CHAPTER X.

ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

1531-1550.

MALEFEASANCE or CASTANEDA DIEGO ALVAREZ OSORIO THE FIRST BISHOP OF

NICARAGUA A CONVENT FOUNDED AT LEON LAS CASAS ARRIVES
CASTANEDA s FLIGHT ARRIVAL OF CONTRERAS PROPOSED EXPEDITION
TO EL DESAGUADERO OPPOSITION OF LAS CASAS DEPARTURE WITH ALL
THE DOMINICANS THE VOLCANO OF EL INFIERNO DE MASAYA FRAY
BLAB BELIEVES THE LAVA TO BE MOLTEN TREASURE His DESCENT INTO
THE BURNING PIT EXPLORATION OF THE DESAGUADERO DOCTOR Ro-
BLES ATTEMPTS TO SEIZE THE NEW TERRITORY CONTRERAS LEAVES
FOR SPAIN His ARREST, TRIAL, AND RETURN His SON-IN-LAW MEAN
WHILE USURPS THE GOVERNMENT ANTONIO DE VALDIVIESO APPOINTED
BISHOP FEUD BETWEEN THE ECCLESIASTICS AND THE GOVERNOR
ALONSO LOPEZ DE CERRATO TAKES THE RESIDENCIA OF CONTRERAS
MISSIONARY LABORS IN NICARAGUA.

THE sense of relief which was felt by all the colo

nists of Nicaragua, when death at last put an end to
the administration of Pedrarias Davila, was of brief
duration. A
new taskmaster soon held them in bond
age almost as grievous as that of the great despot who
now lay buried in the church-vaults at Leon. Fran
cisco de Castaneda, who then held office as contador,
and some months previous had been alcalde mayor/
claimed that he was legally entitled to the vacant
governorship.
2
The cabildo knew of no valid objec
tion, and upon Castaneda s promise to rule with mod-

1
A quien se auia dado el oficio de contador, y depucstole del do alcalde
mayor, por las diferecias que traia con Pedrarias. Hcrrera, dec. iv. lib. ix.
cap. xv. Oviedo, iv. 112, still speaks of him as alcalde mayor e contador
when he takes charge of the government.
2
Que era de derecho, que quando dos personas que tenian poderes del
Rey, moria el vno, el que quedaua sucedia al otro. Uerrcra, dec. iv. lib. ix.
cap. xv.
(1GG)
 EDA <)R.

>!i ;m<l fairne-s ]

appointed and duly ivc.
1
nized.
Before ;i month had <-lap>-d
the colon i.-t- found
th -m -till d)(.ui,.d (on and miM-iil.-.
Without regard to the rights of th< id with
an eliVont. -jiudlrd only l.y tliat of liis pn-d
tin- new tyrant ivfu>-d to convene the cahildo j.t

IODM- intervals, and then only to di>cu-s :

aMe to his d\vn wishes.

*
The deci-ion .(
ji.-ndi
]a\VMiils was nr-le.-t ed ; IMMII- d-niand-d. and
those \\lio refused to rout rihllte \\

unniereii ully that they abandoned their ju-oju-rty and

iled the country, leaving their enOOmienOJB
4
\\>

Slave-hunting, \\ith its att.-ndant horr>:

I.

\\, ininon throughout the proxine N-;.

iorhiddeii to kidnap, nor was any limit jilao-d .n

their c:ij)tui-i the. only resti-iction was tl he

nior should receive a The kind s tilh >liare.

\\ere fraudulently rented." Castafieda \\. --n si

d of inakin- fraudulent entries in the 1.

the treasurer Tohilla, death had itly \vlio><-

cunvd nor had he even i/iven himself the trouM

:

taking an inv-ntory of the contents of the ti

chest.
At
length certain of the regidores m, i; t

council and petitiom-d the kin^ to send them a j

of ieneia, statin&r that i-eli.-t \\

7
unle><

tin- province would soon Castafieda

depopulated. l>e

was pre.xeiitly informed of his dan^ei hut g .

lieed fco (he \\amii 1 ! had 1ml aim in li

*
II -hat after th- Irnrias Sji

(li.-it

}\-<: iliM-al
i as hi-
., in 71".

ieccasc oc<

vii.

I,; 10C.
\ V.
fraii.i s los auia dalo a
^ liiK .s. //
168 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.
6
gather riches by whatever means, and this object he
pursued with unshaken purpose. The natives did not
regard the Spaniards with greater dread than did the
Spaniards their chief magistrate. Many of them
departed for the newly conquered regions of Peru,
and even the friars, who had faced the hardships of
the wilderness, and the peril of torture and death at
the hands of savages, were compelled to abandon their
7
labors.

