AN
ACCOUNT
OF
THE ABIPONES,
AN EQUESTRIAN PEOPLE
OF
PARAGUAY.
FROM THE LATIN OF MARTIN DOBRIZHOFFER,
EIGHTEEN YEARS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY.
_IN THREE VOLUMES._
VOL. III.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1822.
London: Printed by C. Roworth,
Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
CONTENTS
OF
VOL. III.
PART III.
CHAP. _Page_
I. Of the deadly Hatred of the Abipones, and
their Allies the Mocobios, towards the Spaniards 1
II. By what Means the Abipones possessed themselves
of Horses, and how formidable this Attainment
rendered them to their Neighbours 7
III. Of the Violences committed upon the Cities Sta.
Fè and Asumpcion 14
IV. How much the Guarany Towns were annoyed by
the Abipones 22
V. Of the Achievements of the Abipones in the Lands
belonging to the City of Corrientes 29
VI. Of the Excursions of the Abipones against the
Colonies of St. Iago del Estero 44
VII. Of the Expeditions of Francisco Barreda, General
of the St. Iagans, against the Abipones and Mocobios 55
VIII. Of certain Defects in the Soldiers of St. Iago,
of their Companies, and of the Degrees of Military
Rank amongst them 66
IX. Of the Atrocities of the Abipones towards the
People of Cordoba 77
X. Of the fruitless Excursions of the Cordobans
against the Abipones 94
XI. Of the frequent Endeavours of the Jesuits in
reducing the Abipones to Obedience under the
King of Spain and converting them to the Catholic
Religion 102
XII. A Colony founded for the Mocobios afterwards
the occasion of Abiponian Colonies 113
XIII. The first Colony of St. Jeronymo, founded for
the Abipones Riikahés 128
XIV. Some things worthy of note respecting Ychoalay
and Oaherkaikin 141
XV. Further Praises of Ychoalay 153
XVI. Concerning the Hostile Incursion attempted by
Debayakaikin and his savage Confederates against
the Town of St. Jeronymo 163
XVII. Concerning repeated Expeditions undertaken
by Ychoalay against Oaherkaikin, and the other
Abipones Nakaiketergehes 170
XVIII. Of fresh Disturbances of the Town arising
from the Victory gained by the Inhabitants 177
XIX. Ychoalay, in Conjunction with the Spaniards,
takes a Company of hostile Abipones, and on
another occasion, fights successfully with Oaherkaikin 183
XX. The whole Nation of Abipones are assembled in
three Colonies, but are again unluckily disturbed
by a War of the Spaniards against the Guaranies 194
XXI. An ineffectual Expedition of the Spaniards
against the Abipones 202
XXII. The Cacique Debayakaikin slain by Ychoalay
in battle, and his Head suspended from a
Gibbet 207
XXIII. The Origin and Commencement of a Colony
of Abipones, named from the Conception of the
Divine Mother 213
XXIV. The Flight of the Abipones from the Town of
Conception and their Return to it 220
XXV. The Vicissitudes and Disturbances of the Colony 227
XXVI. My Journey to St. Iago on business pertaining
to the Colony 235
XXVII. My Stay at the City of St. Iago. The Visit
of our Cacique, Alaykin, to the Governor of
Salta 240
XXVIII. My disastrous Return to our Colony 245
XXIX. The perpetual Disturbances of the Town of
Conception 254
XXX. The Arrival of Barreda, and the removal of
the Town to the banks of the Salado 262
XXXI. The Calamities and perpetual Mutations of
the New Colony at the River Salado 271
XXXII. A Colony inhabited by the Yaaukaniga Abipones,
and distinguished by the Name of St.
Ferdinand and St. Francis 278
XXXIII. Progress of the Town of St. Ferdinand,
which was retarded by Debayakaikin 285
XXXIV. Fresh Disturbances, caused both by Strangers,
and by the Inhabitants themselves 292
XXXV. The Origin and Situation of a Colony of Abipones
named from S. Carlos and the Rosary 303
XXXVI. Commencement of the Colony 309
XXXVII. Extreme Indigence of the Colony, and its
various Calamities 316
XXXVIII. Continual Tumults of War 323
XXXIX. Various Incursions of the Mocobios and
Tobas 329
XL. Small-pox the Origin of many Calamities and
bloody Attacks 337
XLI. Four Hundred Spanish Horsemen, in conjunction
with the Abipones, overcome a numerous
Horde of Tobas 346
XLII. Anxiety of the Abipones concerning the Revenge
of the Tobas. Contagion of the Tertian
Fever 355
XLIII. An Assault of Six Hundred Savages on the
Second of August 362
XLIV. Corollary to the Events detailed in the preceding
Chapter 374
XLV. How arduous a Task it is to persuade the Abipones
to enter Colonies, and to embrace the Religion
of Christ 388
XLVI. No trifling Advantages derived from the Abiponian
Colonies, though fewer than were expected 403
HISTORY
OF
THE ABIPONES.
PART III.
CHAPTER I.
OF THE DEADLY HATRED OF THE ABIPONES, AND THEIR
ALLIES THE MOCOBIOS, TOWARDS THE SPANIARDS.
