Book II 



Of the Circuit Court of Santa Fe de Bogota, of the New Kingdom 

 of Granada. 



Chapter I 



Of the City of Cartagena and What It Contains ; and When That 

 Country Was Discovered. 



908. The city of Cartagena in the Indies is 1,500 leagues' sail 

 from Spain. The first to see and discover this country was Capt. 

 Rodrigo de Bastidas, in the year 1502 ; in 1504 Luis Guerra and Juan 

 de la Cosa made a beginning of its conquest ; and for a period of 28 

 years this Juan de La Cosa and Alonso de Ojeda were engaged in 

 subjugating the country ; it was then that they employed Americus 

 Vespuccius as pilot. But they, like others who worked so long in 

 this task, accomplished nothing of importance. Finally in the year 

 1532 Commander Don Pedro de Heredia, a native of Madrid, came 

 out as Governor and with great courage and persistence subdued 

 and pacified part of the country, and settled and established this city 

 of Cartagena, after having great battles with the Indians, who were 

 more warlike and courageous in the defense of their country than 

 any others who had been seen or encountered up to that time ; in 

 fact, among them was an Indian girl of not over 18 who before they 

 seized and captured her, had killed eight Spaniards with her bow 

 and arrows, and done other marvelous deeds. 



909. The city is built by the sea, at the water's edge, 2 leagues 

 from the Punta de La Canoa, to its W. It has a flat and sandy 

 location, and is an island ; on the N. it is surrounded by the sea, 

 with a rough and shallow coast ; on the land side there is an arm of 

 the sea, which extends to La Cienega (the swamp), with its lagoon 

 Canapote, which rises and falls the same as the sea. 



910. This city is not only built on a sandbank at 11° N., but has 

 a hot and damp climate. It is the residence of the Governor and the 

 Bishop of those provinces, and is one of the busiest trading ports 

 in the Indies ; they come here from many of the inland provinces of 

 the New Kingdom of Granada, from the whole coast of the Spanish 

 Main, from Nicaragua and other points, with supplies and other 

 merchandise ; and in the harbor, which is the westernmost of the 

 mainland, the silver fleets and galleons take up anchorage. 



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