Until 1531 the vicars of the church of Panama

held ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the province of
8
Nicaragua. In that year Diego Alvarez Osorio, a
precentor of the cathedral of Panama, holding the
title of Protector of the Indians, was appointed the
first bishop of Nicaragua. His elevation was due to
his eminent services in the church and probably also
to the fact of his being, as Kemesal remarks, "a

noble cavalier of the house of Astorga, learned, vir

tuous, and prudent, with much experience in whole
some government measures." The prelate was or
dered to found a Dominican convent at Leon, and
the treasurer was commanded to furnish the necessary
funds. The
royal tithes which were formerly appro
priated by the diocese of Panama, were now to be in-

6 El
qual se di6 todo el recabdo quel pudo a enriques^erse; 6 pudolobien
ha9er, pues no le qiiedo quien le fuesse a la mano. Oviedo, iv.
112.
7
Among those who left the province were Sebastian de Benalcazar and
Juan Fernandez, who joined Pizarro on the Isthmus in March 1531. In their
company went Francisco Bobadilla, Juan de las Varillas, and Gerunimo Pon-
tevedra, friars of the order of Mercy, who figured in the conquest of Guate
mala and Nicaragua. Navarro, lielacion, in Col. Doc. Ined., xxvi. 238.
During the brief rule of Salcedo in Nicaragua, one Maestro Rojas, a
8

patron of the church, imprisoned the ex-treasurer Castillo on

a charge of
heresy, but the former held no jurisdiction in
the case, and Rojas remained
in confinement until the arrival of Pedrarias, accompanied by Fray Francisco
de Bobadilla, who was vested with the requisite authority by the bishop of
Panama. His power was transferred to the bachiller Pedro Bravo, and from
him to Pedrarias, who tried. the case, acquitted Castillo, and restored him
to office. Squier s MSS., iv.
9
Hist. Chyapa, 105. It appears that he was not a friar, being spoken of
as muy magnifico 6 nruy reverendo senor D. Diego Alvarez Osorio. Pacheco
and Cardenas, Col. Doc., vii. 116; see also Alcedo, iii. 322, who adds that he
was a native of America, though of what place is unknown; and Gonzalez
Ddvila, Teatro Ecles., i. 235; Juarros, Hist. Guat., i. 49.
 RODRIGO DE CONTRERAS.

creased, and applied to the support of the

1

and hospitals of Nicaragua.

I nder tin- nil i
of C !a it d difficult
to collect the greater port ion of them
tin- tithes, I

!ni his oilicia!>.

l>y
lint a true friend to human
ami ion was mi his \\.-iv to the proviu n<>\v

n
1Jartolome ({c IMS ^, alter though in-
( 1 i

effectual labors in burned to Nica ntheMe\i<

ir L532, and was received with open arm- l.y ()

rio, wlio invited him to remain, and to aid liim ib- ii

lishii!"- the Dominican convent, and also in his 7

lal>

on behalf of the natives; but above all to use bis au

thority in putting an end to the f mal< (

!a. Las Casas cheerfully cone d. Ac<>n\-

^as founded residences were huilt for the IVi

;

arations w. iv made
for the erection of M cathedral,
and converts the thousands w l>y
d into the
fold. lint neither threat nor per-ua>ioii had the !

influence on ( astaneda, who had heen trained in t

school of IVdrarias. and now hid air to r his i 1

instruction. llelief cam- Nc -m-ived

L on that Elodrigo de Contreras had heen appoint
governor of Nicaragua, and \
i
.

M>\\- on his \\-.-

tiie
pi-ovince. ( ieda then-n; u|
gathered
rains and il< d t J ru: <

|
d t !.

paftola; wasth rrestedand Spain ;bu1

ith
closed 1
reer In-fore any earthly trihunal awaiv
him the i

Contr \\-a-anoMeeavalier nd the

son-in-law of iVdraria-,
dau-^h Maiia d- \\

iVinl lormerlv lied to \ asco Nun< z

,
1

1
J.dl.oa. o
inpaiiieil
I him to the pn\ ;

\\itli her infant children. l.-rnando and P.-d 1

Jlis administration m, .1 o|

10
Xow tithe wax, anil lln

odis, ft

of the i M las igle-

11
!
:IH utiouof LasCaaaase* .284,309.
170 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

Ovieclo; a refreshing circumstance, as it is the first

instance in which that historian speaks in praise of a
12
governor in a Spanish province. His conduct is at
least in strong relief with that of his two predeces
sors, and apart from certain accusations brought
against him by the ecclesiastics, with whom he was
ever at variance, the annals of his time portray him
as a just and humane ruler. He at once began the
task of establishing law and order in his territory, thus
gaining the confidence of the settlers, and all traces
of evil wrought by the absconder Castaneda were
speedily effaced.

The project for opening up communication with

the North Sea by way of El Desaguadero, as the Rio
San Juan was then termed, and of taking possession
of the native towns on its banks, had long been dis
cussed by the colonists. The new governor though
averse to such an enterprise was anxious to retain the
good-will of the people, and despatched to the court
of Spain Juan de Perea to obtain the emperor s
consent. 13
But the subjugation of the natives was too often
followed by their enslavement, and Las Casas was
14
still in the province laboring in his favorite cause.
In the pulpit, in the confessional, and in places of
public resort the padre denounced the expedition. He
even threatened to refuse absolution to the vecinos
15
and soldiers should they dare to take part in it. The
12
En tanto, desde que Rodrigo de Contreras iu6 a aquella tierra estuvo
exer^itando su officio, como buen gobernador, 6 tuvo en paz buena jnsti9ia
e"

aquellas tierras e provin9ias, que por Su Majestad le fueron encomendadas, 6

procurando la conversion buen tractamiento de los indios para que viniessen
e"

a conoseer a Dios. Oviedo, iv. 113.

