HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF YUCATAN AND OF THE ITZAS

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Paredes' Stupidity; the Plot of the Chakan Itzas. "Cursed be the
ignorance which causes so great losses in this way! Of how great
importance is knowledge and experience for the proper despatch of
things! This General has no more knowledge or experience, except for
cutting wild trees in the forest where he has always been placed,
cutting timber for building the ships which sail from the port of
Campeche. And so he missed at the present time the greatest victory
which could be gained in this kingdom of Yucatan.... Is it possible
that reason did not tell him, even if he was ignorant of the said
points and of the military laws, that a priest and minister of God was
not going to send sixty Indians for the sacred vessels and the Padre
who guarded them, without sending him a message in writing (as I
promised to do when I took my leave) or without writing to the said
Padre my companion to come with them? Is it possible that, on seeing
that neither had I sent even one of the four Indians who accompanied
me, even if I was not able to write, so that they could deliver the
sacred things to him, he was not surprised enough to infer from that,