It has been already said, that rain, hail, and snow, fall on the mountainous region of Peru, where in many places it is intensely cold:  But in many parts of that region there are deep valleys in which the air is so hot, that the inhabitants have to use various contrivances to defend themselves from the excessive heat.  In these vallies there is an herb called coca, which is held in very high estimation by the natives:  Its leaf resembles that of the sumach, and the Indians have learnt from experience that, by keeping a leaf of that plant in their mouth they can prevent themselves for a long time from feeling either hunger or thirst.  In many parts of the mountain there is no wood, so that travellers in those parts are obliged to use a species of earth which is found there for the purpose of fuel, and which burns very much like turf or peats.  In the mountains there are veins of earth of various colours, and mines both of gold and silver, in which the natives are exceedingly conversant, and are even able to melt and purify these metals with less labour and expence than the Christians.  For this purpose they construct furnaces in the mountains, placing always the door of the furnace towards the south, as the wind blows always from that point.  The ores are put into these furnaces alternately with dried sheeps dung, which serves as fuel, and by means of the wind the fire is raised to a sufficient power to melt and purify the metal.  In melting the vast quantities of silver which has been dug from the mines of Potosi, the furnaces constructed with bellows were found quite inefficient, while these furnaces, named guayras by the Indians, which signifies wind-furnaces, answered the purpose effectually.

The soil is everywhere extremely fertile, and gives abundant returns of all the kinds of grain which are there sown; insomuch that from one bushel of seed for the most part at hundred bushels are reaped, sometimes an hundred and fifty, and even as high as two hundred.  The natives employ no ploughs, but labour the earth with a kind of hoes; and set their seed into the ground in holes made with a dibble, or pointed stick, just as beans are sown in Spain.  All kinds of pot and garden herbs grow so luxuriantly that radishes have been seen at Truxillo as thick as a mans body, yet neither hard nor stringy.  Lettuces, cabbages, and all other vegetables grow with similar luxuriance:  But the seeds of these must all be brought from Spain; as when raised in the country the produce is by no means so large and fine.  The principal food of the Indians is maize, either roasted or boiled, which serves them for bread, and venison of various kinds, which they salt up for use.  They likewise use dried fish, and several kinds of roots, one of which named yuca resembles skirret; likewise lupines and many other leguminous vegetables.  Instead of wine, they make a fermented liquor from maize, which they bury in the earth along with water in tubs