ry, he appointed alcalde-mayor of Mexico, and the entire
management of his own private property he gave to his relative Rodrigo
de Paz.

After he had thus made every provision for the government and security
of Mexico, he particularly desired the crown officers, to whom he had
intrusted the chief government, the Franciscan friar Toribio Motolinia,
and the excellent father Olmedo, who was held in the highest estimation
in Mexico, and had deservedly the greatest influence on all classes of
people, to act in harmony to assist each other in the conversion of the
Indians and to maintain peace and good order throughout the provinces,
as well as in the city itself. In order, however, to deprive the
discontented of the Indian population in the city and in the provinces
of all possibility of choosing any leader of distinction, should they
take it into their heads to rise up in arms during his absence, he took
along with him Quauhtemoctzin, besides the king of Tlacupa, and several
others of the most distinguished caziques of the country, among whom the
chief of Tapiezuela held the first rank, and even despatched a message
to the caziques of Mechoacan, desiring them also to join his army.

As Geronimo de Aguilar had died some time previously, he only took Dona
Marina with him as interpretess. The suite of principal officers and
cavaliers who accompanied him in this expedition was very brilliant; of
which I shall only mention Sandoval, Luis Marin, Francisco Marmolejo,
Gonzalo Rodriguez de Ocampo, Pedro de Ircio, the brothers Avalos and
Saavedra, Palacios Rubios, Pedro de Sauzedo, Geronimo Ruiz de la Mota,
Alonso de Grado, Sante Cruz Burgales, Pedro de Solis, Juan Xaramillo,
Alonso Valiente, Navarrete, and Serna; further, Diego de Mazariegos,
cousin to the treasurer Gil Gonsalez de Benavides, Herman Lopez de
Avila, Gaspar Garnica, and several others, whose names I have forgotten.
The priests who joined this army were, father Juan de las Varillas, of
Salamanca, and two Flemish monks, who were profound theologians, and
preached a good deal. Besides these, there was another priest, whose
name has slipped my memory. Of the officers of his household, Cortes
selected his major-domo Carranza, his chief waiters Juan de Jasso and
Rodrigo Maneco, his butler Cervan Bejarano, and two stewards of the
kitchen department, San Miguel and Guinea.

As Cortes took with him a great quantity of gold and silver utensils
and ornaments, he gave the immed