The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
convinced them of the enormity of their crime. This example of severity brought the
remaining conspirators to their propersenses; so that Alvarado was enabled to depart with
the gold for Mexicowithout any fear.
Alvarado had certainly laid the foundation of a new town, but it soonfell to nothing again;
for the settlers had obtained very poor lands; the climate was excessively hot, and very
unhealthy; many of the Spaniards soon fell ill, and the Indian naborias and slaves whom
theyhad brought with them died away very fast. The place swarmed withmoschitoes, mice,
and even lice;—to which was added, that Alvarado had carried off all the gold. The
inhabitants therefore determined toleave the new town, and to settle elsewhere; so that they
soon dispersed, and some returned to Mexico, some settled in Guaxaca, and others in
Guatimala. When Cortes received intelligence of this, heinstituted a formal inquiry into all
the circumstances, and it was foundthat the determination to abandon the new town had
been agreed uponin a council held by the alcaldes and regidors of the place. Sentenceof
death was then pronounced against the guilty personages; but fatherOlmedo begged so hard
of Cortes to mitigate this severe sentence, thatthe latter at length, though very reluctantly,
yielded to his prayers, andaltered the sentence into that of banishment.
[Pg 148]
Such was the ill-fated termination of the colony of Tutepec, whichnever after rose again,
for every one feared the unhealthy climate, though the country was uncommonly rich.
When the inhabitants,who could not forget Alvarado's cruel and unjust treatment, saw that
all the Spaniards were leaving, they revolted anew, which obligedAlvarado to return, and
he again forced them to lay down their armsand to sue for peace.
CHAPTER CLXII.
How Francisco de Garay arrives with an extensive armament in the river
Panuco; how far he was successful; and of many other circumstances.
I have above mentioned that Francisco de Garay was governor of Jamaica, and that he
already possessed great wealth, when he heard ofthe rich countries we had discovered in
our expeditions under Cordoba and Grijalva, and of the 20,000 pesos with which we
returned to Cubaon our second voyage.
When he therefore received information of a new armament that was destined for New
Spain, under command of Hernando Cortes, he himself was seized with a great desire
likewise to discover some new countries,and certainly he had more wealth at his command
than we had, to fitout an armament for such a purpose. He had learnt a good deal aboutthe
new countries from our old chief pilot Alaminos; of their riches,and how thickly populated
the provinces were on the river Panuco;and as several other sailors who had accompanied
us on those expeditions, confirmed what Alaminos had told him, he thought it worth his
while to request his majesty to grant him the permission to make furtherdiscoveries on the
river Panuco, and to appoint him governor of all the lands he should discover. For this
purpose he despatched his major-domo,Juan de Torralva, to Spain, with letters and presents
for those gentlemen who at that time governed the affairs of India, begging of them to
procure him the appointment above-mentioned.
[Pg 149]
His Majesty was at that time in Flanders, and the president of thecouncil of the Indies, Don
Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, bishop of Burgosand titular archbishop of Rosano, with the
two licentiates Zapata and Vargas, and the secretary Lopez de Conchillos, governed the
affairs ofIndia just as they thought proper. Garay therefore easily obtained theappointment
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