CHAPTER CVII.
Of the founding of the town of Plata, which is situated in the province of Charcas.
THE noble and loyal town of Plata, a settlement of Spaniards in Chuquisaca (in the province of Charcas), is very famous throughout the kingdoms of Peru, and in other parts of the world, for the great treasure which, in these latter years, has been brought thence to Spain. This town is built in the best situation that could be found, in a place, as I have already said, which is called Chuquisaca.[506] The climate is temperate, and well suited for the growth of fruit trees, vines, wheat and barley, and other things. At present the farms and lands are very valuable by reason of the rich mines that have been discovered at Potosi. Several rivers of very good water flow near, and many cows, mares, and goats are bred on the estates of the Spaniards. Some of the citizens of this town are among the richest and most prosperous people in the Indies, for in the years 1548 and 1549 a repartimiento belonging to the general Pedro de Hinojosa[507] yielded a rent of more than one hundred thousand castellanos, and others yielded eighty thousand, some even more. The treasure that was found in those times was a wonderful thing. This town of Plata was settled and founded by the captain Peransurez, in the name of his Majesty the emperor and king, our lord, the Adelantado Don Francisco Pizarro being his governor and captain-general of Peru, in the year 1538. Besides the villages already mentioned, this town has jurisdiction over Totora, Tapacari, Sipisipe, Cochabamba, the Carangues, Quillanca, Chayanta, Chaqui, the Chichas, and many others, all very rich, and some, like the valley of Cochabamba, suited for the growth of wheat and maize, and for breeding cattle. Beyond this town is the province of Tuquma, and the regions which were entered and discovered by the captains Felipe Gutierrez, Diego de Rojas, and Nicolas de Heredia, in which direction they discovered the river of La Plata, and reached the fortress which was built by Sebastian Cabota. Diego de Rojas died of a wound from an arrow poisoned with the herb used by the Indians, and afterwards Francisco de Mendoza seized Felipe Gutierrez, and obliged him to return to Peru. The same Francisco de Mendoza, when he returned to discover the river, was killed, together with his lieutenant Ruy Sanchez de Hinojosa, by Nicolas de Heredia. Thus these parts were not entirely discovered, owing to the quarrels and feuds amongst the explorers, who returned to Peru. Here they met with Lope de Mendoza, the lieutenant of Diego Centeno, who was flying from the fury of Carbajal, Gonzalo Pizarro’s captain; and joined him. They were defeated by the same Carbajal at a village called Pocona, and soon afterwards Lope de Mendoza and Nicolas de Heredia fell into his power, and were put to death by him, with others.[508]
Further on is the government of Chile, of which Pedro de Valdivia is the governor, and other lands bordering on the strait which is called Magellanes. But as the affairs of Chile are important, and require a special narrative, I have only written what I saw between Uraba and Potosi, which is near this town, a road of such length that it must be (from the borders of Uraba to the further end of the town of Plata) a good two thousand two hundred leagues, as I have already stated. I shall not go further in this my first part, except to say that the Indians subject to the town of Plata have the same customs as those of other parts. After they were conquered by the Yncas, their villages were well ordered, and both men and women wore clothes. They worshipped the sun and other things, and had temples in which they performed their sacrifices. Many of them, such as the Charcas and Carangues, were very warlike. From this town captains and soldiers set out to serve his Majesty several times during the late wars, and they served loyally. With this I make an end of what I have to say touching the founding of the town of Plata.
CHAPTER CVIII.
Of the riches in Porco, and how there are large veins of silver near that town.
