desired to go at once to Nicaragua, believing that I could devise some remedy for the advantage of Your Majesty's service; and, while making preparations, and having a road opened through some mountains over which I had to pass, the vessel sent by me to New Spain returned to the port of Trujillo, on board which came a cousin of mine called Fray Diego de Altamirano, a Franciscan friar.[1]
From what he told me, and from the letters he brought, I learned of the many disturbances, scandals, and dissensions, which had broken out among Your
Report of
Fray Diego
de Alta-
mirano
Majesty's officials, whom I had left at Mexico in my place; and which still continued, making it necessary that I should immediately repair thither to correct those evils. Hence my journey to Nicaragua and the coast of the South Sea was necessarily abandoned, in spite of my firm belief that much service would have been rendered to God and to Your Majesty, owing to the many extensive and rich provinces which lay on the way; in some of which, although they are at peace, the service of Your Majesty would have been greatly benefited by my passage through them; especially those of Utlatan and Guatemala, where Pedro de Alvarado has always resided. In consequence of certain ill-treatment, they had rebelled and had never afterwards been entirely pacified, but, on the contrary, have done, and continue to do, much harm to the Spaniards who live there, and to their Indian friends. The country is so rough and full of warlike people, so well skilled in the art of warfare, both offensive and defensive, that they have invented pits and other engines to kill the horses, which have been successful; and, although Pedro de Alvarado has unceasingly waged war against
- ↑ This friar also counselled Cortes to assume more state and dignity, alleging that one reason some of his enemies affected to treat him as a mere soldier of fortune was because he had never insisted sufficiently on what was due to his rank as Captain-General and Governor; from thenceforward he heeded this advice.
