THE SECOND ENTRADA OF PADRE AVENDANO
The first entrada being spoiled on account of trouble with the
soldiers, Avendano remained in the province until October 4, 1695. On
that day news reached him from a Spanish resident of Bacalar, called
Francisco de Ariza, that the nation of the Itzas, who numbered eighty
thousand fighting men, had expressed their willingness to receive
Christianity. This news pleased the Governor (Ursua) because the Itzas
were now the only obstacle that lay between him and the completion of
the Guatemala-Yucatan highway. Accordingly arrangements were concluded
according to the terms of which Avendano was once more to attempt to
bring the Itzas to the Church. At his own wish he and his priests were
to do this alone without the retarding influences arising from the
presence of soldiers. Avendano asked for and received various letters
and documents in which the policies he was to follow and the authority
with which he was invested were very fully set forth.
The Orders of the Governor. One thing is particularly striking in
connection with all the conquests of the Spaniards in America, and that
is the very divergent attitudes toward the natives assumed by the
Church and State on the one hand and by the soldiery and colonists on
the other. Nowhere does this difference come out more clearly than in
the matter of the entradas of Avendano. As that writer's report of the
papers given to him by Governor Ursua just before he set out on his
second trip is rather long, I will give an extract of it in order that
the reader may see just what was desired by the Padres and by the
Governor.
In the first place the Governor ordered that Avendano and his
companions be given all necessary horses, Indians, and other equipment.
He also ordered Paredes, who had caused so much trouble before, to
observe carefully the wishes of His Majesty as expressed in the famous
cedula of 1526. In that cedula it was urged that the Indians be turned
from their evil ways; that any necessary houses, fortresses, and other
buildings be erected; that Christianity be introduced among the
Indians; that colonization from Spain should be encouraged in a number
of ways; and a number of other wise provisions were recommended.[9.1]
Departure of Avendano. We will allow Avendano (pp. 22v-29v, 49v-66r) to
tell of the trip in his own words. "With all these papers and the
benediction of my Prelate, I took my departure in the name of God from
this City of Merida on the 13th day of December of this year 1695, in
the company of my companion priests, who were the Padre Preacher, Fray
Antonio Peres de San Roman, who also accompanied me in the first trip;
the Padre Preacher Fray Joseph de Jesus Maria, who from the other
mission of the Reverend Padre Commissioner Fray Juan de Chaves (being
his Apostolic Notary) passed to my mission with the blessing and
consent of the Prelate Superior; and the Padre Preacher, Fray Diego de
Echavarria, with a lay brother of the holy convent, all of whom united
in the love of God and in charity burning to rescue the souls of those
infidel and heathen Ytzaes from the power of Satan in which, through
their idolatry, they were plunged for so many centuries."
The Same Route Followed as Before; Batcab is Reached. "We went through
the same ways and places as the first time, till we came to a town of
the nation of the Cehaches, called Batcab, in which we met General
Alonso Garcia de Paredes, with a captain called Don Pedro Zuviaur, an
engineer or guide who was going in the direction in which they were
opening the road from this province to that of Guatemala."
Chuntuci. "The next day, which was that of the Holy Kings, on January
6th of this year of '96, I said mass, which the army listened to; after
which we started from the town for Chuntuci of the said nation of the
Cehaches, which is four leagues of very bad roads during the rainy
season, on account of the many overflowed and dangerous places that
there are in them in some parts which they call in this language
_akalchees_ or _hulbalex_, and in Castilian _pantanos_. On the said
road likewise are found two rivers in the first league,--a small one
which is not permanent except in the rainy season; as is the case with
an _aguada_ which is found in the middle of the road on the slope of a
ridge which is ascended in times of rain with some difficulty, although
the other river, which is found about three leagues off, is permanent,
the water of which, though it is somewhat sluggish, for they say it is
a river of copper, nevertheless is very cool and raises very good fish,
though not very large ones. A league and a half from this river is the
said town of Chuntuci, which consists of not more than eight houses
close together, though there are many others in the corn fields a
little more or less distant, in a circuit of about half a league.
"We journeyed from this town of Chuntuci in a southerly direction a
distance of a good league, where there is a great overflowed space or
_aguada_, which in this tongue is called _nohcib_, in the midst of
which is discovered a great _aguada_, which without doubt is the origin
or cause of some great river of those which flow to the Laguna de
Terminos. At half a league beyond this we came across a little crystal
stream, which left us in the belief that it had its origin from a great
swamp near there towards the East, which is dimly seen on the other
side of this little stream. About six quarters of a league from here,
we discovered an indistinct little path in the direction of the
South-east, following which without suspicion, though we were armed, we
rushed forward with eager confidence, following the path through the
thickets without fearing any shipwreck, saying the prayer '_in exitu
Israel de Egiptu_' that we may imitate in their victory the Israelites,
who succeeded in passing through the waves of the Red Sea. We followed
the said path for some distance, during which we fell in with the
_Batchee_, or signs which assured us that we were on the path to the
nation of the heathen Ytzaes. So indistinct was the path in itself,
that to tell whether or not it was a path, required that _Batchee_,
which was what we followed. After half a league of this road, we came
across a little stream. It is called Chinchinucum, in the language of
the Cehaches. Two leagues from there we found another larger stream,
called Nohucum; at half a league farther on, a great _aguada_ called
Akalcay. Two leagues and a half on the right is found a great pond,
called Yavilain; another two leagues and a half from there is an
_aguada_ called Chuncopo. This is an accidental _aguada_ in the middle
of the road, which has abundance of water in the rainy season, from its
being in the midst of low hills and _akalchees_. Beyond this place is a
great ravine, which in this language is called _nohem_. It is about a
league and a half [long]. This ravine they call the 'Hell of the
Ytzaes' from the danger of its descent, on account of its being
necessary that the road should go through it, though we passed many
others which are more dangerous and worse than this ravine. On account
of the impossibility of the passage which they had described to us, it
being necessary to pass through it, so as to carry out our special
undertaking and in order to accomplish it the better and to facilitate
the passage, we chose as its patron Saint our Padre San Antonio of
Padua, by whose intercession, without doubt, the passage of the said
ravine became much easier for us than they had described to us up to
this time; we did not fail to pass over some hard hills and rough
roads, but from here they were the worst of all I had seen up to this
time."
The Hardships of the Journey. "Two leagues from this ravine we began to
hesitate about the road, because we met with a large river, although it
was then dry; but in the rainy season, it is plainly seen, it carries a
great mass of water. On account of this we found a variety of passages
and _Batchees_, but, thanks to God and good fortune, in the courses of
this dry river, which is called Cohucum, we recognized some mud or
signs of earth among its pebbles, so that by following this sign for a
long distance, we not only came across, in a bend of the river, a
spring of water, to satisfy our need of drinking which we already felt,
but also we recognized on its banks the _Batchee_ and the lost path, so
that at one time we had two consolations. We slept there, though it was
very early when we reached there, for fear of the scarcity of water,
which we had already experienced. But in the morning we had occasion in
a short time to be vexed at so much water, since at a short distance we
fell in with a stream more annoying than if it had been filled with
water, though the water which it carried was sufficient to drench us,
since we were not able to pass over it in all cases without going
through it. One has to cross this river in the space of a league very
nearly fifty times, so that it not only annoyed us by wetting us so
much more, but because at each turn we lost the track or footprints
which we were following; so that we were delayed enough in passing the
said turns of the river.
"After a great storm they say fair weather follows, but the contrary
happened to us, since, trusting in the abundance of water, we neither
drank, since it was in the morning, nor did we carry it with us,
supposing that we should find it at each step, but what happened
to us was to meet with a great multitude of very rough ascents and
descents,--all hills and very high mountains of limestone, which
extended over a space of four leagues, so that, besides the path in
itself being so rough, thirst was troublesome enough. We found
ourselves in the midst of this anguish when of a sudden we came on a
descent as rough and steep as it was long and dangerous; for, though we
had no load to carry, we had to make use of the trees so as not to
slip, since if we slipped, there was no place to stop till we reached
the bottom, where we saw a horrible lime cavern which we supposed would
hold water. But it was not so."
Approaching the Itzas. "From the top then of this hill, which I speak
of, there was discovered a great range of low hills, of such a kind
that it not only appeared another country, since even from the top of
the trees we did not discover the land beyond or the part on the other
side of this height. We thought that we doubtless were in another new
territory and near the Ytza nation, to which we were going. At a
distance of half a league from this descent, we came across a great
spring of water, which was able with its force to turn many mills, and
howsoever great the pleasure was which we felt at seeing it, just as
much disgust did the taste of it cause us, since it sprang from the
brow of a very high hill or steep rock, but it was all mixed with lime,
and was of a lead and sulphur color, and like this also was its weight
and taste. But we did not refrain from drinking it on this account,
since thirst appeared to us of worse taste and weight, although of
little advantage was it to us, since in a short time after we
experienced that weight and bad taste, and the fatigue of the road
which we traveled, we came in about a league upon a great pond, where
we camped for sleeping that night, since we had found there such good
accommodation."
Tan Xuluc Mul; Temples on a Great Height. "Having come then to this
pond of Tan xuluc mul an hour before sunset, we had to observe and
wonder with pleasure and delight, since the water which we found was
very fine and good. We found the hut already made, since undoubtedly
the Ytzaes kept up that place either for occupation from time to time
or as a permanent dwelling, for there are very many of them in those
places. We had to observe and wonder on some rocks or buildings on some
high places,--so high that they were almost lost to sight. And when we
caught sight of them clearly, the sun shining on them in full, we took
pleasure in seeing them; and we wondered at their height, since without
any exaggeration it seemed impossible that that work could have been
done by hand, unless it was with the aid of the devil, whom they say
they adore there in the form of a noted idol. We, with great zeal which
aided us, determined to go up and break it; and, as for me, most of
those who know me know that the lightness of my feet corresponds to the
passion of my zeal to destroy it. But I did not find a trail by which
the idolaters go up, and, even if I had found it, the ascent was always
difficult for me on account of the great height on all sides.
"This ridge continued along the way we traveled for a distance of five
leagues, with very dangerous ascents and descents.... With these
difficulties we came across, at the end of five leagues, a large
_peten_ of water, by which we unexpectedly found ourselves surrounded;
and though we were pleased with the water, our pleasure was drowned in
the inconvenience of the place for sleeping...."
Chakan Itza. "This _aguada_ or _peten_ is called Ychmuxan, from which
to the Chakan Ytza, there are three leagues, most of them consisting of
very low woods or underbrush, since the whole is mixed up, so that
neither are they _Akalchees_ nor do they cease being so. These are
great overflowed tracts, impossible to be walked on in the rainy season
and even in dry times. He alone may walk there, who should wish to
expiate thoroughly his sins, but for any other purpose only a desperate
man would do so, since such woods as those are of the kind which they
call _tocolchees_,--that is a labyrinth or confusion or hodge-podge of
all weeds or thorny plants, so that I do not know how we brought our
clothes and legs out from amongst them. All these sorrows and
sufferings were signs of the pleasure which we were to receive on that
day. In all the said three leagues there is found at each step a stream
of moderate volume, though there is no passage, except, when following
its banks, one can meet with the Chakan Ytzaes, as we did, about three
o'clock in the afternoon of the evening before the day of the name of
Jesus, which my holy religion celebrates on the 13th of January...."
