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

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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… was added, that about the same time theaccountant Albornoz, who was never well inclined towards Cortes,went to Spain to injure him in every possible manner. After hismajesty and the council of the Indies had read all the letters and despatches,which seemed to vie with each other in their complaints againstCortes, and were moreover confirmed by Albornoz, all the former accusations respecting his treatment of Narvaez, Tapia, and his conduct towards his first wife, Doña Catalina Suarez la Marcaida, were harrowed up again, and actually gained credit in all their distortion. The emperor, therefore, came to the determination to appoint Estradasole governor of New Spain; he confirmed all his previous acts anddeeds, gave him power to distribute the commendaries according tothe best of his judgment, and ordered that the factor and veedor should again be set at liberty and reinstated in all their former possessions. A vessel was immediately despatched from Spain with these his majesty's commands, which soon arrived in Mexico; but this was not all, for his majesty also ordered the comendador-mayor of the order of Alcantara, Don Pedro de la Cueva, to equip three hundred soldiers at Cortes' expense, to repair with these to New Spain, there to make inquiries into the complaints which had been made against Cortes, with full power, if he should find them founded in truth, to cut off hishead. In the same way the comendador was to punish all those who had acted against the real interests of the crown; he was to take away all the townships in possession of Cortes, and to distribute themamong the veteran Conquistadores. His majesty likewise ordered that a royal court of audience should be appointed at Mexico, as a supremecourt of justice. The departure of the comendador-mayor, however, was so long deferred,that at last it was given up altogether; for it met with greatopposition at court, and the comendador was either not supplied withso large a sum of money as he had asked for, or perhaps the duke ofBejar had again espoused Cortes' cause, as on former occasions. But to return to the treasurer Estrada. He grew excessively vain andproud when he found himself so highly favoured by his majesty as tobe appointed sole governor of New Spain; and he had been assuredthat the emperor knew he was a son of his catholic majesty king Ferdinand. The first thing he did therefore was to despatch hiscousin Diego de Mazariegos as captain to Chiapa, to institute an inquiry into the conduct of Don Juan Enriquez de Guzman, to whomMarcos de Aguilar had intrusted the chief command in that province,but who plundered and oppressed the inhabitants in the mostshameful manner. In the same way he began to make preparations tosubject the townships of the Zapotecs and of the Minxes, and to makesuccess more sure they were to be attacked from two different pointsat the same time. The troops which were to operate on the northside he gave in command to a certain Barrios, who had previously beencaptain in Italy. He was a man of great courage, had but recently arrived from Spain, and must not be confounded with Cortes' cousin Barrios, of Seville. The number of his troops, on this expedition,amounted to above one hundred men, including several musketeers and crossbow-men. But this expedition terminated very unfortunately,for scarcely had he arrived in the Tiltepec townships, when onenight he was suddenly attacked by the natives, and Barrios himselfkilled, with seven of his men. The greater part of the remainingtroops were wounded, and the whole of them would undoubtedly have been cut to pieces if they had not made a precipitate retreat to Villa-Diegoand the neighbouring friendly districts. [Pg 321] This, I think, is a sufficient proof of the difference between theveteran Conquistadores and the troops newly arrived from Spain, whohave not the slightest notion of a war with Indians or of their artifices;and thus miserably did this expedition terminate. The second body of troops were to fall into the Zapotec territoryfrom the side of Guaxaca, and were commanded by an officer named Figuero, who, it was said, had likewise previously been a captain in Spain; one thing is certain, he stood on a most confidential footingwith the governor Estrada. He had a like number of troops underhis command as https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 212/282
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… Barrios, but also men recently arrived from Spain. Assoon as he reached the territory of the Zapotecs, he despatched amessenger to a certain Alonso Herrera to repair to his camp. This Herrera had been sent with a detachment of thirty men into these provinces, during the administration of Marcos de Aguilar. Figuero had, no doubt, been empowered to take the command overHerrera, for the latter obeyed his orders and arrived in his camp; butthey had not been long there together before a terrible dispute arosebetween them, which ended in their drawing swords, and in Herrera severely wounding Figuero, besides three soldiers who came up todefend him. As the latter officer, on account of his wounds was unableto use his arm, he gave up all idea of marching to the mountainsof the Minxes, which were very difficult of access; besides which, hismen had no notion of the warfare of this country; so that in the endhe solely turned his attention towards discovering the burial places ofthe caziques, to open their graves for the sake of the gold ornamentswhich the inhabitants of olden times were accustomed to bury withtheir chiefs. This employment he prosecuted with so much vigour, andhis endeavours proved so successful, that he collected in this mannerabove 100,000 pesos worth of gold, and with this treasure, added tosome other valuable matters he had found in two of the townships, he determined to retire, and he consequently relinquished the expeditionagainst the Zapotecs and Minxes altogether. He then returned to Mexico with the intention of spending his money quietly in Spain; forwhich purpose he shortly after set sail from Vera Cruz, but had not been long at sea before he was overtaken by so terrific a storm that the vessel, he himself, with five other passengers and all his gold went tothe bottom. [Pg 322] Thus terminated all the governor Estrada's warlike undertakingsagainst these provinces, nor was the rebellion put down until we, theinhabitants of Guacasualco, marched against them and completelysubdued the country; though it was no very easy matter for us either,and as the cavalry was of no use among the high mountains there: Iwas obliged three several times to march out against these tribes; forif we did subdue them during the spring and summer months, they were sure to revolt again when the rainy season set in, and they put every Spaniard they could lay hold of to death. But as we each timevigorously pursued them to their retreats, they at length sued forpeace, and then it was that the town of San Alfonso was founded intheir country. The governor Estrada, in the meantime, was determined that Herrera should not go unpunished for wounding his friend Figuero, and issuedorders for his apprehension; but he had escaped to the mountains beforethe arrival of the alguacils, who, in order not to return withempty hands to Mexico, brought back with them in chains a soldier,whom Herrera had generally about his person. This man's name wasCortejo, and he was a hidalgo by birth, yet the governor without somuch as bringing him to trial, ordered his right hand to be cut off. About this time also one of Sandoval's grooms got into high words with one of the governor's servants, so that at length they drew swordsand wounded each other. Even this paltry affair the governor thought it worth his while to resent, and he ordered one of the groom's handsto be cut off. Cortes and Sandoval were not then in Mexico, but hadretired to Quauhnahuac, partly to enjoy more peace and get out of theway of the constant cabals, and partly to bring about a good understandingbetween two caziques of the latter place who had come toblows with each other. They were, however, immediately informed ofwhat had taken place in Mexico, and with the severe punishment withwhich Sandoval's groom was threatened. They hastened, therefore,to Mexico, but too late to prevent the sentence being put into execution. [Pg 323] Cortes was so enraged at this insult, that he said the most bitterthings to the governor in Sandoval's presence, which alarmed him to such a degree that he considered his life in danger from him, and heformed a body guard for the protection of his person, and only selectedfor this purpose men in whose fidelity he could place implicit reliance.In order, however, still further to strengthen his party against Cortes, he liberated the veedor and https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 213/282
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The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

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