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 Vllí. Qgick-íilver; the Jndians call it Tchma; t~at which ~cofta calls L!imp~ is of a Pur-, ple-colour and extraét:ed from other Mmes ; for m thofe Counrnes they have Earth of ;ll colours which ferve us for Painting : Bue as to this curious Crimfon with which the lndian1 are fo much affeét:ed, it is alfo forbidden to be extraéted without licence, leíl: the p~ople vemuring the~felves far imo the Caverns of the Earth in the fearch of it, ilioulsl prejudice their healths, and endanger their lives; and therefore the uíe of it is forbidden to the common .people, and onely perrnit- ted to Ladies of the Royal Bloud ; Men never ufe it, n9r W.omen in years, but fuch onely as are young and handfome; who do not lay it upon their Cheeks, as our VI/ ornen do in Spain, but onely draw it in ítreaks about tne breadch of a íl:raw, from the corners of rheir Eyes to their Temples; and in this manner it feemed very becoming. Orher FHc1-U, or Painting, than this with.Tchma, the PallM or great Ladies did •not ufe, nor was it their adornment of every days dre~, but onely then when they would appear fine and well dreffed upon the days oftM principal Feaíl:s: . when chey always wafhed cheir Faces very clean, as alfo did ali the common peo- ple. Bue the truch is, thofü Wornen who did much avail themfelves of theit beauty, and cleamefs of theii- skin, would for confervation thereof, lay a fort of whice íl:uff like Milk upon it, ( of what they made it, for my part 1 cannot tell;) bue there they lec it íl:ick, and remain for the fpace of nine days, at the end of which being well dried, like a fcurf on the skin, they would then take it off, and the complexion would remain much more bright and clear than befare : Bue as to the Tchma, che Prohibition that was made againíl: exnaét:ing of it, caufed it to be fcarce, and of little ufe. And whereas a certain Authour fays, that the Indiam díd ufually paint their faces in the Wars, :md at their Fefl:ivals, ic is a grofs mi- fiake, though perhaps fome Nations might doe it, which were eíl:eemed the moll falv.age and barbarous. ' . . And now we are to declare how they melted che.ir S1lver, before they found the ufe of Qgjck-filver : the manner was this. N ear to tbe Mountain Potocchi, or Potocfi, ( which is all one) there is another Mountain in the fame fonn and íbape, but not fo great, nor fo high, called by the Indian1 Huayna Potoc{i, or the Potocji. the Junior, as if they were Father ar1~ Son: The Silver, for the moíl: pare, is excraded frorn Hatun Potocft, or the Elder Potocft; in melting of which, they at firíl: found great difficulty, for not being able to make it run, it burnt away, or evaporated in fo1oak ; ofwhich the Pndiam could not perletrate the caufe, nor difcover a remedy. But as necellicy and covetoufnefs make Men ingenious and contriving, fo parti- cularly the lndians wete infinicely indufüiou~ to find out fome way to Melc their Gold and Silver ; at length, afrer many experimems, they happened to cry the mel- ting of a bafer fort of Metal, which the leffer Potocfi produced, confifüng, for the mofl part, of Lead mixed with Silver; the which yielding more eafily, melted, and run; and this being put into the Melting-pots, togedier with the fine Silver and Gold, would immediately caufe them to melt and diífolve ; for which reaíon the Indi11n1 gave it the Name of C11rHchec, which fignifies any thing that diífolves. In the melring of which Metals, they obferved a cerrain proportion of this cour- fer fort, for to fo much Silver they put fuch a quantity of this Cm·uchec, according . as time and experience had informed their judgmems; for all forcs of Silver were not ofthe fame finenefs, rhough digged and extraét:ed from the fame vein ; fo chat according to the quality and richnefs of che Metal, the quamity of Curuchec was ro be applied. The Silver being thus mixed with more fufible Metal, tbey melred ir down in Earthen or Clay-pors, or Cryfobles, which they carried from place ro place .: But in regard they had no ufe of Bellows to make rhe heat of theit fire more intenfe, nor yet ufed Copper Pipes, which we have formerly mentioned, wherewitb to blow the fire; it often happened, that they could not pollibly cau[e their Silver to melt; of which the Jndiam not being able to comprehend rhe rea- fon, did at length conclude, that it muíl be a natural blaíl: of VVind which muíl: doe this work: But then if the Wmd were too ílrong, it would blow away the Coles, :md cool the Metal, fo that a temperare and eafie gale was requifire: To procure which, their' cuílome was to go upon the Hills by night, obferving how ' che Winds fate, .and there placed rheir Melting-pots at fuch a heighr, higher or lower, according as they perceived the force of the Wind. Ir was a ple:ifant fighc in rhofe days to fee eight, ten, twelve .or fifteen choufand of thefe Fires burning a\1 at the fame time, upon the lides of chefe Moumains ranged in order one by che o- cher. The firfi Melting of the Ore was made in chis manner on the Moumains; buc