WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES — VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 135 



mares, horses, mules, and hogs. In short, the region is abundantly 

 supplied with everythyig. 



380. There are in the district of this city and Diocese more than 

 1,200 cities and villages, some of which will be described in the fol- 

 lowing chapter, together with the offices of Corregidor and Alcalde 

 Mayor to which the Viceroy makes appointment in this Diocese. 

 Two hundred of these villages and cities are county seats (cabezas 

 de partidos) and thus have i,ooo villages under their jurisdiction, 

 which will have in them over 250,000 tribute-paying Indians, with 

 36 ecclesiastical districts and curacies containing 40 convents of 

 Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustinians, who are occupied in 

 catechizing the Indians and in administering the Holy Sacraments. 



Chapter IX 



Of the City of Tlaxcala and Other Cities, and of the Quantities 

 of Fine Cochineal Collected in the District, and of the Judicial Posts 

 Filled by the Viceroy in the District of This Diocese. 



381. The city of Tlaxcala is so renowned and celebrated in that 

 kingdom because of the courage with which its inhabitants, the 

 valiant Tlaxcaltecas, defended and maintained themselves for long 

 periods against the Mexican (Aztec) kings; and since they took 

 the side of God as coworkers and friends of the Spaniards for the 

 subjugation of those realms, and for the introduction and preach- 

 ing of His Holy Gospel — for all this and for the important aid they 

 furnished the Marques del Valle, Don Fernando Cortes, His Majesty 

 graciously created them gentlemen and hidalgos, and they possess 

 other privileges. The city of Tlaxcala (from which the Diocese takes 

 its name, and where the Cathedral stood for some years) lies 5 leagues 

 N. of Puebla de Los Angeles. The city has a large population, of 

 over 6,000 Indian residents and over 500 Spaniards ; it has woolen 

 mills and many cattle ranches in its district. It takes in quantities of 

 fine cochineal, as do the other cities and villages in its jurisdiction ; and 

 if the Indians paid tithes in it, as the Bishop proposes and has taken 

 legal steps to authorize, the Diocese will have an annual income equal 

 to that of the Archdiocese of Toledo. 



382. The cochineal grown in this country is of the finest quality. 

 It is produced on the tuna, which bears fruit of many varieties ; it is 

 called nopal (Indian fig) ; the tree or plant, tuna (prickly pear). 

 The leaves resemble pelota rackets and are of that size, and covered 

 with thorns ; one leaf keeps growing out of another, and thus the 

 whole tuna plant is formed. On these leaves grow the tunas, which 