The Chakan Itzas. "To cross to the other side of the river, which is
called Caclemacal, and to reach the first settlement of the Chacan
Ytzaes was one and the same thing; at which, putting behind us and
forgetting all our preceding difficulties, our hearts considered
themselves satisfied and well repaid with the delight and spiritual
consolation which we received at seeing ourselves at the entrance of
the mine where we were to meet with the precious or polished stone,
which was to be either the glorious ornament of our crown, if we were
worthy of dying for the faith which, with the help of God, we were
going to plant, or the fruitful result of those laborious steps which,
with the said aid of heaven, we intended to bring about...."
Treatment of the Natives. "We entered then this first settlement
situated on the opposite side of the river of Caclemacal about four
quarters of a league away. In the middle of which we met an Indian
woman, wife of the brother of the cacique Ahcan, a near relative of the
petty King of Peten Ytza, who, with two of her small children, was
coming to the said river for water; but when they saw us at a
distance,--three priests clothed with our priestly garments, which had
never been seen by them, and the four Indian singers who were traveling
with us, with the garb of the cloaks or _ayates_ which they wore, very
different from their own garments and from those of the three Cehaches
Indians, whom we took along as guides, they ran away excitedly,--mother
and children,--as if we might kill them, so that it was no little work
that we had to pacify them with gentle words and loving caresses,
though we had more trouble in quieting the minds of the brother-in-law,
the cacique and the other Indian authorities, who in a moment ran
together at their cries, all with the intention of making war on us,
for they all came with bows and arrows in their hands.
"But as we wished to sow in their hardened hearts the pure grain of
evangelical seed which should have a more fruitful growth than that
which fell among the thistles and thorns, we began as genuine workmen
of Christ to till the soil of their hearts with the loving hoe of
caresses, embracing them joyfully, as one who had fallen in with the
ewe which had been lost for so many centuries, (the influence of our
soft words and the moderation of our prudent acts, resisting all the
weight of their immoderate acts) at which most people were frightened;
and we gave them at the same time some of the Spanish things which we
carried, as necessary and required for attracting their unruly spirits,
for this calmed and quieted them more than the caresses which we had
given them. This entry into the said settlement or village was on the
13th of January, on which my seraphic religion celebrates the vespers
of the holy name of Jesus, and at the very hour of vespers....
"With their spirits now peaceful and happy, they entertained us on that
afternoon and night, with such a confusion of shouts and outcries in
their songs, that, had we not considered that those extravagant signs
of joy were the wild ways of those rural hills and the fashion with
them, our hearts would have suffered some anxiety and sadness, the more
so when we saw before us, those carved, striped and painted faces, made
in the very likeness of the devil."
The Padres Please Other Indians by Means of Little Gifts. "I gave them,
as they came up to the novel sight, some necklaces and other trinkets
and trifles for their wives and daughters, and for the men some knives,
for the desire to possess which all came again, thus obliging me to
give them presents a second time, all which I did with pleasure, one
reason being the abundance of what our benefactors in their kind zeal
had given me, and the other in order to draw them to our Catholic
faith, which comes to them more through the eye than through the
hearing, since they are covetous in the extreme. They approached me to
get what I had remaining in some hampers, in which I carried for the
petty King an entire suit of clothes, in the fashion of the Indians of
this Province, which the Governor gave me, and other things which I was
carrying for the chiefs of Peten Ytza, in order the better to gain
their good will, besides other things necessary for our ministry and
support. And they made a request of me to let them see these things,
carried away by their gross inquisitiveness as much as by their
excessive covetousness. And scarcely did I yield and show them what I
had in the said hampers, when, with an insatiable desire they began to
covet all, the act of touching and the desire to take everything
becoming uppermost with them, rather than the modest civility of asking
for it...."
The Padres Renew their March. "With great demonstrations of love they
loaded themselves with all our goods and supplies (except the sacred
robes, since we did not bring them till we knew that the outcome was
safe) without giving an opportunity to any of the singers whom we had
brought with us to carry anything. With this accompanying we set out on
the road which leads in the direction of the East, for Peten Ytza,
which is about five leagues off, all the Indians who lived round Cha
Kan Ytza accompanying us with their wives and children, giving shouts
of joy in order to excite the rest to accompany us."
Nich. "We went on in this manner to the landing place of the lake where
one enters the said Peten Ytza, on the shore of which is found a little
town called Nich, which consists of about ten houses. In one of them I
saw an Indian, the oldest one I had seen up to that time in the nation
of the Cehaches, nor up to the present time in that of the Ytzaes,
since they have the custom of beheading them when they pass fifty
years, so that they shall not learn to be wizards and to kill; except
the priests of their idols, for whom they have great respect. And this
man must have been one without doubt.
"In the region of the said road, there are many hills and great density
of woods on the hills, many cedar and mahogany trees, which in this
tongue are called _punabes_, besides many others which I do not mention
so as to avoid annoyance. There are many overflowed places called
_Akalchees_; there are also three rivers, one of moderate size, which
from its falling from a high rock, makes noise enough; the other two,
although they too fall from a rather high place, are not so full of
water, though they wet us all because their streams are wide and
because there is no bridge to cross them. We came then to the said
town, Nich, whose cacique is called Ahtul, and this little town is the
chief town of Cha Kan Ytza, which consists of other very small towns,
but of many settlements, and each of these possesses a cacique or
captain, although all the Cha Kan Ytzaes, with their wives and
children, as far as I saw, will be about six hundred souls, more or
less."
Indians Arrive from Tayasal. "We ate very heartily in the said town,
for the sake of giving them pleasure, so that they showed that they
were pleased and they entertained us with their instruments from twelve
o'clock of the day that we arrived till two o'clock in the afternoon,
when, in answer to the previous messenger which I sent to the petty
King of my coming to his territory, there came up some eighty canoes,
full of Indians, painted and dressed for war, with very large quivers
of arrows, though all were left in the canoes,--all the canoes
escorting and accompanying the petty King, who with about five hundred
Indians came forward to receive us. They hurried us on board with great
speed and with very rude actions, without taking notice of the music of
the clarions with which we awaited him, nor of the peace, which as its
messengers I brought him in the name of the King, our Lord. Nor on our
part, could we fulfill our embassy, since, without giving us an
opportunity to do so, they began suddenly to take us across the lake
(which in that part probably is three leagues in distance across).[9.2]
In a small bay on its shore, a nephew of the King, whom I had rewarded
with some Spanish trinkets, coveting the image of a Santo Christo,
which I wore on my neck, and which I had refused to give him on two
occasions when he had asked me for it, on my giving a cutlass with its
blade to the petty King, his uncle, seized the hand of his uncle with
excessive insolence, and snatching the blade from its sheath, turned it
to my breast, and passing the blade across my throat, cut the string
with one blow and took the image of Christ from me. I reproached him
for his improper act and what he said to me was, 'Well, if you have not
wished to give it to me, what am I to do?', by which it is plainly seen
that if one does not give them what they see and ask for, the life of
him who should refuse it is at risk from moment to moment. On seeing
this the King, his uncle, laughed at it, instead of reproving him, and
he began with more vanity and pride than a Lucifer, to say to me many
things very foreign to that first meeting. By this insulting and hasty
reception, they did not give us an opportunity to look after our
baggage, although the Chakan Ytzaes had the opportunity to put our
things under such good guard that up to now we had not seen it, we
being left from that time without more comfort than the clothes on our
backs, nor more sustenance than that which their savage generosity
might choose to give us."
Bravery of Avendano. "In the long time that we were on the lake, a
temptation was offered to the King, such as belonged to the devil who
inspired it and natural to his inhuman and cruel heart, so as to
inspire me with fear, so that my heart might suffer some sadness or
disturbance; but his purpose found itself frustrated, first, because
when I started from Merida for this nation, I went prepared to die; and
second, knowing that they were such savages in their ways, my courage
stood prepared to suffer whatever insults they might say to me, as for
instance to bear for God, who gives us courage, any unreasonable acts,
whatsoever. Suddenly the said King placed his hand over my heart to see
if it was at all agitated, and at the same time he asked me if I was
so. I who was before very glad to see that my wishes and the work of my
journey were being obtained, replied to him, 'Why should my heart be
disturbed? Rather it is very contented, seeing that I am the fortunate
man, who is fulfilling your own prophecies, by which you are to become
Christians; and this benefit will come to you by means of some bearded
men from the East; who by signs of their prophets,[9.3] were we
ourselves, because we came many leagues from the direction of the east,
ploughing the seas, with no other purpose than, borne by our love of
their souls, to bring them, (at the cost of much work) to that favor
which the true God shows them.' I at this time, with some freedom on my
part, also placed my hand on his breast and heart, and asking him also
if his was disturbed, he said, 'No.' To which I replied, 'If you are
not disturbed, at seeing me, who am the minister of the true God,
different in everything from you, in dress, customs and color, so that
I inspire fear in the devil, and if your heart is not troubled, why
should you expect me to be afraid of you, mere men like myself, whom I
come to seek purposely, with great pleasure, merely for the love which
I have for their souls, and having found them, in order to announce to
them the law of the true God, as you shall hear when we come to Peten.'
At this, changing the conversation, the devil tried to use him as his
instrument for putting me in another greater temptation.
"It is a custom among them, that, on the day before killing any one or
sacrificing him, especially if he is a stranger to their town, to give
them something to eat, either the hot drink of barley and beans, which
they use, or another of _cacao_, which is what they offer them. I was
not ignorant of all these rites, through what history relates that they
had done on the two occasions on which priests of my holy religion had
gone there; although in one case did they kill the Padre Fray Diego
Delgado, through the fault of some Spaniards who followed him. When in
the same way the said King asked me if I was hungry, I, though I had
just eaten, realizing the situation, said 'Yes,' so that his wickedness
should not see any cowardice in me; and I asked him if they had
anything to eat, that they should give me some. At once he ordered that
all the canoes should halt, and made them give red peppers and herbs,
or _tamales_, which they brought on purpose to give us in the middle of
that lake. I ate it eagerly and asked him very pleasantly if there was
any more; to which he replied, 'Then it has tasted good to you?'
'Finely,' I told him, 'and I would eat more if there were any.' I said
this to him with some wit, at which they all laughed, but in a serious
way, and they gave another which I ate with the same pleasure, at which
they were all surprised,--at the sight of my coolness...."
