Alvarado
Accepted Their Submission And Offer Of Service, And Desired Them To Send
Him 2000 Of Their Warriors, With Which
They immediately complied; and as
the people of Utatlan had again rebelled, he remained eight days in their
country, collecting
Considerable spoil and making many slaves; after which
he marched to the city of Guatimala, where he was hospitably received.
As the utmost harmony subsisted between Alvarado and the natives of
Guatimala, the chiefs of that nation represented to him that a nation in
their neighbourhood, called the Altitlans, who occupied several strong
fortresses on the side of a lake, had refused to make submission to him,
and that they were a barbarous and malicious people. Alvarado sent a
message commanding these people to submit, but they abused his messengers;
on which he marched against them with 140 Spanish soldiers and 2000
warriors of the Guatimalans, and was resisted by a strong force of the
Altitlans, whom he soon defeated with considerable loss, and pursued to
their fortresses on the lake. Having driven them from these fortresses,
they took shelter in an island of the lake, to which he sent several of
their chiefs whom he had taken prisoners, to persuade them into peace and
submission, in which he at length succeeded, partly by threats and partly
by promises, and returned to Guatimala. Father Olmedo exerted himself so
effectually in his mission, that he prevailed upon the people to imitate
our example, in adoring the holy Virgin, for which purpose he erected an
altar and image of our lady, and explained the mysteries of the Christian
faith to the natives. A people named the Pipiles, who came from a
considerable distance towards the south, to enter into submission to
Alvarado, informed him that a nation in their way, called the Izcuintepecs,
were of a malignant disposition, and maltreated all travellers through
their country. He sent, therefore, a message to invite them to come in and
submit, which they refused to comply with; for which reason he marched
into their country with his whole force, united to a strong body of his
allies of Guatimala, and made great havock among them. Not having been
present in this expedition, as I did not go into the province of Guatimala
until my return from Higueras, I have only given a short summary of the
conquest of Guatimala and its dependencies, which may be found related at
full length in a book written by Gonzalo de Alvarado.
About this time Cortes was informed that the provinces of Higueras and
Honduras contained rich mines, and some sailors reported that the native
fishers of these countries used weights to their nets made of gold mixed
with copper; they alleged also, that a strait or passage would probably be
found in that direction into the Pacific Ocean. On these accounts he
determined to send some troops to that country under Christoval de Oli, to
inquire after the mines, and to search for this reported strait, by which
a communication might be opened with the Spice Islands; and as the way by
land was long and difficult, it was determined to send this expedition by
sea. Accordingly, de Oli embarked in six ships, with a force of 370
soldiers, 100 of whom were musqueteers and crossbow-men, and 22 cavalry.
Five of the veteran conquerors of Mexico went along with this expedition;
among whom was one Briones, a seditious fellow and a bitter enemy of
Cortes; besides whom, many of the soldiers on this expedition were greatly
dissatisfied at the unequal distribution of lands which had been made in
New Spain. De Oli was ordered to go first to the Havanna, to procure a
supply of provisions and necessaries, and then to pursue his voyage to the
Higueras to make the necessary inquiries for the reported mines and
straits; after which he was to build a town in some commodious situation.
To advance the interests of our holy religion, he was provided with two
friars, one of whom understood the Mexican language. At the Havanna, de
Oli took on board five of the followers of Garay, who had been expelled
from Panuco for seditious conduct, who ingratiated themselves into his
confidence, and advised him to renounce his obedience to Cortes, in which
they were aided by Briones; so that he at length went over to the party of
Velasquez, who engaged to make such representations at court that the
command of this intended settlement might be given to de Oli independent
of Cortes. De Oli was a brave man, and endowed with many good qualities,
yet unfit for his present employment, having been brought up in the house
of Velasquez, so that he was the more readily influenced by bad advisers
to desert the interest of Cortes to whom he lay under great obligations.
On the third of May, de Oli arrived at his station, which he named _El
Triumpho de la Cruz_, where he appointed to the civil administration of
the new colony, such alcaldes and regidors as had been recommended by
Cortes, and even took possession of the country for his majesty in the
name of Cortes, as he wished to conceal his secession from our general
till he saw whether the country was sufficiently rich to be worth while to
set up an independent government; as, if it turned out otherwise, he could
return to his possessions in Mexico, and gloss over his negociations with
Velasquez, under pretence of having done so in order to procure the
necessary supplies. In this manner was the new colony of El Triumpho
established, from whence Cortes had no intelligence for more than eight
months.
There were a considerable number of veterans and Spaniards of rank,
established in the town of Coatzacuaclo, otherwise called Del Espiritu
Santo, who were entrusted with the government of that province, together
with the districts of Citla, Tabasco, Cimatan, Choutalpa, Cachula, Zoque,
the Quilenes, Cinacatan, Chamuela, Chiapa, Papanahausta, Pinula, Xaltepec,
Huaxaltepec, Chinantla, Tepeque, and others; but through all New Spain,
the demand for tribute was the signal of insurrection, and all who
attempted to levy it were killed, as were all Spaniards who fell into the
hands of the natives; so that we were continually obliged to go from one
town to another with a company of soldiers to preserve peace.
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