Alvarado and the inhabitants of this place.

I must now relate that the caziques of Guatimala drew Alvarado's
attention to some townships which lay at no great distance in front of a
lake. The inhabitants of these places were at enmity with Guatimala, and
their stronghold was a rock of great height, which they had further
strengthened by various outworks. Of these townships, Atatlan was the
principal one, and it was very evident the inhabitants bore the
Spaniards very little good will, since, notwithstanding their near
vicinity, they had not thought proper to send them any messengers of
peace. Alvarado, therefore, sent them a most polite invitation to come
and make a friendly alliance with him; but all the answer they returned
was to ill-use the messengers. This invitation Alvarado renewed three
several times, and as they still refused to despatch any ambassadors to
him, he determined to march thither in person, with 140 foot, 40 horse,
and 2000 auxiliaries of Guatimala. When he had approached within a short
distance of the township he again sent a friendly message to the
inhabitants, who replied by a flight of arrows; upon which he advanced
up to the water's edge. At this moment a vast body of Indians fell
suddenly upon him, under the sound of their wild music, the whole of
them accoutred in their full war costume, with lances of uncommon
length. This was a very severe conflict which lasted for some time, and
a good number of the Spaniards were wounded; but the Indians at last
fled precipitately and strove to regain the fortified rock, but Alvarado
followed so close at their heels that he carried the rock before they
could rally themselves, and he would have slaughtered a great number of
them if they had not leaped into the water and made for a small island
on the lake. He then permitted his troops to plunder the houses which
lay on the banks, and encamped on a plain which was covered with maise
plantations. The day following he marched to Atatlan, which he found
quite deserted by its inhabitants; from this place he sent out small
detachments to forage the country, and particularly the
cacao-plantations, which abounded in this neighbourhood. One of these
detachments succeeded in capturing two chiefs of the township, whom
Alvarado despatched with some others that had been taken prisoners on
the previous day, to the caziques, desiring them to come and sue for
peace; if they complied, he would liberate all the prisoners he