The Landing at Tayasal; the Idol. "With this we continued our way to
Peten Ytza, which is situated in the middle of the said lake, as well
as in the midst also of other islands or _Petens_. On the shore of the
landing place is situated the house of the said petty King at the
distance of half a quarter of a league, in the middle of which, open to
the street, stands the fragment of a column, of round stone, the
circumference of each part of which is about three quarters of a yard
across and one quarter high. It is made of stones placed on top of each
other with mortar of lime and _cah cab_, which is usually used for that
purpose; and the middle is filled in with bitumen, so that it is like a
table, with a round pedestal, upon which and set in the foundation of
the said stone column, there stands out toward the West a stone mask,
very ill-formed, which, together with the stone column, the petty King
and the rest of his family and followers worship. The said column is
called, in the name by which they worship it, Yax cheel cab, which
means in their language, 'the first tree in the world,' and, as is
understood in their old songs (which few people understand) they wish
to have it known they worship it because it was the tree of whose fruit
our first father Adam ate, who in their language is called Ixanom. In
the small part which is fortunately preserved, and the mask, which
stands in the said foundation of the said column, they worship him with
the title of the son of the very wise God. In their language they call
him Ahcocahmut...."
At the Temple. "We came to the said temple which had more space than
the hall of the petty King, although it is the same in its structure.
Here we dimly saw a box suspended,[9.4] in which we saw indistinctly
(although hastily) a bone of the leg or thigh, very large in size,
which appeared to be that of a horse; and I confess that though we had
much to do that afternoon, which was the time that we stayed in that
temple, we acted a little unwisely, since we neither asked what that
bone was, nor did we remember in the rest of the days to go and look at
it more deliberately. This thought occurred to us when we had left
Peten, when our error was irremediable (which was a cause of greater
grief) because we remembered then that that bone was by chance from the
horse which Cortes left in their care, which they had kept as a relic
or to hold him in memory, since they rendered worship (as I said
before) to his statue."
The Padres Read the Letters. "At last I brought out the letters of the
message and it cost no little trouble to make them sit down and keep
quiet, so that they might hear it. I called before us all the priests,
who are the Masters of the law, and all the caciques, captains and
chiefs of all the districts of that island or _Peten_.... I began to
read to them the message which the Governor sent in writing in the name
of the King our Lord; and in the few moments that I had read to them,
seeing their manner and the little attention which they showed, I
perceived that they did not understand what I was reading to them, and
having asked them about this, they replied in the words, '_manucan a
can tucot kanil caxicin_,' which means, 'we do not understand what you
say.' Then, leaving off reading the letter, ... I explained the said
message to them in the ancient idiom, and inserting a spiritual sermon
... and all this was explained to them with some eagerness, mixing in
some words of their prophecies, which were at that time to the point.
They heard it gladly, because they understood it all.... They answered
in these words, '_cato vale_,' which is as if they said 'We will think
of it first, for there is time for answering. Wait.'"
The Curiosity of the Itzas. "With this, as it was already almost
night-fall, we set out with the same crowd for another temple, which
stands about three-eighths of a league from the house of the petty
King, where was our abode. Although we stopped there, the continuation
of their wonderment did not stop on their part, since, with this as an
excuse, they did not leave us a moment alone by day or night, since if
any, satisfied with having seen us by day, went away to their houses at
night, double the number of them came by night to see us and to sleep
there, besides those who came first, and even those who had gone away
satisfied with seeing us, did not fail to come back. In this way we
lived with the annoyance which can be imagined, since we were not able
to attend to our needs, without their following us; and neither the
prohibition of the King nor our own scolding were sufficient to hinder
their excessive curiosity, the only attention which they paid to either
being that they all laughed at it. Their tediousness was such, that if
we sat down, they all sat down next to us, surrounding us; and then
some on one side and others on the other would touch us from top to
toe, not excepting (if we gave them the chance) the most hidden parts
of a man; if we stopped or walked on, it was all the same, so that, in
order to be able to carry on the divine service without that annoyance,
we contrived the plan that they should seat themselves in a row around
the said temple on the benches of stone and lime which were there, and
we, walking up and down in the middle, carried on the divine service,
it all being a matter of amusement for them,--not only the movement of
our lips speaking things they did not understand, but also the gestures
and crosses which we made over ourselves as we prayed; and, although we
got through with our prayers, we kept walking all the while so as to
enjoy the relief for so much longer time.
"The King was present at all this, since he never left us by day or
night.... I asked them what it was that they had decided to reply to my
message. At which the King, taking the lead, answered, for all, in the
same words as above, '_Cato cato vale_.' 'We will answer soon.' And the
King, speaking aside with me, asked what it was I wished to hear; to
which I replied, 'to know if you wish to receive the law of God and the
friendship of the Spaniards which I offered you yesterday, and if you
wish to undertake to be Christians, as has been prophesied to you by
your prophets, since you are not ignorant of them. The time has come.'
To which the King, together with the two other priests who were with
him, replied to me that they were willing to become Christians, but
that they did not know how that kind of baptism which I had explained
to them was to be carried out. Then I, taking as a text that verse of
Ezekiel, 'I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean;
from all your iniquities and your idols will I cleanse you,' explained
the said text to them, item by item.... They replied to this in these
words,--'_ba valac a toca vale_,' which means 'so it will be when
tomorrow dawns and we shall see it.' With this we all went to the
temple, where we stopped and where they were present all night. Before
God brought the dawn, they had already caused to be brought some cups
of warm _posole_, which they are accustomed to drink, so that with this
and the rest of the supplies which they use, such as ..., beans, cooked
squashes, flesh of wild pigs, prawns and other kinds of fish, with
whatever each man found in his house, and all this with many tortillas
of maize bread, and they did not stop bringing these till night; there
being an excess of everything, so that when we saw that these same
people did not depart from here, we gave it back again to them to eat,
which they did, the King beginning first."
A Baptism Performed. "Having breakfasted this first day on warm
_posole_, we began for the third time to speak about the spiritual
lecture of the day before, ... and having heard for the third time this
lecture, anxious to receive the said baptism, although suspicious of
what it was, since they thought that there was some shedding of blood
or circumcision or cutting of some part of their body, they said that
they wished to see in one case how that was done, and at this time the
King, taking hold of one child of the many of his family which he had
concealed behind the temple for the said purpose, said to me,--'Do that
which you speak of to this child and I will see whether it is good or
not.' To which I replied,--'And if it should seem to be good, will you
permit me to do just the same with the rest of your children?' To which
the King replied, before all the people who stood around listening,
that he would. Then taking the child which the King offered me, and one
of the Indian singers who went with us holding him, I sprinkled on him
the baptismal water. Then, seeing that this was such an easy thing and
without the harm which they had expected, they asked me to do the same
with the children which the King had concealed there. These he
immediately brought forth, and he bade all those present (especially
those of his family and district) to bring their little children to
receive their names (for this is what they called baptism). And he told
the priests who were present there, about three or four in number,--'It
is proper that all your children should come to receive their names and
to be washed.' With this example of the King in being the first to
bring his children to be baptized, the other Indians imitated him in
bringing theirs in great haste, so that in the three days and a half
during which they delayed in giving their answer to my message, I
performed very nearly three hundred baptisms, without my having an
opportunity to stir from that temple, on account of my seeing the
assemblage of Indian men and women, who brought their children of their
own accord to be baptized. I gladly administered the said holy rite,
since the King, (who in everything showed himself very friendly towards
me) and three other priests who were his relatives had told me that
they were only waiting for two caciques with their captains, in order
to give the final answer, which would be favorable in all respects (as
they did give it) and this will be seen below....
"I stopped baptizing until I could catechize them in the mysteries of
our holy faith, which is required for such a purpose; and afterwards
all agreed with me to receive baptism when I should come back there at
the appointed time of four months hence, as I will speak of in the
proper place."
Other Caciques Arrive. "I found myself occupied in this work, when, on
the said day, there began to come, sailing over the lake, some of the
governors' captains and head men of the four other _Petens_ or islands,
with their officers of war, and their paraphernalia, such as javelins
and their flint daggers, a little less than a quarter of a yard
long,--the said javelins adorned with feathers of various colors
instead of with ribbons, very beautiful to see, and all hanging down. I
went forth to receive them, out of the courtesy which is due from me,
but the Indians of that _Peten_ went out stirred merely with curiosity
to see them come, painted red and covered with feathers, with their war
trappings and their faces painted black. I embraced them and spoke to
them in kind words, and if I found that I had anything left to eat, of
what they gave me there, I shared it with them, as they had just come,
making them sit down next to me and the King, who always remained at my
side. As the result of my action, if they had any misgiving, they cast
it aside, or if they felt any anger or dissatisfaction on seeing me
there, they became calm, and at once I set forth my proposal, which
they accepted and received well, which proposal was that they should be
friends of the Spaniards and should receive their laws, in proof of
which acceptance they bowed their heads, saying that they wish the
trade in hatchets and machetes which they should receive from them."
The Caciques in War Paint. "Among these caciques or governors of the
said four islands, there came an old man with a moderate sized
_machete_ with two edges, forming the blade of his javelin; and
another, not so old, with his flint dagger; and these, besides coming
painted and in warlike array, had their faces as foul as the purpose
which they had in their hearts was wicked (as they promptly showed).
Looking at them naturally inspired horror. I did my best to treat them
more kindly, speaking to them more frequently and pleasantly,
discoursing with them in their ancient idiom, as if the time had
already come (just as their prophets had foretold) for our eating
together from one plate and drinking from one cup, we, the Spaniards,
making ourselves one with them. To this the older one replied, with an
affected laugh, that he was very happy at this, so as to go from these
thickets in which he lived and to come with me to the Province and
obtain titles to lands which his ancestors held and to live on these in
happiness among his elder brothers, the Spaniards; promising me at the
same time to accompany me with all his people into the presence of the
Governor as a proof of a true surrender. His showing without necessity
such submission was a sure sign of his real treachery. It was now about
four o'clock in the afternoon without their having had speech with the
King, at which they went at once to the house of a friend of theirs,
and I saw that the King took little account of them, and it was
because, as I knew afterwards from the mouth of the King, they were his
enemies...."
