1 Page 1. Yucatán: The earliest Spanish discoverers (Gomara recounts) enquired the name of the land, upon which the natives answered them (not knowing the language) “Yucatán” (i.e., “I do not understand”).
2 Page 3. The office of alcalde (from the Arabic al-cadi, the judge) corresponded in many ways to that of an English mayor. He was president of the municipal council, and was responsible for the carrying out of its decisions. The good order, cleanliness and health of the district were his concern. To this end the local police and all other municipal officers were under his supervision. The alcalde also acted as a magistrate,—the local justice of the peace,—and within his jurisdiction had power of life or death.
3 Page 14. The peso, as its name implies, was originally a measure of weight. The peso de oro, or castellano, was one-hundredth part of a pound of gold. The peso of silver, however, seems to have been equivalent to an ounce, silver being weighed in marcos and onzas or pesos: 8 onzas or pesos equalled one mark.
The value of the peso or castellano is almost impossible to ascertain. Prescott has given it as $11.67; Folsom, as $2.75. It will be appreciated that such conjectures in terms of modern currency are valueless.
4 Page 17. The regidores (or corregidores, the second is now the term habitually used in Spain) were municipal officials, having various duties. One of the most important was the collection of taxes. They could also, if need be, act as magistrates.
5 Page 22. Potuyuca was a special form of maize, ground up, moistened and then roasted.
6 Page 29. This first treasure-ship arrived safely in Spain. The articles were received by the Indies House (the Casa de Contratacion) in Seville and forwarded to the Emperor, whereupon they were handed over to the charge of Luis Veret (guarda-joyas de Sus Majestades).
The treasure included the following:
Firstly: a large wheel of solid gold with a monster’s face upon it, worked all over with ornament in bas relief and weighing 3,800 pesos of gold.
Item: two collars of gold and precious stones. One of them is eight rows thick with 232 red stones in the eight rings, and 163 green, and from the outer edge hang 27 golden bells, in the midst of which are four faces cut from huge gems set in gold.
Item: a pair of leather slippers in colour much like the skin of pine-martens, the soles white and sewn with threads of gold.
Item: in another square box a huge head of an alligator in gold. … Also two large eyes of beaten metal and blue stones to put in the head of the alligator.
Item: eighteen shields ornamented with precious stones with coloured feathers hanging from them.
Also: two books such as the Indians use.
Also: half a dozen fans in feathers of various colours for keeping off flies.
In addition: a huge silver wheel; also bracelets and beaten silver ornaments.
7 Page 37. Castellano. See note 3 on peso.
8 Page 42. “there were but few …” Cortés has just said that the Indians numbered from four to five thousand. Here, as elsewhere, he uses numbers rather indiscriminately. It seems probable that in skirmishes with his enemies he habitually overestimated their forces,—at any rate in his reports of the engagements.
9 Page 47. Pedro Carbonero (Peter the charcoal burner): a personage belonging to popular speech and proverb, as one who was always getting into awkward situations. I have not been able to find any refrán still in use in which Pedro Carbonero appears. Pierre Charbonnier, a similar character, was also known in France at this period.
10 Page 53. De monte … sale quien el monte quema (i.e., Out of the wood comes he who shall burn it up): which warns one (says our Spanish lexicographer) that the bad luck we meet with often proceeds from causes very near at home.
11 Page 57. “a native Indian girl …” So Cortés briefly dismisses her. She had been handed over to him as a slave in Tabasco on his first arrival in Yucatán. But she was of altogether superior birth and intelligence. Her parents had died early, and she had been sold into captivity. Cortés was not slow to mark her powers. She accompanied him as an interpreter in all his travels, and bore him several children. Her Indian name had been Malinal; as a Christian she was baptized Marina. This was corrupted to Malinche, and it was as Captain Malinche that the natives were wont to salute Cortés.
12 Page 60. Panicap: probably a drink made from maize, water and sugar. The reading “pan y cacao” (i.e., bread and the cocoanut) has been suggested: unnecessarily, I think.
13 Page 61. This was Popocatepetl. The name means in Mexican smoking mountain, and it is about 16,000 feet high. Close to it stands Ixtaccihuatl—white woman; the two mountains were venerated as man and wife.
14 Page 86. “seventy leagues in circumference.” Cortés’s estimation of distances is naturally somewhat rough and ready. The Spanish “legua” may be taken for practical purposes to be rather more than 3 English miles and less than 4.
