_How Cortes despatched Alvarado to subdue the province of Guatimala,
and to found a colony there._
Cortes strove to emulate Alexander the Macedonian in all things; his
thoughts were always busied with some grand scheme, and his love of
dominion knew no bounds: when, therefore, with the assistance of his
excellent officers and brave soldiers, he had rebuilt and repeopled the
great city of Mexico, and had founded the towns of Guaxaca, Zacatula,
Colima, Vera Cruz, Panuco, and Guacasualco, he also determined to subdue
the thickly-populated province of Guatimala, the inhabitants of which
were very warlike. Cortes knew that there were gold mines in this
country, and had several times invited the inhabitants to submit, but
received no answer in return; he therefore resolved to despatch Alvarado
thither to subdue the country and to found colonies in it. For this
important campaign he selected above 300 foot, of which 120 were
musketeers and crossbow-men, 153 horse, and four field-pieces, with an
abundant supply of powder. The chief artilleryman was Usagre, and above
300 auxiliary troops, composed of Tlascallans, Cholullans, and Mexicans
were joined to these forces. Father Olmedo, who was a most intimate
friend of Alvarado, also begged Cortes that he might join him in this
campaign, in order to preach the gospel to the inhabitants; but our
general, who always wished to have father Olmedo near his person,
refused his request, and appointed another excellent priest to this
expedition who had come to New Spain with Garay, and who gladly
undertook the office of missionary. Father Olmedo, however, left Cortes
no peace until he had obtained his consent, though this was given with
great reluctance, as the father was of valuable assistance to him, and a
man whom he consulted in all matters of importance.
The instructions which Alvarado received were, above all, to strive by
every means to gain the inhabitants by kindness and friendship; besides
which, father Olmedo was supplied with the necessary interpreters,
through whom he was to make every exertion to induce the inhabitants to
abolish their human sacrifices and other abominations, and to lead them
into the bosom of our holy Christian church. As soon as these troops
were in marching order, Alvarado took leave of Cortes, and left Mexico
on the 13th of December of the year 1523. He took his route over some
mountains in the province of Guantepec, and quelled an insurrection
there which had broken out among the inhabitants of the country. From
this place he marched to the large township of Tecuantepec, which is
inhabited by a tribe of the Tzapotecs, where he met with the kindest
reception, and was even presented with some gold. The province of
Soconusco, which he next came to, he also found in perfect peace. This
country was at that time thickly populated, and contained about 15,000
inhabitants, who all quietly submitted, and brought Alvarado a present
in gold; but as soon as he left this province, everything began to wear
a warlike appearance, and, on his next day's march, when he arrived in
the neighbourhood of the Zapotitlan townships, he came up to a bridge
which lay across a small river, near to which there was a dangerous
pass, and large bodies of the enemy were drawn up in order of battle, to
prevent Alvarado from crossing over. Here Alvarado encountered a severe
engagement, and lost one horse, and had many of his men wounded, of whom
one died shortly after. It was not only the warriors of Zapotitlan which
opposed Alvarado, but they were joined by so vast a body of the
inhabitants from the surrounding country, that, though the Spaniards
continually mowed down the enemy's ranks, they were obliged to renew the
attack three several times; and it was only after a good deal of hard
fighting that our troops at last gained a complete victory over them,
and they then submitted as vassals to our emperor. The next township
Alvarado came to was Quetzaltenanco, which had a considerable
population, and likewise bid an obstinate resistance to the Spaniards,
of whom a great number were wounded. The inhabitants of this place had
been joined by their neighbours of Utatlan, the chief of a series of
townships round about Quetzaltenanco: nevertheless, Alvarado put them to
flight, and strewed the field of battle with dead and wounded.
From this place his route lay through a dangerous and very narrow
mountain defile, about six miles in length. The troops therefore marched
forward with every military precaution, and began to ascend the
acclivity. When they had arrived at the most elevated point of the pass,
they found a fat old Indian female and a dog, which had been sacrificed
to their gods; a certain sign of war. This indeed was soon verified; for
they had not marched far before they came up with immense bodies of the
enemy, who were lying in wait for them, so that Alvarado stood in great
danger of being hemmed in on all sides. At this spot the pass was so
narrow, and the ground so thickly strewed with stones, that the horse
were scarcely able to render any assistance; but the crossbow-men,
musketeers, and the rest of the foot, armed with bucklers and swords,
closed the more bravely with the enemy, who retreated fighting, down the
narrow pass to some deep hollows, where other bodies stood drawn up in
order of battle. From this place the enemy, by a preconcerted plan, fell
back, as Alvarado advanced, to another position, where they had posted
above 6000 of their men. These were the warriors of Utatlan and their
subjects, who had made sure they would easily be able to cut off
Alvarado, with the whole of his men; but our troops fought with such
determination and courage, that they put the enemy to flight, having
only three of their men and two horses wounded. The enemy, however,
rallied again, were joined by other large bodies, and renewed the attack
with great intrepidity. The most desperate part of the action took place
near a fountain, where a strong body of the enemy rushed forth from an
ambush; so that the Spaniards were compelled to fight foot to foot with
the Indians, who had in particular singled out the cavalry, and each
horse was attacked by three of the enemy, while several others at the
same time strove to pull them to the ground, by hanging to their tails.
