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 Commentari~s. BooK IX. nagery of them; (or thefe Horfes aré of ch~t d?cible and ~raél:~bl: Nature? that .· with good dreffing and management ,th~y ':Vill m every thing mcline to the will. and pleafüre of the Ma~er. Ac che b~gmrung when the Conqueft was fu~ made · in Peru ihe Jndians beheved that che Man and the Horfe were ali of oae p1e<:e, ot the fa~e Creature, fanfying, like the Poet.s, thac chey were Centaures. Tfuey tell me now thac fome'fndians have adventured to fhoe Horfes, but that there are w- ry few fo hardy. And having faid thus ~uch concerning Ho~fes, let us now pró- ceed to give an account of what other thmgs were not found 10 my Countrey. CH A P. XVII. O[ their Cows and Oxen. I T is believed that Cows were b~oughr into Peru prefently afcer the Conqueft; which foon increafed, and multiplied in rbofe nurnbers , that they fupplied ali rhe K:ingdom; the fame alfo is probable of the Hogs ai:id ·Goats, for 1 remem- ber to have feen numbers of thern in Couo when 1 was a Child. Ir cannot be expeéted rhat a price fhould be fer for a Cow in the firft begin- ' ning when che Spaniards planted themfelves, they being brought over onely for . breed ; but afterwards by increaíing tbey became common, and were fold at mo- derare races. The firft Man in Couo that was Mafter of Cows was Antonio de A/tamirano, the Father of two Sons, Peter and Francú, which he had by an Jndi11n Woman, and were my· School-fellows, and both dyed young, to the great for- row of che whole Cicy, by reafon of che great hopes and expeél:ation was of their Underftanding and Vertue. · · The firft Oxen that l ever faw at plough were in the Valley of Coz.ca, about che Year 1 S' S' o, belonging to rohn Rodriguci:. de Villalobo1; . they were in al1 bur.rhree, one they called Chaparro another Naranco, and the third Caftillo: 1 was carried to fee this fight, with grear numbers of Jndians , who flocked frorn all parts, with aftonifhment and wonder, to fee this prodigious Novelcy, which 1 amongíl: the reft did much admire. They Gid rhac the Spanúirds who were drones, and would not work themfelves, had made thefe grear Animals labour, and doe that work which they ought to have performed themfelves. I have reafon to remember thefe particulars; for when 1 ~as a .Boy, and plaid che Truant to fee che Oxen . Plough, it cofi me two dozen of good íl:ripes, one half of which 1 received from my Father, and che other dozen from my Schoolmafler; the piece of land which they ploughed was a very pleafant field, which is íiruaced a- litt!e higher than that ground where now the Convent of Sr.· Francu is built; the which part of che Convent, where che Body of the Church ftands, was ereél:ed at the charge and coft of the aforefaid {ohn Rodrigue>:. de Vi llalobos, and dedicated by him to Se. Lau- rm, to whom he was grearly devoced; the remainder of che Church the Francifcan Friars purchafed with the two pieces of Land fome years afrer; for when theüxea plougbed there was no Hou[e or Buildings chere, eicher belonging to Spaniards or Indians, as we have at large declared in that part where we rnake a defcription of the City and fituation of Coi:.co. The Ploughmen chat rilled the Land were Jndi-an1, and che Oxen were taught and broken to che Yoke in a certain Inclofüre without the City, and rhen when they had learned their work, they were brought t0Co~c11, where they hadas man.y Speétarors and Admirers that day, as had tbe Triumphs at R&me in its rpightieíl: grandeur. When Cows were firft broughr to the Mar- ket, one might be worch rwo hundred Pieces of Eight, but afterwards, as they increafed, and becarne more cornmon, they fell by degrees to thar price ac which rhey are now valued. In the beginning of che Year 15'54· a Genclernan of my acquaincance, called Rodrilo d'Efqu,ivel, an Inhabicanr of Cow, but born at Sevilk, . ~~