The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

BooK V. '.J .,,j. CH A ·p~ · ·' 11 . . ,¡.. Of the Proportion of Land which was ailotted· to ever.y fo ~ dian, and with'whc¡t fort of Dung . ·1~ey irn:pro~ed it.' .n • T O everiy _In~ódn wa~ given ~ T~pu of Land, wbich, wa;; as nrncb as he rnlght · fo:w w1t!fi, a-1:la1Jeg-a; . ( whKh 1s as rnuch as a Bufhel and a half of M ay:{,, or Indiam:Wheat;· thoaght!he Hanega of P~ru is,. a' Hanega anda half of Spain. ) This w01;<rl Tupu fignifi<:1s alfü a League in travelling, likewife atl Cores of meiltfures o( Watei: 1 or Wine, or any onher Liquour; as alfo the great Pins wirb wblch Wo- men rndtrup their dreffo1gs : The Meafure of Seed-corn hath al~ ªºQthet name] which is: FDr:cha. 1 • • • One Tupu of- Land was eft:eemed fufficient to maimain an ordinary·Cou_mrey- Fefilowi añd his Wife, provided he had Iiot Chíldren; far rhen, fo foori as he had a Son, tbey added -·'anorher Tupu of Land to his Eíl:ate ~ and. if a Dapghter, half an one: When ~he Son married, fo that he lefr his F~thei--s Houíe, thert he re- fignedover to the·Son bis 'Fupu of bnd, in which he had an Qriginal Right aoq Pr<Dpriety. But this wa:s. diiferémly obferved as to Daughters, for they were not to take tlieir Landswith them in marriage, it"having been given.them for their fubíit1ence Eluring their Mirnority onely, put nót to accrue to ihem by way of Ponion; f or every Husband claiming his·iliare of Land in his own Right, .was oblig~d to füp- port his Wife, -the Law rakiflg no farther cognizance ofWomen afcer their Mar- riage; the Land rernaining with the Father, in cafe he had need of ,ir, and if nor, then it r.eturned again to the"Communicy; for it was not lawfull either ro fell or · alienare itr. · ' Proportionably to thofe Lands which they gave far bearing M ay<:., they alfo adjoined others, which were dry Lands, and did not require Vv ater, aod yet pro- duced Pulfe and other feeds. .. .To Noble and great Families, füch as were chofe of the Curac4!;. or Lords who had Subje& under them, they allotted fo much Land as was futncient to rnain- tain their W'ves and Children, Concubines and Servants. To the · fnca.s of rbe Blqud Royal the fame advantage and benefit was allowed, in any pan wherefoe- ver they were p-leaíed to fix their aboad; and their Lartds were tQ be the befr and richefi of any : And this they were to enjoy over and above the common íhare and right which they claimed in the Eíl:ates of the King, and the Sun 1 as Chil- dren of the ·one, and Brdthers of the other. · They uíed to dung their Lands, tbat they rnight rriake them fruitfull, and it is obfervable, that in all the Valley about Coz".co, and in the hilly Countries, where they fowed May:{,, they efreemed the beíl: manure to be Man's Dung; Clnd to thac' end they fa.ved and garhered it with gteat care, and drying it, they cafr it upon their .Lamd before they fowed their. Mayz,. But in the Counrrey bf Colla o, which is above an hundred and fifty Leagues long, which, by reafon of rhe coldnefs of the Climate, doth not produce May:{,, though it bear other fort of Grane, there t~ey efreem the Dung ofCattle to be the beíl: manure and improvement. By the Sea-coaíl:, from below Arequepa, as far as T arapaca, which is above two hundred Leagues, they uíe no other Dung, bue fuch as comes from che Sea-birds, of whicl) there are great numbers, and incredible flocks on the Coaíl: of Pmt ; they br:eed in little ffiands, which líe in che Sea, and are unpeopled, where rh~y lay fuch peap¡; of Dung, that ar a diíl:ance they feem ro be Hills of Snow. fo rhe tirpes of the Incas, who wer~ Kings, great care was taken of rhefe Birds in th,feafon of their Breeding; for then on pain ofDeath no Man was ro enter orr tliofe Ifiaeds, leíl:"they íhould diíl:urb the Birds, or f poil their Nefis; nor was it lawfull to take or kili tlmn at any time,· efther 6ff or'upon the Iíland. E ver}( 1 _35