Here the Spaniards were placed in the utmost danger, for the enemy's
numbers were overwhelming; but father Olmedo encouraged the men,
reminding them that they were fighting with the intention of serving the
Almighty, and to promote His holy religion; that the Lord would assist
them, and that they must either conquer or die in this battle!
Notwithstanding this, and the utmost endeavours of the Spaniards, the
victory remained dubious for a length of time, until at last the enemy
began to give way. Now the cavalry were able to gain the open field, and
they dispersed the Indians on every side with considerable slaughter, so
that they were unable to show themselves for the next three days. During
this time Alvarado encamped on the field of battle, and sent out small
detachments to forage. He then marched, with the whole of his troops,
to the township of Quetzaltenanco, where he learnt that two caziques of
Utatlan were killed in the recent battles. In this place he allowed his
men to halt for some time, to dress their wounds, but soon received
intelligence that the surrounding tribes again contemplated an attack
upon him, for which purpose they had assembled an army of two
Xiquipiles, there being 8000 warriors to one Xiquipil. With this
formidable body of 16,000 men the enemy were determined to conquer or
die. On receiving this information Alvarado drew out his troops on the
open plain in order of battle; nor was it long before the enemy came
pouring forth with great force, and strove to surround him on all sides;
but as the cavalry were unrestricted in their movements on this level
plain, they made heavy charges on the enemy's line, who were soon put to
a disorderly flight. Several of Alvarado's men were wounded, but some of
the most distinguished chiefs had fallen in the battle; so that from
this moment the Indians really began to fear the Spaniards, and the
whole province came to the determination of suing for peace, and they
sent ambassadors to Alvarado with a small present in gold. But all this
was mere stratagem on the enemy's part, whose object was to entice the
Spaniards, under the assumed cloak of peace, to the strongly situated
town of Utatlan, which was surrounded by deep hollows, and there to put
them to death, when they least suspected any treachery.
As I have just stated, a great number of distinguished personages
arrived in Alvarado's camp to sue for peace; they handed over their
miserable present, were remarkably courteous in their behaviour, and
begged of Alvarado to pardon their late hostilities, and to acknowledge
them as vassals of our great emperor. This humble language they
accompanied by an invitation for him and his troops to return with them
to the town of Utatlan, which they said was very large, and they would
provide them excellent quarters, with every possible comfort.
Alvarado, who did not for an instant imagine they had any treacherous
designs, received the caziques very kindly, granted them the peace they
sued for, and accepted of their polite invitation. The next morning
early he drew out all his troops, and marched to Utatlan; but as soon as
the Spaniards arrived in this town they were struck with the warlike
aspect which everything wore. There were only two gates by which the
town could be entered, one of which was approached by a flight of
twenty-five steps, and the other by a causeway, which was intersected in
several places. There was also a large building, which was strongly
fortified; the houses of the town stood very close together, and the
streets were uncommonly narrow. There was neither a woman nor a child
to be seen anywhere, for these had all been concealed in the hollows
adjoining the town, and it was very late before the troops could obtain
any provisions, which even then were bad. The caziques had likewise
assumed a different tone to that of the previous day, and Alvarado was
secretly informed by some of the inhabitants of Quetzaltenanco that the
caziques of Utatlan intended to fall suddenly on his troops in the
night, and massacre them all; for which purpose they had concealed a
number of their warriors in the adjoining hollows, who were to rush
forth from their hiding-place the instant they observed the smoke rising
from the houses of the town which would be set on fire, and to fall upon
the Spaniards, who would be half suffocated by the smoke and flames,
while the inhabitants attacked them from another quarter.
