left some remains of illuminated drawings in which his mastery and expertness
shine and for which he is worthy of high praise. Dn. Juan Manzanilla and Dn.
Javier Cortes, both pupils of Tafalla in botany, who became also good professors
and sent good, interesting collections of herbaria, colored drawings scientifically
very accurate, and many good, although incorrect, descriptions; fruits, seeds, gums,
resins, barks, and woods of the precious quinas of the kingdom of Quito, and
several others, with small planed boards of outstanding valuable woods and
some native products. Dn. Francisco Pulgar, progressive pupil of the very ac-
complished draftsman and colorist of the expedition, Dn. Isidro Galvez, whose
knowledge in his noble art of drawing and painting as also in line engraving, was
262 EPILOGUE
Volume I (Supplement). In it descriptions (about 100 in all) are found
of several genera and numerous species, corresponding to the Linnaean classes
Monandria monogynia or Tetrandria trigynia, that is, I, II, III, and IV. Colored
plates, 100. Draftsmen, those mentioned above.
Volume II (Supplement). Descriptions 206, belonging to the class Pentandria
of Linnaeus. Plates 152, of which 148 are colored and 4 in black. Draftsmen,
those already mentioned.
Volume III (Supplement). 100 descriptions. Classes, Triandria, etc. to the
Decandria, in part. Illuminated plates 99, corresponding, respectively, to classes
VI, VII, VIII, and X. Draftsmen, those already mentioned.
Volume IV (Supplement). 103 descriptions, belonging to the plants of the
classes Decandria (in part) to Didynamia, or XIV. 118 plates, colored entirely
or in part, corresponding to species of classes X and XI.
Volume V (Supplement). 3 descriptions. One new genus. Plates colored
entirely or in part: 24 of class XII, 16 of XIII, and 50 of XIV.
The result is, therefore, that the botanical works of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and
Dn. Jose Pavon consist of the following volumes: 1 of the Systema Vegetabilium,
1 of the Prodrome, and 3 of the Species Plantarum, all of them already
published, besides 12 unpublished, as follows: 7 of the Species and 5 of the
Suplemento. Of these there is a volume, the fifth, that has only the three
descriptions above mentioned. Its iconographic part is complete. The other four
are almost finished, like the five of the Species. The two remaining of the latter
are ready for printing.
superior to that of many artists in botany as well as in zoology, as is proved in the
"Flora Peruana." All the above-mentioned men with the exception of Cortes
have died.
"Two-thirds of the plates of this volume were engraved during the life of my
partner, but the names and arabic and roman numbers were not engraved. It thus
happens that the descriptions, original drawings, and plates have been corrected
and increased by those needed for the perfection and conclusion of volume V and,
as it is expected that some errors might be made and found in a diffuse work, miki
imputetur, place the blame for them on me; I hope that discreet readers may correct
my involuntary mistakes with the moderation characteristic of the wise, and I beg
them to enlighten me and not to use indulgence, because in matters of science
everything should be done for enlightenment and for demonstration of truth, and
nothing should be omitted. That is true friendship. Amicu-s Plato, sed magis arni-
ca veritas. I will give, if I live, many thanks to him who enlightens me, because
my heart does not admit the maxim veritas odium parit, obsequium amicos, and I
confess that this is the way I have done -it.
"How strange it is that in such a voluminous piece of work, containing so much
meditation on the mysteries of Nature, in which the wisest naturalist, our God,
has left us so much beauty, so many fascinating charms, so many objects worthy
of the greatest admiration of man, deep study and meditation which lift the soul
of the naturalist to the contemplation of the Creator of the universe, and, according
to my manner of philosophizing, one comes closest to some knowledge of our benign
Lord through his works which he has left us created in the organic beings and
inorganic, this is to me an outstanding naturalist-theologian."
VII
Time consumed in the preparation of this Flora Those who worked on it until
1816 From 1816 until 1832 Workshops of Floras in Madrid at the time Royal
orders commanding that they be directed by the botanist Those of the Floras of
Nueva Espafia and Nueva Granada also assigned to him The Flora of Peru
stays independent Dn. Demetrio Rodriguez is assigned to this Sums expended
on the Floras of Nueva Granada and of Peru Scientific value of the latter
Comparison of the same with former botanical works of Spanish authors In-
fluence of Linnaeus in Spain Glorious generation of botanists here during the
eighteenth century Works and drawings Excellence of the Flora Peruana above
the others mentioned Deplorable neglect with respect to this The voice of a
deputy What has been published of the Flora Peruana What remains of the
genera and species published by Ruiz and Pavon.
Having finished the preceding account, we shall present some additional
information that offers real interest for the proper understanding and appreciation
of the importance of this enterprise.
How much time was spent on it? No less than fifty-four years(!), or that is,
from 1778, when the work was begun, until 1832, when it was ended. The work
of editing was in charge of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and his companion, effectively helped
by Dn. Juan Tafalla, who continued the explorations through Chile and Peru until
the beginning of the nineteenth century. Dn. Francisco Pulgar was assigned to
Tafalla as a draftsman.
In 1816 Ruiz died, and then Dn. Jose Pavon and Dn. Isidro Galvez were left
in charge of the workshop of the Flora of Chile and Peru. At that time three
similar workshops were functioning in Madrid, the one we have just named and
the ones respectively called that of the Flora of Nueva Granada, and that of the
Flora of Nueva Espana. It seemed natural that, there being at the Court a scien-
tific center called the Botanical Garden, provided with a good library and dedicated
to the cultivation and extension in Spain of the knowledge of plants, the above-
mentioned offices should be added to it, under the direction of such competent
professors as Dn. Casimiro Gomez Ortega, Palau, Cavanilles, Rojas, and Clemente,
and Dn. Mariano Lagasca; this was ordered by royal command of June 17th,
1801, August 16th, 1814, and June 24th, 1815. 1
In 1816 Lagasca insisted anew on the convenience of such an aggregation, but
he succeeded only in having the materials existing in the workshops of the Floras
of Nueva Granada and Nueva Espana sent to the botanist, and that because their
directors had died. With respect to the other, it continued independent, owing, no
doubt, to the stubborn opposition of its chief who, like Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, had
remained apart from that establishment since the time of Cavanilles, disagreeing
with its professors.
In 1828, the Dn. Demetrio Rodriguez, professor of botany, was added to the
staff of the Flora of Peru, but there is no evidence of his collaboration in this work.
This was exclusively the product of the travellers and artists already mentioned.
1 See Lagasca's information (No. 4 of 1816) with respect to the executors
of the estate of the wife of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz. Archive del Museo Nacional de
Ciencias Naturales. Docket 2,525 taken from the Archive of Alcala. Fascicle
"Botanists and draftsmen of the expedition to Peru."
264 EPILOGUE
What was the cost of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis? Although its cost did
not reach the amount of 7,500,000 pesetas invested, according to Lagasca, 1 in the
expedition of Mutis, we can estimate it approximately at 3,000,000 pesetas. Now,
was this expense justified by the importance and quality of the work? We think it
was, although this has been very much questioned by Cavanilles and others. Aside
from the praises that it drew from men of learning in foreign countries as well as in
Spain, it is sufficient to recall for a moment the perfection with which the descrip-
tions had been made, of genera as well as of species, the considerable number of
both made known to science, and the care with which the localities are given as
well the uses of those plants and at the same time the habitus or aspect, if not of
every species, at least of the majority of them. All of this, together with the great
number of beautiful and very exact illustrations that complete this work, justifies
us in characterizing it as something exceptional in the history of botanical science,
especially in America.
This character will be more evident if we compare it for a moment with the
principal works about this material that other Spanish naturalists produced in
those countries. We can affirm that, since the beginning of the sixteenth century,
there has been no lack of Spaniards in our Spanish colonies from whom the
vegetable products of those countries deserved especial attention. The annalist
Gonzalo Fernandez of Oviedo dedicated to the plants of America books VIII, IX,
X, and XI of his Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra firmed
Dr. Francisco Hernandez studied Mexican flora during the years 1570-77 that, by
command of Philip II, he spent in that country in investigating its natural
productions. His work De Historia Plantarum Novae Hispaniae* is, without doubt,
the most finished work that was produced at that time with reference to botany.
The Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagun also studied the plants of America,
in his Historia de las cosas de Nueva Espana;* and P. Bernabe Cobo, S. J. in his
Historia del Nuevo Mundo; 6 P. Jose de Acosta, in his Historia natural y moral
del Nuevo Mundo, 6 and some others that we shall not mention.
These productions of a character that we could call pre-scientific were, never-
theless, the plough that broke the ground of those virgin forests of botany and
zoology in the New World, giving us information and facts so numerous and inter-
esting that, thanks to them, the naturalists that came after then could recognize and
classify many American vegetables, following the route that had been traced by
the authors above mentioned. It is unquestionable that the works of some of
these, such as Dr. Hernandez and P. Cobo, are among the most finished of their
kind for the epoch in which they were written. It is true that they cannot be
compared with the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis, with which we are concerned,
because it is a question of works chronologically separated by two centuries and
1 Information already mentioned.
2 Edition of 1851. Madrid.
3 It was published in Madrid in the year 1798 by Dn. Casimiro Gomez Ortega
and contains three volumes in large quarto.
4 Book XI, chapters VI and VII. Mexican edition, 1870.
5 Books IV, V, and VI. Edited in Sevilla, 1890-95, by the Sociedad de
Bibliofilos andaluces, under the direction of Jimenez de la Espada.
6 Books III and IV. Madrid, 1608.
EPILOGUE 265
governed, as is natural, by very different criteria and scientific norms; even so,
it is true that they came to constitute a precedent of a value beyond question for
future investigators, a very firm basis for their work, and a revelation to the scien-
tific world. What can be claimed for the work of Ruiz and his companion, within
the considerations above mentioned, as an exclusive quality by which it surpasses
ancient works, is the greater number of plants that they made known.
The profound revolution introduced in botany by Linnaeus brought with it
procedures of such consequence that they changed completely the course and face
of this science. In Spam the influence of the doctrines of Linnaeus was felt, and
they were embraced with enthusiasm by the botany professor Dn. Casimiro Gomez
Ortega (1771-1801) and his contempory Dn. Melchor Palau to whom we owe
the Spanish version of the Filosofia Botdnica of the famous Swede. They must
have been greatly influenced by Peter Loefling, pupil of the Swedish botanist, who
came to Spain in 1751, residing here until 1754, when he embarked for Guiana,
taking part in the expedition of Iturriaga.
This school gave to science a glorious generation of botanists, to whom belongs
the honor of having studied the vegetation of both Americas. They bequeathed to
us such eloquent testimony of their campaigns as the Flora Cumanensis, of Peter
Loefling (1754-56) ; the study of the plants of Guayaquil and especially the quina
tree by Dn. Eugenio Alvarado (1755); the works of Mutis and companions on the
Flora of Nueva Granada (1782-1808), the Flora Guatemalensis, by Dn. Jos6
Mocino, and the Flora Novae Hispaniae, by Mocino and Dn. Martin Sesse (1788-
1808) ; the researches of Dn. Luis Nee and Dn. Tadeus Haenke on American and
Polynesian vegetation (1789-1797); and in conclusion the work of Ruiz and Pavon
with which we are concerned here. These works are composed according to Lin-
naean norms, and they can be compared one with the other.
Now then, what position is occupied by the "Flora de Chile y Peru" in respect
to the others already mentioned? In regard to the iconographic part, the "Flora
of Nueva Granada" is found to be greatly superior as much for the number as for
the excellence and magnificence of the plates, about 7,000 for that of Colombia,
compared with 2,000 or a little more for that of Chile and Peru. 1 In regard to the
respective texts, we cannot compare them yet because up to the present time the
whereabouts of that of Mutis and his pupils is not known. We shall only state
here that the personnel of the expedition of the Flora of New Granada was not
constant, as was that of Chile and Peru; this must, doubtless, have been prejudicial
to the unity and orderly progress of the corresponding work. 2 In regard to the
illustrations of the Flora Guatemalensis and Flora Novae Hispaniae, they have also
been lost, a circumstance the more deplorable since a large part of them had been
done by Dn. Mariano Echevarria, whom Lagasca, in 1815, held to be the best
naturalist-draftsman that could be found in Europe. The iconographic part that
we know of in the works the other botanists above mentioned, although good, is
inferior in number and execution of the drawings to the Flora Peruvania et Chi-
lensis.
1 According to Ruiz and Pavon (Suplemento a la Quinologia, page 23), Mutis
came to have up to 18(!) painters working at the same time in the workshops
of the Flora.
2 In fact, the botanist Dn. Bruno Landete, the geographer Dn. Jose Camblor,
and the draftsman Dn. Antonio Garcia, added to the expedition in 1783, later
ceased to belong to it.
266 EPILOGUE
In regard to the descriptions of genera and species, in all of them there are
evident the expert hands of great masters who, knowing their profession well,
studied and labored long, although most of them could not finish their works on
account of adverse circumstances; having made this concession, we will declare
here, finally, that the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis is superior to all the others
already mentioned on account of the extent and ampleness of the text and for the
new scientific contributions that it contains; it constitutes at present, in spite of the
lack of the text of vol. V of the Suplemento, a botanical work of highest order and
proportions, dedicated to the flora of our former colonies of America.
And now, the reader will ask, as we also do: Is it possible that, after this
scientific monument had been almost finished that had cost Spain 20,000,000
pesetas, and to which our former colonies of America and the Philippines had
contributed great sums 1 to have it published, and, finally, when there never were
lacking here, even after the death of the authors, very competent botanists capable
of directing the publication and of correcting the deficiencies of the text . . . , is it
possible, we repeat, that it has been left unpublished until now, without the Spanish
government even thinking of redeeming it from an obscurity and forgetfulness so
unjust and unpatriotic? Although the nation experienced very deep political and
economic crises during the nineteenth century, we do not think that it lacked the
funds with which to publish at least one of the volumes, as for example the fourth
of the Species Plantarum, which was completely finished with even the engravings
for the plates prepared.
And the curious thing about the case is that, in the midst of such neglect, even
at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the voice of some deputy could be
heard in Congress, asking that young men be sent to our colonies to study their
zoological and botanical products, etc. What ideas could that "padre de la pa-
tria" have of the great work carried out in the Americas from 1750 to 1808 by
the scientific expeditions of Loefling, Ruiz and Pavon, Mutis, Malaspina, etc. in
order to make known its gea, its flora, and its fauna? Doubtless, he did not know
that their fruits had been neglected because, if he had known, it is obvious that
he would have asked above everything for the speedy publication of the results.
It would have been the most natural thing to do and most in accordance with
common sense.
Unfortunately these ideas did not prevail; hence the naturalists who exhausted
their energies in the American forests, some of them even losing their lives, and the
20,000,000 pesetas sacrificed by the Spanish government for those journeys all
availed nought, as if some mischievous shadow was pleased to make a failure of
such a gigantic enterprise.
Of the floras of America already mentioned, only the third volume of the Species
Plantarum of Ruiz and Pavon was published within a century. 2 After such deplor-
able neglect, are we surprised now at the reproaches of foreigners when they tell us
that we have done no scientific work in our colonies? But, finally, let us pass to
another matter. What is left today of the new genera and species made known by
1 When circumstances permit we shall publish, God willing, the list of donors
and donations that is in the Archive of the National Museum of Natural Sciences
of Madrid.
2 The Flora Novae Hispaniae was published by the Mexican government in
the middle of the past century, but without plates.
EPILOGUE 267
our explorers of Chile and Peru in the Prodrome, in the Systema Vegetabilium and
three volumes of the Species et Icones Planlarum Florae Peruvianae et Chilensis?
We will state first of all, that the creation of these groups depends at times on a
very personal judgment in the way of appraising characters, their importance
varying, in many cases, according to the opinion of each author. That is why
genera and species judged by some as new to science are not always regarded as
such by others, and it happens even that a genus or a species eliminated by a
naturalist from the catalogue of new ones has been replaced in it, later to figure
again in its original category. There are very few authors all of whose creations
have been respected, especially if they have been numerous.
The new genera established and published by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and Dn. Jos6
Pavon amount to 141 according to what we have seen. And so, an investigation
of the Index Kewensis has convinced us that 102 genera are still maintained, and
in regard to species, these that have preserved the names of said authors exceed 500.
If this work were published complete, we can affirm that it would triplicate,
at least, the number of each.
Such is the fundamental work of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, Dn. Jose Pavon, Dn.
Juan Tafalla, Dn. Isidro Galvez, Dn. Jose Brunete, Dn. Agustin Manzanilla, Dn.
Francisco Pulgar, and the rest of the Spaniards that collaborated in it. In view of
our own forgetfulness and that of foreigners, we congratulate ourselves on being
able to record their names here and to offer this homage to their glorious memory.
VIII
Other works of Dn. Hip61ito Ruiz Other works of Dn. Jose Pavon.
If the authors of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis had not given us any
more evidence of then* industry and scientific knowledge than that work, it would
be enough to immortalize them, placing them on the level of other great botanists
and explorers named in history. But then* tireless activity was not limited only
to this: Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, especially, and Dn. Jose 1 Pavon, in the midst of con-
tinuous work dedicated to the Flora, found sufficient tune to produce other works
that we shall enumerate.
Besides the Quinologia and the answer to Cavanilles, above mentioned,
Ruiz wrote the following.
1. Memoria sobre la Ratanhia (Krameria triandrd) R. & P. Madrid, 1799.
Dn. Hipolito discovered the extraordinary virtue of the root of this plant for con-
trolling hemorrhages, having obtained unquestionable success with an extract
of this in the treatment of the son of a silversmith from Lima, of a young slave
girl of Huanuco, and of a daughter of the physician and first cosmographer of Peru,
Dn. Cosme Bueno.
2. Memoria sobre las virtudes y usos de la raiz de la planta llamada Yallhoy
[Monnina polystachya] R. & P. Madrid, 1805. In Peru the author had observed
the effectiveness of this medicine for curing dysentery, and, once in Spain, he
compiled the work, which was presented in 1803 to the Royal Academy of Medi-
cine. The Academy decided to include it in the second volume of its memoirs,
but when the publication of this was delayed, the Academy gave permission to
the author to have it printed himself. 1
3. Memoria sobre la Calaguala [Polypodium Calaguala] R. & P. Madrid, 1805.
In this memoir are set forth its resolvent and anticoagulant properties as well as
others equally beneficial.
4. Memoria sobre la Conchaguala [Gentiana Conchalaguala] R. & P. Madrid,
1805.
5. Memoria sobre el Smilax (China peruviana) R. & P. Madrid.
6. Memoria sobre el Bejuco de la estrella (Aristolochia fragrantissima) R. & P.
Madrid, 1805.
7. De vera fuci natantis fructicatione. Madrid, 1796. Study of the seaweed
commonly called sargazo.
8. Breve discurso acerca de los progresos de la Botdnica en Espana. Ms. Very
short notes. 2
1 The manuscript information about this exists in the Royal Academy of
Sciences of Madrid and is very laudatory to Dn. Hipolito Ruiz. In it the good
results obtained with some patients are cited, according to the testimony of doctors
Dn. Ignacio Ruiz de Luzuriaga, Dn. Tomas Garcia Suelto, and Dn. Eugenio de
Arrieta. In the same file that contains this information, there is a manuscript of
Dn. Jose Celestino Mutis (Santa Fe de Bogota, December 19th, 1803), entitled
Plan de curacion de las disenterias. This is based on the use of Yallhoy root.
2 Archive of the Royal Academy of Sciences. Bundle of documents, donated
by Dn. Joaquin Gonzalez Hidalgo.
EPILOGUE 269
9. Observaciones sobre la raiz del Yallhoy. Ms. 1 Several clinical cases are
cited.
10. Reflexiones sobre la raiz de Serpentaria (Serpentaria virginiana) y la del
Reyno de Estrella (Aristolochia fragrantissima) R. & P. Ms. 2
11. Annotaciones circa genus Thibaudiae. Ms. 2
12. Relacion y noticias que da el botdnico D. Hipolito Ruiz al Dr. D. Hipdlito
Unanico? para que por ellas puedan enviar desde el Peru a aquel naturalista algunos
zurrones de raices de "China peruana," a fin de que dicho botdnico continue las
observaciones sobre la virtud y usos de esta nueva droga sumamente interesante al
comercio espanol y de las mds preciosas para el alivio del hombre en sus dolencias.
Ms. 2
13. Memoria sobre la fructificacion del genero "Cynomorium" y de sus virtudes
y usos. Ms. 2
14. Impugnacion de la doctrina de Cavanilles sobre los estigmas del iris. Ms. 2
15. Observaciones sobre el Fucus natans. Ms. 2
16. Instrucciones a que deberdn arreglarse los botdnicos de Mejico. Ms. 2
17. Generos naturales. Cuestion suscitada en la Real Academia Medica de
Madrid sobre si hay o no. Parecer que did D. Hipolito Ruiz contra Cavanilles. Ms. 2
18. Observaciones y reparos a las obras del Abate Cavanilles. Ms. 2
19. Compendia historico-medico-comercial de las quinas. Ms. 3
20. Reparos y reflexiones criticas sobre la Memoria de las quinas. Ms. 4
21. Experiments sobre las quinas. 1811. Ms. 8
22. Causas por que las calenturas intermitentes no cortdndose en los primer os
accesos pasan a malignas y contagiosas. Ms. 8
23. Estampas de quina. Ms. 7
24. Tratado que puede servir de suplemento al diccionario y gramdtica de la
lengua Quechua. Ms. 8
25. Memoria sobre la quina francesa. Ms. 9
26. Formulario para hacer viajes cientificos. Ms. 9
27. Suplemento de la "Filosofia Botdnica de Linneo" en colaboracion con D.
Antonio Palau. Ms. 9
28. Las guerras de Chile. Ms. 9
1 Leg. cit.
2 Ibid.
3 Exists in the British Museum (Natural History). See the Catalogue entitled
Cinchona Tercentenary Celebration and Exhibition. London, 1930. P. 100, no. 974.
4 Op. cit., p. 101, no. 976.
6 Ibid., p. 101, no. 977.
6 Ibid., p. 101, no. 978.
7 Ibid., p. 101, no. 979.
8 Cited in the "Discurso leido ante el claustro de la Universidad Central por
D. Tomas Pascual de Miguel, en el acto solemne de recibir la investidura de
doctor en la Facultad de Farmacia." Madrid, 1867. P. 15.
9 Speech and page mentioned.
270 EPILOGUE
The productions of Dn. Jos6 Pavon were not as many as those of Ruiz, but
nevertheless he left a legacy of several with merits beyond dispute, which we
cite here.
1. Laurografia o estudio de las especies de Laurel. Manuscript existing in
the Archive of the Botanical Garden, accompanied by 28 plates drawn by Galvez
and Pulgar and engravings by Suria, Gasco, Rodriguez, and Panfil.
2. Indice alfabetico de todos los nombres indicos, provinciales y castellanos de
todas las plantas publicadas e ineditas de la Flora Peruviana y Chilense, algunos
de Nueva Espana y la Habana, con la correspondencia de los nombres botdnicos,
genericos y especificos. Se citan las especies que producen gomas, resinas y bdlsamos,
como tambien las que sirven en tintoreria y Medicina y las artes y las maderas para
la construccion civil y naval. Ms. Archive of the Botanical Garden of Madrid.
3. Disertacion botdnica sobre los generos "Tovaria," "Actinophyllum," "Arau-
caria" y "Salmia," con la reunion de algunos que Linneo publico como distintos.
Madrid, 1797.
4. Nueva Quinologia. Ms. in the British Museum of Natural History. 1825.
This work, in which 40 species of the genus Cinchona are described, was published
in London in the year 1862 with great luxury and with the title: Illustrations of
the Nueva Quinologia of Pavon, by John Eliot Howard. It has 28 plates in color
and more than 100 figures. 1
_ 1 It cannot fail to attract attention that this manuscript and the others by
Ruiz above cited have passed to the Museum of London. Perhaps Pavon, urged
by pressing needs and without hope that they might be published here, transferred
them, as he did a part of the herbarium of the quinas, to Mr. Aylmer Bourke
Lambert. See the work Cinchona Tercentenary Celebration and Exhibition, 1930.
P. 101, no. 982.
IX
Jose Dombey His scientific competence Arrival in Spain Information about
means to combat the plague of ants His appointment as a member of the expedi-
tion Leaves for Peru Commissions confided to him His botanical campaigns
His return to Spain (1784) His collections Inaccuracy of Larousse.
The history of this journey cannot be written without mentioning Dn. Jose
Dombey. He was a French physician and naturalist who joined the Spanish
explorers of Chile and Peru at the request of his government.
He possessed knowledge not only of botany, but also of other branches of the
natural sciences, and was entrusted with the task of studying the plants and other
products of those Spanish colonies. The French government assigned him the
salary of 6,000 pounds French currency per year and 600 silver pesos, at one time,
for his equipment.
Dombey arrived in Spain in the first months of the year 1777, and a little later,
answering an inquiry, no doubt, he presented to the Monarch some instructions
about combating the plague of ants, that, after having destroyed the harvest of
sugar cane in Martinque, they feared might extend to Cuba. 1 His appointment
was made by the Spanish monarch with the caution that he should not publish his
discoveries before his traveling companions could do the same, and that he should
leave in Spain at least one specimen of each one of the plants he might find. In
October, 1777 the vessel that carried the explorers weighed anchor en route to
Callao, and six months later anchored in that port after a good voyage. Apart
from his botanical work, Dombey discharged several commissions that were con-
fided to him by the Spanish authorities of those countries.
In 1779 he received from Dn. Manuel Guirior instructions to proceed, as a
physician, to examine and analyze the mineral waters of Cauchin and vicinity,
and he discharged this commission with true zeal. A little later he went to Callao,
in the company of several Spanish sailors, to make studies of the tides.
In 1779 a royal order was sent from Spain for a careful investigation of the
existence of saltpeter in Peru, and Dombey was also designated to carry out this
commission, as indeed he did, although making a mistake. 2
A little later he made an excursion to several mining districts of Peru, and he
edited a report that contained the result of his observations. 3
In 1783, he was assigned anew, by command of the Regent of Chile, Dn. Tomas
Alvarez Acevedo, to examine the veins of quicksilver of the hill of Jarilla in the
1 The manuscript is entitled Moyens pour detruire les fourmis dans I'lsle de la
Martinique. These means had already been used against the insects in France and
in Vals (Catalonia).
2 On the coasts of Peru Dombey found a substance that he remitted to Madrid
and Paris, calling it by the name of saltpeter, because he thought it to be niter,
but Professor Gomez Ortega, who analyzed it, demonstrated that it was only a
sulphate of magnesia, abundant in various regions in Spain.
3 Reflexiones sur les mines du Peru quant a leur formation, par Mr. J. Dombey.
Lima, September, 1780 Two pages in folio written on both sides. Archive of
Alcala. Bundle 2,525, transferred to the National Museum of Natural Sciences of
Madrid.
272 EPILOGUE
district of Andacollo, not far from the city of "La Serena," and after minute study
he presented the result of his work, and it brought the warmest praises from the
Regent. 1
On the 14th of April, 1784 Dombey retired from the expedition, returning to
Spain in the vessel "Peruano," commanded by Brigadier Dn. Antonio de Cordova.
The crossing lasted a year and was very trying indeed; they were several times on
the point of shipwreck. In spite of this, Dombey recovered somewhat his lost
health, arriving in Cadiz during the first days of May, 1785. He brought with him
very valuable collections of minerals, plants, etc., and it was his duty to deliver
half of everything to the Spanish government, according to the agreement obtained
from him at the beginning. Consequently in August of the same year (1785), a
representative of the authorities came to Cadiz to inspect the equitable distribution
of these collections; when this was accomplished, Dombey was authorized to send
on to Paris the part belonging to him. 2 It was also required of him that he repeat
in writing the promise not to publish the discoveries made on this trip until the
return of his collaborators. Nevertheless, he obtained permission of the Spanish
Monarch to communicate them to the King of France and to the Royal Academy
of Sciences of Paris, which was not a small matter.
Such is the part that belongs to Mr. Dombey in this scientific expedition.
1 The letter of the Regent is reproduced here as an interesting document:
"Sr. Dn. Jos6 Dombey: My dear Sir: From the context of the report or description
of the quicksilver mines of Xarilla and Andacollo that you remitted to me in tripli-
cate the 30th of August last, with respective plans, geometric and in perspective,
of said mines and the metals that you brought to make tests in this capital, and
other results expressed in said report, I understand that you have discharged with
satisfaction the task entrusted to your care in the order I sent you, under the date
of 20th of May, for the inspection and examination of said mines. In view of this,
I can do no less than inform you, by means of this letter, that I am satisfied
and pleased with the care, zeal, and love for the royal service with which you
have discharged said commission. . . ." Despatch of Dombey. Personal. 1778-
1785. Bundle 2,525. Transferred to the National Museum of Natural Sciences
from the Archive of Alcala.
2 There was thus no confiscation of half of the collections for the benefit of the
King of Spain. The reproaches of Larousse (Grand Dictionnaire Universel, etc.,
[Vol. VI], p. 1,048) relative to the confiscation are therefore not justified.
The journals and the Viaje of Ruiz Date at which it was terminated Informa-
tion given in the Prodrome and in the Quinologia The doctoral thesis of Dn.
Tomas Pascual The extract of the Viaje by Jimenez de la Espada Our
investigations Persons who advised us Praiseworthy conduct of Dona Isabel
Pascual Our additions Acknowledgments to those who have helped us.
One of the first cares of Ruiz and Pavon was to keep an exact and detailed
account of all the events that happened on their journey from the time of their
departure from Madrid until the date of their return. With these journals they
could trace a complete and finished picture of their scientific campaigns and the
localities where they took place.
Approximately eleven years of continuous labor and tiresome travels through
the hills and mountains of Chile and Peru gave them abundant and valuable
material for writing a Viaje full of profitable information and interesting episodes.
They began to do this as soon as they returned to Madrid, with the natural illusion
of making public in Spain and to the scientific world, the fruits of a campaign so
full of sacrifices and results for the sciences. By the year 1793 they had already
prepared a fair copy of the Viaje in the expectation of receiving means to enable
them to publish it. This copy contained, according to its author, 90 sheets in small
writing, 1 and it contained a very detailed account of the work of the expedition.
Insuperable difficulties prevented it from being published, and when Dn. Hipolito
Ruiz died in 1816, the manuscript must have been left to his family, if it did not
pass into the hands of Dn. Jose Pavon.
There was some information about the journey by both botanists in the preface
of the Prodrome and by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz in the Quinologia, but it is so scanty
that it was impossible on the basis of these statements to form even an approxi-
mate idea of the importance of the expedition. That is why the memory of it
faded and was preserved only by some naturalists of the past century.
Matters stood that way when, in the year 1867, an individual by the name of
Dn. Tomas Pascual de Miguel, possessor of a copy of the Viaje, conceived the
idea of utilizing it in the composition of the doctor's thesis with which he com-
pleted his studies in pharmacy. 2 This circumstance revived for a while the remem-
brance of the botanical expedition to Peru, but it was soon forgotten again. In-
terested in clearing up this matter, we had the good fortune to find an extract of
the Viaje, thanks to Dn. Marcos Jimenez de la Espada, who had the happy idea of
making a note, at the bottom of this extract, of the name and place of residence
of the possessor of the Viaje, that is, Dn. Tomas Pascual de Miguel. To us it
was an unsuspected clue that we decided to follow, although without hope, because
1 This is the statement of Ruiz in the Suplemento a la Quinologia, p. 115.
Note.
2 It was published in the year mentioned (1867), with the following title [in
Spanish]: "Speech read before the Assembly of the Universidad Central by Dn.
Tomas Pascual de Miguel in the solemn act of receiving the degree of Doctor in the
Faculty of Pharmacy. Comparison between the botanical expeditions made to the
New World by Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and Dn. Jose C. Mutis." We remember having
heard from the late Dn. Bias Lazaro that there existed another doctor's thesis about
the journey, but we have been unable to see it.
274 EPILOGUE
thirty years had not passed in vain since the death of Sr. Pascual de Miguel. We
shall not mention here the questionings and search, almost police-like in method,
that were made by us to find the whereabouts of the Viaje; but it would be
ungrateful of us to omit now the names of Dn. Fernando Gayoso, Dn. Luis Siboni,
and Dn. Jose Reimundo, who helped us in our course. Thanks to the last-men-
tioned, who had been a clerk of Dn. Tomas Pascual, we found that the daughter
of Dn. Tomas Pascual, named Dona Isabel was living in the town of Arvaca;
after having made inquiries through the priest Dn. Felix Martin, we went to that
town, being accompanied by him to the house of that lady. She received us with
the greatest affability and, after hearing the object of our visit, she placed in our
hands the desired manuscript, which we brought to Madrid, well worth all the
hardships incident to such a tiresome task. Acknowledgment should be made
here of our most profound gratitude, first to Dona Isabel Pascual, and also to the
gentlemen mentioned above.
As soon as we arrived in Madrid, we presented the manuscript to our dear
teacher Dn. Ignacio Bolivar, director of the Museum of Natural Sciences, who was
greatly pleased with the recovery, promising us, furthermore, to have it published
as soon as circumstances would permit. After some years of waiting, the oppor-
tunity appeared at last, and Sr. Bolivar, fulfilling his promise, ordered that
it be done. Thus he is the promoter of this work which, thanks to his zeal and
enthusiasm for our scientific glory, emerges from obscurity to be presented to the
educated world. It is hoped that it will be well received.
The manuscript that has been used for this publication contains 67 double
sheets of paper (papel de barba), covered with the handwriting of Dn. Hipolito
Ruiz. On most of them the writing remains perfectly legible. There is an abun-
dance of marginal additions, and on some pages, there are interlinear corrections.
The orthography and punctuation are very careless. We have corrected the
latter. The description of Lima and also that of the city of Huanuco are missing, but
there is no doubt that they were included in the last copy prepared for publication.
We tried, in fact, to find that copy, appealing to the person who we were told
should have it, but our attempts failed, with great noise, and we received a very
impolite and intemperate reply through a third person. We forgive it willingly.
To each chapter we have given a number; furthermore, at the head of each we
have placed a summary from which one may see its contents. The book also in-
cludes some notes, and we should remark here, that those on pages 25-26 [omitted
from the English translation], referring to the technical names of fish, are by our
dear friend Doctor Dn. Luis Lozano, professor of this faculty of sciences.
That the work might be consulted with ease, it is provided with four indices,
made by us, one by subject, and three alphabetical. In the arrangement of these,
we have had the co-operation, with the greatest zeal and disinterestedness of our
dear friend, the curator of the museum and assistant of the university, Dn. Jose
Huidobro, to whom, as well as to the former, we are deeply grateful.
The text of the Viaje is followed by the unpublished documents referring
to it, greatly enhancing its value with references and information not included in
the Viaje.
XI
Contents of the Viaje Geographical part Botanical part Mineralogical part
Zoological part Curious entomological detail Historical episodes Appendices.
It is enough to glance through the pages of this Viaje to convince oneself
that it constitutes a very valuable and exceptional document in our Hispano-
American literature. Nearly eleven years of traveling through the lands of Chile
and Peru, with the idea of observing, studying, and describing all their products,
gave Ruiz and Pav6n more than enough material to give a complete picture of life
in those colonies in its various aspects. Consequently, it is not one of those diaries
in which are registered chronologically happenings and episodes of a more or less
personal character. The Viaje that is published today follows a more ample
plan and a more objective orientation. To convince oneself of that, a brief examina-
tion of it in its principal aspects, will suffice. One of those of great importance is
the geographical. Since the Relaciones geogrdficas de Indias, made in time of
Philip II, 1 nothing has been written so detailed and complete about the geography
of Chile and Peru as in this Viaje.
