Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican, Vol. 1 of 2: A Historical, Geographical, Political, Statistical and Social Account of That Country From the Period of the Invasion by the Spaniards to the Present Time.Mayer, Brantz
History
Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican, Vol. 1 of 2: A Historical, Geographical, Political, Statistical and Social Account of That Country From the Period of the Invasion by the Spaniards to the Present Time.
The first news received from the emigrant colonists, when they reached
Caxco, two hundred leagues from the capital, was disastrous. Quarrels
had originated among the adventurers, who asserted that the terms of
the expedition had not been complied with faithfully. As soon as the
viceroy heard of the discontent, he despatched Don Lope de Ulloa as a
pacificator, to the inflamed band which was quickly reduced to harmony
and persuaded to continue its journey to the promised land. At length
the weary emigrants reached the boasted El Dorado; but finding the
reports of mineral wealth altogether exaggerated, and doubting the
advantage of residing with their families permanently in such distant
outposts, many of them retraced their way southward to regions that
were more densely populated.
In 1598, another effort was resolved on to gather the dispersed and
refractory vagabond Indians who wandered about the territory under the
name of Mexicans and Otomies. Whilst they maintained their perfectly
nomadic state it was evident that they were useless either as
productive laborers for the Spaniards, or as objects of taxation for
the sovereign. It was a wise policy, therefore, to attempt what was
philanthropically called--their civilization;--but upon this occasion,
as upon all the others that preceded it, the failure was signal.
Commissioners and notaries were selected and large salaries paid these
officials to ensure their faithful services in congregating the
dispersed natives. But the government agents, who well knew the
difficulty if not the absolute impossibility of achieving the desired
object, amused themselves by receiving and spending the liberal
salaries disbursed by the government, whilst the Indians still
continued as uncontrolled as ever. The Count of Monterey was
nevertheless obstinately bent on the prosecution of this favorite
policy of the king, and squandered, upon these vile ministerial
agents, upwards of two hundred thousand dollars, without producing the
least beneficial result. In the following viceroy's reign he was
sentenced to pay the government this large sum as having been unwisely
spent; but was finally absolved from its discharge by the court to
which he appealed from the decision of his successor.
In the beginning of 1599, the news was received in Mexico of the death
of Philip II. and of the accession of Philip III. This event was
perhaps the most remarkable in the annals of the colony, during the
last year of the sixteenth century, except that the town of Monterey
in New Leon was founded, and that a change was made by the viceroy of
the port of Vera Cruz from its former sickly site at la Antigua, to
one which has since become equally unhealthy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account