for the rainfall is so great in the mountains
that many rivers flow from them, so that throughout the land there is
not three leagues without a river. The distance from the sea to the
mountains is in some parts ten leagues, in others twelve. It is not
cold. Throughout the whole of this coast-land, and beyond it, tribute is
not paid to Cuzco, but to the mosque. The bishop of it was in Cajamarca
with the Governor. He had ordered another room of gold, such as
Atahualpa had ordered, and the Governor ordered me to go on this
business, and to hurry those who were collecting it. When I arrived at
the mosque I asked for the gold, and they denied it to me, saying that
they had none. I made some search, but could not find it. The
neighboring chiefs came to see me, and brought presents, and in the
mosque there was found some gold-dust, which was left behind when the
rest was concealed. Altogether I collected eighty-five thousand
castellanos and three thousand marcos of silver.

This town of the mosque is very large, and contains grand edifices and
courts. Outside, there is another great space surrounded by a wall, with
a door opening on the mosque. In this space there are the houses of the
women, who, they say, are the women of the devil. Here, also, are the
storerooms, where the stores of gold are kept. There is no one in the
place where these women are kept. Their sacrifices are the same as those
to the sun, which I have already described. Before entering the first
court of the mosque, a man must fast for twenty days; before ascending
to the court above, he must fast for a year. In this upper court the
bishop used to be. When messengers of the chiefs, who had fasted for a
year, went up to pray to God that he would give them a good harvest,
they found the bishop seated, with his head covered. There are other
Indians whom they call pages of the sun. When these messengers of the
chief delivered their messages to the bishop, the pages of the devil
went into a chamber, where they said that he speaks to them; and that
devil said that he was enraged with the chiefs, with the sacrifices they
had to offer, and with the presents they wished to bring. I believe that
they do not speak with the devil, but that these his servants deceive
the chiefs. For I took pains to investigate the matter, and an old page,
who was one of the chief and most confidential servants of their god,
told a chief, who repeated it to me, that the devil said they were