WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 735 



vineyards, tending them and carrying out the vintage. All that is 

 harvested pays the tithe and then the Administrador takes a quarter 

 for himself and another quarter for the curate. The rest, i.e., the 

 other quarters, belongs to the communal organization of the Indians, 

 for their necessities and their infirmities ; but the Administradores 

 are lords of all and do what they please, for no accounting is asked 

 of them, and so they postpone it till when they will have to render 

 it to God. May His Divine Majesty give due recompense, for the 

 benefit of the poor Indians ! This is a universal evil in all the Indies. 



1942. Besides these burdens just mentioned, the poor Indians have 

 other burdens in addition, in the Protectors whom the Viceroys, 

 Presidents, or Governors apix)int to defend the interests of the In- 

 dians ; they check on the Administradores and collect the taxes (censos) 

 and the community income, and in this way they have exhausted 

 and are exhausting the community property, both because they give 

 no proper security and because they have more consideration for 

 their private profit and interests than for those of the poor Indians. 



With their ofifice they receive authority and power over all the 

 property, to make and unmake ; they can sell the livestock and what- 

 ever else belongs to the community, arbitrarily and with slight 

 reckoning to make. In Honduras they give them Farm Inspectors 

 (Juezes de Milpas) to make them plant their crops; in New Spain, 

 Repartidores (Assessors) ; in Peru, Mill Inspectors and Inspectors 

 of Community Property (Administradores de Obrages y de Bienes 

 de Comunidades). All this I saw and considered when I was in those 

 Kingdoms ; but because I have made a long digression and much 

 more ought to be said about it, I shall leave it and take up the 

 Diocese of La Concepcion. 



Chapter VI 



Of the City of La Concepcion, and Other Matters in Its District. 



1943. The city of La Concepcion is 70 leagues S. of Santiago, 

 at 37° S. It was founded by Gov. Pedro de Valdivia in the year 

 1545, at the water's edge; its port is Talcahuano. It was abandoned 

 later, at the time of the revolt of the Araucanian Indians and the 

 death of Gov. Pedro de Valdivia, in the year 1553, and suffered a 

 thousand misfortunes ; it was burned and sacked and most of its 

 residents killed by arrogant Captain Lautaro and his savages ; but 

 they went back and rebuilt it, and at present it is His Majesty's 

 army post and the usual residence of the Governors of that Kingdom, 

 since Indian warfare is the most important part of their duties and 

 this is convenient for that. 