Our botanists started their work in Lima proper, which they described
minutely, and its vicinity, where they caused astonishment to the natives who
called them witch doctors, brujos yerbateros. 2 Then they went to the province
of Cercado, included in the present department of Lima, and afterwards to the
provinces of Chancay (in the same department), Tarma (department of Junin),
Huarocheri (department of Lima), Huanuco (present department of the same
name), Xauxa (department of Junin), and Huamalfes (department of Huanuco).
Province by province and region by region are minutely described in this Viaje,
beginning with the respective limits and continuing to temperature and climate,
nature and topography of the soil, natural products, inhabitants, commonest ail-
ments in each locality, etc., etc. In regard to ecclesiastical organization, the author
makes reference not only to the convents and shelters existing in each town, but
also to all the parishes and the annexes belonging to them. But although the
geographical part is very interesting, the botanical part is much more so. More
than 500 genera and 1,600 species of plants are cited in it. And that is not all.
There are described furthermore the type and aspect of many trees, shrubs, and
herbs, the domestic uses of a large number of the same, their medicinal and in-
dustrial applications, their native names and the "why" of each one.
Nor did Dn. Hipolito Ruiz forget the mineralogical part, to which he dedicated
principally articles XIV and XXXII, nor the zoological part, of which there is much
important information of positive interest in the whole story. Among these there
is one worthy of particular mention, and that is the one referring to the small ants,
destroyers of the Cerdana, the leaves of which they cut into small triangular pieces,
transporting them later, holding them by the sharpest angle and hoisting them in
the manner of a lateen sail. And so they travel with them, by means of help from
the wind, until they deposit them in the anthills in a very clever and ingenious way
1 Published in Madrid in the year 1881, written by Dn. Marcos Jimenez de la
Espada, who managed the editing.
2 We are assured that some of those places are still called by the name cerro
de los yerbateros.
276 EPILOGUE
so that they occupy the least possible space. This phenomenon, that has been
cited by some entomologists only many years later, appeared already in this
Viaje [page 175] described with all desirable detail.
However, there appear in this account some interesting events of historic
character, for example: the earthquakes and floods of Valdivia in 1730 and 1751,
respectively; the uprising of Tupac-Amaro in 1781 [page 108]; the murders com-
mitted by the Indians in 1766 and 1772 and, not to add any more, the battle of
Villagra, in which the maestro de campo of the same name was defeated and killed.
Such are, in short, the contents of the Viaje of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz, Dn. Jose
Pavon, Dn. Jose Dombey, Dn. Isidro Galvez, and Dn. Jose Brunete to Chile and
Peru.
To complete it, it was necessary to have the official documents referring to it,
and we have been fortunate indeed in finding them. They consist of the royal
letters of appointments, correspondence, instructions, lists of shipments, and
other matters of positive interest. With this we close this work which, according
to our humble opinion, constitutes a glorious page in the scientific history of Spain.
APPENDICES
APPENDICES
The collection that we now insert of curious and interesting offi-
cial documents concerning the travels of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz and his
companions in Chile and Peru constitutes the natural and pertinent
complement of the preceding work and an eloquent testimony to the
great importance of those travels. (Archive of Alcala. Docket
2,525, transferred to the Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid.)
APPENDIX I
APPOINTMENT OF DON HIP6LITO RUIZ
The King: Inasmuch as the exploration and methodical study of the natural
products of my domains in America befits my service and the welfare of my
subjects, not only in order to promote the progress of the physical sciences, but
also to banish doubts and adulterations that are found in medicine, painting, and
other important arts, and to increase commerce, and to form herbaria and collec-
tions of natural products with descriptions and delineations of the plants found in
those fertile domains of mine to enrich my Cabinet of Natural History and the
Botanical Garden of the Court; I have resolved to send two Spanish botanists to the
Kingdom of Peru, accompanied by a French naturalist, physician, and botanist, and
two draftsmen, also Spaniards, to each one of whom shall be sent a separate brevet,
or appointment; and having been informed of the good work and the reputation of
Dn. Hipolito Ruiz in this profession, I have come to name him as my first botanist
of this scientific expedition to the Kingdom of Peru, where he shall serve under the
instructions that will be given to him separately, signed by my Secretary of State
and by the General Office of the Indies, and with the following conditions: 1st.
From the time of his arrival in Peru, his residence in that kingdom on the said
expedition shall be for the term of four years. 2nd. He shall receive the salary of
one thousand pesos in the coin of the Indies, per year, from the day of his embarka-
tion at Cadiz or at any other port of Spain, and it shall be paid him by any Royal
Coffers of that kingdom nearest the place where he may be following his pro-
fession. 3rd. During his journeys in that kingdom for the above-mentioned
purposes, he shall receive double salary to provide for the necessary expenses that
he may incur for this purpose. 4th. When he returns to Spain, he shall be
assisted by my Royal Treasury with half of the salary that he received in America,
until he is given another appointment and he completes and presents the finished
work that should be the fruit of his toil. 5th. That the passage by sea from Cadiz
or any other port of Spain to his destination shall be paid from the account of my
Royal Treasury, and the same shall apply to the journey overland from Madrid to
that port, where he shall be given in advance four installments of his salary in
America to equip himself with the necessities for the voyage. 6th. That at the
expense of my Royal Treasury he shall be provided with books and instruments of
his profession for use in the work for which he is sent. Therefore, I order my
Viceroy Governor and Captain General of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Peru,
and the Regentes of my councils, Royal Officials of those coffers, and the other
tribunals and justices of that kingdom to receive and accept the said Dn. Hipolito
Ruiz as my first botanist, rendering and insuring him the honor and distinction
that should belong to him for the success of his commission, and the Royal Officials
of the Coffers of Lima to pay him, or with the corresponding order of my Viceroy
280 APPENDICES
by virtue of this, any other coffers of that kingdom, the sum of half his annual salary
and assistance with the cost of the travels indicated in this, my order, and receipt
shall be obtained at the time from the party concerned, for that is my will; and
notice shall be taken of this order by the General Accountant's Office of my Council
of the Indies. Given at Aranjuez the 8th of April, 1777.
Herewith, His Majesty names his first botanist Dn. Hipolito Ruiz for the
scientific mission to the Kingdom of Peru with a thousand dollars a year salary,
and under the conditions already stated.
NOTE. The appointment of Pavon is conveyed in the same form as this.
II
APPOINTMENT OF DOMBEY
The King: Inasmuch as the exploration and methodical study of the natural
products of my domains in America befits my service and the welfare of my
subjects, not only in order to promote the progress of the physical sciences, but
also to banish doubts and adulterations that are found in medicine, painting, and
other important arts, and to increase commerce, and to form herbaria and collec-
tions of natural products, with descriptions and delineations of the plants found in
those fertile domains of mine to enrich my Cabinet of Natural History and the
Botanical Garden of the Court; I have resolved to send to the Kingdom of Peru
a French naturalist, physician, and botanist so that, as companion to the two Span-
iards of the same profession and with the same destination, he may make observa-
tions pertaining to his science ; and having been asked by the Court of France to name
Dn. Joseph Dombey, for this important purpose and having been informed
of his good character and the reputation of his work, I have come to name him for
this commission in the capacity of companion to the two botanists and the two
draftsmen from Spain; he shall serve under the instructions that will be given him
signed by my Minister of State and by the General Office of the Indies, and with
the salary of 1,200 pesos in the coin of the Indies, which is the salary that the Court
of France has indicated; it shall be paid by the Coffers of Luna or with the corre-
sponding order of my Viceroy in accordance with this order in any of the coffers of
the Kingdom of Peru nearest to the place where he may be making his botanical
observations, and he shall give an account to the Royal Officials of the coffers
where payment shall be made of the salary allowed to Dn. Joseph Dombey, so that
reimbursement may be obtained in Spain from the Court of France: Therefore, I
order my Viceroy Governor and Captain General of the Kingdom of Peru and the
Regentes of my councils, the Royal Officials of those coffers, and the tribunals
and justices of those kingdoms to receive and accept the said Dombey as botanist-
naturalist in the capacity of companion to the Spaniards of the same profession,
commissioned for the scientific expedition in those domains, rendering and insuring
him the honor and position that should belong to him for the success of his com-
mission, and the Royal Offices of Lima crediting them, if other coffers of that king-
dom should pay his salary, by virtue of this, my order, and receipt shall be obtained
from the party concerned, for that is my will; and notice shall be taken of
this order by the General Accountant's Office of my Council of the Indies.
Given at Aranjuez the 8th of April, 1777.
With the proper order to my Viceroy on account of the salary mentioned with
authorization and semiannually.
In duplicate.
APPENDICES 281
His Majesty commissions Dn. Joseph Dombey for the botanical expedition
to the Kingdom of Peru as a companion of the Spaniards of the same profession
with the salary of 1,200 pesos a year and the stipulation of reimbursement from
the French Court as stated.
Ill
APPOINTMENT OF BRUNETE
The King: Inasmuch as the exploration and methodical study of the natural
products of my domains in America befits my service and the welfare of
my subjects, not only in order to promote the progress of the physical sciences, but
also to banish doubts and adulterations that are found in medicine, painting, and
other important arts, and to increase commerce, and to form herbaria and collec-
tions of natural products with descriptions and delineations of the plants found in
those fertile domains of mine to enrich my Cabinet of Natural History and the
Botanical Garden of the Court: I have resolved to send two Spanish botanists to the
Kingdom of Peru, accompanied by a French naturalist, physician, and botanist, and
two draftsmen, also Spaniards, to each of whom shall be sent a separate brevet, or
appointment; and having been informed of the good work of Dn. Jose Brunete,
and his well known ability in drawing, I have come to name him as the first drafts-
man of this scientific expedition to the Kingdom of Peru, where he will serve under
the instructions that will be given him separately, signed by my Secretary of
State and the General Office of the Indies, and with the following conditions:
1st. From the time of his arrival in Peru, his residence in that kingdom on the
said expedition shall be for the term of four years. 2nd. He shall receive the
salary of one thousand pesos in the coin of the Indies, per year, from the day of
his embarkation at Cadiz or at any other port of Spain, and it shall be paid him
by any Royal Coffers of that kingdom nearest to the place where he may be follow-
ing his profession. 3rd. During the trips in that kingdom for the purposes men-
tioned, he shall receive double salary to provide for the necessary expenses he may
incur for this purpose. 4th. When he returns to Spain, he shall be assisted by my
Royal Treasury with half of the salary he received in America, until he is given
another appointment and he completes and presents the finished work that should
be the fruit of his toil. 5th. That the sea voyage from Cadiz or any other port of
Spain to his goal shall be paid for from the account of my Royal Treasury, and this
shall apply to the land journey from Madrid to that port, where he shall be given
in advance four installments of his salary in America to provide for the necessities
for the voyage. 6th. That at the expense of my Royal Treasury he shall be
provided with the books and instruments of his profession for use in the work for
which he is sent. Therefore, I order my Viceroy Governor and Captain General
of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Peru, and the Regentes of my councils, the
Royal Officials of those coffers, and the other tribunals and justices of that king-
dom to receive and accept the said Dn. Jose Brunete as my first draftsman of the
scientific expedition mentioned, rendering and insuring him the honor and dis-
tinction that should belong to him for the success of his commission, and the Royal
Officials of the Coffers of Lima to pay him, or, with the corresponding order from
my Viceroy, by virtue of this, any other coffers of that kingdom, the sum of half
his annual salary and assistance with the cost of the travels indicated in this, my
order, and receipt shall be obtained at the time from the party concerned, for that
is my will; and notice shall be taken of this order by the General Accountant's
Office of my Council of the Indies. Given at Aranjuez the 8th of April, 1777. I,
the King. Jph. de Galvez. . . .
282 APPENDICES
Registered in the Office of the General Accountant of the Indies: Madrid,
April 12th, 1777. Tomas Ortiz de Landazuri.
Lima, April 10th, 1778. Keep and execute the above Royal Order. And to
that effect the Royal Officials of the Coffers of this capital shall liquidate and pay
in full to Dn. Jose Brunete the amount that he is entitled to on the terms that
H. M. orders. First taking a memorandum in the Tribunal and Royal Office of
Accounts. Don Manuel de Guirior. Pedro de Ureta.
Corresponds with the original Royal Order that for this purpose was written
by said Dn. Joseph Galvez, to whom I returned it, which I certify. And at his
demand in witness of this, I, Sub-secretary of the King our Lord and of the College
of this Court and City of Madrid, write the present which I sign and attest the
20th of June, 1816. Juan Martin Delgado (signed).
NOTE. The appointment of Galvez is written in the same form as this.
IV
ARCHIVE OF ALCALA. L. 2,525, TRANSFERRED TO THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL
SCIENCES. YEARS 1776 TO 1785.
1776. Instructions that shall be followed by the persons named by H. M. to go
to South America in the Company of Doctor Dn. Josef Dombey for the purpose
of examining plants and herbs and of making botanical observations in those
countries.
1. They shall try to live in the best of harmony and good relations with the
said Doctor Dn. Josef Dombey, to win his confidence and profit from his knowl-
edge, not only in botany and natural history, but also in the art and methods of
arranging and preserving plants and of forming herbaria.
2. They shall be careful to question him and to turn to him in cases where
they think it is necessary or useful to take advantage of his knowledge and experi-
ence; although for this they shall not be, or consider themselves, dependent on
him, nor shall he treat them as such in any case or matter.
3. They shall communicate to Dn. Josef Dombey the discoveries in botany
or natural history that they may make, not keeping any secrets from him, so as
to pledge him with this frankness and procedure to equal reciprocity in the things
that he himself may discover.
4. If it happen that only one plant, herb, or simple of some odd species be
found, there must be no misunderstanding or dispute over who shall keep it. If
Doctor Dombey be the first to find and pick it, he shall preserve it for his her-
barium, giving his companions an exact description of it, and permitting them
to get an accurate sketch and if possible, without harm to the plant, to take a
part of it; the said Mr. Dombey shall consent to our botanists putting at least
this part of the plant in the books that they may form.
The same attitude and reciprocity shall be maintained on the part of our
observers towards Mr. Dombey, if they be the first ones to see or gather any
rare plant of which there may not be many examples; so that the profitable rivalry
that should encourage them in discoveries that many times will be offered by
chance, may not degenerate, contrary to our hopes, into disagreement, it will be
well for them, as soon as they find genera and new species or such as have been
badly defined up to now by botanists, to write them in their respective diaries
with the name of the discoverer following the name that at that time has been
APPENDICES 283
given to the plant; and on the first occasion when they reciprocate in the com-
munication of their finds, they shall add their signatures in each diary so that it
may be clear who has the first right to publish it.
5. What has already been said is in no way contrary to the agreement that
Mr. Dombey has made to present, on his return to Europe, two copies of the
observations and herbaria that he may have made, to be compared, in his presence,
with those from his companions by professors of our Royal Botanical Garden,
and to leave one of them in Spain; it being understood that, if for some unusual
reason unlikely to occur, there be only one single plant because they have not
been able to find any other, he shall be permitted to leave it in his sample book
that he takes to France; but with the condition that, in the one he leaves in Spain,
there shall be inserted, in the corresponding place, the description and sketch of the
same plant, with observations and notes of any kind that he may have made of it.
6. The Spanish botanists shall make, independently of Mr. Dombey (although
consulting him and taking advantage of his knowledge and intelligence whenever
they think it necessary), the description of each plant, following the principles or
botanical rules of Linnaeus, and according to his sexual system already adopted
generally, stating its names in the language of the country, in Spanish, and in
Latin if it has one, and the name given to it in French by Mr. Dombey, the species
and varieties of each genus, and whether it is a plant that is known by a different
name in other provinces of the same America or of the East Indies, or of any
other countries whatever.
7. They shall not forget to state in their written observations, if it be a plant
known in Europe, what qualities are attributed to it in that country (for this
purpose they shall try to inform themselves through intelligent persons and even
countrymen), and whether any known author has written about it.
It will be well also to state in what kind of climate and temperature it is
grown, to be able to tell afterwards if it be possible to grow the same plant in some
different kinds of ground and in the temperature of Spain, or what degree of
artificial heat may be necessary to give it in the hothouses that will be constructed
in the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid.
8. Care shall be taken to obtain several examples of the plants that are to
be placed in the herbaria whenever they are very unusual, or notable for their
virtues and qualities, so that if time, or dust or other accident destroy or dis-
figure one of them, there may be others left.
9. It will not be useless to advise that the principal care and study shall be
given to plants and samples little or not at all known in Europe, or that have some
special peculiarity, and that are thought to be of service in medicine, commerce,
or the arts; and also those plants which, although they have been known for the
uses made in Europe of their resins, gums, balsams, roots, and other parts or
products, are not well described by botanists; because, in some respects it would
be a waste of time to make observations about plants that are also common and
known in Europe, and to fill herbaria with them, when there is no difference
whatever between these and the others; it is necessary to note and indicate simply
that this or that plant common in Europe is also found in abundance or sparsely
in such and such territory of America.
10. For the formation of herbaria they shall consult their teachers before
leaving, inspect those that these men have made for their use, and ask instruc-
284 APPENDICES
tions from Doctor Dombey, who is said to be particularly experienced in this
matter; and care shall be taken that the plants and herbs be placed in said her-
baria in the best manner possible for their preservation in shape, colors, flowers,
and seeds. For this purpose it may be well, as has been said, to inquire of Dombey
himself, and also to consult what is said about this subject in several books, written
in Latin or in French, that refer to it; these shall be taken along, and among them
shall not be forgotten the botanical lessons recently published by Mr. de la Tour-
rette for the use of the veterinary school of Lyons, France, nor some of the volumes
of the learned and famous Linnaeus, who in the third volume of his work Amoeni-
tates Academicae, seu dissertationes physicae, medicae, botanicae, in the article
entitled, Inslructio musaei, discusses in detail the precautions that should be
taken for the formation of herbaria as to the manner, time, and condition in
which it is well to gather plants in order that they be best preserved in all
their parts. In the volume entitled Philosophia Botanica by the same author,
there will be found a small summary of what botanists that travel should keep
in mind, of the books and instruments that should be carried, and even what
clothing is most suitable for the man occupied with botanical observations in the
field, and of the distribution of the working hours of the day.
In another of the volumes of the same author there is an article entitled Pere-
grinatores Americani, in which information is found about many of the writers
who have discussed the plants of America; this will no doubt shed much light on
the subject. Most of these writers have written in a foreign language, and it is
almost certain that Mr. Dombey will carry with him those printed in French;
and in case the Latin or French language may not be very familiar to some of
our observers, it may be necessary also to take several books written in Spanish
that have some connection with your work, such as the Principios Botanicos of
Dr. Barnades, the Diserlacion of Mr. Duhamel on botanical methods that has
lately been published in our language, and others that we shall not name because
it is to be assumed they are not unknown to our botanists.
11. The sketches or drawings that shall be made of the plants shall be made
when the plants are still fresh and with their colors and natural green because, if
left for a long time after being gathered, the plants wither and lose their shape so
they do not represent, or give a just idea of, their natural state.
12. Although the principal object of our botanists is the examination, study,
and acquisition of all the products of the vegetable kingdom, it will be very desir-
able for them to apply themselves also with care to the knowledge of the rare
trees of America, of their fruits, flowers, seeds, gums, oils, and balsams. Among
the trees and shrubs worthy of special attention is the canela of the Quixos in
Peru, the quina or cascarilla, in particular that of the province of Loxa, the ichu
that is very abundant in Peru and which is used, among other things, for the
smelting of cinnabar to obtain mercury, and several other trees and shrubs which
are very abundant in those countries, the dried fruits, resins, and balsams of which
are not well known in Europe and may be of great value in medicine and for dyes
and manufactures.
As in one of the instructions that were drawn up last year by Dn. Pedro Davila
by order of the King, that the Viceroys, Governors, and Magistrates of the Indies
should send to the Cabinet of Natural History of Madrid all the more curious
productions of nature, there is an article about those of the Vegetable Kingdom
relating to some of the plants, trees, and shrubs of America, and with these instruc-
APPENDICES 285
tions there is a copy of those by Dn. Pedro Davila, in which there is also another
article about the manner of preparing and preserving the same natural curiosities
that might give some information to our botanists.
13. When the botanists have a considerable quantity of plants and have
formed some fascicles to be used for the herbaria, they shall try to send them to
some city, or safe place, as opportunity offers, and have them deposited in some
suitable place in the townhouse, in the house of the judges or the house of the
priests, with the necessary precautions so that no one can misplace them and so
that they may not become moth-eaten or deteriorate. In this way the botanists will
not increase the number of objects in their care, nor have to travel with the impedi-
ment of more loads than necessary. Afterwards they shall collect them all in
order to deposit them in the capital or in the port from which they will embark
to return to Europe.
14. The principal object of this trip being not so much the purely theoretical
information about new useful plants as their acquisition for introduction and use
in Spain and even in other countries for the extension of science and commerce
and for the benefit of mankind, our botanists shall not be satisfied with examining
and describing the plants and preserving their dried remains in the herbaria; they
shall also pay diligent attention to making shipments of samples of onions or
bulbs, grass, cuttings, and live plants whenever they have the opportunity,
addressing them to the Secretary of State and the Cabinet of the Indies, on whose
order they shall be deposited and cultivated in the Royal Botanical Garden in
Madrid, so that on their return the traveling botanists may examine them again
more leisurely and perfect their descriptions; and in the same garden care shall be
taken to multiply them and make suitable experiments with their adaptation to
the climate and soil of some part of Spain. For this purpose the botanists shall
keep in continuous correspondence, addressed to the Ministry, with the professors
of Madrid, of whose zeal and willingness to do all possible to contribute to the end
that the King has in mind with this journey there is no doubt.
15. In England during these last years, there were published on a single
sheet of paper brief instructions about the way to preserve live plants on a long
voyage: by following these, the English have brought to London beautiful plants
from our domains in America, from their own, and from the most remote countries
of the universe. A copy of this paper is therefore being sent with these instruc-
tions so that it may serve as a guide to our botanists in the handling of the live
plants that they have to send continuously, and so that a copy of these instructions
regarding the care of the plants may be given with each sending of plants to the
commander of the vessel in which they are sent. Regarding the preparation and
remittance of fruits and other dried curiosities of the Cabinet of Natural History,
this shall be done according to the instructions in Article 12.
16. And because not all of the plants are of such a nature that they will
stand transportation, nor all arrive in good condition, it will be desirable that
from all of them without exception there be sent separately seeds and fruits
recently dried, numbered the same as the plants, with a small strip of parchment,
and packed in pitched boxes so that rats and insects will not destroy them. These
shall be accompanied by a descriptive list to which the numbers will refer.
17. Independently of the remittances of live plants and recent seeds, they
shall form a collection of seeds, dried fruits, gums, resins, balsams, and other
286 APPENDICES
products and parts that may have some use or deserve to have, not only for the
purpose of supplying what is missing in the Cabinet of Natural History, but also
in the Archives of Seeds that have been installed by order of H. M. in the
Royal Botanical Garden, and serve as a school of botany and materia medica
during the whiter.
18. The previous articles concern the quality of professors, and the duties
incumbent upon them as such; but there are some other very important warnings
to be given to our botanists (which shall be given also directly to Mr. Dombey).
These may be reduced to the warning that, in no case or under no pretext,
by themselves or through any other person, shall they take part directly or
indirectly in any commerce by sending to Europe or receiving merchandise of any
kind whatever, because the moment it it is known, or a well founded suspicion
arises, that they have dealings of this nature or have correspondence with any
merchant of Europe or of America for that purpose, the necessary steps will be
taken even to bring them back to Spain by force and to punish them severely;
the persons with whom they correspond shall be warned to watch for this very
carefully to give information of the least transgression of this kind.
All that has been said is understood to apply not only to merchandise of
commerce, but also to objects of botany and natural history, of which there must
neither be any sendings to Europe, except directly to the Cabinet of Natural
History and the Royal Botanical Garden, nor any dealings in them in America
with the idea of gain, because this journey and work being purely scientific, they
shall not forsake, neither the Spanish professors nor Mr. Dombey or others that
may accompany them, the study to which they should limit their attention.
19. They shall equally abstain from making plans or drawings of any grounds,
towns, ports, or coasts, as none of these have any bearing on the objective of the
commission with which they are charged.
20. A copy of these instructions shall be given to Mr. Dombey in French,
not only that he may know of the friendship and co-operation that has been
recommended to the Spanish professors, but also to inform him of the articles to
which it is the idea of the King that Mr. Dombey also be subjected, so that he
may not allege excuse or ignorance in case of violations.
21. Mr. Dombey shall not refuse to help the Spanish professors in all he can
contribute to the better performance of their work, without exception of subject
or substance, and there shall be reciprocal relations that each one may contribute
his part to the end and object that the King has proposed for this journey, from
which great advantages may be secured for the advance of the arts and sciences
and consequently for the welfare of humanity, if those taking part in it proceed
with the zeal, industry, and good harmony that is expected of them and which is
particularly recommended.
NOTE. The draftsmen that will accompany our botanists shall be given suitable
advice (in addition to the separate instructions that will be given them) relative
to the contents in the articles about the harmony and reciprocity that shall be
observed among them and as to the absolute prohibition against mixing in any
kind of commerce or any other affair whatsoever that has no connection with the
principal object of this trip; these articles should be considered by the said drafts-
men as orders and special instructions for them.
APPENDICES 287
Supplement that Dn. Casimiro Ortega thinks should be added to the instructions.
1. When the professors arrive in Lima, they shall establish themselves there
for some time, which they shall occupy in gathering, examining, and remitting
plants that they may observe in its vicinity and in obtaining information and
making the necessary arrangements to plan the more important journeys to
places that may be most advantageous. In everything they shall proceed with
the approval of the Viceroy and the respective Governors; and before making
their proposals they shall decide among themselves, the three botanists signing
their names to the decision of the majority, in this as in any other matters that
may call for deliberation. In the beginning they shall botanize together until
our Spaniards think that they can make their observations by themselves, and
then they may alternate in accompanying Mr. Dombey; though it has to be for
short periods, for at the end of a few days they shall again get together and dis-
cuss their discoveries.
It will be well not to forget the quina tree and to arrange for the collection
and preservation of its valuable bark.
The same reminder applies to the study and observation of the cinnamon
tree and the ground in which it grows, and they shall consider all possible means
of dulcifying it and ascertain if it is possible to make it as good as that of Ceylon
which is brought to Europe by the Dutch.
These last two reminders are in addition to the longer one in article 12 of the
general instructions.
VI
Instructions that are to be observed by the draftsmen who are going to Peru by order
of H. M. to serve by the exercise of their profession in the Botanical Expedition.
1. As these artists will be restricted to copying Nature exactly in its prod-
ucts, especially its vegetable ones, without pretending to decorate it or add
anything from their imagination; not only do they have to limit themselves to
sketching precisely what the botanists determine to be worth being sketched;
but they must work under the inspection of the latter, heeding the advice they
may give, whether it is to be careful in drawing this or that part that the botanists
consider important for understanding and differentiation of the plants, or when
necessary to represent parts separately and sometimes greatly magnified.
2. They shall afterwards sketch separately, to one side of the general draw-
ing of the plants, the flower and fruit, showing their anatomy as being more
important; and all the sketches shall be drawn while the plants are still fresh, for
the reasons stated in article 1 of the Instructions for the Botanists.
3. By the botanists they shall be given a pattern of the size to which they
must make their sketches conform, so that they may be uniform and of sufficient
size so that, on the return to Spain, the expense and labor of reduction may not
be required for the plates to the size that will be given to the work to be published.
4. Regarding the use of colors, as the idea is to make as much progress on
the expedition as possible in following the botanists in their work, they shall be
satisfied with coloring only those plants that are worth it for their beauty or
showiness or the strangeness of their tints, confining themselves, even in this
case, to representing one flower, one fruit, and generally one part of the specimen,
288 APPENDICES
leaving the other in black ink, to be colored on the return to Spain after the sample
shown; the same will be understood in respect to some special bird or other prod-
uct that is judged worthy of being described and sketched.
5. They shall not decline, at times when they may be free from their principal
occupation, which shall be that of drawing, to help the botanists in the formation of
herbaria and in other important work that may contribute to the fulfilment of
the King's service in the present expedition; in the same manner, the botanists
shall not decline to help them in all cases in which they can be useful to them,
assuring all individuals of the expedition the best brotherhood and mutual co-
operation.
6. As it is the duty of the botanists, with their special knowledge, to deter-
mine where to botanize, the draftsmen shall go in the company of the botanists
to the places where these ordinarily live, a matter which shall be determined by
the botanists in private by a plurality of votes in the form expressed in the Article
of Instructions, as will be all that is worthy of deliberation and relates to the ful-
filment of the objectives of the Botanical Expedition.
7. All individuals on this expedition are responsible for the proper distribution
and use of the instruments, books, paper, and other effects that the King has
decided to furnish to them; it shall be the duty of the first botanist and, in his
absence, the second, to entrust the custody and preservation of all or part of them
to any of the companions, as it shall be required of all five to see that they are
employed justly, and according to the idea of His Majesty, that is, for the use
and benefit of the expedition.
8. The draftsmen shall not believe themselves less bound than the botanists
to the rigorous observation of the rules in articles 18 and 19 of the general instruc-
tions about being absolutely forbidden to engage in dealings of commerce, in
making plans of ports, plazas, etc. And so that they may not claim ignorance or
insufficient notification of the order of His Majesty on this point, they shall be given
a copy of all the General Instructions, so that they may observe them in this respect
as in any other that may pertain to them; a copy of these Instructions being
given also to the botanists so that the duty of each will be mutually evident to all
and to each one of them.
Approved. April, 1777.
Francisco Manxon. Iltmo. Sr. Don Joseph de Galvez.
Iltmo. Senor:
Satisfying the three points that comprise the Order of V. S. I. of the 24th of
last month, I should inform you that, considering the age, the naturally prudent
disposition, and the greater experience in botany of Don Hip61ito Ruiz, this
person may be appointed first botanist, and Don Joseph Pa von as second; I have
drawn up, as you have requested, the enclosed instructions dealing with the
draftsmen that I pass into the hands of V. S. I. for correction or approval in the
way you may find most suitable; and finally that, since I received that order, I
am occupied with providing the botanists and draftsmen with the implements that
they need and that were approved by the King to be provided at the expense of
the Royal Treasury. For this last objective and also to give them scientific advice
to help them in the performance of their duties, we have frequent conferences, at
which Mr. Dombey also is present, so that at no time could he protest (which we
do not expect), that we have not provided or counseled him in everything neces-
APPENDICES 289
sary for the success of a scientific expedition that will be cited with gratitude by
future generations as one of the most authentic proofs of the enlightenment of the
reign of Our Sovereign and of the Ministry of V. S. I. Our Lord keep the im-
portant life of V. S. I. for as many years as I desire and as may be necessary.
Madrid, April 8, 1777. Iltmo. Senor. I kiss the hand of V. S. Iltma. Your most
obedient servant. Casimiro Ortega. Iltmo. Seftor Don Joseph de Galvez.
In the margin of this letter is written. Since Ruiz has already been named
first botanist in the orders issued, the enclosed instructions are approved for the
draftsmen. April, 1777.
San Ildefonso, September 17, 1777.
VII
Note. Decided by H. M. in executive action of November 25th, 1776.
The two professors that have agreed to make the journey to America and who
are proposed by Don Casimiro Ortega as suitable for this, are Don Hipolilo Ruiz
and Don Joseph Pavdn.
The terms that Ortega thinks can be made with them, in view of the high
price of living in the country and the strenuous work of the commission in which
they are engaged, the giving up of their homes and careers and the continuous
moving and agitation in which they will have to live in making frequent excur-
sions, will be 15,000 reales de vellon a year to each one. I judge that the
trip from Madrid to Cadiz also should be paid for, or the money be given them to
pay it. That they also should be given transportation as is done with Mr. Dombey.
He thinks that at their return they should continue with the same salary while
they are employed in arranging and publishing the works that have been the fruit
of their toil, which will give glory to the King and the Minister that promoted it.
He adds that to stimulate our botanists he thinks it would be a good idea
to promise them that, if they deserve it, they will be employed in Spain on their
return with the same salary, or that they will be maintained for life with at least
half of it.
Ortega also proposes that, due to the fact that Don Joseph Pav6n is financially
somewhat embarrassed because of the very small pay he has had in the pharmacy
of San Ildefonso, a few months' pay be advanced to him for his equipment.
That in the appointment papers to be sent to them it may be convenient to
limit the time of their trip, so that they arrange their study and work accordingly;
for this reason the time might be fixed at three or four years of residence in Peru,
at the end of which they shall return to Spain, as it would be temerity to pre-
sume that they can discover everything that is to be found in those vast countries,
and on the other hand in three or four useful years, if well employed, they may
have gathered sufficient materials to publish a work that will be useful to the
public and will bring glory to the nation.
Ortega judges that they need to be supplied with the books and instruments
indicated in the two enclosed lists marked with the numbers 1 and 2, adding that
he will, with pleasure, supply from his library and study the books that may not
be found for sale in Madrid, hoping that later orders will be given to replace them
for him by bringing them from France. The books and instruments that are
found for sale here should be ordered bought without delay, and Ortega himself
will undertake to do so (if desired).
290 APPENDICES
It is his opinion that it is absolutely indispensable that the draftsmen travel
in the company of the botanists, it being well to advise them to confine themselves
to sketching the natural products, that is, to copy nature exactly without trying
to correct or beautify it as is done sometimes by draftsmen who add colors and
ornaments, drawn from their imagination. For this reason he says that in the
selection of the two individuals of this kind it will be important to look not only
for ability that they may have, but also for gentleness and good temper such that
they may subject themselves without difficulty to the orders and direction of the
botanical professors; and if it were possible to obtain draftsmen with some knowl-
edge of the Latin language, that would be very convenient, as they could then
help the botanists in their observations, and they would unconsciously be instructed
in botany.
It will also be necessary to provide for the supply in Cadiz of paper, small
presses, and other instruments that are noted on the lists, which, according to
Ortega, are to be found in that port.
In case it may be of use, we enclose a copy, marked number 3, of the original
account of the purchase of the colors and some utensils made for the draftsmen
who went with the botanical expedition of the year 1754. This original account,
which by chance is in the possession of Ortega, is from Mr. Loefling, the famous
Swedish botanist who went by order of the King in company of the Spanish
professors on that expedition, and might supply some information now.
As it is only just to take all possible measures to get the best results from
such a useful enterprise, it might be convenient to advise the Viceroy of Peru to
be ready to supply a certain determined sum, for example three or four thousand
pesos, which, in case causes and circumstances not possible to foresee now might
demand it, could be used, upon justifiable request by the botanists, to the extent
that he might think necessary, with the idea of helping them in some urgency,
and of greatly facilitating their work.
Enclosed will be found the instructions in Spanish for our professors and a
translation in French for Mr. Dombey.
In the margin it is written:
The King names these two individuals, and assigns one thousand dollars to
each one in the coin of the Indies, providing for their passage from his Royal
Account and for the cost of the trip to Cadiz. H. M. fixes the time that they
must spend in America at four years, counted from the time of their arrival in
Peru, and he offers to continue half of their salary when they return, while they
prepare and present the completed work that should be the fruit of their toil,
and before they succeed in finding another appointment.
That in Cadiz they shall be given four payments in advance to equip them-
selves with that which is required, and that they shall be given time to estimate
what is needed for the voyage.
Ortega has been commissioned, on the terms he proposes, to provide, ac-
cording to the lists and on condition of their replacement, the books and instru-
ments that he will give from his collection, since they cannot be found in Madrid.
The artists of the Royal Academy are asked to give to Don Ignacio Hermosilla
the commission of selecting them and of agreeing to the qualifications that have
been proposed.
For this give the order to the "Presidente de Contratantes."
APPENDICES 291
This paper will be used for the purpose of providing the professors and drafts-
men with the things they should have.
Give this order to the Viceroy of Lima; the sum of money should amount, at
most, to three thousand pesos in that coin.
