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Show 11001 VIII. ~ i£cT.Xll. Found ation ol Vera Cn11.. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F J\1 E X I C 0. to fecttrc their liberty. Some perfons, who h,1d not yet b:mirhcd fi·o ~n their minds the fear of the Mexicans, propofed that they lhould afk pardon of the king for the outrage committ<.:d upon his minit1:ers; but from the fuggdl:ions of Cortes, and the lords of Chcmp alla and Chiahuitztla, the oppofite fc ntiment prevailed: it was n.:folvcd therefore to free themiclvcs from the tyrannical dominions of the 1\!Icx icans. with the affi{bncc of thofe br.we {hangers, by putting a formidal>lc army under the command of the Spanifh Genera.l. Cortes, having fufliciently airurcd himfdf of the fincerity of the Totonaca , and informed h 1mfelf of their force, feiz cd this favo urable moment to bring that numerous nation under obed ience to the Catholic king. This aCl: was cclebrJ.tcd in the prefence of the notary of the army, and with every other legal folemnity. TJ1is afFair being happily concluded, Cortes took leave of thofe lords, to put another projcet in execution, of the greatell importance, which he had formed fome time before; th at was, to plant a ilrong colony on this coafi:, which {hould be a retreat for them in times of difufl:cr, a fortrefs to hold the Totonacas to the fidelity which they had [worn to the Spaniards, a place of defcent for the new troops which might arrive there either to their alliilance fi·om Spain, or the Antilles, and a magazine for the fl:ores which might be fent to them by their countrymen, or which the~ m~ght dcfire to fend to Europe. This colony was founded there1ore 1!1 the country of the Totonacas, in a plain which lies at the foot of the mountain of Chiahuitztla, twelve miles from Chem-' poalla ~ow~rds _the norr_h, a1:d adjoining to the new harbour (s). They' called tt Vz!lan~a (or nch city) of Vera Cruz, on .account of the great' appearance of nches they had feen there, and becaufe they had dif-· embarked them on Holy Friday; and this was the .firfi colony of the (s) Almon all Hinorians have committed a minakc concerning the founJing of Vern C . • as they fay the firn colo~y of tl1c Spani•1rds was A11tig11n, or the ancient tl: ttlcment on ;h,. :.~~;: of that name; and bche,·c that there were only two places of that name, that is, ancient V~~~ Cr~1. and the new Yl·ra Cruz, fcttlcd on the fame filllda where Cones difcmbarked: but Wit out ouht there have been three places of the name of y era Cruz. The firft fcttl ·d · 1 51.9 • clofe to the port of Cln'a h ll·t tzr Ia· , w1 u ·c h retam· ed afterwards only the name ofc r;mJ. ltmca; the fec~nd, .the :mcicnt Vera Cruz, fcttlcd in , 523 or 4 ; and the third, the New Vera Cruz, wht~h lhll prefcrvea the nnn'le of VeraCruz, and was fettled by order of the Cou t of Monterua, Vtceroy of Mexico, towards the end of the '()th or the 'beginning of the ~ century, and had from Philip III. the title of city given it in JbJ S· 17 Spaniards H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X i C 0. Spaniards. on the continent of North America. Cortes was the fir'll: who put a hand to the fettlement to encourage his people by his own example; and, in a fhort time, with the affiilance of the Totonacas, they built a fufficient number of houfes, and a {mall fortref..'l capable of refifiing the arms of the Mexicans. In the mean time the two receivers, whom Cortes fet .firil at liberty, had arrived at Mexico, and had informed the king of all that had happened, bellowing high praifes on the Spanilb general. Montezuma, who was preparing to fend an army to chailife the infolence and temerity of thofe ilrangers, and drive them out of his dominions, oecame pacified with the intelligence, and feeling his obligations to the Spanilb general for the fervice done to the royal minifiers, fent tw<'> princes, his nephews, accon1panied with a numerous retinue of nobility and others, with a prefent of works of gold worth upwat·ds of a thoufand fequins. They returned thanks in the name of the king to Cortes, and at the fame time complained of him for having entered fo far into friendlbip with the rebellious Totonacas, that that nation had had the infolence to refufe to pay the tribute which they owed to their fovereign. They added, that folely on account of fuch guens, an army had not been fent to punifh the rebellion of thofe people, but that in the end they would not remain unchailifed. Cortes, after having lignified his gratitude in the moil: becoming expreffions, endeavoured to vindicate himfelf from the accufation of friendlbip with the Totonacas, by the necefiity he was under of fecking provifions for his troops, after he was abandoned by the Mexicans. He [aid alfo, that with tefpetl: to the tribute, it was impoffible that a nation could ferve two mailers 1 that he hoped foon to be:: at court to fatisfy the king more completely, and make him fenGble of the fincerity of his conduct. The two princes, after having beheld with great wonder and delight the military exercifes of the Spanilh cavalry, returned to the court. The lord of Chempoalla, who was extremely difpleafed with that em. bafiy, in order to ftrengthen the alliance with the Spaniards, prefented eight virgins richly drelfed to Cortes, that they might marry with his officers ; and amongft them was one of his nieces, which he defigned for the general himfelf. Cortes, who had frequently difcourfed with him on the fubjetl: of religion, told him, he could not accept them, Y.oL. II. E unle1$ ts BOOK vhr. '-----' SF.cT. XIII. Newembafi'y and prefent from Monte. &uma. |