387 / 1060
BooK
IX.
Royal
Commentaries.
G HAP.
XIII.
Of
the two fa112o'lt4
and
great Roads
in
Peru.
I .
T
were
but
jufiice to the Life and Memory of
Huayna
Capac,
if
we mention
thofe two great Roads which run North and South through the whole
King–
dom of
Peru
becaufe the making of them is attributed unto him : One of then1
paff es along by the Sea-coall , and the other over the Mountains ro the Inland
Countries, which Hiftorians defcribe with high Enlargements, though,
in
reality,
the work exceeds the common fame : And in regard I cannot pretend to
lay
them
down with fuch exaetnefs as
Come
have done, I iliall therefore refer
my
felf to
their Relations, and begin with
Auguftin Carate,
who
in
the 13th Chapter of his
firfi Book [peaking of the Original of the
Incas,
hath thefe words:
'
In a due
'' and orderly fucceffion of thefe
Incas,
there was one called
Guaynacava
(which
" fignifies a rich young Man) who came to the Governmenr, and encreafed, and
" greatly enlarged his Dominions; his bufinefs being chiefly to advance Jufiice
" and Reafon, he
fo
far prevailed on the uncultivated underfiandings of that bar–
cc
barous people, that he feemed
to
have worked Miracles in political converfa–
cc
rion, having reduced theni without the help of letters to Obedience and Rule,
'' and gained fo far on the affeetion of his V
aifals,
that for his fervke they readily
" applied their hands, and their hearts, to make and open a large Road
io
Peru,
" which was
fo
famous, that we cannot!
in
jufrice omit to mention, and defcribe
'' it,
in
regard .that amongll the feven Wonders of the World, there was none
'' made at greater expence and labour than this. When this
G
11aynacava
marched
<c
with
hi~
Army from
Couo
to conquer the Province of
~tu,
which are about
" five hundred Leagues dill:ant one from the other ; he fuffered many difficulties
" in
his paifage, by reafon of the inacceffible ways over Rocks and Mountains,
'( which he was to overcome : Howfoever, having paifed and fubdued that
cc
Countrey ' ana being now to return again vietorious and triumphant, the
In–
ce
dianJ
broke a convenient way through the Mountains, which they made both
" plain and wide, breaking the Rocks, and levelling the Ground which was ruff
'' and uneven ;
[o
that fometimes they were forced to raife it fifteen or twenty
fa–
" thorn in height, and
in
other places to fink it as far ; and in this manner they
'' continued their work for five hundred Leagues in length. And
it
is reported,
'' that when this work was finifhed, the way was fo plain ,
that a Cart or
" Coach might be driven over it ; yet afterwards, in the time of the Wars, all ·
" this workmanfhip and labour was demollihed by the
India.ns,to make the ways
" and paffes more difficult to the Chrillians. Now
if wecompare this work
" with the fhort cut onely of two Leagues of Mountain, which
is
between
Ef-
('
pinar, Segovia,
and
Guadarrama
in
Spain,
and confider what charge and labour
" hath been there employed, onely to make that· way tolerably paifable for the
' Kings of
Caftile,
when at any time they paifed with their Equipage and Court
'' from
Andaluz.ia,or
Toledo,
and travelled into parts beyond thofe Mountains ;
'' which, as I fay, if
it
were conGdered, what an immenfe and incredible work
-
,c
mufi this feem to have been? Nay farther, the
lncM
were not content with
" this, for this
G11aynacava
intending again to vifit the Province of
~itu,
for
" variety
in
his
Travels, he refolved to take
his
paifage thr
gh the Plains, which
" the
lndiatrs,
though with no leG difficulty, made as convenient as that of the
" Mountains; for in all thofe
Vallies
which were watered with Rivers and Foun·
:: rains, and were .Planted
~ith
Trees, which (as we have faid elfewhere) did
"
co.mmo~ly
conunue for a full League, they made a way almofi:
forty
foot wide,
with
thick
Mud·\: alls on each fide, being four or five Frames or Pannels of
" this tvlud in height. And then entring out of thefe Plains' into the
f;ndy
ways, they dro\"·e in great Stakes into the ground on one fide and
the
other
b b
cm'