Petitions for Jobs And Money
A huge amount of information on individual Spanish settlers in the New world is
available. Much comes from petitions - Probanzas de Servicios y Writos -for jobs sent to
the king and Council of the Indies. As well as such petitions hundred of autobiographies
by church men of the period survive - e.g. at least 355 from 1607 to 1809 in the
archdiocesan archive. All this makes possible a social history of Spanish settlement.
True Reports Concerning Persons Who Took Part in the Conquest of New Spain and the City of
Mexico, Who Went Thither with the Marquis del Valle
JUAN XARAMILLO, DECEASED
He says that he is a resident of this city and a native of Villanueva de
Balcarrota, son of Alonzo Xaramillo and Mencia de Matos. His father served his Majesty in
the conquests of Tierra Firme and La Española; he himself went to New Spain with the
Marqués del Valle [Cortés], and was present at the taking of this city. He also took
part in the conquests of New Spain and its provinces, as he declares, and in those of the
Rio de Grijalva, Oaxaca, Pánuco, and Honduras. In remuneration of his services he was
given in encomienda the town of Xilotepec. He is in debt and ruined; is married,
has his home established, his arms, many horses, and a family. . . .
JUAN ALEMÁN
He is a resident of Los Angeles, native of the city of Hozenploce in Germany,
legitimate son of Hans Gelique and Margarita Bergrier. He was once a prisoner of the king
of France, and was later in the war of Venezuela and Santa Marta. Later, he went to
Florida in search of the men whom Pánfilo de Narváez took thither. He names the captains
with whom he says he served, and states that he came to this New Spain seventeen years
ago. He is married to the former wife of Francisco de Quevedo, a conqueror of New Spain
and of this city who held in encomienda the town of Xilotepec now held by
Xaramillo. This encomienda the Marqu6s took from Quevedo for no reason whatsoever,
but he holds a c6dula from his Majesty ordering your illustrious lordship to appoint him
to a corregimiento, which your lordship has done.
GOVERNOR FRANCISCO VASQUEZ DE CORONADO
He says that he is a native of the city of Salamanca, legitimate son of Juan
Vásquez de Coronado and Doha Ysabel de Luxdn his wife; he is a famous knight, who came to
these parts with your lordship in 1535, and has served his Majesty under your lordship's
orders as visitor of the silver mines, and in the position of governor and captain-general
of Nueva Galicia. He gave adequate account of the fidelity with which he discharged his
duties as appears in his residencia. He served as captain-general of the army which
your lordship sent at his Majesty's command for the discovery of the new land. On this
expedition he expended more than fifty thousand ducats, and underwent numerous and
intolerable labors, as is well known, enduring great risks, hardships, and shedding of
blood. He observed absolutely the instructions which his Majesty gives to those who hold
similar positions, committing no abuse, as appears from the reports which he has given of
the matter. He has been married twelve years to Dofia Beatriz de Estrada, daughter of the
treasurer Alonzo de Estrada, and has numerous sons and daughters. He asks, in recognition
of his great services to his Majesty, the dignity of his employments, and his personal
qualifications, as well as of the fact that he cannot subsist with the Indians which he
has, that he be granted some remuneration and an increase in his repartimiento. He
presents an order and command herewith enclosed.
Single Men and Widowers With Wives in Spain
HERNANDO DE ALVARADO
He says that he is a native of La Montaña, legitimate son of Juan Sánchez de
Alvarado and Doña Mencia de Salazar. His father possesses the principal house and is at
the head of those of his family name. He came to this New Spain with the Marqués del
Valle nineteen years ago, and has spent those years in the service of his Majesty in the
first discovery of the South Sea, on the expedition which the said Marqu6s made, and on
the expedition to Cibola. By command of the general he made explorations and conquests
more than two hundred leagues beyond [Cibola]; on this expedition he discovered the cows
[buffaloes]. On all of these expeditions he served as captain at his own expense with many
horses and servants, receiving no salary from his Majesty nor from any other person, and
he has not been remunerated; hence he lives in necessity.
JUAN DE CEPEDA
He says that he is a native of the city of Toledo, and a legitimate son of Pedro de
Cepeda and Catalina Álvarez. At the time of the discovery of Peru, he and one of his
brothers sold a certain farm which they held as their patrimony, and went to Tierra Firme.