13
A provision was ratified by the emperor on the 20th of April 1537, and
contained also permission to make the conquest of the islands in lakes Nica
ragua and Managua. Pacheco and Cardenas, Col. Doc., xxii. 515-34.
11
Before the flight of Castaiieda Las Casas visited Espanola whither he was
summoned to negotiate a treaty with the powerful chief Enrique. He returned
once more to Realejo, and soon afterward attempted a second voyage to Peru,
but was driven back to port by stress of weather.
15
See the lengthy deposition taken in Leon by request of the governor before
Bishop Osorio, and concluded after the prelate s death, before the lieutenant-
 IXTKIK ,ICCf> llox. 171

ly perple\,-d. Las Casas undoul

edly held din et ingl ructions from tli !
which
justified his in nee, while th. r had ;

the sanction of the cro^ n. 1 hi<-h

should tli. )n the one hand \\ .

(
<>f

e;ain, on the oilier the th n.-d han of tl ir<-h.

Contreraa \\; l\ed that tin- pi-. <

-hould not
!

ly tin-
Intermeddling of hut, nn a
priesi :

out at the he;id oi a hand of liftv he i

found that liis own ollir.-i-s not ohev hii.

\\<>uld

til- iorhiddcn to jtlunder 01- nial tin- ;

Jle WBS thel efo]. ifl! to J.eoli and

<-ol])J)L
lle<l

ia QOW u-ed
acknowledge hiniM-h dei. ated. L;
all tlio wc-i^ht of liis inilucnce to undennine t

authority, while ( ontivi

1

era
"

to 1)- taki-n hei t-iv ()soi-io with

regard to t J>i>hop

condiici of the
pad] At this juncture th d
!
!

the prelate solved the ditlicult After ].

sujj)ort Las Casas i ound liinisdf unahlc in

oppo
the authority of thr goi t-rimr, \vho >till
single-handed,
had the tacit sympathy of B ofthecoi 1;

therefore determined to abandon a field v, here his

ions were; of little avail, and a in\ i

whieh it has already heeii

!

i wa-
him hy l^raneiseo de Sfarroquin, li>lmj ot (i
mala, to of the eoi. ot San:
departed from .Leon taking with him all the l)<>mini-

08.
M
1

liil M: -cs he:

who was .

solili,

peat- rt" nl conquest of the 1 , iu

.

<

*dre eaonda*
<

ia. // ;. hi , i.

I
as Casas. t

sunl cro umvil:

I witnesses tea;
losli

as jiinl liis ci
iuj am i-e asked to remain 1
>y
t lie reffi
mm
.it ll, ll
172 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

In 1537 certain of the ecclesiastics are again con

nected with the history of the province, but in a
manner not altogether consistent with the dignity of
their profession. While travelling through Nicara
gua three years previously, Fray Bias del Castillo
heard strange rumors concerning a volcano situated
near Lake Nicaragua, and known as El Infierno de
Masaya. In the crater at a depth of a hundred,
fathoms was a molten lake incrusted with cinders,
through which fountains of fire sometimes rose far
above the surface, 18 lighting up the South Sea by
night, and plainly visible to mariners twenty leagues
from shore. Concerning this spot a legend was related
to Oviedo during his residence in the province by the
aged cacique Lenderi, who had several times visited
the place in company with other chieftains of his
tribe.From the depths of the crater came forth to
commune with them in secret council a hag, nude, 1

wrinkled, and hideous, with long sharp teeth, and

deep-sunken, flame-colored eyes. She was consulted
on all important matters, determined the question of
war or peace, and predicted the success or failure of
every enterprise. Before and after these consulta
tions, were hurled into the crater human victims who
submitted to their fate without a murmur. 20 When
macion, in Pacheco and Cardenas, Col. Doc., vii. 116-46. It is evident that
this event occurred about the month of June 1538. Remcsal, who is not
generally over-exact in dates, says that Las Casas arrived in Guatemala casi
al fin del afio de treynta y cinco. Hist. Chyapa, 111. Why Helps, in his Life
of Las Casas, 185, without venturing to give a correct date himself, should
boldly assert Herrera makes him go to Spain, and though he gives a wrong
date (1536) for this, yet the main statement may be true, 1 am at a loss to
5

explain.
18
En medio dessa laguna 6 metal saltan 6 revientan dos borbollones 6
manaderos muy grandes de aquel metal continuamente, sin ningun punto
metal 6 licor alii col orado e descubierto, siii escorias.
cessar, 6 siempre esta el
On one occasion the lava rose to the top, creating such intense heat that
within a league or more of the volcano all vegetation was destroyed. Oviedo,
iv. 81-2.
iy
Oviedo was of the opinion that she must have been the devil; but
whether the consort of his Satanic Majesty or the devil himself in female
form he does not say. E segund en sus pinturas usan pintar al diablo, ques
tan feo 6 tan llcno de colas cuernos e"bocas 6 otras visages, como nuestros
e"

pintores lo suelen pintar a los pis del arcangel Sanct Miguel 6 del apostol
Sanct Bartolom6. Oviedo, iv. 75.
20
E que antes 6 despues un dia 6 dos que aquesto se hi9iesse, echaban alii
 r.i.
173

the Christians made their appearance ll

hurnin^ pit denounced tin- intrude-

nt to show herself again till
they v.