The Spaniards subdued, in great measure, the Indian natives of Paraguay,
sometimes by means of soldiers, but oftener by that of priests, who,
unarmed, could penetrate where a soldier found no access. The former
effected more with their beads, than the latter with their bullets. In
the next century, however, the Abipones, grown more contumacious, would
neither be conciliated by gifts, nor subdued by arms. They would not
receive the Spaniards as their friends, still less as their masters, and
lest conquered they should experience them as enemies, they consulted
their liberty, now fighting, now flying, as need required, sometimes
availing themselves of arms, oftener of cunning and swiftness. The
places of residence which they had chosen were fortified by nature, and
afforded them protection against the forces of the Spaniards, so dreaded
in the open field. They could not be conquered, because they could not
be attacked, whilst defended by ditches and impervious woods, chiefly
before they were possessed of horses. They had rather endure hunger,
thirst, and concealment, than obey strangers. They resolutely refused to
admit the king of the Spaniards, and the law of God—to-wit, their own
happiness. It is certain that, from the age of Charles V., who united
the noblest parts of America to his own Spain, the Abipones persisted in
defending their liberty for upwards of two centuries, even when all the
neighbouring nations had yielded to the foe. Nor were they satisfied
with obstinately refusing the friendship of the Spaniards, but, intent
upon every opportunity of doing mischief, overran the whole province
with hostile arms. Whenever I think of the slaughters committed by the
Abipones in the latter part of that century, I imagine that these
savages, and their allies the Mocobios and Tobas, were reserved by an
avenging God to punish the evil deeds of the Christians, as formerly the
Philistines, Jebusites, and Perizzites, in the land of Canaan, were
preserved by the interposition of the Almighty, to curb the rebellious
Jews, whilst all their other enemies were either destroyed or reduced to
subjection.
Moreover they made a warlike alliance with the Mocobios and Tobas,
equestrian savages, formidable by their numbers and resolution. Scarcely
any memorable slaughter occurred in which these confederated nations did
not join; to this they were incited by their unanimous hatred of the
Europeans, the certain hope of booty, and their common desire of
military glory. The Mocobios were never reckoned inferior to the
Abipones either in stature, or in military skill; but I boldly affirm
that, in atrocity and steady hatred to the Spaniards, they exceed them.
Certainly in the last century they seemed to conspire to the ruin of
Tucuman; proving themselves formidable, not to solitary estates merely,
but to whole cities. The province was devastated by slaughter, rapine,
and fire: Salta, Xuxui, the city of St. Miguel, and Cordoba, were
reduced to desperation, and Estecco, formerly an opulent city, quite
ruined. The city of Concepcion was rased to the ground, the inhabitants
having been treacherously massacred. History does not inform us whether
the Abipones were partakers with the Mocobios in these numerous and
bloody excursions. Alonzo Mercado, Angelo de Paredo, and other
Governours of Tucuman, withstood, indeed, the efforts of the savages,
and conducted as many soldiers as they could muster, either Spaniards or
Indian Christians, into Chaco, to besiege the fastnesses of the savages,
but by a journey always difficult, and seldom recompensed by success;
for, although they sometimes took and slew some of the Mocobios and
Tobas in their hordes, yet the survivors, enraged by the loss of their
companions, redoubled their fury, never ceasing to employ their
strength, which was equal to their anger, in revenge; and success always
crowned their wishes. Several fruitless expeditions of the Tucuman
forces confirmed the opinion of the savages, that the arms of the
Spaniards were not to be feared by them, and that they were sufficiently
guarded in their lurking-places, which were either unknown to the
Spaniards, or inaccessible to them; but that if, peradventure, they were
overcome by numbers, they might reckon upon a victory in flight,
opportunities for which were afforded them by their knowledge of the
country, and by their dexterity in swimming and riding: whilst the
Spaniards, with horses fatigued by a long rough journey, and encumbered
by the length of their clothes and of their arms, could with difficulty
pursue the fugitives, especially if marshes, rivers, and trackless woods
intervened. Emboldened by these considerations, they left nothing
unattempted against Tucuman. Salta, the residence of the Governour, and
other places surrounding it, were exposed to the daily assaults of the
savages.
Estevan Urizar, when he came from Spain to govern the province,
endeavoured to devise a remedy for the public calamity. He proposed an
expedition against Chaco; seventeen hundred and eighty countrymen were
chosen to attend it out of all Tucuman, beside five hundred Indian
Christians, who were increased by a troop of Chiriguanos, at that time
allies. Add to these, five hundred from the city of Asumpcion, three
hundred from Sta. Fè, and two hundred from Corrientes. In short, such an
army was raised that the savages were surrounded on all sides. The
Tucuman soldiers were ordered to explore the retreats of the savages,
and put them to death; the other Spaniards, who dwelt nearer the south,
to prevent their escape by blocking up the roads: and if as much
diligence had been employed in the execution of the project as good
policy in the planning of it, the whole swarm of savages in Chaco would
have been entirely subdued. But of the Spanish soldiers who were called
from the southern colonies, some delayed, others deserted, so that
towards the south a way lay open to the Mocobios, who escaped, without
hindrance, on every side, and took refuge in the hordes of the Abipones.
But as they did not consider this situation at a sufficient distance
from the attacks of the Spaniards, both people secretly removed into the
vale of Calchacui. On this account Salta and the upper parts of Tucuman
were relieved, for some years, from the attacks of the Mocobios, but all
the storm of the war fell on the cities Sta. Fè, St. Iago del Estero,
Corrientes, and the other Spanish colonies situate to the south-west.
That the Malbalaes, deserted by the Mocobios their greatest supporters,
accepted, or feigned to accept, the friendship of the Spaniards; that
the Vilelas and Chunipies agreed upon a peace; that the Lules were
assembled in a town at Miraflores, and there instructed in the holy
religion by Father Antonio Machoni, were the advantages which resulted
from this great expedition: but, though considerable, they fell far
below the wishes and expectations of the Spaniards.