4000003871

,Royéll Commenraries.

O· K

:v.

C HA P.

How

they-.

enfarged and divided

the

Lands ·amongfi

the

People.

·so

foon as the

Inca

had conquered any Kingdom or Province, ánd chat

he had fetcled and eílablifhed his Government and Religion amongíl:

the Inhabitants, he ordered that tho[e Lands which were capable of

improvement ( that is, fuch as would bear

Mayz-)

íhould be dreífed

and manured ; and in order hereunto they drained all wet Moors and

Fens, for in that.Are they were excellent, as is apparenc by their Works

which remain unto chis day: 'And alfo they,were very ingenious in making Aque–

dnéts for carrying Wacer into dry :md fcorched Lands, fuch .as the greatefl: paré

' of that Countrey is, which is fttuated under the Torrid Zone, being commonly

barren for want of Water to refreíh and make it fruitíull; ami far thac reafon,

wherefoever they intended to fow their

M ayz-

lndian

Wheat, they always made

· contrivances and inventions

bring théir Water for them, nor lefs carefull were

they to water'their Pafü1res, which they drowned in cafe che Autumn proved dry;

that fo they mighc have Grafs fufficient to feed the immerous Flocks they main–

tained. Thefe Aqueduéts, though they were ruined after the

Spaniards

carne in,

yet feveral Reliques and Mónume_ncs of chem remain unto this d'ay.

Aft:er they had made a proviíion o'f Water, ·che next thing was

dre~, and

. cultivate, and clear their Fields of Bufhes and Trees; and that they might with

moíl: advantage receive the ·Water, they made chem in a Qg_adrangular form ;

chofe Lands which were good on che íide of Hills, tbey levellea chem by certain

Allies, or Walks, which they made, as is to be feen in

Coz-co,

and all over

Perd

unto .chis day ; to make the[e Allies, they rai[ed three Walls of Freezed Stone,

one before, and one of each fide, fomewhat inclining inwards, ( as are all the

Walls they make) fo thac they may more iecurely bear and keep up che weighc

of the Earth, which is pref.fed and rammed clown by chem, umill it be rai[ed ro

the heig t of the Wall : Then, next to this

alk, they made anocher fomeching

íhorter and iefs, kept

in the fame manner with·irs

all ; unti\l at length chey

carne ro ca "e in che whole Hill, levelling it by degrees .in fafhion of a Ladder, o~

Ally above the oth€r, untill chey carne to cake in all the

Hill,

and inclo[e the

ground which was capable of improvement, and of receiving Warer ; where che

',ground