My Superior : Enclosed you will find the orders or appointments of the botanists
and draftsmen for Peru, and in these orders are included all the decisions made
about their work so as to avoid having to give separate orders about everything.
They go in duplicate so that this, or the original, may be sent to the Viceroy, as
this does not cost anything, and by some chance those carried by each of the
professors may get lost.
It will now be necessary in this matter that you, sir, tell S. I. that the French
Ambassador ought to say officially that it is 249 P. that his Government has
assigned to the French botanist, as should be stated in the records; and I have put
in his order the 1,200 because they are the same 2,000 as I have heard mentioned
to Ortega and Magallon, even though the same botanist Dombey has written to
S. I. that this is not sufficient.
It also needs to be settled whether these men are going by the packet boat
for Buenos Aires, for in this case they will find many difficulties at their arrival at
Montevideo, if the passes are closed, if the Cordilleras are not passable, and on
their long trip to Lima they will be unable to work or gain anything by it for their
profession. Aside from this, their professional instruments and other things with
which we have to provide them, especially paper of all kinds and in great quantities,
are perhaps not commonly to be found in Corufia, if they ship in the packet
boat, and to carry everything from here will be more costly; and for this trip we
shall need to take up with the Office of the Secretary of State the matter about
embarkation in the mailboat.
In Cadiz everything can be found more easily and conveniently, and the four
payments that have to be advanced from their salaries have been ordered in the
instructions to be paid by that President.
If, although they were delayed a little longer, these botanists were sent
directly by Cape Horn, they could land in Valparaiso and, even if they went
straight to Callao, they could start their work immediately without the expense
and perhaps the difficulties that they would have to overcome in Buenos Aires;
if their trip is to be by this route, I also think that there are sailings listed in Cadiz
for all of May and the beginning of June.
Please, Your Honor, present this matter to S. I. so that your intimate friend
and companion may be a botanist. Thomas Andad. Sealed. April 6th, 1777.
Will you please send to the sealer the papers mentioned, or they will attract
attention.
Illmo. Sor.
To take the measures required by the order to send the botanists to Peru, it would
be desirable to clear up the following doubts:
Whether the French botanist Mr. Dombey has to be given a certificate of
appointment similar to that of the Spaniards.
Whether he has to be sent as a companion; also that Ortega report, which of
the Spaniards ought to go as the principal one, chief of our own men.
292 APPENDICES
What salary shall be assigned to the draftsmen that are to accompany the
botanists in their work.
The same as these.
Whether in the orders or nominations it shall be specified that in Peru all five
shall be granted from the Royal Accounts, the expenses of the journeys that they
may make together or separately for their observations, as with their salaries they
will not cover all the expenses, or whether from here they shall be assigned the
amounts that may be thought reasonable.
That during the trips the four Spaniards be given double salary to enable them
to cover the expenses, since in Dombey's case his Government should bear the
cost, and whatever be indicated should be supplied from there and reimbursed here.
Whether the salary shall be paid to these professors from their appointments,
from their departure from Madrid, from their boarding the vessel, or from their
arrival in Peru.
From the day of their boarding the vessel in Cadiz, in accordance with the
custom already established for all kinds of commissioners.
To whom the commission should be given from now on to draw up the instruc-
tions to be observed by the draftsmen or delineators, which according to those
handed the botanists are to be separate.
To Don Casimiro Ortega; and they shall be given copy of those carried by
the botanists so that they may observe the part that refers to them. March 20th,
1777.
VIII
Today March 9th.
My Master and Friend: Our botanists and draftsmen are impatient to go, and
they dream of nothing but the plants of America. I know that Your Honor has
already given instructions and that there are only a few small matters to be decided
in order that they may start. As I have given them my word to remind Your
Honor about this business, these four lines go to you to ask Your Honor in a spare
moment to settle as you think best the following small questions or doubts, that
are those which they would like to present to Your Honor's attention.
1st. If we have to issue to Mr. Dombey, as to the Spaniards, a formal appoint-
ment separately. This Frenchman would like to go with as much authority as
possible; but although because of his knowledge and botanical experience he
deserves to be chief of the expedition, I do not know if it would be suitable to give
him such a title; you know what the French temper is, and you will recall what has
been provided in some of the articles of instruction. On the other hand it would be
good to have one as the chief and head to direct the work of the expedition and the
young men who have not the experience or the knowledge of Dombey.
2nd. The draftsmen desire that they be given the same salary as the Spanish
botanists. As to this point I think that the expenses of the former will be as great
as those of the latter, and the work may be heavier so, if the salaries of all could be
equal, it would make them all happy with an addition that in itself is a trifle, and
one would gain much by encouraging them in their work.
3rd. If we have to advise the Viceroy and Governors in Peru to pay to all five,
including Dombey, for the extra journeys that they may make, together or sepa-
rately, for their observations, since with their salaries they will not be able to
APPENDICES 293
cover those extra expenses, or if we have to assign them a certain daily allowance
on the days when they may be traveling.
4th. If the pay should be given to the Spaniards from the time of their leaving
Madrid, or of their appointment, or only of their embarkation.
5th. To whom we shall entrust the task of drawing up instructions that the
draftsmen ought to follow, which, as is indicated in the general instructions for the
botanists, will be drawn up separately. On this point, I think it well to remember
that there are a few points in the general instructions of which it will be desirable
that the draftsmen should be informed: for example, not to get mixed up in com-
mercial enterprises, not to get maps or plans from the countries, and I even think
that it would not be improper to give the draftsmen a copy of the instructions
carried by the botanists.
I see that, inadvertently, this letter is getting to be too long, as if I did not
know that Your Honor needs the time for other business of more importance; the
more so if it is true that the mail from Buenos Aires has arrived with interesting
information of the upstarts; although, as it appears, the dominion of Carvallo is
about to come to an end completely, and things may take on a different aspect.
Good-bye, friend and sir. I am and always will be Your Honor's most devoted
and sincere servant. Magallon. Signed.
IX
Madrid, February 20th, 1777.
Monseigneur:
Dn. Casimiro Gomez Ortega has brought me the order that Your Excellence has
kindly addressed to me and to MM. Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavon, as well as
the samples of cinnamon and clove and the two memoirs which came with them.
I shall neglect nothing, Monseigneur, to make a success of a project of such
great importance. Don Casimiro G6mez Ortega will kindly help me with his
advice, and the instructions will contribute greatly to the success of our under-
taking.
The good will with which Your Excellence has deigned to listen to me and to
protect an undertaking from which Spain and the sciences can derive very great
profit, has determined the Court of France to add three thousand pounds to my
salary. That is an obligation which I should add to those which I have already
received from Your Excellence, and for which I venture to beg you, Monseigneur, to
accept my thanks. I shall do everything in my power to merit the continuation of
your kindness and protection.
I have the honor to be, with profound respect,
Monseigneur.
Your very humble and very obedient servant. J. Dombey. Signed.
X
April 29, 1777.
Illustrious Sir:
Sir: The Spanish botanists named to go to Peru believe that it is their duty to
render to V. S. I. before their departure their most respectful thanks for the bene-
fits and favors that you have been pleased to grant them and for which they will be
ever grateful. The same graciousness and kindness with which V. S. I. has treated
294 APPENDICES
and distinguished them gives them courage to beg of you, not new favors, but only
a change in the place where one of them has been granted. V. S. I. has graciously
granted them an advance of four months' pay, as stated hi the Royal Order for
their appointments, in the port where they are to embark. The situation and
lack of funds in which they find themselves, and the need of providing themselves
with some clothes and other indispensable things, which could be done with more
ease and comfort in Madrid than in Cadiz, compels them respectfully to request of
V. S. I. that he be so kind as to command that their advance, which has been
ordered by V. S. I. to be paid in the port of departure, be given to them in this
capital. It would be for them and for their situation the same as to give a new
value to the favor already granted, nor would it, they think, be harmful to the
Exchequer of His Majesty.
To the Presidente de la Contratacion:
So that arrangements may be made that the four[?J botanists, Don Hipolito
Ruiz and Don Joseph Pavon, the French physician Don Joseph Dombey, and the
draftsmen Don Joseph Brunete and Don Isidro Galvez embark at the expense of the
Royal Exchequer in the vessel "Peruano" that is about to make a voyage to Peru,
and that they receive eleven monthly payments in advance together with that
which is mentioned.
In the vessel "Peruano," that is getting ready in that port for the trip to Peru,
the botanists Don Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavon, the French physician Don
Joseph Dombey and the draftsmen Joseph Brunete and Don Isidro Galvez should
embark at the expense of the Royal Exchequer with their baggage and boxes in
which they carry the books, utensils, and instruments needed for the discharge of
their commission.
In the same way V. S. should arrange, in accordance with the Orders that the
four Spanish individuals should present, to satisfy immediately four advance pay-
ments of their respective salaries, and for the account of the Royal Exchequer to
buy books, paper, and everything else needed and stated in the enclosed note, at
the earliest possible moment so that they should not for any reason fail to em-
bark in the said vessel. I give this notice to V. S. by order of the King for its exact
and due fulfilment. God keep you. C. Joseph, September 19, 1777. Presidente
de la Contratacion.
LIST of the things that have to be bought in Cadiz for the expedition to be
made to Peru by order of His Majesty:
Ordinary writing paper 12 reams. Holland paper 4 reams. 12 paper books
of a folio size in which to write clean copy of their observations. 2 thousand
black pins, for arranging insects. Boxes with cork for the same use. 6 saws.
6 hammers. 6 chisels. 6 pickaxes. 6 iron shovels. 6 small hatchets. 6 cut-
lasses. 2 sea-compasses. 4 dillenianos. All these utensils packed in boxes.
Casimiro Ortego. Signed.
September 24, 1777.
Illustrious Sir:
The King has resolved to send to Peru, Don Josef Dombey, French naturalist-
physician, two Spanish botanists, and two Spanish draftsmen so that they may
make professional observations in that kingdom, and transmit the various
productions of those fertile domains. Don Casimiro Ortega, Botanist to S. M.,
APPENDICES 295
has been commissioned to furnish everything necessary to these men for the execu-
tion of their mission, with the understanding that its cost shall be borne by the
Royal Exchequer; and having presented and examined the account of all, that sums
up to 8,868 rs. vellon, V. E. are notified by order of S. M. that the Ministry in
your charge pay the sum mentioned so that Ortega may be satisfied with the
amount in question. God keep V. E. many years. San Ildefonso, September 24,
1777.
N. N. S. D. Miguel de Muzquiz.
With your letter of yesterday, the 23rd, I have received the two accounts of
the instruments, books, and other utensils which have been provided by the botan-
ists, French and Spanish, and their value of 8,868 rs. vellon will be allowed to Your
Honor by the General Treasury, and for this purpose the appropriate order has
been sent on this date to the Minister of the Exchequer; I communicate this to
Your Honor for your information. San Ildefonso, September 24, 1777. P. Don
Casimiro Ortega.
XI
Illustrious Sir:
My dear Sir and respected Superior: The 20th day of this month I sent by
Baltasar Box to the Presidente de la Contratacion in Cadiz the boxes of paper,
instruments, books, and other utensils that the botanists and draftsmen destined
for Peru need for the work of their commission; so that they will arrive in time to
be placed on board the vessel "Peruano."
The lists, minus what has been provided to them on condition of replacement
from the account of the Royal Exchequer, according to what V. E. Ilustrisima
kindly communicated to me in the order of the 21st of last March, are included in
the two enclosed accounts, one of which I have provided directly, and the other
has been provided under my direction and supplied by Don Felipe de Trapaga
from the commerce of this town. I transmit them to V. S. I. so that, if they meet
with your approval, they can be ordered to be paid, or as may be the pleasure of
V. S. I., whose life God keep as many years as I desire and as may be necessary.
Madrid, September, 1777.
Illustrious Sir: Iltmo. Senor Don Joseph de Galvez. I kiss the hand of
Your Illustrious Honor. Your most obedient servant. Casimiro Ortega.
In the margin it is written. The accounts should be examined and, if found
satisfactory, an order should be sent to the Sr. Muzquiz for their payment. Today,
and to Ortega the 24th of September, 1777.
MEMORANDUM of the articles that I, Don Felipe de Trapaga, have furnished
to the draftsmen and botanists that are going to the Kingdom of Peru, by Order
of S. M. (may God keep him): at the request of Don Casimiro Ortega, First Bot-
anist of the King our Lord, and in detail, is the following:
First. 25 reams of ordinary paper Marco, mayor at 60 rs. 1,500
25 reams of the same paper middling fine at 72 rs. 1,800
Four ounces of the very best fine lacquer at 200 rs. 800
Half an ounce of fine ultramarine color of the first class 200
Half an ounce of ultramarine ash 075
Half a pound of green destilado 018
Half a pound of green vejiga 016
296 APPENDICES
Half a pound of gamboge 030
Two pounds of gum arable, fine 064
Half a pound of vermilion of Royal monopoly 006
Half a pound of Jewish asphaltum 022
Half a pound of burnt saffron 020
One pound and six ounces of fine ochre from Siena 027-17
Half a pound of Prussian blue of first quality 064
A pound of fine rock alum 003
Two pounds of cream of tartar 008
Three reams of fine paper cut, at 32 096
One ream of fine paper cut for letters 034
Four dozen boxes of fine English lead pencils at 22 rs. 088
Four dozen of the same at 14 rs. 056
Twelve dozen of the same, common, at 10 rs. 120
Three dozen and a half of fine assorted Lyon brushes at 26 rs. 091
A fine brush of Holland, large, gray 010
Twenty-two dozen of fine paint brushes at 8 rs. 176
Two bunches of swan feathers 030
Eight bars of fine China ink at 10 rs. 080
Two arrobas of black pencils with points at 30 rs. 060
And to prepare and grind the colors, I paid 030
And I paid for the making of 10 boxes with their respective locks as per
receipt 330
And for three boxes and the nails and delivery as per receipt 129
To cover with asphalt, paint with oil color, and number the said boxes, I
paid 060
And a real and a half that was the cost of a box for the brushes 001-17
To waterproof and caulk 2 containers in which several books are packed 020
Sealing and strapping of the 18 packages of which this shipment is com-
posed, and four trunks of used clothes and other effects by the Senor
Administrator of general taxes, so that they might not be opened in the
traffic or customhouse of Cadiz 140
TOTAL 6,205
And 24 rs. and 20 ms. de vellon, which was the cost of the sealing wax and
red ribbon used to tie all the boxes and seal them on top of the ribbon 024-20
I paid to the porters that brought and took the boxes and helped to load
them on the carts and take them to be strapped and sealed 034
6,263-20
This account amounts at its just value to: six thousand, two hundred and
sixty-three reales and twenty ms. de vellon, unless there be an error in writing or
addition, which, if it appears, should be corrected.
Madrid, September 20, 1777. Phelipe de Trapaga. Signed.
I received from Seiior Don Phelipe de Trapaga three hundred and thirty rs. von.
for ten boxes with ten locks, which I have made under the direction of the First
Professor of the Royal Botanical Garden and which are to be used to pack several
shipments of paper that are going to be taken by the Botanical Expedition sent
to Peru by order of the King, for the formation of their herbaria, and to show that
APPENDICES 297
this is correct, I sign my name in Madrid the first of June, 1777. Geronimo Bal-
thasar Ucles. Signed. The amount is 330 rs. vn.
According to my instructions. Casimiro Ortega. Signed.
Account of the boxes made under the direction of the First Professor of the
Royal Botanical Garden, that are to be used to carry several things to Peru.
Rs. de Von.
First, a box made to pack the rest of the big reams of paper, with the lock 033
Two other boxes to carry writing paper, pencils, and colors 036
Six hanks of tow to close the joints on the covers of the thirteen boxes.
Glue. Nails and a thousand tacks 036
For work done to cover with canvas and glue around the said boxes 024
129
This account amounts to one hundred twenty nine rs. de von., which I received
from Sr. Trapaga. Madrid, September 12, 1777. Geronimo Velez. According
to my instructions. Casimiro Ortega. Signed.
LIST of the books, instruments, and utensils that have been delivered according
to the Order of His Majesty of the 24th of March of this year, to the botanists who
are going to Peru:
Rs. de Von.
First. A very exact barometer, constructed in Paris with its spiral ther-
mometer encased in the same box 140
Two Reaumur thermometers, which have been compared and tried out,
in their boxes 060
Three lenses or magnifying glasses for the observation of the more minute
parts of plants 111
Linnaeus, Philosophia Botanica 024
Ejusdem, Genera plantarum 032
Ejusdem, Systema Naturae, in four volumes for the use of Don Hipolito
Ruiz, bought from the house of Alberia 124
Another set of the same work for the use of Don Josef Pavon, bought
from the house of Corradi 100
Jacquin, Enumeratio stirpium Americanarum 180
Of various drugs and chemical preparations that were also considered
necessary in the Botanical Expedition that was made to the Orinoco in
1753, and will serve in this one, as much for the examination of water
as to help in accidents that may happen to them in uninhabited places
where they will have to botanize 884
For the glass vials in which said preparations are placed, hermetically
sealed for their preservation 073
For the amount paid the carpenter for the making of the box with several
partitions for holding the said vials 050
For lock, hinges, and latches for said box 026 K
A copy of the Instituciones Botanicas of Tournefort in three quarto
volumes, one of explanation and two of plates 190
The work of Loefling on the plants of Spain and America, extremely rare 060
Noticias Americanos by Don Antonio Ulloa, one quarto volume, in boards 020
Caroli Pisonis, Historia naturalis Brasiliae, one volume in folio with plates 050
El viaje al Peru by Father Feuille, in three quarto volumes 120
298 APPENDICES
El viaje y observations of Don Jorge Juan, in five quarto volumes 249
P. Plunder, Nova genera plantarum, one quarto volume, rare and with
plates 096
For several portfolios of cardboard to receive plants on botanizing trips 015
2.604K
This account amounts to two thousand six hundred and four [?] reales de von.,
which have been supplied by Don Casimiro Ortega in accordance with said order
of the 24th of March of this year.
Madrid, September 18, 1777.
NOTE. Not having been able to find a copy of the Historia Natural de Nueva-
Espana, by the First Physician Francisco Hernandez, that had been considered
very useful to have on this expedition, Ortega has been commissioned to continue
his search so as to send it at the first opportunity to Lima.
Amount 2,604% Rs. de Von.
Casimiro Ortega. Signed.
Cadiz, October 3, 1777.
To President Manjon.
Notice is given by the Director of the Transport Fleet of having seen the
botanists on the vessel "Peruano."
Illustrious Sir:
My dear Sir: By the contents of the letter of V. S. I. of the 1st of May, I am
informed of the decision made by the King, to send to this Kingdom Don Hipolito
Ruiz, Don Joseph Pavon, and Don Joseph Dombey, professors of botany, and
the draftsmen Don Joseph Brunete and Don Isidro Galvez, with the object of
making observations of natural products according to their profession, and I am
likewise informed of the conditions specified in their appointments, duplicates
of which V. S. I. encloses, and of the salaries and rewards that have been assigned
to them; these royal decrees will have, for my part, and in all that has been ordered
regarding this matter, the fulfilment that has been requested of me, as soon as
the individuals mentioned reach this capital of their destination.
Our Lord keep V. S. I. as many years as I desire. Lima, February 28, 1778.
Iltmo. Senor. B. L. M. de V. S. I. Iltma, your most devoted and humble ser-
vant. Don Manuel de Guirior. Iltmo. Senor Don Jose de Galvez. At the margin
is written:
No. 284. The Viceroy of Peru. Acknowledges the receipt of the Royal
Order and the appointments which are enclosed, about the arrival of the botany
professors and draftsmen for the purpose that is specified in the said documents.
XII
The botanists Don Josef Pavon, Don Hipolito Ruiz, Don Isidro Galvez, and
Don Josef Brunete, assigned to the Kingdom of Peru, report their arrival.
Illustrious Sir:
Sir. The botanists and draftsmen (named by His Majesty to this Kingdom
of Peru) placed at the service of V. S. I. Iltma. with due respect, have the honor
and glory to report to V. S. Iltma.
APPENDICES 299
That on the 7th day of this month of April between five and six in the after-
noon we anchored in the port of Callao, and our arrival has been accomplished with
great good fortune without our having experienced the smallest discomfort on such
a long journey, or having encountered storms as severe as are to be expected on
such a voyage. The 10th we went to Lima to present ourselves to the Senor
Viceroy, whom we found in very good health; may our Lord grant the same to
Your Excellency for many years.
On the 13th we landed all of our pieces of equipment which were taken to the
customhouse; we think they have arrived without any damage because they have
come well closed and kept in a good place. We are ready to start after Easter on
our excursions so that with the aid of our Lord and the favor of V. S. Iltma., we
may fulfil little by little the obligations under which you have placed us with the
honors, favors, and gifts that you have bestowed upon us. May our Lord improve
your life with good health and everything else that V. S. Iltma deserves.
Your humble servants kiss the hand of V. S. Iltma. Joseph Pavon. Hipolito
Ruiz. Isidro Galvez. Dombey. Josef Brunete.
Lima, July 15, 1788. The botanists that have been sent to Peru are occupied
with making the determinations of plants that they have found, and will send
them at the first opportunity.
Illustrious Sir:
Sir. Under the date of the 16th of April, we informed V. S. Iltma. of our ar-
rival at the port of Callao; because the short time we had been in the country did
not permit us to give any other information. But at the present opportunity we
must inform V. S. Iltma. that in this city of Lima and its vicinity, as far as three
leagues, we have examined and seen many plants that to date are not known in
our Spain or to botanical authors; and establishing a new genus after the careful
examination that we have made of them; we have described them as new dis-
coveries, among which we mention the Galvezia limensis, a name that truly belongs
to you; and because it is V. S. Iltma. who has proposed this work and who con-
tributes with so much care to have it complete in all respects, to V. S. Iltma. and
not to anyone else should go the first fruits not as a gift but as a debt, and our
reverent affection would like always to have something to offer you so as to manifest
perpetually the indebtedness by which we are bound.
We have decided, because the time is suitable, to go on to the mountain ridges
in pursuit of our commission, and no doubt we shall do it the 15th of the present
month with the approval of the Excmo. Senor Viceroy, to whom we have explained
the progress of our work, and whom we have convinced with our activities, of our
eagerness to accomplish our trust.
At the first opportunity that offers, we shall send the plants that we have
dried and the corresponding sketches and, with the trip planned, we judge that the
shipment will be large, because we have been informed of the multitude and
variety of plants that at the present season are produced on the hills of the
mountain ridges where we are going.
We wish V. S. Iltma. perfect health, and we repeat our protestations of obe-
dience, always awaiting orders of your pleasure.
God our Lord keep V. S. Iltma. for many years. Lima, July 5, 1788.
Your most attentive servants kiss the hand of V. S. Iltma. Hipolito Ruiz.
Jph. Pavon. Josef Brunete. J. Dombey. Isidro Galvez.
300 APPENDICES
XIII
Iltmo. Senor Don Josef de Galvez.
San Lorenzo, November 24, 1779. To the Viceroy of Peru. That he may
arrange that the officers of the Navy that may be in the port of Callao make
certain observations about the low and high tide of another port, with the assistance
of the botanist Mr. Dombey.
NOTE. This order is the result of the report of the First Botanist about this
subject and various plants and herbs that were sent by the botanists of Peru by
the vessel "Buen Consejo" according to the order of the November 16, 1779.
Illustrious Sir:
In the Royal Order of November 24th last, V. S. finds it convenient to inform
me that His Majesty has resolved that the officers of the Navy that are in the
port of Callao shall observe and take exact account of the differences between the
low and high tide of another port at the various seasons of the year, the observa-
tions to be made in the presence of Mr. Dombey, botanist assigned by His Majesty
to this Kingdom, and that Mr. Dombey shall oversee their due execution, sending
to V. S. that which he may report in writing about this particular; and although at
present the naval officers are employed on His Majesty's Fleet sent to the port of
Conception for the safety of the coasts of that Kingdom, and the said Mr. Dombey,
absent in the province of Huanuco, is busy in the discharge of his commission, I
shall take care that on their return they shall make the observations requested
and shall send to V. S. what they may report about the matter.
Our Lord keep V. S. many years. Lima, September 20, 1780. Iltmo. Senor.
Your most humble servant Agustin de Jauregui kisses the hand of V. S. Excmo.
Senor Don Jose" de Galvez.
At the margin it is written. The Viceroy of Peru states that he will take
care that as soon as the officers of the Navy and the botanist that you mention
return from the places where they are now, the observations of the low and high
tide of the Port of Callao shall be made in accordance with the Royal Order in
which V. S. has seen fit to give instructions under the date of the 24th of last
November.
The King, having resolved that the officers of the Navy in the port of Callao
shall observe and take exact account of the difference between low and high tide of
another port at the several seasons of the year, requiring the assistance in these
observations of Mr. Dombey, botanist assigned by V. S. to this Kingdom, I
inform V. S. of this Royal Order that you may arrange for its proper execution,
transmitting the written report on this matter. The Lord keep you many years.
San Lorenzo, November 24, 1799. Senor Viceroy of Peru. In triplicate.
XIV
San Ildefonso, September 10, 1783. To the draftsmen and botanists sent to
Peru.
Acknowledging receipt of the letter of the 23rd of August of the present year,
where they gave notice of the discoveries made in their profession in the Kingdom
of Chile, and advising them to lose no time in making other discoveries and to
send on the work that they may have entirely and perfectly finished.
The King has been informed by your letter of the 23rd of August of the present
year of the discoveries you have made in your profession in the Kingdom of Chile,
APPENDICES 301
of the number of trees and plants that you have sketched with the rest that you
mentioned; and S. M. having resolved that you continue (as the Visitador General
of this Kingdom is advised on this same date) and perfect your investigations in
South America in which is included the Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires; and that
you make use of the time for your discoveries, and send on all work that may be
perfectly finished, as, thanks to the peace, it can arrive safely; I communicate this
to you by Order of His Majesty for your information and fulfilment. God keep
you many years. San Ildefonso, September 10, 1783. Messrs, botanists and
draftsmen ordered to Peru. In duplicate.
Excmo. Senor:
Sir. We inform V. E. that about the 26th of this month we are making a trip
to the city of Santiago of Chile, where we shall stay describing and sketching the
plants and trees of that territory until the end of this year, when we have planned
to return to Lima and get together the boxes with our collections from Chile with
those that we left deposited in the Royal Armory.
By previous mails we communicated to V. E. that the number of trees and
plants sketched in their natural colors reached almost a thousand, and the plants
described, more than 1,500; together with the letters we included different seeds
for the Royal Botanical Garden, a sketch of the new species of pino with its descrip-
tion in Castilian, and a piece of its wood.
Of the countries through which we have passed we have not found any as
fertile as the montanas of Maranon, which we entered at the end of the year 1780
and were obliged to abandon in the year 1781, without having collected any great
amount of its many riches.
On our return to Lima it was our desire to enter again and examine these
montanas (in spite of the great difficulties and trouble) and to live there a year in the
pursuit of our work.
But this trip that could be so useful and advantageous to our Flora, as well
as of much interest for the best results for the purpose that has moved the will
of the Sovereign and of V. S. as the prime initiator and protector of this work; it
appears to us that it might be obstructed by a letter that we have just received
from the Senor Visitador, a copy of which we take the liberty of enclosing for
V. E. so that you may consider it at your pleasure.
Our Lord make V. E.'s life prosperous many years. Conception de Chile, March
23, 1783. Your most obedient servants kiss the hand of V. E. Jph. Brunete.
Hipolito Ruiz. Jph. Pavon. Isidro de Galvez. Excmo. Senor Don Jose de Galvez.
In the margin is written. Tell them what has been told to Escobedo, that they
continue and complete their investigations in all that South America in which is
included the Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires, and send the finished work and make
good use of the time. September 4.
XV
Copy of the letter of the Senor Visitador and General Superintendent of the
Royal Exchequer.
In the Royal Order that has to do with your commission for the discovery of
the natural productions of this Kingdom, the first stipulation is that your stay in
this country is to be four years. And this term having expired last April, doubt
now arises as to whether the amounts should be paid or not, that you have been
302 APPENDICES
assigned for the time that has passed and is passing beyond that date, and in
consequence it was necessary to get a ruling in respect to that particular clause,
and after His Majesty's Fiscal had heard of it, he answered that you ought to
have finished your work in the specified four years, explaining in ample time, in
case of not having been able to use it fully, the impediments or accidents that may
have hindered you, but that, on the other hand, it does not seem rational by
reason of the slight loss that the Royal Exchequer might suffer, to render useless
what has already been spent in your transportation and maintenance, and to leave
the fulfilment of your commission incomplete, when, according to the Royal
Orders, you have to be taken care of at the cost of the Exchequer until you have
been placed in another position, and since the circumstances of the war do not
permit your return to Spain now, it would appear to another Minister that it
might be possible to pay you the equivalent of this year's salary and to notify you
of the difficulties in paying you from now on, and account should be given to the
King so that he may decide what may be his Sovereign pleasure.
In virtue of all this, I have resolved by a decree of this date (as you will see
in a copy of the enclosed order that I am sending by you to the Royal Officers of
that post of Conception or to those of Santiago de Chile) to pay you in one or the
other of these Coffers double salaries corresponding to one year starting from the
first of December of last year to the last of November of this year, hoping that in
regard to the time thereafter, you will tell me, in view of the doubt that makes it
difficult, what you think might conduce to payment, and of this I will give account
to the Court in order that H. M. may determine what may be his Royal pleasure.
All of this I ought to say to you in response to the request you forwarded to
me by the First Cosmographer of the Kingdom, Don Cosme Bueno, that I send
the enclosed Order from this General Superintendent, so that in one of the said
Coffers they may pay you your respective salaries, which of course you will collect
in the place you find most suitable. The Lord keep you many years. Lima,
January 18, 1783. Jorge Escobedo.
To the gentlemen of the Botanical Expedition, Don Hipolito Ruiz, Don
Jose Pavon, Don Jose Brunete, and Don Isidro Galvez.
Lima, November 15, 1783.
The Botanists of Peru. State that the day after their landing in Lima, where
they came to arrange the boxes to be ready to execute the orders that might be
given to them, they went to see the Viceroy and the Visitador, who told them of
not having received orders from the King or V. E. in favor of or against their stay
or return to Spain, nor had they made any decision about one or the other.
That at present they are busy arranging their work to other ends. That the
finished sketches amount to one thousand; and to one thousand seven hundred
the descriptions of trees and plants that deserve every attention for their properties
as well as for their uses. About this a work could be published that would result
in much advantage and progress due to the patronage of V. E.
NOTE. It appears that there are no further instructions required after the
Order of the 7th of March of this year, in which it was provided that the botanists
might continue in their commission for another year from the day of the receipt
of another Order granting their salaries, and were told what they had to observe
in their surveys, taking young men to be instructed, etc.
May 17, 1784. There is nothing to be done now, and I think that from last
year on they were given orders to continue.
APPENDICES 303
XVI
Excmo. Senor:
Sir. At every opportunity our gratitude impels us to inquire about the health
of V. E. and to inform you of the state of our work and progress, either by direct
communication with V. E. or through the First Botanist, Don Casimiro Ortega.
Under the date March 23rd of this year 1783, we notified V. E. from Concep-
cion de Chile of our trip to Santiago, and jointly we enclosed a copy of a letter of
the Sr. Visitador of this Kingdom, in which he told us that the term of four years
that the Sovereign had fixed as the period of stay here had already expired.
When we reached Santiago, we sent you in duplicate the copy of the referred
letter. Finally from Santiago under date of September 12th we took the liberty
of placing in the hands of V. E. a copy of another, second letter from another Sr.
Visitador in answer to the one we wrote to S. Sa. from Concepcion; and at the
same time the decision to pass to Lima to arrange the boxes and be ready to
receive the orders of V. E.; or those that these Ministers may impose upon us.
The day following our landing, we went to see the Excmo. Senor Viceroy,
and the Sor. Visitador, who told us they have not received Orders from the King
in favor of or against our return to Spain, and to date they have not made any
decision one way or the other.
At present we are arranging our work for the return to Spain ; or to be ready
for any other order.
The finished drawings number 1,000; and 1,700, the descriptions of trees and
plants that deserve attention as much for their properties as for their uses.
We do not doubt that with the protection of V. E. we can produce in a short
time a work of which the wise discernment of V. E. will perceive the advantages
and progress that may accrue to the public, and which among the rest of us will
not cease to acclaim forever the immortal name of V. E. as its principal guide and
as the patron in Spain of this science which shines so brightly in the other countries
of Europe.
Our Lord keep V. E's. health and life as long as your very humble and obedient
servants desire.
We kiss the hand of V. E. Lima, November 15, 1783. Jph. Pavon. Jph.
Brunete. Hipolito Ruiz. Jph. Dombey. Isidro Galvez.
Excmo. Senor Don Jose de Galvez.
Excmo. Senor:
Sir. We have just arrived at the city of Santiago of Chile with the idea of
continuing the work of new discoveries, but the little variety noticed in this
country of trees and of plants different from those already gathered in Concepcion
will make us, without doubt, embark for Lima after the winter, and in that capital
we shall await the orders that V. E. will see fit to give us to be obeyed by us as
has been done up to now.
In case that V. E. decides on our return to Spain, we beg of you to issue orders
that we be assisted and directed under the same conditions that H. M. ordered
when we came to this Kingdom.
From former letters and the enclosed copy V. E. will notice the variety of
trees (from which choice woods are obtained for all kinds of construction) and
the number of those we have already gathered, described, and drawn.
304 APPENDICES
Our Lord keep the life of V. E. many years: Santiago de Chile, May 6, 1783.
Your grateful and obedient servants kiss the hand of V. E. Hipolito Ruiz.
Jph. Dombey. Jph. Pavon. Jph. Brunete. Isidro de Galvez. Excmo. Senor
Don Jose de Galvez.
Duplicate number 2.
XVII
March 7, 1784. To the Visitador of Peru.
Among other things you are here advised of the general terms in which the
botanists are to continue in their commission for the discovery of trees and plants
that may be used for the Botanical Garden, and of information for the work of
natural history.
The botanists of the expedition to Peru in a letter of the 12th of September
of last year written from Santiago de Chile, reported the finding of beautiful
trees and plants in what they have surveyed of the Kingdom of Chile; likewise
they manifest the desire to penetrate the fertile interior of Huanuco and Tarma
to profit by more knowledge of the valuable things that they observed there in
passing. And the King realizing that this new survey will bring greater advantages
to the undertaking assigned to these professors, His Majesty has agreed to extend
the time to one year more, starting from the receipt of this order, and to grant the
salary that they have been assigned, likewise the allowance that in the judgment
of V. E. may seem to be in proportion to the time that they may have to be de-
tained in order to continue the sending of sketches, living plants, and other things
pertaining to natural history. His Majesty desires that V. E. inform them that,
as soon as this term is finished, they shall embark with all their collections to
return directly to Spain without undertaking any new trips by land because this
is no longer necessary since a similar expedition has been entrusted to Don Joseph
Celestino Mutis; and on the excursions that they may have to repeat to the
montanas of Huanuco and Tarma from that capital, they shall take with them
at the expense of the King, one or two young men of the necessary qualifications
who may become acquainted with, and record in writing, the places where the
most valuable plants are found; and who may be so instructed in botany that,
when the time comes for the return of the professors to Europe, they may be able
to continue the study of the science of the plants and the sending of seeds and
even to satisfy any doubt or commission that may be confided to them from
Madrid during the publication of the works and after it. All this is communi-
cated to V. E. by Order of His Majesty for due accomplishment, and that the
Sovereign's intentions may be carried out for obtaining the most advantageous
results that can be expected from this expedition for the explanation of natural
history God keep V. S. many years. Pardo, March 7, 1784.
Senor Visitador of Peru. P. 3, duplicate.
In the margin it is written. In order that this order may not conflict in any
respect with another given last year, the former one should be revoked.
