_How twelve monks of the order of St. Francis, with the
vicar-general and father-superior Martin de Valencia, arrive at Vera
Cruz, and how they are received by Cortes._
The reader will remember my mentioning in a former chapter that we
begged of his imperial majesty to send to New Spain some really good
and pious monks of the Franciscan order, that they might assist us to
convert the Indians to Christianity, and preach the doctrine of our holy
faith to them, in which father Olmedo had made so good a beginning.
Cortes and the whole of us Conquistadores had also on the same occasion
written to the general of the Franciscan order, who was afterwards the
cardinal, brother Francisco de los Angeles, and begged of him to send us
some very pious men of his order, that we might be enabled to fulfil our
promise to the Indians, whom we had so often assured that the emperor
would despatch to them religious men, who led a much more pious life
than we did. This we had repeatedly told the Indians, and they always
inquired of us in return if those men would possess the same good
qualities as father Olmedo. To which we answered in the affirmative.
It was in compliance with this, our request, that the general of the
Franciscan order sent the twelve monks, with their superior, who arrived
in Vera Cruz. Among these religious men was also the father Toribio
Motalma, to whom the caziques and distinguished personages of Mexico
gave the name of _Motolinia_,[45] which signifies _the poor brother_,
because he distributed everything he received among the Indians; so that
it often happened he had nothing left to still his hunger. He was always
clad in the meanest garments, went barefoot, and was continually
preaching to the Indians, who became greatly attached to him, and they
revered him as a holy person.
When Cortes received intelligence of the arrival of these reverend
personages in Vera Cruz, he gave orders that they should be received
with the profoundest respect in every town they passed through on their
road to Mexico, whether Indian or Spanish. If they halted at a distance
from any habitations, huts were to be constructed for them; in every
township they came to the bells were to be rung, the whole of the
inhabitants were to go out to meet them with crosses, wax lights, and
flying colours; and in order to give the Indians some notion of humility
and veneration, the Spaniards were particularly instructed to fall down
on their knees before them, and to kiss their hands and their cowls.
Besides all this, Cortes sent refreshments for these monks to every
stage along their route, and wrote most affectionate letters to them.
When they had arrived within a short distance from Mexico, Cortes
himself, accompanied by father Olmedo, and the whole of his brave
officers and men, went out to meet them; as also Quauhtemoctzin, lord of
Mexico, with the most distinguished Mexicans, and a great number of
other caziques from the principal townships. As soon as we beheld these
pious men, Cortes and all the rest of us dismounted, and walked up to
them; and the first who went down on his knees before Francisco de
Valencia was our general himself; but when he was going to kiss the
reverend father's hand, the latter would not allow him, and Cortes then
only kissed his cowl.
The meeting between father Olmedo and the newly-arrived was of the most
affectionate kind, and they embraced each other most heartily; then we
officers and soldiers, with Quauhtemoctzin, and the other caziques,
likewise knelt down before them, and kissed their garments.
Cortes' respectful conduct towards these monks made a deep and
astonishing impression on the Mexican monarch, and the other grandees of
the country; and it served as an excellent precept to all Indians, when
they beheld the man whom they almost feared, and revered as a god,
humble himself before these religious men, and stand in their presence
with his head uncovered. In the presence of men who came without any
covering to their feet, their garments of the meanest kind, their
appearance altogether poverty stricken, and their countenances
emaciated, besides that they came on foot, and not on horseback; all
this amazed the Indians, who ever after throughout the whole country
paid the greatest veneration to these men.
Our reverend guests were quartered in a house which had been purposely
prepared for their reception; and father Olmedo, at the desire of
Cortes, acted as their host.
About four years afterwards twelve other monks of the Dominican order
arrived in New Spain, with their provincial or prior, father Thomas
Ortiz, a native of Biscay, and who had been prior in a cloister near
Punta del Drago, but unfortunately he and his companions were unable to
bear the hot climate; for they all fell ill, and most of them died;
however, I will relate these circumstances more fully in the proper
place. Subsequently several other very pious and excellent men of this
same order arrived from Spain, who were particularly assiduous in their
endeavours to convert the Indians of Guatimala to Christianity.
With all this, Cortes' mind was never at ease, and he constantly
apprehended that the bishop of Burgos and the agents of Diego Velasquez
would renew their complaints against him to his majesty, or injure him
in some way or other; and as his father, with Diego de Ordas, sent him
the most favorable account of their progress in settling the
preliminaries of marriage between himself and Dona Juana de Zunniga, he
considered it would be great policy on his part to send all the gold he
could possibly collect to Spain, partly to convince the duke of Bejar of
the riches he possessed, and of the magnitude of his conquests, but
particularly to ingratiate himself further with his majesty to obtain
additional honours and favours from him.