Avendano Makes Inquiries as to their Manner of Reckoning Time. "I told
them that I wished to speak to them of the old manner of reckoning
which they use, both of days, months and years and of the ages, and to
find out what age the present one might be (since for them one age
consists only of twenty years) and what prophecy there was about the
said year and age; for it is all recorded in certain books of a quarter
of a yard high and about five fingers broad, made of the bark of trees,
folded from one side to the other like screens; each leaf of the
thickness of a Mexican _Real_ of eight. These are painted on both sides
with a variety of figures and characters (of the same kind as the
Mexican Indians also used in their old times), which show not only the
count of the said days, months and years, but also the ages and
prophecies which their idols and images announced to them, or, to speak
more accurately, the devil by means of the worship which they pay to
him in the form of some stones. These ages are thirteen in number; each
age has its separate idol and its priest, with a separate prophecy of
its events. These thirteen ages are divided into thirteen parts, which
divide this kingdom of Yucathan and each age, with its idol, priest and
prophecy, rules in one of these thirteen parts of this land, according
as they have divided it; I do not give the names of the idols, priests
or parts of the land, so as not to cause trouble, although I have made
a treatise[9.5] on these old counts with all their differences and
explanations, so that they may be evident to all, and the curious may
learn them, for, if we do not understand them, I affirm that the
Indians can betray us face to face."[9.6]
Avendano Explains the Prophecies. "The said cacique pretended
ignorance, answering me that he did not understand these computations,
but I, in case what he said was true, in order that he might understand
them, explained them very minutely; and in order that he, if he did
understand them, should not twist their meaning (as they are accustomed
to do) with some of their superstitions, undertook with much pleasure
the work of sitting down at length with them, the King having come at
this time, (for he is the chief priest and master of them) with other
priests and leaders who were there, before all of whom I carried on the
said work, with the greatest pleasure and earnestness, so that there we
might discuss in the sight of all, how the time had already expired
(according to their prophets) in which they should begin to become
Christians. I also made a computation of these accounts (the King and
some of the priests aiding with their opinion) so that, confessing that
they were convinced, we agreed that four months thereafter was the time
wanting to fill out the said period when all the older men would
receive baptism.... And so (they said) that this was the reply which
they gave to my message, with which I could go back to the Governor who
sent me, until the said four months had passed. At the end of which
time they expected me, in order to carry out the agreement we had made,
notifying me that I should not come back by Cha Kan Ytza, through which
I had come there, since those Indians were their enemies and might kill
me, but that I should go by Tipu (the road through which lies in the
opposite direction) where he [Canek], knowing that I had arrived would
come forward with all his people to receive me, informing me that from
the Peten Ytza (which is the court of the said King) to Tipu, which
they told me about, there were twelve days of travel, by which they
left me to understand the love with which they received my message and
the pleasure and good will which they had in becoming Christians."
Objection of Covoh. "The devil, envious of the results which were being
gained and which would be gained by their and my fulfilling the
agreement which I had made to return there in the said four months,
without putting himself forward, took possession[9.7] anew of the heart
of that old cacique called Covoh, as he did with the heart of Judas. As
Covoh found himself among his enemies (as are the King and the larger
part of Peten) and seeing that that which his wicked heart intended was
contrary to the agreement made in his presence, therefore he, as did
the rest of the caciques and captains, said they were convinced;
notwithstanding what had been said, the said Cacique Covoh burst forth
in great anger in the following words:--'What matters it that the time
has come when we are to become Christians, if this slender point of my
flint lance has not been worn out?' To this I answered him with the
special favor and the special courage of God, 'You must know, Cacique
Covoh, that he who permits me to come and argue with you (who is the
true God of the Heavens) alone can give you this pleasure, if, for his
greater glory, he allows me to die; and if he does not allow it, in
vain do you show this arrogance of yours, since, just as there is a
time marked out and determined for you to become Christians, so also
are the times determined for me to die for love of him; and if it were
left in your hands, as you think, and say such things, you would have
carried it out, or the devil Pakoc (this is an idol who speaks to them
very frequently) whom you adore and who dictates such things to you;
but here you shall know how slight is his strength in my presence,
since he only dares to speak of it to you and not to come and execute
it upon me. And I do not know (notwithstanding the great arrogance you
show) what victory there can be in so many of your armed men here,
killing so unjustly and without notice a few men like us, who, moved
solely by love of you, intend without any arms, but for your own good,
to take you out of the slavery in which you stand. In short here I am;
I know not what prevents you from carrying out what you say.' With
this, since it was late at night, they withdrew, and I with the King
and the rest of the priests remained discussing the agreement which we
had made."
Discussion with Canek and Others. "On the next day, after performing
baptisms on some who came to me, talking with the King and some of the
caciques of the other _Petens_ or islands and other priests, who stayed
with us continually, we discussed at our leisure various matters which
came up. I asked them what products they had for their food and
clothing, and they told me that they had a great deal of maize, beans,
seeds, peppers, and that they sowed all this two or three times in the
year; also many plantains and _chunes_, which are like the _chayotes_,
though without thorns; some _cacao_ (though but little), vanilla, and
in some orchards enclosed with stakes in their homes, some wild
cabbage. I did not see these nor the onions, which, however, the
singers who accompanied me told me that they had seen;[9.8] there is a
great deal of cotton, cochineal, and indigo, which accounts for the
abundance of clothing which they have and give to the Cehaches Indians,
and those from Tipu in barter for hatchets and _machetes_; and all this
woven very neatly, in a variety of colors of cotton thread; the said
clothing is very durable, since it is like felt, although the colors of
their cloth are not very permanent, from their not knowing; how to give
it the finishing touch...."
Friendliness of Canek. "Because from the time that I had convinced them
by their own ancient computations,--a thing that they considered
impossible for any other man except their priests to learn,--they began
to love and fear me at the same time; saying that I was undoubtedly a
great personage in the service of my Gods, since I had succeeded in
learning the language of their ancestors and their own, for from no one
else of all these neighboring natives had they heard it, nor did they
have any information that the Spaniards who subjugated their lands knew
it.... On which account they called me Chomachahan, which means among
them, 'Great Lord, worthy of reverence,' and Citcaan, which means
'Father of Heaven.' ..."
Demonstrations against Canek. "Suddenly a disturbance arose without any
cause, among the crowd of Indians, together with their head men and
captains and some priests, in which in my presence they said to the
King many discourteous things, after which they went on to say,--'What
good was the friendship of the Spaniards and their law to be to them?
If it was to get hatchets and _machetes_ for cultivating, means had
never failed them to till their soil up to that time; if it was for the
stuffs and cloths of Castile for clothing them, when did they need any
of this, since theirs was very good; if it was that the Spaniards
should defend them, when was the Ytzalana nation cowardly or when did
it humiliate itself to any one, since they had so many warriors for
their own defense and for the destruction of as many as ventured
against them? It was a very bad thing to receive them.' The King also
opposed them in my presence with wisdom enough, defending in every
point what they and he had agreed on with me; and with more severity
reproved the arrogant mention of arms, in that they had said it before
me. They grew more disturbed with the reproof and the contestants
increased, and many, who up to that time had not spoken, then declared
themselves as opposed to him, all the said men bursting out against him
with words of great anger and exceeding boldness; all this discord was
caused by the said Cacique Covoh, who had not yet gone to his own town.
I, who was paying attention to everything, seeing that all that great
crowd was already excited and not paying attention to one another,
since all were talking at the same time, rising by the side of the King
and standing in the midst of them, said to them with some anger and
effect:--'What is this? What disturbance and tumult is this, so
entirely without foundation? Is it by chance because you have made an
agreement with me to accept the friendship of the Spaniards and to
trade with them in peace and kindness? Well then, what dagger did I
press against your breast in order to make these friendships and to
agree upon this peace with you, other than the good-will with which you
have joined hands with me, knowing that already the time has come for
you and the Spaniards to eat together in one plate and to drink
together from one cup in token that you are our brothers? It is without
doubt because you have remembered at this moment that you Indians are
fickle in everything. Go, shame on you, and remember that you are
Ytzalanos, respected by everyone as people of intelligence and
consideration. Bear in mind that the agreement which you have made with
me to be friends of the Spaniards is an intelligent act, by which you
show that you are not ignorant of your prophecies, and your executing
it will do you much honor, since our King and Lord is the greatest
monarch that is found today in the world, to whom not only a few poor
men isolated as you are, but very extensive kingdoms and empires
consider themselves very fortunate in rendering and paying homage to
him. And besides, notice how your great Montezuma, as soon as they
informed him that my King was such a great Lord and that his empire was
so extensive, offered him not only his crown, but also his person and
kingdom, going as he did personally to offer it to him."
Leniency Promised by the Padres. "'But the Governor, who sends me, does
not intend to take anything from you nor from the King any part of his
command, but instead, he wishes that all this should remain with him,
as is evident from this clothing which I have placed upon him and by
that _baton_ which I have placed in his hand. This among the Spaniards
is a sign of command and rule.... All this being so, why do you raise
this disturbance? Go, Ytzalanos, be ashamed of yourselves, since the
agreement which you and your King have made with me is a very good
one.'
"With this I sat down again and they stood still without knowing what
had happened to them; and changing at once the conversation they
indulged in much noisy mirth and laughter, playing jokes on each other,
without thinking of the passed disturbance, as if it had not
happened...."
Avendano Takes Steps to Protect the Itzas from Further Molestation.
"Suspecting that in my absence some Spaniards might come either from
this Province or that of Guatemala to make war on them, from their
being around there in opening the road, they therefore asked me, in
order to calm their hearts and as a token of peace, to give them some
sure signs or well understood token, so that (in case any Spaniards
should come to their lands from this Province of Yucathan or from the
other one of Guatemala) they should do them no harm nor make war on
them, when they showed them the said sign and well known token, which I
should leave them."
The Letter of Counsel. "Then I left them the following letter:--
"Captains of whichever of the two Poles, North or South. My dear Lords.
Our Lord was pleased to communicate to us his divine favor, in order to
succeed in obtaining that which for many ages no one has been able to
obtain. (But nothing is impossible to the divine power, to whom may the
glory be ascribed.) Because for his glory he has given opportunity to
humble the neck of this unconquerable Ytzalana nation, humbling itself
at the first suggestion of the ministers of the gospel, and sons of my
holy Padre, San Francisco, by promptly offering their children to the
most pure washing of baptism, I having baptized up to this time many of
them, with the sure hope of baptizing them all in a short time; though
the fathers and mothers, although gentle and peaceable with us, are
nevertheless slow in giving up their idolatry; and for this reason
especially it is necessary to show moderation with great patience, so
as to bear many such vexing acts as are due to the darkness in which
they have lived; on this account I beg your Graces to act with much
prudence (if by chance you should come to this nation of the Ytzaes,
whose patron is Saint Paul) so as not to lose in a short time what is
so much desired and has been attained, thanks be to God! They are
inclined to receive you in peace when your Graces appear and to give
you what supplies, etc., that may be needed by you, in barter for
hatchets, _machetes_ and other merchandise of Castile, which they wish
for exceedingly, but I do not know whether you will be well paid. This
is as much as occurs to me now. After expressing my joy for the good
health of your Graces, to whose service I offer humbly my own health,
asking our Lord to keep you many years, as I wish. In the Town of Great
Saint Paul of Peten Ytza, on the sixteenth of January, 1696. I kiss the
hand of your Graces. Your most humble servant and chaplain,--Fray
Andres de Avendano, Apostolic Missionary Commissioner...." There
follows the certification of this letter by the Apostolic Notary.
"... With this I delivered the letter to the King in the presence of
many chiefs and the greater part of the common people, so that all were
satisfied with such an agreement, and agreeing moreover, they with me
and I with them, that within the said four months, I should come back
to see them."
