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



Onate learned of this, lie sent an urgent request for help, telling of the 

 serious straits in which he had been placed. The security of the prov- 

 ince was essential to the successful prosecution of the plans of the 

 new alliance. Alvarado immediately sent reinforcements to the differ- 

 ent garrisons, and at the head of his main force hastened to Guadala- 

 jara, where he arrived June 12, 1541. Onate had received reports from 

 the native allies and the Spanish outposts, who were best acquainted 

 with the situation and plans of the hostile Indians, which led him to 

 urge Alvarado to delay the attack until he could be certain of success. 

 An additional force had been promised from Mexico, but Alvarado felt 

 that the glory and the booty would both be greater if secured unaided. 

 Scorning the advice of those who had been beaten by savages, he 

 hastened to chastise the rebels. The campaign was a short one. On 

 June i'l Alvarado reached the fortified height of Nochistlan, where he 

 encountered such a deluge of men and of missiles that he was not able 

 to maintain his ground, nor even to prevent the precipitate retreat of 

 his soldiers. It was a terrible disaster, but one which reflected no dis- 

 credit on Alvarado after the fighting began. The flight of the Span- 

 iards continued after the Indians had grown tired of the chase. It 

 was then that the adelantado' tried to overtake his secretary, who 

 had been one of those most eager to get away from the enemy. Alva- 

 rado was afoot, having dismounted in order to handle his men and 

 control the retreat more easily, but he had almost caught up with his 

 secretary, when the latter spurred his jaded horse up a rocky hill. 

 The animal tried to respond, fell, and rolled backward down the hill, 

 crushing the adelantado under him. Alvarado survived long enough 

 to be carried to Guadalajara anil to make his will, dying on the 1th 

 of July. 



This disaster did not fully convince the viceroy of the seriousness of 

 the situation. Fifty men had already started from Mexico, arriving in 

 Guadalajara in July, where they increased the garrison to eighty five. 

 Nothing more was done by Meudoza after he heard of the death of 

 Alvarado. The Indians, emboldened by the complete failure of their 

 enemies, renewed their efforts to drive the white men out of the land. 

 They attacked Guadalajara on September 128, and easily destroyed all 

 except the chief buildings in the center of the city, in which the gar- 

 rison had fortified themselves as soon as they learned that an attack 

 was about to be made. A fierce assault against these defenses was 

 repulsed only after a hard struggle. The miraculous appearance of 

 Saint Iago on his white steed and leading his army of allies, who 

 blinded the idolatrous heathen, alone prevented the destruction of his 

 faithful believers, according to the record of one contemporary chron- 

 icler. At last Mendoza realized that the situation was critical. A force 

 of 450 Spaniards was raised, in addition to an auxiliary body of between 

 10,000 and 50,000 Aztec warriors. The native chieftains were rendered 

 loyal by ample promises of wealth and honors, and the warriors were 

 granted, for the first time, permission to use horses and Spanish 