15 Page 88. Maguey is the Mexican aloe. Its juice is extracted to make the fermented liquor known as pulgue.
16 Page 154. Alguacilmayor might well be translated into English High Constable. But there is a danger in using official terms which can never be exact equivalents, and so the Spanish has been retained (similarly, alcalde, regidor, and so on). The alguacil (from Arabic al-uazir, the lieutenant) was also the actual officer of the law, the constable or sheriff, as opposed to the alcalde, the judge.
17 Page 180. Don Fernando (such was his Christian name) was one of several brothers who had wielded supreme power in Tezcuco, not always without fraternal strife. Guanacacín, the last ruler, had fled to the capital; and Cortés took the opportunity of installing a governor, who, though young, had given evidence of warlike qualities and was known to be friendly to the Spaniards.
18 Page 232. Father Pedro de Urrea (Cortés adds) was a comisario de la cruzada, a crusade commissioner. He was empowered by the Pope to issue “Crusade” indulgences to those engaged in converting the infidel.
19 Page 233. “the procurators …” The word is used in its most ressricted sense—that of “attorneys,” or “representatives.” Cortés habitually uses the word “procurador” for any man charged with doing business “on behalf” of others. Thus the local councillor in Cuba chosen to visit the Governor and render an account of the municipality is a procurador. So also are Montejo and Portocarrero, sent by Cortés himself from New Spain to bear letters to the Emperor.
20 Page 245. The Bishop of Burgos had been made President of the Royal Council of the Indies. He was touchy and vindictive, and had been bitterly hostile to the Columbuses, father and son. He died on March 14th, 1524.
21 Page 245. “a hundred letters ….” The recipients’ names were even left blank (Cortés adds) in order that Juan Bono might exercise his own discretion after arriving in New Spain.
22 Page 278. The treasure-ship was indeed captured by a French corsair just off the Azores. It carried many marvels, gold and silver work, clothes and skins, also three tigers. One of the tigers escaped on board ship, killed two persons, and finished by plunging into the sea. Juan de Ribera, Cortés’s secretary, was on board, charged with carrying 4,000 ducats to his parents.
23 Page 287. Veedor, factor, contador, and tesorero (treasurer).
The veedor was an overseer, or inspector. He was an imperial official appointed either to a town or district to see that laws were carried out, particularly in regard to the farming and agricultural industries.
The factor was also an imperial official, whose special duty was to see that the revenue due to the Crown was properly paid over; often he would have to estimate the value of treasure in terms of Castilian currency.
The contador exercised a general supervision over all goods, bullion, treasure, etc., either entering or leaving New Spain. He would therefore normally be stationed at the capital or one of the great ports on the northern coast.
The tesorero (as his name implies) was the official responsible to the Emperor for the receipt of all monies due to him. The business of collecting such monies was, of course, shared with the local veedors and factors.
24 Page 293. Yucas: a Central American plant growing some nine feet high and commonly known as Adam’s Needle. It has thick, fleshy leaves at the top, white globular flowers, and a large root from which the natives make a kind of flour.
25 Page 344. “and set sail …” Cortés added “on the——day of the month of——,” but omitted to insert either the date or the month. Presumably it was early in 1526.
26 Page 345. Tierra-firme. This comprised the Isthmus of Panama and the neighbouring states of Veragia, Darien and Biruguete. I have elsewhere translated it (where no particular emphasis is intended) as “the mainland.”
Las Perlas … The Pearl Islands are in the Gulf of Panama.
27 Page 353. Pedro Moreno, Bachelor. One can only assume that his title of “bachiller” had been gained when he was a youth at some University in Spain; but whether in arts, law or what, must be left to conjecture.
28 Page 354. “The Island of San Juan …” This is the modern Porto Rico.
29 Page 362. Bernal Diaz del Castillo was a member of this party, and the route they took is shown in map facing p. 300.
30 Page 365. The Guanajos: lit. “the turkeys.” They are now known as the Bay Islands.
31 Page 372. Residencia. The public examination of a local Governor was known by this term, and was so proclaimed that all who had any plaint against him might present it before the imperial officials. The residencia included not only an examination into the acts of government of the individual concerned, but a very full inspection of accounts, particularly as they affected the Emperor’s revenue.
32 Page 375. “in debt to the tune of over 500,000 pesos of gold without so much as a castellano with which to pay it.” There seems to be a distinction drawn between the peso and the castellano, but it is, I think, only an apparent one (i.e., the meaning is, “He does not possess a single peso out of the 500,000”).
There can be little doubt that the terms, when applied to gold, were interchangeable.