WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES — VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA I29 



unloaded all the merchandise [and wine] brought by the fleets and 

 ships from Spain ; it is an active and wealthy trading center, since 

 it is the landing point of all the merchandise brought from Spain 

 [and] the shipping port for the gold, silver, cochineal, indigo, hides, 

 sugar, and other commodities produced over there. The city is lo- 

 cated [as has been noted] at the water's edge on a sand bank; its 

 climate is hot and damp [and] somewhat unhealthy; when it rains 

 most of the drops [under influence of the climate] turn into [or 

 from them are produced some] tadpoles with tails which [tails] fall 

 off as the tadpoles grow and develop into big toads ; at certain sea- 

 sons they utter such loud sounds that whoever did not know the 

 facts would suppose he was listening to calves bellowing. 



364. The city will contain 400 Spanish residents. The construc- 

 tion is all in wooden planking, but they are already putting up many 

 stone houses. It has an excellent parish church and Dominican, Fran- 

 ciscan, Augustinian, Mercedarian, and Jesuit convents, a hospital 

 for the indigent sick; there are other churches and shrines. It has 

 its pier, which had its beginning and [its] inception under Viceroy 

 Don Antonio de Mendoza; much merchandise is unloaded and ex- 

 ported here. This city is [much] frequented by crowds who come 

 down from New Spain when the fleets arrive, to get employment 

 and load freight ; although it is an expensive place in dull times, it is 

 well provided with all sorts of luxuries brought in from all quarters. 



365. Around the city are many dunes or sand banks, and when 

 furious northers blow, they shift from one point to another. Two 

 royal officials reside here, appointed by His Majesty in consultation 

 with the Royal Council of the Indies. The city has a Corregidor 

 appointed by the Viceroy of New Spain for the satisfactory admin- 

 istration of the city and the dispensing of justice. 



366. Five leagues to the westward [of this city] lies the city of 

 Old Vera Cruz, built on the bank of a large river called by its name. 

 Since it was an unhealthy site and very inconvenient for the dis- 

 charge of the ships' merchandise, much the greater part of its inhabi- 

 tants left for the new city, although over 100 Spaniards [still] re- 

 side there because of its nearness to their ranches, on which they 

 raise cattle, mares, horses, and hogs, and to their sugar mills, their 

 cornfields, sweet potatoes, and other cereals and root crops, and Span- 

 ish and native fruit ; everything grows luxuriantly. It is on the King's 

 Highway for Mexico City, Puebla, and all of New Spain; [these 

 cities belong to the district of the Diocese of Tlaxcala, which is 60 

 leagues inland to the W. ; the 30 leagues]. From the port to the city 

 of Jalapa it is 30 leagues ; this city has a hot climate, and very impor- 



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