SUBJUGATION OF ZACATEPEC, AND CAPTURE OF SINACAM'S STRONGHOLD.
1527-1528.
PUERTOCARRERO IN CHARGE OF AFFAIRS—REVOLT AT ZACATEPEC—ESCAPE
OF THE SPANISH GARRISON—THE PLACE RECAPTURED—EXECUTION OF
THE HIGH PRIEST PANAGUALI—SINACAM'S STRONGHOLD—ITS SIEGE
AND CAPTURE—JORGE DE ALVARADO APPOINTED GOVERNOR—THE CITY OF
SANTIAGO FOUNDED IN THE ALMOLONGA VALLEY—PROSPERITY OF THE
NEW SETTLEMENT.
Of the two lieutenant-governors appointed by Alvarado on his departure
from Olintepec, Puertocarrero was the one in whom he had most reliance.
The ability which he had displayed as a soldier and a magistrate fully
justified this confidence. A near relative to Alvarado, he was second
only to that great captain in valor and military skill; and the most
important posts in the field were usually assigned to him, while the
fact that he was elected a regidor of the first cabildo, and filled
that office by re-appointment till his promotion to the rank of alcalde
and lieutenant-governor, is evidence of his capacity for government.
In character he was in one respect too like his commander, being severe
and ruthless in his treatment of the natives.[V‑1] His high breeding was
displayed by a fine deportment and courteous mien, while as a companion
he could be either most charming or exceeding disagreeable; his flashes
of wit and humor were as much enjoyed as the lash of his sarcasm was
dreaded.
With the assistance of his colleague Hernan Carrillo, he began
vigorously to establish order throughout the province. His first
care was to carry out the instructions of Alvarado relative to the
suppression of a revolt in the town of Zacatepec, news of which had
arrived before the captain general's departure. Though a portion
of the natives of the Zacatepec province had joined in the general
insurrection, the garrison stationed in the town itself had hitherto
been able to overawe the inhabitants; but toward the end of August
1526, incited by their high priest, named Panaguali, one inspired by the
presiding genius of the nation, they suddenly rose upon the Spaniards.
Threats of the displeasure of their god Camanelon outweighed with
them even the dread of their conquerors; and the chief priest, taking
advantage of a violent earthquake which occurred a short time before,
so wrought upon the fears of his countrymen that he prevailed on them to
attempt the extermination of the foreigners. The garrison barely escaped
a general massacre, being compelled to make their escape from the town
by cutting their way through a dense crowd of assailants, who attacked
them one evening about sunset. In the struggle one of their number,
together with three of the Tlascaltecs, were captured and sacrificed.
Next day the fugitives were joined by one hundred friendly Zacatepecs,
and by rapid marches reached Olintepec the 31st of August.[V‑2]
[Sidenote: BEFORE THE STRONGHOLD.]
At daybreak on the following morning Puertocarrero marched against the
insurgents. His force consisted of sixty horse, eighty arquebusiers,
five hundred and fifty Tlascaltecs and Mexicans, and one hundred
Zacatepecs. He had also two pieces of artillery. On arriving within
sight of the town the army encamped in a small valley two leagues
from the village of Ucubil,[V‑3] to rest and reconnoitre. Hernando
de Chaves being sent forward with the cavalry captured two natives,
who gave information that Ucubil was peaceably deposed and that in
Zacatepec a portion of the inhabitants had declared for the Spaniards,
and having made their escape, were scattered among the neighboring corn
lands. Puertocarrero now moved to Ucubil, and thence sent messages of
encouragement to the friendly natives, eight hundred of whom shortly
afterward joined him. The Spanish army now mustered fifteen hundred and
ninety men, and with this force the commander was quite ready to meet
the opposing eight thousand. He advanced, therefore, toward the town,
and when about half a league distant sent messengers to offer peace on
condition of surrender. They were received with disdain, and when others
were despatched on a similar errand, they were on the point of being
seized and sacrificed, and only made their escape by trusting to the
speed of their horses.
The Spaniards now took up their position on rising ground a quarter of
a league from Zacatepec. There they were almost immediately assailed
by a body of two thousand natives who, issuing from a neighboring
wood, attacked them briskly, but after a brief struggle were forced
to retire. Early next morning three thousand warriors, advancing from
the direction of the town, came down upon them, taking good aim with
poisoned arrows, while the fire of the arquebusiers was for some time
rendered almost harmless by a strong breeze, which drove the smoke into
their eyes. Later their weapons were used with more effect, and the
Indians began to retire with loss, whereupon the Spaniards incautiously
advanced, thereby suffering defeat; for when the Spanish forces were in
the center of the plain, the detachment from the town, suddenly wheeling
round, attacked them in front, while those who remained under cover of
the woods assailed their rear. Puertocarrero was compelled to withdraw
from the field with all possible haste; but this could only be done
by traversing the greater portion of the plain, and was attended with
great loss, the troops becoming entangled during the hottest part of the
engagement, in canebrakes and creepers. At length the retreating army
reached a secure position between two converging eminences, and here
the conflict ceased for the night.
