The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part IIIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part III
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
The distance from the city of the Angels, to the city of Mexico is
twenty leagues. The city of Mexico is the city of greatest fame in all
the Indies, hauing goodly and costly houses in it, builded all of lime
and stone, and seuen streets in length, and seuen in breadth, with
riuers running thorow euery second street, by which they bring their
prouision in canoas. It is situated at the foot of certaine hilles,
which conteine in compasse by estimation aboue twenty leagues,
compassing the sayd city on the one side, and a lake which is fourteene
leagues about on the other side. Vpon which lake there are built many
notable and sumptuous cities, as the city of Tescuco, where the
Spanyards built sixe frigats, at that time when they conquered Mexico,
and where also Fernando Cortes made his abode fiue or six moneths in
curing of the sicknesse of his people, which they had taken at their
comming into the countrey. There dwell in this city about sixty thousand
Indians, which pay tribute to the king. In this city the sayd Fernando
built the finest church that euer was built in the Indies, the name
whereof is S. Peters.
[Sidenote: The voyage from Mexico to Nueua Biscaia.] After I had
continued two yeeres in this city, being desirous to see further the
countreys, I imployed that which I had, and tooke my voyage towards the
prouinces of California, in the which was discouered a certeine countrey
by a Biscaine, whose name was Diego de Guiara, and called it after
the name of his countrey, New Biscay, where I solde my merchandise
for exchange of siluer, for there were there certaine rich mines
discouered by the aforesayd Biskaine. [Sidenote: The Siluer mines of
Tamascaltepec.] Going from Mexico I directed my voyage somewhat toward
the Southwest, to certaine mines, called Tamascaltepec, and so trauelled
forward the space of twenty dayes thorow desert places vnhabited, till I
came to the valley of S. Bartholomew, which ioyneth to the prouince of
New Biscay. In all these places, the Indians for the most part go naked,
and are wilde people. Their common armour is bowes and arrowes: they vse
to eate vp such Christians as they come by. [Sidenote: The hauen where
the ships of China and the Philippinas arriue.] From hence departing, I
came to another prouince named Xalisco, and from thence to the port of
Nauidad, which is 120 leagues from Mexico, in which port arriue alwayes
in the moneth of April, all the ships that come out of the South sea
from China, and the Philippinas, and there they lay their merchandise
ashore. The most part whereof is mantles, made of Cotton wooll, Waxe,
and fine platters gilded, made of earth, and much golde.
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