The Other Ship Went To St
Jago, In The Island Of Hispaniola, And Thence Returned To Seville, In
Spain[79].
In the same year, Don Pedro de Mendoca went from Cadiz for the
river Plata, with twelve ships and 2000
Men, being the largest armament,
both of ships and men, that had ever been sent from Spain to the new world.
Mendoca died on his return to Spain, but most part of his men remained in
the country on the Rio Plata, where they built a large city, containing
now 2000 houses, in which great numbers of Indians dwell along with the
Spaniards. From this place they discovered and conquered the country to a
great extent, even to the mines of Potosi and the town of La Plata[80],
which is at the distance of 500 miles from Buenos Ayres.
Cortes having learnt, in the year 1536, that his ship, of which Fortunio
Ximenez was pilot, had been seized by Nunnez de Guzman, sent three ships
to Xalisco, while he marched thither by land with a respectable force; and,
on his arrival there, he found his ship all spoiled and rifled. When his
small squadron was come round to Xalisco, he went himself on board, and
left Andrew de Tapia to command his land force. Setting sail from thence,
he came, on the first of May, to a point of land, which he named Cape St
Philip, and, to an island close by this cape, he gave the name of St Jago.
Three days afterwards, he came to the bay where the pilot Ximenez was
killed, which he named Bahia de Santa Cruz, where he went on land, and
sent out Andrew de Tapia to explore the country.
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