t
land, and as (In- Datives were not
IM- oii-di
o
to expel them, she soon abandoned her \
The worthy friar concluded that tin- molten in
in the
depths of the crater must 11, at le I
<r

silver, in a f usjon. He was then travelling i

toward IVru hy order of his superior.-, hut kept his

own counsel until two years later, when we hear of
his journeying on loot from Mexi< of
more: than four hundred leagues, intent on exploring
the crater. now took into his mnfi-
niy>teri<>ns
He
denee Yaiiciscan friar, Juan cle Gandaho, and the
a I

two agreed to impart the ^n-at secret to a Pew the <>f

wealthier Spanish settlers, in order to ohtain means

for earrvin^ out their project. Rumor was soon i

throughout the province. At Granada and Leon m-

a --et n hied in the streets and disc the IB
plax
ter. Some! conceded that Pray Bias was probably
in the ri-4 ht. Other- i-ted with a CTeduloUBshr
that the molten mass consisted of inm of sulphur, <>r

the latter theory lx in-- most in favor, from t

that specimens of native sulphur were common in the

\ ie
mity. hit while e\poun<lin_j-, in the realms of the
I

Atahualpas and the Monte/umas. the doctrine- of him

wh it forth his disciples without purse or scrip, the
-tic could never hanish from his mind i

viction that providence had n-sei-ved tl t oi-

him and his fellow-laborers," and alter his n<>w 1.

and toil-oiix. joui iiey, he was not be turned t

from his pin po The in iry impleim-ni

retly prepai-ed. (
hains, pulleys, iron ! id

other appai; made ready in a villa

lour leagues distant from the volcano. A In lire ].

uhre 6 dos 6 mds 6 algr, >s 6

.
:
aijiu-lL.s .jii
Ovit if. iv. 71.
Ire: .scubra:
quc ]
i

-s ni i
;inilla.
174 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

rick and a cage were manufactured by the friar s

own hands at a safe distance from the Spanish set
22
tlements, and dragged up by natives to the mouth
of the volcano. Guides w ere procured, and it was
r

agreed that Fray Bias himself should first descend

into the pit in order to avoid all dispute as to right
of discovery. Should he return to the surface in
safety, his comrades were to follow. Stipulations
were made as to the division of the treasure, the
friar claiming for himself the largest share, though

contributing nothing to the expense.

On the 13th of April 1538, 23 the ecclesiastic and
his comrades rise betimes, and after confessing their
sins, attending mass, and partaking of a substantial
breakfast they climb the steep mountain side and stand
on the verge of the crater. Grasping in his left hand
a flask of wine, in his right a crucifix, and gathering
up the skirts of his priestly robe, his head protected
by an iron cask, the daring friar takes his seat in the
cage, is suspended in mid-air, and slowly lowered into
the burning pit. The natives who are present flee in
terror, having no faith in his assertion that the evil
genius of the fiery lake will vanish at the sight of
the cross. As he lands on the floor of the crater a
fragment of falling rock strikes his helmet, causing
him to drop on his knees and plant his cross with
trembling fingers in the haunted ground. Turning
his eyes upward, after much groping and stumbling
among shelves of rock, he beholds the cage in which
he had descended swinging far overhead. Neverthe
less his heart fails not. Catching the guide-rope he
drags up his portly person to a spot from which he
can give the appointed signal, and at length is brought
unharmed to the surface.

22
E porque faltaba tin cabrestante 6 no lo mandaban ha<?er por no ser
descubiertos, el frayle lo hico por su mano en el lugar ques dicho que estaban
todos los otros aparejos. Oviedo, iv. 78.
23
Two unsuccessful attempts were made before this date, and some of the
friar s associates, terrified by their first glimpse of the burning lake, abandoned
the enterprise. Oviedo, iv. 78.
 KXL LOIIATIoX OF Till

A day later ,-nmt ;

mpt i- mad
v. 3

much difficulty a small quantity of the molten 1

dit to the surface in an iron moi 1

of th discovery spread through tin- oeighb

\\\ jr set i lenient undivds r 1
Bpectati
1
.

nmnd the cr luit tin- ad\ p th

1.
They take formal possession <f tli>
aind,
move their machinery thai none may^haiv the i

NlCARAGT \.

y prixe, and for a time imagine themselves p

d of wealth \vhieha thoii>and
>hip-
can:

Soon ai trr the departure of the Momini-- ;

!!-

resolved earry out tl

plorat ion "{
i
t<>

J >

ladero. Captain l)ie- Maehue;

14
In 1."_ :. .luring: li:

clui. n.liu t. 1 stand

tlic
caci^U thcchroiiU-k i
avoloM
 176 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

officerand one whose humane disposition gave assur

ance that the inhabitants of the native towns would
not be maltreated, was placed in charge of the expedi
tion. Two ships were fitted out on Lake Nicaragua
and a force of two hundred men followed by land. The
25
dangers encountered during the voyage are not re
corded by the chroniclers of the age; but we learn that
the vessels were borne in safety down the stream,
passed thence to the North Sea, and sailed for Nombre
de Dios.
News of their arrival was soon brought to Doctor
Robles, then governor of Tierra Firme, and with his
usual policy this covetous ruler attempted to gather
for himself all the benefits of the enterprise. The
rnen of Nicaragua were cast into prison, and an expe
dition despatched under Francisco Gonzales de Bada-
joz to take possession of the territory on the banks
of the Desaguadero. After remaining in the province
for six months, during which time a fort was built and
treasure obtained to the value of 200,000 castellanos,
the invaders were driven out by Contreras, and their
leader sent back a prisoner to Panamd.
26
second A
expedition, despatched by Doctor Robles under com
27
mand of Andres Garavito, also failed of success.