The instant Alvarado was apprized of the imminent danger which
threatened him, he assembled the officers, with the whole of the men,
and informed them of what he had heard, adding, that their safety now
depended upon their leaving the town as quickly as possible, and in
gaining some level spot between the hollows, as it was then too late to
reach the open field. He then made the necessary arrangements for the
troops to abandon the place, and called upon the principal personages of
the town, as if he were quite unconscious of their designs; but in the
course of the conversation he remarked, as if by chance, that his horses
were accustomed to go to grass for a certain time each day, for which
reason he would be obliged to quit the town again, where altogether the
houses were too much crowded, and the streets too narrow for him. This
came like a thunderclap upon the caziques, nor could they hide their
inward grief and vexation when they saw the Spaniards marching out
again.
As soon as Alvarado was outside the town he threw off the mask, ordered
the chief cazique to be seized, and he was tried in due form by a
court-martial, which sentenced him to be burnt at the stake. Before this
sentence was put into execution father Olmedo begged permission of
Alvarado to make an attempt to convert this Indian to Christianity, for
which purpose he requested that his execution might be postponed for one
day; but of this one day came a second day, at the end of which it
pleased the Lord Jesus to incline the cazique's heart to Christianity,
and he allowed himself to be baptized by the father, who then prevailed
upon Alvarado to commute his sentence into that of hanging. The son of
this unfortunate man was then raised to the caziquedom. But matters did
not end here, for Alvarado was now attacked by the Indians, who lay
concealed in the hollows, but he soon put them to flight.
There was another large township in this province, called Guatimala, the
inhabitants of which had been duly apprized of all the battles which
Alvarado had fought since his arrival in the country, and how he had
each time come off victorious. They also knew that he was staying at
Utatlan, and that he made frequent incursions into the surrounding
townships, and compelled them to submit to his arms. As the inhabitants
of Guatimala were at enmity with the Utatlans, they despatched
ambassadors to Alvarado with a present of gold, and declared themselves
vassals of our emperor; adding, that they were ready to assist the
Spaniards in carrying on the war in that province. Alvarado received
these ambassadors in the kindest manner possible, thanked them for their
present, and he told them, in order to prove whether they were in
earnest in soliciting his friendship and in their offers of assistance,
that he would demand of them 2000 of their troops to join his army. He
was totally unacquainted, he continued, with the country, which was
besides so full of hollows and narrow passes, that he should be glad of
this reinforcement to clear the roads which had been barricaded by
trees, and to transport his baggage. The inhabitants of Guatimala soon
showed they were friendly disposed, and it was not long before the
required troops, with their generals, arrived in the Spanish camp.
Alvarado staid about eight days in the province of Utatlan, during which
time he made repeated incursions into the different townships, and as
several of these again revolted after submitting to the Spanish crown,
great numbers of the male and female inhabitants were carried off as
slaves and marked with the red-hot iron. Of these slaves a fifth were
set apart for his majesty, and the remainder were immediately divided
among the troops.
Upon this Alvarado marched to Guatimala, where the inhabitants gave him
a kind and hospitable reception. Here the men enjoyed some rest, and
they congratulated each other on the success that had attended their
arms, and now they thought with pleasure on the fatigues they had
undergone. Among other things, Alvarado declared to father Olmedo and
his officers, that he had not been in any battle where he considered
himself in greater danger than in the one they had recently fought with
the tribes of Utatlan, who had combined excessive ferocity with uncommon
bravery, and he considered that his men had done wonders on that
occasion. "It was the arm of God," remarked father Olmedo, "that was
with us, and that He may not desert us in future, let us appoint a day
of thanksgiving to the Almighty and the blessed Virgin, and celebrate
high mass, and I will preach a sermon to these Indians." Alvarado and
the other officers immediately fell in with this idea, and after an
altar had been erected the whole of the men made the communion, and high
mass was performed with every solemnity. A great number of Indians were
present on the occasion, to whom father Olmedo preached so many
excellent things, and gave so many convincing proofs of the truth of our
holy religion, that above thirty of them became converts to
Christianity. In the course of the two following days they were
baptized, and several others expressed a similar wish, when they found
that the Spaniards made more of the converts than of the others. Upon
the whole, there was nothing but rejoicing and happiness between the
troops of Alvarado and the inhabitants of this place.
