UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO ESTABLISHED INUNDATION. 149 



was expected^ created extraordinary discontent. The cupidity of 

 the sovereign and of his representative were appealed to. It was 

 alleged that not only would the Spanish emigrants suffer for the 

 want of laborers, but that the royal treasury would soon be emptied 

 of the taxes and income which, thus far, had regularly flowed into 

 it. But Don Luis was firm in his resolution, and declared that "the 

 liberty of the Indians was of more importance than all the mines in 

 the world, and that the revenues they yielded to the Spanish crown 

 were not of such a character that all divine and human laws should 

 be sacrificed, in order to obtain them. " 



In 1553, the attention of the viceroy was specially directed to 

 the subject of education, for the population had so greatly increased 

 in the few years of stable government, that unless the best means 

 of instructing the growing generation were speedily adopted, it 

 was probable that New Spain would lose many of the descendants 

 of those families which it w T as the policy of the crown to establish 

 permanently in America. The University of Mexico was therefore 

 oonsecrated and opened in this year; and, in 1555, Paul IV., be- 

 stowed upon it the same privileges and rights as were enjoyed by 

 that of Salamanca in Spain. 



But this was a sad year for the city of Mexico, in other respects. 

 The first inundation since the conquest, occurred in 1553, and for 

 three days the capital was under water and the communication kept 

 up in boats and canoes. Every effort was made by the viceroy to 

 prevent the recurrence of the evil, by the erection of a dyke to dam 

 up the waters of the lake ; and it is related by contemporary his- 

 torians, that he even wrought with his own hands at the gigantic 

 work, during the first day, in order to show a good example to the 

 citizens who were called on to contribute their personal labor for 

 their future protection from such a disaster. 



There were few outbreaks among the Indians during this vice- 

 royalty, yet there were troublesome persons among the original 

 tribes of the Chichimecas, — some bands of whom were not yet 

 entirely subjected to the Spanish government, — who contrived to 

 keep up a guerilla warfare, which interrupted the free circulation 

 of the Spaniards through the plains and mountain passes of the 

 Bajio. These were, in all probability, mere predatory attacks ; but 

 as it was impossible for the viceroy to spare sufficient numbers of 

 faithful soldiers for the purpose of scouring the hiding places and 

 fastnesses of these robber bands, he resolved to found a number of 

 villages composed of natives and foreigners, and to place in them, 



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