Abrief period of comparative quiet now occurs in

the history of Nicaragua, and for the first time the
inhabitants of one province at least are satisfied

crater of which was a warm-water lake, at about the same level as the lava
which excited the cupidity of Fray Bias. The descent was difficult, but
Indian women managed to pass up and down in obtaining water. With regard
to the depth of the lake Oviedo remarks: Este lago, mi paresper (6 assi lo
juzgan otros) estd en el pesso hondura que estd el fuego que dixe en el poco
e"

del momte de Massaya. .110 le hallan suelo por su mucha hondura. Machuca,
.

assisted by his friends, furnished the funds needed for exploring the Desa
guadero.
The principal rapids in the stream still bear the name of Machuca.
25

Squier s Nicaragua (ed. 1856), i. 82.

20
Mention is made of this expedition by Estrada Ravago, whose narrative
of the affairs of the province, written in 1572, appears in Squier sMSS., xiii. 4.
According to Oviedo, Garavito must have made friends with Contreras,
27

for speaking of the former he says that one day, while engaged in a game of
canas in the city of Leon, he suddenly fell dead from his horse. He was
one of those who took part in the enterprise which cost Vasco Nunez de Bal-
 \\-\i\\ ir ml "N

cli

1 >

v the
on to interfere in (1, of i

HP After IK ]).: in 1542 of th

t

of 1, of which lllent i,)j| v here ]]>;

is placed under the jurisdiction of i

of 1 ( oiiih: .ind nil who hoi. I offi

11 arc ordered to surrender their enc

Tl thereupon transfers 1

\vile and children, and i

at i ;h for Spain, to prevent, if ,

us results to his inl .r in

most of his fellow-rulers his \\-ealih e ,ilv

of human ei -Is. Ariivii. the Isthinr

th. from Pedi-o de Menda\ <lviees i.

dean of Leon, have hreii Panama i-eeoinnieinl-

in^ his arrest, and he is compell, d fco
a
prisoner, The ehar n-
not I

natui-e; for although his old oj^K)-

iient, Las ( ill in Spaii ity
him, we learn that I; K>n i

n;^ hoth oi and property he returns in eom-

with V^asco Nunez vela, landing in ra i ii, :

in
January i. 1 .") I

Meanwhile Pedro de losRios,

, -in-law of ( out; u-urped t!.

go\ erni nd -onm: .

he to he hostile to his o\Yll pOTtj,

1, Vi

knowing that he may be the one to suffer i

the 1. of Ivle.^, detel lllil, lltlel,

ur ; to (
Iranada, win-re h
proc

. .-UK! <;

s.-ii,l

..

lli.vr. C; XT. AM. VOL. II. 12

178 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

the support of the cabildo, imprisons Rios in the

convent/ But the following morning the cabildo
intimidated by the threats of Dona Maria, the gov
ernor s wife, repent of their conduct and are prevailed
upon to issue an edict calling upon all the settlers,
under penalty of death and confiscation, to rise in
arms and demand the liberation of Rios, or, in case
of refusal, to tear down the convent. The warlike
dean is not prepared for this sudden change, but
nevertheless determines to resist, assuring his adher
ents that all who may suffer death in this most Chris
tian cause will surely be admitted into heaven. The
people throng the convent, and the friars are soon
engaged which two of them,
in deadly strife, during

together with four laymen, are mortally wounded.

Unable to withstand the attack, Mendavia at last re
lents and sues for peace. A
compromise is effected,
by which Rios binds himself not to injure the dean or
any of his party, either then or at any future time,
whereupon the treasurer is released. No sooner is he
outside the convent walls, however, than he forgets
his promise, and arrests, hangs, quarters, and exiles
indiscriminately. The dean himself is put in irons
and sent to Spain, w here for several years he is
r

80
kept a prisoner without trial.
When the news of these proceedings reached the
audiencia of Panama, Diego de Pineda was de
spatched to Nicaragua as juez cle comision, and with
such tact did he reconcile the disputes between the
two parties that order was quickly restored, and the
quarrel between Rios and Mendavia was soon for
gotten.
31
A
few months later Contreras arrived in the
province, but his secret enemies w^ere still at work,
29
Itsomewhat remarkable that the dean of a church could imprison a
is

royal treasurer, but such is the fact. Le vino a prender. .pidi6 favor a la
.

Ciudad de Granada donde el estava (Rios), lo prendio i meti6 en el monasterio

de la Merced por ser casa cle piedra. .
.Squier s MSS., xxii. 144.
.

30
On May 20, 1545, he wrote from his prison to the emperor: Dos anos
que estoi preso, i mis bienes sin cuenta en manos de mis adversaries. Ha
6 meses que me pusieron en esta carcel arzobispal, and asked to be tried at
once, and punished or acquitted as the case might be. Squier s MSS., xxii. 148.
31 It
is probable that Rios continued to govern until the return of Contre-
 and of i ,,i the ni-ulv
iirnria df 1. >nlin<

] 1 kc 1. lenci M! al><> tli

treasurer I Ii<

Although the 1 .

tin-
governor and
I Tlral i-i.-tinn, to li;

nothing <>n \vhirli t>

base an
r <>f o officials, and BOOH al-and in-
i ion.
w

A 1 riid nimv Mtt T llian Iliat \vhicli \\ d

death of Uisliop ( )s>ri< and ;
of
I A \
!