On the following day the Spanish commander, drawing up his infantry
in a hollow square with the artillery in front and the cavalry on the
wings, gave the enemy battle on the plain. His lines were too strong
to be broken by the Zacatepec warriors who rushed in a dense mass to
the attack, but were driven back by a well directed fire of artillery
and small arms. Forming into two columns, they next assailed both wings
simultaneously, but with no better success. Again massing themselves in
a single phalanx, they made a furious attack on the right of the Spanish
army. The struggle was long but not doubtful. Volley after volley mowed
down their ranks in front, while the horsemen charged repeatedly on
either flank. At length they took to flight and were pursued to the
entrance of the town, where Panaguali and two other priests with eight
of the principal caciques were made prisoners.
[Illustration: GUATEMALA.]
[Sidenote: EXECUTION OF PANAGUALI.]
The campaign was now at an end. Puertocarrero, aware that the loss of
their priests and their chieftains would assure the submission of the
rebels, retired to Ucubil, whence one of the captives was sent to the
town with a final summons to allegiance, and with strict injunctions
to return as soon as possible. A submissive reply was returned, and on
the fourth day after the battle the Spaniards entered the town with all
necessary precautions against attack. Having occupied the guard-house
and public square, Puertocarrero ordered the caciques and other leading
men to appear before him, to witness the closing scene of the revolt.
The Spaniards were marshalled in the plaza, and Panaguali was placed on
trial in the presence of his deluded people, as being the promoter of
the insurrection. All that the poor wretch could urge in his defence was
that he had acted in obedience to the orders of his god; but Camanelon
had now no power to save. As a matter of course the high priest was
condemned to death, and immediately executed in full view of the
awe-stricken natives who but now had confidently hoped to capture the
Spaniards for sacrifice.[V‑4]
The suppression of the Zacatepec rebellion being completed, Alvarado's
lieutenant[V‑5] next turned his attention to the stronghold of Sinacam.
This fortress, built of stone and lime, was situated in an almost
inaccessible position in the Comalapa mountains.[V‑6] In the fastnesses
of this range, seamed with gloomy cañons, numbers of the Cakchiquels
had taken refuge. Far down in the sierra is a precipitous ravine through
which flows the Rio Nimaya.[V‑7] The stream when it reaches the valley
below is of great depth, abounds in fish, and is fringed in places with
beautiful glades and stretches of fertile land, which can be approached
only by difficult and dangerous paths.[V‑8] Here Sinacam's followers
planted and gathered their maize in safety, while river and forest
supplied them with additional food. No better place for a stronghold
could have been selected than that to which the chief of the Cakchiquels
had withdrawn the remnant of his once powerful nation.[V‑9]
[Sidenote: SIEGE OF THE STRONGHOLD.]
At the head of a numerous and well appointed force[V‑10] Puertocarrero
took up a suitable position before it,[V‑11] and for two months
prosecuted the siege in vain. During this time he made frequent
overtures of peace, which were answered only with contempt,[V‑12] while
his men, smarting under the taunts of the foe, who felt secure in his
position and had no fear of hunger, were repulsed at every attack, rocks
and trunks of trees being hurled down on them from the overhanging
heights. Meanwhile they were harassed by repeated sorties from the
natives, who, whenever they perceived any want of vigilance in the camp
of the Spaniards, swept down from the mountains with inconceivable
rapidity, fell upon the weakest point of their lines, and as quickly
regained the shelter of their stronghold.[V‑13]
But failure only roused the Spaniards to more determined effort. There
were among them many who had taken part in the storming of Mexico, and
had fought under Alvarado at Patinamit. The mettle of the adelantado's
veterans had been tested on many a doubtful field, and they were now
about to give fresh evidence of their valor. It may be that a traitor
revealed to the besiegers some secret path,[V‑14] or even served as
guide; but the storming of the fortress was none the less a desperate
undertaking. Its fate was sealed however. Puertocarrero divided his
forces into four bodies and stationed them at the most favorable points;
but before ordering the assault sent in his last summons to surrender.
The messengers who bore the letter to Sinacam narrowly escaped death.
On receiving it the chieftain tore the paper to shreds, and throwing
the pieces on the ground with many expressions of scorn and contempt
ordered the envoys to be put to death. At this moment, however, the
attack was made. Puertocarrero who had observed all that was transpiring
suddenly advanced his men. The ramparts were scaled, and a foothold won
within the fortifications. No hope now for the garrison; the struggle
which followed was severe but brief. The discolored ground was soon
heaped with the dead and dying, on whose prostrate forms the triumphant
Spaniards trampled as they pressed on in pursuit of the panic-stricken
natives. Sinacam and Sequechul, together with a larger number of their
followers, were captured, and few of those who survived the massacre
made good their escape to the mountains.[V‑15]
The storming of the Cakchiquel stronghold occurred on Saint Cecilia's
day, the 22d of November 1526, and long afterward the event was yearly
celebrated by an imposing procession. On the anniversary of the saint
and on the eve preceding, the standard-bearer displayed the royal colors
in the presence of the president, the royal audiencia, the municipality,
and nobles, while the Mexicans and Tlascaltecs, who had contributed
to the victory in no small degree, joined in the procession, decked in
bright colors and armed with the weapons of their ancestors.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: JORGE DE ALVARADO.]
