CHAPTER V

NEW SPAIN UNDER THE VICEROYS

WHILE relating the events of the later part of the career of Cortés we mentioned the arrival, on October 15, 1535, of the first viceroy of Mexico, Don Antonio de Mendoza, Conde de Tendilla, a man of honor and ability, whose rule for many years was beneficent and wise. He established the first printing press in the New World, from which was printed in 1537 La Escala de San Juan Climaco, translated from Latin by Fray Juan de Madalena. He founded a mint for the production of silver coins, as the natives had disliked so much the copper coins that they had thrown about two hundred thousand pesos of them into the lake. He founded also a college for Indian nobles at Ttlatelolco, and sent an expedition under Vasquez de Coronado to the fabled kingdom of Quivira in the northeast. He caused Nuño de Guzman, the cruel and rapacious president of the First Audience, to be incarcerated in the common prison at the capital, after he had been arrested at Panuco by Perez de la Torre. Guzman died in 1544 in Spain in the greatest poverty. He had founded in New Galicia the town of Guadalajara, which was moved in 1541 to its present site by orders of the viceroy. In the same year Mendoza founded the city of Valladolid which, in 1828, was named Morelia after the patriotic curate Morelos.

After the fall of Nuño de Guzman his successor Perez de la Torre governed New Galicia with prudence and skill.

Unfortunately, after having suppressed an insurrection of the Indians, he was killed by a fall from his horse. He had appointed Cristóbal de Oñate to succeed him, but the viceroy named instead Coronado provisional governor. The latter departed in February, 1540, on his celebrated expedition to the Eldorado of the North, the seven cities of Cibola, of which the Indians had made to Cabeza de Vaca such a wonderful description. We shall narrate later the explorations of Coronado in the present territory of New Mexico, and shall now return to New Galicia, of which Oñate was governor during the absence of Coronado.

In 1541 the Indians rose against the Spaniards and defeated, in the mountain fastness of Mixton, the force which Oñate had sent against them under Miguel de Ibarra. The governor then appealed to the viceroy for aid, as it was thought that the natives intended to attack the town of Guadalajara. At that time he received unexpectedly the assistance of Pedro de Alvarado, the celebrated companion of Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. After the fall of Tenochtitlán Alvarado had gone to Guatemala, had subdued that province and had become Adelantado there. Like Cortés, his great chief, he had wished to extend his conquests to new lands and had prepared a formidable fleet in Guatemala for discoveries in the South Sea. On his way north he stopped in the port of Navidad and was asked to come to the help of the Spaniards in New Galicia in their war with the Indians. The brave captain readily consented to do so, and after a brief interview in Michoacan with Mendoza, whom he accompanied to Mexico, he returned to Zapotlan, where he had left his forces, and proceeded to the aid of Oñate. He sent detachments to protect a few important places in the province and he himself marched to Guadalajara which was threatened by the Indians. Oñate set out to meet him and advised him to wait for reinforcements from the viceroy before attacking the Indians. Alvarado, however, rejected with scorn the governor's prudent counsel, and said that it was a shame that "four cats should have made such a noise in the

Tomb of Benito Pablo Juarez, President of Mexico, 1859-1872.

In the cemetery of San Fernando, City of Mexico. Designed by the brothers Isla.

mountains that they were disturbing two provinces." He added that he had enough men to subdue the Indians and would not wait for more. He even refused the aid of Oñate, t and atacked the Indians, who were on the hill or peñon of Nochictlán. The point was protected by seven walls of stone and was defended by thousands of Indians, while Alvarado had under his command only one hundred foot soldiers and one hundred horse. The Spaniards displayed the greatest valor but were repulsed and routed. Alvarado endeavored

in vain to rally his men and to check their flight. He remained in the rear to protect the retreat, and was preceded by his secretary, Baltasar de Montoya, who spurred his horse up a broken embankment in his desire to fly faster from the enemy. The horse fell, and Montoya and Alvarado were thrown into a ravine. The secretary was not seriously hurt, and a historian said of him: "The clumsy coward lived to the age of one hundred and five years." Alvarado, however, was crushed in the fall and died at Guadalajara, on July 4, 1541. The career of the brilliant Tonatiuh came to an untimely end by a stupid accident. The fate of most of the conquerors of the New World was sad and tragic.

After the death of Alvarado Governor Oñate succeeded in resisting an attack of the Indians on Guadalajara, and the insurrection was finally subdued by viceroy Mendoza who came in person to the aid of Oñate. The Mixton war, in New Galicia, is noted in Mexican history by the death of the valiant conquistador, Pedro de Alvarado.

Principally through the exertions of the devoted friend of the Indians, Bartolomé de las Casas, the Emperor Charles V issued in 1542 a code of laws, known as the New Laws, referring principally to the treatment and enslavement of the natives. None could be enslaved under any pretext whatever, and the slaves should be set free unless the owners could prove a legal title. There were many other clauses relating to the betterment of the Indians, and Francisco Tello Sandoval was appointed visitador to introduce the New Laws in New Spain. He arrived in March, 1544, but