Before Leaving Tayasal, Avendano Shames Covoh. "Finding ourselves now
very near our departure, I notice how, after the last disturbance above
referred to, although it is true that the sermon that I preached to
them calmed their spirits, nevertheless the devil did not fail to sow
tares in the hearts of the Cacique Covoh, whom I have spoken of many
times, and in another cacique named Ahcan, a relation of the King of
Peten, and in the Captain Covoh, with all his followers, all of whom
are Cha Kan Ytzaes, noting here that the first settlement which I met
with on my entering the land of the said Cha Kan Ytzaes, was that of
the said Cacique Ahcan and his Captain Covoh, to whom I showed (as I
said at the beginning of my said entrance) what I was bringing for the
King of Peten Itza; and these were the men who took away from us all
that we carried at the time of our embarking on the lake. These men I
did not fail to put to shame in Peten, before the King and the rest of
the chiefs, not complaining of what they had taken from us, from the
poor supply of the priests and of the four Indian singers, who carried
their change of clothes with them, but my regret was that they had
stolen the entire suit of clothes, with its _sombrero_ and _baton_
which the Governor had given me to give to the King in his name. This I
scolded them for in earnest, asking them: 'What sort of way that was to
receive a messenger, taking away from him all that he had brought,
instead of giving a very kind reception?' This, with other effective
reasons, I repeated on various occasions, until the clothes appeared,
so that I myself clothed the King with them."
The Hatred of the Chakan Itzas for the Padres Increases. "The said
Chakanytzaes then, abashed that the said clothes had been found in
their possession, conceived a hatred against me.... They made a plan
among themselves to kill us, when we passed through their territories,
without the King and the others in Peten knowing it. On account of
this, the said Cacique Can came with his Captain Covoh, with a great
gourd full of _posole_, and with it entering the house of the King, in
which. I was at the time stopping, he told me to drink what he had
brought me. I drank it without suspicion, for always had I trusted in
that text of the Evangelist '_si morfirum quid biberibit, non eis
nosevit_.' And scarcely had I drank it, when they told me that they had
come to ask me for two of the four Indians whom I brought with me, who
were the fattest, so that the next day when I should pass by their
house on my return, they should have made me something good to eat; for
the Indians would know how to prepare food for us in the way to which
we were accustomed. I, who recognized the wicked intention of the said
invitation, said to them, 'I cannot go without them, nor can they stay
here without me. When I go, they will go.' Then they replied,
'Tomorrow, when the sun is up, we will all come for you, to accompany
you as we accompanied you hither.' 'Well and good,' I answered them.
With this they went off to their town very well satisfied, to prepare,
without doubt, the _pib_ or fire where the two fat Indians, whom they
asked me for, were to be cooked, and the stakes on which we were to be
spitted, as we found out later."
Canek Helps the Padres to Escape. "As soon as these men had gone, the
King said to me,--'You have done well in not giving them your servants,
nor is it best for you to go back by their house nor by the road by
which you came, but by the opposite road, which is that of Tipu, to
which place I will accompany you; since you must know that this
invitation is to kill you, in order that the Spaniards may not know the
road by which you came. And they say that they are going to follow the
Cehaches Indians who guided you, as far as their houses in order to
kill them; and so you must go tonight and when they come tomorrow they
will find that they have been tricked.' The Queen and her daughters
confirmed the truth of this, for, when the time came to embark, they
said to us, 'They say that they are not going to kill you in any other
way than by cutting you in little pieces,' and they made gestures with
one hand over the other, to show that they were going to make mince
meat of us and eat us. We started that night, as I have said, and I
will tell about it more fully farther on. So that, when they came for
me, they found themselves tricked.
"In a rage at seeing their purposes frustrated, the said Cacique Can
and his Captain Covoh and the other Cacique Covoh returned to their
homes with sixty Indian warriors of their followers.... The said
Chakanytzaes Indians came painted red and ready for war to the camp of
the General Alonso Garcia de Paredes, saying that I had sent them for
the ornaments and the rest of the baggage which I had left in the
deserted town of Chuntuci, a land adjoining the nation of the Cehaches,
and that they came for the Padre who was taking care of these
things.... On their saying to the General that they came for the
ornaments, being sent by me, the said General said to them, 'Nor does
his servant come with you?' 'Neither does he come,' they replied, 'so
he merely sends us in this way.' Then he brought out wine to give them
and sent them with the Padre Apostolic Notary to the said town of
Chuntuci, which was distant some few leagues from the camp, that he
might deliver to them the baggage and sacred vessels."
Paredes' Stupidity; the Plot of the Chakan Itzas. "Cursed be the
ignorance which causes so great losses in this way! Of how great
importance is knowledge and experience for the proper despatch of
things! This General has no more knowledge or experience, except for
cutting wild trees in the forest where he has always been placed,
cutting timber for building the ships which sail from the port of
Campeche. And so he missed at the present time the greatest victory
which could be gained in this kingdom of Yucatan.... Is it possible
that reason did not tell him, even if he was ignorant of the said
points and of the military laws, that a priest and minister of God was
not going to send sixty Indians for the sacred vessels and the Padre
who guarded them, without sending him a message in writing (as I
promised to do when I took my leave) or without writing to the said
Padre my companion to come with them? Is it possible that, on seeing
that neither had I sent even one of the four Indians who accompanied
me, even if I was not able to write, so that they could deliver the
sacred things to him, he was not surprised enough to infer from that,
either that what the sixty Indians said was false, or that they had
killed us,--especially as he saw them come painted red and in warlike
array and had entered impudently into the camp? Spare me from such an
act, for in this case (although I do not understand military laws)
reason dictates that he ought to have imprisoned them and disarmed them
until he had satisfied himself whether what they said was true, taking
two of them as guides, and sending an officer with the necessary people
behind them, to investigate the truth of what had happened, and
according to the result, to act in the following way,--if it was true
that I sent them without a letter or sure token, he should have laid
the blame on me and should have honored the prisoners by accompanying
them with all his people to take possession of their lands in the name
of the King our Lord, since then he would know that this was the sign
which I gave him when I took my leave of him, that the said Ytzaes
wished to become Christians and accepted the friendship of the
Spaniards; and if it was not true, he should then have made use of
severity and the military laws. For, if the story that I sent them was
false, as it was, and if he had used military severity with their three
principal chiefs, who were the Cacique Covoh and the Cacique Can and
the Captain Covoh, all of whom the King of Peten, in his answer to the
message, told me were his enemies, and said that if the Governor
executed them, he (the King) would deliver over all the _Petens_, then
all the nations of the Ytzaes would have been conquered and delivered
to the King our Lord, and at this moment they would all have been
Christians without the said victory costing a shot of powder.... And he
ought not to have allowed them to go behind the said Padre, my
companion, some leagues away, with the risk that the said heathen might
kill the priest without the merit of being in the service of God; and
with the risk of their stealing and misusing the sacred vessels."
The Chakan Itzas are Foiled by God. "But God, who looks after his
affairs, arranged that on the said Chakanytzaes coming near the
ornaments, they, pretending a need, told the Padre to await them there,
and they went into the woods and went to their town without having
accomplished any of the many purposes for which they came; the first,
to see if they had got ahead of me and my companions (understanding
that we had passed through their territories by night) so as to carry
out their intention of killing us; the second, to see if they could
catch the three Cehaches Indians, our guides, who returned to their
homes by that road, so as to kill them; the third to see how many
Spanish people were in the camp for working on the road which they were
opening, so as to flee if they were many and to resist them if they
were few; the fourth to satisfy their greed by stealing the sacred
vessels with the rest of the wares of Castile which they thought I
brought with me. But they found it all in vain, thanks be given to God,
who thus looked after his priests and the materials for celebrating
mass; and not to the inconsiderate action of the said principal head,
by which he showed so little regard for looking after the things of God
and his ministers; but thus God has brought out all things well,
according to the purposes for which he has worked...."
The Departure of the Padres from Tayasal. "Let us turn from this
digression to the departure from Peten. In order to frustrate the
pretended invitation which the Chakanytzaes gave us, we left with grief
and tears enough on the part of the family of the King and his friends,
at about nine o'clock at night in the company of the King, his son and
his son-in-law,--all three rowing in the canoe at a good speed. We came
to the other part of the lake in the direction of the East, which is
the road to Tipu, at between three and four o'clock of the next
morning. When we landed here, on renewing our signs of affection with
the King and he with us, he again recalled to me the past agreement,
saying 'See that you do not forget to tell your Governor that I love
him much and wish to be his friend and that of the Spaniards, and not
to fail to kill my said rivals, the Chakanytzaes, for I am sure that I
shall deliver to him the _Petens_ which I rule. And do not fail to come
to see us, as you say, and let it be by this road of Tipu, so that I
with all my people may come out to receive you.' All these words did
the King say to me, holding me in a loving embrace.
"He remained alone on the canoe to return before they should miss him,
and to us he gave his son and son-in-law as guides, with their bows and
arrows to defend us from anyone who might wish to do us harm. They
guided us through some very large plains or meadows, though afterwards
there were some very good bits of hills, with some bad stretches of mud
and water, and larger hills, so that, considering that it rained every
day, wetting us very thoroughly, since we did not have any place or
wherewithal to shelter us, the journey was the more troublesome and
dangerous."
Avendano Goes Eastward to Yalain. "In this way we came to the first
settlement of Peten Ytza, on the main land, in an easterly direction,
which is called Yalain, which is distant from Peten Ytza to that place,
ten very long leagues,--six on the water and four on land up to said
town. This town consists of very few houses close together, but also of
many farms well peopled, at a distance in a circle of one or two
leagues. All are Indians of Peten Ytza, who came there to farm,
although there are also some from Tipu, and all are dwellers in the
said town, in which are found many Indians called Canekes, like the
King of Peten, but they are not relations of his, but are natives of
his district, which (as I have said) take their names from those who
rule the said districts, although they may have, as they do, their own
surnames, each one from the father and mother. A priest more than
fifty-four years old, according to his appearance, called Chomachculu,
rules this town, a great comrade and confidant of the King Canek, to
whom the said King sent us, well recommended, so that he might give us
as good reception and attention as he would to himself. And this they
did, for, as soon as we came, they gave us very good things to eat and
took us to a new house, which was only thatched, but they had not put
down the floor. This house, they told us was for us, ... and (they told
us) how in the month of September of the past year of ninety-five,
there had gone to Merida, four Indians who said that they were from
Tipu, with whom I had intercourse, and I gave them something to eat in
our cell.... I heard that the said Indians asked for ministers of the
gospel so that they should administer to them the divine word and the
holy sacraments.... So when we came to this town of Yalain, its
inhabitants began to ask us about these four Indians who went to Merida
in the said month of September, (who had not yet come back).... In
reply I asked them if the men were one Achan with his younger brother,
and another called Ahtec, and another Anu, and they said 'Yes.' To this
I replied that I did not know why they had not come to their town, as
they had started so long before I did.... We stopped in that town two
days, its inhabitants treating us very well. From there they were to
give us a guide to pass on to Tipu, as the priest Chomachculu promised
us in compliance with the request which the King of Peten made of him,
and on this supposition the son and son-in-law of the King, who had
guided us up to that time, returned home. But they said that this guide
was to be an Indian of Tipu, who came to Peten while we were there,
and, though the said Indian saw us leave Peten, he never came at all,
but rather stayed there."