Having notified the King what the botanists of the expedition to Peru pro-
pose in their letter of the 12th of September, 1783 and what you suggest with
regard to them on the 1st of this month, His Majesty has ordered me to issue
the appropriate order (as I do under this date) addressed to the Visitador General
of Peru so that he may notify the said botanists that they have been given an
extension of another year for concluding their commission, allowing them the
APPENDICES 305
corresponding salary and extras, and to tell them that in repeating the expeditions
to Huanuco and Tarma they shall take one or two young men so that they will
be informed of the places where the most valuable plants are found and can
prepare themselves to satisfy any questions that may arise during the publication
of the work. This I communicate to V. E. for your knowledge. The Lord
keep V. E. many years. Pardo, March 7, 1784. Dr. Don Casimiro Gomez
Ortega.
XVIII
Excmo. Senor:
My dear and most respected Sir: The botanists of the expedition to Peru, by
their last letters written in Santiago de Chile the 19th of August and 12th of
September of the year 1783 last, give thanks for the distinction received by them
as Members of the Royal Medical Academy of Madrid; they testify to the con-
tinuation of good harmony in which they live among themselves and also with
Mr. Dombey and the draftsmen; they expected to find, as they indeed found on
their return to Lima in October, the orders of V. E. for the continuation of the
payment of their salaries; they speak with honest frankness of the little experience
they had in all matters at their arrival at Callao, and promise to perfect their
discoveries and to achieve further new ones, if His Majesty, on the proposal by
V. E., pleases to permit them to stay another year in Peru in order to inspect
again, with the greater practice they have already attained, the very fertile
montanas of Huanuco and Tarma. To me the loyalty and zeal with which these
professors offer themselves for new and more continuous work than that imposed
by their official instructions appear very praiseworthy, and I am persuaded that
their efforts will produce more results in the additional year for which they ask
than in all the former ones, especially if they be told that on completing this term,
they should plan, upon the arrival of the orders of V. E. to embark with all
their collections to return straight to Europe, without engaging in new trips by
land as had been thought before the expedition of Don Joseph Celestino Mutis,
had been projected, and that for the excursions that they are going to repeat
from Lima to the montanas of Huanuco and Tarma, they have to take with
them at the expense of the King one or two young men with the necessary qualifi-
cations to become acquainted with the places where the most valuable plants
are to be found, and to become instructed in botany so that, when the time comes
for the return of the professors of Europe, those young men will be capable of
continuing the study of the science of plants and of sending seeds and even of
satisfying any question or commission that may be confided to them from here
during the publication of the work and afterwards.
The sum that was determined by His Majesty for extraordinary expenses,
like that of packing the herbaria and drawings, and of protecting live plants in
boxes to be shipped and other similar ones, has not been enough for the time
they have traveled of late after having completed the four years of their mission;
if it appears suitable and just, V. E. could order payment of the amounts that
you may think necessary, according to the time that the men have been or may
be detained, or whatever may be the pleasure of V. E., who will decide everything,
as always, that is most proper and conducive to the service of the King, the good
of the nation, and the progress of the natural sciences.
Our Lord keep the important life of V. E. the many years that I desire and
that are necessary. Madrid, March 1, 1784.
306 APPENDICES
XIX
Excmo. Senor:
Sir. Since our arrival in these Kingdoms we have informed V. E. of the prog-
ress of our commission, announcing in our last letter the shipment that we had
agreed to make of dried plants, seeds, and sketches; we are making it now under
the direction of the Master and Captain of the vessel named the "Buen Consejo."
By the enclosed account V. E. will see that the shipment contains 17 boxes
and with the one that contains one of these, makes 18. Of these, 11 belong to the
Spanish commission; and the remaining seven are a sending by Doctor Dombey to
his Sovereign. Of those of the Spanish commission, four have live plants; six
are of dried plants, seeds, bulbs, roots, and other natural curiosities; and in one
of these that is labeled with the number 6, there is enclosed a small box with the
sketches which complete the 11 we have mentioned.
In the same account we give information about the new genera, species, and
classes in which they have been placed. Our whole desire has been to succeed
and to discharge the trust that was given to us: we desire that our work shall be
acceptable in the eyes of V. E., and we beg of you to excuse any error you may
find, as resulting from the fallibility that is natural to the judgment of men,
without ever attributing it to careless work.
We wish to inform V. E. that we have resolved to continue our commission
and start for the provinces of Tarma and Jauja where we are assured there is
abundant material for us to work on. May Divine Providence permit our Sov-
ereign to see the accuracy with which we intend to carry out his Royal Instruc-
tions; and grant that his subjects by this means may find all the happiness that
the Monarch has promised and that has been the spirit which has moved this
important work.
Our Lord keep V. E. many years.
Lima, April. Your most attentive servants kiss the hand of V. Exa.
Hipolito Ruiz. Jph. Pavon. Jph. Brunete. Isidro Galvez. Exmo. Senor Don
Joseph de Galvez. Signed.
LIST OF THE DRIED PLANTS SENT BY RUIZ TO SPAIN WITH THEIR DESCRIPTIONS,
NOTING SOME THAT GO WITHOUT ANY
Classis I. Monandria
Canna indica Lin. sp. P.
Classis II.' Diandria
Calceolaria integrifolia L., F. P., pinnata L., F. P. cum lam. Collinsonia
verticillala F. P. c.l. Dianthera repens F. P. c.l., verticillata F. P. c.l. Salvia coc-
cinea Jussieu, F. P. c.l., pilosa F. P. c.l. Verbena nodiflora L. Veronica limensis
F. P. c.l. Utricularia bifida L., F. P. c.l.
Classis III. Triandria
Arundo Bambos L. Commelina tuberosa L., F. P. c.l. Cyperus niger F. P. c.l.
Alter, vulgo vara de San Jph. F. P. c.l. Alter sine descriptione. Herba purga-
tionis Few P. F. P. c.l. Palaua dichotoma F. P. c.l., glutinosa F. P. Schoenus?
Alter s.d. Scirpus? Alter s.d. Wachendorfia? Genus novum? F. P. c.l. Valeriana
chaerophylla F. P. c.l., pinnatifida F. P. sine lam. Gramina 29 s.d.
APPENDICES 307
Classis IV. Tetrandria
Buddleia occidentalis L., F. P. c.l. Cissus cordifolia L., F. P. c.l. Isnardia
hastata F. P. c.l. Plantago albicans? L., F. P. c.l. Potamogeton compressus F. P.
c.l., marinum F. P. c.l. Scoparia dulcis L. Sp. P. Spermacoce tenuior L. Varietas
tenuioris? F. P. c.l. Tillaea perfoliata F. P. c.l., muscosa? L.
Classis V. Pentandria
Anagallis angulaia F. P. c.l. Anethum parvum F. P. Asclepias curassavica L.
? F. P. c.l., hastata F. P. c.l. Atropa arborescens L., F. P. c.l., physaloides L., F. P.
Anchusa L.? tiguil-tiguil. F. P. c.l. Basella rubra L., F. P. Buettneria aculeata
L., F. P. c.l. Brunia videtur F. P. c.l. Capraria biflora L., F. P. c.l. Campanula
peruviana F. P. c.l. Cedrela odorata L., F. P. c.l. Cestrum diurnum L., F. P. c.l.,
nocturnum L., F. P. c.l. Chenopodium rubrum L., quinoa amarga. Cordia
Sebestena L., F. P. c.l. Convolvulus hastatus L.?, albus L., F. P. c.l., sepium L.,
F. P. c.l., purpureus L.? F. P. c.l. Cosmea montana F. P. c.l. Cuscuta americana
L., F. P. c.l. Cynoglossum pilosum F. P. c.l. Cynanchum racemosum L.? F. P. c.l.
Datura arborea L., F. P. c.l. Duhamelia Manglillo F. P. Daucus Gingidium L.
Evolvulus stipulatus F. P. c.l. Gentiana americana F. P. c.l., tetrangularis F. P. c.l.
Heliotropium curassavicum L., fructicosum L., indicum L., peruvianum L., F. P.
c.l. Hydrocotyle umbellata L., F. P. c.l., vulgaris L., F. P. c.l. Ipomoea coccinea L.,
lacunosa L. Illecebrum Achyrantha L., F. P. c.l. Linum prostratum F. P. c.l. Ly-
cium americanum Jacq. Am. Myosotis hispida F. P. Morinda? chinchimali?
s.d. Nolana prostrata L. Nicotiana glutinosa L., paniculata L. Phellandrium
ciliatum F. P. c.l. Physalis angulata L., prostrata F. P. c.l., pubescens L. Plumeria
rubra L., F. P. c.l., inodora Jacq. Am. F. P. c.l., Turumbaco F. P. c.l. Solanum
corymbosum F. P. c.l., decurrens F. P. c.l., macrocarpon L., F. P. c.l., montanum
L., peruvianum L., F. P. c.l., pinnatifidum F. P. c.l., tuberosum L., F. P. c.l. Thou-
inia multifida F. P. c.l.
Classis VI. Hexandria
Achras mammosa L., F. P. c.l. Aloes? s.d. Alstroemeria Pelegrina L., F. P. c.l.
Amaryllis aurea F. P. c.l., flammea F. P. c.l. Juncus. Alter s.d. Pancratium
caribaeum? L., F. P. c.l., rubrum, sub-tribiale, flavum F. P. c.l., maritimum L., F. P.
c.l. Polyanthes tuberosa L. Varietas vulgo Margaritas esmaltadas F. P. c.l. Scilla
paniculata F. P. c.l. Tillandsia purpurea F. P. c.l. Triglochin fibrosum F. P. s.l.
Classis VIII. Octandria
Cardiospermum tripartitum F. P. Epilobium denticulatum F. P. c.l. Oenothera
prostrata F. P. c.l., multifida F. P. c.l. Polygonum Persic, folio Lin. Sp. P. Tro-
paeolum majus L., peregrinum F. P. c.l.
Classis IX. Enneandria
Laurus Persea L., F. P. c.l.
Classis X. Decandria
Bauhinia aculeata L., F. P. c.l. Cassia mimosoides L., F. P. c.l. Cassia tenuis-
sima L., F. P. c.l., Tora L., F. P. c.l. Jussiaea fruticosa L., F. P. c.l., peruviana L.,
F. P., repens L., F. P. c.l. Malpighia nitida L., F. P. Oxalis nitida F. P. c.l. Par-
kinsonia glandulosa F. P. c.l. Poinciana' bijugata L., F. P. c.l., Paipai F. P. c.l.
Classis XI. Dodecandria
Euphorbia Chamaesyce L., hirta L., hypericifolia L., F. P. c.l., striata F. P. c.l.
Lythrum Hyssopifolium L., F. P. c.l. Portulaca Crassa F. P. c.l., linearis F. P. c.l.
Triumfetta Lappula L.
308 APPENDICES
Classis XII. Icosandria
Eugenia uniflora? L., F. P. Loasa aspera F. P. c.L, hispida F. P. c.l., urens
F. P. c.l. Psidium pyriferum L., F. P. c.l. Rubus jamaicensis Sist. Naturae.
Sesuvium Portulacastrum F. P. c.l. Tetragonia crystdllina F. P. c.l.
Classis XIII. Polyandria
Anona muricata L., F. P. c.l., squamosa L., F. P. c.l. Bixa Orellana L. Cor-
chorus siliquosus L., F. P. c.l. Mammea americana L. Mentzelia aspera L., F. P. c.l.
Classis XIV. Didynamia
Antirrhinum peruvianum F. P. c.l. Browallia multiflora F. P. c.l., elata L.?
Crescentia Cujete F. P. c.l. Galvezia limensis F. P. c.l. Guiriora rivularis F. P. c.l.
Lantana camara L., salvifolia L., F. P. c.l. Mimulus luteus L., F. P. c.l. Nepeta
aut Melissal s.d. Ruellia repens F. P. c.l. Stachys pratensis F. P. c.l. Tourretia
lappacea F. P. c.l.
Classis XV. Tetradynamia
Cleome triphylla L. Thlaspi arvense L.
Classis XVI. Monadelphia
Geranium tuberosum F. P. c.l., moschatum L. Gossypium arboreum L., hirsutum
L. Ketmia? s.d. Magallana repens F. P. c.l. Malva coromandelina L., F. P. c. L,
peruviana L., F. P. c.l. Melochia corchorifolia L., F. P. c. 1. Sida lutea F. P. c.L,
multifida F. P. c.l., americana L., cordifolia? L., frutescens Few. P., F. P. c.L,
hastata F. P. c.L, cristata L.?, jamaicensis L., moschata F. P. c.L, palmata F. P. c.L,
paniculata L., F. P. c.L, prostrata F. P. c.L
Classis XVII. Diadelphia
Astragalus rhombeus F. P. c.l. Crotalaria incana L., F. P. c.L, laburnifolia L.,
F. P. c.l. Dolichos Lablab L., F. P. c.L, uncinatus L., F. P. c.L, linearis F. P. c.l.
Erythrina Corallodendron F. P. c.L, picto L. Hedysarum asperum F. P. c.L, pro-
cumbens F. P. c.L, prostratum F. P. c.l. Indigofera tinctoria L.? F. P. c.L Lupinus
stipulatus F. P. c.l. Phaseolus alatus L. ? F. P. c.L, vexillatus L., F. P. c.L Polygala
subdentata F. P. c.L, chinensis L. ? F. P. c.l. Psoralea glandulosa L., F. P. c.l.
Classis XVIII. Polyadelphia
Hypericum canadense L., F. P. c.l.
Classis XIX. Syngenesia
Ageratum conyzoides L. Aster divaricatus L.?, verticillatus F. P. c.l. Baccharis
ivaefolia L., F. P. c.L, scandens F. P. c.L Altera? Bellis pubescens F. P. c.l. Bidens
cuneiformis F. P. c.L, cuneiformis varietas F. P., tripartita L., bullata L., bipinnata
L., F. P. c.L Centaurea napifolia L., F. P. c.l. Conyza cinerea L. ? F. P. c.L Eli-
chrysum odoratissimum L.? F. P. c.L, margaritiferum L., crispum L. Erigeron ra-
mosum F. P. c.L, bonariense L.?, philadelphicum L. Eupatorium scandens L., F. P.
c.L, valerianum F. P. c.l. Helianthus decapetalus L.? F. P. c.L, giganteus L.?
Impatiens cornuta L. Lobelia decurrens F. P. c.l. Senecio scandens F. P. c.L,
stipulatus F. P. c.l. Serratula quinquenervia F. P. c.l. Siegesbeckia orientalis L.
Spilanthes multiflora F. P., wrens Jacq. Am., F. P. c.l. Tagetes minuta L. Trago-
pogon glabrum F. P. c.l.
APPENDICES 309
Classis XX. Gynandria
Passiflora foetida L., F. P. c.l., minuta L., F. P. c.l., punctata L., F. P. c.L,
tiliaefolia L., F. P. c.l. Pistia Stratiotes L., F. P. c.l. Serapias latifolia L., F. P. c.l.
Sisyrinchium palmifolium L., F. P. c.l.
Classis XXI. Monoecia
Amaranthus gangeticus L. Ambrosia Manviona L. Casimiroa tuberosa F. P.
c.l., grandiflora F. P. c.l. Cucumis Colocynthis L., maderaspatanus L., F. P. c.l.
Croton ricinoides, altheaefolium F. Y. R. H. ? F. P. c.l., balsamiferum Jacq.? F. P.
c.l., dubium F. P. s.l. Juglans nigra L., F. P. c.l., partheniuml s.d. Pinus. Sagit-
taria sagittifolia L., F. P. c.l. Sicyos angulata L., F. P. Typha angustifolia L.
Urtica pumila L.? Zizania octandra F. P. c.l.
Classis XXII. Dioecia
Betula alba L. Salix Babylonicus L. Schinus Molle L., F. P. c.l.
Classis XXIII. Polygamia
Cenchrus muticus F. P. c.l., echinatus L., F. P. c.l., lappaceus L. Mimosa Inga
L., F. P. c.l., cornigera L., F. P. c.L, punctata L., F. P. c.L, horrida L., latisiliqua L.,
F. P. c.L, pernambucana L., F. P. c.L, sensitiva L., F. P. c.L, tortuosa L.
Classis XXIV. Cryptogamia
Acrostichum trifoliatum L., F. P. c.l. Equisetum giganteum L., repens F. P. c.l.
Lichen, Alter. Alter s.d. MMSCMS squamosus F. P. Polypodium lanceolatum
L., F. P. c.L, unitum L.? F. P. c.L, tw^are L.?
XX
LIST OF THE SEEDS, FRUIT, BULBS, ROOTS, AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS SENT
BY Ruiz, GIVING THE SPANISH AND INDIAN NAMES
Ageratum conyzoides. Amaranthus gangeticus? Alstroemeria Pelegrina.
Anona verticillata (anona), squamosa (chirimoya). Anagallis angulata. An-
tirrhinum peruvianum. Achras mammosa (lucumas). Argemone mexicana (cardo
santo). Aster. Asclepias curassavica? (yerba de la seda). Avellanas de Val-
divia. Arachis hypogaea (mani). Baccharis ivaefolia (chilco), scandens (chilca).
Bidens cuneiformis. Buettneria aculeata (yerba de la arafia). Basella rubra. Bixa
Orellana (achote). Altera (achotillo). Browallia multiflora (jazmincillo de lomas).
Brunia videtur. Buddleia occidentalis. Bulbi diversi. Amaryllis flammea (aman-
cae cimarron), aurea (amancae antiguo). Pancratium rubrum; in descriptione
sub nomine flavi, caribaei. Scillae paniculatae. Bulbi tres: pancratis, junquillos,
et alius liliaceae. Cedrela odorata (cedro). Corchorus siliquosus. Canna indica
(achyra). Calceolaria pinnata (yerba de la bolsilla), integrifolia. Crescentia Cu-
jete (tutumas). Campanula peruviana. Cestrum diurnum (yerba hedionda y
santa), nocturnum (quiebra ollas). Convolvulus ignotus, albus (campanulas). Ca-
praria biflora. Cordia Sebestena (membrillejo). Cynanchum racemosum (piochas).
Cassia Tora (canafistola cimarrona), mimosoides (guarangillo). Crotalaria incana
(cascabelillos), laburnifolia (cascabeles). Croton ricinoides, altheaefolium T.I.R.
(pinoncillos), balsamiferum, dubium. Casimiroctyuberosa (flor de San Juan), grandi-
flora. Carica Papaya (mitos). Dolichos Lablab (f'Hjol de Antibo). Dianthera verti-
cillata. DuhameliaMangliUo(mang\illo). Dolichos uncinatus (taconcillos). Dolichos
alter. Dolichos? Eugenia uniflora (palillos). Erythrina Corallodendron (guairo).
Eupatorium valerianum, scandens. Frijoles, called cocachos, morados o negros.
310 APPENDICES
Pallares (I took them from a dried plant). Geranium tuberosum. Gossypium ar-
boreum, hirsutum. Guiriora rivularis. Galvezia limensis. Goma de molle, with sticks
of arbol de lino. Hedysarum procumbens (pega-pega). Helianthus decapetalus.
Hypericum canadense. Isnardia hastata. Impatiens cornuta (caiguas). Indigofera
tinctoria. Jussiaeaperuviana,fruticosa(fioTdele\&vo). Ipomoea coccinea. Lantana
camara, salvifolia (maestrante). Loasa urens, hispida (urtiga de la sierra), aspera.
Lythrum Hyssopifolium. Lobelia decurrens (contoya). Melochia corchorifolia. Me-
lissa seu Nepeta. Myosotis. Mimosa cornigera (guarango), latisiliqua, punctata
(tapate putilla), pernambucana, sensitiva (tapate o cierrate puta), tortuosa (aromo
fino). Nolana prostrata. Nicotianaglutinosa,paniculata(tabacocimarron). Malva
coromandelina, peruviana (malva cimarrona). Ornithogalum foliosum (margaritas
de lomas). Ocimum. Oenothera prostraia. Parietaria videtur. Pistia Stratiotes
(lechuga cimarrona). Passiflora foetida (puche-puche), tiliaefolia in bacca et sine
bacca. Phaseolus vexillatus (wild frijoles), alatus. Psoralea glandulosa (yerba de
SanAgustln). Psidium pyriferum (guayaba). Poinciana bijugata (tara), Paipai
(pai-pai). Portulaca Crassa. Physalis prostrata. Phellandrium ciliatum. Plantago.
Palaua glutinosa. Quinoa amarga, dulce. Dugagelia peltata, radix. Polypodia
indeterminata. Casimiroa grandiflora, tuberosa (flor de San Juan). Oxalis nitida
(vinagrillo). Solani tuberosi sica duplici modo. Serratula quinquenervia (mata
gusanos and contrayerba). Semen alicujus Helicteris? Cujusdam diadelphiae
indeterminatae. Cujusdam syngenesiae indeterm. Aloes? Senecio stipulatus.
Siegesbeckia orientalis. Spilanthes multiflora. Sicyos angulata. Sisyrinchium
palmifolium. Spondias Mombin (ciruelas agrias). Solanum peruvianum (naran-
jitas de Quito), decurrens. Sesuvium Portulacastrum (llitho). Sapindus Saponaria
(jabonera, bolillos, and choruros). Salvia coccinea, pilosa. Scoparia dulcis (esco-
billa). Sida lutea, frutescens (escoba cimarrona), jamaicensis, hastata F. P., cris-
tata L.?, palmata, paniculata (mata hyernos). Tourretia lappacea. Tillaea mus-
cosa L.?, perfoliata F. P. Tagetes minuta, chinchimali. Thouinia multifida. Te-
tragonia crystallina. Triumfetta Lappula. Verbesina alba. Veronica limensis.
A bag of amethyst stones. A rock in which the others are found. A package of
small cocoanuts from Guayaquil. Several small shells. One small basket with 4
humming birds. An earthen pot found in a mine near Naturaleza. Four arma-
dillos. Two small guaqueros. Small box with fragments of ores. Two bags of
round stones used as bullets. Two marine plants.
15 packages of dried plants that are mentioned above, placed by classes, and
in each one its description: there go from 6 to 12 specimens of each, except from
those of which I have not found more than one, two, or three examples.
Don Joseph Pav6n remits 11 packages of other dried plants; the seeds, bulbs,
roots, and other things that he has found.
Don Joseph Dombey is sending a package of dried plants for the King our
Lord. I do not know whether they are described and placed in order, because I
placed them tied as he gave them to me, in the box I had ready to seal. He also
sends a small tin can with saltpeter, which is abundant in this province and in that
of Chancay.
For the French Court there are seven boxes, two with guaqueros, two with frag-
ments of ores, and the other three with dried plants, seeds, bulbs, and other products.
The 10 boxes that we are sending to the King our Lord are numbered and are
marked: To the Exmo. Senor Don Joseph de Galvez of the Counsel of State and
Secretary of the Universal Despatch of the Indies, and with the mark E.
APPENDICES 311
In numbers 1, 2 and 3, dried plants. Number 4, several things cited above.
Number 5, bulbs, roots, and some fruits. Number 6, the seeds; and a small box
with 241 drawings. Numbers 7 and 8, two heated cases with live plants. Numbers
9 and 10, two open boxes with living plants.
The boxes sent by Don Joseph Dombey to his Sovereign have the distinctive
mark F and no numbers.
XXI
LIST OF THE LIVE PLANTS SENT IN THE HEATED CASES AND CRATES
Oestrum diurnum, 3 plants. Duhamelia Manglillo 2. Sapindus Saponaria 5.
BaccharisivaefoliaZ. Altera indeterminata 3. Dugagelia verticillata 5. Congona 2.
This plant is no other than the Dugagelia verticillata cultivated in gardens; differ-
ent from the Dugagelia that is found between the hills, where there are many rocks.
Conyza cinerea 2. Achras mammosa 4 (lucumas). Malpighia nitida 5 (ciruela
de Fraile). Cedrela odorata 5 (cedro). Asclepias curassavica 5 (arbolito de la seda).
Mimosa latisiliqua. Poinciana bijugata 6 (tara). Arachis hypogaea 7 (mani).
Poinciana Paipai 4 (pai-pai). Passi flora minuta 3. Wild narbo. Cassia Tor a 4
(canafistola cimarrona). Solanum pepino 4 (pepinos). Buddleia occidentalis 2.
Psidium pyriferum 5 (guayabas). Tillandsia purpurea 6. Three different bulbs.
Several seeds that have been spread on the soil.
LIST OF THE SKETCHES MADE BY DON JOSEPH BRUNETE AND TRANSMITTED
Astragalus rhombeus. Atropa arborescens. An Genus novum? non Wachendorfia.
Amaryllis aurea. Alsine stipulata. Asclepias hastata. Baccharis scandens. Bau-
hinia aculeata. Bellis pubescens. Bidens bipinnata. Buettneria aculeata. Buddleia
occidentalis. Calceolaria pinnata. Cassia mimosoides, minutissima, Tora. Campa-
nula peruviana. Cedrela odorata. Centaurea napifolia. Cissus cordifolia. Cosmea
montana. Convolvulus sepium, purpureus. Cordia Sebestena. Commelina virginica.
Croton balsamiferum. Crotalaria laburnifolia. Crescentia Cujete. Cuscuta Americana.
Cucumis maderaspatanus. Cynoglossum pilosum. Cyperus. Dianthera verticillata.
Dolichos Lablab, linearis, uncinatus. Epilobium denticulatum. Erigeron bonariense.
Fumaria officinalis. Galvezia limensis. Gentiana americana. Geoffraea spinosa. Gera-
nium tuberosum. Gramen. Alterum. Alterum. Alter. Alter. Alter. Hedysarum
procumbens, prostratum. Heliotropium peruvianum. Herbapurgationis. Hydrocotyle
vulgaris. Isnardia hastata. Illecebrum Achyrantha. Juncus? Jussiaea fruticosa. Lan-
tana galvifolia. Linum prostratum. Lobelia decurrens. Lupinus stipulatus. Loasa
urens. Lycium americanum. Malva peruviana, coromandelina. Melochia corchori-
folia. Mimosa latisiliqua, cornigera, punctata, pernambucana. Mimulus luteus.
Oenothera multifida. Ornithogalum foliosum, corymbosum. Oxalis nitida. Palaua
dichotoma. Pancratium caribaeum, flavum, rubrum. Paspalum. Passiflora minima,
punctata. Phaseolus vexillatus. Phellandrium ciliatum. Plumeria inodora, rubra.
Physalis prostrata. Polygala chinensis, subdentata. Potamogeton marinum,
compressum. Portulaca Crassa. Polypodium unitum. Psoralea glandulosa.
Ruellia repens. Sapindus Saponaria. Serapiast vel orchis? Sesuvium Portula-
castrum. Serapias latifolia. Serratula quinquenervia. Schinus Molle. Sida hastata
F. P., cristata Lin.?, moschata, multifida, paniculata, palmata F. P., radiata Lin.?
Solanum pepinos, tuberosum. Sisyrinchium palmifolium. Stachys pratensis.
Spilanthes urens. Tillaea perfoliata F. P., muscosa Lin.? Tillandsia purpurea.
Thouinia multifida. Tropaeolum peregrinum. Tourretia lappacea. Verbesina alba,
biflora. Vicia. Utricularia bifida.
312 APPENDICES
The sketches that are made with parts of the frutification separate.
Buddleia occidentolis. (a) Corolla, (b) Calix cum pistillo. (c) Capsula cum
calyce et sine calyce. (d) Capsula aperta. (e) Semina.
Buettneria aculeata. (a) Flos.
Cedrela odorata. (a) Capsula aperta. (b) Semen.
Calceolaria pinnata. (a) Capsula clausa supra calycem. (b) Capsula in calyce
aperta semina demostrans.
Cordia Sebestena. (a) Calyx, (b) Corolla aperta cum staminibus. (c) Germen.
(d) Osiculum. (e) Osiculum per medium sectum.
Cosmea montana. (a) Calyx, (b) Capsula.
Crescentia Cujete. (a) Semina.
Croton balsamiferum. (a) Capsula aperta. (b) Semina.
Cucumis maderaspatanus. (a) Pomum apertum seu per medium sectum
semina et loculamenta demonstrans.
Dolichos Labldb. (a) Legumen clausum. (b) Legumen apertum. (c) Semina.
Galvezia limensis. (a) Corolla cum calyce. (b) Corolla in calyce longitudina-
liter incisa staminibus pistilloque demonstrans. (c) Corolla, (d) Calix cum
pistillo. (e) Capsula per medium secta. (f) Semina.
Geoffraea spinosa. (a) Drupa aperta per medium, (b) Nux.
Herba purgationis. (a) Corolla cum 3 staminibus et pistillo. (b) Receptaculum
in quo corolla 5 fida insidet et abit in capsula. (c) Capsulae clausae. (d) Capsula
aperta. (e) Semen, (f) Corolla sexfida cum 4 staminibus et pistillo. (g) Recep-
taculum in quo corolla sexfida insidet.
Lobelia decurrens. (a) Corolla naturalis. (b) Folium naturale.
Mimosa latisiliqua. (a) Semina.
Mimosa cornigera. (a) Siliquae clausae. (b) Siliqua aperta. (c) Semen.
Palaua dichotoma. (a) Corolla cum staminibus. (b) Calyx cum pistillo. (c)
Pistillum. (d) Capsulae clausae. (e) Capsula aperta. (f) Semen.
Physalis prostrata. (a) Bacca intra calycem.
Plumeria inodora. (a) Foliculi clausi. (b) Foliculus apertus. (c) Semen.
Plumeria rubra. (a) Foliculus clausus. (b) Foliculus apertus. (c) Semen.
Polygala subdentata. (a) Corolla cum calyce. (b) Corolla cum staminibus.
(c) Stamina cum germine. (d) Germen. (e) Capsulae clausae. (f) Capsula aperta.
(g) Semina.
Sapindus Saponaria. (a) Fructus saturatus. (b) Fructus abortiens.
Sesuvium Portulacastrum. (a) Capsula cum 4 pistillis. (a) Capsula cum 3
pistillis. (b) Capsula 4 locularis aperta. (b) Capsula 3 locularis aperta. (c)
Semina.
Sida palmata. (a) Calyx, (b) Calyx et corolla, (c) Corolla cum germine et
staminibus.
Spilanthes urens. (a) Corolla aucta. (b) Corolla propria aucta. (c) Corolla
cum staminibus. (d) Pistillum cum stigmate. (e) Calyx cum receptaculo. (f)
Stamina.
Tillaea perfoliata. (a) Calyx auctus. (b) Calyx, corolla, staminaque aucta.
(c) Germina.
APPENDICES 313
Stachys pratensis. (a) Calyx, (b) Stamina, (c), (d) Corolla, (e) Semina. (f )
Calyx semina fovens.
Tillandsia purpurea. (a) Corolla, (b) Calyx, (c) Semina.
Thouinia multifida. (a) Calyx, (b) Corolla, (c) Corolla cum staminibus et
pistillo. (d) Capsula clausa. (e) Capsula apice in tres partes dehiscens. (f)
Capsula per medium secta, tria loculamenta demonstrans. (g) Semina.
Tourretia lappacea. (a) Calyx, (b) Corolla clausa. (c) Corolla aperta. (d)
Corolla cum staminibus et pistillo. (e) Capsula aperta. (f) Semina.
Wachendorfia non? an Genus novum? (a) Spatha cum 4 floribus clausa. (b)
Spatha cum floribus aperta. (c) Capsulae in spatha. (d) Capsula clausa. (e)
Capsula per medium secta. (f) Capsula longitudinaliter aperta. (g) Corolla, (h)
Corolla patens, (i) Semina aucta. (j) Pistillum.
He keeps the following that have not been finished because some part is
missing: Senecio scandens. Duhamelia Manglillo. Jussiaea peruviana, A Diadel-
phia that is not finished or examined. A Sida. A Baccharis.
SKETCHES MADE BY DON ISIDRO GALVEZ AND TRANSMITTED
Achras mammosa. Acrostichum trifoliatum. Alstroemeria Pelegrina. Ama-
ryllis flammea. Anagallis angulata. Anona muricata, folia et flores, fructus et
semina. Anona reticulata, folia, fructus, et semina. Anona squamosa, folia et
flores. Antirrhinum peruvianum. Asdepias curassavicat Alsine media. Aster
verticillatus. Aubentonia repens (mayaca). Baccharis ivaefolia. Bidens cunei-
formis. Browallia elata. Capraria biflora. Casimiroa tuberosa, grandiflora. Cen-
chrus echinatus. Cestrum diurnum, nocturnum. Commelina tuberosa. Conyza
cinerea. Croton ricinoides Americ. fruct., altheaefolium F. I. R. H. 656. Cyperus
niger. Cyperus (totora). Alter. An Cyperusl Convolvulus albus. Collinsonia
verticillata. Corchorus siliquosus. Crotalaria incana. Cynanchum racemosum.
Columbea minuta, palida, varietas Columbeae minutae. Datura arborea. Dianthera
repens. Dugagelia verticillata, peltata. Erythrina Corallodendron, folia. Erythrina
Corallodendron, flores et siliquae. Euphorbia hypericifolia, striata. Eupatorium
Valerianum, scandens. Evolvulus stipulatus. Guiriora rivularis. Gentiana angularis.
Gnaphalium odoratissimum. Gramen. Alterum. Alter. Alter. Alter. Alter.
Alter. Helianthus decapetalus. Hydrocotyle umbellata. Hypericum canadense.
Indigofera tinctoria. Jussiaea repens. Juglans nigra. Juncusl Laurus Persea. Loasa
aspera, hispida. Lythrum Hyssopifolia. Mimosa Inga, sensitiva. Magallana repens.
Oenothera prostrata. Ophioglossum vaginans. Oxalis spicata. Parkinsonia glandulosa.
Pancratium maritimum, illyricum. Passiflora tiliaefolia, foetida. Phaseolus alatusl
Physalis angulata. Pistia Stratiotes. Plantago incana, albicans L. Plumeria alba,
rubra, Turumbaco. Polypodium lanceolatum. Polianthes rubra. Poinciana bijugata,
Paipai. Portulaca linearis. Psidium pyriferum. Pexe Gallo. Salvia coccinea. Scilla
paniculata,maritima'Lm.l Scirpus A. ScirpusE. Alter. Alter. Alter. Silene pilosa.
Solanum decurrens, pinnatifidum, peruvianum, corymbosum, macrocarpon. Sagit-
taria sagittifolia. Spermacoce tenuior, varietas. Sida lutea. Spondias Mombin.
Sisyrinchium palmifolium varietas? tiguil-tiguil, prostratum, reflexum Pav. Trago-
pogon glabrum. Tetragonia crystallina. Valeriana chaerophylla. Verbesina Acmella.
Veronica limensis. Zizania octandra.
314 APPENDICES
The sketches that are sent with some parts of the frutification in separate,
are the following.
Achras mammosa. (a) Flos apertus cum staminibus. (b) Pistillum. (c)
Pomum per medium sectum. (d) Semen.
Asckpias curassavical (a) Folliculus cum seminibus. (b) Semen, (c) Pappus.
Anona muricata. (a) Fructus. (b) Semina.
Anona reticulata. (a) Fructus. (b) Semina.
Aubentonia re-pens, (a) Calyx clausus. (b) Calyx apertus. (c) Calyx expansus
ut tria perianthia ex quibus constat videantur. (d) Corolla, (e) Pistillum. (f)
Capsula clausa. (g) Capsula per medium secta. (h) Semina.
Browallia data, (a) Calyx, (b) Corolla, (c) Stamina, (d) Pistillum. (e) Cap-
sula clausa. (f) Capsula aperta. (g) Semina.
Casimiroa grandiflora. (a) Flos masculus. (b) Radix per medium secta.
Commelina tuberosa. (a) Radix.
Conyza. (a) Calyx cum corolla, (b) Corolla hermaphrodita. (c) Semen
hermaphroditum. (d) Sem. femineum.
