Farther On They Came To
Another, A League And A Half From The Land, And There Being A Good
Road-Stead Opposite, Grijalva Brought The Ships To Anchor, And Went On
Shore In His Boat At A Place Where Some Smoke Was Seen.
He there found two
houses well built with stone and lime, having many steps which led up to
altars,
On which there were idols; and they perceived that five men had
been sacrificed there that night, their breasts being ripped open, their
legs and thighs cut off, and the walls all bloody. This sight greatly
astonished the Christians, who called this place the Island of Sacrifices.
They landed afterwards on the coast opposite that island, making
themselves huts of boughs covered with sails, to which some natives
resorted to barter gold in small figures; but the natives being shy, and
the gold in small quantity, the Spaniards removed to another island only
half a league from the coast. Landing on the shore, they built barracks on
the highest part of the strand, to avoid the plague of mosquitos or gnats;
and having sounded the harbour, they found sufficient water for the ships,
which were sheltered from the north wind by the small island. Grijalva
went over to the small island with thirty soldiers in two boats, where he
found an idol temple and four priests clad in very long black mantles with
hoods. That very day they had sacrificed two boys, whom they found ripped
open and their hearts taken out, which moved the Spaniards to compassion.
Grijalva asked an Indian who had come with him from the Rio de Banderas,
who seemed a good rational person, what was the reason of this barbarous
practice, to which he answered, that the people of Ulua would have it so.
On this account, and because Grijalvas name was Juan, this island has
always been called since St Juan de Ulua, to distinguish it from St Juan
de Puerto Rico. Grijalva staid here seven days, bartering for some small
quantity of gold. At length, the people being quite tired of the trouble
they received from prodigious swarms of gnats, and being quite certain the
country they had visited was the continent, having many large towns, which
justified the name of New Spain which they had given it; the cazibi bread
they had on board becoming mouldy, and the men being too few to settle a
colony in so populous a country, ten having died of their wounds, and many
of the rest being sick; it was judged proper to return to Cuba to give an
account to Velasquez of all their proceedings and discoveries, more
especially as he had expressly prohibited the making of any settlement,
that he might hereafter send a greater number for that purpose if he
judged right. Yet Grijalva was much inclined to remain and build a town,
and made choice of Alvaredo to carry a message to that effect to Velasquez,
sending by him all the gold and other curiosities which had been procured,
and all the sick.
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Words from 187540 to 188052
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