In Nombre de Dios there were a number of negroes in insurrection. They took part in the
pacification of these negroes, his brother being killed by them. He served his Majesty in
Cartagena and Santa Marta in a number of expeditions. Ten years or so ago he came to New
Spain, and went on the fleet of the Cíbola expedition as far as Culiacán, where he fell
ill. Thence he returned with some despatches for your illustrious lordship which had been
sent from Cibola. On this journey he killed two horses. He has no office, but has always
maintained himself equipped with his own arms and horses. He is ready to marry, though he
has not done so because he has nothing on which to subsist; he is in debt. . . .
Evidence of the Merits and Services of Juan de Cispedes in the Exploration and
Conquest of the New Land of Cibola, Where He Went with Governor Francisco Vdsquez
Coronado, and in the Uprising in New Spain. Mexico, January 19, 1568
I. Sacred Catholic Royal Majesty. Captain Juan de Céspedes affirms that he has
served your Majesty in New Spain more than thirty years, since the time when Don Antonio
de Mendoza and Don Luís de Velasco were governors of it, and afterwards the royal
Audiencia, afterwards the Marqués de Falces, afterwards the licentiate Alonzo Muñoz, and
Doctor Luís Carillo of your royal Council, and Don Martin Enriquez, who governs for your
Majesty at present, up to this year of '75; and that he has served on all occasions that
have presented themselves in that land, even in the affair of the uprising and rebellion
which occurred in it. In all that time he has served your Majesty as your captain and by
governing as your corregidor and alcalde mayor in the best and most
important provinces in the kingdom, in Spanish cities as well as in native, winning for
himself the confidence that was required. All of which appears more at length in the
reports and proofs which he has made and presented in your royal Audiencia of New Spain
and in your royal Council of the Indies, with the titles which he has of having been your
captain and having practised in your name the said duties and offices. And your royal
Council of the Indies has ordered it placed in the memorial. His services and merits have
been and are very well known. . . . December 7, 1575.
PETITION OF DOCTOR FRANCISCO DE SANDES. [1589?]
My lord: Doctor Francisco de Sandes says that, having passed with entire
approbation his studies in the colegio, the university, and the legal course, he
went to Mexico more than twenty-two years ago as fiscal of the Audiencia of that city in
company with the licentiates Jaraba, Muñoz, and Carrillo, and was engaged upon the
business of their commission. Being promoted to the office of alcalde del crimen of
the same Audiencia, he discharged the duties appertaining thereto for only two years but
in a highly satisfactory manner. Among numerous important services which he rendered to
your Majesty was his discovery of a man who was defrauding the royal fifths of silver by
means of a false coining stamp. Sandes executed justice upon him, confiscating half of his
possessions, these being one hundred thousand ducats.
Sandes was then promoted to be oidor of the same Audiencia, in which position he
earned a good reputation, as the royal Council of the Indies will report. Then, after
having served successfully in the war with the Chichimecas, which was intrusted to him, he
was appointed governor and captain-general of the Philippine Islands. There he governed so
wisely, that, finding the islands robbed and sacked and burned by the corsairs, the
inhabitants living in fear of the Moros, especially of the Moro king of Borneo and the
revolted Indians who refused to pay tribute or attend Christian instruction, and finding
the Spaniards thereby impoverished, he restored the lost reputation of the government.
Using galleys and artillery which he manufactured, he vanquished the king of Borneo in a
naval battle in which the latter attacked him with fifty galleys well armed with
artillery. Sandes put him to flight, and, seizing his galleys, took twenty-seven of them
and four hundred pieces of artillery to Manila as booty. All these spoils he turned over,
with other booty, to your Majesty's treasury officers, without taking for himself anything
of that which the laws allow to captains-general. He claimed nothing for himself save the
exaltation of the name of your Majesty which he achieved by punishing the boldness of the
Moros, and their king, who were trying to disturb the peace of those islands which had
cost so much of the blood and treasure of your Majesty's vassals. Sailing where no captain
of your Majesty had ever been, he reached the most remote parts of the land, always
gaining victories for the standards of your Majesty, so that in his time there were no
corsairs, as there had been before and frequently after. He increased the possessions of
the king, took much artillery, all of bronze, as well as ships, and gained great
reputation among all those nations, especially in the execution of justice, toward those
conquered and toward strangers, acting as the mirror of your Majesty so that he caused
them to marvel that a conqueror should not rob nor profane the natural rights of the
conquered.
