372 THE CORONADO EXPEDITION, 1540-1542 [eth.ann.14 



claims under tbe royal license, dating from 1529.' He told of his many- 

 efforts to enlarge the Spanish domain, undertaken at great expense, 

 personal sacrifice and danger, and resulting in the loss of relations 

 and friends. From all of this, as he carefully pointed out, neither 

 His Majesty nor himself had received any proper benefit, though this 

 was not the result of any fault or lack of diligence on his part, as he 

 hastened to explain, but had been caused by the persistent and ill- 

 concealed hostility of the audiencia and the viceroy in New Spain, 

 "concerning all of which His Majesty must have been kept heretofore 

 in ignorance." 



jSTuiio de Guzman presented his case in person, though perhaps this 

 was not so much because it was more effective as because his resources 

 must have been limited and his time little occupied. He was able, 

 indeed, to make out a very good argument, assuming his right to the gov- 

 ernorship of New Galicia, a province which had been greatly enlarged 

 by his conquests. These conquests were toward the north, and he 

 had taken possession of all the land in that direction in behalf of 

 His Catholic Majesty. He would have extended the Spanish territory 

 much farther in the same direction, if only his zealous efforts had not 

 been abruptly cut short by his persecutors, through whose malicious 

 efforts he was even yet nominally under arrest. Nor was this all, for 

 all future expeditious into the new region must go across the territory 

 which was rightfully his, and they could only succeed by the assistance 

 and resources which would be drawn from his country. Thus he was 

 the possessor of the key to all that lay beyond. 



The commission or license which Pedro de Alvarado took with him 

 from Spain the year before these proceedings opened, granted him per- 

 mission to explore toward the west and the north — the latter provision 

 probably inserted as a result of the reports which Cabeza de Vaca 

 brought to Spain. Alvarado had prepared an expedition at great 

 expense, and since the new region lay within his grant, his advocate 

 pleaded, it would evidently pertain to him to conquer it. Moreover, he 

 was in very high favor at court, as is shown by the ease with which he 

 regained his position, in spite of the attack by the Mexican audiencia, 

 and also by the ease with which he obtained the papal permission 

 allowing him to marry the sister of his former wife. But Alvarado 

 figures only slightly in the litigation, and he may have appeared as a 

 party in order to maintain an opposition, rather than with any hope 

 or intention of establishing the justice of his claims. Everything seems 

 to add to the probability of the theory that Mendoza effected an alli- 

 ance with him very early. It is possible that the negotiations may 

 have begun before Alvarado left Spain, although there is no certainty 

 about anything which preceded the written articles of agreement. 

 Some of the contemporary historians appear to have been ignorant 

 even of these. 



1 The Titulo, t'tc, dated 6 Julio, 1529, is in r-acheco y Cardenas, Coleccioii de Docmnentos Iu£ditos de 

 Indias, vol. iv, pp. 572-574. 