Trouble with Soldiers. "We were staying on in hopes that this man would
come, when we saw coming six or eight Indians from Peten, who (as they
told us) were coming to their farms. These brought the news that there
had been a disturbance in Peten, on account of there having come in the
part where we had entered Indians from this side of the Province, and
that they had heard musket shots, with a rumor of Spaniards. I do not
know if this was true, but what we experienced from this time on from
the Indians of that town where we were staying was that they cooled off
entirely in that affection with which up to that time they had regarded
us, showing us a thousand slights without paying any attention to
giving us the guide which we asked for. The change in their hearts came
to such an extreme that they called a meeting (drinking a great deal of
their drink, with which not only they get drunk, as they were then, but
with which they worship). We came then to a time when on that night the
taking of our lives had been determined on, had not God wished that I
should learn about the matter; and so I taking from them the implements
of their feast, and reproving them for the little firmness of their
hearts, they came to understand that we knew the wickedness of their
actions. Then they all gathered together around us, and without any
more noise or disturbance, they kept us company all night. Scarcely had
the dawn come when (perhaps in remorse for their sin) they began to
treat us with the same affection as at the beginning and to give us an
Indian who guided us to the other farms, half a league from there,
which, from the abundance of the fruit, appeared an orchard. There was
another priest called Chomach punab, who received us with very great
kindness, giving orders to call all the Indians, men and women, in the
vicinity, so that they might see us, and asking us to stop and have
something to eat. We yielded to his importunity in order, by showing
ourselves pleased, to reciprocate so much kindness as they showed us.
The wife of one of the four Indians who I said before came to Merida,
named Ahtec, spoke to me. Hardly had we accepted the invitation, when
all the Indian women went to their houses, to make something for us to
eat; and in a short time they came back, each one of them with her bowl
of meat, according to what they had, with many _tortillas_, so that we,
with the Indians who accompanied us, should eat; the Indians promising
us that some of them would accompany us. And, scarcely had we eaten and
told them to come to guide us, when suddenly they turned back, without
our being able to get anything from them, except that an Indian came
about half a mile, to set us upon that obscure path, which led towards
the direction of Tipu, telling us that up to that place, we had to
speed on the way twelve days, from sunrise to sunset; and that, two
leagues before that, we should come across a great river, which we had
to pass, but he did not tell us how nor where."
The Padres Suffer Hardships and Lose their Way. "With this he returned
to his house and we went on with twenty maize tortillas which we had
kept, of those which they had brought us to eat. With these we
sustained ourselves, seven people of us, for five days, at the end of
which we came across a great river, having before this met with many
and very large _aguadas_ and having passed many ridges and hills, with
so many other evident dangers that some fatality might happen to us.
Notwithstanding this, we took some pleasure at having found this great
river,--first, because we thought that we had not lost ourselves, since
we had found the river with signs which they gave us; and second,
because we found ourselves (as it appeared to us) near Tipu, where we
could remedy the want of supplies from which we were suffering. But our
pleasure was marred, since, following the footsteps or obscure path,
along the banks of this river, on the fifth day of our following them,
and on the tenth day of the want of supplies from which we suffered, we
found ourselves entirely lost, in a greater perplexity than any human
being could find himself;--that is, surrounded on one side by the great
full and broad river and surrounded on the other sides by another
multitude of little streams with great density of low trees, so that it
did not appear possible that we could pass through them; and on another
side were some cliffs and very high ridges so that we were not able, by
making use of the trees, to climb up the heights. In the midst of this
struggle determined to follow the direction to the Northwest, so as to
reach the deserted town of Chanchanha, and to cross the head streams of
the great rivers and _aguadas_ which surround it, since in this
direction it was not possible for us to fail in finding it. We went
three days in this direction, and from thinking that, if we missed the
convent of Chanchanha, in this direction, there was afterwards no place
to have recourse to, on account of the great distance that we were from
a town on all sides, a great sadness came over my companion Padres, so
that they told me that we should change our direction, since, if we did
not, it was certain that we should perish in these forests, and that
the best thing was to try to strike the road which was being opened
from this Province to that of Guatemala, which runs from North to
South. To please them I yielded the opinion which I had determined on.
From there we took the direction to the West, although the distance in
leagues and forests which we intended to traverse was more than sixty
or seventy. This distance was a great one, for us to be able, breaking
through such bad thickets and suffering from hunger for thirteen days,
to come through alive, without exaggeration."
Hard Travel in the Wilderness for Fifteen Days. "In those fifteen days
that we traveled in a northwesterly direction, we met with many
_akalchees_, or swamps, which consist of very bad passages through
water and low and thorny shrubs with a kind of square grass, which, if
it caught our clothes, held us by the multitude of thorns, which grow
on the four corners from top to bottom; and if it caught our face,
hands or legs, it cut them like a small saw; so that as most of the
woods are _akalchees_, which consist of this grass, except on the high
places, we were always walking with our feet, hands or faces wounded,
so that we did not know what to do. Thus wounded, we went through some
very long _akalchees_, when we directed one of the Indians whom we
brought, to climb a tree so as to look out and see where we could make
a short cut through the said _akalche_, for we were not able to suffer
any longer on account of the many sores which the said grass caused us.
This said Indian climbed the tree, and gave us the news that he had
discovered a great meadow or plain towards the northwest. Some instinct
made me believe it, but to see whether imagination and the wish we had
to find it, had this effect, we took that direction, so that in a
little while we came upon the said meadow; but as we entered it, at the
beginning it had half a yard of water; we went ploughing through it and
at each step there was more water, and it took a long time to cross it,
causing us pain enough in our wounds. But with the care that we took
not to get submerged, we forgot that feeling, since the earth of the
said marsh was so spongy that though we doubled up the reeds which grew
there in large number, so as to step over it, so that the water might
hold us up, yet if we stopped a moment, the overflowed earth drew and
sucked us in in such a way, that if we should fall, we could not help
one another, since he who should stop to help the other, would be
submerged with him."
Miracle of the Bent Branch. "At the end of a long stretch of this
trouble, we reached some little woods, with trees of considerable
height, which were as much, or more, covered with water as what we had
passed through. We passed through these as well as we could, having in
mind that that was now coming to an end, when suddenly we came across a
very large _aguada_ of the kind they call Kaxek, in which no bottom is
found. Armed with patience, although with some trouble from the fact
that the sun was about to set, considering that we had to stay there
that night, I made an Indian climb one of the said trees, so as to see
where the _aguada_ ended, or where we could make a short cut through
the said _aguada_; and the said Indian not discovering a passage in any
part to our great sorrow, we, looking towards one side, saw a branch of
a tree broken, like those which the Indians break so as not to lose
themselves in the woods. We attributed this sign to a miracle, as it
was not probable that a human being could place that sign in that
place. We followed that sign in an easterly direction, which was that
towards which the said branch was bent, until, when, at a little
distance, we came upon another branch bent in the same way and very
recently. At this we were consoled by the miracle which God kept
continuing. We went on with sticks in our hands, trying the shallow
places, because, when we least expected it, we came on many holes of
alligators (since they are found in abundance in the said overflowed
woods) and then we were submerged almost to our heads. We discovered a
piece of level ground, about as large as the ante-room of a cell, and
thinking that it was solid, we started to pass over it, but on its
bearing the weight of the body, not only did all the ground shake, but
the part where we pressed on it, sinking, submerged us also with it;
many alligators starting from under it and fleeing from their holes, so
that we went on with great misgiving--one, so as not to sink in, the
other, for fear that some of these alligators would cut off a leg of
ours at a mouthful. This was all a pure miracle, since there also we
came across the third branch close by a ridge, where we went to sleep
that night very well contented, although so wet, because God had freed
us from that trouble in which we were."
An Uncomfortable Night. "We came out of that place about sunset, and
climbing the high ridge which we met with, we went to rest there, cold
enough from being drenched with water, even to the lint which we had
for striking fire, unable to get comfort by warming ourselves. We
offered to God the trouble we had passed and even with more fervor the
trouble which follows from sleeping in wet clothes. But remembering
that the Indians are accustomed to make fire with two dry sticks, and
having no other than the staff which I carried, we broke it, and with
this God willed that we should obtain fire. We made a great fire, with
which we not only dried our garments and underclothes, but warmed
ourselves very well. In the vicinity of the fire we went to sleep.
"On the next day when we left this place, we discovered a large plain
or meadow, which horrified us just to see it, on account of what had
happened on the preceding afternoon, but as it was free from woods, we
were happy in passing over it, and more so as we had seen in the
distance many pine trees all about it, so that, thinking of their
fruits, we had hopes of getting something to eat; but our hope was in
vain, since, when we came to see whether they had cones, they had them,
but without seeds. We had recourse to other trees, which appeared to be
evergreen oaks, with the acorns of which, if there were any, we might
give our bodies some sustenance; but they were nothing but oak trees
which had nothing but leaves. Crossing this field, we came upon a path
well frequented by animals, and as the grass was tall, their tracks
were not seen; notwithstanding which, in some marshes, where there was
no grass and the soil was only damp, we saw that the tracks were like
those of an ox or bull. We wondered at this, from there not being seen
in a long distance from there any herd of cattle, so that for the time
being we suspended judgment.... But when in the Province I told this to
people who go through forests, they told me that those tracks were of
deer, for there are such in this Province. I offer no objection to
there being as many wild animals as can be imagined, since the woods
are very well fitted for them."
Great Want of Food. "At the end of the said three days in which we
passed through these troubles, taking a westerly direction, we again
began to break through woods and with greater difficulty (than before),
since hunger kept wearing out our strength and the ridges which we met
in the space of three days were so high in all four directions, that it
seemed impossible that men could cross them, on account of the great
height of their summits and the depth and shallowness of their ravines.
The trees of these hills of which we availed ourselves so as not to
fall, are some palms which are called _Cumes_, covered with thorns
whose sharp points are very long and cover the tree from top to bottom
as far as the roots; so that all our bodies were wounded by the said
thorns from head to foot, particularly our feet, since we went
barefoot. At this time came the day of Purification of Our Lady, when
we prepared in spirit for celebrating that day, all of us confessing
one another, as men who at every moment had death before their eyes, on
account of the great want of food. And in order to obtain the holy
indulgences of that day, we had anticipated it by finding on the
preceding days some date palms, with the fruit in season, of which we
made use for eating on those days, as well as some _sapote mameys_,
which, though they were as hard as stone, from their not being in
season, we cooked for eating."
The Situation Grows Still Worse. "All this appeared to us now very
hard, to have to live only on these dates without any food. But in two
or three days after we found the dates and _sapotes_, the situation
became more serious (and much worse after many days); for not having
found anything to eat for three days, nor even to drink, as my mind
turned more and more to spiritual things, since it was not hindered by
any bodily functions, which would prevent its reasoning powers, so
great was the occurrence of texts of scripture, examples of saints, and
incidents which it remembered, that I recalled very readily everything
that I had read; so that sometimes the said conditions brought about
greater resignation to God, knowing that it was then that he was of
more assistance to his creature, when he purified him more in the
crucible of affliction; and at other times such memories served as a
greater encouragement; (although my resignation never failed). Then
remembering that there was no bird nor animal among the forest trees of
which divine Providence does not take care, as well in the adornment of
clothing as in giving his daily sustenance, and that to us, who were
rational beings, created in his image and likeness, the contrary
happened, without our having, not only anything to eat, but not even
water to drink, this was an intellectual argument which we kept
meditating on, as we went along the road without stopping.