Although he expects, for such distinguished services, to receive from your Majesty's
grandeur and justice the reward usually given to the servants who thus serve you, he now
beseeches Your Majesty, since the visitation of Mexico and the residencia of the
Philippines have been reviewed by the Council of the Indies, and since as a result of the residencia he has been fined six thousand ducats for the costs of justice and transportation of
friars, and in the visitation five hundred ducats - he alone of all his companions not
having been suspended, [which is] proof of the fidelity and uprightness with which he
discharged his duties - to be so gracious as to remit to him the said fine or such part of
it as you will, so that by this indication he may begin to understand that his services
have been acceptable. For, granting that the Council has justly fined him the amount
specified notwithstanding he had hoped that, in recognition of his continuous intention to
do right, his actions would have been differently estimated, he has necessities caused by
such wide wanderings, so much trouble and delay of suits which have kept him residing in
this court for two years past, and for three years without salary from your Majesty,
whereby his expense has been great. He therefore applies to your Majesty, whose sentiment
of clemency is the only refuge of your servants who desire to be better able to continue
to serve you, as this suppliant desires, beseeching that your Majesty be pleased to
command your Council to do as he has petitioned. And since he has come back safe from so
many hazards of sea and war with the honor which your Majesty conferred upon him, he
beseeches humbly that you will so assist him that he shall not, after twenty-two years of
good fortune, be penalized nor left unrewarded for [at least] some of the merits referred
to in the memorial herewith enclosed and now cited only in general so as not to make this
petition too prolix, which it would be if they were specified. . . .
DIEGO DIAZ DE CASTILLO
ROYAL CÉDULA. The King. To my viceroy of New Spain, and to you, the president and oidores of our royal Audiencia which resides in the City of Mexico: Diego Diaz del Castillo
has presented me an account of how Bernal Diaz del Castillo, his father, was one of the
first explorers and conquerors of that City of Mexico and of New Spain, for he went with
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Juan de Grijalva the first explorers, and later
returned with the Marqués del Valle, Don Fernando Cortés, where he has, with his person,
arms, and horses, served us with distinction, with great labor and risk to his person and
life, all at his own cost and maintenance, as a loyal vassal and servant of ours, until
the said city and all the rest of the said New Spain was placed under our dominion and
royal crown. Afterwards, he went to conquer and pacify the provinces of Guazacualco,
Yucatán, Tabasco, Honduras, and many other parts of our Indies, where he has also served
us very well, as was most clearly made manifest to us by certain reports and other
documents both from him and from his father, which he presented to our Council of the
Indies. In consideration of these, and of the fact that he was the son of such a
conqueror, poor, and in need, our former viceroy of that land, Don Luis de Velasco,
commanded that he be given in our name a gratuity of one hundred and fifty dollars in
common gold, to be paid for a year from the proceeds of removals and vacancies. He having
only this quantity, which was small, and no other goods nor estate whereby he might
sustain himself in accord with his qualities of person, it has occurred to us in our
Council of the Indies to obtain information and report the superior qualities of his
service in order that we might in recompense therefore command that they should be
approved and he be given a living in that land. The above-mentioned reports and other
documents presented by him having been seen by the members of our Council, and we having
been convinced of the truth of the foregoing, we have thought well to command that the
said one hundred and fifty pesos in common gold which were given to him by our viceroy for
the time stated shall be given and paid to him during all the days of his life, and in
addition another one hundred and fifty pesos gold or a total of three hundred pesos gold,
to be paid from the said proceeds of removals and vacancies. . . . [But he wanted even
more!]
Now therefore, in view of the fact that the said Bernal Diaz del Castillo, his father,
has served us both in this said New Spain and in other parts of our Indies, and that the
said Diego Diaz del Castillo, his son, desires to live and remain in New Spain, he being a
relative of servants of ours, I am pleased to command that he be favored and given a
grant, wherefore and to which end I order and command you to take notice of the said
paragraph and law herein incorporated above, and in conformity with it to keep it and
fulfill it in all and through all according to that which it contains and declares with
respect to the said Diego Diaz del Castillo. And in keeping it and complying with it,
notwithstanding the allowance of the three hundred pesos of common gold which has been
granted to him by us for assistance to his support, it is our determined will that you
appoint and prefer him, as a son of a conqueror, to one of the corregimientos and
positions made mention of above in the said provinces of Tlascala, Tepeaca, Chalco,
Cholula, Jilotepeque, or to any other position which may be very good, honorable, and
profitable. This we command you to do and fulfill without opposing to the order or any
part of it any impediment, excuse, or delay whatever; for, as has been said, it is our
desire that he be so appointed, for by appointing him to offices and other positions in
our service he may serve us and be honored and benefited. And in other appointments in
that land you will bear this order in mind and appoint like persons to them. If you do so,
I shall consider myself well served by you.
Dated at Madrid, April 1, 1565.
I THE KING.
