Procuradores of New Spain 
133 
From these reasons together and from each one of them is inferred 
and deduced the very grave injury that would follow if the perpetual 
remuneration should not be given, for it would be to take away from 
them their rights without blame or fault [on their part.] 
It certainly is a sad thing to see the husbands with wives burdened 
with children, and the tears they shed, believing that they were deceived 
into marrying with the hope of the perpetuity, and seeing that if they 
[the husbands] die now the wives and children will be left poor, exiled 
from their country and risking their souls and honor among a barbarous 
people without any remedy. Even though this were enlarged upon with 
many words, with all of them one could not express the smallest part of 
what was felt as an eye-witness on seeing the gatherings of women and 
their tears and the grief they felt. 
But, leaving this apart, and leaving out all consideration of justice to 
the inhabitants of New Spain, and considering only that in order to main¬ 
tain that commonwealth it would be necessary to make new regulations, 
it is clear that four things ought to be sought for these provinces: first, 
the service of God; second, the good treatment of the natives and their 
conversion and preservation; third, the perpetuity of the land and the 
inhabitants that are in it and have gone there and may go there; fourth, 
the increase of your revenues. In order that these things may be secured 
it is desirable that perpetuity be given in that land, for the following 
reasons: 
It is desirable, in order that those who have received the Christian faith 
may preserve it, and that those who have not received it may acquire it, 
that there shall be many Spanish Christians, according to the greatness of 
the land, in it, with many religious and persons versed [in religion], so 
that with their conversation and constant presence the Indians may be 
kept in this Christianity and may learn proper living by being always 
among Christians and in their power. It is thus necessarily desirable that 
always there shall be among them Spaniards and religious who shall take 
care that with the passage of time they shall learn what, because of the 
feebleness of their understandings, they cannot acquire in a short time. 
Another reason. Since what is contained in the article before this is 
necessary and indispensable, it follows that it is desirable that the Spani¬ 
ards shall have tranquillity and the expectation of remaining in the land; 
also that the Indians shall understand that their habitation is to be with 
them and among them, and shall acquire love and familiarity with them, 
and shall forget the belief that they have always had and still have that 
the Spaniards are to come to an end and that they are to be as they were 
before, for they are moved to this by the natural inclination which they 
had before to live in freedom; also on the part of the Spaniards, seeing 
that they and their children are to live there and their posterity is to be 
perpetuated, that they shall treat the Indians with kindness and love and 
show them every charity, for the benefits which they are to receive from 
them, and because without them they cannot support themselves. 
Another reason. Knowing that they are to remain thus permanently, 
both the Spaniards and the Indians would devote themselves to cultivating 
