_Cortes returns to New Spain as marquis del Valle Oaxaca, and
captain-general of New Spain and of the South Sea, accompanied by
his wife Dona Maria de Zuniga, and father Leguizamo and other
monks._
Cortes having now been so long absent in Spain, and having married a
second wife, was very desirous of returning to New Spain, in order to
take the management of his property into his own hands again, and enter
into possession of the marquisate which the emperor had bestowed upon
him. As he was well aware how matters stood in Mexico, he hastened his
departure, and embarked with his whole household and twelve monks of the
order of Charity, who were to continue the good work of conversion
commenced by father Olmedo and by several other pious men mentioned in
former chapters. The general of this order again selected for Cortes
virtuous and excellent men, at the head of whom he placed father Juan de
Leguizamo, of Biscay, a man of great learning and piety, and who was the
confessor both of Cortes and his wife.
Cortes this time again had a very favorable passage; but, unfortunately,
one of the monks died a few days after his arrival in Vera Cruz. In this
town Cortes was received with every mark of respect, but not with the
former splendour. From Vera Cruz he travelled to some of the townships
belonging to his marquisate, and thence to Mexico, in order to have
himself proclaimed captain-general of New Spain and of the South Sea,
and to desire the viceroy and the royal auditors to count out to him the
number of his subjects according to his own views. The emperor, when
granting him the marquisate, had stated how many inhabitants it was to
contain, but I cannot remember the exact number. However, I know it came
to a lawsuit; for when Cortes begged of his majesty to bestow these
Indians on him, he counted one whole household, including the sons,
sons-in-law, and servants, as one person. But the royal court of
audience explained this in a very different manner; for doctor Quesada,
one of the auditors, being commissioned to make the enumeration, counted
all the full-grown members of a family separately, reckoning the slaves
and servants in a similar manner. In this way one house often contained
from ten to fifteen subjects; instead of which, Cortes said that each
house must only be considered as one individual, and maintained that his
majesty fully intended, when he presented him with the several
townships, that the number of inhabitants should be the number of
houses. This matter involved him in lawsuits, and he became at variance
both with the viceroy and the auditors, who then laid the matter before
his majesty, but no decision was come to for several years, during which
time the marquis continued to levy his tribute according to his own
views.
Cortes, on his arrival in New Spain, staid but very few days at Mexico,
and took up his permanent abode with his wife in the town of
Quauhnahuac, which also belonged to his marquisate. He now occupied
himself in fitting out the armament according to his agreement with the
empress Isabella, of glorious memory, and with the council of the
Indies, for discoveries in the South Sea. This armament he fitted out in
the town of Teguantepec, which at that time formed part of his
marquisate, and in the harbours of Zacatula and Acapulco.
How this expedition terminated I will relate in the following chapter,
from which will be seen that Cortes' undertakings were no longer
attended with success.