Guaxaca, and were commanded by an officer named Figuero,
who, it was said, had likewise previously been a captain in Spain; one
thing is certain, he stood on a most confidential footing with the
governor Estrada. He had a like number of troops under his command as
Barrios, but also men recently arrived from Spain. As soon as he reached
the territory of the Zapotecs, he despatched a messenger to a certain
Alonso Herrera to repair to his camp. This Herrera had been sent with a
detachment of thirty men into these provinces, during the administration
of Marcos de Aguilar.

Figuero had, no doubt, been empowered to take the command over Herrera,
for the latter obeyed his orders and arrived in his camp; but they had
not been long there together before a terrible dispute arose between
them, which ended in their drawing swords, and in Herrera severely
wounding Figuero, besides three soldiers who came up to defend him. As
the latter officer, on account of his wounds was unable to use his arm,
he gave up all idea of marching to the mountains of the Minxes, which
were very difficult of access; besides which, his men had no notion of
the warfare of this country; so that in the end he solely turned his
attention towards discovering the burial places of the caziques, to open
their graves for the sake of the gold ornaments which the inhabitants of
olden times were accustomed to bury with their chiefs. This employment
he prosecuted with so much vigour, and his endeavours proved so
successful, that he collected in this manner above 100,000 pesos worth
of gold, and with this treasure, added to some other valuable matters he
had found in two of the townships, he determined to retire, and he
consequently relinquished the expedition against the Zapotecs and Minxes
altogether. He then returned to Mexico with the intention of spending
his money quietly in Spain; for which purpose he shortly after set sail
from Vera Cruz, but had not been long at sea before he was overtaken by
so terrific a storm that the vessel, he himself, with five other
passengers and all his gold went to the bottom.

Thus terminated all the governor Estrada's warlike undertakings against
these provinces, nor was the rebellion put down until we, the
inhabitants of Guacasualco, marched against them and completely subdued
the country; though it was no very easy matter for us either, and as the
cavalry was of no use among the high mountains there: I was obliged
three several