Hiebra and
Veragua only seek gold at certain fixed periods. They are just as
competent as our miners who work the silver and iron mines. From long
experience, from the aspect of the torrent whose waters they divert,
from the colour of the earth and various other signs, they know where
the richest gold deposits are; they believe in a tradition of their
ancestors which teaches that there is a divinity in gold, and they
take care only to look for this metal after purifying themselves. They
abstain from carnal and other pleasures, also eating and drinking in
great moderation, during the time they seek gold. They think that men
live and die just like animals, and have, therefore, no religion.
Nevertheless they venerate the sun, and salute the sunrise with
respect.

Let us now speak of the mountains and the general aspect of the
continent.

Lofty mountains[13] which end in a ridge extending from east to west
are seen in the distance towards the south from all along the coast.
We believe this range separates the two seas of which we have already
spoken at length, and that it forms a barrier dividing their waters
just as Italy separates the Tyrrhenian from the Adriatic Sea. From
wherever they sail, between Cape San Augustins, belonging to the
Portuguese and facing the Atlas, as far as Uraba and the port of
Cerabaro and the other western lands recently discovered, the
navigators behold during their entire voyage, whether near at hand or
in the distance mountain ranges; sometimes their slopes are gentle,
sometimes lofty, rough, and rocky, or perhaps clothed with woods and
shrubbery. This is likewise the case in the Taurus, and on the slopes
of our Apennines, as well as on other similar ranges. As is the case
elsewhere, beautiful valleys separate the mountain peaks. The peaks of
the range marking the frontier of Veragua are believed to rise above
the clouds, for they are very rarely visible because of the almost
continuous density of mists and clouds.

[Note 13: The Cordilleras on the Isthmus of Panama.]

The Admiral, who first explored this region, believes these peaks
rise to a height of forty miles, and he says that at the base of the
mountains there is a road leading to the South Sea. He compares its
position with that of Venice in relation to Genoa, or Janua, as the
inhabitants who boast that Janus was their founder, call their city.
The Admiral believes that this continent extends to the west and that
the greater part