83 
Agustín de la Torre Altamirano, 1623 
Petition. 
I, Alonso de Eredia, in the name of Antonio Ruis de Castañeda, legiti¬ 
mate son of Juan Ruis de Alanis, one of the first conquerors and explorers 
of this New Spain, declare that in order that your royal person may be 
informed of the merits and services of my father and of his and my rank, 
so that some favor shall be granted to me, I need that orders be given that 
the witnesses whom I shall present be examined in the following articles 
and questions: 
Questions. 
VI. . . . That the said Antonio Ruis de Castañeda, in view of his rank 
and that of his wife and the three children that he has, is suffering from 
great poverty and has not enough to support his household and family. 
And though it has happened that in the half 44 of the town of Teguacán 
there has been a great diminution, and the revenues are now very small, 
through the departure of the Indians from the town to another place, 
where they have not yet built their houses nor planted their fields and 
gardens, and as it is in a hot country many of the Indians have gone to live 
in other parts. . . . 
Witness: Bernardo de Albornos. 
VI. . . . That he has heard that the said Antonio Ruis de Castañeda 
is suffering from poverty, and it is public and notorious in this city that he 
has nothing with which to support himself and his wife and household, 
and he has heard it said that the town that he holds in encomienda has 
deteriorated very much and this is public and notorious in this New 
Spain. . . . 
Royal Cédula. 
The King. To our viceroy, president and oidores of our royal Audi¬ 
encia of the City of Mexico in New Spain, and our officials of its real 
hacienda and to each one of you whose right it is to know it: A lawsuit 
having been brought in our Council of the Indies between Antonio Ruis 
de Castañeda, as husband and partner of Doña Antonio de Benavides, his 
wife, and Maria de la Torre, widow and former wife of Andrés de 
Orantes, deceased resident of this city, in regard to the apportionment of 
the Indians of Maxcalcingo, by the decisions resulting from the examina¬ 
tion and re-examination, let it be ordered that the half of the town of 
Teguacán which had been apportioned to the said Antonio Ruis de Casta¬ 
ñeda be added to and incorporated in our royal crown, as the other half 
was. In order that this may be fulfilled and carried into effect, I com¬ 
mand you as soon as you see this to add to our royal crown, so that it may 
be incorporated in it, the half of the said pueblo in the apportionment of 
Teguacán, together with the other half, without your having the power to 
apportion it or that you shall apportion it at any time to any person, and 
you, our said officials, shall collect the tributes and rentals of it, as you do 
and it is your duty to do in the other apportionments that have been added 
to our royal crown, and you shall take charge of them. And, in considera- 
