On Learning The News Of This Discovery,
The Licentiate Aillon Made Application To The Emperor For The Government
Of That Country, Where He Expected To Find Much Wealth, And Received The
Appointment.
About this time, learning the success of Cortes in Mexico, and that he
had applied to the emperor for
The commission of governor, Diego
Velasques, governor of Cuba, who considered that it ought to belong to
him, fitted out an armament of eighteen ships, under the command of
Pamphilus de Narvaez, already mentioned, with a thousand men and eighty
horses, whom he sent to Mexico in order to supersede Cortes. Landing in
the neighbourhood of Vera Cruz, he sent an order to the garrison to
receive him as governor; but they made his messenger prisoner, and sent
him to Cortes, then at Mexico. On this Cortes wrote to Narvaez, desiring
him not to raise any disturbance in the country, and offering to submit
to his authority if he held a commission from the emperor. But Narvaez
corrupted the people of the country; upon which Cortes went from Mexico,
and took Narvaez prisoner in the town of Zempoallan, putting out one of
his eyes. After this the soldiers of Narvaez submitted to Cortes; who
detached two hundred soldiers to the river of Garay or Panuco, and a
similar detachment under John Vasquez de Leon to Cosualco. He sent
likewise a messenger to Mexico with an account of his victory; but the
natives, having risen in rebellion, killed his messenger.
Cortes now set forwards on his return to Mexico, with one thousand foot
soldiers and two thousand horsemen, and found Peter de Alvarado and the
garrison he had left in Mexico in charge of Mutecuma, in safety. But the
Mexicans continued their insurrection, and on one occasion Mutecuma was
killed by a stone thrown by one of his own subjects. They then elected
another king, and the Spaniards were forced to evacuate the city with
great difficulty and danger. Driven out of Mexico, and having only 504
footmen and 40 horse remaining, Cortes retired with much difficulty to
Tlaxcallan, where he was well received. He here mustered a force of 900
Spanish infantry and 80 cavalry, and gathered 200,000 Indians among the
friends and allies whom he had secured, enemies of the Mexicans, and
marched back to Mexico, which he took in August 1521[39].
In October 1521, Cortes sent 200 foot and 35 horse, with a number of his
Indian allies, under the command of Gonsalo de Sandoval, against
Tochtepec and Coazacoalco, which had rebelled, and which Sandoval reduced
to obedience. To retain this country under subjection, he built a town
called _Medelin_, 120 leagues from Mexico, and another named _Santo
Spirito_, on a river four leagues from the sea[40]. In this year 1521,
died Emanuel, king of Portugal, and was succeeded by his son, John III.
In this same year, one of Magellan's ships sailed from Malacca with a
loading of cloves. They victualled at the island of Burro, and went from
thence to Timor, in lat.
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