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…
then to proceed to the river Guacasualco, form a settlementin the harbour there, and then
subdue the province of Panuco.
Rodrigo Rangel and Pedro de Ircio were ordered off to Vera Cruz; the younger Juan
Velasquez to Colima and Villa Fuerte, in the provinceof Zacatula; Christobal de Oli, who
about this time married a Portuguese lady, named Doña Filipa de Araujo, was sent to
Mechoacan;and Francisco de Horozco was commissioned with the colonization ofOaxaca.
The inhabitants of the provinces I have just mentioned would not atfirst credit that Mexico
had fallen; but when they found it to be a fact, the kings and caziques of those distant
provinces sent ambassadors tocongratulate Cortes on his victory, and to declare themselves
vassals of our emperor; as also to convince themselves with their own eyes that we had
really levelled that terrible city to the ground. Each of theseambassadors brought with them
valuable presents in gold, and manyhad their young sons with them, to whom they pointed
out the ruins of Mexico, just as we would show our children the spot where Troy once
stood.
I will now answer a question which the curious reader will surely askhimself, namely, why
we, the true Conquistadores of New Spain, andof the strong city of Mexico, did not settle
down there, but selectedother provinces by preference? The reason is, that we had learnt
fromMotecusuma's rent-rolls where those districts lay from which he derivedthe greatest
quantity of gold, cacao, and cotton stuffs. All our thoughtsand desires were bent upon those
provinces whence the monarch obtainedthe largest tribute in gold, and when we found that
even Sandoval, one of our chief officers, and a particular friend of Cortes, likewise left
Mexico for the provinces, we no longer hesitated to follow his example;the more so, as
there were no gold mines in the neighbourhood of Mexico, nor did it produce cotton or
cacao, but merely maguey andmaise, from the former of which the inhabitants prepare their
wine.We therefore considered the country surrounding the metropolis very poor, and we
consequently settled in other provinces, though we were greatly disappointed in our
expectations! This Cortes had well foreseen,and I still remember that he said to me, when I
requested his permission to accompany Sandoval: "Upon my conscience, brother Bernal
Diaz del Castillo, you are making a great mistake. I shouldfeel delighted if you would stay
with me in Mexico; but if you havemade up your mind to accompany your friend Sandoval,
I will notoppose your wishes, and may God be with you. You may rely upon itI will take
every opportunity to promote your welfare; but I am sureyou will soon regret having left
me."
[Pg 122]
Before we commenced our march each man received an account ofhis share of the booty,
when it was found that all our shares of thegold were due to the officers of the crown, in
payment for the slaveswe had bought at the auctions.
I will not here trouble the reader by enumerating what number of horse, crossbow-men,
musketeers, or other soldiers left for the provinces,nor will I give the date of the month, but
merely inform himthat the first troops left a few days after the capture of Quauhtemoctzin,
and the second expedition two months later.
I must now relate the important news which arrived about this timefrom Vera Cruz.
CHAPTER CLVIII.
How a certain Christobal de Tapia arrived in Vera Cruz, with theappointment
of governor of New Spain.
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