ition handed down from the first settlers, said to have been
received from the native Indians, that a white man with a long beard,
formerly preached a new religion from that stone to their ancestors, and
left the impression of his feet, and the figures of the animals that
came to hear him, as a memorial of his sanctity.

The aboriginal natives of the province of Cujo are called Guarpes, of
whom there are now very few remaining. They are of a lofty stature, very
thin, and of a brown colour, and speak a quite different language from
that of the Chilese. This people was anciently conquered by the
Peruvians, after having taken possession of the northern part of Chili;
and on the road across the Andes from Cujo to Chili, there still are
some small stone buildings, or tambos, which had been erected for the
accommodation of the Peruvian officers and messengers. The first
Spaniards who attempted to reduce this country were sent by Valdivia,
under the command of Francisco de Aguirre, who returned to Chili after
the death of Valdivia. In 1560, Don Garcia de Mendoza sent a force under
Pedro del Castillo, who subdued the Guarpes, and founded the cities of
San Juan and Mendoza. The latter, which is the capital, is situated on a
plain at the foot of the Andes, in lat 33 deg. 54' S. long. 68 deg. 34' W. This
is supposed to contain about 6000 inhabitants, and is continually
increasing in population, owing to its vicinity to the celebrated silver
mine of Uspallatta, which is worked by the inhabitants to great profit.
This city carries on a considerable commerce in wine and fruits with
Buenos Ayres. The city of San Juan near the Andes, in lat. 31 deg. 40' S.
and long. 68 deg. 34' W. is equally populous with Mendoza, from which it is
about 160 miles due north, and trades with Buenos Ayres in brandy,
fruits, and Vicunna skins. Its pomegranates are greatly esteemed in
Chili, to which they are sent across the Andes. This city is governed by
a deputy from the corregidor of Mendoza, assisted by a cabildo. In 1596,
the small city of La Punta, or San Luis de Loyola, was founded in the
eastern part of Cujo, in lat. 33 deg. 47' S. long. 65 deg. 33' W. Although the
thoroughfare for all the trade from Chili and Cujo to Buenos Ayres, it
is a miserable place with scarcely two hundred inhabitants; but its
jurisdiction is extensive and populous, and is administered both in
civil and military affairs by a deputy of the corregidor of Mendoza.
Besides these