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.

BoÓK VIII. Royal Commentaries. of being contratl:ed ~etween very high Mountains, which from the bottorn to ihe top, where the Snow is lodged upon them, meafure thirteen, fourteen, and fifreen Leagues almoíl: perpendicular. This River is the g¡·earefi: of'any in all Peru, wherefore rhe Jndians call it Apurimac, becaufe Apu íignifies Chief, or Prin- cipal borh in War and Peace : rhey cal! ir alfo C.apac Mayu, Capac íignifying plen- tifull, rich, abundant, and Mayu a River : For as Capac was an Epirhet, or Title given to their-Kings, fo they amibured rhat Title or Dignity to rhe Chi~f an~ · Prince of all their Rivers. This River keeps its name, whilíl: it paífes through che Countrey of Peru; but whether it lofes its ,name afrerwards or nor, or that che Nations who live in the Moumains give ir any other narne, I am notable to fay. In the year 1 5")5, by reafon of rhe great Rains which fell that Winter, a vaíl: part of rhe Moumain rnmbled into rhe River, with fuch mighry and prodigious Rocks, as gave a íl:op to the currem of the water for three whole days ; and fo remained till rhe water overfl.owing the ruinous Moumain which fell in, came ar 339 laíl: to take its narnrale courfe.; at which detention, or froppage of the water, rhe ~oor Inhabitanrs, which liv ed be low, much admiring, and nor knowing the reafon thereof, concluded rhat the e.nd of the World was come; and this íl:oppage be- low caufed che water ro rife ar f ourteen Leagues diíl:ance above, _being fenfibly ele- vated as far as the Bridge, which is in the great and royal High-way leading from Cov:o to .Ciudad Real. This River Apurimac runs North and Sourh at leaíl: five ht1ndred Leagues from the head and fource of it to the Equinotl:ial ; rhence ra- king a mm to the Eaíl:ward, it runs under the Equinotl:ial, íix hundred and fifry Leagues meafured on a füait line, to the place where it falls into che Sea; Out be- lng meafüred by the turnings and windings of it, 'twill make fifteen hundred Leagues, as Francis ~e Ore/la reports, who failed clown that River, in a V~age he , , made i n cornp:my with Gonralo Pirarro, who \Vent to make difcovery oflthe Coun- ~ trey.of Canela,as we fuall mention in its due place. The Charr ofNavigationmakes it on a füaic line to be Gx hundred and fifry Leagues without any doublings 0f che River. And though Merchants in defcribing the füuation of places do nqt much meddle with in-land Countries, but thofe.onely which !ye on rhe Sea-coafi, and thofe Rivers which fall into the Ocean : Yet in regard that rhis River is the grea~ teíl: in the World , being above feventy Leagues in breadth at the momh of it; and runs with fo great a íl:ream and torrent, rhat it makes frefh water for above a hundred Leagues within the Sea ; they have thought it wonhy of their obferva- tion and enquiry: So that according to the Rdation of Ore/lana (as Gomara at- cefis) thofe five hundred Le:igues which we níemion in a íl:rait line, will make . two thoufand Leagues with the turnings, and doublings of this River falling into che Sea direttly under théEquinotl:ial; and it was called Ore/lana according to the name of this Gentleman, who failed over· it in the year 1 543. Ho foever a difcovery was made before tbat rime of this River by tbe Pillco- neJ o[ ' vil, in the year 1500; to which they then gave the name of the River of Ama:1;,o r, becau[e they obferved that the Women fought with as much éou- rage in de ~nce of chofe pam, as che Men ; the like iníl:ances whereof we have in our Hiílory of Florida. In that River there are many greater aru:l leffer Iílands, and the ridcl fl.ows from tbe Sea above an hundred Leagues up th€ River: And chus much íball fuffice to have faid of chis RWeir. · Now as to chat River which is called Ma{annon, it falls into the Sea about fe- venty Leagues to the Souchwfrd of Orellan~ which is ·about rhree degrees of South-latirude, being ah.out tw~my· Leagues 1 ide at the mouth of it. This River üfues from fome great Lakes on the upper pa_ s of Peru, which are filled by the Snow-waters that diífolve frmn ~he high Mountains which are covered wirh Snow. Now in regard chat thefe two Rivers fall into che Sea, fo near one unto the other; 1 am apt to bel~ve tbat they make one River of thefe two, giving the name of · Ore/lana to both .¡;Ji.efe. Rivers, fo far as the frefh water runs imo the Sea. As to · the River _which Che Spaniards call el ri~ de la plata, and the Jndians I'arahuay; we have in our fecond part given the reafon, why this River was fo called in Spanifh, and explained the íignification of the lndian word; the Foumains ofwhofe waters, like thofe of Marannon, have cheir head or Íóurce froin che prodigious Moumains of the fnowy defart, called the Cordillera, which paffes through ali the Coumrey of Peru. This River many times overflows witb ra-¡:>id inundations all the Fields and Villages near the banks, and forces the .people for three Momhs in the year, to X xi be