man as the aggressive governor of Pánuco. Fines innumerable were levied upon his estates where seizures could not be made, and his agents suffered not a little in seeking to protect the interests intrusted to them.[1] This vindictiveness was carried out chiefly under cover of the residencia to which the audiencia had been ordered to submit Cortés and other royal officers.[2] Immediately on arriving, they took steps to call witnesses and frame questions for indictments. These embraced the usual points concerning malfeasance by the executive; maleadministration of justice; disobedience of royal orders; neglect or perversion in connection with revenue; favoritism and other abuses in bestowal of offices, and in supervision of municipal affairs; oppression or neglect of the natives, and social misdemeanor, relating to immorality, gambling, and blasphemy. Besides these there were the special charges sent in since the first year of the conquest by the royal officers and other enemies, embracing the disloyal intent to revolt from the allegiance to Spain, with the aid of Spanish and native confederates, supported by artillery and forts; the use of regal ceremonies; the embezzlement of several millions in treasures and rental; the acceptance of a special fifth, like that of the sovereign, and the withholding of revenue due to the crown; the appropriation of provinces assigned to the crown, and of a million and a half of vassals, with some two hundred rent-rolls; abuse and outrages against private and official persons, including the murder of his wife and of the two royal commissioners, Ponce de Leon and his successor.
The preparations made, the residencia was proclaimed February 11, 1529. All persons were en-
- ↑ To judge from Cortés' complaints on this score, one is led to suppose that hardly anything was left of his vast estates. 'Demás de haberme tomado toda cuanta hacienda, mueble y raíz yo dejé en esta Nueva España, me quitaron los dichos pueblos [all, he adds], é me han dejado sin tener de dónde haya una hanega de pan . . . se han muerto mas de cient personas de las que en mi compañia traje, por falta de refriserios y necesidad de provisiones.' Carta, October 10, 1530, in Escritos Sueltos, 181-2, and other letters.
- ↑ For 90 days. Puga, Cedulario, 6, 7; Cortés, Residencia, i. 2, 6.