Convolvulus albus. (a) Capsulae. (b) Semina.
Croton ricinoides Americana frutesc. Altheaefolium T. R. H. 656? (a) Calyx
masculus. (b) Corolla mascula. (c) Calyx femineus. (d) Corolla feminea. (e)
Squamae, (f) Stamina mascula. (g) Germen cum stamine. (h) Capsula
aperta. (i) Semen.
Columbea minuta. (a) Musca quae in omnes infra caudam invenitur.
(b) Musca aucta.
Evolvulus stipulatus. (a) Stamina, (b) Pistillum. (c) Calyx cum capsula.
Eupatorium valerianum. (a) Semina.
Casimiroa tuberosa. (a) Capsula. (b) Semina. (c) Radix per medium secta.
Guiriora rivularis. (a) Corolla in calyce clausa cum bractea. (b) Stamina.
(c) Corolla aperta. (d) Corolla cum pistillo. (e) Germen. (f) Capsula clausa.
(g) Capsula aperta. (h) Semen auctum. (i) Semina naturalia.
Helianthus decapetalus. (a) Semen, (b) Corolla feminea. (c) Corolla herma-
phrodita. (d) Folium inferum.
Hypericum canadense. (a) Calyx, (b) Petala. (c) Stamina, (d) Capsula
clausa. (e) Capsula per medium secta. (f) Semina.
Laurus Persea. (a) Drupa per medium incisa. (b) Nucleus per medium
divisus.
Magallana repens. (a) Calyx, (b) Calyx cum germine. (c) Semina.
Oenothera prostrata. (a) Flos cum omnibus partibus suis. (b) Capsula clausa.
(c) Capsula aperta. (d) Semina.
Parkinsonia glandulosa. (a) Calyx, (b) Lacinia inferior calycis. (c) Petalum.
(d) Nectarium. (e) Stamina, (f) Stamen, (g) Pistillum.
Passiflora tiUaefolia. (a) Bacca.
Pistia Stratiotes. (a) Corolla, (b) Discum membranaceum. (c) Stamen
cum antheris. (d) Squama quae est in medio limbi. (e) Germen. (f) Capsula.
(g) Semina.
Plumeria rubra. (a) Folliculus apertus. (b) Folliculus clausus. (c) Semina.
APPENDICES 315
Plumeria Turumbaco. (a) Folliculus.
Poinciana bijugata. (a) Corolla, (b) Petalum inferum. (c) Siliqua. (d)
Folium, (e) Semen.
Poinciana Paipai. (a) Semen.
Psidium pyriferum. (a) Bacca. (b) Bacca per medium secta. (c) Semina.
Tiguil-tiguil. (a) Calyx cum corolla et staminibus.
He is keeping the following because some parts are not finished yet:
Malpighia nitida. Palaua glutinosa. Ketmia. Sida jamaicensis.
The Indians always duplicate the name of the plant when this or any other
thing has any particular virtue or is good for dyes, or if it is a laxative or poison;
as quebec-quebec for the Contoya Lobelia of Linnaeus, because it is a very strong
laxative; guarmi-guarmi for the Ageratum conyzoides of Linnaeus, because it is
diuretic; pai-pai for a Poinciana on account of the use they make of its pods for
dyes, etc.
The word cimarrona means wild or growing without cultivation.
XXII
Excmo. Senor:
My dear and most respected Sir: Since I received the order of V. Exa. of the
31st of August last, I have busied myself as much as possible with examining the
13 boxes sent by the botanists of Peru. From their letters of the 5th of April,
1779 it appears that there must be 17 boxes, so that the four with live plants are
still missing, and it is probable that they may be lost on account of the delay in
Fayal and in Lisboa.
I enclose for V. Exa. a list of the contents of the seven boxes sent by Mr.
Dombey to France, and it is as follows: two boxes for Mr. de Buff on, Intendant
of the Cabinet of Natural History; for the Conde d'Angivillers, Director General
of the French Academies, and for the State Secretaries Mr. Bertin and Mr. Furgot.
From the enclosed list V. Exa. will see that Mr. Dombey's activity has not
been limited to the examination of plants, because among other things, he sends
several pieces of Peruvian antiquities, of which I presume the Royal Cabinet of
Madrid is not lacking, and 37 pounds of platinum ore, precious metal, on account
of the scarcity of which in the Kingdom they cannot continue the experiments
that I am told should be made in this Mint by order of the King. I reserve for a
verbal report to V. Exa. what I have privately done beforehand in such an impor-
tant matter, and to show you a tobacco box made at my request to demonstrate
that it has been discovered how to make this metal ductile and malleable which
for lack of this particular quality was found to be almost without use. I have
a few pounds left that I ought to place at your disposal until V. Exa. gets new
samples from America.
In the matter of the discovery of the saltpeter the importance of which I
myself confirmed to V. Exa. from Puertollano, under date of the month of August,
1779, it is my duty to inform V. Exa. that then, when we had not yet received
the samples in Spain, I expressed myself as I did on the supposition that the
discovery would be verified. Now that I have examined the samples, those
remitted to Spain, as well as those sent to France, I ought to add in honor of
truth, that I have purified and analyzed the salt sent, and it is not saltpeter, but
another species of salt that is abundant in several provinces of our peninsula, as
316 APPENDICES
in Aranjuez, Cuenca, Laguna de Fuente de la Higuera, and other territories,
where it is known by the name of sal de Compos; it is a bitter salt and a purgative
that is sold at a very low price and is used in the manufacture of aqua fortis.
From a pound of the material in its natural state, I have taken 8 ounces of crystal-
lized salt that I have the honor of sending to V. Exa. so as to demonstrate that
this salt does not crystallize in long needles of the regular shape that was observed
constantly in the purified niter, and that it does not have the cool and prickly
taste and does not light with a noise over coals; on the contrary, it puts out fire as
it swells and discharges its copious moisture, and is thus worse than useless for the
manufacture of gunpowder. One need not wonder at the mistake Mr. Dombey
and his companions made in the naming of this mineral, first, because the object of
their journey was not chemistry, for in this science they are not as learned as in
botany, and secondly, because they judged what they found in the rough by its
exterior appearance. In the meantime it will be proper to revoke the order
given to the Viceroy of Lima about sending portions of this supposed saltpeter
from the coasts of the South Sea, and if V. Exa. approve, I will on my own account,
confidentially and conveniently inform Mr. Dombey of his mistake, and even his
correspondents of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris, so that those learned
men might not think, perhaps, that we here adopt blindly and without examination
all that is written to the Ministry about these matters from those far lands.
I have noticed also that Mr. Dombey has not sent to Spain a herbarium as
complete as the one he is sending to France, and that most of the dried plants
come without name, and although some omissions may be due to the haste with
which the first fruits of his work were placed on board, it will be proper to ask
Mr. Dombey to be more exact from now on in citing the names assigned by our
botanists. In this particular I await the orders of V. Exa,. also instructions as to
whether we should make the complete delivery that Mr. Dombey begs of V. Exa.
to be made of the seven boxes to the Exmo. Sefior Embajador [Ambassador] of
France, or to the Consul, as he is soliciting it in both names.
Our botanists and draftsmen have discharged their obligations very well by
making this large shipment, and all the contents of the six boxes have been received
in good condition. It remains for V. Exa. to vouchsafe to give orders about their
use and preservation. I understand that the most precious are the 260 sketches
and the herbaria. The first could be bound neatly, without cutting off anything,
in three volumes, for greater ease in handling, and for protection so that they may
not get lost; this will also enable V. Exa. to present them to His Majesty when the
Court arrives in Madrid. About the herbaria, which should be gone over often
and preserved from moths, they could be given proper care under my direction,
if V. Exa. approve of it, until the return of our botanists, by Don Bruno de Salva-
dor y Carmona, who served as a draftsman for the King in the Botanical Expedition
to the Orinoco, and obtained appointment through the Secretaryship in charge of
V. Exa. and, for this reason, enjoys a pension of six thousand reales. Of the seeds
a few of each species could be planted in the Royal Botanical Garden, and the
rest be distributed to the people that V. Exa. commands and that have gardens
in various provinces of Spain, with the idea of facilitating and assuring the propa-
gation of the plants. The same should be done with some roots to see if we succeed
in growing them. From the fruits and seeds we could also separate samples and
place them in the Royal Cabinet of Natural History, where the armadillos will
also be sent as well as this or that curiosity that has come pertaining to that
establishment and appearing on our botanists' list.
APPENDICES 317
V. Exa. will resolve, as always, what will be best to do. Madrid, November
24, 1780. Exmo. Senor.
Exmo. Senor Don Joseph de Galvez. Your most humble servant kisses the
hands of V. Exa. Casimiro G6mez de Ortega.
In the margin it is written.
These might have been left in the "Buen Consejo" and might have fallen into
the hands of the enemy with the vessel.
Make the delivery of those boxes with their contents, except the Inca dress
that we do not have in our Cabinet and that the King has ordered to be set apart.
In relation to the platinum, I have presented to His Majesty the box sent by
the Count of Milly to this professor, with the copy of the memoirs of the first,
presented to the Academy of Paris, and the decisions have been made in the separate
despatch about the platinum.
Informed, and give the warnings you propose about this salt.
This instruction to Dombey should be official through the Viceroy, besides
the one Ortega will make individually. Dated the 3rd of February, 1781.
To make the delivery as I have told you verbally.
As proposed.
All that you mention is approved, and pass the order to Salvador.
XXIII
LIST OF THE CONTENTS OF THE SEVEN BOXES SENT FROM PERU
BY MR. DOMBEY FOR FRANCE
1. In a big box, many sepulchral vases of different strange shapes with a
piece of cloth that the Indians weave for their dresses, and some implements with
which they weave it.
2. In another big box, various sepulchral vases, and two snail shells of extra-
ordinary size, and an Inca dress that was taken from an ancient sepulcher.
3. In another big box, two small boxes of seeds and a tin can that occupies
almost the whole box, and it is also filled with many bundles of seeds.
4. In another big box, four bundles of dried plants or herbaria, and two small
boxes with seeds of quinoa and two tin cans with the supposed niter or salt-
peter that is produced by nature on the coasts of the South Sea.
5. In a medium-sized box, many curious seeds and a herbarium of dried plants
or skeletons that has 284 plants; 237 with labels, and the other 47 without them.
6. In a small box, three bundles of platinum of 11 pounds each, for different
persons, and other 3 pounds of the same metal for Mr. Sage, and a magnetic stone,
and other minerals for the Cabinet of Natural History.
7. In a small box, a piece of a rich silver ore and two pieces of mercury of
Huancavelica.
XXIV
Excmo. Senor:
Sir. As soon as we arrived at the port of Conception to begin the work
ordered by the Sovereign, we gave immediate notice to V. E. of our arrival and
of the discoveries that we were making: before that we notified V. E. of our trip
318 APPENDICES
to this city and sent you a copy of a letter from the Senor Visitador and General
Superintendent of Lima, in which he informed us of the difficulty found in allowing
our salaries and the cpntinuation of our discoveries, as His Majesty, in his Order
for our stay in these Kingdoms, had provided for four years only.
Although not yet rested from our travel, from this city of Santiago we in-
formed V. E. of the valuable finds of trees and plants that we had obtained in
that district; and in duplicate we remitted the copy of the letter of said Senor
Visitador; and of the desire to return to the montanas of Huanuco and Tarma,
from which we were unable to get their natural products because of accidents
that obliged us to leave.
Our intention is and has been, to make a second expedition in them; and as
we are now more experienced, we promise, without any doubt, greater results,
more likely to satisfy the desire of the Sovereign and, in consequence, the
spirit of V. E., who with so much love inclines toward the public welfare, the
support of the government, and the establishment of the sciences; especially of
these last that can be said not to have flowered until now in our Spain.
This desire and constancy will never fail us, although it appears to us to be
frustrated by the enclosed second copy of the letter we just have received from
the Senor Visitador, and we take the liberty to place it in the hands of V. E., for
whose life and health your most obedient servants pray to the Almighty.
We kiss the hand of V. E. Jph. Pavon. Hipolito Ruiz. Jph. Brunete.
Isidro de Galvez. Santiago de Chile, September 12, 1783.
Excmo. Senor D. Jose de Galvez.
LIST OF THE SEEDS CONTAINED IN THE SMALL BOX AND THE BOTTLE, THAT ARE
TO BE PLANTED IN THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDEN
First. Seeds of the new species of pine discovered in the cordilleras of Naci-
miento and Santa Barbara are those that go outside of the bottle in the little
box; and several that go enclosed in another without paper. From this tree there
are obtained choice timbers and excellent masts for the rigging of vessels. It distils
a precious resin that is applied with marvellous effect on sprains, wounds, and in
small patches on the temples to mitigate headaches, and especially for migrain.
The Pehuenche and Huiliche Indians subsist on the fruits or pine-nut kernels
a great part of the year; they eat them raw, but they are much better boiled
or roasted.
Seeds of Volkameria verticillata. Shrub, spiny, that the natives call huamum.
Used to fence the fields.
Alstroemeria Ligtu, liutu. From the roots of this plant they get a very white
flour that they keep to nourish the sick, in the form of a pap, or mazamorra
as they call it in this country; it is easy to digest, and insipid by itself.
Alstroemeria Copihue, copihue. The pulp enclosed in the capsule is eaten;
it has a sweet and agreeable taste.
Cassia Maju, mayco. The natives purge themselves with the infusion of the
leaves of this shrubby plant.
Rhamnus canescens. It is used for fences in cultivated fields, and is a resistant
wood on the fire.
Rhamnus dependens, frebul. The bark of this perennial shrub is sold in the
pharmacies and is used for bruises instead of the calaguala: they know by experi-
APPENDICES 319
ence that it does not permit the blood to coagulate and it prevents the formation
of abscesses on the breasts. The women wash their hair with the water of this
bark, which makes a foam like soap.
Oestrum nocturnum, palqui. This is a shrubby plant very much used in the
Kingdom to cool the blood; they administer it for jabandillo or chavalongo,
making an infusion of the leaves and the barks in common water. The ashes of
its roots made into lye whiten cloth better than anything else known in the King-
dom. The cows that eat of this plant invariably swell and die; this does not happen
to other animals.
Sophora alata, pilo. It is a strong wood for small structures.
Hippomane Collihuasi, Collihuasi. The milk or juice of this shrub is a very
poisonous purgative, and dangerous to the eyes; if any one by accident touches
the eyes with it, he becomes blind. Its burnt roots exhale an aromatic odor with
which the people of the country fumigate their rooms; but when a great quantity
is burned, it produces headache.
Coreopsis?
Banisteria?
Seeds of Aristolochia vaginans,
Seeds of a species of Didynamia.
Helicteres. This tree is found in the other parts of the cordillera: we have not
examined it. Its fruits are used as an infusion in water for a purgative.
Lleuqui or arbol de las uvas. It is grown in the cordillera of Chilian and Yum-
bel; we have not been able to find it in bloom. It is quite a tall tree with a strong,
useful wood.
Coguill-voqui. It is a new genus of the Dioeciae. The pulp of its fruits has a
delicate taste when ripe, and is not at all questionable.
Patahua. It is a new genus of the Dodecandrias. It is a beautiful tree, and its
wood is very much used for construction; it is not very durable.
Huihan, maybe a Schinus; or new genus of the Dioeciae. It gives, although in
small quantity, a very soothing and astringent resin. From the fruit a loathsome
chicha is made that is commonly used by the Indians. For dropsy the use of this
chicha is an admirable antidote.
Lithi or lithre, new genus of the Dioeciae. Its wood is among the strongest
woods known. It gives an astringent resin. Its shade is very harmful to those
who take shelter under this tree, causing all exposed parts of the body to swell,
and later these become blebs or vescicles. Life is endangered if the remedy is
not made available; it is chewed corn, its juice or the mayter mashed and applied
to the boils. The same effect is produced by the smoke or vapor exhaled from the
trunk when woodsmen cut it. The places suitable to plant this tree are noted in
the small papers.
Although the observations in my diary are more complete, I omit them until
my return.
XXV
Excmo. Senor Don Joseph de Galvez.
Sir:
By the letter of V. E. of the 9th of September last, I have just learned that
the King has been informed of the discoveries that we have made of natural
320 APPENDICES
products in the Kingdom of Chile, and also how His Majesty, after seeing the sam-
ple of pine wood and the sketch that I sent from Conception, has asked that the
pine-nut kernels be sent, and also some plants of the same tree and others peculiar
to that Kingdom; I have given a list of them to the Senor Presidente of Chile and
Mre. de Campo, with an explanation of how the plants should be transplanted and
carried by land and sea.
Expecting to return to Europe on account of the leave of which we were in-
formed, I gathered, to transport personally, 31 pots of living plants and a box with
bulbs of different flowers; these I now remit by the vessel "San Pedro Alcantara"
in the care of Jose Jacobeli, to whom as an intelligent and careful man, they have
been entrusted. Among these 17 plants will be found of the new species of pine of
Chile and the other small trees that are mentioned in the enclosed list; and all or
most of them I hope will arrive safely, if they do not lack water and the captain's
attention.
So that they will be sent to V. E., I have given two folio volumes to the Senor
Visitador General; in them are contained the descriptions and notes that for my
part I have finished, corrected, and transcribed; I have doubled the work since I
received the last order of V. E.
The eagerness I have recognized in Mr. Dombey to advance his work even at
the cost of my labor and to take the lead in printing it under his name, has obliged
me to increase my concern for the advance and perfection of mine, including a well
arranged index, since I am persuaded that if it were ready for printing, our Mon-
arch would, under no circumstances, like to give France the glory of publishing it
first, especially as our nation has few works of the kind and has been and is impeded
so much for this reason. In comparison with that of Mr. Dombey, mine is very
convenient, not alone because it is accompanied by the sketches, but also because
it is smaller and, although he inserts many of my descriptions, I for my part have
expended more care in preparation.
This reason and the effort that he has made to complete and correct it by
mine, makes me fear also that on some pretext he may get hold of my work there;
and for this reason I do not think it superfluous to caution V. E. to be careful,
and not to entrust it to any printer unless he be very faithful.
There are 800 or more sketches with which to embellish the book because,
although 1,013 have been made, the rest are duplicates on account of the informa-
tion received that the first ones, which later were restored, had been lost with the
vessel "El Buen Consejo." They are no less exact: they have a description of the
fructifying parts that go separately, and all carry the generic and specific names,
with the exception of those from Chile that are only numbered but correspond to
the numbers in the list that I enclose with them in the same box. I know well that
the printing of this second book demands more time than can be taken for the
printing of the usual literary composition; but with V. E.'s zeal and the keenness
of your interest, this difficulty will offer not even the shadow of an obstacle.
I also remit on this occasion a small box of seeds for the Royal Botanical
Garden and a small box of fresh extract of cascarilla that, according to the latest
test, in respect to the superiority of its properties, and to the preservation of the
race, to the best advantage of nature and to the relief of the sick who many times
abandon themselves to suffering because they cannot overcome their aversion for
the woodiness, bitterness, and bulk of the rough quina; it has been made in the
APPENDICES 321
same montana where it was cut, and care was taken to keep it in boxes of its own
wood in which it should not deteriorate even though subjected to the most severe
climates and weather.
If it were possible to encourage the manufacturers to employ the very small
pieces of bark that break because it is very delicate (which, though the best, can-
not be packed in the bags), there could be another branch of commerce no less
valuable, to which could be added that of the salts of this same tree which are
wasted and that I have already asked to have extracted in order to examine their
usefulness.
On the new excursion that we are contemplating to the Andes, I expect to
make other useful discoveries, not only because of the experience and help offered,
but because of the many chances presented by that wonderful country which has
never been crossed by men of learning; on all of this I shall report to V. E. as I do
now to Senor Don Casimiro Ortega concerning all that pertains to the commission
and present shipments.
Our Lord keep the important life of V. E. many years. Lima, April 10, 1784.
I kiss the hand of V. E., your most obedient servant. Hipolito Ruiz.
XXVI
LIST OF THE SMALL LIVE TREES THAT I AM SENDING IN SEVEN HEATED CASES FOR
THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDEN OF MADRID. MARKS ON THE POTS.
Case No. 1
A Four huayabos.
B Two paltos.
C One faro, and some seeds.
D One tutumo and a palto.
E Several cedars.
Case No. 2
T Five small cedars of Lima.
S Two trees of quina-quina.
J One huayacan and one planta hedionda or santa.
I Three bolillos or jaboneras.
F Tree small trees, ciruelas de Fraile.
H Three suches.
Case No. 3
K Three palillos and one yerba hedionda.
LL .... Three aromos.
O Two walnut trees and one pacae.
N Two lucumos.
Q Two achotes, one white and the other violet.
P Five tumbos.
Case No. 4
M . . . . Two plants of rosa de la China, and five slips of the same.
R Four trees of mantas of Otageti.
C Two gingers.
L One mamei.
V Two cacao.
a Four cassia de Puzuzo, and one coffee.
322 APPENDICES
Case No. 5
Y Four espinos or aromos of Chile; and three yerbas de la lancha.
m A huighan and five slips of it; and a peumo.
X Three pilos.
Z A cuentas (rosary bead) tree, and a cassia.
V Several yaraviscos.
G One aromo, and a root of calaguala.
Case No. 6
d.d. . . .Seventeen small pines of Chile.
b Four species of plantains: those of No. 1 orange, those of No. II melon-
shaped, those of No. Ill red, and those of No. IV blunt.
REMARKS ABOUT THESE SAME TREES
The huighan and peumo contained in the pot m belong in cold countries and
climate like that of Spain; and the same is true of the pines that go in d.d. The
yaravisco V. requires a temperate climate, and grows profusely at the margin of
brooks where there is much humidity; its leaves are .healing to wounds and its
bark antisyphilitic.
The cedar E. requires the same but, on account of the tenderness and brittle-
ness of its shoots, these trees should be planted where they will not be exposed to
strong winds, because if they are much agitated the roots move and the trees do
not grow.
The quina-quina S., the gengibre C., and the cacao V. call for a climate that is
quite torrid, and the last two need shade and humidity.
The rosa de la China M. and the mantica or arbol de las mantas R. that come
from Otageti prevail in sandy and humid grounds and grow in torrid regions, and
the last one is propagated like the orozuz at the margins of rivers and could be
very useful if the natives would prepare its bark like flax.
The tumbo P. should be planted near another tree so that it may climb and
twine in it, because that is the way it bears fruit; the same is true of the granadillo.
Of the achote Q. there are two kinds, one with a violet flower that gives the
same color that goes with the dark one; and the other with a white flower which
gives that of yellow color.
The plantain b. does not require deep soil, but it has to be very loose and fer-
tilized with good dung. It needs heat the year round so that when the stem
is reared in the winter, it may bloom in the spring and ripen its fruits before the
beginning of the winter: the fruit very seldom ripens on the plant, and in Lima
they cut them when they are seasoned, which is when the follicle or fruit sheds the
dried flower, and they place them in the oven with a little kindled dung, where they
are heated for three days. Those from No. I produce a fruit orange-colored on
the outside and straw-colored on the inside; they are good fried. The No. II's
are melon-shaped, and yellow on the outside; they are very good. Those from
No. Ill are somewhat red on the inside, as the back of the leaf also is; they are
excellent and the best of all. The No. IV's are blunt and very fleshy; they also are
good, and all have better taste when the covering becomes brown and soft. They
bear fruit after a year, and later they bear fruit at any time, providing that they
do not lack a warm climate and dung for fertilizer. Be careful that they always
have from 6 to 7 leaves, cutting off the rest.
APPENDICES 323
LIST OF THE SEEDS CONTAINED IN THE BOTTLE
Elaterium pedatum
Anona muricata
A. reticulata
Oenothera lineatiflora
Passiflora punctata
P. suberosa
P. quadrangularis
P. tiliaefolia
Chenopodium amarum, dulce
Hibiscus esculentus
Ayrampo, Cacti sps.
Melon cillos de olor
Poinciana bijugata, tara
Malpighia punicifolia
M. nitida
Dolichos uncinatus
Palillos
Huayaba
Dodonaea viscosa
Bixa Orellana
Yerba de la purgacion
Sida paniculata
Solanum pepino
Aromo
Tropaeolum peregrinum
Frijol morado
Pallares
Cassia pubescens
Solanum macrocarpon
Ipomoea, auroras
Zapayo tripon
Alstroemeria Pelegrina
Spondias Mombin
Bulbs of the flor de la Trinidad
Arachis hypogaea, mani
Outside of the bottle in the little box are the following seeds: Cedar. Pacae.
Ciruelas agrias. Narbo de la tierra. Mani. Chirimoya.
In box No. 18 with the mark E. and painted in oils, and in box No. 16 with the
mark E. and bound in leather, are enclosed the small boxes of drawings.
In the other boxes are the dried plants, seeds, woods, birds, animals, mineral
fragments, soils, shells, and several other natural and Indian curiosities.
324 APPENDICES
XXVII
Excmo. Senor Don Jos Galvez.
Sir:
I have given V. E. accounts of the performance of my commission and of the
results of my work; the zeal with which I have tried to discharge it, V. E. will have
observed from the shipment made in the vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara," and in
the folio volumes of my botanical descriptions, that I suppose have been sent V. E.
by the direction of the Senor Visitador, under whose protection there will not be
be the slightest obstacle to their publication in the shortest time possible.
At the beginning of this year, I entered these montanas of Puzuzo, conquering
the innumerable difficulties that are caused by the dangers and roughness of the
trails and forests, and in them I have discovered the special raiz de China that
comes from Japan and China to our Europe and Americas, as a very important
sudorific, antivenereal, and antirheumatic.
This plant, known to the Indians by the name of purampui, and santo palo,
and by Linnaeus given the name Smilax China, caule aculeato ieretiusculo, foliis
inermibus, ovato-cordatis quinquenervis, is so plentiful in these montanas that in
the district of 40 leagues I have observed it in trails and forests in such
abundance that unlimited arrobas of its roots could be extracted each year.
By undertaking the extraction of the raiz de China, our nation will obtain
another branch of commerce and will not need to beg the Chinese for it as is being
done at present.
Because of the riches and fertility of these forests much tedious work is de-
manded for their exploitation, but the scanty means of existence and the short
time that we can stay there, because of the showers, and lack of food except that
brought from the city of Huanuco at excessive prices, will continue to keep us
in want.
My companions, although tired by the constant labor, are endeavoring, as
always, to accomplish their work; and together we pray to the Divine Majesty,
for the life and health of V. Exa. Puzuzo, July 23, 1784. I kiss the hand of Vmd.,
your most obedient servant. Hipolito Ruiz.
Docket 2,526.
No. 390.
Excmo. Senor:
My dear Sir: As soon as I received the Royal Order that V. E. sent me under
date of March 4th of last year, to prolong the stay of the professors of botany sent
to this Kingdom, to one year so that they might continue their discoveries and
sketches, and to add two young men of such qualifications that, instructed
by these professors, they might be able in their absence and retirement to continue
the same work, I proceeded to fulfil the Royal Will as far as possible in which the
only difficulty would be the finding of young men suitable to accompany the
botanists that came from Europe, but a lucky circumstance gave me the satis-
faction of fulfilling, even in this respect, the Sovereign Will of the King,
because I was informed that in the Regiment of Soria there were two young men
who had nearly completed their time in the regiment: one Juan Jose Tafalla,
pharmacist by profession, and the other Francisco Pulgar, who has been employed
as a draftsman (the first one has been apothecary in Navarra, and the other a
APPENDICES 325
painter in Toledo), and as the Viceroy, upon the request I made the 15th of Sep-
tember gave both of them leave, I named them to accompany the botanists, each
according to his classification, reducing their military terms so that they might
go at once to join them in their explorations at Tarma and Huanuco, and assigning
to each one of them an annual salary of 600 pesos, starting from the termination
of their terms of service in Soria, and of this I notified them by a separate order,
and I sent with them the proper notice to the botanists and the orders for the pay-
ment of the salaries to the Coffers of the territory, which are those of Pasco.
At this opportunity I added to the botanists only the request for their best
efforts in their work of discovery, and the replacement of the heated cases and live
plants that they had shipped on the vessel "San Pedro Alcantara" and that were
part of the lot thrown overboard to lighten the vessel; with this the said Royal
Order has been complied with, and whatever else has been necessary under the
circumstances, which I communicate to V. E. as a matter of record and so that His
Majesty may be informed of the exact compliance with his Royal commands.
The Lord keep V. E. many years. Lima, January, 1785.
Excmo. Senor, I kiss the hand of V. E., your most obedient servant. Jorge
Escobedo. Excmo. Senor Don Jose de Galvez.
At the margin it is written. The Visitador Superintendente General of Peru
reports the fulfilment of the Royal Order of the 4th of March of last year by which
the stay of the botanists was prolonged for another year for exploration in this
Kingdom, and reports the addition of two young men in accordance with the same
Royal Order, and the salary that they have been assigned, as well as the
notice given to the botanists for the replacing of the plants that were sent on the
vessel "San Pedro Alcantara," and on its arrival were thrown overboard.
In a letter of the 5th of January of the present year, No. 390, V. E. informed
me of having appointed, according to the Royal Order that I communicated
of the date of March 4th of the past year, to Juan Jose Tafalla, pharmacist by
profession, and to Francisco Pulgar, who has been working as an artist, to accompany
the botanists on their expedition through that Kingdom and to be instructed at
their side and to prepare to continue in the future to discover natural objects and
to furnish such information as may be required, each one of them to receive 600
pesos. For the present the King approved the appointment of these men and the
salary that has been indicated by V. E., and orders me to ask you to make the
corresponding provisions and to advise them of the care with which they should
try to profit from the instructions, method, and knowledge of the professors of
botany, so that they may make the progress expected of them. The Lord keep
V. E. many years. Aranjuez, June 16, 1785. Senor Superintendente Subalterno
of the Royal Treasury of Peru.
No. 943.
Excmo. Senor:
In my letter No. 390, I reported to V. E. that in fulfilment of the Royal Order
of the 7th of March, 1784, I had named the two young men, as requested in it, to
accompany the professors of botany at work in this Kingdom and to be instructed
at their side and to prepare to continue the explorations when His Majesty de-
termines to withdraw the principals from here, and in the same letter I also re-
ported that I had assigned only the moderate salary of 600 pesos to each one of the
young men mentioned; they are Don Juan Tafalla, pharmacist, and Don Francisco
Pulgar, painter and draftsman.
326 APPENDICES
The principal professors were satisfied with this appointment except that they
indicated in their first answer that the salary assigned to the two young men was
very small, but to this I answered that there would be time to increase it as their
ability increased; all this V. E. will note in the document I remit with No. 1.
They repeated, among other things to this effect, the arguments that are
cited in No. 2 that the salary of the assistants should be raised, or they should be
given their expenses for one of the journeys they were about to make to the mon-
tana, but I continued to oppose the increase until I could determine the value of
the men, and I agreed to help with the expenses only up to 200 pesos.
The same argument was repeated by Don Hipolito Ruiz, who praised the
industry, care, and accuracy of said assistants, and I could answer only that
these praises seemed strange to me, coming from the same pen that had
previously reported directly to V. E. against the same individuals, but I deter-
mined not to give them the desired increase in salary, as V. E. will notice in No. 3.
In another letter, No. 4, Ruiz cleared up my doubts and repeated the praises
of the assistants and their need of higher salary; however, I decided not to assign it.
At last, another letter came on the 10th of March, almost two months after
the appointment of said young men, and after I was convinced of their aptitude
and application; under these circumstances, in justice not only to the interested
parties but, what is more, for the good of the service, I was obliged to agree to
increase their salary up to one thousand pesos to each one, which they are getting
by virtue of my order which goes inserted as document No. 5.
I have proceeded of my own accord in making this allowance because, al-
though I thought of taking it to the Junta Superior, I considered that in that
tribunal there is no information about this matter and that, aside from this, it is
included in the cited Royal Order in which His Majesty entrusted the commission
to me, and the necessity of the increase was as urgent and justifiable as my modera-
tion in granting it, so that His Royal Piety will not disapprove this resolution, so
fully in accordance with his beneficent intentions and the discharge of this com-
mission, and I ought only to mention that the burden of the increase of the assist-
ants today is less because of the saving of the salary of the draftsman Don Jose
Brunete, who died last month, and his loss is also a new reason for the need of
these assistants and their adequate endowment.
The Lord keep V. E. many years. Lima, June 20, 1787.
Excmo. Senor Jorge Escobedo. Excmo. Senor Marques de Sonora.
Copy No. [?] Decree.
Senor Superintendente General of the Royal Treasury. Sir: Because the two
assistants, Don Juan Tafalla and Don Francisco Pulgar, have to follow us in our
excursions through the montanas, and their salary is too limited to enable them to
defray the unavoidable expenses that are necessary on such trips, and at the same
time in consideration of the advancement that is shown by them through their
great industry, care, and accuracy:
I beg of V. E. to give them an allowance for expenses as V. E. did for the trip
that was made last year to the montanas; it is a favor for which they will be thank-
ful and will be in keeping with the pre-eminence of V. E., and it is likewise justice
bestowed on these new and studious pupils. God our Lord keep the life and
health of V. E. many years.
APPENDICES 327
Huanuco, May 11, 1786. I kiss the hand of V. E., your most obedient servant.
Hipolito Ruiz.
Lima, June 1, 1786. Don Hipolito has been answered that I am surprised at
his request, which is based upon the supposed progress of the two assistants, when
he has informed His Majesty of the ineptitude of these men and of their lack of
progress, according to a notice given to me in a Royal Order of the 29th of October
of last year which I have just received, and which is filed with the previous ones.
Escobedo. This is a copy of the original: I so certify. By order of the Senor
Secretario. Manuel Jorge Gallego.
Copy No. 4
Senor Superintendente General of the Royal Treasury. Sir: Under date of
the 21st of June last, V. E. tells me that you are surprised at the request that
I made, on May llth, about helping the new assistants with the expense allowance
they obtained last year for the trip that they made to the montana, because the
basis for their advancement and industry that V. E. says I attribute to those
individuals contradicts the information I have given to the contrary to His Majesty.
So that V. E. may know that my attitude, now as ever, is a reasonable one, and
that this which I have asked for is in order and that the Royal intentions may be
fulfilled, I take the liberty of enclosing the two copies of what I wrote before and
after to the Excmo. Senor Ministro about the matter. From them V. E. will
judge of my good intentions. It is known to S. S. that on the first of January,
1785, I made the statement that the salary allotted to the assistants was in-
sufficient to enable them to follow us on the trips and expeditions into the mon-
tanas and asked that you might do what you considered appropriate in the cir-
cumstances. Under the date of the llth of January of the same year, I stated to
V. E. how suitable the nomination of the draftsman was although the Royal Order
did not compel it; and in view of the contingencies that could develop with only
one botanist on hand, I asked S. S. for the nomination of another one, proposing
in the case Don Fernando Collo: I had been informed that he was a man of suf-
ficient talent and intelligence to be able to make rapid progress in the science of
botany and in guiding the two assistants. On April 11, 1785, in the name of all
my companions, I called the attention of V. E. to the small salary that had been
assigned to the assistants, insufficient to pay the expenses that are necessary if
they are to follow us in our excursions, and so we thought to put the matter before
V. E. in order that they might be given the allowance for expenses. Since this
request had no effect at that time and my companions did not decide to present
a second petition, I alone, impelled by pity, took the liberty of proposing it to
V. E., and immediately each one was given two hundred pesos. I have reported
to the Excmo. Senor Ministro on several occasions, exactly as to V. E., after having
written the first letter enclosed, about the industry, disposition, good conduct, and
progress of said assistants. When, at the beginning, I wrote the enclosed to V. E.,
no other motive actuated me than the desire for the appointment of one who pos-
sesses some knowledge of botany, in view of the short time His Majesty had
assigned; at the same time, I consider it almost impossible for the assistant botanist,
who is weak in Latin, to progress so much in such a limited time. In His Royal
Writ His Majesty ordered us to appoint one or two young men that V. E. might
nominate, instructed in botanical operations, and so advanced that they might be
able to answer questions asked from Madrid; and because I thought that in such
a short time as a year, this knowledge could not be secured, even though the
328 APPENDICES
assistant had been a middling philosopher, I considered it indispensable to represent
him as such so that they might not blame us for neglect, and also charge us with
not having given them their respective instructions. I do not doubt that the
draftsman, when we return, may be able to sketch fairly well what the botanist
requests as to plants; but as the botanist must be the one who has to carry the
burden of the commission, if he is not well instructed, the fact that the other man
can sketch a plant will be of no advantage if he has no one to tell him exactly what
is needed to make a good sketch; but as the making of a good sketch does not
consist simply in the representation of the visible parts of the plant, but in knowing
how to give them their place, direction, size, and shape without adorning the sketch
with additional matter, and without neglecting to sketch the smallest thing found
on the plant although it may seem superfluous, because on these factors depend
the perfection and genuine knowledge of the plant, and they are the most difficult
to note and sketch. I wrote to the First Botanist of the Royal Botanical Garden
on the same date as to the Excmo. Senor Ministro, the 12th of last June, so that
he might be interested and ask S. Exa. to grant what I ask. From the contents of
the enclosed letters, and from what I have already said, I have no doubt that V. E.
will be satisfied as to my sincerity and of the reason that moved me to write the first
time to S. Exa. ; if I did wrong, I beg of V. E. to overlook my carelessness, because
my intention was only to succeed and to strive for the due realization of the Sover-
eign's intentions. God our Lord grant V. E. life and health many years. Huanu-
co, July 9, 1786. I kiss the hand of V. E., your most obliged and faithful servant.
