to them to be a
little more on their guard, on account of the infamous and horrible
deeds of which they had heard, they put to the sword large and small
children and old people, subjects and lords, without sparing any
one.
13. It is said that the chief tyrant had the faces of many Indians cut,
so that they were shorn of nostrils and lips, down to the beard; and
in particular of a group of two hundred whom he either summoned or
who came voluntarily from a certain town. Thus he despatched these
mutilated, suffering creatures dripping with blood to carry the news
of the deeds and miracles done by those baptised Christians,
preachers of the Holy Catholic faith.
14. It may be judged in what state those people must be, how they must
love the Christians, and how they will believe that their God is
good and just, and that the law and religion they profess and
praise, is immaculate.
15. Most great and outlandish are the evils done here by those unhappy
men, sons of perdition. And thus the wickedest of captains died
miserably and without confession; and we doubt not that he is buried
in hell, unless by chance, God out of His divine mercy has
mysteriously succoured him despite his guiltiness for such execrable
wickedness.

Rio della Plata

Three or four times since the year 1522 some captains have visited
Rio della Plata, (102) where there are large kingdoms and provinces,
and very friendly and intelligent people.
2. We know, in general, that they have committed many homicides and
much injury. In particular, as it is so distant from the Indies, we
have nothing signal to tell.
3. We have no doubt at all, however, but that they have and do carry on
the same practices as in other places; because they are the same
Spaniards, and some among them have visited other regions, and
because they go to get wealth and power just like the others; it is
impossible for this to come about, except by destruction, massacres,
robbery, and the extermination of the Indians by the adoption of the
perverse rule and system they have all alike followed.
4. After writing the above, we have learned, with ample proof, that
they have destroyed and depopulated great provinces and kingdoms of
that country, murdering, and