The Indians called Chumbivilicas, Vuinas, and Pomatambos, and many other nations which I do not mention, lived in the country called Cunti-suyu.[461] Some of them were warlike, and their villages are in very lofty mountains. They have vast quantities of flocks, both domesticated and wild. All their houses are of stone, thatched with straw. In many places there are buildings for their chiefs. The rites and customs of these Indians were the same as those of other parts, and they sacrificed lambs and other things in their temples. It is notorious that the devil was seen in a temple which they had in a certain part of the district of Cunti-suyu, and I have heard of certain Spaniards, in the present times, who saw apparitions of this our enemy. In the rivers they have collected much gold, and they were getting it out when I was at Cuzco. In Pomatambo and other parts of this kingdom they have very good tapestry, the wool being very fine from which they make it, and the colours with which they dye it are so perfect that they excell those of other countries. There are many rivers in this province of Cunti-suyu, some of which are crossed by bridges of ropes, made in the way I have already described. There are also many fruit and other trees, deer and partridges, and good falcons to fly at them.
Of the forest of the Andes, of their great thickness, of the huge snakes which are bred in them, and of the evil customs of the Indians who live in the interior of these forests.
This cordillera of the Andes must be one of the grandest in the world, for it commences at the straits of Magallanes, extends along the whole extent of this kingdom of Peru, and traverses so many provinces that they cannot be enumerated. It is covered with high peaks, some of them well covered with snow, and others with mouths of fire. The forests on these mountains are very difficult to penetrate by reason of their thickness, and because during the greater part of the year it rains. The shade is so dark that it is necessary to go with much caution, for the roots of the trees spread out and cover all the ground, and when it is desired to pass with horses, much labour is necessary in making roads. It is said among the _Orejones_ of Cuzco, that Tupac Ynca Yupanqui traversed these forests with a large army, and many of the tribes who inhabited them were very difficult to conquer and bring under his sway. In the skirts of the mountains towards the South Sea, the natives were intelligent; they were all clothed, and were ruled by the laws and customs of the Yncas. But, towards the other sea, in the direction of the sun-rise, it is well known that the inhabitants are of less understanding and reason.[462] They raise a great quantity of _coca_, which is a very precious plant among the Indians, as I will relate in the next chapter. As the forests are very large, the truth may be received that they contain many animals, as well bears, tigers, lions, tapirs, pigs, and striped wild cats, as other wild beasts worthy of note. Some Spaniards have also seen serpents of such bigness that they looked like beams, but, although one should sit on them, they would do no harm, nor do they try to kill any person. In talking over this matter of the serpents with the Indians of Cuzco, they told me something which I will relate here, as they assured me of its truth. In the time of the Ynca Yupanqui, who was grandson of the Ynca Huira-ccocha, certain captains were sent with a large army to visit these forests, by the Ynca’s order, and to bring the Indians they met with under subjection to him. Having entered the forests, these serpents killed all those who went with the said captains, and the calamity was so great that the Ynca showed much concern at it. An old enchantress heard this, and she said that if she were allowed to go to the forests, she would put the serpents into so deep a sleep, that they would be able to do no harm. As soon as she had received permission, she went to the place where the people had been killed. Here she performed her incantations, and said certain words, upon which the snakes changed from fierce and wild, to the gentle and foolish creatures they now are. All this that the Indians say may indeed be a fiction or fable, but it is certainly true that these snakes, though so large, do no hurt to any one.