"But this meditation of mine beginning to search the recesses of my
conscience in my past life, scarcely had it come to the threshold of
this argument, when, knowing that its faults deserved much greater
punishment, it bore the present ones with patience and prepared itself
for greater ones in the future; but as the disordered appetite of this
unrestrained body called out each day for our daily food, remembering
that God himself had taught us to ask for it, though I knew that its
not being found was a chastisement of my sins, not on this account did
I fail to continue the petition every day, particularly at the hour
when I knew that my brothers were eating in the refectories, with such
pleasure and tranquillity, without perhaps remembering us....
"When the hour of noon was passing, on which at the accustomed hour of
eating we remembered said pleadings, there passed also our desire for
the said meal, considering that, since God did not give it, it was not
suitable for us, and thus that his most holy will should be done in
everything, and that if it was best for us to suffer more, his holy
Majesty sent it. Here the soul ruled, but it could not fail that the
body also asked for an offering which would preserve our lives, which
it brought forward by continually asking for it, as one who needed it
so much. I then, leaning on the faith which I had in my Father, San
Diego, on the one side, and on the great need which I suffered on the
other, seeing that in reply to my prayers, San Diego had accomplished
nothing as it appeared to me, in my mind I directed the said Saint, in
holy obedience, now that my prayers were not accepted for my many sins,
that he should go, moved by his great charity, to the gates of Heaven
to ask alms in the name of his brothers who were lost in these parts
and perishing from want,--an extraordinary thing truly. A wonderful
event which I relate for the greater confusion of me and my audacity
and for the greater glory of the humility and prompt obedience of my
Father, San Diego."
They Find Some Miraculous Honey. "Scarcely had we gone twenty steps
from where I bade him for obedience sake, when we met with a sapote
tree, rotten and fallen on the ground, in which we found a bee-hive,
and the occurrence is the more wonderful in that, having no implement
for cutting or taking out the said bee-hive, other than the pike or
point of my staff, the said trunk happened to be rotten; so that with
the said spike, we took the bee-hive out; besides the fact that the
tree had laid fallen for many years, the hive was freshly occupied, so
that there is no doubt that, while there were so many trees standing
strong and sound, they went to swarm in a trunk, rotten and fallen to
the ground; so that it is an evident miracle which my Glorious Father,
San Diego, prepared for me. So when we came across the bee-hive, with
great tenderness and to my greater confusion, I began to weep,
confessing my sin to my companions, the Padres, which only my great
faith and the want from which we were suffering could excuse. We ate
that honey with its embryos and its excrement, without in our great
hunger reserving any part of it; and though the honey which fell to our
share was not much, since there were seven portions which were made of
it, nevertheless it caused great thirst, as we had brought no water
with us, and did not find any for a long time afterwards. This happened
to us the day of the Purification of Our Lady, as I said before."
Two Padres Go Ahead. "On this day, it appearing to my two Padre
companions, either that hunger and want were lasting a long time, since
fifteen days of it were already passing or that we now found ourselves
near the road which we sought; guided as much by the law of nature
which obliged them to save their lives, as by the love with which they
loved me, seeing also that I was overcome as well by my needs as by the
continual attacks of stomach troubles from which I suffered, and that
they, by being younger, could walk more leagues than the three leagues
which I walked each day, by which speed, if they reached safety first,
not only would they save their lives, but also would aid me with some
assistance, so that I should not perish in the woods, they said to me,
'Father our Commissioner, we wish to go forward with the benediction
and permission of your Reverence, to see if we can make greater
progress each day by some leagues, so as by this means to reach some
settlement, from which to send you some assistance, to aid your
Reverence; and if we should be delayed in getting out of the woods, and
should meet with the soldiers, we would send some of them whenever we
met them, so that they may extricate your Reverence and that you may
not perish in these forests. We are of no importance, and as such, we
shall not be missed. But as for your Reverence, on whose shoulders so
much depends, such as giving an account to our Prelate and to our Lord
the Governor of everything that has happened, your loss would be of
importance. Therefore we beg your Reverence to give us your blessing in
carrying out what has been said, giving us one of these Indians to
accompany us, and one of the two needles which you have, so as to
follow the direction to the west which we are taking.' I, that I might
never be held responsible for any loss or harm that might come to them,
granted them the Indian they picked out, the needle, blessing and
permission, although I knew we were yet very far off from arriving in
the four days that they thought.
"We took leave of each other with the mutual love and tenderness, which
the loving companionship of those who had followed me faithfully
through so great hardships required. We charged each other to remember
one another in our poor and humble prayers. With this they went off
with the benediction of God and of myself, I remaining with the three
Indians, though one was dying (and he died later) and the rest with
their strength exhausted as mine was.
"The departure of the Padres, my companions, and my beginning to
undergo new calamities, was all at the same time; for on those first
three days it was all passing through _akalchees_, or overflowed lands,
although they were dry but very much obstructed and closed up with low
and thorny trees which grew there, and with those cutting grasses which
I spoke of above, so that we were in constant trouble in passing
through them, reopening once more all the wounds which we had on our
legs. And at that time we found ourselves with bare feet and legs, and
with our clothes in pieces, without getting any more comfort from them
than to cover myself with them at night; also a steel for striking
fire, which by a miracle we saved among the heathen Ytzaes, belonged to
my companions, so that they took it with them, and I remained without
any human comfort, nor did they take anything except the said steel."
A Desperate Situation. "In this final and extreme need we remained so
absolutely destitute of everything, that only by some angel bringing us
food and placing it in our mouths, could we nourish this living body;
because, even if we should find anything, either animals or birds of
the forest, we had nothing to kill them with, and, even if they put
themselves into our hands for killing, we had no knife nor machete to
skin them with, if they were animals, nor anything to cook them with
for want of a steel for striking fire. From this it can be inferred
that, being wet every day, at least with the dew, besides the showers
which caught us, and having to sleep on the bare earth, wherever night
came upon us, whether it was wet or dry, we were unable to get any
comfort, besides not having any means of making fire."
They Find Some Edible Thistles. "Notwithstanding, the said _akalchees_
were not what exhausted us most, nor were they so unkind to us that
amongst them we did not find something to eat and drink; since on some
trees there were _Chuis_, which are like large edible thistles, the
leaves of which preserve the water from the dew and rains for a long
time, and by tapping them in the stem, the water which they have
preserved comes out, although it is dirty and bad smelling; but the
thirst we felt was more so. These same plants served us for food, by
eating the stems of each leaf, something like two fingers of white that
they have, since that part is the most tender, and the rest is very
bitter and hard. In the same way we used to find in the said
_akalchees_ some roots of trees to gnaw, so that, as the proverb says,
'Afflictions with bread are of less account,' we did not feel the sores
which those cutting grasses had caused us, as I have said, in exchange
for what we found there of food and drink."
Some Hills are Reached. "These three days of _akalchees_ having passed,
there followed three other days of hills and very high ridges, so that
we inevitably had to pass them, since they lay in all four directions.
These followed one after the other in such a way that, having finished
climbing one, we went down it again, without finding an eighth of a
mile level below. Upon which we again ascended the next one, for all of
these were so high that their heights cannot be told except to say that
in their deep valleys the rays of the sun do not penetrate. So weak did
we become from ascending these hills on account of the fatigue, as well
as by going down, because of the stony ground, or for both reasons, it
was necessary to make use of the trees, which cover the hills, the most
of which are the said palms called _Cumes_, full of penetrating thorns,
which injured our feet, hands and bodies, since falling from weariness,
we were wont to strike against them.
"On the top, then, of one of these hills, we found a broad _aguada_,--a
thing which surprised us much, since there were not any other high
places around it, from which the water could come. There were there
very many flint stones which caused injury enough to our feet on
account of our going barefoot. I do not know to what to attribute that
water on that high hill top, since in the preceding ravines, which, for
the most part, were rivers, although now dry, water was not found,
except to a miracle, by which God gave us to understand that he had not
forgotten our needs, since with so much climbing up and down as we had
been through, we were thirsty enough, so that God furnished this
_aguada_, from which we had a very good drink. In about an eighth of a
mile we came to the descent from this height, after which we passed two
days of woods, some that were somewhat level, without so many or so
high hills, but it is wonderful that though these forests in which we
traveled for two days and the three preceding ones, consist of an
infinite number of _sapote_ and _ramon_ trees, we did not find in them
all a bit to eat,--a thing which happens in these woods as in the rest
that I saw. Seeing their sterility, I said, 'They appeared in every
respect like those of Gilboa.'"
Deserted Buildings. "With so few comforts and so great affliction, our
strength went on diminishing very quickly, knowing for truth the
proverb which the Biscayans, my fellow countrymen, say: 'It is the guts
which carry and support the legs and not the legs, the guts.' Among
these high hills which we passed over, there is a variety of old
buildings, excepting some in which I recognized apartments, and though
they were very high and my strength was little, I climbed up them
(though with trouble). They were in the form of a convent, with the
small cloisters and many living rooms all roofed over, and arched like
a wagon and whitened inside with plaster, which is very abundant
through that region, since all the ridges are composed of it. So that
these buildings do not resemble those which are here in this Province,
for the latter are of pure worked stone, laid without mortar,
particularly the part which relates to arches; but the former are of
rough stone and mortar, covered with plaster."
False Hopes; Further Hardships. "It seemed to us that these buildings
stood near a settlement, from the information which the soldiers had
given us, when we were going on the new road to Guatemala, but it
turned out to be the dream of a blind man, since we found ourselves, as
we saw afterwards, very far from a settlement. We traveled through
these woods when we came upon a dry river, which we followed a long
while to see if we found water, which we came across, though late,
which is better than never. Before that, God willed that we should meet
a _Kamas_, or a great mound of earth, which the ants build, in which we
found a little honey to eat, and, as every sweet thing at once calls
for water, and we were late in finding it, it did not fail to give us
trouble. By following the abovementioned river, we came to the said
_aguada_, which was quite large, similar to those which they call
_Petens_. This made us go around through plenty of woods and
affliction, so as to get past it."
They Face Starvation. "We passed the said _aguada_ and afterwards some
hills, with other rivers, although they were dry, though the hollows in
them were a proof of their being very full in the rainy season. The
signs were not deceptive, for at a little distance we fell in with a
great _cibal_ or pond full of those grasses with broad and cutting
leaves, of which I spoke before. This was, according to its distance
which was lost to sight, more than two leagues long and half a league
broad. Into this discharged the currents of the rivers of which I
spoke, and it cost us much trouble to go around it, so as to pass it,
changing our course in this, as in the other cases, which I have spoken
of, always to the North. In all this time we had nothing to eat, except
the little honey that I spoke of, so that the animated mass of bones,
owing to the continued troubles of traveling every day and not eating,
now kept growing weaker and weaker. In such a great extremity of a
man's dying without sickness or infirmity, being in his perfect senses,
one can well understand what cries he would utter to God and to his
most holy mother, and to all the saints of his prayers, not only
intended for his bodily comfort, but in order that he should not die
among beasts without the sacraments and in order that God should bring
him to die among brothers as a Catholic, and receive the holy
sacraments."
