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 III. Royal _Gommentaries. " bigger or lefs, accordiog to the proportion of the Tree out of whkh they " were hewen. . " About chis time this City conrained 700 great and principal Palaces, weli " built ofLime and Stone; rhe which were not covered with Tile br Slate; bue " rnade flat with aT_arras, ·ro diat People might walk on éhe cop: . " .The Streets are very commodious , plain and füeight, and fo wide that four " Horfemen may be able to ride a-breaft with their Lárrces and Targets, withoui n ro_uching oné the other. . . ·" The Towh-houfe, w here the Tribunals of Jufüce are held , harh nfoe feve- " ral Courts or Yards within it, together with a large Garden, and a fpadous " place, where "ihey ·exercifed their Sports called the Feafti of Bulls. Withiri " this Houfe the Vice,king Don Antonio de M endofa kept bis Court, aod the Vifi- ¡, ror or Super-Intendent Don Francifco Te/lo de Sandoval, widí three Judges and the " Accountaflt General" were conveniemly lodged1 Within .the Verge alfo of this " Town~houfe, the 1 Royal Prifon was contained, and a Houfe and Office for " founding Bells and Cannon, as alfo the Mint for Coinage of Monéy; . " Upon one ftde of this Houfe -rhe Street fronts Vl'.Jiich they call Tacu6a, and " on rhe other ftde runs the Street of St. Francü, and behind is the Streec called " the Chafe, ali which are Principal Streets ; and on che Front of all is che open ' ', Place where cbey baíc che Bulls ~ and, in fine, chis Palacé is of that large Cir"' " cumference ;· that it anfwers to -the eighty Ga!es belonging to che Houfes ·of ce Principal Inhabirants of ch at City. . · · " The Indians of this City live.in twb great Streets called St. {ago and Mexíco 5· " che number of whi€h are at chis time reckoned .to be 200 thoufand. The A- " venues to chis City are four, one whereof is two Leágues in length, and is that' " ro che Soúth-ward, by which Hernando Cortes made bis entry; . , , Thus far are thewords of Diego hrnan_dez-, _to which this Anthour adds, Thaé in thofe Bays there were 700 great capacious Houfes, he rnight mean rather 7 00 large Streets, which may well be imagined, if we take che Meafures thereof by the propor.tion of that vaíl: Palace, wherein were contained the Vice-kiog's Houfe;' the Vifirors Apartments , w.ith the Lodg.ngs of the JudgéS and other Officers of ihe Kingdom ; as alfo the Prifon , che Mfot , and the rooms wher,ein' che Bells' and Cannon were founded ; all and every óf which Offices were fo large that each of them of ic felf comained awhole Street; .which .this Authour confirms in che Defcription he gives of this Houfe, faying, That this Houfe is fo_large that it anfwers to 8 o great Gates belonging to che Houfes of 'Principal Citiiens. In íhort, we may pofttively affirm, thac this Imperial (:ity of Mexicd is certainly one of th€ chief, if not the mo(l: confiderable City in the World, The which' I prove by thé teftimony of a Dutch Gentleman , who having· out df cu'riofüy' travailed to fee the rnoíl: farílous Cities of the Old World, did averre , that out of curiofüy onely to fée Mexico, he took a voyage into the new-foanél World ; and thar, befides the pleafure he took iQ the ftght ~hereof, he had gained io'thou- fand Ducats in his Countrey upon feveral wagers he had made, conteniing rhe· parriculars he had related thereof; to prove which a man .was pu'r¡:»ofely fent to" tbofe parts. , , . . . But not to make too long a Digreffi0n upan thi~ SubjeB:, we íhall ótnit many' particula.rs which be related to me hereof, as alfo of bis long Travails he rnade chere , and che rnany years he fpent therein , which to my beft remembrance he· cold me were 14. "Palentino reports, th~t when the_Yice-king went forch to· rneeé- aod receive che Vifiror or Super-lntendent, he was aecompanied wüh thé Privy" Couttcil, Judges and othet Officers of Staté, as alfo wieh the Mayor arid Alder- rnen of che City, and the Clergy, together with 6 00 Gemlemen all very rkhly attired and well armed; ali which was no Romance nor more tha"n che trmh. For beftdes other Grandeurs and pieces ofOíl:emation belonging to Mexico; it is' moft certain, that 'tis com!TI?n and ufual on Snndays, and óther Feíl:ival-days_, to' [ee 5' or 6 00 Gentlemen rrdmg through the Streets, not upan deftgn of Marches' or Horfe-races, or the like, but onely for comrnon pafüme, and to cake che Air ¿ which for a fübordinate ,Government without the prefence of a'King, .is very ma-· gnificent ¡md extraordinary. · ·