\ iio\v arose lu-t\\ .

\
be 1 nd o
tical authoriti In 1.V14 leather Antonio de \

divie-so oint.-d t<> tin- vacanl

His appointmen ie duly conlinuL-d 1-

l.uill, and in X JM-I- ol ih.- following ;

(<!. itcd at (
rracias ii ])ios ly li

tlie c\ ring
K>me i iitinii into tin- iii MS nolliiir hiinxintil.hr
\\licu bishop Valdivieso i:i one of hi.s 1 ttci-s
I
;
d . Lnifl de <

In In
ioe,*
l.y him ;

/>.<. , \ \ M. I
I
P|>- 1<>.

w One Pedro <

.in a o innn n t<> \ \

Janu.ii-y In, I

mpl ii;

<!
<
.
i licdi. i Lii . JITri :.i. h.-i iid<

s
J/> I wlu-:. in inn 1 tlt-ni.

J Kt-iit li:i-k to Lto;i t

;<lit nci;i ijuc ii"

. / L >

;iinl <
iii-il> a-
1

. \.
83

nml the Antonio Valdi^ ieao and

<\<- <

a 1 )<)ininican in tin* coiivrnt of was

an inin.-ttr \s \\< I him
117: /

lil. \ i.

i, 1-ut J:i"S v...i.,M lid l.; ;

him a ] ;.ain hal . Mivu-s

M rnli i

ka: Po 1 1

la t M. ]:
!
imppt
.is
ai>]>
int-.l in
ValdiTJ "

teaga,
\\li- i

!.",! I, ;.n,l. : i. Ktmtwl, li

IS* ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

of Chiapas, Marroquin of Guatemala, and Peclraza of

Honduras. The prelate, who professed to be an
enthusiastic admirer of the great apostle of the
Indies, insisted that the new code should be enforced,
and spared no effort to rescue the natives from
bondage, incurring by his policy such determined
opposition from the governor and his officials that he
deemed it best for his own personal safety to take up
his residence at Granada rather than at Leon.
From the day of Valdivieso s arrival to the down
fall of the governor some three
years later, the history
of the province contains little else than a series of
mutual recriminations and intrigues. O The colonists
with a few exceptions favored the cause of the gov
ernor, declaring that "they wanted no prelate except
to say mass, and preach to suit their fancy;" and when
the bishop threatened to establish an inquisition in
34
Nicaragua he was menaced with assassination.
The complaints against Contreras appear to have
been due mainly to the jealousy and self-interested
motives of the ecclesiastical faction. His conduct had
borne the scrutiny of the inquisition and of the audi-
encia. Notwithstanding the provisions of the new
code he had been allowed to retain his encomiendas.
Even his enemies could not accuse him of maltreating
his slaves. It was not to be expected that he should
surrender to the bishop the power and property which
higher authority had permitted him to retain; and yet
this seems to have been his chief cause of offence.
Though Valdivieso and the Dominican friars were
loud in their denunciations of those who held the
natives in bondage, they were themselves by no

Inquisicion no se ha de mentar en esta tierra, i en entrando en elle me

34

embiaron a decir que si entendia en cosa de Inquisicion o lo pensava, me

darian de pufialadas. Squicr s MSS. xxii. 146.
,
On another occasion, when
President Maldonado and the oidor Ramirez were at Granada preparing an
expedition to Peru, the bishop refused to officiate in church because a person
wr.s present whom he had excommunicated. Hereupon Ramirez vised insult
ing language, causing him to retire from the church. Valdivieso s conduct
caused, such ill-feeling that a mob afterward assembled in the street and threat
ened to hang him.
 CO 181

1
milling ]
/in slav
j-rop in
"Niea: when tl; i, ;ii)d ^lii of c
taken from them hy tl ;idiencia of
nod to leave the provh .
md c
eir clam< r until their pn>j

tin-in K\on the incmher> of the audiencia, w\

eial duty it w. ciiiurcc tin- ob&
laws, had caused :jiic of A
v 1 b<

\vlio liad ivudrivd assistance the Spani t

litioiis ast and J rxul J^a-an<!<.ii

[>irit
{ il]. cod J*Ii-
j
resident and
n wi-ni so far a- to expl iln-ir
ojiinion tli

tin. Jndians under cnntrd of the jri in

for tin- <T<)\VU was a nn mea
constituted tlic pi-iiK-i;.;.!
source <! iili

tin idit tin- |)i-o\

i and without, slav r tin-

co] ba would soon he rcdiict d to be y.

