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1
R.oydl
Commentar~e_s•.
.Book
U.
CH
A
P.
XIV.
Of the Geom;try,
.
Geography; Arithmetic/z and
Mujick,
1
~nown
to·the
Indians.
T
l-Iey
had attained
td
tnuch Geometl·y as ferved them for
to
meafure out
.
their Lands, and make out limits and bounds to their feveral partitions;
but
this was not done
in
arl artificial manner, but by their lines, and fmall íl:ones,
which they ufed
in
all
their Accouncs.
.
As to cheir Geography, they knéw how ro decypher in colours the Model of
every Nation, wich che difünél: Provinces, andhow chey were bounded. I have
feén an exact Map of
Cou:o,
wirh the pares adjace e, and the four principal ways
to
it, perfeél:ly defcribed in a
forc
of Mortar, compounded with fmall fiones
and
firaw, which delineated ali che places, boch greac anGi fmall, with che broad Streets,
ana narrow Lanes, and Houfes which ere ancient and decayed, an,d with che
three íl:reams running through it, all which were defcribed with great cariofity'.
Moreover in chis Draught che Hills and Valleys, ~he turnings and windings of
the Rivers ,vere made to appear fo plain, that the
be!t
Cofmographe~ in che
World
could
not have exceeded
it.
The
u[e
of
chjs
Model was to intorm the
Viíicors, which they ca!Jed
Damian,
of che excent and diviíion of rhe Councries
1
whenfoever they wenc by che King's Commillion
co
furvey rhe Provioce, anct
number che p~ople within ch~ precinél:s ·of_
Co~co ,
and.other places
5
chis Model
which
I
rnennon, was m:ide
111
Muyna,
whICh che
spamards
call now
Mohina,
and
ís diíl:ant abom five Leagues from the City of
Cou:o
cowards rhe
Zur;
the which ·
I
had opporcunity to obferve, being chen prefenc with the Viíicors, who wenc
to
number che
Jndians
that inhabited che Diviíion of
Garfilaf{o de Pega,
My Lord
and Mafter.
In
Arichmecick they knew much, and were sktlled in a peculiar manner and
nature
in
chat Science; for by certain knocs of divérscolours chey fu n.1méd up all
the accouncs of Tribute, and Contributions, belonging
to
che revenue of che
Inca;
and -ehereby knew,how to accounc, and difcoum, co fubtraél:, and to rnul–
ti:ply; but
to
proportíon rlie refpeél:ive Taxes on every Nacion by way of divifton;
they perforrned ic in another manner by granes of
May~,
or Pebbles, which ferved
in
the place ofCouncers. And becaufe ic was neceffary chac Account.s íhould be
Uept of all chai-ges relating cóVvar ano Peace, chac che People, and rhe Fl<ltks and
HerdsofCattle fhould benurnbred, chac che payrnenc of Tributes) and the like,
fhould be regifired and noted, chere were certain Perfons appoinced for
tlm
work;
who made ic their íl:udy and buíineís to be ready and skilfull in Accom1ts; and
becaufe perhaps one Perfon was.appointed ro keep che reckonings ofthree or four
· difl:inél: chings, ás Accountanc General, which feerns difficult
co
be •perfonned by
!he way of cheir threa~s ~nd ~nots, \.\.e fhall difcourfe
.it
hereafter móre at large,
m
whac rnanner they d1íl:mgmíhed cheir Accouncs of d1vers buíineífes.
Of their Mufick.
ln
Mu{ick they arrived
to
a certain Harmony, in whic:h rhe
1nd:a11s
of
Colla
did
h1_ore particularly excell, having been che Invemors of a cer~ain Pipe made of
Canes glued cogether, every one of which having a differenr Note of higher and
lower, in che manner,of Organs, made
a
pleaíing Mu11ck by che diífonancy of
founds, che Treble, Tenor and Baffe, exaél:ly correfponding and :mfwering each
to
orher; with thefe Pipes chey ofren plaid in confort, and rnade tolerable Mufick,
though
chey
wanted the·Q1avers, Serniquavers, Aires, and
many
Voices which
perfeét