_How Nuno de Guzman, on the intelligence that the emperor had
cashiered the royal court of audience, determines to subdue the
province of Xalisco, at present called New Galicia._
Nuno de Guzman, finding that his power in New Spain was drawing to an
end, assembled a large body of troops, consisting of cavaliers,
crossbow-men, and musketeers, for an expedition to the province of
Xalisco. Those who were not willing to accompany him he compelled, or
made them give a certain sum of money to hire a substitute. He seized
every horse he could lay his hands on, and at most only paid half their
value. The more wealthy inhabitants of the metropolis were obliged to
contribute as much money as they could spare, and a large number of
Indian auxiliary troops and porters were joined to the expedition.
Guzman's troops everywhere committed terrible depredations. The first
province he marched through was Mechoacan, the inhabitants of which
still possessed abundance of gold, though not of the finest quality, as
it contained a considerable alloy of silver, for which reason Guzman
compelled them to contribute a larger amount. Casonci, the principal
cazique of the province, boldly refused to give him so great a quantity
of gold as he demanded, wherefore Guzman ordered him to be tortured, by
pouring hot oil over his feet; but as the unfortunate cazique,
notwithstanding all the torments he endured, still remained firm to his
purpose, he was ordered to be hung. This was the most cruel and wicked
deed the president ever perpetrated, and he himself was the only guilty
person, for the whole of his men expressed their horror at this inhuman
act. Out of this province he took with him a great number of Indians, to
transport his baggage to the spot where he built the present town of
Compostella; which, however, cost the imperial treasury a vast sum of
money, besides the heavy contributions he levied on the inhabitants of
Mexico, a number of whom he compelled to settle in the new town. As I
did not accompany this expedition, I will not go into its particulars;
but I know well that neither Cortes nor Nuno de Guzman drew any
advantages from it, and that the latter remained in the province of
Xalisco until his majesty issued orders for him to be seized, and
brought back a prisoner to Mexico, at Guzman's own expense, there to
render an account of his government to the new court of audience which
his majesty had appointed. It was at the particular request of Matienzo
and of Delgadillo that these steps were taken against him. We will now,
however, leave him to his own fate, and see who the new members of the
royal court of audience were.