The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-06-04
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near the coast, many of which are constantly
changing their courses Along the banks of these
rivers the Spaniards found the richest Indian vii
lagos The Indians extracted gold from the
sands OF many OF these rivers and worked 1t into
weird figures representing algators frogs birds
turtles. fish. snakes. bells. plates, images and
others. which 1t was the custom to bury with the
owners thereof in the rock-walled tombs in which
their dead were inferred
Among the documents referred to are found
the records Of an expedition that set out from the
city OF Garci-Munoz in Costa RIGA, In the year
1863. for Quepo Couto, Boruca and the valley of
Guaymi. An extract from this document liter
ally translated reads as follows:
Going up the Guaymi valley one arrives at q
place called Couto. where much gold has been
found and the natives have it worked into an
forms; and on being questioned as to where they
obtained 1t they stated that they had gotten Il
In very big grains from river four days journey
from that place. in the dominion of an Indian
cacique called Ucaraci. Not one days march
from Couto lies the village of Turucaca, the in
habitants OF which stated that they had obtained
gold in the same river as the inhabitants of Couto
The provinces Of Couto and Turucaca lie so
leagues from the city of GarciMunoz at the be-
ginning of the valley of Guaymi. 10 leagues from
the South sea in front of the Colo Duce il
known that following up the Guaymi valley to
the mountains toward the north there are to be
found numerous villages. such as Quepo, Couto.
Boruca. Aci. Uriaba. Xarixaba, Yabo, Duba, c.
bara. Barerto. Tabicte. Arabora, Cabangara Que
cabangara.
The following year, 1854, another expedition
set out from Carriage, Costa Rfca, to explore this
same country. and the chronicler writing of their
discoveries. says:
Crossing the province Of Ara and passing the
valley OF Coaca. we arrived In the province Of
Terbi and made our camp in the village of Co
curu. which lies In the valley Of Duy. And the
Indians having brought to the leader . great
quantity of gold. he sent the slaves to explore.
and they brought back such large pieces that the
leader himself decided to explore We then ar
rived at river called La Estrelia. which is the
principal one as to the quantity Of gold found
from Carriage the expedition
turned TO the province Of Terbi to the village Of
Cururu. IN the valley of the Duy INDIAN name
for Quequexque); and from there We went to the
big river which had already been named Rio de
la Estrella."
Since the sixteenth century the land bordering
the Sixiola river. which lies to the north of the
Chiriqui volcano and which empties into the Ca
ribbean sea, had been in dispute between the
governments of Costa RIGA and that of Panama
At that time 1t was claimed BY both the governor
OF Costa RIGA and the governor Of veraguas The
province of Chiriqui adjoins Sixiola and formerly
formed part of the province of veraguas now one
of the seven provinces Of Panama After the
independence of Panama in 1908 this dispute
again arose, due. to q great extent to changes
in the names of many of the rivers Of this part
of the two countries, some of which stiIl retain
their Indian names. while others have been re-
named. The question was nnally submittsa to
President Fallieres Of France for arbitration ana
an entirely new boundary line was traced IN 20
cordance with his findings.
The indiana inhabiting the conntxy bins near