Land Ordinances, 1567, 1695 
187 
understood to apply only to those towns which were settled before the 
grant and establishment of their farms, and that the measurements shall 
be understood to extend not from the last house [of the town], but from 
the centre of the church, which is in the centre, and that even so this regu¬ 
lation shall apply only to those towns which are political centres of dis¬ 
tricts, where there are located the holy sacrament, governors, and alcaldes 
mayores ; for, if the ordinance is to be applied to every village, ward, or 
congregation, it would be most seriously injurious, for there are so many 
of these which are subject to the head towns. It is also set forth that there 
is sufficient motive to command that the number of yards mentioned 
should be measured out to the Indians counting from the church as is 
asked, because the Indians do not have their houses in regular order, for 
they are distant one from another thirty-four yards, some of them being 
almost a quarter of a league apart, whereby the Spaniards’ farms are 
limited. The latter ask that the Indians be not permitted to build huts nor 
hermitages in their farming lands, for after doing so they then present a 
false report that they have there made a town, and they are given the mea¬ 
sure of land prescribed, and the Spanish farmers are despoiled of their 
farms. The petitioners also make other points concerning the ventas 
[fifty-yard plots] and other holdings which the Indians establish, the 
amounts which the farmers may advance to the Indian day-laborers, etc., 
and stating that they do more work in the forests and vistas than the 
governor and alcaldes mayores do on their estates and farms for their 
own particular ends and purposes while drawing high salaries and enjoy¬ 
ing excessive privileges. 
This representation having been considered in my Council of the Indies 
with all the attention which the matter requires, together with your report 
concerning the question in our letter of January 17 of this year, and the 
opinion concerning the whole matter by the fiscal, I have resolved that 
the cédula of which you acknowledge receipt, issued on June 4, 1687, as 
cited, shall be observed, complied with, and enforced exactly, provided that 
it is understood that the distance of six hundred yards which must inter¬ 
vene between the lands and fields of the Indians of that jurisdiction and 
those of the farmers shall be counted from the centre of the towns, under¬ 
standing this point to be the church, and not from the last house; and that 
the same interpretation shall be given with respect to the eleven hundred 
yards’ distance which must intervene between the town and the farms, and 
which are to be measured from the lands apportioned to the Indians to 
those which are owned by the farmers, so that they shall be separated the 
one from the other, and the intervening distance shall be lengthened in 
the place deemed most appropriate and least prejudicial to both parties. 
And if there are no lands apportioned to the Indians, nor lands held in 
composition by the farmers, from which the injury can be remedied, the 
intervening space shall be taken from lands belonging to me, and you shall 
see that this is done with such equality that no ground for complaint shall 
be given to the Indians and that no law-suits shall be caused among them, 
but that all shall be treated with such equity that they shall all be inspired 
to content themselves within the limits which pertain to them; and you 
shall attend very especially to the welfare and benefit of the Indians as I 
