A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 201 – Subpart 204
The Temple of the Sun described.
Cusco, the Imperial City of the Incas in America, when the Spaniards first took it, had in it a Temple of the Sun, all the walls whereof were covered with plates of gold, from the top to the bottom. At the East end was the image of the Sun of one plate of gold, as thick again as the other: the face was round with raies of gold like flames of fire, all of one peece: It was so big, that it filled all from one wall to the other. On both sides were the bodies of their deceased Kings, embalmed, set in seats of gold, placed on planks of gold: All the doors about the Temple were lined with plates of gold; without the Temple, on the top of the walls ran a champhered work of gold, above a yard broad, round about the Temple; Beyond the Temple ran a cloister of four squares, round about the top whereof was such a crown of champhered gold above a yard broad: In the corners of the Cloister were Chappels▪ one whereof was dedicated to the Moon, all which with the Gates thereof were covered with plates of silver: the image was placed, as that of the Suns, with the face of a woman, all of one plank of silver▪ The next Chappel was dedicated to Venus, and the Starres, lined also with silver, and the porch of silver. The third was dedicated to the Thunder, and Lightning: The fourth to the Rainbow; which two last were all lined, and garnished with gold. Hard by was an house for the Priests, all lined with gold from the top to the bottom. There were twelve doors to the Cloister, and as many Tabernacles or Shrines which were all plated over with gold in form of Porches, and the floores covered with gold. The Images were all set with Turkesses, and Emeralds. In the house also were five Fountains, of water wherein they washed the sacrifices: out of them the water ran in Pipes of gold; and many of their pillars were of gold, hollow, and some of them were of silver.
Brasile, hath on the North Guiana, on the South the River of Plate and Chile, on the East the Ocean, and on the West the Mountains of Peru, called the Andes: The hills are high, and craggie, full of ravenous beasts, and poisonous Serpents: on them also inhabite a barbarous people going stark naked. In the Vallies the air is healthy, the earth fat, and alwayes flourishing. It yeelds great store of Sugar, and rich Mines: and Brasil wood to dye with; the natives go naked, and are very barbarous: In their feasts they used to roast a fat man, and cutting him to collops, did eat him with much delight: Both men and women are great swimmers, and excellent divers, being able to endure long under water. Here is a beast so slow in motion, that in fifteen dayes, hee cannot go further than a man can throw a stone, whence the Portugals call it Pigritia.
Brasile, is generally temperate, of a delicate and healthful air, so that many of the Inhabitants live till they bee above one hundred years old: generally, its neither hot, nor cold: The Heavens are very pure, and clear, especially by night: The Moon is prejudicial to health, and corrupteth things very much: the mornings are most healthful: there are very little twilights: their Summer begins in September, and endeth in February: Their Winter in March, and ends in August: the nights and dayes are almost all equal: The Country is very watery, both from the plenty of Rain, and Rivers. Its full of great woods, which are green all the year: Towards the Sea coast it is Hilly: From Parnambuck to the Captainship of the Holy-Ghost, its scarce of stone: From thence to St. Vincent, mountainous, with many Quarries of stone: there is little provision for apparrel, the Country yeelding nothing but Cotton-wool.
They have fair, and large Deer, with large heads, of several kinds: As also Elks somewhat like a Mule, that have no horns; a snout that they shrink up, and put forth, and are excellent swimmers. There are store of wild Boars that have their navel on their backs, whence comes a sent like that of Foxes. There are a sort of Acuti, like Conies, that live in their houses, that having filled their bellies, hide what they leave till they bee again hungry. Their Pacas are like Pigs, their flesh is pleasant, but they never bring forth above one at a time. There are Ounces, some black, some grey, some speckled, a cruel, and dangerous beast. The Curigue is grey, as big as a Cat, shaped like a Fox, and smells worse; they have a bag from the fore to the hinder feet, wherein they carry their young ones, till they can get their own food: they usually have six or seven young ones.
The Armadillo is as big as a Pig, of a whitish colour, having a long snout, and the body armed with things like Plates, so hard, that no arrow can peirce them, except in the flank: with their snouts they dig into the earth with incredible celerity: their flesh tastes pleasantly, and of their skins they make purses. There are several sorts of Porcupines: If one of their quills enter the flesh, it works it self in strangely, if it bee not pulled soon out.
There are many kindes of Apes with beards, and Monkies; and wild Cats with excellent Furrs.
There are huge Snakes, some of twenty foot long, that will swallow a whole Deer; others there are that live of Birds Eggs, black, long, and having a yellow breast; they live on trees. Another sort there is, big, and long, all green, and beautiful, that live also of Birds, and Eggs. Another sort with a long snout that feeds only upon Frogs, there are rattle-snakes so swift, that they call them the flying-snakes, some of them twelve or thirteen spans long. There are abundance, of other sorts, with Scorpions, and Spiders, and so many Lizards that they cover the walls of their houses.
There are abundance of Parots that flye in flocks, and fill whole Islands, they are fair, and of sundry colours, and are good meat. There are other curious birds, and amongst the rest, the Awaken-Bird, which sleeps six months, and lives the other six months: they have Partridges, Turtle-Doves, Blackbirds: yea and Ostriches, Eagles, Faulcons, &c.
They have many sort of fruit-trees, and Cocoes, and above twenty sorts of Palm-trees; Pine-trees also, and others that are medecinable: some they have that never rot, and others that yeeld an excellent smell.
