The election of a municipality and of magistrates, names of the
persons elected, and what else happened until the crews embarked.
Having had his siesta, the Captain assembled the Master of the Camp,
Admiral, Royal Ensign, Sergeant-Major, and Captains, and said to them
that, possession having been taken of that land, and the city having
received the name of the New Jerusalem, with their concurrence,
he would elect a municipality and such officers as is usual in a
city that was the capital of a province. As they expressed their
concurrence, it was agreed among all that the elections should be
made in the manner following:--
Magistrates Don Diego Barrantes y Maldonado.
Luis de Belmonte Bermudez.
The Licentiate Alonzo
Sanchez de Aranda.
The Captain Manuel Noble.
Francisco de Medina.
Francisco de Mendoza y Sarmiento.
Francisco de Zandategui.
Antonio Francisco Camiña.
Juan Ortiz.
Alonso Perez de Medina.
Juan Gallardo de Los Reyes.
Pedro Carrasco.
Gil Gonzalez.
Secretary to the Municipality Santiago de Iriarte.
Justices of the Peace Don Alonzo de Sotomayor.
Captain Rodrigo Mejia de la Chica.
Chief Constable Captain Gaspar de Gaza.
Royal Officers:
Accountant Don Juan de Iturbe.
Treasurer Don Juan de la Peña.
Factor Juan Bernardo de Fuentidueña.
Registrar of Mines Don Antonio de Chaves.
Store-keeper General Don Diego de Prado y Tovar. [105]
Overseer Don Juan de Espinosa y Zayas. [105]
As soon as the elections were completed, all the officials took
the oath, placing the right hand on a breviary, which the Father
Commissary held; swearing that they would be loyal to His Majesty,
in whose name the different offices had been given to them; and with
this the proceedings terminated.
Afterwards, the municipal officers formed in order, and accompanied
by the rest of the people, went to the church. Within was the Father
Commissary, who, pointing to the upraised cross, said, "Here,
gentlemen, you have the Holy Cross, the semblance of that which,
by the mercy of God, secured all our remedy and all our good;" but
such were the tears he shed that he could not proceed.
The Captain embarked, taking with him the same cross, the standard
and banners; and, on arriving on board, he ordered that block on
the yard-arm to be taken down, where it had been placed to punish
crimes. For the Captain could not believe that persons with such
an honourable destiny would do things the punishment of which would
be the rope. The Captain ordered the Master of the Camp to take an
armed party, and penetrate further into the interior than he had done
before. They saw more and better farms and villages than before,
and at one village they found the natives much occupied with their
dances. When they saw us they began a flight to the mountains, leaving
strewn about as they fled, bows, arrows, and darts. Our people found
two roast pigs, and all their other food, which they ate at their
ease. They carried off twelve live pigs, eight hens and chickens, and
they saw a tree which astonished them, for its trunk could not have
been encircled by fifteen or twenty men; so they returned to the ships.