Alonso Calderón, 1582 
119 
his own. For I think that he alone held more lands than the whole of 
Vizcaya, 8 and he was only one of many, there being others who must have 
as much as he and that of the best, so that there is no longer any land to 
give nor any profitable place for others. Hence the province, as well as 
the settlers and their holdings, will deteriorate in value every day, and if 
that situation continues it will result in marked injury to your Majesty. 
Furthermore, the lieutenants of the governor have divided the Indians 
and given many of them in encomienda, this being a power reserved to 
your Majesty; they have also distributed and bestowed the proprietary 
offices of notary [ escribano ] and alguacil mayor without the power to 
do so. For, in conformity with the capitulation of your Majesty with 
Francisco de Ibarra, the first governor and explorer, to him and his suc¬ 
cessor only the faculty to do this was given, but not to his lieutenants nor 
to the governors after the two first lives, which have now ended. Never¬ 
theless, the lieutenants use the power and furnish and apportion Indians 
to their friends, and your officers of your treasury make use of them and 
cause them to be apportioned to their children, in contravention of your 
Majesty’s commands. 
There was also in the capitulation which your Majesty made with Fran¬ 
cisco de Ibarra, as it appears, a provision whereby he was given the com¬ 
mission to name the officers of your Majesty’s real hacienda until such 
time as there should be sent others named by your Majesty. This they 
have continued to do, no one having taken notice of the matter. Now, 
however, two of the three named by Francisco de Ibarra are dead, the 
treasurer having just died, and if your Majesty desires to sell the office, 
twelve thousand pesos can be found for it here. The office of business 
manager [ factor ] your Majesty may also sell, in conformity with that 
which was agreed upon in the orders for new settlements, and I beseech 
your Majesty to order appointments made for those positions which have 
until now been usurped without license or approbation of your Majesty. 
The present incumbent has received forty thousand pesos’ salary, and, 
although the position merits a good salary, this is a very ample amount; 
I ofifer your Majesty this advice, understanding that it is for the benefit 
of your real hacienda, wherewith I have discharged my obligation. 
[In the margin it reads:'] Bring the capitulation and the appointment 
which he received. [A rubric.] 
There is also another paragraph in the capitulation made with Francisco 
de Ibarra, in which your Majesty commands how much land and how 
many building lots are to be given to the explorers and conquerors. 
Now I, in the name of all this province, beseech that your Majesty will 
for the sake of the increase and prosperity of the population, be pleased 
to order a cédula issued commanding that, in both the past and the future 
apportionment of lands and Indians and offices, what your Majesty com¬ 
manded and conceded in these capitulations shall be observed. The result 
will be increase to your Majesty’s real hacienda and the general benefit of 
all your vassals. May our Lord guard the sacred Catholic royal person of 
your Majesty, with increase of greater kingdoms, for many long years, as 
the servants and vassals of your Majesty have need. From the villa of 
San Sebastián de Chiametla, November 2, 1582. 
