Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/353

This page needs to be proofread.

Chila. found many hennes, wherewith they refreshed themselues, and be tooke some of the people of Chila which he vsed for messengers to certaine places: And after great trauaile comming to Panuco they found no victuailes there by reason of the warres of Cortes and the spoile of the soldiers. Garay then sent one Gonçalo de Ocampo to Sant Isteuan del puerto to know whether they would receiue him or no. They had a good answere. But Cortes his men primily by an ambushment tooke 40. of Garayes horsemen, alleaging that they came to vsurpe the gouernment of another: and besides this misfortune he lost fower of his ships: whereupon he left off to proceede any farther.

While Cortes was preparing to set forward to Panuco: Francis de las Casas, and Roderigo de la Paz arriued at Mexico with letters patents, where the Emperour gaue the gouernment of Nueua Spagna and all the countrey which Cortes had conquered to Cortes, and namely Panuco.[1] Whereupon he staied his iourney. But he sent Diego de Ocampo with the said letters patents, and Pedro de Aluarado with store of footemen and horsemen. Garay knowing this thought it best to yeeld himselfe vnto Cortes his hands, and to go to Mexico; which thing he did hauing discouered a great tract of land.

In this yeere 1523. Gil Gonçales de Auila made a discouerie,[2] and peopled a towne called San Gil de buena vista standing in 14. degrees toward the north, and almost in the bottome of the Bay called the Ascension or the Honduras. He began to conquere it because he best knew the secrets thereof, and that it was a very rich countrey.

In this yeere 1523. the sixt day of december Peter de Aluarado went from the citie of Mexico by Cortes his commandement to discouer and conquere Quahutexallan, Vtlatlan, Chiapa, Xochnuxco, and other townes toward the South sea.[3] He had with him three hundred soldiers, 170. horsemen foure field peeces, and some noble men of Mexico, with people of the countrey to aide him as well in the warre, as by the way being long. He went by Tecoantepec to Xochxco and other places aboue said with great trauaile and losse of his men: but he discouered and subdued all the countrey. There are in those parts certaine hils

  1. Gomara en la Conquesta de Mexico fol. 226.
  2. Gomara en la Conquista de Mexico fol. 242.
  3. Gomara en la Conquista de Mexico fol. 229. et in sequentibus.