HM\V th ;c
privation and
times th; ncd with actual ainii Tl: i

collected from th hich h Ibyrightto 1

r
1 his oi n;_
th -titulc l)iit was i uimd utterly in;.

maintenance
for their
1

The m. erioufi accusatinn ! ( i>n-

hut one that on i i

,t he appropriated the est

their wives and children "
d< -tin,
I his family
than one third of the province, and that the B

and territory of the entire di

foi-inei lv divided anioiiiT iiuli-

vi had -, into the hand- of

]
! h!
ail ;rd even laid t hi- charge that he had
B d

so lo dcjamos. TcuUi
|
182 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

polled the settlers to take part in enterprises which

he himself had in fact only been led to sanction by
the clamor of the colonists or the urgency of the
occasion, as was the case in the exploration of the
Desaguadero and the expeditions against the forces
of Doctor Robles. 36
Meanwhile the oidor, Herrera, was sparing no effort
to insure the governor s downfall, and with that pur
pose sent private reports to the emperor and the
council of the Indies. In one of these 37 he recom
mended that no one should be allowed to rule who
possessed Indians, either in his own name or that of
his wife, children, or servants, and that the govern
ment be vested in the hands of a person whose duty
it should be to visit, at
frequent intervals, every set
tlement in the province. He also recommended that
the children of the caciques should be placed in con
vents, there to be trained in the Christian faith, and
that the adult Indians should remain in their towns
88
for the same purpose. In short his object, like that
of Valdivieso, whose cause he never ceased to advocate,
was to place the entire native population under the
absolute control of the ecclesiastics.
In the beginning of the year 1547 the bishop
removed to Leon, and no sooner had he done so than
the cabildo reported to the emperor "the great trouble
they had in defending the royal jurisdiction on account
of the opposition of the bishop, who insulted and
maltreated the officers of justice, and held the laws
89
in It was even thought necessary to
contempt."
send to Spain one Antonio Zdrate to advocate their
30
Y el Fiscal auia puesto acusacion contra Rodrigo de Contreras, porque
siendo gouernador de aquella provincial, salio diuersas vezes de su Gouernacioii
con gente de pie y de cauallo, y fue a la parte de Costa rica, y al desaguadero,
y otras tierras comarcanas, adonde hizo grandes excesses, assi contra Caste-
llanos, como contra Indios. Herrera, dec. vii. lib. vi. cap. vi.
37
Dated at Gracias a Dios, December 24, 1543. Squier s HISS., xxii. 128.
38
Herrera was actuated merely by selfish motives. He desired for himself
the office of ruler, and it was fortunate for the province that he did not obtain
it; for when in 1548 his residencia was taken by the licentiate Cerrato he was
proved to have been the most rapacious of all his colleagues.
39
Report, dated Granada, April 23, 1547. Squler s MSS., xxii. 40.
 Ti 183

whereupon Y-il<li in<-il

of i be In<Ii< me bree \ i
mmuni
lion iii which In- accused him of being
3
a i

criminal, in order t<>

desl roy bis mflu<

J I<

"p
T
am;i, informing him of 7A\ purp>
.m-

mending his arrest. The en mi-d

and mai make ^
(lan^-i-r, ait
it isnot recorded that he i Ail in
mpli
in^ thu ohject of hi- mi ion.
The simpleoo whicli Contreras liad so Ion---
o main-
the machinatio!
dra\vin an cud. In UK- iiiin^ of tli

1
548, the licentiate Alonso Loj>ry,
<!
., fur:

president of the audiencia in E^spanola, and D a}>-

jio
mtcd to tliat o! tlie Conlincs, ai-rivrd a1 (

J)i One of his lirst acts wa^ to fcake ti

of the governor, wliereiipon iindin^ that the i

r of his enconiiendas had

f< n r tin- !>< i
j

;e ot th<- new code, tliou^li bei publication in

the province, lir diM-iaivd them con!
"

treraa at once ivpaii-cd to Spain to seek

for BOme time alter his departure his enemi
ostant dread lest he should ] ahisauthoi .n<l

ret urn to take

vengeance on hi TL
and regidores of Leon, having no\ with
bishop, nrdrivd llieir v to pivpar
tin- s lisl

itiol! drp I

16 of their nnmher liad the com

each iffici -n-in^ that liis si- iiatinv mi-ht
cost him his li d th
J r wa en r
tire family <! the fallen ruler he recalled to Spain,
for of] n- Hernando and Pedro it was e
ihev ha<l commit bed many of hi i =n<l \ in-

law. Alias ( ion/alo, the al;.,

a 1)111)1 inallv
o mhliii"--h()ii> i
. . 1
*i

;
pobliflhed in Xi.-ar.-i
r
ua in
41
This report
ace. int-il tluT.-in of those already mei.
\.\ii. JS-JOO.
184 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

oidor was confirmed by the council of the Indies, and

Roclrigo de Contreras returned no more to Nicaragua. 42
His children, however, still remained in the province,
soon to figure as the leaders of a revolt which threat
ened, for a time, the very existence of Spain s do
minion in the western world.

