The History of Yucatan; From Its Discovery to the Close of the Seventeenth Century (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. EXPEDITION OF CRISTOVAL DE OLID.?HIS INSUBORDINATION. THE ARMAMENT OF LAS CASAS. LAS CASAS MADE PRISONER BY OLID. OLID TAXES POSSESSION OF NACO.?RESOLUTION OF CORTES TO MARCH TO HONDURAS. PREPARATIONS FOR THE MARCH. EQUIPMENT OF THE ARMY.?DEPARTURE OF CORTES FROM MEXICO. SCENE BETWEEN CORTES AND THE FACTOR SALAZAR.?ARRIVAL OF THE ARMY AT GUACASUALCO.?INDIAN MAP OF THE ROUTE FROM XICALANGO.?ADVANCE UPON TUPILCO.?THE BRIDGES OF CORTES.? DIFFICULTIES OF THE MARCH.?ARRIVAL OF CORTES AT IZTAPA.? PRIVATIONS OF THE ARMY.?APPROACH TO THE MAYA COUNTRY. Prom the period when Cortes departed from the river Grijalva, or Tabasco, to prosecute his designs on Mexico, until the year 1524,?an interval of more than five years, ?the province of Yucatan remained unnoticed by the Spaniards. The desire for conquest and the impulse of discovery tended constantly towards the south, as much in the expectation of finding the supposed passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific, as on the immediate reward which was derived from the occupation of the rich and fertile countries that bordered the latter ocean. The fame of Cortes and the terror inspired by the exploits of his troops had wrought their effects in Soco- nusco, Chiapa, and Guatemala, and the inhabitants of those countries were eager at first to cultivate the good A. D. 1523.] EXPEDITION OF CRISTOVAL DE OLID. 39 graces of the conqueror, but their submission proved but short-lived. To reduce them to obedience, a force was sent, at the close of the year 1523, under Pedro de Alva- rado, who penetrated beyond the limits of Guatemala, and during the expedition founded the city of that name, which he dedicated to Santiago1. In the previous year Nicaragua had been reached by Gil Gonzales de Avila, proceeding from ...