Pongo de Manseriche
Encyclopedia
The Pongo de Manseriche is a gorge in northwest Peru
. The Marañón River
runs through this gorge before it reaches the Amazon Basin
.
The Pongo de Manseriche is 3 miles (4.8 km) long, located at 4° 27' 30" south latitude and 77° 34' 51" west longitude, just below the mouth of the Rio Santiago, and between it and the old missionary station of Borja.
According to Captain Carbajal, who descended the Pongo in the little steamer Napo, in 1868, it is a vast rent in the Andes about 2000 ft (600 m) deep, narrowing in places to a width of only 100 ft (30 m), the precipices "seeming to close in at the top." Through this dark canyon the Marañón leaps along, at times, at the rate of 12 miles an hour (20 km/h).
The Pongo de Manseriche was first discovered by the Adelantado
Joan de Salinas. He fitted out an expedition at Loja
in Ecuador, descended the Rio Santiago to the Marañón, passed through the Pongo in 1557 and invaded the country of the Mayna
s Indians. Later, the missionaries of Cajamarca and Cusco
established many missions in the Pais de los Maynas
, and made extensive use of the Pongo de Manseriche as an avenue of communication with their several convents on the Andean
plateau. According to their accounts, the huge rent in the Andes, the Pongo, is about five or six miles (10 km) long, and in places not more than 80 feet (25 m) wide, and is a frightful series of torrents and whirlpools interspersed with rocks. There is an ancient tradition of the indigenous people of the vicinity that one of their gods descended the Marañón and another ascended the Amazon to communicate with him. They opened the pass called the Pongo de Manseriche.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The Marañón River
Marañón River
The Marañón River rises about 160 km to the northeast of Lima, Peru, flows through a deeply-eroded Andean valley in a northwesterly direction, along the eastern base of the Cordillera of the Andes, as far as 5 degrees 36' southern latitude; then it makes a great bend to the northeast, and...
runs through this gorge before it reaches the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
.
The Pongo de Manseriche is 3 miles (4.8 km) long, located at 4° 27' 30" south latitude and 77° 34' 51" west longitude, just below the mouth of the Rio Santiago, and between it and the old missionary station of Borja.
According to Captain Carbajal, who descended the Pongo in the little steamer Napo, in 1868, it is a vast rent in the Andes about 2000 ft (600 m) deep, narrowing in places to a width of only 100 ft (30 m), the precipices "seeming to close in at the top." Through this dark canyon the Marañón leaps along, at times, at the rate of 12 miles an hour (20 km/h).
The Pongo de Manseriche was first discovered by the Adelantado
Adelantado
Adelantado was a military title held by some Spanish conquistadores of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.Adelantados were granted directly by the Monarch the right to become governors and justices of a specific region, which they charged with conquering, in exchange for funding and organizing the...
Joan de Salinas. He fitted out an expedition at Loja
Loja, Ecuador
Loja is the capital of Ecuador's Loja Province. It is located in the Cuxibamba valley in the south of the country, sharing borders with the provinces of Zamora-Chinchipe and El Oro, and with Peru in the south...
in Ecuador, descended the Rio Santiago to the Marañón, passed through the Pongo in 1557 and invaded the country of the Mayna
Mayna
Mayna is the name of several urban localities in Russia:*Mayna, Republic of Khakassia, a work settlement under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of Sayanogorsk, Republic of Khakassia...
s Indians. Later, the missionaries of Cajamarca and Cusco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
established many missions in the Pais de los Maynas
Pais de los Maynas
Maynas was one of the missions the Jesuits created in South America. The missionaries started their descent from Quito in Ecuador mostly using the Rio Napo as their route. They used the common missionary techniques, found in other Jesuit missions like Paraguay, Chiquitania, Moxos or Orinoco...
, and made extensive use of the Pongo de Manseriche as an avenue of communication with their several convents on the Andean
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
plateau. According to their accounts, the huge rent in the Andes, the Pongo, is about five or six miles (10 km) long, and in places not more than 80 feet (25 m) wide, and is a frightful series of torrents and whirlpools interspersed with rocks. There is an ancient tradition of the indigenous people of the vicinity that one of their gods descended the Marañón and another ascended the Amazon to communicate with him. They opened the pass called the Pongo de Manseriche.