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… therefore, determined to repair in person to Spain to solicit a reimbursement of this sum from his majesty, and also to bring the dispute with respect to his marquisate to some favorable issue; and lastly, to force Nuño de Guzman, who had been taken prisoner to Spain, to pay him the large amount ofdamages in which he had been condemned by the royal court of audience. When we reflect that none of his undertakings were attended withsuccess after the conquest of New Spain, we cannot at least feel surprisedthat people should say, he was pursued by the curses whichwere heaped upon him. [Pg 355] CHAPTER CCI. Of the great festivities which took place in Mexico on account of the peace which was concluded between our emperor and the king of France; and of Cortes' second journey to Spain. In the year 1538 intelligence arrived from Spain that our emperor,of glorious memory, had repaired to France, and was most splendidlyreceived by the French monarch in the harbour of Aigues-Mortes. Here the two monarchs met, embraced each other most affectionately, and concluded a treaty of peace. [53] At this interview, which was celebrated by various festivities, there was also present queen Eleanor,the mother of the French king, and sister to our emperor. In order to celebrate this happy event, the viceroy of New Spain,Mendoza, the marquis del Valle, the royal auditors, and several of the most distinguished Conquistadores gave splendid feasts. By thistime Cortes and the viceroy had become good friends again, after having been for a length of time at variance with each other respecting the number of Indians belonging to his marquisate, and on account ofthe favour which the viceroy showed Nuño de Guzman. As far as Iam able to judge, such splendid tournaments, sham fights, masquerades,bull fights, and public rejoicings, were never seen in Spain as tookplace in Mexico on this occasion. Similar festivities were celebrated as in ancient Rome, when a consul or a victorious general made a triumphalentry into the city; and all these rejoicings were superintended by a Roman cavalier, named Luis de Leon, who was said to be a descendantof some ancient patrician family of Rome. When all these festivities were ended, Cortes ordered the necessarypreparations to be made for his departure, and he invited me to accompanyhim, promising to obtain for me from the council of the Indiesa grant of more lucrative townships than would be conferred upon me by the royal court of audience in Mexico. I accordingly embarkedfor Spain, and arrived there a couple of months before Cortes, whosaid he had been detained by a bad leg, and because he had not so soon been able to collect the quantity of gold he was desirous of taking with him on this voyage. It was in the year 1540 that Cortes thus, for the second time, arrived in Spain; and as the empress Isabella, ofglorious memory, died in the month of May of the preceding year, thewhole of Spain was still in deep mourning for her; and I, in my capacity of regidor of the town of Guacasualco, and as the oldest of the Conquistadores, had likewise put on deep mourning on arriving at theimperial court. [Pg 356] At this same time Hernando Pizarro, with his suite, consisting ofabove forty persons, all in deep mourning, likewise arrived in Madrid,where the court was then staying. Cortes and his suite arrived in thecity almost at the same moment, was splendidly received by order of the council of the Indies, and took up his abode with the comendadorJuan de Castilla. Upon the whole he was treated with the utmost respect,for whenever he went to attend the sittings https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 234/282
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… of the council ofthe Indies, one of the auditors was sent to meet him at the door, anda seat was given him on the same bench with the president and theauditors. Cortes never afterwards visited New Spain, for notwithstanding theadmiral of Castile, the duke of Bejar, the comendador-mayor of Leon,and Doña Maria de Mendoza used all their influence with his majesty,he never could obtain leave to repair thither again. Each time these distinguished personages solicited the emperor, his majesty answered, "That all the investigations against Cortes must first be brought to an issue before he could grant him permission to return." Yet no oneseemed to stir in the matter, and the council of the Indies would notsay anything until his majesty should have returned from Flanders,whither he was gone to punish the town of Ghent. Neither was Nuñode Guzman allowed to return to New Spain, and though he was condemned in a heavy fine, he was allowed to retain possession of hiscommendaries in the province of Xalisco; and he likewise, with his suite, went about the town of Madrid clad in deep mourning. And as Cortes,Pizarro, Guzman, and several other personages of New Spain and Peru,were continually before the eyes of the public, we were derisively dubbed the mourning Indians of Peru. It was no joke, however, for Pizarro,for he was shortly after imprisoned in the Mota of Medina. I myself returned to New Spain, and the first thing I heard on myarrival there was, that an insurrection had broken out among the mountain tribes of Cochitlan, in the province of Xalisco, to quell whichthe viceroy had despatched thither several officers, among whom was a certain Christobal Oñate. The Indians, however, defended themselves so courageously that the civic authorities of Mexico applied forassistance to Alvarado, who was at that time busily occupied in fittingout an extensive armament in Guatimala, destined for China; yetAlvarado readily consented to render the assistance required, and setout by forced marches for Cochitlan with a large body of troops. Inthis campaign he met with a fatal accident, which I will relate in a following chapter. I have now to speak of two armaments which leftNew Spain, one fitted out by the viceroy, the other by Alvarado. [Pg 357] CHAPTER CCII. How the viceroy sends out a squadron of three vessels into the Southsea to the assistance of Francisco Vasquez Coronado, in the conquestof Cibola. [54] I have already mentioned in a former chapter that the viceroy andthe royal auditors had sent out an armament for the discovery of theseven towns, which are also termed the towns of Cibola. A certain cavalier of Salamanca, called Francisco Vasquez Coronado, who was governor of the province of Xalisco, and was married to the beautifuland virtuous daughter of the treasurer Estrada, had marched out ascaptain-general with a strong body of horse and foot, in order furtherto explore the country. Having appointed a certain Oñate to governin his absence, he took his route overland, and arrived, in the space ofa few months, among the so-termed seven towns. Whether he haddespatched thither the Franciscan monk, father Marcos de Nizza, inadvance, or whether both arrived there at the same time, I am unableto say; however, when they came into the country of Cibola theyfound to their surprise the meadows abounding with cows and bulls,though different in shape to ours in Spain; the houses of the towns were several stories high, and were ascended by regular steps. The father seeing all this considered it well worth his while to returnto Mexico and inform the viceroy of the country they had discovered,that he might send thither an armament of some extent. This the viceroy accordingly did, and he sent out three vessels under the chief command of Hernando Alcaron, one of the officers of his household,who was accompanied by Marcos Ruiz de Rojas, of Madrid, and acertain Maldonado, as second in command. I https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 235/282
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The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

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