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.

Royal. Commentaries. BooK VIIL CH A P. IX. Of MayZJ Rice, and other Seeds. T HE Fruits of Peru, by which the Jndians were fufbined before the coming in of the Spaniards , were of divers forts, fome being produced above, and others under ground. · Of the Fruits which grow above ground, the chi ef and principal is chat Grane which che people of Mexico and Barloventa call Mayz, and chofe of Peru, Cara, being che onely Bread they ufe: . And chis ·is of two forts; one is hard, which they call Muruchu ; and che orher tender and fine, called Ca- -pi a: chey eat it for Bread, eicher baked or parched over che fire, or boiled i n' water: che hard Mayz is that whi'h they have brought to ího ·n Spain, but not che fine and tender fort. Some pares produce much finer, and tendere r than others, particular!y che Countrey of Rucana. At their folemn Sacrifices, as we have faid, they ri[ed Bread made of Mayz, which chey called Cancu :, and at other times, on occafion of a Feaíl: or treatment which they gave, they made th at fort of Bread which was·called Huminta ; che which fom of Bread had linle diffe- rence in themfelves, being onely difüngui01ed by cheir ufe, fome being ma de for facrifice> and others for common fuíl:enance : Their Corn was Ground by che Wome.n on a broad Stone, on which they caíl: che Griíl:, and on rhe top thereof . they laid another Stone in the faíhion of a Half Moon, not round, bu t with a point of three fingers broad at each comer. At che corners of che Stone, made Half Moon wife, they laid their hands, rubbing and prelfmg fe hard on cheMayz, unrill it was broken .- This difficu!ty and crouble chey had in Grinding ch~ir Mayz, and ali other Grane ; for which feafon they did not comrnonly eat Bread. They did never beat cheir Corn in Mortars, chough they had learned che w ay of it; becaufe it required more labour ~of che Armes, th~n che Grinding with a Stone, che weight of which made che work more ealte : And chen ch e good Houfewife having ground awhile, with one hand lifrs up che upper Scon e, and wid1 che other {\~eeps up che Corn , gachering ic inro che midíl: of che Qgern, which for the likenefS of it we may call a Fulling-Mill, becaufe of the lhokes which they gave on it wirh cheir hands. They made alfo a kind of a Haíl:y- Pudding, called Api, which was a great Diíh amongíl: them, and which they eat wi rh mucli delighr ; ·but this was eíl:eemed high feeding, and not com mon ac every rneal. .The Flour they divided frormnhe Bran, in chis manner, they laid al! upon a clean cloth made of Cotton, anclr~en fpread it with their hands ali over che Cocton-clorh ; che fineíl: part of che flour would fück to.che Cotton , but the more grofS pares of che Bran would remain loofe from ir, and fo they eaíily took it up, and divided it with their hands; then chey fwept up the Flour which íl:uck to the cloth imo che middle ; and having taken that away, they b rought more, umill they had cerned and fifted ali cheir Griíl: ; bue they chiefly took chis pain~ for the fake of tbe Spaniards, and not of che l ndians, who were noc fo cu- rious in their dier, bue thac che courfeíl: fort of chis Bran would go down wid1 them; for the Bran of Mayz is not fo harfh or choaky, as much to offen d the palate. This was their manner of dividing che Bran from che Flour, for as 'yet the uíe of Sieves was noc brougbt from Spain, by reafon chac their Bread was all made of chis Mayz, and not of Wheat : Al! which I can tefüfie to have feen · wich my own eyes, having been nourifhed for nine or ten years witl1 no orher Bread rhan that of Cara, which is Mayz; che which is of chree forts: Canm is fer Sacrifice, Huminta for their Feaíl:s, and great Enterrainmenrs; Tanta; with an afpiration on che top of.the mourh, is common Bread. Cara, when it is parched, rhey cal! Camcha, which being pronounced wich an N, Ctlncha fignifies a Streer, or Neighbourhood. The boilea Cara , they called · Muti ( and rhe Spaniard> Mote) wliich is boiled Mayz, having two Names for che fame thing. Of che Flour