IT appears from what the Indians now say that, in the times when the Kings Yncas governed this kingdom of Peru, they obtained a great quantity of silver from some parts of this province of Charcas, and Indians were stationed there, who gave the metal to the overseers or their deputies.[509] In the hill of Porco, which is near the town of Plata, there were mines out of which the Indians got silver for their lords. Much of the silver which was in the temple of the sun, called Ccuri-cancha, is said to have been taken from this hill, and the Spaniards have also got a great deal out of it. In the present year a mine belonging to the captain Hernando Pizarro has been cleaned out, which was worth more than two hundred thousand pesos of gold every year. Antonio Alvarez, an inhabitant of this town, showed me, in the City of the Kings, a little ore taken from this hill of Porco, which appeared to be nearly all silver. In short, Porco was in former times extremely rich, and is so still, and it may be believed that it always will be. In many neighbouring hills, within the jurisdiction of this town of Plata, rich mines of gold and silver have been found. It may be held for certain that there is so much of this metal that if there were those to seek and extract it, they would get little less than, in the province of Biscay, they get iron. But as it must be got out by Indians, and as the country is too cold for Negroes, there are reasons enough why such great wealth is lost. I have also to say that in some parts of the district belonging to the town of Plata there are rivers which bring down very fine gold. In the Chichas, villages given in encomienda to Hernando Pizarro, and subject to this town, it is said that there are some silver mines; and great rivers rise in the Andes, near which, if gold mines were sought for, I hold that they would be found.[510]
CHAPTER CIX.
How they discovered the mines of Potosi, whence they have taken riches such as have never been seen or heard of in other times; and how, as the metal does not run, the Indians get it by the invention of the huayras.
THE mines of Porco, and others in this kingdom, have been open since the time of the Yncas, when the veins whence they extract the metal were discovered; but those which they have found in the hill of Potosi (concerning which I now desire to write) were never worked until the year 1546. A Spaniard named Villaroel was searching for veins of metal with some Indians, when he came upon this wealth in a high hill, being the most beautiful and best situated in all that district. As the Indians call all hills and lofty eminences Potosi, it retained that name. Although Gonzalo Pizarro was then waging war against the viceroy, and the whole kingdom was troubled with this rebellion, the skirts of the hill were soon peopled, and many large houses were built. The Spaniards made their principal settlement in this place, the court of justice was removed to it, and the town of Plata was almost deserted. They discovered five very rich veins on the upper part of the hill, called the “rich vein,” the “vein of tin,” etc. This wealth became so famous, that Indians came from all parts to extract silver from the hill. The climate is cold, and there are no inhabited places in the vicinity. When the Spaniards had taken possession, they began to extract the silver, and he who had a mine gave each Indian who entered it a marc, or, if he was very rich, two marcs every week. So many people came to work the mines, that the place appeared like a great city. That the greatness of these mines may be known, I will say what I saw in the year of our Lord 1549 in this place, when the licentiate Polo[511] was corregidor of the town of Plata for his Majesty. Every Saturday the metal was melted down in his house, and of the royal fifths there came to his Majesty thirty thousand or twenty-five thousand pesos, and sometimes forty thousand. And while extracting such immense wealth, that the fifth of the silver, which belonged to his Majesty, came to more than one hundred and twenty thousand castellanos[512] every month, they said there was little silver, and that the mines were not well worked. Yet this metal, which was brought to be melted, was only what belonged to the Christians, and not even all that, for a great deal was taken in pure bits and carried off; and it may be believed that the Indians took a great deal to their own homes. It may with truth be asserted that in no part of the world could so rich a hill be found, and that no prince receives such profits and rents as this famous town of Plata. From the year 1548 to 1551 the royal fifths were valued at more than three millions of ducats, which is more than the Spaniards got from Atahualpa, and more than was found in the city of Cuzco, when it was first occupied.[513] It appears that the silver ore cannot be made to run by the bellows, nor can it be converted into silver by means of fire at Potosi. In Porco, and in other parts of the kingdom where they extract metal, they make great plates of silver, and the metal is purified and separated from the dross by fire, in which operation large bellows are used. But in Potosi, although this plan has been tried, it has never succeeded; and though great masters have endeavoured to work with bellows, their diligence has availed them nothing.