Chilie, hath on the East the Virginian Sea, on the West the South Sea, or Mare del Zur: on the North Peru, and on the South the Streights of Magellane. Its very cold, and in the Midland very mountainous, and barren, but towards the Sea level, fruitful, and watered with many Rivers that flow from the mountains: It yeelds plenty of gold, abundance of Hony, store of Cattel, and Wine; fruits, and plants brought from Spain prosper well here: here are the Patagons some of them are said to bee eleven foot high. Here is a River having in the day time a violent stream, and in the night no water in it, the water proceeding from the melting of the snow upon the Mountains.
The gold in Chily is gotten two wayes: One, by washing the earth in great trays of wood; the earth by washing wasteth, and the Gold remaineth in the bottome. The other is by art to draw it out of the Mines: every shower is a shower of gold: for with the violence of the water falling from the Mountains, it brings from them gold along with it. There are also rich Copper Mines, Horses, Goats, and Kine brought thither out of Spain, are so encreased, that there are found thousands in heards, wild, and without owners. They have also other Cattel, that are natural to America, in some of which the Bezar stones are found. Amongst the rest, there is a little beast like unto a Squirel, whose skin is the rarest, delicatest, and softest furr that is: It is of a grey colour. No Fruits that have stones will prosper here.
The Magellanick Streights Described.
Fourteen Leagues within the Cape of St. Mary, lyeth the first Streight, where it ebbs and flows violently: the Streight being not full half a mile broad, so that the first entrance is dangerous, and doubtful: three Leagues this Streight continues, whence it opens into a sea eight miles long, and as broad, beyond which lyes the second Streight, West, South West, from the first, a dangerous passage also, being three leagues long, and a mile in breadth, this opens into another Sea, extending to the Cape of Victory, a place of such a nature, that which way soever a man steers his course, hee shall be sure to have the wind against him: the length of it is forty Leagues, the breadth in some places two leagues, in some others not half a mile: the channel so deep, that there can bee no anchorage, the water full of turnings, and the stream so violent that being once entred there is no returning. On both sides are high Mountains continually covered with Snow, from whence proceed also dangerous counter-winds, that beat on all sides of it.
The Principal of the American Islands Described.
Many of the Islands in this part of the World have nothing remarkable in them, and therefore I will speak but briefly of them.
The Islands neer unto the Gulph of Mexico Described.
At Paria begin two ranks of Islands, the one extending East and West, the other North, and South: Amongst the former is Margarita, so called from the abundance of Pearls gotten there: but being barren, and wanting fresh water, it is not inhabited.
Cubag…ua is her next neighbour, yeildeth also store of Pearls, but for the like barrennesse is unpeopled: Here were so many Pearls gotten, that the King of Spains fifth, amounted ordinarily to fifteen thousand Duckats a year. On the East part of this Island neer unto the Sea, there is a fountain that casteth forth a bituminous substance like Oil, in such abundance, that it is seen floating upon the sea, two or three leagues off.
Then follow Orchilia, Oruba, and some other Islands concerning which we have no more than their names upon record.
That other rank that trends Northward▪ are Granata, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, and North-west, Desiderara, St. Christophers, Holy-Cross, &c. all which are called the Islands of the Caribes, or Canibals, the Inhabitants whereof eat mans flesh, and passing over in their Canoes, to other Islands, hunt for men as others do for beasts At home they only cover their privities, but in war they use many Ornaments: they are nimble, beardlesse, shoot poisoned arrows, bore holes in their ears, and nostrils, for bravery, which the richer sort deck with gold, the poorer with shels, and make their teeth black, which never ake nor rot: their houses are round, they have hanging beds of Cotton, called Hammackoe…, and they worship only the Sun and Moon. They have Parrats bigger than Pheasants, with backs, breasts, and bellies of a purple colour. In Guadabuza is a fountain so hot, that it will quickly boil a peece of meat. In Mevis also there is an hot bath like ours in England.
In Mona are wild Boars, and great wild Bulls: in Moneta are abundance of Fowl.
The Antiles Islands are seven. St. Vincent, Granado, Lucia, Matalina, Dominica, Guadalupa, and Aysey, where the Natives paint themselves, to keep off the Muskitoes, wear their hair long, cut their skins in diverse works, worship the Devil, and poison their arrows.
Boriquen, or St. Johns Island is three hundred miles long, and seventy broad, traversed with a rough Mountain, out of which flow many rivers: Here the Spaniards have some Towns: the chiefest is Porto Rico, taken by the Earl of Cumberland, Anno Christi 1597. from whence hee brought about eighty cast peices, and much other wealth.
Mevis hath in it great store of wood, and in a valley betwixt two hills, there is a bath like unto ours in England: There are in it store of Conies, sundry kinds of Fowl, and plenty of Fish; some of our English under Captain Middleton, Anno Christi 1606, passing through the woods, came to a most pleasant Garden, being one hundred paces square on every side, and had many Cotton trees growing in it, and many Guiacum trees; about it were such goodly tall trees growing, as if they had been planted by Art.
In the Islands of Margarita, and Cubagua, which are situate nigh unto the Golden Castile, there is neither Corn, Grass, Trees, nor water; so that sometimes the people will give a tun of Wine for a tun of Water: But they have abundance of precious stones, hence called Margarites, and the gems called Unions ▪ because they alwayes grow in couples.