HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF YUCATAN AND OF THE ITZAS

Back Forward Menu

cause, among the crowd of Indians, together with their head men and
captains and some priests, in which in my presence they said to the
King many discourteous things, after which they went on to say,--'What
good was the friendship of the Spaniards and their law to be to them?
If it was to get hatchets and _machetes_ for cultivating, means had
never failed them to till their soil up to that time; if it was for the
stuffs and cloths of Castile for clothing them, when did they need any
of this, since theirs was very good; if it was that the Spaniards
should defend them, when was the Ytzalana nation cowardly or when did
it humiliate itself to any one, since they had so many warriors for
their own defense and for the destruction of as many as ventured
against them? It was a very bad thing to receive them.' The King also
opposed them in my presence with wisdom enough, defending in every
point what they and he had agreed on with me; and with more severity
reproved the arrogant mention of arms, in that they had said it before
me. They grew more disturbed with the reproof and the contestants
increased, and many, who up to that time had not spoken, then declared