He Then Had The Walls Of The Temple Cleared Of Blood And New
Plastered, Employing A Number Of Indian Masons For This Purpose, Using
Lime Which The Place Afforded In Plenty.
After having thus cleaned and
purified the temple, he ordered a new altar to be erected, which he hung
All round with rich mantles, and adorned it with wreaths of odoriferous
flowers; and ordering four native priests to cut off their hair and to put
on white garments, he committed the altar to their care, on which he
planted the holy cross, before which our chaplain Olmedo celebrated the
mass. He also instructed the natives to make wax candles, and enjoined the
four priests to keep some of these always burning before the altar. All
these things being arranged, he placed a lame old soldier named Juan de
Torres, to reside in the temple as a hermit, and to keep the native
priests to their new duty. In this first Christian church of New Spain,
the principal persons of the surrounding districts attended divine service,
and the eight native ladies, already mentioned, having been previously
instucted in our holy faith, were solemnly baptized. The niece of the fat
cacique of Chempoalla, who was as ugly as possible, was named Donna
Catalina; yet the general took her by the hand very affectionately.
Puertocarrero was more fortunate, as his lady, who was called Donna
Francisco, was very handsome for an Indian, and her father, named Cuesco,
was a cacique of considerable power. Having thus cemented a firm
friendship with the Totonacas, we returned to our new settlement of Villa
rica. We found there a vessel newly arrived from Cuba, under the command
of Francisco Sauceda, called el pulido or the beau, from his affectation
of finery and high manners. In this vessel there had arrived an able
officer named Luis Marin, accompanied by ten soldiers and two horses. He
brought intelligence that Velasquez had received the appointment of
adelantado of Cuba, with authority to barter and colonize in New Spain.
This news gave much satisfaction to the friends of Velasquez in our army,
but made no change in the plans of Cortes.
As the works of Villa Rica were nearly completed, many of us became eager
for the proposed visit to Montezuma, and expressed our wishes to Cortes
that we might try our fortune in that expedition. It was resolved in the
first place in a grand consultation, to send a deputation to Old Spain, to
give an account to his majesty of all our proceedings, together with all
the gold and other articles of value which we had hitherto obtained. For
this purpose Ordas and Montejo went through among all the officers and
soldiers, and persuaded them to allow of the whole treasure being sent to
the king, as it was for the general interest to renounce our claim for a
partition. Puertocarrera and Montejo were appointed agents for Cortes and
the army, our general having gained Montejo to his party by a present of
2000 crowns.
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