At this time he [the Governor] had just finished distributing the gold
and silver which were in that house among the Spaniards of his company,
and Atabalipa gave the gold belonging to the royal fifths to the
treasurer of H. M. who took charge of it in order to carry it to the
city of Xauxa where he [the Governor] intended to found a colony of
Spaniards on account of the reports he had of the good surrounding
provinces and of the many cities which there were about it. To this
end, he had the Spaniards arranged in order and provided with arms and
other things for the journey, and when the time for departure came, he
gave them Indians to carry their gold and burdens. Before setting out,
having heard how few soldiers there were in San Miguel[19] for the
purpose of holding it, he took, from among those Spaniards whom he was
to take with him, ten cavalrymen and a captain, a person of great
cautiousness, whom he ordered to go to that city where he was to
maintain himself until ships should arrive with troops who might guard
it, after which he was to go to Xauxa where he himself was about to
found a village of Spaniards and melt the gold which he bore, promising
that he would give them all the gold that was due them with as much
punctuality as if they were actually present, because his [the
captain's] return [to San Miguel] was very necessary, that being the
first city to be settled and colonized for the Caesarian Majesty as
well as the chief one because in it they would have to wait there to
receive the ships which should come from Spain, to that land.[20]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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