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…
hesitated to employ ridiculous exaggerations. Gomara, for instance, says that
20,000 human beings were annually sacrificed to the idols within the circle of
Cortes' conquests;according to others, 50,000. Herrera goes further, for he says
that frequentlyfrom 5000 to 20,000 human beings were sacrificed in one day at
Mexico andin the surrounding neighbourhood. (p. 388.)
[61]
[62]
[63]
Respecting this celebrated artist, see a former note. (p. 391.)
The inland trade of New Spain was considerable as early as in the year 1531.In
the market of Tlascalla alone there were annually slaughtered from 14,000 to
15,000 sheep, 4000 oxen, and 2000 pigs. See Herrera.
The Spaniards must have been remarkably active in those days, for Cortes first
arrived at San Juan de Ulloa in the year 1519; in August, 1521, he took the city of
Mexico, which was converted into a heap of ruins by the siege; in the month of
June, 1526, he returned from the Honduras, and there stood a new city, with many
churches, cloisters, palaces, fortifications, and most probably also an
amphitheatrefor bull-fights. (p. 393.)
Bernal Diaz had good reasons for his fears. The three volcanoes which lay inthe
vicinity, termed volcan de Agua, volcan de Fuego, and volcan de Pacaya,
renderedthe ground very unsafe, and the metropolis of this province was several
times removedby the Spaniards. The present town of Guatimala, called La Nueva
Guatemalade la Asuncion, lies in the plain of Mixco. For a further account of this
town and the eruptions of the above-mentioned volcanoes, we must refer the
reader to thework of Domingo Juarros, entitled, 'Compendio de la Historia de la
Ciudad deGuatemala,' published at the latter place, 1809-1818. (p. 409.)
FINIS.
C. AND J. ADLARD, PRINTERS, BARTHOLOMEW CLOSE.
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Diaz del Castillo, Vol 2 (of 2), by Bernal Diaz del Castillo
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