INTRODUCTION QY 
man departed in 1529 on a mission to conquer Michoa- 
can and the great northern province known as New 
Galicia. His rule was marred by many acts of cruelty. 
In 1538 Coronado, the successor of Guzman, led his 
army northward to the land of the Pueblo Indians and 
then out into the Great Plains. Before the first Eng- 
lish settlement was made in North America the power 
of Spain was firmly established, not only throughout 
Central America and Mexico, but also in the south- 
western part of the United States. 
The spiritual conquest was no less remarkable than 
the territorial. The priests accompanied and even 
preceded the armies with the doctrine of the cross. The 
rough and ready characters that enliven the wonderful 
drama of this period had the vices of greed and cruelty, 
but nearly all were imbued with a pride of religion, if not 
with the true flame. The firmness and bigotry on the 
one hand and the open sympathy on the other with 
which the Catholic fathers met the practical problems 
before them resulted in vast achievements. Either by 
accident or design certain patron saints and efficacious 
shrines of special interest to the natives were not long in 
becoming known. The Virgin of Guadeloupe and the 
Black Christ of Esquipulas brought many converts to 
the foreign faith. Church building was carried on 
apace. ‘The various religious orders became rich and 
powerful and exerted a strong influence upon civil 
administration. 
The later history of this great region can be passed 
over briefly. Cortez was the first governor general of 
Mexico but he was soon shorn of his power as dictator 
at large. The First Audiencia was appointed in 1528 
and is noteworthy simply by reason of its misrule. The 
Second Audiencia, beginning two years later, put 
through some excellent reform laws. The first Viceroy, 
