WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 255 



quite without reason ; he alleged that Hernandez planned to rebel, 

 for he suspected that he was favorable to Don Fernando Cortes, 

 Marques del Valle. 



734. This city was originally very wealthy and notable for the 

 numbers of distinguished citizens ; it contained over 500 Spanish 

 residents. Gov. Pedro Arias married off his daughter, Doiia Maria 

 de Peilalosa, to Rodrigo de Contreras, a nobleman native of Segovia, 

 and at his death he left his son-in-law Governor, who already had 

 two sons, Hernando de Contreras and Pedro de Contreras. At first 

 he governed in a reasonable and Christian manner; but later he 

 changed methods and inflicted much injustice on the citizens, de- 

 priving them of their revenues and estates (encomiendas) and trans- 

 ferring them to his own account and his sons'. The citizens brought 

 their protests to the new Circuit Court which had been established 

 in Guatemala City, after originally sitting in Gracias a Dios. The 

 Court suspended him because of his misdeeds and delinquencies, 

 removed him from his post of Governor, and deprived him of the 

 properties, which he had appropriated in contravention of the new 

 regulations. So he was forced to go to Spain to plead his cause 

 before the Supreme Council of the Indies ; they approved and con- 

 firmed the verdict of the Circuit Court, and thus he was divested 

 and deprived of the governmental post and the properties. 



735. When the sons of this Rodrigo de Contreras got news of 

 their father's failure in his suit, they suspected likewise that the 

 Bishop of those provinces. Fray Don Antonio de Valdivieso, had done 

 them a bad turn in writing against their father ; others say however 

 that the hatred and enmity which Hernando de Contreras felt for 

 the Bishop, arose because the Bishop had reproved him for certain 

 immoralities. At this time many of Gonzalo Pizarro's soldiers had 

 come there, some deserters and others exiled. Among these was a 

 certain Juan Bermejo, of a boisterous and insubordinate character. 

 When he had received word of these matters and of the resentment 

 felt by the Contreras, he persuaded and incited them to kill the 

 Bishop and start a general rebellion, since His Majesty had rewarded 

 them so ill in penalizing them and depriving them of the Indians 

 whom their grandfather Pedro Arias de Avila had acquired ; with 

 these and other such considerations presented to him, he incited him 

 and puffed him up, telling him to name himself Prince of that country, 

 since it belonged to him. 



736. In this way he brought many over to his side, without giving 

 any indication of his purpose to those who were less disaffected ; 

 and to inaugurate his dreadful project, they went over to the Bishop's 