A Sign from our Lady of the Apparition. "The affliction which my dying
without them among those wild trees caused me, God, on whom my heart
called, alone knows. In like manner, there was not a saint of my
prayers to whom I did not pray, and even lovingly complained that they
should leave me in this way to die in these woods; yet my thinking
that, if this should happen, it would probably be the will of God, was
what mitigated all my sufferings. Nevertheless among all the Saints I
called upon to bring me out to die in a settlement, was our Lady who
appeared at Campeche, and scarcely did I call upon her in my mind (for
thus were all my pleas) to come to my aid, when at once we saw bent
branches of trees, a proof that people had come through those places.
From then on I put away the needle in the sleeve of my habit, without
taking it out, following the said track wherever it went. I kept on
following it for four days through paths as clear as they were
different from those we had found. The Indians were troubled when they
saw that I was going in a contrary direction and advised me to leave
such trails and to go in a westerly direction. I, who alone knew how
the said _Batche_ signs appeared on my invoking our Lady of the
Apparition, replied to them that they should come along since whoever
had showed me that _Batche_ or broken branches (which is a road for
Indians) would bring us out to a settlement.
"This is certain that at this time I was going on, falling and getting
up again, on account of my needs, but my faith was always strong and
firm that our Lady of the Apparition was going to bring us out safely.
At the end of the said four days of following the _Batche_ or broken
branches, in such different directions, for sometimes they went to the
East, at other times to the North, and at others to the South, we
finally came across a path, broad and good, on which it was evident
that a little while before Indians had passed and that there was
frequent passing. The Indians wished to follow it towards the East, in
case there were (as there were, from what I knew afterwards) any farms
there, in which they might find something to sustain ourselves. But I
did not let them go, since the sure thing was to follow it to the West,
where either a settlement or the road from Guatemala, which we were
searching for, could not fail us. At this time we were going on with a
strong desire to reach it, but with little courage; wherefore we
stopped to sleep on the road."
They Climb Some High Hills. "On the next day we went on over some high
hills, difficult to climb; then, on passing over one which is ascended
on the bank of a stream with but little water in it, one of the two
Indians who accompanied me carried me, so that I could pass over it or
climb it. There was no need for the hill to be very high (and it was
not) for me not to be able to climb it, since now there was left to me
in all my body only the bones and the skin and the spirit which
animated them. In a little while I gave up at once, without being able
to take a step forward, although my wish was to go on and the Indians
encouraged me. This was a thing which gave them great trouble, for they
also now were reeling from weakness. I, seeing that they would be
missed more, if they died than if I did, since they had families of
wife, children, mother and brother, and that I had only God, to whom I
had delivered my soul and life, I made an agreement with them, that
they should leave me there under a tree, and that they should try to
save their lives, with the understanding that, if they got out in a
short time to a settlement, they should come back to see me in a few
days and to bring me some aid, for if I did not follow them, it was not
from want of wish or spirit to do so, but from want of strength. They
grieved much over this resolution of mine, on account of the love which
they had come to have for me, and so they replied to me that they were
not going to leave me, but that where I should die, they were going to
die also. I (perhaps by divine inspiration) insisted that they should
go on and leave me, to the point of commanding them with firmness to do
so, provided that they should come to see me, whenever they found
supplies, for I trusted in God that they would find me alive. With this
determination of mine, they obeyed me, cutting off as they could leaves
or branches of palms, and they made me a little hut in which to remain
at rest."
Avendano Left Alone. "At the same time they left me a fire lighted, and
it was a prodigy for them to have lighted it, since on other occasions
they had not been able to make a fire, because they lacked strength in
their hands to prepare or bore the said sticks with which fire is made.
They also left me half a gourd of water to cool my throat, so that it
might not be closed up. Having done all this with great tenderness and
with tears, they took leave of me, and I, giving them my benediction,
and showing them a like tenderness, embraced them also and sent them
away, asking my most holy Mother of the Apparition to take them shortly
and safely.
"I then as one who remained to die, without knowing whether the Indians
would come back or not, endeavored to prepare myself with a _santo
christo_ which I had with me, consoling myself with it, as one who had
no other company and needed the _santo christo_ so much in that time of
trial. With it I conversed and I accused myself of all my faults before
it, as one who could pardon them. Having finished reciting the divine
service, I got ready to bless a little roll of paper which I had, so
as, on seeing that I was failing, to burn it; in the fire, which was at
my side. At once I read the prayers for the dying with the litanies,
etc., after which I returned to my conversations with the _santo
christo_, which finished, I recited a vigil, celebrating my burial."
The Miracle of the Sapote. "I was engaged in these exercises, when
suddenly, though there were no _sapote_ trees where I was, there came a
squirrel down a low tree, with a _sapote_ in his little paws, and
giving two jumps in my presence, it showed its little teeth and went
away. I was not able to stir, but with a little stick which was at my
side, I drew this _sapote_ to me and ate it, for it was as ripe and
sweet as honey. The wonder is that in thousands of _sapotes_ which we
found in these forests, we did not come across a single good piece of
one; and here without there being a tree, that little animal brought a
ripe one. I knew then that God sent me that aid, like another Saint
Paul, although I was very far from imitating him in his virtues, but
rather that God might show his greater mercy to such a great sinner as
I. I gave him thanks with some tenderness for such a kindness, hoping
with more confidence now that I should not die of hunger. In doing this
and saying my prayers, I passed the whole day and night, awaiting every
moment the hour of dawn."
Rescued. "Much neglected by human aid (and even forgotten) was I, when
it dawned the next day, since in six or eight days at the least, I did
not expect any result from the two Indians whom I had sent off. I
rested in this supposition as soon as it dawned and I gave thanks to
God for having brought me safely through that night, etc. I set about
reciting the divine service, which I never failed to recite in these
forests, nor was it ever absent from my mind, when suddenly I heard a
noise of people, and on turning my eyes, I saw some ten Indians of the
town of Mani and its suburbs, who came to get me. I did not take them
for men, but for angels, and as such they acted in my case in
everything. Scarcely had they come to where I was, when with great
affection they ran to embrace me, shedding plenty of tears, and at the
same time, saying a thousand tender words to me. I could not restrain
myself at this kindness, when I thought also of such an unexpected
blessing as God had shown me. On the other hand it caused me to feel
more kindly, when I saw that a people as impious as the Indians
naturally are, should be so merciful to me, as never have I seen such a
thing in them.
"They brought me a little meal that they eat, and in a moment they
warmed it so that I could drink it, they supporting me, one on one side
and one on the other, so that I might keep seated. They revived the
fire which was there, and warming up six cloaks very nicely, they
wrapped me up in them, and warmed my extremities, that is, my feet and
hands, since they were numb from weakness and cold air; I recovered by
means of that warmth and food which I drank, and in order to raise me,
they held aloft my whole body, stiff as if it was a sculptured statue.
They brought a hammock in which they took me to the town of Chuntuci,
from which I set out when I went among the said Ytzaes, and to which
the said Indians who carried me were loading up to go."
What had Happened to the Indians whom Avendano Sent off. "Portentous
surely was the present event, if all the circumstances are considered.
The two Indians left my presence, whom I sent off against their will,
so as to save their lives, forcing them to leave me alone. Everything
happened through a higher direction,--first since the said Indians went
on falling and getting up again, from their want of strength, and in
spite of all this, they followed the path which led from where they
left me up to the town of Chuntuci, which they reached in an hour and a
half, for they only stopped long enough to take some refreshment with
the said carriers, and to tell them how I was left to die in the
forest. Scarcely had they heard this, when without any delay, they
started out to come and get me, and the distance which it took my two
Indians to go in an hour and a half, the said carriers had to take a
day and a half in finding me, without their losing their road, by which
the miracle can easily be understood. Secondly, that my Indians, coming
to Chuntuci, and meeting these carriers loading, was all one (i.e.,
simultaneous), so that if they had stopped even a little, they would
not have met them, and consequently would not have found supplies to
bring to me, and even less should I have been able to start out for a
settlement. Therefore the hurry which I showed in sending them away was
by divine direction. They took me in the said hammock, and though it
was a convenience on account of the rest that it gave, it was also some
affliction to me, since, although they wrapped me up very well in their
cloaks, every little while it gave me cramps in all my body, I being
stiff and cold from head to foot. At which they warmed the cloaks
again, and rubbing my hands and feet with them all warm, the muscles
again were stretched, although it lasted but a short time. At last I
reached the town of Chuntuci, on the Sunday of Septuagesima, which
was on the 19th of February, in this year of sixteen hundred and
ninety-six, about three o'clock in the afternoon,--a result surely very
different from what I thought,--that I should ever be in the said town
again, after the extremity to which I had come. All that afternoon I
stayed looking at this town, and I did not believe yet that I was
really there. Blessed be the mercy of God, who showed it thus in my
case. For his divine Majesty alone, of his own accord, could show such
compassion on this miserable sinner. Infinite thanks be given for so
great blessings as he gave me, and may his divine Majesty so will, that
it redound to his honor and glory through infinite centuries of
centuries. Amen. The Indian carriers continued in their pious work of
conveying me and of caring for my Indian singers, so that both in them
and in me, a great change of condition resulted from the fresh food,
which put us on the road to life."
Avendano set out shortly afterwards for Merida.
The Messenger from Tayasal. When he and his companions reached Merida
they were told of the arrival of a messenger from Canek of Tayasal.
This messenger had reached Merida considerably before the time at which
the Padres left Tayasal. He had been received by the Governor and
society of Merida with great rejoicings because of the fact that he
announced that his errand was to proffer the allegiance of Canek and
all his subjects, some eighty thousand Indians in all.
Reasons for Avendano's Distrust. Avendano found it difficult to credit
this news for several reasons, the chief of which were:
First. The obvious fact that, at the time he (Avendano) was last at
Tayasal, Canek was unable to force his subjects to adopt Christianity
on account of the hostility of Covoh and others.
Second. That, in spite of the intimacy that had existed between Canek
and Avendano, the latter had never received the slightest hint of
Canek's intention of sending any such messenger.
Third. That Canek, had such a messenger really been sent while the
Padres were with him, would most certainly have detained them as
hostages until the safe return of the messenger.
Avendano (p. 66 recto) closes his narrative thus:
"I omit, so as not to cause annoyance, many other effective reasons,
which I could give, but I leave it to the consideration of any one who
should reflect on this matter, better than I. As for me, who saw and
was in touch with it all, I am satisfied with what I have said. And, in
reference to the common opinion of all the Province, I say that the
large part of it is of the opinion that the said message was false...."