I must now relate that the caziques of Guatimala drew Alvarado's
attention to some townships which lay at no great distance in front of a
lake. The inhabitants of these places were at enmity with Guatimala, and
their stronghold was a rock of great height, which they had further
strengthened by various outworks. Of these townships, Atatlan was the
principal one, and it was very evident the inhabitants bore the
Spaniards very little good will, since, notwithstanding their near
vicinity, they had not thought proper to send them any messengers of
peace. Alvarado, therefore, sent them a most polite invitation to come
and make a friendly alliance with him; but all the answer they returned
was to ill-use the messengers. This invitation Alvarado renewed three
several times, and as they still refused to despatch any ambassadors to
him, he determined to march thither in person, with 140 foot, 40 horse,
and 2000 auxiliaries of Guatimala. When he had approached within a short
distance of the township he again sent a friendly message to the
inhabitants, who replied by a flight of arrows; upon which he advanced
up to the water's edge. At this moment a vast body of Indians fell
suddenly upon him, under the sound of their wild music, the whole of
them accoutred in their full war costume, with lances of uncommon
length. This was a very severe conflict which lasted for some time, and
a good number of the Spaniards were wounded; but the Indians at last
fled precipitately and strove to regain the fortified rock, but Alvarado
followed so close at their heels that he carried the rock before they
could rally themselves, and he would have slaughtered a great number of
them if they had not leaped into the water and made for a small island
on the lake. He then permitted his troops to plunder the houses which
lay on the banks, and encamped on a plain which was covered with maise
plantations. The day following he marched to Atatlan, which he found
quite deserted by its inhabitants; from this place he sent out small
detachments to forage the country, and particularly the
cacao-plantations, which abounded in this neighbourhood. One of these
detachments succeeded in capturing two chiefs of the township, whom
Alvarado despatched with some others that had been taken prisoners on
the previous day, to the caziques, desiring them to come and sue for
peace; if they complied, he would liberate all the prisoners he had
taken, and they themselves should receive the most honorable treatment;
but if they still obstinately refused to submit, he would punish them as
he had the inhabitants of Quetzaltenanco and Utatlan, by cutting down
all their cacao trees, and otherwise damaging their property in every
possible manner. These threats had the desired effect, they sent
messengers with a present in gold, and submitted as vassals to our
emperor; when Alvarado again returned to Guatimala.
Father Olmedo, in the meantime, was doing all in his power to convert
the Indians to Christianity; he ordered an altar with a cross to be
erected, in front of which he regularly performed mass, and the
inhabitants, on these occasions, imitated the Spaniards in all their
religious ceremonies. Father Olmedo also placed on the altar an image of
the Virgin Mary, which had been presented to him by Garay in his dying
moments. This image was of such extreme beauty that the Indians became
quite enamoured of it, and father Olmedo explained what was meant by
such an image, and how Christians prayed before it.
Nothing now happened for several days worthy of mention, excepting that
by degrees every township of the surrounding neighbourhood sent
ambassadors to Alvarado, and declared themselves vassals of our emperor;
even the Pipiles, a tribe inhabiting the sea-coast along the southern
ocean. As most of the ambassadors complained that the inhabitants of a
township, named Izcuintepec, who were a very ill-disposed people, would
not allow them to pass through their territory; besides that they
committed all manner of depredations on their neighbours; Alvarado
determined that they also should sue for peace and submit to his power.
But as they showed no inclination to do either, and sent an insolent
answer to his message, he marched out one morning with the greatest part
of his troops, accompanied by a strong body of auxiliaries, and fell
suddenly upon this township before the inhabitants in the least
suspected his approach. But it would have been better if Alvarado had
never visited this ill-fated town, for he treated the inhabitants in a
manner that was neither conformable with justice nor with the wishes of
our emperor.
What I have related of this campaign in the province of Guatimala is
more minutely described in a memorial written by Gonzalo de Alvarado, a
brother of Pedro, and an inhabitant of Guatimala; by perusing which the
reader may gain further particulars, and will be enabled to correct any
errors I may have committed. I consider myself bound to make this
observation, as I was not present in this campaign, for I did not arrive
in Guatimala until the year 1524, when the inhabitants had again
revolted, just as we were about returning to Mexico from our expedition
to the Higueras and Honduras, under the captain Luis Marin. On that
occasion we had several engagements with the enemy, who had everywhere
dug deep holes and barricaded the narrow passes along the line of our
march. We were detained two whole days in the township of Juanagazapa,
or Petapa, the neighbourhood of which was full of deep hollows, and we
had several battles with the enemy, who strove to prevent our march
through a very dangerous mountain pass. Here I was slightly wounded by
an arrow, and it cost us much hard fighting before we could force this
passage. I could say a good deal of the battle we fought on this spot,
and it is with difficulty I restrain myself at present, in order to
relate all the circumstances more fully in the proper place. It was
about this time also that a rumour was spread of Cortes' death. With
respect to the inhabitants of Guatimala, I have merely further to remark
that they were not a very warlike people, nor did they ever bid any
stout resistance unless they were strongly posted in the hollows of the
mountains, and then even their arrows did us very little harm.