Although the ecclesiastics were held in little respect

by a majority of the Spaniards, there is sufficient
evidence that they labored faithfully in their calling.
When Fray Toribio de Motolinia came from Guate
mala, in the year 1528, to join certain Flemish friars
then resident in Nicaragua, he founded at Granada
the convent of Concepcion, 43 and having a knowl
o of the native lansfuasfe,
edge o was successful in his
* *

efforts, giving special care to the baptism and conver

sion of children. His stay was of short duration but ;

by others the work of christianizing the natives was

continued with vigor. Gil Gonzalez is said to have
44
baptized thirty-two thousand. Hernandez and Sal-
cedo also baptized large numbers. Pedrarias, inasmuch
as this great work had been accomplished without
his intervention, affected contempt for such summary
methods of conversion, and ordered an investigation to
be made by Francisco de Bobadilla, a friar provincial
of the order of Mercy, and by the public notary Bar-
tolome Perez. Diligent search was made by these
officials, but it was found that the barbarians had either

forgotten or never understood the truths of Christi

anity, and Bobadilla was obliged to perform
this holy

*- He
probably remained in Spain till 1554, as nothing further is recorded
of himuntil that year, when we hear of him as serving in Peru. He finally
appears in the act of swearing allegiance to Philip II. in Lima on the 25th
of
July 1557. Datos Biog., in Cartas de Jndias, 742.
43
This convent was subsequently occupied by Dominicans, as the Flemish
friars abandoned it in 1531, travelling in company with Fray Marcos de Xiza
to Costa Rica, Peru, Tierra Firme, Espanola, and Mexico. Vazquez, Chron.
Gvat., 21-2. Juan de Gandabo, a Franciscan friar, and one of the first that
came to Nicaragua, was still in Granada in 1536, where he labored in company
with Fray Francisco de Aragon. The place and date of his death are unknown.
Notas, Datos, Bioy., in Cartas de Indias, 762.
44
Gonzalez Ddvila, in Teatro Ecles., i, 233.
 T!,i
rbaj
an in t! rovince
duriii t nine <!,, and later,
!

ptember 1
538 and
fifty-two thousand live hundr> ad fiffc;
;

baptized, though ,
l>y
n ild
!< ealled converted."
they
(
)n 11 til of An >.
I leriKindo de Al\.
: 1
1-Yay Juan de 1 adill; da
Solltll Sea of and
;

l>y way ( !< >i!>,i.

.\\lu-rr wc-ll n d. \\ "ln-ii CI d

th ivc-s ado ]])(([ them with r<>s nd hmu^ht
oilrri >f
whatever hey t v,-du<-d m<

l
i\-jy
Lorenzo de ^ 1 nvi-ni<l;i and thii
It-It Yuraiim i or tin; jiroviin-c ot (

rontinnc work c ion th(^ >i in th>-

j-i

many may have fallen victims t<> their pim; d. I

;
ion th(5 sad fate <f the martyr 1

PizaiT AVhile lahorin^ in one of the n. ivm.

di.- a of Nicaragua, he \\ .
d 1>\- dnmL
dnriiiLT tin; <-elehratioii ol
dr;i over the rocks, I till he was almost 1"
I
1:

.
iiid then han-vd; his mu;

rk ly
burning (Town a church which he had
own e.\[M

During the infernal dissensions which have ju

I, hands of hostile India: m-
o]"jiortunity
v.
inually conimi
depredations on the l>ord md .

*
!!

H; in M,-^.

, no e pueden
ai ;0.
<c

named Xuee

a 7\n,
186 ADMINISTRATION OF AFFAIRS IN NICARAGUA.

ing those of the natives who were at peace with

the Spaniards, the cacique Lacandon being especially
troublesome and refusing all overtures of peace. No
progress could be made in forming new settlements
or improving the condition of those already estab
lished. After the explorations conducted by Captain
Machuca, we read of no important enterprise until the
year of the governor s departure. In 1548 the con-
tador Diego de Castaneda organized an expedition for
the conquest of the district of Tegucigalpa. 48 Through
the treachery of the guides, his men were led into
marshy arid difficult ground, where they soon found
themselves surrounded by hordes of savages. Re
pelling their attacks with much difficulty they made
their way to the Desaguadero, and passing down that
channel in barges landed on the shores of Costa Hica,
where they founded the settlement of Nueva Jaen. 4
48
Named Tabizgalpa by Arias Gonzalo Davila, who accompanied the expe
dition.
In this chapter there have been consulted various documents in Pacheco
49

and Cardenas, Col Doc., i. 536, 563; iii. 84-8, 511-13; vii. 110-46; Cartas
de.Indias, 710, 762, 775; Datos Biog., in Cartas de Indias, 36, 742, 857;
Col. Doc. Incd., xxvi. 238; xlix. 21-3; 1. 116; Squier s MSS., xiii. 3, 4;
xxii. 34-149; Oviedo, iii. 176-9; iv. 76-92, 112-15; Herrera, dec. iv. lib. i.
cap. ix.; lib. ix. cap. xv. lib. x. cap. v.; dec. v. lib. vii. cap. ii.; dec. vi.
;

lib. i. cap. viii. ; dec. vii. lib. vi. cap. v. ; dec. viii. lib. i. cap. ix. ; Itcmesal,
JJlst. Chyapa, 105-7, 193-9, 203-6; Andacjoya, Nar., 39; Vega, Hist. Descub.
Am., ii. 244-6; Gonzalez Ddvila, Tcatro Edes., i. 234-5; Coyoltvdo, Hist.
Yucathan, 345; Vazquez, Chron. Gvat., 252; Juarros, Guat., i. 49; MoreHi,
Fasti Novl Orbis, 112; Benzoni, Hist. Hondo Nvovo, 105; Pelaez, Mem. Guat.,
i. 135; Pineda, in Soc. Mex. Geog., iii. 347; Kerr s Col. Voy., v. 175; Levy s
NIC., 67-73; Squier s States Cent. Am., i. 82.