Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 3 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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Before
The Cinchona Of Popayan And Santa Fe De Bogota (North Latitude 2 1/2
To 5 Degrees), Of Huacarachuco,
Huamalies and Huanuco (south latitude
9 to 11 degrees) became known, the group of the mountains of Loxa had
for
Ages been regarded as the sole region whence the febrifuge bark of
cinchona could be obtained. This group occupies the vast territory
between Guancabamba, Avayaca, Ona and the ruined towns of Zamora and
Loyola, between latitude 5 1/2 and 3 1/4 degrees. Some of the summits
(the Paramos of Alpachaca, Saraguru, Savanilla, Gueringa, Chulucanas,
Guamani, and Yamoca, which I measured) rise from 1580 to 1720 toises,
but are not even sporadically covered with snow, which in this
latitude falls only above 1860 to 1900 toises of absolute height.
Eastward, in the direction of the Rio Santiago and the Rio de Chamaya,
two tributary streams of the Amazon, the mountains lower rapidly:
between San Felipe, Matara, and Jaen de Bracamoros, they are not more
than 500 or 300 toises.
As we advance from the mica-slate mountain of Loxa towards the north,
between the Paramos of Alpachaca and Sara (in latitude 3 degrees 15
minutes) the knot of mountains ramifies into two branches which
comprehend the longitudinal valley of Cuenca. This separation
continues for a length of only 12 leagues; for in latitude 2 degrees
27 minutes the two Cordilleras again re-unite in the knot of Assuy, a
trachytic group, of which the table-land near Cadlud (2428 toises
high) nearly enters the region of perpetual snow.
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