Hipolito Ruiz. Sor. Don Jorge Escobedo. Lima, July 26, 1786.
Look up the preceding and answer that I have been thoroughly informed,
and that he knows that, nevertheless, I have helped the assistants with the expense
allowance, as in the former instance. I have nothing to add except that the appoint-
ment which Don Fernando Collo covets has not been made on account of the real
obstacle of his being in his regiment and of there being evidence that he was ask-
ing for this appointment because he wanted to leave the service; all of this should
be evident as it was to the Reverend Father Gonzalez, through whose hands this
request was passed as well as the appointment of the two assistants. Escobedo.
This is a copy of the original: I so certify. By order of the Senor Secretario.
Manuel Jorge Gallego. (Signed)
Copy No. 5
Senor Superintendente General of the Royal Treasury. Sir: Don Hipolito
Ruiz, First Botanist of His Majesty in this Kingdom of Peru, with due respect refers
to V. S. and says: That in view of the fact that with the salary of 600 pesos allowed to
the assistants, Don Juan Tafalla and Don Francisco Pulgar, they could not meet
the cost of food, clothes, and expenses incurred in trips and excursions in which
they are to accompany the expedition for their instruction and profit, and that they
have always been in debt since they were appointed to this expedition: it is neces-
sary for the petitioner to lay it before V. E. for his superior consideration so that,
informed of it, as well as of the care, accuracy, and application with which said
assistants are advancing by means of the instruction that we have given them,
V. E. might issue the necessary instructions so that the salary would be augu-
mented, and the assistants by this means become free from debt and be able to
meet the expenses they will incur in the future; and so inspire them to go forward
with more zeal in the advancement of their trust and so that the Royal intentions
APPENDICES 329
thus might be duly fulfilled. He begs and implores V. E. to be so kind as to grant
this favor to said assistants, Don Juan Tafalla and Don Francisco Pulgar, increasing
their salaries as you see fit so that they may become free from debt and can meet
the necessary expenses that they will incur in the future; that in everything they
will receive justice through the favor granted by V. E.
The Lord protect the life and health of V. E. many years. Huanuco, March
10, 1787. I kiss the hand of V. E., your most humble and obedient servant.
Hipolito Ruiz. Sefior Don Jorge Escobedo.
Lima, March 26, 1787. With respect to that which has been stated and many
times pointed out by the principal professors of the Botanical Commission about
the smallness of the salary of the young assistants by virtue of the Royal Order,
whom, according to the same, we have, while their progress and aptitude was being
observed, been aiding with a moderate gratuity, to avoid which and to reward
their industry and to stimulate it, and to prevent their being burdened with debts for
lack of salary as represented, and because the fixing of the assistants' pay has been
left to the judgment of this Superin tendency, I increase the salary of said young
men, Don Juan Tafalla and Don Francisco Pulgar, to the amount of one thousand
pesos, which they shall enjoy from the month of January of this year, and in order
that this salary be paid and prompt advance notice be taken of this decree in the
Tribunal of Accounts, a copy shall be forwarded to the Senor Intendente of Tarma
so that he may transmit it to the Royal Coffers of Pasco, so that payments may
be made there to said interested parties of the amount due from January, and
that which in the future shall become due to them while their commission lasts
in that district, and another copy shall be made to be sent to Professor Don Hipo-
lito Ruiz in answer to his previous letter and for his information and that of the
assistants, and to inform His Majesty with the copies of the letters that are cited
at the beginning of this decree and what has been done about them. Escobedo.
This is a copy of the original. I so certify.
By order of the Senor Secretario. Manuel Jorge Gallego. (Signed)
Excmo. Senor:
I inform V. Exc. that today, the 13th of the present month, I arrived at this
city of Cadiz with my two companions, the second botanist Don Jose Pavon and
the second draftsman Don Isidro Galvez, after five months and a few days of
travel on the frigate "El Dragon" from the port of Callao.
On board of said "Dragon" there have arrived 15 boxes of dried plants and
several other products of the vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms which,
added to 14 that the frigate "El Jason" is bringing, makes the number 29, which
are what we could collect since the last sending of 76 boxes, shipped last year on
the frigates "Pilar," "Brillante," and "La Fee."
At the same time, the sketches have arrived; they are those that, since
the last sending composed of 589 sketches, have been done by the second drafts-
man and the one staying in Lima, following the assistant botanist, named by
Order of His Majesty to continue and advance the commission and to satisfy
doubts and answer the questions that may be made from the Court during the
publication of the Flora Peruana.
I have also brought 24 crates of live plants of which, although some have died
from the cold at Cape Horn, changes in temperature, insects, and other causes
330 APPENDICES
incident to such a long trip by sea, many have arrived, as V. Exc. will see by the
enclosed list.
For my part I am bringing two volumes in folio and one in marquilla paper of
botanical observations in which are contained two thousand descriptions, most of
which are of new genera and species, and the rest, although very few, of species
already mentioned by other botanical authors, their descriptions corrected and
amplified as far as possible.
To the Excmo. Senor Viceroy of Peru I delivered a package with the 3rd part
of the duplicate of my botanical observations, which I delivered sealed so that
from that office it could be sent by the "Jason" to V. E. The assistant botanist
has been left to copy the rest of them and with the assurance that, as soon as they
are finished, he will transmit them to V. E. through another office, with the instruc-
tion that the duplicate and the triplicate be sent by different mail boats on ac-
count of possible risks.
God our Lord protect the life and health of V. Exca. for many years. Cadiz,
September 13, 1788.
I kiss the hand of V. Exca., your most obedient servant. Hipolito Ruiz.
Excmo. Senor Don Antonio Porlier.
In the margin it is written. Acknowledge receipt, and return to me so that I
may inform His Majesty with the next despatch.
Excmo. Senor:
The natural desire to embellish my Flora Peruana y Chilense, which in spite
of fires, shipwrecks, and other inevitable accidents I have been able to compose, by
dint of vigilance and application, with 2000 plants systematically described in
their native places, with notes on their virtues and the uses of many of them, and
the particular qualities of others, impels me to select meritorious persons to whom
I should dedicate the new genera that are contained in it, so that at last, as the
fruit of my pains and in honor of the Royal Botanical Expedition to Peru, it is in-
dispensable that I should attend affectionately to my desire, trying to ennoble it
with the names of men of learning and truly meritorious and illustrious protectors
such as the name of V. Exca., who strives with so much zeal for the advancement
and protection of this and other important sciences, without any other motive
than public benefit and the good of the Crown. For this reason I have taken the
liberty of dedicating to V. Exca. a new genus of the four that have arrived in the
23 crates of live plants, giving it the name of Porlieria precox; its description I am
sending to V. Exca. so that by it you can be informed of its qualities, character,
and substance.
On my arrival at Madrid, I shall try to get the duplicate sketch of the Porlieria
and I shall have the honor of presenting it to V. Exca. but, until I succeed in this,
I await your esteemed orders.
God our Lord protect the life and health of V. Exca. for many years. Cadiz,
September 13, 1788.
I kiss the hand of V. Exca., your most humble and obedient servant.
Hipolito Ruiz.
Excmo. Senor Don Antonio Porlier.
APPENDICES
331
LIST AND NAMES OF THE PLANTS TRANSPORTED PROM LlMA IN 24 POTS PLACED IN
6 HEATED CASES OR BOXES, SHIPPED ON THE VESSEL "SAN CRISTOBAL" OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS "EL DRAGON"
Achras mammosa 1
Achras mammosa, varia semina . .
Alliodora, Genus novum 3
Anona muricata 5
Anona squamosa, semina duo ...
Amaryllis miniata 4C
Berberis lutea 1
Bignonia scandens 1
Carica Papaya 3
Cassia bipinnata 1
Cassia viminea 1
Cassine peragua? 4
Cedrela odorata 1
Celtis spinosa 1
Crescentia Cujcte IE
Cyrilla dependens 1
Clusia rotundicapsula 7
Bignonia coerulea 3
Ferraria Lague 6C
Genus novum ex Polygamos Ara-
liz addine 1
Genus novum ex Dioecis 3
Hibiscus rosa sinensis 2
Duhamelia latifolia, Gen. novum. 1
Palmacea 1
Pinus Chilensis 1
Fagara Pterota 1
Laurus crassifolia 2
Laurus Persea 1
Laurus ex Cuchero 4
Paullinia magnicapsula 5
Pancratium maritimum 1C
Pancratium variegatum 2C
Platanus Otahetianus 1
Plumieriae, quator Species 2E
Porlieria precox, Genus novum ... 1
Psidium purpureum 3
Pteris arborea 1
Poinciana bijugata 4
lucumo
15
arbol del Ajo 1
huanabano
chirimoyo 1
lacre de montana 14
ccarhuas caja o palo amarillo
espinoso ID
papayo 2
canafistola de Puzuzo ID
pigna 2
cedro 1
atpuallin
tutumo
pumachilca
arbol del incienso del Peru
yaravisco 1
lagues 6
palo santo 2
rosa de China
lucuma de monte 1
sia-sia
pino de Chile
arbol del culantro . .
palto o aguacate
laurel de las montanas de Cu-
chero 2
lucumas de monte 5
coronas de R E 1 1
claxinillos 2
arbol de las mantas de Otageti. . . 1
suche amarillo, bianco, encar-
nado, and rosado
furucasa and guayacan 1
coca-coca 2
cucusa
tara .
332 APPENDICES
Planta ex Valdivia 2 orejona
Macrocnemum carinatum 1 ccaratu Id
Mimosa punicea 1 huaitarebozo 1
Mimosa Inga 1 pacae o huabas 1
Malpighia nitida 5 ciruelas de Fraile 3
Spondias Mombin 1 ciruelas agrias
Toluifera resinifera 9 quino-quino 2
102* . 71*
NOTE. The first number signifies the number of plants from Lima, and the
second the number on hand. The letter C means bulb, and the letter E means
a cutting from a tree.
NOTE. The letter D indicates if the sprouts that the plant has (where the D
has been placed) can survive.
NOTE. Besides the plants here listed there are two other small trees, but I
do not know what they are; and, similarly there are three species of liliaceous
plants, and some small trees that, although half dried, show that they might
sprout after reaching a warm environment as in a hothouse.
So that from the 102 trees and live plants that left Lima, 31 have died, and
only 71 survive, with two more small trees the names of which I do not know,
together with the bulbs of the liliaceous plants and some small plants that are
bearing at present.
* These totals, copied from the Spanish edition, p. 447, appear to be incorrect.
INDEX OF CHAPTERS
RUIZ, TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE
CHAPTER I
Organization of the expedition. Gomez Ortega consulted. Botanists and
draftsmen. Addition of Dombey. From Madrid to Cadiz. Preparations
for the voyage. Departure. Good voyage. Arrival at Callao 9
CHAPTER II
Presentation to the viceroy. Visits 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 ... 12
CHAPTER III
The town of Arnedo. Jurisdiction of the province. Limits and extension.
Ports, coves, and small bays. Rivers. Animal and vegetable products.
Climate. Fertility of the valleys. The huano. Silver mines. Grave mounds.
Ancient monuments. Salt mines. Parishes of this province 16
CHAPTER IV
Miraflores and Surco. Picturesque landscapes. The ruins of Pachacamac.
The Lurin river. Location of Lurin. Form of the houses. Administration.
Entertainments and patrons. Production. Militia. Manner of fishing.
Common fishes. Fevers and their remedies. Birds. Plants 23
CHAPTER V
Stay in Surco. Plants collected and their uses. First shipment of plants
and drawings sent to Spain (1779). Shipment by Dombey 30
CHAPTER VI
Journey to Tarma. Incidents of the journey. Yauliaco. Pucara. Danger-
ous bridges. The encanada of San Mateo. The province of Huarocherf.
Fauna of the punas and lagoons. Flora. The parishes 33
CHAPTER VII
Stay in Tarma. Plants found in this province and their medicinal value.
Landscapes. The convent of Ocopa 42
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 Huanuco. Details of the landscape. Dyeing process. The town
of Reyes. Its products. Origin of the Ucayali, Huallaga, and Maranon.
The town of Pasco. Its mines. Caxamarquilla 53
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 69
334 Ruiz TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE
CHAPTER x
Extent of Cuchero. Pueblo Nuevo. The river Huanuco and its tribu-
taries. Pampahermosa. Commerce of the Indians of Langostan. The Inca.
Blowguns. 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 71
CHAPTER XI
Location of Chinchao. Inhabitants. The clergy. Climate and tempera-
ture. Lack of pastures and cattle. Agricultural products. Fauna. Plants
gathered 79
CHAPTER XII
Departure of Galvez, Brunete, and Ruiz. Finding of cinchona trees.
Tiresome march. Plants gathered. Stramonium and its uses. Case of
intoxication. The maguey and its many uses 82
CHAPTER XIII
Departure from Huanuco. The picturesque ravine of Huanuco. Loss
of Galvez' mule. Arrival at Chavinillo. The corregidor Dn. Ignacio de Ulloa.
Cahuac, Ovas, and Chupan. Vegetation. Woolen works 84
CHAPTER XIV
Boundaries and extent of this province. The river that crosses it is the
Maranon, according to La Condamine and other geographers. The
Patay Rondos, 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 mercury 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 consequences. Love of dancing 86
CHAPTER XV
Misfortune of a muleteer. Incidents of the trip. Work of the botanists
during the year 1780-81. Plants gathered and their uses 90
CHAPTER XVI
Dangers of the road. The advice of a traveler. Arrival at Huariaca.
Plants of this region. Sickness of Ruiz and Pavon 93
CHAPTER XVII
Limits of the province of Canta. Products. Rivers. Lakes. Sicknesses.
Plants of this region. Population 97
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 100
CHAPTER XIX
The hacienda El Ingenio. Its sugar production. Quipico. Plants de-
scribed. The farm of Andahuasi. Its good management 103
CHAPTER INDEX 335
CHAPTER xx
Location of Sayan. Its houses and ranches. Inhabitants. Barrenness
of the soil 105
CHAPTER XXI
Plants gathered. Uprising of Tupac- Amaro 107
CHAPTER XXII
Departure from Callao. Navigation. Phosphorescence of the sea. Strong
wind and heavy sea. Misfortune on board 109
CHAPTER XXIII
Arrival at Talcahuano. Hospitality of the maestre de campo. Arrival
at Concepcion 112
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 113
CHAPTER XXV
Orders regarding the plaza of Corcura. Fishing on horseback in the sea.
Botanizing in the vicinity of Concepcion. Plants sketched and described . . . 126
CHAPTER XXVI
Woods and fields of Culenco. Cattle and fruit trees. Vineyards. A special
kind of olives. Origin of the name Culenco 129
CHAPTER XXVII
Plants gathered. Medicinal and industrial uses 130
CHAPTER XXVIII
Boundaries of the province of Puchacay. Botanizing at Huilguelemu.
The Chilean pine. Plants of Rere. Medicinal and industrial uses. The piz-
guin. More plants 136
CHAPTER XXIX
Boundaries of the province of Rere. Its climate. Salting industry.
Gold washers. Round stones. Birds of the province 138
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 . . . 139
336 Ruiz TRAVELS IN PERU AND CHILE
CHAPTER XXXI
Shape, limits, and parishes of the province of Concepcion. The bay of
Quinquina. Talcahuano and its castle. Valdivia and its origin. Earthquakes
and inundations in 1730 and 1751. Description of Concepcion. Its inhabit-
ants. Convents. Birds. Mammals. "The amphibious horse." Fish.
Crustacea. Mollusks. Echinoderms. Amphibia. Reptiles. Arachnids.
Insects. Plants 142
CHAPTER XXXII
Gold. Metals. Lime. Gypsum. Coal. Clays. Minerals. Thermal
waters. Lakes. Rivers. Ports. Products. Textile and other industries.
Ulpu 149
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 154
CHAPTER XXXIV
Location. Buildings. Monasteries. Inhabitants. Garrison. Provinces.
Mines. Strange event 158
CHAPTER XXXV
Itinerary. Plants gathered. Arrival at Callao. Stay in Lima. Material
shipped in the vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara" 165
CHAPTER XXXVI
Departure from Lima. Plants gathered in Yaso. Tiresome march.
Illness of Ruiz 167
CHAPTER XXXVII
Departure from Huanuco. Itinerary, and plants found. Hardships.
Arrival in Puzuzo. Work done by the botanists 169
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Location of Puzuzo. Lack of pastures. The river. Particles of gold.
Harshness of the water and its effects. Inhabitants. Vegetable products.
Commerce. Climate. Fauna. Bridges, Harmful insects. Plants .... 172
CHAPTER XXXIX
Itinerary. Report and seeds sent to the Ministry of the Indies. Addition
of Tafalla and Pulgar to the expedition. Illness of Ruiz 184
CHAPTER XL
Tafalla's misfortune. Arrival at Macora. Excursions. Very abundant
collections. 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
CHAPTER INDEX 337
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 186
CHAPTER XLI
Shipwreck of the vessel "San Pedro de Alcantara." Plants gathered after
the fire at Macora. Their uses. Curious observations 198
CHAPTER XLII
Stops on the way. Arrival at Muna. Excursions. Description of Muna.
Occupation of the natives. Products of the country. Population. Peaceful
character of the Indians. Clothing. Flora 208
CHAPTER XLIII
Pavon's misfortune. Itinerary. Plants, barks, and seeds. A large ship-
ment prepared for Spain. Ruiz studies the Malvaceae of Huanuco and
refutes Cavanilles. Illness of Ruiz 214
CHAPTER XLIV
Illness and death of Brunete. Details. Intervention of Ruiz . . . . . . 217
CHAPTER XLV
Chulguillo. Vegetation of hills and ravines. Preparations for the work . 220
CHAPTER XLVI
Location, climate, pastures, fields. Population. Building construction.
Fishing. Minerals. Birds. Waters. Healthfulness of the place 221
CHAPTER XLVII
Tiresome march. Misfortunes. Narrowness of Chacahuasi. Torrential
rains. Earthquakes. Landslides. Location of Chacahuasi. Dangerous
environs. The Pilco river and fishing in it. Birds. Butterflies. The heat.
Fogs. Unhealthfulness. Parrots and monkeys. The bridge over the Rio
Grande. Hardships of the cascarilleros. Procedure in crossing the rivers.
Skin affections caused by the humidity and heat 223
CHAPTER XLVIII
Miserable condition of the cascarilleros. Abuses and outrages. Improp-
er felling of trees. Imperfect methods of packing. Order for our return to
Spain. Plants gathered in Pillao and Chacahuasi. Their uses 228
CHAPTER XLIX
Fatigue of the mules. Fury of a mule. Illness of Tafalla. Painful march.
Deadly gases. Arrival and work at Huanuco. The year 1788 234
CHAPTER L
Itinerary. Plants gathered and described. The Limonia trifoliata and
Verbena citriodora. The Cerbera salicifolia. Uses of its seeds. Packing the
collections. Good offices of Father Gonzalez Laguna. Settlement of ac-
counts. Preparations for embarking. Living plants for Madrid. Reversal
of the edict. Sailing in the "Dragon." Arrival in Spain 237
INDEX OF CHAPTERS
EPILOGUE
Words of Lagasca. Indifference of the government to the encouragement of
the natural sciences. The travels of Ruiz and Pavon in Chile and Peru. The
Quinologia of Dn. Hip61ito Ruiz and the problem of the quinas. Description
of this work and its success. Appointment of Dn. Juan Tafalla and Dn.
Juan Augustm Manzanilla for the continuation of the campaign of Ruiz and
his companions in Chile and Peru. Tafalla discovers new species of quina
trees. Attack of Zea on the doctrines of Ruiz and the latter's answer. The
Suplemento a la Quinologia of Ruiz 297
II.
The Prodomo de la Flora Peruviana y Chilense. Draftsmen and engravers.
Contents. Genera dedicated to botanists and patrons of botany. Discus-
sions between Cavanilles and the authors of the Prodrome. Criticism of
Antonio Lorenzo Jussieu ot this work and reply of Ruiz. The Systema Vege-
tabilium Florae Peruvianae et Chilensis of Ruiz and Pavon 305
HI.
Publication of the first volume of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis (1798).
Inexplicable delay. Diligence of Dn. Antonio Porcel. Support of ministers
Llaguno and Jovellanos. The preface to the work. Classification adopted.
Character of the descriptions. New Genera. Species described. Draftsmen.
Engravers. Appearance of the second volume of this work (1799). Contents. 309
IV.
The third volume of this work comes off the press (1802). Its contents and
illustrations. New genera published by the authors. Personages to whom
some genera included in the third volume were dedicated. Material sent from
Peru by Dn. Juan Tafalla. Plans of Ruiz and Pavon for the Suplemento de la
Flora. The preface to this volume and the letter from Ruiz to Jussieu 311
v.
Preparation of volume iv. Approximate date of its completion. New genera
described in it. New species. Illustrations. Genera and species published
by the authors. Genera corrected in this volume. Suppressed genus. Send-
ing of collections by Tafalla. Ruiz and Pavon criticize the reforms introduced
by several botanists in the classification of Linnaeus 312
VI
The authors of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis continue their work. Con-
tent of the manuscript and unpublished volumes of this work: v, VI, vn, vm,
IX, X, and XI. Idem of volumes I, II, in, IV, and v of the Suplemento. The
plates. The botanical work of Ruiz and Pavon 314
VII.
Time consumed in the preparation of this Flora. Those who worked on it
until 1816. From 1816 until 1832. Workshops of Floras in Madrid at the
time. Royal orders commanding that they be directed by the botanist.
Those of the Floras of Nueva Espana and Nueva Granada also assigned to him.
The Flora of Peru stays independent. Dn. Demetrio Rodriguez is assigned to
this. Sums expended on the Floras of Nueva Granada and of Peru. Scientific
value of the latter. Comparison with former botanical works of Spanish
authors. Influence of Linnaeus in Spain. Glorious generation of botanists
here during the eighteenth century. Works and drawings. Excellence of the
Flora Peruana above the others mentioned. Deplorable neglect with respect
to this. The voice of a deputy. What has been published of the Flora Peru-
ana. What remains of the genera and species published by Ruiz and Pavon. . . 317
INDEX OF EPILOGUE 339
VIII.
Other works of Dn. Hip61ito Ruiz. Other works of Dn. Jose Pavon 322
IX
Jose Dombey. His scientific competence. Arrival in Spain. Information
about means to combat the plague of ants. His appointment as a member
of the expedition. Leaves for Peru. Commissions confided to him. His
botanical campaigns. His return to Spain (1784). His collections. Inac-
curacy of Larousse 325
x
The journals and the Viaje of Ruiz. Date at which it was terminated. Infor-
mation given in the Prodromo and in the Quinologia. The doctoral thesis of
Dn. Tomas Pascual. The extract of the Viaje by Jimenez de la Espada.
Our investigations. Persons who advised us. Praiseworthy conduct of
Dona Isabel Pascual. Our additions. Acknowledgments to those who have
helped us 327
XI.
Contents of the Viaje. Geographical part. Botanical part. Mineralogical
part. Zoological part. Curious entomological detail. Historical episodes.
Appendices 329
INDEX OF APPENDICES
PAGE
I. Appointment of Dn. Hipolito Ruiz 242
II. Appointment of Dombey 243
III. Appointment of Brunete 244
IV. Archive of Alcala. L. 2,525, transferred to the Museum of Natural
Sciences. Years 1776 to 1785 245
V. Supplement that Dn. Casimiro Ortega thinks should be added to the
instructions 250
VI. Instructions that are to be observed by the draftsmen who are going
to Peru by Order of H. M. to serve in the exercise of their profession
in the Botanical Expedition 250
VII 252
VIII 255
IX .256
X 256
XI 258
XII 261
XIII 263
XIV 263
XV 264
XVI 266
XVII 267
XVIII 268
XIX 269
XX. List of seeds, fruit, bulbs, roots, and several other things sent by
Ruiz, giving the Spanish and Indian names 272
XXI. List of the live plants sent in the heated cases and crates 274
XXII 278
XXIII. List of the contents of the seven boxes sent from Peru by Mr.
Dombey for France 280
XXIV : 280
XXV 282
XXVI. List of the small live trees that I am sending in the seven heated cases
for the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. Marks on the pots . . 284
XXVII. - 287
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Abatia Acunna
Galvetana 230 oblonga 46, 207
rugosa 230 lanceolata 231
Yoriturp 230 Adiantum
Acaena brachiatum 92
amaerinifplia 128 capillus-veneris 44
amentifolia 91 reniforme 213
globosa 230 trapeziforme 92
lappacea 44 Aechmea
ovalifolia 44 paniculata 177
pinnatifida 128 Aextoxicon
trifida 128 punctatum 130
Acalypha Agave
betuloides 181 amencana 83
glandulosa 212 Agenium
granulata 212 pimpmelaefolia 82
indica 31 Ageratum
polygama 181 conyzoides 31
pubescens 78 secundum 78, 80
purpurea 78 trinerve 80
Achillea Alchemilla
Iutea200 pmnata 46
urens 200 tun< J}J oll a J 30
. , tnpartita 230
Acnras AiHaa
Caimito 203 v,,, ^ IQQ
mammosa 30 Air J " nata 133
tetrandral77 All * - 89
mcarnata o
Acnyranthes Allium
geniculata 80 angulosum 100
mucronata 45 triquetrum 100
obovata 91 Alstroemeria 134
papposa 179 capitata 46
purpureo-violacea 238 coccinea 46
ngida 91 crocea 46
secunda 204 discolor 136
Acladodea fimbriata 177
pmnata 232, 233 Li gtu 133, 134, 137
Acosta peregrina 27, 28, 102
aculeata 80, 203 punicea 212
Acrostichum revoluta 136
acutum 92 Salsilla 132
calomelanos 44 sanguinea 136
Cuacsaro 44, 230, 231 secunda 212
lineare 44 spiralis 46
Marantae 44 tomentosa 212, 230
nitidum 44 tricolor 136
obovatum 44 trifida 46
palmatum 44 Althaea
revolutum 44 cornuta 81
squamatum 44 Alzatea
squamato-tomentosum 44 verticillata 204
sulphureum 44 Amaranthus
Actinophyllum retroflexus 100
acuminatum 212 spinosus 100
angulatum 212 Amaryllis
I conicum 232 aurea 28,
pedicellatum 212 formossisima 132
pentandrum 81 miniata 80
342
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Ambrosia 98
Marco 169
maritima 31
Amomum
racemosum 198
alba 45
Andromeda aff. alata
bracteata 231
cordifolia 212
glauca 231
mellifera 231
punctata 212
purpurea 46
Anemone
digitata 45, 131
pubescens 45
Anethum
parvum 30
Anguloa
uniflora 212
Anguria
trifoliata 178
trilobate 178
Anona
lutea 203
microcarpa 204
muricata 101
reticulata 202
squamosa 102
Anthemis
pallescens 231
striata 231
Anthericum aff.
falcatum 230
Anthodon
decussatum 198
Antirrhinum
avenium 230
Apium
graveolens 140
Aralia
digitata 48, 211
ferruginea 204
globosa 179
lanceolata 211
aff. trinervis 175
Araucaria 141
Arbutus
multiflora 46
parvifolia 230
racemosa 140
Aristolochia
caudata 181
glandulosa 127
vaginans 165
Aristotelea
glandulosa 127
Artemisia
hirsuta 47
officinalis 31
Arum
aliaceum 205
auritum 176
lanceolatum 81, 176
lineatum 176
parviflorum 176
rosaceum 81
tripartitum 176
tuberosum 212
volubile 176
Asclepias 27
cordata 45
curassavica 202
hastata 27
reticulata 211
Asplenium
acutifolium 44
caudatum 44
cultrifolium 44
falcato-lineare 44
fjssum 44
lineatum 44
multifidum 44
obovatum 44
praemorsum 44
salicifolium 92
Aster
auricularis 47
crosum (erosus?) 80
foliaceus 47
lanuginosus 91, 126
lyratus 91
multifidus 137
pinnatus 47
repens 132
tomentosus 47
Astragalus
capitatus 44
dependens 134
Astronemia
linearis 46
Atragene
villosa 47
Atriplex
crystallina 101
monoica 48
Atropa
aspera 107
biflora 45
umbellata 27, 102
Axinaea
lanceolata 212
purpurea 212
Azara
eliptica 131
lanceolata 131
obovata 131
Bacasia
corymbosa 212
spinosa 47
Baitaria
acaulis 238
Banisteria
auriculata 175
flabelliformis 175
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES 343
fulgens 91 ensiformis 176
papilionia 175 Bocconia
rugosa 204 frutescens 198
Bantisa Boerhaavia
rivularis 100 scandens 102, 200
Bartsia viscosa 100, 101, 200
hirsuta 46 Bombax 72, 196, 227
prostrata 46 aculeatum 178
purpurea 46 microcarpon 178
Basella polyandrum or Carolinea? 204, 205
diffusa 230 trilobum 81
rubra 102 Bowlesia
Bauhinia lobata 231
aculeata 28, 91, palmata 101
rosea 91 Briza
Begonia 212, 220 media 43
ciliata 198, 205 Bromelia
coccinea 212 Ananas 179, 180
cucullata 178 bicolor 128
hirsuta 212 incarnata 177
incarnata 212 sphacelata 128
lobata 78 Browalha
monadelpha 212 demissa L. 78, 230
obliqua 78 Brunelha
parviflora 212 aculeata 212
purpurea 178 inermis 212
repens 178 Bryonia
rosea 212 cordifoha 92
utriculata 212 Bryum
Berberis , mt . ldu , m 44
lutea 211, 212, 236 Buddleia 40
mucronata 46 diffusa 202
tortuosa 46 globosa 133
Besleria incana 42 ;. 4 ^n
auriculata 81 occidentalis 100
biflora 78 sarmentosa 67
diversicolor 81 spicata 211
radicans 78, 181
Betula Caballeria
acuminata 176 dentata 213
alba 48, 51 dependens 213
nigra 230 ferrugmea 91, 213
Bidens 62 latifolia 213
cuneifolia 28 pelucida 213
cuneiformis 100 venossissima 231
nasturcifolia 47, 62 Cacaha
pinnato-multifida 47 pubescens 81
tripartita 31 punctate 201
Bignonia serrate 44
alba 180 Cacaulis
brachiata 180 ^^^S^ 45
clavata 180 Cactus 40, 220
coerulea 67, 68 cancelatus 167
lanuginosa 180 echmatus 167
muricata 180 ermaceus 167
pentagona 82 lanatus 167
planisiliqua 180 parasiticus 178
stans 42 , squamatus 167
Bi xa Calamus
muricata 175 hamatus 179
Orellana 78, 175 Calceolaria 40, 98, 220
Bletia alba 137
catenulata 176 angustiflora 238
344 INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
bicolor 91 monoica 206
crenata 238 septemlobata 178
cuneiformis 238 Carludovica
dentata 91, 126 acuminata 179
heterophylla 210 angustifolia 206
mflexa 238 latifolia 206
hnearis 50, 51 palmata 179
maculata 238 trigona 213
nutans 238 Carthamus
perfoliata 78 ciliatus 137
pinnata 91, 100 Cassia 201
pulverulenta 238 hirsuta 42
rugosa 126 mimosoides 28
scabra 45 procera 177
scrophylariaefolia 126 procumbens 42
sessilis 126 reflexa 128
tomentosa 45 setacea 42
trifida 238 tenuissima 31
umbellata 230 Tora 28, 101
uniflora 45 undecimpiga 42
verticillata 91 viminea 203
virgata 238 Castiglionia
viscosa 91 lobata 31
Calla 80 Caucalis
acuminata 80 grandiflora 45
bracteata 176 Cavanillesia
canaliculata 205 umbellata 181
nuda 176 Ceanothus
pinnata 176 granulosus 198
polystachia 80, 81 Cecropia 73
radicans 176 alba 213
undulata 176 aquifera 78
Callicarpa aspera 205
cordifolia 211 canescens 176
globiflora 204 coriacea 198
Callisia digitata 205
repens 91 tubulosa 213
Calyplectus Cedrela
acummatus 178 inodora 204
Calyptranthes odorata 30, 182, 183
paniculate 178 Celastrus
Calyxhymema corymbosus 211
expansa 102 dependens 135
Y ata 1Q 2 _ n lutescens 211
viscosa 67, 200 triflorus 45
Celosia
deata 140 -' .
filiformis 130 Celsia 40 .
