4000003871

Royal.

Commentaries.

BooK·

VIIL

CH A P.

IX.

Of May~

Rice, and other Seeds.

Fruits of

Peru,

by which ~he

Jndians

were fu~:Iined before the coming

in of the

Spaniards,

were ofd1vers forts, fome berng produced above, and

others under ground. · Of the Fruits which grow above ground, the chief and

principal is that Grane which the people of

M exico

and

Bar!uventa

call Mayz, and

chofe of

Peru, Cara,

being the onely Bread they ufe: And this ·is of two forts;

one is hard, which they cal!

Muruchu

;

and the orher tender and fine, called

Ca–

-pia :

they eat it for Bread, either baked or parched over the fire, or boiled in·

water: the hard Mayz is rhat whid1 chey have brought to ího

·n

Spain,

but

not che fine and tender fort.

Some pares produce much finer, and tenderer than

ochers, particularly che Countrey of

Rucana.

Ac their folemn Sacrifices, as we

have faid, they ri[ed Bread made of Mayz, wbich chey called

Cancu

;

and at other

times, on occafion of a Feaíl: or treacmenc which chey gave, chey made that fort

of Bread which was·called

Huminta ;

che which

fom

of Bread had lict!e di.ffe–

rence in themfelves, being onely diíl:ingui01ed by cl'.eir ufe, fome being made for

facrifice> and ochers for common fuíl:enance : Their Coro was Ground by the

Women on a broad Srone, on which they caíl: the Griíl:, and on che top chereof

. rhey la1d anocher Srone in the fafhion of a Half Moon, nor round, bue with

point of chree fingers broad at each comer. At the corners of the Stone, made

Half Moon wife, they laio rheir hands, rubbing and prelling

hard on theMayz,

uncill it was broken .-

This difficulcy and trouble rhey had in Grinding cheir

Mayz, and all other Grane ; for which feafon chey did not comrnonly eac Bread.

They did never beac cheir Corn in Morcars, chough rhey had learned che way of

ic; becaufe ic reqqired more labour '.of che Armes, d1~n che Grinding with

Scone, che weighc of which made che work more ealte : And chen che good

Houfewife having ground awhile, wich one hand

lifcs

up che upper Scone, and

wich che ocher faeeps up che Corn , gachering ic inco che midíl: of che Qgern,

which for che likenefs of ic we may cal!

Fulling-Mill, becaufe of che ihokes

which chey gave on it wich cheir hands. They made alfo a kind of a Haíl:y–

Pudding, called

Api,

which was a great Difh amongíl: chem, and which chey eac

wich mucli delight ;·but chis was eíl:eemed high feeding, and not common ac

every mea!.

.The Flour chey divided frormohe Bran, in chis manner, they laid ali

upon a clean cloch made of Cotton, andr·-d'ien fpread ic wich cheir hands

all

over

rhe Cocton-cloch ; che fineíl: part of che Flour would íl:ick to che Cocton, bue

the more grofs parrs of the Bran would remain loofe from ic, and fo they eafily

rook ic up, and divided ic with cheir hands; rhen they fwepc up the Flour which

íl:uck

che cloch into che middle ; and having taken thacaway, they brought

more, umill chey had cerned and fifced al! rheir Grift ; but chey chiefly cook chis

pains for che fake of tbe

Spaniards,

and not of the

lndians,

who were noc

cu–

rious in their diec,

bue

thac che cour[eíl: fort of chis Bran would go clown wirh

thern; for the Bran of Mayz is noc

harfh or choaky, as much

offend the

palare. This was their manner of dividing the Bran from che Flour, for as ·yec

the uíe of Sieves was noc broughc from

Spain,

by reafon rhac cheir Bread was all

made of chis Mayz, and noc of Wheat: Ali which

can cefüfie to have feen ·

wich my own eyes, having been nourifhed for nine or ten years wirh no orher

Bread chan thac of

Cara,

which is Mayz; che which is of chree forcs:

Cancu

for Sacrifice,

Huminta

for cheir Feaíl:s, and greac Entercainrnents;

Tanta;

with an

afpiration on che top of.che mouch, is comrnon Bread.

Cara,

when ir isparched,

they cal!

Camcha,

which being pronounced wich an N,

C,,mcha

fignifies a Streer,

or Neighbourhood.

The boilea

Cara ,

rhey called ·

Muti

(

and rhe

Spaniardí

Mote)

which is boiled Mayz, having two Names for the fame thing. Of che

Flour