From This Place, Continuing His March, Alvarado Was Continually Harassed
By The Indians Of Quetzaltenango, And Came At Length To A Defile In A High
Mountain, Where The Ascent Was About A League And A Half.
On arriving at
the summit, a remarkably fat woman was found in the act of sacrificing a
dog, which
Is an infallible token of intended hostilities; and immediately
afterwards, great numbers of armed Indians were seen advancing on all
sides, in a difficult broken ground, where the cavalry of Alvarado were
unable to act. In this rough and impracticable place, above 6000 of the
warriors of Utatlan, a district adjoining to Quetzaltenango, made an
attack upon our troops; and being soon put to flight, they rallied shortly
after, reinforced by great numbers of fresh troops, who waited the advance
of our forces, and fought them bravely hand to hand. On this occasion,
three or four of the enemy uniting their efforts, used to seize a horse
before and behind, endeavouring to pull him to the ground, and it required
the most strenuous exhortations both of Alvarado and Father Olmedo to
animate the exertions of our troops, who at length succeeded in defeating
and dispersing the Indians. Our army halted in the field of battle for
three days, unmolested by the enemy, and then marched to Quetzaltenango,
where Alvarado hoped to have given his troops some repose; but he found
two xiquipils of warriors, or 16,000 men assembled to oppose him in a
plain, where he gave them so complete a defeat, with so heavy a loss of
warriors, that they remained for a long time under complete awe of the
Spaniards.
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