[221] Payaguás. The Sierra de San Fernando is a small ridge of mountains extending from 17° to 21° of south lat.
Then our commander went straight on with three hundred Christians, one hundred and thirty horses, and three hundred Carios, for eight full days without finding any people at all. On the ninth day we found a nation called Naperus, who have nothing to eat but meat and fish; they are tall and powerful; their wives have their nakedness covered, and are not at all beautiful.
From the aforesaid mountain S. Fernando to this nation the distance is thirty-six miles. Here we passed the night, and then went travelling seven days more, when we came to a people called Maipai.[222] They are a very numerous people, and have subjects who must plough the land and fish for them, and generally do whatever they are ordered, just as at home the peasants are subject to the noble lords. This nation is well provided with Turkish corn, mandeochade, mandepore parpii, padades, mandues,[223] bachkeku, and other roots useful for eating. They also have deer, Indian sheep, ostriches, ducks, geese, poultry, and other fowl.
[222] Mepenes, who are Abipones.
[223] These victuals are: maize, manioc, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pea-nuts, and perhaps bananas, which the author calls “bachkeku”.
Their forests are full of honey out of which wine is prepared and other things are made, and the farther you go into the country the more fertile you will find it. They have all the year round Turkish corn in the fields, and other roots as well. Their sheep, which are in a wild state, they use as we do our horses, for riding and carrying purposes.[224] I myself, having one foot ailing, once rode on such a sheep for more than forty miles, though not in this journey. In Peru goods are conveyed on these sheep as on horses at home.
[224] These are the Peruvian llamas, and guanacos, from which the Indians took the wool, and wove rough cloth.
These Maijeaijs[225] are tall, erect, and warlike, giving all their care to warlike affairs. Their wives are very beautiful and have their nakedness covered. They do no work in the fields; the man has to look after the food. Neither at home does the woman anything else but spin wool, and prepare food, and also what pleases the man and other good companions who pray her to do it, etc. We won’t say anything more about it; he who likes to see it, shall go thither, and if he does not otherwise believe it, he will find it out for himself.
[225] Mbaiás.
When we were not above half a mile distant from this people they met us on the way, where there was a small clearing, where they told our commander that we should remain for the night, and they would bring us whatsoever we had need of, but they did this out of malice; and to win more confidence, they presented our commander with four silver crowns to wear on the head, and they gave him besides six silver plates, each of which was one and a half span long and half a span wide.