In the month of March 1527, a new governor arrived in Guatemala in
the person of Jorge de Alvarado,[V‑16] brother of the great conqueror,
and a man gifted with abilities of no common order. He had already won
repute in the conquest of Mexico, and had taken a prominent part in the
political dissensions which occurred in the capital during the absence
of Cortés in Honduras. During the military operations in Guatemala, more
especially in the first campaign in Salvador, he had proved himself
possessed of true soldierly qualities. The preferment was bestowed on
him by the governor of Mexico, and that he should have been permitted
to supersede Puertocarrero was probably due to his brother's favor and
to the friendship of Cortés. Nevertheless he was a man eminently fitted
to rule. His appointment was at once recognized by the cabildo, and he
was requested immediately to take the oath of office.
[Sidenote: SANTIAGO FOUNDED.]
Soon after his arrival the cabildo met to discuss a matter of general
interest, which had long engaged the attention of the colonists. This
was the selection of a permanent site for their hitherto unstable city.
The choice lay between the valleys of Almolonga and Tianguecillo,[V‑17]
and after a long and wordy discussion the question was decided in favor
of the former locality. A spot was chosen which had the advantages of
a cool and healthful climate, a plentiful supply of wood, water, and
pasture, and where the slope of the ground would allow the streets
to be cleansed by the periodical rains. The governor then presented
to the municipality a document, signed by his own hand, conveying his
instructions as to the laying-out of the future city. The streets were
to intersect at right angles, their direction corresponding with the
cardinal points of the compass; space was to be reserved for a plaza;
and ground adjoining the public square was set apart for the erection
of a church to be dedicated to Santiago, who was chosen as the patron
saint of the city which was henceforth to bear his name, and whose heart
was to be gladdened in after years, when the day of his anniversary
recurred, by religious ceremonies and festivities, by tilting, and
by bull-fights whenever a supply of bulls could be procured.[V‑18]
Locations were to be assigned for a hospital, a chapel and shrine,[V‑19]
and a fortress; appropriations adjoining the plaza were to be marked
out for the municipal and civic buildings and for a prison; and the
remainder of the site was then to be divided among present or future
citizens according to the customs prevailing in New Spain.
After this document had been publicly read and entered by the notary in
the books of the cabildo, all formalities were completed except that
of taking possession of the future city as though it already existed.
According to the usual formality a post was erected, and the governor,
placing his hand upon it, proclaimed with great solemnity, "I take and
hold possession, in the name of his Majesty, of the city and province,
and of all other adjacent territory."[V‑20]
Four days after the completion of this ceremony twenty-four persons
enrolled themselves as citizens; and so prosperous, at first, were the
affairs of the new settlement that within six months one hundred and
fifty additional householders joined the community.[V‑21] During the
remainder of the year 1527 and for many months afterward the Spaniards
were occupied with municipal affairs, or busied themselves with the
erection of dwellings and with dividing and putting under cultivation
the rich lands of the adjoining valley.
In March 1528 Jorge de Alvarado, in virtue of the authority granted
to him by the governor of Mexico, claimed the right to appoint new
members of the municipality. As no valid objection could be offered by
the cabildo, the nominations were immediately made, and eight regidores
were elected in place of four. The most important measure adopted by
the new corporation during the year was the redivision of lands and the
adjustment of questions that would necessarily arise from such a change.
The grants were so unfairly distributed that, while many citizens had
far more than their share, others had none at all. The discontent of the
latter made it imperative for the municipality to take action. On the
18th of April all previous regulations were revoked and all divisions
of land cancelled. An order was then issued for the redivision of the
valley into caballerías and peonías,[V‑22] and a committee appointed to
redistribute the grants.
[Sidenote: ALMOLONGA VALLEY.]
A measure of this kind could not fail to meet with much opposition,
and as will be seen later the division of lands and the system of
repartimientos caused much dissension among the colonists; yet in the
present instance the cabildo acted with all possible discretion and
fairness in the matter. Those grants of land which were less fertile,
were of greater extent than the more barren portions; men distinguished
for their services received larger shares to correspond with the
degree of their merit; growing crops were the property of those in
possession at the time of the redistribution; and if any occupant had
made improvements and was removed to another grant, his successor was
required to make others of equal value on the new land assigned to him.
Complete title-deeds were promised by the cabildo in the name of his
Majesty;[V‑23] the citizens were ordered to enclose and keep in good
condition the portion of the street corresponding with their allotments;
the exorbitant charges of artisans were regulated; and such was the
thrift of the inhabitants that within little more than a year after its
foundation the town was surrounded with cornfields and orchards, and
the valley of Almolonga soon became one of the most flourishing colonies
throughout the breadth of Central America.