Campomanesia anceqlata 42
palillos 202 hnea rj s 6J, 230
Canna ovata 23
indica 203 Celtis 173
iridiflora 230 aspera 213
paniculata 203 biflora 178, 179
Capsicum scabra 179
frutescens L. 176 spinosa 178, 179, 232
pubescens 176 Centaurea
Cardiospermum napifolia 102
biternatum 91 Cerbera
Carica 80 salicifolia 239
canescens 237, 238 Cerdana
glandulosa 213 alliodora 175
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES 345
Cervantesia Clematis
tomentosa 45 Vitalba? 167
Oestrum Cleome
auriculatum 237 aculeata 181
lanuginosum 179 coccinea 204
longiflorum 204 concava 207
pulverulatum 78 glandulosa 44
racemosum 204 longisiliqua 181
rigidum 169, 211 triphylla 31
undulatum 68, 199 Clinopodium
virgatum 126 bisserratum 81
Chaetanthera procumbens 81
ciliata 137 Clitoria?
serrata 137 pubescens 175
Chaetocrater Clusia aff.
pubescens 198 decussata 232
serrata 198 macrocarpa 213
Chenopodium radicans 178
album 100 rosea 78, 231
amarum 127 rotundicapsula 213
dulce 127 thurifera 48
multifidum 127 triflora 198
tuberosum 46 trioecia 232
Chiococca Coccoloba
ovata 204 carinata 82
Chondodendron hastata 131
tomentosum 233 nidida 46
Cinchona volubilis 46
angustifolia 211 Coffea
grandiflora 175 occidentalis 78, 203
hirsuta 230 subsessilis 207
magnifolia 78 tetrandra 204
nitida 77 Columella
officinalis 82, 215 corymbosa 230
ovata 214 Columellia
purpurea 70, 82, 224 ovalis 46
rosea 175 Commelina
Cineraria nervosa 78
fasciculata 132 Condalia
lanceolata 231 lanceolata 80
perfoliata 82 oboyata 80
Cissampelos 182 sessilis 78
cordata 78 Convolvulus 206
peitata 78 cymosus 179
villosa 231 quinquefolius 78, 204
Cissus secundus 27
compressicaulis 102, 232 sepium 27
lobata 207 stipulatus 27
obliqua 48 Corchorus
striata 133 siliquosus 31
Citrosma Cordia
echinata 199 rotundifolia 27, 102
muricata 212 Coreopsis
ovalis 212 Bidens 127
pyriformis 78, 212 trifida 68, 207
tomentosa 212 Coriaria
Clarisia nervosa 127
biflora 176 pinnata 48
racemosa 176 Cornidia
Clavija umbellata 80
lanceolata 204 Cosmos
macrocarpa 211 laciniata 47
spathulata 211 pinnatus 107
346
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Costus
argenteus 198
laevis 232
ruber 81
scaber 198
Cotyledon
lyratum 126
Coussapoa
latifolia 78
obovata 78, 206
radicans 176, 179
triloba 206
Crescentia
Cujete 28, 101
Crinum
luteum 177
sagittatum 45
Crotalaria
incana 28, 100
laburnifolia 102
retusa 80
trigona 205
Croton
acutifolium 232
ciliatum 201
gummiferum 181, 182
hirsutum 181
nudus 82
pulverulentum 48
striatum 48
trinerve 131
umbellatum 181
Cucumis
purpureus 205
quinquelobatus 205
Cucurbita
fragrans 205
Lagenaria 133
Cuellaria
cineraria 230
ferruginea 91, 230
linearis 230
obovata 78
revoluta 230
Cuphea
ciliata 67
cordata 46, 230
Cuscuta
odorata 231
Cymbanthes
punctata 119, 132
Cynanchum
acuminatum 232
glandulosum 45
lanceolatum 204
lanuginosum 203
macrocarpum 179
minimum 45
pentagonum 179
racemosum 30
Cynoglossum
decurrens 131
pauciflorum 131
pilosum 30
revolutum 46
Cynomorium
fungiforme 198
ramosum 181
Cyperus
striatus 46
Cypripedium
grandiflorum 47, 78, 212
Cytisus
canescens 231
purpureus 47, 78
Dalea? L. 43
Dalechampia
rosea 169
Datura
sanguinea 45
Stramonium 82
Decostea
scandens 130
Desfontainia
spinosa 45
Dianthera
appendiculata 179
ciliata 179
hirsuta 202
mucronata 102
repens 27
Dichondra
crenata 45
fragosa 45
multifida 45
reniformis 45
repens 45
Dillenia aff. rubra 230
Dioscorea 80
acuminata 91
filiformis 131
hastata 133
triloba 81
Dodartia
fragilis 107
Dodonaea
viscosa 46
Dolichos
Lablab 28
Soja? 101
suberectus 31
umbellatus 178
uncinatus 28
Dombeya 141
Dorstenia
Contrayerva 203
ovalis 203
Dracocephalum ?
odoratum 80
Drimys
acris 114, 115
Duranta 40
plumosa 46
tomentosa 46
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES 347
Eccrempcarpus Erysimum
viridis 211 tuberosum 131
Eclipta Erythrina
alba 100 articulata 178, 205
Echites Corallodendron 28
acuminata 78, 204 glandulosa 178, 181
glandulosa 211 incarnata 78
laxa 233 Villcatauri 178
spiralis 81 volubilis 178
subsagittata 78 Erythroxylon
Elaterium Coca 80
bifidum 101 patens 232
glandulosum 207 stipulatum 180
pedatum 101 Escobedia
Elephantopus scabra 81
capitatae 198, 232 tinctorea 198
spicatus 181 Eugenia
tuberosus 205 procera 212
Embothrium Eupatorium 62
dentatum 130 angulatum 47
emarginatum 46, 210 aromaticum 42
lanceolatum 130 balsamicum 81
monospermum 210, 211 canescens 205
obliquum 130 carinatum 80
pinnatum 210 coriaceum 80
Encelia hirtum 78
obliqua 101 Huaramachia 47
Ephedra obovatum 80
distachya L. 48, 206 sagittatum 92
Epidendrum salvifolium 165
acuminatum 47 sambucinum 205
biflorum 47 scabrum 91
cordatum 205 scandens 28
coronatum 178 stridens 231
corymbosum 212 subsessile 47
cristatum 178 trinerve 47
croceum 47 urens 128
emarginatum 47 Euphorbia 40
equitans 178 Chamaesyce 31
ferrugineum 205 erosa 180
lineare 47 hirta 31
maculatum 47 hypericifolia 31
nutans 212 Peplis? 207
paniculatum 212 portulacoides 128
parviflorum 212 striata 100
scabrum 231 tricuspidata 128
triflorum 47 tuberosa 98, 238
viride 178
volubile 47 Fabiana
Erigeron imbricata 137
canadense 140 Fagara
philadephicum 31 coriandriodora 179, 232
scabrum 140 Fagus
Erinus oblongifolia 140
prostratus 178 Pellin 131
Eriocaulon Fernandezia
paryum 230 contorta 212
vaginans 230 denticulata 231
Eryngium ensiformis 212
ciliatum 137 graminifolia 231
coeruleum 91 haematodes 231
trifidum 137 laxa 212
tripodum 137 punctata 212
348 INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Ferraria 40, 98 subulata 45
Lagues 133 umbellata 45
Ficus violacea 211, 230
acuminata 206 Geoffraea
cordata 206 spinosa 31
gemina 175 Geranium
hirsuta 175 filiforme 47
lineata 206 moschatum 148
retusa 81, 175 Gesneria
striata 78 acinaciformis 81
Foveolaria frutescens 204
cordata 175 hirta 175
ferruginea 231 verticillata 175
oblonga 231 violacea 175
ovata 231 viscosa 175
Fragaria Geum
chiloensis 148 urbanum 46, 132
Fragosa Gilibertia
corymbosa 211 umbellata 212
spinosa 137 Gimbernatia
Fraxinus 98 oblonga 182
Fuchsia 40 obovata 204
apetala 46 Glycyrrhiza
grandiflora 212 undulata 231
involucrata 212 Gnaphalium
mutifolia 80 odoratissimum
pubescens 212 trinerve 47
punicea 212 uniflorum 131
rosea 165 Vira-vira 47
verticillata 46 Godoya
violacea 128 oblonga 78
spathulata 78
Galega Gomara
hirsuta 178 racemosa 181
Galinsoga Gomortega
quadriradiata 100, 200 nitida 127, 128
quinqueradiata 100, 200 Gomphrena
Galium purpurea 45
ciliatum 45 Gongora
corymbosum 45 angulata 47
croceum 45 quinquenervis 47
hirsutum 232, 238 uniflora 47
lappaceum 202 Gonzalagunia
mucronatum 45 dependens 80
Galvezia Gossypium
punctata 132 arboreum 308
Gardenia hirsutum 308
longiflora 175 ' Gualtheria
spinosa 45 acuminata 132
viscosa 211 alba 46, 230
Gardoquia albo-hirsuta
canescens 43 cordifolia 46
conferta 46 hirsuta 46
multiflora 137 rubra 230
striata 67 Guarea
Gentiana 170 abrupta 177
biflora 45 acuminata 204
Conchalaguala 29 ferruginea 177
luteopurpurea 91 nitida 232
maculata 45 purpurea 177
minutissima 91 tomentosa 179
quinquipartita 45 Guatteria
serrata 91 dependens 204
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
349
glauca 78
hirsuta
lutea 178
Gumillea
auriculata 211
Gunnera
thyrsiflora 131, 132
Hamelia
secunda 175
Hedyotis 170
conferta 43
filifprmis 233
juniperifolia 43
setosa 43
thymifolia 43
Hedysarum
asperum 28
mimosioideum 167
pilosum 205
plumosum 133
prostratum 101
pubescens 47
virgatum 205
Heisteria
coccinea L. 177
Helianthus 151
glutinosus 47
lanceolatus 47
pubescens 107
resinosus 165
Heliconia
angustifolia 81
angustiflora 232
discolor 198
latifolia 81
tricolor 231
Heliocarpus
dioica 227
glandulosa 78
serratus 178
Heliotropium
incanum 67
lanceolatum 67
oppositifolium 211
parvicalycum 67
pilosum 30
synzystachyum 100
Hemionitis
falcata 92
rigida 44
Herreria
stellata 133
Heteranthera
reniformis 27
Hibiscus
esculentus L. 107
rosa sinensis 107
Hieracium
triflorum 47
Hippocratea
viridis 198
Hippotis
triflora 78
Hirtella
racemosa 203
Hopea
tinctoria 78
Horminum ?
salviflorum 131
triangulare 91
Huertea
glandulosa 211
Humboldtia
acutiflora 205
aspera 47
contorta 212
cordata 212
lanceolata 233
oblonga 212
parviflora 212
polystachia 205
reyoluta 212
spiralis 47
Hydrocotyle
alchimilaefolia, alchemillaefolia 140
asiatica 46
globosa 211
tenuis 211
umbellata 27
vulgaris 27
Hydrolea
urens 167
Hypericum 62
angulare 28
corymbosum 230
subulatum 47, 230
Hypochaeris
laciniata 133
Hyssopus?
punctata 140
Illecebrum
Achyrantha 30
lanatum 45
Indigofera
Anil 205
argentea 82
Ipomoea 205, 206
acuminata 30
angulata 179
glandulifera 205, 206
hirsuta 107
subrotundifolia 30
subtriloba 45
villosa 179
Iriartea
deltpidea 179
Isquierdia
aggregata 206
Jarava
Ichu 45
Jatropha
aphrodisiaca 212
350 INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Manihot 72 oculatus 44
urens 178 pallido-viridis 44
Jaunulloa pyxidatus 44
parasitica 182 ruber 44
Juglans 62 subulatus 44
nigra 31, 62 Limodorum
Juniperus aff. 231 coriaceum 205
Jussiaea lineare 205
peruviana 100 Limonia
Justicia trifoliata 238, 239
incana 44 Limosella
longistaminea 232 subulata 42
mucronata 203 Linum
punctata 78 confertum 140
racemosa 210 Lisianthus 199
spicata 180 acutangulus 204
tenuifolia 78 corymbosus 81
oblongus 204
Kagenackia ovalis 81, 204
lanceolata 238 quadrangularis 78
oblonga 134 revolutus 211
Krameria viscosus 211
triandra 43, 200 Lithospermum
aggregatum 45
Lantana dichotomum 27
aculeata 78 incanum 45
involucrata 47 muricatum 132
purpurea 67 Llagunoa
salvifolia 28 nitida 212
Lardizabala triphylla 107
biternata 130, 139 Loasa 40, 98
triternata 139 laciniata 133
Larrea multifida 139
glauca 30 rosea 98
Lathyrus spiralis 46
albus 133 tricolor 132
incanus 82 Lobelia
lutescens 133 bicolor 47
Laugeria biserrata 91
hirsuta 78 coccinea 178
stipulata 211 decurrens 28
Laurus 196 hirsuta 81, 91
alba 204 laciniata 178
aurantiana 78 purpurea 47, 91, 165
coerulea 203 purpureo-viridis 47
crassifolia 203 scabra 78
foetida 204 subpetiolata 91
fragrans 177 tomentosa 47
obovata 204 volubilis 199
Persea 29 Lonchitis
Peumo 114 amomum 78
pubescens 177 cultrifolium 78
purpurea 177 racemosum 78
revoluta 139 tyrsoideum 78
rubra 134 Loranthus 127
subpubescens 204 grandiflorus 212
Lepidum luteus 46, 231
foetidum 67 pentandrus 46
Lettsomia puniceus 67
lanata 199 retroflexus 204
tomentosa 198 semicalyculatus 127
Lichen cinereo-viridis 44 triflorus 199
multifidus 44 verticillatus 127
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
351
Lotus
utricularius 133
Lupinus
argenteus 43
rhombeus 133
Lycium
aggregation 102
falsum 27
obovatum 44
spathulatum 82
umbellatum 237
Lycopodium
ciliatum 207
corymbosum 44
dichotomum 48
lanceolatum 44
nutans 92
peregrinum 92
prostratum 92
subulatum 44
Lygodysodea
foetida 211
Macrocnemum 220
corymbosum 80
pubescens 78, 204
venosum 80, 204
Malpighia
glandulosa 81
nitida 102, 202
Malva
aspera 67
coromandelina 31, 102
hispida 133
incana 91
peruviana 100
rotundifolia 28
sylvestris 28
Malvaceae 215, 236
Maranta
capitata 78
Marcgravia
calyptrata 199
monopetala 232
pentandra 211
pentapetala 232
Marchantia
polymorpha 92
Margyri carpus
subfructicosus 44
Martinezia
ensiformis 179
ciliata 179
interrupta 179
lanceolata 206
linearis 179
Masdevallia
uniflpra 47
Matricaria
tripartita 101
Maxillaria
alata 47
bicolor 47, 49
ciliata 212
cuneiformis 47
grandiflora 47, 212
hastata 231
ligulata 231
longipetala 212, 231
paniculata 230
ramosa 205
tricolor 47
undulata 212
Mecardonia
ovata 81
Melaleuca
coriacea 231
Melastoma 62, 74
acuminata 203
carinata 80, 204
coerulea 203
cordata 80
crenata 80
flexuosa 78
grandiflora 78
grossularioides 78
hispida 78
latifolia 78
nitida 204
repens 212
sericea 204
serrulata 204
subsessilis 80
tomentosa 47
Melochia
cordifolia 232
corchorifolia 31
plicata 82
Mendozia
aspera 204
racemosa 204
Mespilus 40
ferruginea 46, 230
prostrata 46
subspinosa 47
uniflora 46, 98
Miconia
emarginata 233
lanuginosa 78
pulverulentia 78, 198
triplinervis 78
Milium
crinense 232
Mimosa 148, 155, 201
carbonaria 129
expansa 68
farnesiana 199, 200
Inga 29, 213
latisiliqua 102
nodosa 179
pernambucana 29
planisiliqua 206
punctata 29
punicea 213
quadrijuga 179
352
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
sensitiva 102
spicata 167
Mimulus
luteus L. 132
subumbellatus 91
Mirabilis
Jalapa 200
Molina 40, 98
caespitosa 47
concava 127
corymbosa 231
emarginata 47
ferruginea 47, 91
incana 231
latifolia 212
linearis 127
nitida 231
oblonga 140
obovata 47
prostrata 231
quinquenervis 78
racemosa 140
reticulata 140
scabra 47
scandens 101, 237
salicifolia 231
uniflora 47
venosa 80
yiscosa 140
Mollinedia
lanceolata 203
repanda 203
serrata 203
Mollugo
radiata 127
Momordica
operculata 104
Morenia
fragrans 179, 213
Morus
nigra 212
spinosa 212
Munnozia
corymbosa 230
lanceolata 212
trineryis 44
venosissima 230
Murraya
racemosa 203
Mutisia 212
acuminata 48
spinosa 119
subulata 127
Myoschilos
oblpngum 132
Myosotis
corymbosa 133
gracilis 133
humilis 230
Myrica
sternutatoria 48
Myriophyllum
verticillatum 132
Myristica
longifolia 176, 206
oblongifolia 206
Myroxylon
peruiferum 176, 177
Myrtus
acuminata 127
communis 127
limbosa 180
nuda 127
pseudopimentas 203
revoluta 127
Narcissus
odorus 92
Navarretia
involucrata 137
Neea
oppositifolia 233
verticillata 180
Negretia
elliptica 212
inflexa 212
mitis 205
plana 78
planata 212
spinosa 181
Nepeta 198
calyciclausa 207
ciliata 207
Nerteria
repens? 45
Nicotiana
angustifolia 126
parviflora 237
Tabacum 45, 202, 203
tomentosa 211
Nolana
acutangula 27
Nunnezharia
fragrans 179
Nycterisition
ferrugineum 232
Oenanthe
pedunculata 45
Oenothera
grandiflora 140
incurvata 134
lineatiflora 127
lyrata 202
mitis 133
oblonga 133
prostrata 101
O'Higginsia
aggregata 78, 204
obovata 211
verticillata 211
Oldenlandia
uniflora 137
Olmedia
aspera 177, 198
laevis, 177
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES 353
Olyra Peperomia
latifolia 231, 232 acuminata 210
Orchidaceae 56, 58, 220 alata 176
Orchis concava 78, 203
punctata 205 dependens 176
Ornithogalum emarginata 176
coeruleum 132 filiformis 80, 203
Icompressifolium 169 Peperomia
plumosum 132, 133 foliiflora 80, 203
pyrenaicum 46 obliqua 78
rubrum 203 pilosa 176
sympagantherum 133 pubescens 45
Oxalis 167 purpurea 80, 203
frutescens 180 quadrangularis 80
prostrata 140 rhombea 232
scandens 78
Palaua secunda 232
biserrata 81 septemnervis 176
glabra 212 striata 78
hirsuta 78 tetragona 203
lanceolata 198 trinervis 80, 203
Pancratium uniflora 80
caribaeum 30 yariegata 232
coccineum 45 Perdicium
flavum 28 lanatum 47, 169, 231
maritimum 30 Periphragmos 98
uncinatum 238 flexuosus 91, 211
viride 45, 46 foetidus 131
Panicum uniflorus 43, 91, 238
purpureum 43 Phaseolus
Parkinsonia vexillatus 28
aculeata 104, 107 Phlox
glandulosa 30 aterifolia 132
Passiflora Phylitidis
biflora 43 obovatum 44
ciliata 43 repandum 44
foetida 29, 102 revolutum 44
maliformis 80 rhombeum 44
mammosa 43 scolopendroides 44
minima 29 virginianum 44
quadrangularis 68 Phyllanthus
rosea 231 foetida 178
rubra 176 gemina 205
serrata 176 Niruri L. 92
suberosa 101 Physalis
subtripartita 91 angulata 102
vespertilio 176 pubescens 203
vesicularis 176 subtriflora 237
Paulina Phytolacca
striata 78 icosandra L. 230
Paullinia 175 Pineda
gracilis 175 incana 91, 207
hirsuta 175 Pinguicula
laticinosa 175 stellata 45, 230
obliqua 175 Pinus 136, 140, 141
pinnata 175 Chilensis 140, 141
rubicaulis 175 Piper 220
rubra 175 acuminatum 78
Pavonia acutifolium 78
sempervirens 133 angustifolium 91
Pectis asperum 232
trifida 82, 200 Piper 220
Peonia 81 betulioum 232
354
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Carpunya? 203, 204
Churumayu 46
crocatum 232
dichotomum 204
filiforme 78
granulosum 230
hexandrum 180
lineatum 91
longifolium 232
mite 78
nitidum 232
obliquum 78
ovale 230
ovatum 78
polystachyon 78
punctatum 232
scabrum 46, 78
secundum 232
Pistia
Stratiotes 29
Pitrex
unguiculatum 175
Planata 175
Plantago
hirsuta 44
hispidula 133
tomentosa 44
Platanus
otahetianus 107
Plazia
conferta 48
Plumeria
alba
carinata 27
rubra 27
tricolor 27
Poinciana 102, 201, 220
bijuga 30, 31, 62
Polyanthes
tuberosa 28
Polygala
albo-purpurea 78
coerulea 43
aff. discolor 231
incarnata 81
rhombiflora 178
tricolor 165
vulgaris 132
Polygonum
subulatum 46
Polylepis 62, 65
emarginata 43, 44
Polymnia
resinifera 47, 50
Polypodium
acanthifolium 92
acutifolium 92
Calaguala 44, 55
coronarium 44
crassifolium 44
dichotomum 92
erecto-lineare 44
exaltatum 44
fibrosum 44
furcatum 92
glabrum 44
incopcam 44
lineare 44
nutans 44
racemosum 92
serratum 44
Polypodium
simile 78
trilobum 92
volubile 92
Polytrichum
subulatum 44
Populus
glandulosa 206
Porcelia
dependens 204
Porlieria 196
hygrometrica 200, 201
Portlandia
corymbosa 211
Portulaca
cristallina 207
pentandra 207
pilosa 46
Potamogeton
compressus 101
compressifolium 27
Potentilla
prostrata 46
Pothos
acaulis 212
apetala 176
geniculata 176
hastata 81
laciniata 176
perforata 205
sagittato-cordata 81, 176
umbellata 176
volubilis 78, 92
Pourretia
coarctata 132
lanuginosa 177, 204
paniculata 204
sympaganthera 232
- Prunus
amara 178
nigra 203
nitida 78
oyalis 231
virginiana 67, 199
Psidium
nitidum 46
pyriferum 201, 202
rugosum 180
Psoralea
americana 166
capitata 31
datesa? 169
glandulosa 129, 169
punctata 43
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
355
Psychotria
acuminata 204
alba 211
angustifolia 204
coerulea 46, 230
coronata 204
glandulosa 204
hirsuta 91
lutea 78
repanda 78
rubra 78
tinctoria 204
truncata 80
umbellata 204
violacea 232
viridis 204
Pteris
auriculata 92
bipartita 92
crenata 92
curvata 92
lineata 44
ternata 44
tomentosa 44
triangulata 44
trifoliata 44
Pteronia
gemina 47
spinosa 43
Pullipuntu
macrocarpon 206
microcarpon 206
Quadria
pinnata 128
Ranunculus 170
cordatus 47
Rauwolfia
flexuosa 82
Rhamnus
acuminatus 45
pretiatus 132
prostatus 132
verticilatus 133
Rhexia 169
alba 212
flexuosa 204
grandiflora 204
hispida 46
purpurea 78
quinquenervis 212
repens 46
trinervis 212
Rhinanthus
glutinosa 43
lutea 238
rugosa 46
sagitatta 43
Rhus
atrium 203
Rhynchotheca
spinosa 230
Ribes
dependens 46
luteum 46
punctatum 131
Ricinus
communis 91
ruber 91
Riqueuria
avenia 78
Rivina
secunda 179
Rodriguezia
ensiformis 205
lanceolata 205
Roetia
glandulosa 81
Rubus 220
biserratus 46
fruticosus 46, 202
salvifolius 46
roseus 46
Rudbeckia
multifida 107
Ruellia
alata 78
bicolor 175
ciliata 82
coccinea 175
curvata 232
maculata 175
paniculata 78
prostrata 47
punicea 175
violacea 175
Ruizia
fragrans 130
Sagittaria
dulcis 30
sagittifolia 29
Salix
pyramidalis 48
Salpiglossis
sinuata 133
Salsola
fragilis 106
Salvia 40
acuminata 230
alba 91
excisa 102
fragtostissima 43
galeata 210
grandiflora 43
in curvata 210
linearis 237
nodosa 68
ovata 237
plumosa 43
racemosa 68
rhombifolia 43, 101
sagittata 43
Samarillaria
acutangula 204
356 INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
obovata 204 Sedum
subrotunda 204 Cealu 43
Sambucus Semarillaria
glandulosa 45, 211 acutangula 204
nigra 45, 84, 211 obovata 204
Samolus subrotunda 204
Valerandi 31 Senecio
Sanchezia abrotanifolius 44
oblonga 78 capus 133
ovata 175 foetidus 230
Sanicula frutescens 44
canadensis 91 nitidus 44
Santolina odoratus 81
scabra 128 pyramidatus 78
tinctoria 126, 127 quercifolius 44
Sapindus revolutus 44
Saponaria 28 scandens 28
Sapium 40 Serapias
fragrans 132 alba 134
nitidum 48 ciliata 81
Saracha 98 flava 100
biflora 45 lutea 132
contorta 238 plicata 132
dentata 238 Sessea
punctata 213 dependens 44
procumbens 238 stipulata 67
Sarmienta Sesuvium
repens 114 Portulacastrum 28
Satyrium 47, 48 Sicyos
album 47 cirrhosa 91
bicolor 47, 178 gj da
Iuteum47 americana 102
plantagineum 178 capillaris 100
pubescens 81 cr tata 101
virescens 205 frutescens 100
Vinde 100 inpana 91
Sauvagesia amaTcensis 101
cihata 78 | utea 1Q1
subtriflora 232 reoens 102
Siegesbeckia
, occidental 48
sympaganthera 133 bilene
Schinus 96, 121, 127, 135 anghca L. 132
aculeatus 206 Silphium
aurantiodora 213 dichotomum 92
frondosus 139 Sisymbrium
Mayco 80 Sophia 43
Molle 199 Sisyrinchium
oblongifolia 212, 213 alatum 133
procera 165 anceps 230
Schizanthus Bermudiana? 80
pinnatus 114 caducum 132
Scirpus campanulatum 137
fragrans 232 cavum 132
Scorzonera echinatum 132
ciliata 92 luteum 48
peruviana 92, 98 multiflorum 133
Scutellaria ocsapurga 230
cpccinea 238 palmifolium 31
Securidaca purgans 48
punctata 178 quadriflorum 132
scandens 178 setaceum 132
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
357
Sium
biternatum 47
Smegmadermos
emarginata 137
Smilax
China 169, 178
lanceolata 205, 206
Sarsaparilla 133
Sobralia
amplexicaulis 81, 198
biflora 178
dichotoma 47, 78, 81, 178, 212
Sobreyra
repens 101
Solanum
acuminatum 80
acutifolium 211
anceps 78
angustifolium 91
aserplanatum, (T)aspero-lanatum 42
calygnaphalum 42
cristatum 132
dichotomum 91
diformifolium 80
diffusum 91
foetidum 42
grandiflorum 176
granulosum 212, 231
havanense 42
incanum 67, 202
incurvum 211
laciniatum 78
lineatum 211
lycioides 42
mite 176
nitidum 231
nutans 231
obliquum 80
oblongum 231
pendulum 211
peruvianum 100
pubescens 80, 207
quercifolium 42
repens 100
scabrum 211
sericeum 42
sessile 211
sicioides 201
spicatum 67
stellatum 67, 212, 231
ternatum 78
tomentosum 42
tuberosum 42
variegatum 27, 80
Solidago
secunda 127
Soliva
pedicellata 212
sessilis 132
Sonchus
purpureus 132
Sophora
alata 131
cassia L. 128, 129
Spermacoce
capitata 231
corymbosa 211
gracilis 202
pilosa 91
tenuior 91, 101
Spigelia
Anthelmia 175
Spilanthes
urens 100
Spondias 173
Mombin 31, 201
Stachys
hastata 165
lanuginosa 137
Staehelina
sarmentosa 238
Stapelia
hirta 230
volubilis 203
Staphylaea
serrata 204, 211
Statice
Armeria L. 132
Stemodia
maritima 139
Stereoxylon
corymbosum 170
paniculatum 233
pendulum 211
patens 230
pulverulentum 136
resinosum 45
revolutum 136
rubrum 119
virgatum 136
Stramonium L.
Strychnps
auriculata 179
brachiata 179
Suriana
apetala 165
Swertia
corniculata 46, 170
Swietenia
macrocarpa 177
Syngenesia 98
Synzyganthera
purpurea 205, 211, 233
Tabernaemontana
corymbosa 175, 176
Tafalla
angustifolia 233
glauca 78
laciniata 200
laevis 231
racemosa 233
scabra 213
triflora 206
Tagetes 201
anisidora 205
358 INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES
Chinchu 205 Trillis
integrifolia 91 auriculata 178
odoratissima 47 Triplaris 196
Talinum octandra 182
ciliatum 47 Triptilium
dichotomum 200 spinosum 128
monandrum 131 Triumfetta
nitidum 131 fructicosa 203
umbellatum 131 Lappula L. 82, 203
Ternstroemia subtriloba 82
globosa 231 Tropaeolum 40
quinquepartita 231 discolor 212
Tessaria hexaphyllum 137
dentata 107 majus 30
integrifolia 68 tuberosum 46
Thalictrum 40 Turraea
polygamum 46 guinata 232
Theobroma
Cacao 78, 166 Urena 81
Tillaea biserrata 67
connata 102 hamata 202
Tillandsia 220 trilobata 67
coarctata 44 villosa 202
Huehle 44 Urtica
juncea 212 aculeata 178
paniculata 212 baccifera 178
parviflora 212 citriodora 212
recurvata 44, 212 cymosa 212
revoluta 44 dauciodora 212
usneoides 44 diaphana 205
Torresia fumans 48
utriculata 132 fumigera 80
Tournefortia geniculata 80
longifolia 179 globifolia 206
polystachya 45 hirsuta 212
Tournefortia longifolia 212
virgata 45 nuda 80
volubilis 179 orbicularifolia 48
Tovaria punctata 212
pendula 199, 232 rugosa 91, 212
Tradescantia sparsa 80
deflexa 212 spiralis 48
Tragia striata 80
peltata 181 Utricularia
Tribulus aphylla 30
maximus 82
Trichilia Vaccmmm
acuminata 203 ^! at V m 4 ^ Q
trifoliata 203 icolor 203
Trichomanes SSSLflM
crig P um44 Vaccinfum
92 "^andinorum 46
T .
