392 HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



who accompanied him to the war of Quauhquechollan ex- 

 ceeded an hundred thoufand, and that thofe who aflift- 

 ed him in befieging the capital, exceeded confiderably 

 two hundred thoufand in number. On the other hand, 

 the befieged were fo numerous, that although an hun- 

 dred and fifty thoufand died during the fiege, as we have 

 already faid, when the capital was taken by the Span- 

 iards, and it was ordered that all the Mexicans fhould 

 leave it, for three fucceffive days and nights the ftreets 

 and roads were filled with people who were leaving the 

 city to take refuge in other places, according to the tes- 

 timony of B. Diaz, an eye-witnefs. With reflect to the 

 number of baptifms, we are aflured, by the teftimony of 

 the religious miffionaries themfelves, who were employ- 

 ed in the converfion of thofe people, that the children 

 and grown perfons baptifed by the Francifcan (k) fathers 

 alone, from the year 1524 to the year 1540, were up- 

 wards of fix millions in number ; who were, for the mod 

 part, inhabitants of the vale of Mexico and the circum- 

 jacent provinces. In this number are not comprehend- 

 ed thofe who were baptifed by the priefts, Dominicans, 

 and Auguflinians, amongfl: whom, and the Francifcans, 

 were divided thofe mofl abundant harvefts ; and befides, 

 it is certain that the Indians were innumerable who re- 

 mained obftinate in their paganifm, or did not receive 

 the Chriftian faith till many years after the conqueft. 

 We know alfo, from the noify controverfies excited there 

 by fome religious, and reported to the pope Paul III. 

 that on account of the extraordinary and before unfeen 

 multitude of catechumens, the miflionaries were obliged 

 to omit fome ceremonies of the baptifm, and amongfl: 



others 



{k) Motoiinia, one of the religious miflionaries, baptifed more than four 

 hundred thoufand Indians ; an account of which he left in writing. 



