NO. I HONDURAS — STRONG, KIDDER, AND PAUL 23 



sent to claim the lands to the north for Pedrarias. They were well 

 equipped with arms and horses and had handsome Nicaraguan Indian 

 women with them. Sandoval sent them under guard to Cortez at 

 Trujillo. Bernal Diaz, who was with this overland party, describes 

 the difficulties and the Indian fights they encountered. Unless one 

 has actually traveled through these mountainous, tropical countries, 

 it is impossible to appreciate how truly amazing such early Spanish 

 journeys were. Even today an overland trip from Naco into Nicara- 

 gua would be an expedition not to be undertaken lightly. Yet in the 

 time of Cortez, Spanish adventurers seem to have already traversed 

 the Central American cordilleras from end to end. Cortez returned 

 Garro to Nicaragua with messages of good will and mining supplies. 

 For some time Cortez toyed with the idea of adding Olancho and 

 Nicaragua to his conquests and even went so far as to start a road 

 from Trujillo to Nicaragua! However, a mission from Mexico 

 arrived with bad news, and the road is still unbuilt. 



Hearing that his holdings in Mexico had been seized by enemies, 

 Cortez determined to return at once. Before departing he ordered 

 Luis Marin with a number of discontented colonists from Trujillo 

 to proceed to Naco where there was abundant good land. Saavedra, 

 who was then campaigning in Olancho, was to remain as Governor 

 of Honduras. After a hard trip Marin arrived at Naco, and the next 

 day, in company with Sandoval, set out on the overland trip through 

 hostile Guatemala to Mexico. Meanwhile Cortez, who, strange to say, 

 appears to have been a very bad and timorous sailor, had been driven 

 back by storms. Messengers were sent to Sandoval ordering him 

 to stop and settle. This was a great blow to the overland party, for 

 they desired above all else to return to Mexico. Sandoval hurried to 

 Trujillo to plead with Cortez, that he set sail and let the overland 

 party proceed. Under Marin the latter went " to some pueblos 

 called Maniani and thence to another pueblo named Acalteca, where 

 at that time there were many houses." ^ 



Despite Sandoval's plea, Cortez still refused to sail. Sandoval was 

 dispatched to Olancho where he drove out Rojas, a lieutenant of 

 Pedrarias. On Sandoval's return, Cortez sent orders to Marin to 

 proceed, and he ordered Godoy, who was forming a settlement at 

 Puerto Caballos, to go to Naco with all his people. Finally, in 1526, 

 Cortez set out for Cuba and, eventually, Mexico. 



Finally, Pedro de Alvarado, having received orders from Cortez to 

 proceed from Guatemala to Honduras, began his march. Marin, 



^' Bernal Diaz, 1916, vol. 5, p. 86. 