Tncuspidana trinerve 46
nutans 127 Valdesia
Trifolium ovalis 203, 207
hirsutum 205 repens 203, 207
Triglochin Valeriana 96
ciliatum 46 chaerophylla 80
palustre 31 Cornucopiae 131
INDEX OF BOTANICAL NAMES 359
coronata 45 Viola
crispa 131 bicolor 91
decussata 210 chilensis 131
globiflora 45 lutea 131
hyalinorrhiza 131 martia 131
lanceolata 45 obliqua 47
oblongifolia 45 parviflora 47
officinalis 210 purpurea 68
paniculata 210 subulata 47
pilosa 45 Virgularia
pinnatifida 100 lanceolata 230
thyrsiflora 45 revoluta 47
Valeriana Viscum
virgata 238 luteum 48
Vallea sessile 48
cordata 46 Vismia
Vandellia tomentosa 78
diffusa 78 Volkameria
Vanilla verticillata 128
officinalis 78
volubilis 178 Weinmannia 196
Varronia alata 230
dichotoma 231 corymbosa 133
erecta 82 oppositifolia 46
globosa 212 ovalis 230
oblique 45 oyata 230
rugosa 45 pinnata 107
Verbena pubescens 230
adpressa 78
citriodora 239 Xuarezia
corymbosa 133 biflora 101
cuneata 237 Xyris
his P]i a6 8 lutea 231
multmda 133
virgata 178
Vermifuga
Vero sr bosa "'"'
rotundifolia L. 230
serpylifolia L. 230 Zinnia
Verticillaria pauciflora L. 82
balsamifera 178 Zannichelha
Viburnum P? lust ^ 200
verticillatum 45 Zea Mays 232
Villarezia Zizania
emarginata 232 octandra 31
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
Abas 38, 39, 66, 97, 145
Abilla 179
Aceyte de Maria 178
Aceitunillo 130, 148
Achiote, Achote 78, 175
Achotillo 309
Achupalla 137
Achyra 80, 203, 209, 230, 309
de monte 198
Afcapichana 82
Aitacupi 78, 206, 213, 232, 233
Aji-ajf 46
Albergilla 80
Algarrobo 148
Alhuelaguen 131
Almaciga 78, 206
Almendron 73
Almizclilla 102
Ama de casa 42
Amancae antiguo 28, 309
cimarron 309
Amarra judios 27
Ancas champatra 83
Anemona 131
Anil 205
Anis-anis 205
Anisillo 137
de lomas 107
Anono 30, 80, 101, 102, 173, 203, 309
Apio 39
Arbol de cuentas de rosario 212
del incienso 48, 165, 196, 213
de las mantas 107
de lino 310
del sebo 73, 176, 196
de la seda 27, 202
del tambor 181
Arbolito de la seda 311
Arguenilla 126
blanca 137
Arnaucho 176
Aromo 152, 199
fino 310
Arquenilla 132
Arquenitas 126
Arracacha, 39, 53, 80, 97, 209
cimarrona 45
Arrayan 117, 127, 148, 152, 202
Colorado 127
Artemisa 31
Ascacpichana 200
Aseca 46
Asmonich 175
Atpuallin 173, 178, 179
Auroras 205, 206
Avellano 148, 128
de Chile 128
de Valdivia 309
Avocado 80, 97
Azofaifo 31
Azucena 175
Barbas de viejo 165
Belloto 148
Berbasco 173
Bolbus 117
Boldu 130
Bolillos 28, 310
Bombilla 231, 232
Borbo cimarron 29
Botoncillo 200
Broquin 128
Bullel 127
Caballerias 220
Cabellos de angeles 231
Cabeza de monge 178
Cabulla 83
Cacao 72, 73
Caeca 48
Cacharpurin 179
Cachicasa 27
Cachigusi 169
Cafe 203
Caihua 101
de lomas 101
Caiguas 310
Caimito 173, 177
de monte 203
Calabash 101, 104, 133, 182, 205
Calabaza cimarrona 91
Calaguala 40, 44, 50, 98, 231
gruesa 44
Calcha 137
Callahuala 44
Camona 174, 179
Campanulas 309
de lomas 27
Campucassa 212, 231
Cana braba 222
Canafistola 101, 177
cimarrona 28, 309, 311
Canchalagua cimarrona 200
Canelilla 132
Canelo 114, 115, 148
Capuli 203
Cardo santo 309
Cardon 132
Carpunya 204
Carrizo 222
Cascabeles 309
Cascabelillos 28, 309
Cascarilla 70, 77, 87, 209, 224, 228, 229
de pata de gallareta 214
Cascarillo 221, 230
bobo amarillo 211
Cassava 173, 226
Catas 46, 210
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
361
Ccamcha 227
Ccarhuascassa 211, 236
Ccarato 80
Ceallu 43
Ceantu 238
Cedro 30, 182, 183, 309
macho 211
Cedron 239
Cerezo 199
Chacay 133
Chachacoma 45
Chaguis 128
Chamassa, Chamisa 46
Chancano 98
Chaves 27
Cheguen 127
Chenchelcoma 43
Chicchimicuna 232
Chichillica 176, 179, 213
Chichis 48
Chihucanhuaita 238
Chilca 40, 42, 62, 101, 237, 309
Chilifruta 46
Chimchamali 98
Chimchiculma 48
Chinapaya 91, 199
Chinchanho 47, 62, 230
Chinchi 43, 47, 91
Chinchimali 310
Chincumpa 48
Chirimoya 30, 39, 86, 97, 101, 102, 202,
203, 309
cabeza de negrito 202
reales 202
Chisp-huinac 43
Chocllocopa 46
Choloco 28
Chonta 173, 174, 179
Choruro 310
Chucchoclle 231
Chucholle 78
Chuchumeca 27, 202
Chuculate 212, 231
Chuncho 204
Chupillo 182
Chupon 128
Churumayu 46
Chutasllium 179
Chuuima 227
Ciarhirachero 42
Cierrateputa 29, 102, 310
Ciruelo agrio 31, 201, 310
de Fraile 30, 102, 202
Coarhuasahuintu 201
Coca 44, 53, 79, 80, 173, 174, 192, 196,
198, 221, 225, 226, 227
Coguillogi 130
Coguillvogui 139
Coihue 148
Col de montana 206
Colle 42
Collihuay 132
Comida de venado 179
Conchaguala 29
Conco tronco 82, 83
Congama 231
Contoya 28, 310
Contrayerba 91, 182, 185 199, 310
Corcolen 131
Coronas de Rey 30
Cotalaura 44
Cuacsaro 44, 231
Cuca-cuca 44
Culandro, Culantro 179, 232
Culantrillo 44
Cuter! 129
Cunhur 46
Cuyol 174, 179
Cuzle 128
Deu 127
Ducasahuintu 201
Enlaora 231
Escoba amarga 200
cimarrona 31, 310
Escobilla 30, 310
Espino 44, 129, 148, 152, 155
Frijol de Antibo 309
Espino amarillo 236
Excorzonera 40
Feligranas 100
Flor de azahar 78
del clavo 100, 310
del Espfritu Santo 212
de Panama 200
de la reina 27
de San Juan 309
de todo el ano 212
Floripondio encarnado 45
Franuco 82, 83
Frijol cimarron 28, 310
de Antibo 28, 309
Frijoles cocachos 309
morados y negros 309
Frijolillos 101
Frutillas, 39, 148
de monte 45
Gaqui 80
Garbancillo 44
Gavilu 132
Godocoypo 132
Goma de molle 310
Gordura-gordura 47
Granadilla 97
de mono 80
Guairo 309
Guadalaguen 140
Gualle 131
Guarango 310
Guarangillo 309
Guarapo 86
Guava see huayabo 39, 86, 97, 173, 310,
311
362
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
Guayo Colorado 134, 148
Guillipatahua 131, 148
Guilmo 132
Hatum 198
Hatumpacte 42
Haumun 128
Hauyros 24
Haynura 78
Heneldo cimarron 30
Hierba hedionda 199, 237
Higarrobo 155
Higos del duende 201
de monte 199
Higuerilla de la tierra 91
mexicana 91
Hormis 42
Huachancano, Huachamccano 98, 238
Huaita rebozo 213
Huallicaya 31
Huampo 81, 227
Huanabano 30, 101, 102, 203
Huanarpo macho 201
Huantura 78
Huanucara 67
Huaramachia 47
Huarandillo 28
Huarituru 45
Huarmi-huarmi 31
Huarnapo Hembra 201
Huarnica 43
Huayabo 201, 202
de monte 180
Huayacan, 148, 200, 201
Huayansacha 42
Huayro, Huayruru 28
Huehle 44
Huevill-huevill 131
Huighan, Huignan 121, 127, 151
Huilcatauri 205
Huillca 206
Huincus 48
Huiscacassa 212, 231
Hunopergi 130
Hupaimuna 207
Ichu 36, 45, 94, 97
Ictnigo 127
Illmo 133
Incopcam 44
Inich 72, 178
Iscumnim 175
Jaboncillo 104
Jabonera 28, 310
Jazmincillo de lomas 309
Lacre de montana 80
Lagues 133
Laupe 78, 196
Lausahacha 202
Lechuga cimarrona 29, 310
Lengua de ciervo 44
Liga 67
Limoncillo 238, 239
Ligney(?)-lingue 139
Lingue, linge 148
Listre 148
Litho, Llitho 28, 310
Lithre or Lithi 135, 139
Litre 117, 151
Liun 136
Liutu 133, 134, 137
Llague 132
Llampanaui 181, 212
Llinlli 230
Llogui 91, 207
Lucuma 39, 213, 309
Lucumo 30, 148
Lumas 148
Macae 210
Macapagui 102
Macca 63
Macha 230
Macha-macha 46
Machi 230
Machinparrani 210
Macignata 131
Maestrante 28, 310
Magueyes 83
Mahomi 177
Maiz de Guinea 232
Mallicas 80, 81
Malva cimarrona 310
Mancapaguf 47, 91, 230
Mandono 136
Manglillo 213, 220, 309
Mani 309, 311
Manihue 148
Manzana de monte 173
Manzanilla cimarrona 231
Mapato 43, 200
Maqui 127
Mar a villas 165
Margaritas 45, 132
blancas 28
encarnadas 45
esmaltadas 307
de lomas 310
Mascca 231
Massuas 39, 46, 65, 97
Mastimpanrani 46
Mastuercillo 30
Mastuerzo silvestre 67
Matagusanos 91, 199, 310
Matapalo 78, 231
Matayerno matahyerno 100, 310
Maxpachin 175
Mayaca 313
Mayco 95, 96, 212, 213
Mayo 128
Mayten or Magthun 117, 135, 139, 152
Mayu 128
Membrillos 39
Membrillejo 27, 102, 309
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
363
Menhas 42
Merulanguen 140
Michtria 127
Millmahina 44
Millucassa 47
Milluscassa 45
Mito 237, 309
Miu 68, 199
Moho-moho 91
Molinas 98
Molle 199
de Chile 148, 165
Mollocanto 46
Moma 212
Monte lucuma 80, 204, 211
pacae 213
papaya 213
Muca-muca 177
Muna 198
Muyaca 46
Nalcas 131, 132
Naranjitas de Quito 310
Napu 107
Natre 132
Nebu 148
Negu 128
Nogal de la tierra 31
Nothro 130
Nunumya 42
Ocssa 45
purga 48, 230
Oca, Ocka 38, 39, 53, 86, 167
Olla-olla 46, 212
Orejas de abaci 27
Oreja-oreja 238
Ortiga 132, 133
Ortiga de la Sierra 310
Pacae 29, 39, 97, 213
de monte 179
Pachapacte 42
Paco-paco 210
de la sierra 211
Pacoyuyu 100, 200
Pagnhin 133
Pahua 62
Pahuata-huinac 43
Paico 127
Pai-pai 102, 310, 311
Paja purgante 48, 230
Pallares 310
Palillo 39, 202, 309
Palma-palma 230
Palma pullipuntu 206
Palmito 91, 174, 179
Palo amarillo 198, 211, 212
santo 182
Palto, Paltas 29, 30, 39, 86
Panke or Pangue 131
Panul 140
Papa de montana 81
Papaya 53, 80, 178, 226
Papiru 45
Paracso 230
Parampui 178
Pargui and Palqui 126
Patacon 27
Patagua 117, 127, 148
Paxaro (pajaro) bobo 68, 107, 151
Pegajosa 101, 200
Pega-pega 28, 310
Peladilla 148
Pellin 131, 140
Pepino 27, 311
Peregrina 27, 102
Peumo 117, 134, 148
Picahuai 210
Pichana 100
Pichi 137
Pichicara 67
Pichoa 128
Pichuisa 67
Picma 45, 211
Pila-pila 102
Pililla 30
Pilo, Pelu 131, 148
Pimiento-pimiento 46
Pimpinela cimarrona 128
Pina 179, 180
Pini-pini 46, 206
Pinoli 73
Pinoncillo 31, 309
Pinone 148
Piochas 30, 309
Pita 83
Pitau 132, 148
Platano 30
de monte 204
Poguil 126
Polizone 45
Poroto 37, 39
Puche-puche 102, 310
Pucheri 73
Puchuppus 42
Puca-campanilla 45
Pucsato 231
Pucssato 46
Puhe 47
Pullapuil 178
Pullipuntu 206
Puma 40
Pumachillca 211
Pumacuchu 43, 200
Puntu-puntu 44
Purampui 178
Purumhigo 199, 232
Purum pina 198
Puru-puru 231
Puya 132
Puyutchrin 181, 198
Quelgon 132
Quelpuan 178
Queule 127, 128, 148
364
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
Quiebra ollas 102, 237, 309
Quila 133
Quillay 137, 148
Quilmo bianco 133
Quilo 131
Quina, Quino 70, 71, 73, 77, 96, 209,
215, 221, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229
Quina-Quina, Quino-Quino 176, 196
Quina officinal 87
Quinuar, Quinhuar, Quinoar 65, 43, 62
Quinchamali 40, 98
Quinclin 132
Quinoa 66, 121
amarga 127, 307
dulce 127
Quintral 127
Quisoar, Quishuara 42, 202, 230
Quitatauri 43
Raiz de China 185
Ramaysantra 98
Ram ram 230
Raral 130
Ratafia 200
Ratonera 132
Retamilla 132
Rhinnin cussau 46
Rima-rima 47, 212
Rincri-rincri 238
Roble 131
Rocobo 176
Roccotico de monte 78
Romerillo 127
Rosa-rosa 46
Rurama 45, 211
Sacconche 43, 68
Sachsauro 230
Sadcopra 44
Sahuintu 201
Salivatoria 100
Salsaparrilla 133
Salvagina 44
Salvia menor 43
real 43
Sanacassa 46
Sandfa laguen 133
Sangre de drago 181, 182
Santo palo 178, 196
Santra 40
Sarachas 98
Sencapuspu 28
Sia-sia 174, 179, 213
Siempreviva 42, 128
Siete camisas 136
Simayuca 212
Siraca 202
Socconcha 43, 67
Ssagui 80, 173, 226
Ssaire 48
Suche 27
blanco-rosado 27
turumbaco 27
Suelda consuelda 206
Suiba 170
Sumacmisqui 231
Suyunmpai 43
Tabaco cimarron 310
verdadero 202, 203
Tacma 44
Taconcillo, Taconcito 28, 309
Tacuna, 73, 78, 176, 205, 213
Tahue-tahue 212
Tambo 68
Tantarprieto 46
Tapate 102
puta 310
Tapateputilla 29, 310
Tara 30, 31, 62, 310, 311
Taraca 47, 50
Tarucasa 200, 201
Tassta 230
Tauhac-tauhac 230
Taya 47
hembra 47
macho 47
Tecal 133
Thee del Peru 101
Thilco 128
Tiaca 133
Tina 27, 102
Tiquil-tiquil, tiguil-tiguil 27, 315
Tiri bianco 47
encarnado 45
Tsackeiro 182
Torongil 140
Totora 313
Traunuvoqui 130
Trifolito 28
Trompetilla 200
Tulpay 176
Tupa 165
Tuppassaire 48
Turucaffa 82
Tutumo 28, 101, 309
Uchu-uchu 46
Ucuspatallan 43
Ulluco 39, 46
Ullus, Usluss 46
Unas de gato 28
Upe 205
Urra-purupuru 43
Urtiga, see ortiga
Uspica 91, 230
Vainilla 78, 178
Vejuco bianco 211
de la estrella 182, 185
Verde sahuintu 201
Villcatauri 178
Vinagrillo 310
Vira-vira 47
del monte 47
Virgenhacha 231
INDEX OF VERNACULAR NAMES OF PLANTS
365
Vogui 117, 133
Voldo 148, 152
Yacon, (Llacon) 37, 39, 53
Yaravisco 67
Yasmich 176, 196
Yechenor 177
Yedra 28, 102
Yelmo 130
Yerba de la arana 399
de la bolsilla 309
del carnero 31
de la culebra 67
del Gallinazo 100
de la golondrina 31, 207
de la lancha 102
de la mistela 131
de la perdiz 140
de las perlillas 44
de la purgaci6n 102, 200
de San Agustin 31, 310
de San Martfn 78, 232
de la sangre 91
de la seda 309
de la Trinidad 31
hedionda y santa 309
santa 199
Yorasahuintu 201
Yuca 80, 221
Yurahuacta 202
Yurahuanium 211
Yuyu 100
Zapayo 209
Zarzaparilla 206
Zorrino 165
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Achapatumam 235
Acobamba (annex) 55
Acomayo (river) 71, 235
Acomayo (pueblo) 69, 82, 186
Aconcagua (province) 160, 162, 165
Aconcagua (river) 151
Aconcagua (volcano) 151
Acotama (annex) 22
Aculeu (lake) 151
Aguamiro (pueblo) 87
Aguamiro (annex) 88
Aina Huandaro (annex) 99
Algue 151
Alhue (gold mine) 160
Alloca (annex) 40
Alto de las Salinas (gold mine) 160
Amancaes, Los (hills) 105
Ambo (asiente) 168
Ambo (pueblo) 93
Ambo (district) 66
Amolanas (gold mine) 163
Anaica (annex) 99
Ancalloma, Aucallama 22
An con (port) 16
Ancon (heights) 107
Andacollo (hill) 163
Andahuasi (hacienda) 104
Andalien (river) 129, 151
Andamarca (annex) 55
Andarien (river) 151
Angaraes (province) 53
Angol (pueblo) 123
Apache (annex) 22
Apata (parish) 55
Apata (pueblo) 49
Apurimac (river) 64
Araguete (river) 116, 126, 151
Arahuay (parish) 99
Arancai (valley) 88
Arauco (fort) 113, 119, 123
Arcaya (gold mine) 161
Arenisco (the island) 26
Arica 19
Arnedo (town, port) 16, 20
Arnedo (parish) 20
Arnedo (valley) 18
Ascension 11
Atabalillos (parish) 99
Ataxpamarca (annex) 99
Aucallama (parish) 22
Auquimarca (annex) 22
Avendano (lake) 146, 151
Ayaranga (annex) 22
Ayras (district) 87
Banos (parish) 88
Banos (annex) 99
Barranca (parish) 21, 22
Bellavista (hacienda) 41
Bellavista (parish) 13
Benf (river) 64
Bidahuel (lake) 151
Biobio (river) 113, 126, 151
Biobio, Tetas de 110, 142
Bocalemu (lake) 151
Bojeruca (lake) 151
Bombon (pampas) 63, 64
Bombon (heights) 90
Bucas (annex) 99
Bueno (river) 151
Caballero (hacienda) 95, 238
Cachapual (river) 151
Cacray (hill) 61
Cadiz 241
Cahuac (pueblo) 84
Cahuac (annex) 88
Cahuil (lake) 151
Calahuaya (annex) 40
Callao (port) 11, 109, 165, 241
Callapampa, San Geronimo de 41
Canadilla (district) 158
Canete 19
Cangrejillos (hacienda) 129
Canin (annex) 22
Canta (province) 97, 167
Canta (parish) 98
Canta (quebrada) 61, 95
Carabaillo (parish) 13
Carabaillo (river) 13, 97
Carac (annex) 99
Carampangue (river) 116, 117, 126, 151
Carahuacra (annex) 41
Carampoma (pueblo) 41
Carcamon (quebrada) 142
Caren (gold mine) 160
Carhua (annex) 98
Carhuacallanca (annex) 55
Carhuamayo (pueblo) 63
Carhuapampa (annex) 40
Carmen Bajo (convent) 156
Carpis (hill) 82, 192
Carrera del Campo 193
Carrizal (town) 157, 167
Casapalca (hacienda) 41
Casapalca 59
Casape (hills) 75
Casapillo (hills) 75
Casapillo (pueblo) 77
Casas, Las (hacienda) 63
Cascay (river) 71
Cascay (pueblo) 186
Castillo de Pachacamac 23
Caugue 151
Cauquenes (province) 144, 154
Cauquenes (mountains) 139
Cautin (river) 151
Cayumba (hills) 75
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
367
Cayumba (river) 71
Caxamarquilla (pueblo) 65, 90, 168
Caxas (annex) 55
Caxatambo (province) 22
Ccarhuacayan (annex) 98
Ccormo (annex) 99
Cercado (province) 12
Cerro de la Sal (pueblo) 54
Cerro de la Viuda (montana) 95, 168
Cerro del Nuevo Potosf 40
Chaclacayo 37
Chacahuasi (montanas) 225, 229
Chacahuasf 223, 224, 234
Chacahuasi (river) 71
Chacahuasf (pueblo) 225
Chacayco (pueblo) 123
Chaclla (annex) 41
Chaclla (pueblo) 169, 184, 208, 214
Chaclla 47
Chaivin (river) 151
Chanca (annex) 41
Chan cay (town) 16, (parish) 20
Chancay (province) 14, 19, 100
Chancay (hills) 100
Chancayllo (port) 16, 20
Chanco 152
Chacapalca, San Lucas de (annex) 41
Chanchamayo (pueblo) 49, 57
Chanchas (parish) 22
Chapca (annex) 99
Chaplanga or Chaplamha (plain) 35
Chaqui (annex) 98
Chatacancha (annex) 40
Chaucha (pueblo) 236, 237
Chaulan (pueblo) 236
Chaupis (annex) 99
Chavin (pueblo) 87
Chavin 29
Chavm de Pariarca (parish) 88
Chavinillo (pueblo) 84
Chavinillo (annex) 88
Checta 238
Cheguen (hacienda) 129
Cheuchin (pueblo) 55
Chicauma (gold mine) 160
Chicoplaya, San Antonio de 71
Chicoplaya (pueblo nuevo) 71, 187
Chicla, San Juan de (pueblo) 33, 41
Chiloe (district) 144
Chillamahuida 163
Chilian (province) 144, 152, 154
Chilian 151
Chilos 151
Chimba (district) 158
Chimla (district) 156
Chinchao (pueblo) 70, 79, 192
Chinchao (river) 71
Chinchao (quebrada) 186
Chinchaycocha (lake) 54, 63, 64
Chinizo (rivulet) 172
Chipaco (annex) 88
Chiuchin (annex) 22, 32
Chivato (hill) 160
Choapa (river) 151 (lake) 151
Chongos (parish) 55
Chonta (quicksilver mine) 87
Chontay (annex) 40
Choras (annex) 88
Chorrillo (pueblo) 40 (annex) 14
Chulgue (hacienda) 186, 192
Chulguillo (hacienda) 220
Chumayo (river) 71
Chupaca (parish) 55
Chupan (pueblo) 84
Chupan (annex) 88
Chuqui (annex) 88
Churupallana (montana) 57, 58
Chuspas (annex) 99
Ciricamcha (hacienda) 41
Claro (river) 151
Cocachacra 37, 61
Cochahuayco (annex) 40
Cochanhara (parish) 55
Cocinilla (gold mine) 160
Colahuaya (annex) 40
Colca (annex) 55
Colchagua (province) 151, 154, 160
Colina 151, 159
Collata (annex) 41
Collico (hacienda) 129
Collomu (port) 152
Colorado (river) 151
Colocolo (hill) 119
Comayo (pueblo) 228
Comas (parish) 55
Concepcion (pueblo) 51
Concepcion (city) 139, 142
Concepcion (parish) 55, 142
Concepcion (fields) 126, 139
Concepcion (bishopric) 149, 154
Concepcion de Chile (province) 142,
144, 149
Concepcion de Pacha (annex) 41
Conchucos, Los (province) 88
Concura (hill) 116, 126
Conuto (parish) 136
Copacabana (plain) 107, (tambo) 14
Copiapo (province) 160
Copiapo (town) 151, 163
Coquimbo (port) 152
Coquimbo (province) 160, 163
Coquimbo 149
Coquimbo (quicksilver mine) 155
Corbalan (copper mine) 164
Corcura (hill) 126
Cortes (copper mine) 164
Cosma (annex) 88
Cotoc (annex) 99
Cuchero (montanas) 74, 166
Cuchero (pueblo) 71, 232
Cuchero (river) 188
Cuchero 75, 77
Cuchero (district) 73
Cuerno Retorcido 169, 214
Culenco (hacienda) 129, 150
Culiguay (mine) 161
368
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Culli (annex) 99
Culluay (pueblo) 95, 97, 167, 237
Culluay (annex) 99
Cullue (lake) 98
Cushi 184
Cuyo (province) 160
Descubrimiento de las Catas (gold
mine) 160
Diezmo 94, 168
Durazno (gold mine) 160
Eneno (pueblo) 54
Esperanza, Buena (pueblo) 138
Esquadron (country house) 114
Estancia del Rey (pueblo) 138
Florida (parish) 136
Gonzaga, San Luis (pueblo) 138
Guindo (gold mine) 160
Hacas (annex) 88
Hacaybamba (lake) 97
Hacaybamba (pampa) 237
Hacaybamba (montana) 98
Higueras, Las (quebrada) 84
Huacachi (annex) 88
Huacar (annex) 22
Huacaybamba (parish) 86, 88
Huaccrin (annex) 88
Huachinga (annex) 22
Huachipa (annex) 13
Huacho (port) 16
Huacho (parish) 21
Huachupampa (annex) 41
Huacos (annex) 99
Huacrachuco (parish) 88
Huacracocha (lake) 34, 39, 61
Hualgui, San Juan Baptista de 88, 136,
192
Hualgui (parish) 142
Hualhuas (annex) 55
Huallaga (river) 64
Hualpen (quebrada) 142
Huamali (annex) 55
Huamalies (province) 64, 86, 236
Huamanmayo 208
Huamansica (annex) 40
Huamantanha (parish) 99
Huanacache (lake) 151
Huanangui (annex) 22
Huancabamba (pueblo) 54
Huancabamba (river) 171
Huancayo (river) 54
Huancayo (annex) 55
Huancayre (annex) 40
Huanuco 61, 77, 85, 90, 168, 184, 187,
192, 196, 198, 203, 214, 218, 236
Huanuco (quebrada) 91
Huanuco (river) 86, 221, 235
Huanuco (montanas) 91, 166
Huanuco (province) 67, 83
Huanuco de los Caballeros, Leon de
(city) 67, 82
Huanuco el Viejo (pampa of) 87
Huanza (annex) 41
Huaral, San Juan de (pueblo) 20
Huari, San Antonio de (annex) 41
Huariaca (pueblo) 66, 93, 94, 168, 196,
217, 237
Huariaca 90
Huariaca (river) 195
Huaribamba (pueblo) 55
Huarihancha (annex) 88
Huarocherf (parish) 40
Huarocherf (ravine) 36
Huarocherf (province) 33, 39
Huaroquin (annex) 99
Huasahuasi (fort) 55
Huasahuasi (montana) 42
Huasahuasi (pueblo) 56, 57
Huasahuasi (quebrada) 47
Huascacocha (lake) 61
Huasco (valley) 164
Huasco (river) 151
Huascoy (annex) 99
Huaura (river) 16
Huaura (village) 15, 21, 107
Huaura (valley) 19, 20
Huayabal 56
Huayanca (desert) 87
Huayanca (mines) 87
Huaychao (annex) 98
Huaychao (lake) 98
Huaycho (annex) 22
Huayllasrum (lake) 98
Huayllay (annex) 98
Huayucachi (annex) 55
Hucumarca, San Cristobal de 41
Huilguelemu (pueblo) 136, 138, 140, 149
Humaya (hacienda) 103
Huombra (river) 97
Illapel (gold mine) 162
Imperial alta (pueblo) 123
Imperial baja (pueblo) 123
Ingenio, El (hacienda) 41, 103
Iscutunam (hill) 223, 234
Itata (province) 144, 152, 154
Itata (river) 151
Jeguan 19, 20, 100
Jesus (pueblo) 88
Juan Fernandez (island) 144
Lachay (hills) 18, 101
La Corrida (copper mine) 161
Lacosi (annex) 13
Ladera de la Colmilla 170
La Dormida (gold mine) 161
Laguna, La (pueblo) 64
Laguna de Reyes 54
Lagunillas, Las 24
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
369
Lahuaytambo (annex) 40
Lamas 71, 72
La Ligua (gold mine) 161
Lampian (parish) 99
Langa (annex) 40
Lanco 58
Lapa (river) 151
La Punta (annex) 55
Laral 100
Laraos (annex) 41
Lampa (gold mine) 160
Late (parish) 13
Lauquen (lake) 151
Lauricocha (lake) 64, 86
Laurigancho 13
Ligua (river) 151
Lima 58, 60, 99, 105, 107, 165, 196, 238
Lima (city) 12, 23
Las Bacas (gold mine) 162
Lima (river) 40
Lim6n (river) 151
Loicacas (hacienda) 129
Limari (valley, copper mine) 163
Loma Blanca (hill) 160
Longotoma (river) 151
Lontue (river) 151
Lurigancho (parish) 13
Lurin (river) 13, 23
Lurin (parish) 14
Lurin, San Pedro de (pueblo) 24
Llacos (annex) 88
Llacsanga (annex) 22
Llacta (parish) 88
Llamapanahui 169, 214
Llamos (annex) 88
Llancao (annex) 22
Lianas (annex) 88
Lanta (annex) 98
Machainio (hacienda) 77
Macora (hacienda) 186, 189, 194, 240
Mactara (annex) 40
Magdalena (parish) 14
Maguehue (pueblo) 123
Mala (river) 40
Mama, San Pedro de (pueblo) 41
Manzano (gold mine) 160
Mapocho (river) 151, 156, 165
Maranon (river) 54, 64, 71, 86
Marayo Checras (parish) 22
Marco (annex) 99
Margos (annex) 88
Marfas (annex) 88
Marimarchahua (hacienda) 186
Matahuasi y Cincos (pueblo) 55
Matucana, San Juan de (pueblo) 33, 41
Maule (river) 151
Maule (province) 150, 151, 154
Maule (district) 160
Mayo (annex) 99
Maypo (river) 151
Mayro 193
Mayobamba (pampa) 186
Mazo (annex) 21
Mazon (gold mine) 161
Mejprada (annex) 55
Melipilla (province) 160
Membrillejo (gold mine) 160
Menayco (pueblo) 123
Mendoza (river) 151
Mesapaba (cocal) 187
Mesapata 204
Metraro (pueblo) 54
Millague (gold mine) 160
Millan-Antun (quebrada) 149
Miraflores (pueblo) 23
Miraflores (annex) 14, 55, 88
Mito (pueblo) 55
Mocha (valley) 143
Mochita 142
Mojon (annex) 55
Mojon de San Lorenzo (pueblo) 49
Monz6n (annex) 88
Monzon (river) 64, 71, 86
Mopecura (pueblo) 123
Moyobamba (annex) 22
Mulamuerta (gold mine) 160
Mufia (pueblo) 169, 184, 209
Muna (montana) 208
Muquiyauyo (annex) 55
Musga (annex) 22
Nacimiento (pueblo) 149
Nacimiento, El (plaza) 122
Nacimiento, El (fort) 136
Nahuelguapio (lake) 151
Nancagua (town) 160
Nangos de Cochacra or Cocachacra
(annex) 41
Ninacaca (pueblo) 63
Nipas 152
Nongen (river) 129
Nufioa (parish) 159
Obeguet (annex) 22
Obrajillo (annex) 98
Obrajillo (pueblo) 237
Ocopa, Santa Rosa de (convent) 49, 50
Ollerias (pueblo) 196, 218
Olleros, Los (pueblo) 40
Ordones (pueblo) 63
Orcotuna (parish) 55
Oroya, La (pueblo) 36, 59
Oroya, (river) 54
Oroya, (bridge) 36
Otao (annex) 41
Ovas (annex) 88
Ovas (pueblo) 84
Pacaraos (annex) 88
Paccho (pueblo) 22
Pacha (annex of La Conception de)
Pachacamac (annex) 14
Pachacamac (island) 26
Pachacamac, Castillo de 23
370
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Pachachaca (hacienda) 35
Pachachaca 41, 59
Pachas (parish) 88
Pacron (hill) 217, 238
Palca (fort) 55
Palca (montana) 42
Palca (quebrada) 47
Palcamayo (estancia) 94, 168
Palcamayo (pampa) 237
Pallac (annex) 99
Pamacocha (lake) 98
Pamacocha (parish) 98, 99
Pampahermosa (pueblo) 71
Pampamarca (pueblo) 232
Pampas (annex) 99
Panao (pueblo) 169, 208, 214/228
Panao (river) 71
Panatahuas (province) 67
Panatahuas (montana) 47
Pano (river) (see BenI) 64
Parqufn (annex) 22
Papal (lake) 144, 151
Parf (parish) 98
Pari (river) 36, 40, 54, 59, 97
Pariahuanca (annex) 55
Pariamarca (annex) 98
Parral, El (hacienda) 129
Pasachisque (annex) 99
Pasamayo (river) 16
Pasamayo 100
Pascana 234
Pasco (town) 64, 90, 168, 195, 217, 237
Patay (river) 86
Pati (tambo) 82, 186, 192
Pativilca (hacienda) 103
Pelchoguin (hacienda) 129
Penco el Viejo (port) 150, 152, 154
Penco (port) 142
Petorca (province) 151
Petorca 152, 161
Picoy (pueblo) 56
Picoy (annex) 22
Piedra Parada (hacienda) 41
Pillao (pueblo) 221, 228, 235
Pillao (bridge) 220
Pillao (montanas) 219, 229
Pillco (river) 66, 225
Pinapata 208
Pirca (annex) 99
Pisco 19
Playa (height) 184
Playa blanca 116
Playa negra 116
Polcura (hill) 151
Portachuelo 56, 170, 172, 184
Potreros (hills) 160
Potreros del Rey 154
Pucara, Prov. Huarocheri 35, 41
Pucara, Prov. Xauxa 55, 59, 61
Puchacay (province) 136, 144, 152
Pueblo Nuevo 232
Puente (hacienda) 103
Pumacancha (annex) 41
Pumacocha (annex) 41
Pumacocha (hacienda) 61
Punchac (annex) 88
Punrum (lake) 97
Punta (annex) 55
Punta de Diamante (pass) 38
Punta de San Felipe 10
Puntilla (hill) 143
Punos (annex) 88
Punun (annex) 22
Pupio (gold mine) 162
Puruchucu (annex) 99
Puzuzo (montanas) 169
Puzuzo (pueblo) 171, 172
Puzuzo (river) 171, 174
Puzuzo 183, 203
Quebrada Onda (gold mine) 163
Querchereguas (pueblo) 123
Quichuay (annex) 55
Quilacoya (gold mines) 149
Quillota (province) 151, 152, 160, 161,
165
Quinel (lake) 151
Quintay (annex) 22
Quintf (annex) 40
Quinti, San Lorenzo de (pueblo) 40
Quinua (quebrada) 65
Quion (annex )99
Quipan (annex) 99
Quipas (annex) 88
Quipico (hacienda) 103
Quirin (annex) 88
Quinquina (island) 142, 146, 150
Quivilla (quebrada) 84
Quivilla (House of correction) 88
Rancagua (province) 151, 154, 160
Rancagua (volcano) 151
Rauma (annex) 99
Ravira (annex) 99
Renca (parish) 159
Rere (province) 136, 138, 144
Retes 100
Reyes (pueblo) 59, 63
Ricran (annex) 55
Rimac (river) 13
Rinconda (annex) 13
Rio de Lima 40
Rfo de Mala 40
Rioseco (pueblo) 95
Rodonbamba (annex) 88
Rondos (pueblo) 66, 90, 93, 168, 237
Rondos (annex) 88
Rondos (river) 86
Rosapata (hacienda) 77
Rosapata (chacra) 70
Rosario, El (hacienda) 129
Saco, Santa Rosa de (annex) 41
Sacramento (pampa) 64
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
371
San Salvador (hacienda) 129
San Agustin (annex) 99
San Antonio of Huancani (annex) 55
San Antonio de Yauliaco (annex) 41
San Bartolome (annex) 41
San Borja (parish) 159
San Buenaventura (capital) 167
San Cosme y San Damian (pueblo) 40
San Cristobal de Cuchero 75
San Cristobal de Chile (hill) 150
San Fernando (province) 151
San Fernando 152, 154, 160
San Fernando (fort) 13
San Francisco (island) 26
San Geronimo (parish) 55
San Geronimo de Punan (annex) 41
San Isidro (parish) 159
San Jose (annex) 99
San Juan (hacienda) 23
San Juan (river) 151
San Juan (annex) 99
San Juan de Chicla 33, 37
San Juan de Iris (annex) 41
San Juan de Matucana 33, 38
San Lorenzo (island) 109
San Lorenzo de Quinti (pueblo) 40
San Lorenzo (annex) 991
San Lucas de Chacapalpa (annex) 41
San Mateo (pueblo) 33, 60
San Mateo (gorge) 38
San Mateo de Huanchor (parish) 41
San Mateo de Matucana 40
San Miguel (annex) 99
San Pedro de Mama 33, 37, 60
San Pedro (fort) 114, 126, 134, 153
San Pedro 152
San Pedro de Casta (parish) 41
San Pedro Nolasco (silver mine) 160
San Pedro Nolasco 151
San Pedro de Quilcai (lake) 26
San Rafael (pueblo) 66, 90
San Simon (silver mine) 160
San Vicente (port) 142, 152
Santa Ana (hacienda) 129
Santa Ana (parish) 159
Santa Barbara (pueblo) 123
Santa Catalina (pueblo) 98
Santa Cruz (annex) 22, 99
Santa Cruz de Triana (district) 160
Santa Ines (annex) 41
Santa Lucia (hill) 156, 158
Santa Marfa (island) 110
Santa Olalla [Eulalia] 29, 40
Santa Rosa (hacienda) 129
Santiago (province) 160
Santiago de Chile (city) 142, 154, 156
Santiago de Chile (bishopric) 139, 160
Santiago de Huayhuay (annex) 41
Santiago de Tuna (annex) 40
Santo Domingo de Chile 149
Santo Domingo 184, 208
Santo Domingo (quebrada) 169
Santo Domingo (river) 71, 169
Saria (hill) 234
Sauli 40
Sayan (parish) 22
Sayan (pueblo) 103, 104, 107
Sicaya (pueblo) 55
Sillcay (hill) 223
Sillcay 235
Sillapata (annex) 88
Sinfondo, Rio 151
Sisicaya (annex) 40
Siusa (river) 58
Solano, San Francisco de Trapiche
(annex) 41
Sorococha (lake) 97
Suayhuay, Santiago de (annex) 444
Sumbirca (annex) 99
Sunicancha (annex) 40
Supe (annex) 21, 22
Surco (parish) 14, (annex) 41
Surco (pueblo) 20, 30, 33
Tachal (river) 151
Tahua-tahua (lake) 151
Talca (city) 154
Talca (gold mine) 163
Talcahuano, Bay 146
Talcahuano (road) 141
Talcahuano (parish) 142
Talcahuano (port) 110, 112, 142, 152
Tambillo 169
Tambillo (ravine) 208
Tambo Nuevo (clearing) 170
Tambo (plain) 70
Tanahuillin (hill) 149
Tango (parish) 159
Tantamayo (annex) 88
Tantaranchi (annex) 40
Tapaya (annex) 22
Tarma (pueblo) 36, 42, 48, 55
Tarma 33, 47, 58, 62
Tarma (province) 42, 88
Tarma (montanas) 166
Tarmatambo (castle ruins) 49
Taullan (farm) 208
Tazo (river) 86
Teno (river) 151
Tiltil (gold mine) 160
Tingo (hacienda) 41
Tingo (river) 235
Tinguirinica (river) 151
Tolten (river) 151
Tolten alto (pueblo) 123
Toltero Bajo (pueblo) 123
Tongos (annex) 22
Torreblanca (hacienda) 20, 100, 105, 107
Torrehuasi 235
Torre sin Agua (hill) 214
Torre sin Agua 169
Tramo 170, 184
Tucapal (pueblo) 123
Tuctu 40, Ingenio de 41
Tulumayo (pueblo) 54
Tunuyan (river) 151
372
INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Tupicocha (annex) 40
Turpay (annex) 22
Ucayali (river) 54, 64
Uchubamba (annex) 55
Uchayucarpa (annex) 98
Uca (parish) 88
Una del Diablo (walk) 24
Urubamba (pueblo) 54
Valparaiso (government) 144
Valdivia 151
Valdivia (river) 151
Valdivia (government) 144
Valle (parish) 221
Valle (town) 169, 208
Valparaiso (province) 160
Valparaiso (port) 152, 165
Vegueta (annex) 21
Vichaycocha (annex) 98
Vico (pueblo) 63
Villagra 116, 130
Villarica (lake) 151
Villa Roca (volcano) 151
Viscas (annex) 99
Viso, San Miguel de (annex) 41
Viso (tambo) 38
Viuda, La (island) 26
Xauxa [Jauja] 47
Xauxa (parish) 55
Xauxa (pueblo) 49, 51, 54
Xauxa (river) 54
Xauxa (province) 49, 53
Xican (annex) 88
Xicamarca (annex) 41
Xivia (annex) 88
Yacan (pueblo) 237
Yaco (see Saco)
Yacul (annex) 22
Yanacolpa (hacienda) 41
Yanamayo 184, 214
Yangas 167
Yarumayo (river) 71
Yaso (pueblo) 167
Yaso (annex) 99
Yaulfa, San Antonio de (parish) 41
Yauliaco (hacienda) 41
Yauliaco (mill) 34
Yauricocha (hill) 237
Yauricocha (lake) 64
Yauricocha (cerro) 94
Yeguaragui (hacienda) 129
Yerro (gold mine) 162
Yguari (pueblo) 22
Yunhuy (annex) 22
Zapallanga (annex) 55
Zinha (parish) 88
THE LIBRARY OF THE
APR 13 1940
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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 UBRARY OF THE
APR 13 1940
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
TRANSLATION
BY
B. E. DAHLGREN
CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OP BOTANY
BOTANICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 21
MARCH 28, 1940
PUBLICATION 467
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
