When Therefore, We The Conquerors Saw
That Those Who Did Not Reach His Majesty, Or Had No One To Speak
For them,
were neglected, we transmitted a petition, by which we prayed that such
lands as fell vacant might be
Distributed among us in perpetuities, as had
been done by the first court of royal audience, of which Nuno de Guzman
was president; who had been directed to make the divisions more equal,
deducting in due proportions from the immoderate grants of Cortes, and
that the best districts and rents should be divided among us the true
conquerors, leaving the cities and great towns for his majesty. His
majesty likewise ordered the vassals of Cortes to be counted, leaving no
more than were specified in his patents; but I do not remember what was to
have been done with the surplus. Nuno de Guzman and the judges of his
tribunal were misled by advisers from making their grants perpetual, under
pretence that the conquerors would cease to depend upon and respect them
if independent, and that it was better to keep them under the necessity of
supplicating for subsistence, and likewise to preserve to themselves the
power of dividing the conquered lands to the advantage of their own
interest. Guzman and his oydors indeed, constantly assigned such districts
as fell vacant among the conquerors and colonists to universal
satisfaction; but were superseded in consequence of their disputes with
Cortes.
In 1550, when I was in Old Spain, a council was formed, consisting of
Bartholomew de las Casas, bishop of Chiapa, Vasco de Quiroga, bishop of
Mechoacan, and other cavaliers who had come as agents from New Spain and
Peru, with some gentlemen who had come on business to court; to which
council I also was called, as being the most ancient of the conquerors of
New Spain. At this time certain of the Peruvian gentlemen petitioned his
majesty to cause perpetual allotments of lands to be made in that kingdom,
and a similar petition was presented by Gonzalo Lopez and Alonzo de
Villanueva, who had come over as agents from Mexico. His majesty was
pleased to order the _rapartimiento_ or distribution of lands to be
referred to the council of the Indies, consisting of the Marquis de
Mondejar president, with the licentiates Gutierre Velasquez, Tello de
Sandoval, Gregorio Lopes de Briviesca, and the Doctor Hernan Perez de la
Fuente, oydors or judges of that court, together with the members of other
royal councils. At this meeting, it was proposed to make a perpetual
distribution of the lands of New Spain and Peru; I am uncertain if New
Granada and Popayan were to have been included. Many excellent reasons
were given for this measure being adopted, but it was strenuously opposed
by the members of the royal council of the Indies, together with Bishop de
las Casas, Fra Rodrigo his coadjutor, and the Bishop of las Charcas, who
insisted that the matter should be postponed till the return of the
emperor from Vienna, when every thing should be arranged to the
satisfaction of the conquerors: And thus the affair was dropped for the
present.
After my return to New Spain, the conquerors then proposed to send agents
to solicit his majesty for our interest exclusively, in consequence of
which I was written to here in Guatimala, by Captain Andres de Tapia,
Pedro Morena de Medrana, and Juan Limpias Caravajal, on the subject. I
accordingly went round among the other conquerors who were settled in this
city, to raise a sum by subscription for the purpose, but this project
failed for want of money. At a subsequent period, our present invincible
king Don Philip, was pleased to command that the conquerors and their
posterity should be provided for, attending in the first instance to those
who were married. But all has been of no avail.
Two learned licentiates, to whom I communicated the MS. of this history,
observed that I had praised myself greatly in the battles of which I have
given an account, whereas I ought to have left that to be done by others.
But how is any one who was not in the wars with us to praise us as we
deserve? To compare myself, a poor soldier, with the great emperor and
warrior Julius Cesar, we are told by historians, that he used to write
down with his own hand an account of his own heroic deeds, not chusing to
entrust that office to others, although he had many historians in his
empire. It is not therefore extraordinary if I relate the battles in which
I fought, that it may be known in future ages, _thus did Bernal Diaz del
Castillo_; that my sons and grandsons may enjoy the fame of their ancestor,
as many cavaliers and lords of vassals do the deeds and blazons of their
predecessors. I shall therefore enumerate the various battles and other
warlike affairs in which I have been present. At Cape Cotoche, under
Cordova; at Pontonchan in a battle where half our number was slain; and in
Florida where we landed to procure water. Under Juan de Grijalva, I was
present in the second battle of Pontonchan. During my third voyage, under
Cortes, two pitched battles at Tabasco. On our arrival in New Spain, the
battle of Cingapacinga or Teoatzinco. Shortly afterwards three pitched
battles with the Tlascalans. The affair of Cholula. On our entry into
Mexico, I was at the seizure of Montezuma, which I do not enumerate as a
warlike exploit, but on account of its great boldness. Four months
afterwards, when with 276 men, Cortes defeated Narvaez who had 1300. The
relief of Alvarado, when the Mexicans made incessant attacks upon us
during eight days and nights, during which I reckon eight several battles,
at all of which I was present, and in the course of which we lost 870 men.
The battle of Obtumba or Otompan. A battle at Tepeaca. A battle at Tezcuco.
Two battles, in one of which I was wounded in the throat by a lance.
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