Pedro Ponce de León, 1596 
333 
Indian woman who was brought from there, I command you to give 
orders that they be given to him, to be returned to their native land, there 
to serve as interpreters. [The same date]. . . . 
The King. By these presents I give permission to you, Don Pedro 
Ponce de León ... to name councilmen and other administrative offi¬ 
cers in the towns that may be settled in them for such time as I may will, 
provided that the persons whom you may appoint shall be confirmed by 
me in the said offices within four years. [The same date]. . . . 
The King. Inasmuch as in the contract and agreement which I ordered 
made with Don Pedro Ponce de León . . . there is an article by which 
I exempt him and the explorers and settlers from paying the excise tax 
which otherwise would be due me and which they would be under obliga¬ 
tions to pay in that province for the term of twenty years, as is contained 
in the said article, which runs as follows: . . . . Done at San Lorenzo, 
October 12. I the King. Etc. 
The King. To the officers of my real hacienda of the province of New 
Mexico: By an article of the contract which I made with ... I grant to 
him and to the pacifiers and settlers of this province that upon all that 
they take to it for the term of ten years, for the provisioning of their 
houses, no import duties shall be charged them, as is contained in the said 
article, which runs as follows: .... [The same date]. . . . 
The King. Inasmuch as in the contract . . . there is an article by 
which I grant to the persons who may go with you on the said exploration 
that they shall pay me but a tenth instead of a fifth of the gold, silver, 
pearls, and other precious stones, for the term of twenty years, as is con¬ 
tained in the said article. . . . [The same date]. 
The King. My presidents and official judges of the Casa de Contrata¬ 
ción of Seville: By one of the articles ... it is agreed that the said 
Don Pedro shall take from these kingdoms 130 soldiers and officials. But 
because I have now decided to give him permission to take a hundred 
more soldiers, making in all 230, of whom it is left to his decision to take 
as many as he pleases, without obligation to take all of the above-said 
number, I command you to permit him to pass through as many of the 
said number of the said 230 soldiers, officials, and servants, as may appear 
and may wish to go, without requiring them to take more than the ordi¬ 
nary arms, or what they are able to take, provided that those who are 
married shall take their wives and children, they to be permitted to take 
both without being asked for any report. And the said Don Pedro Ponce 
shall certify that they are not of those who are prohibited from going to 
those parts, with which I consider that the said Don Pedro will have ful¬ 
filled his duty, notwithstanding what is contained in the said above- 
mentioned article. Done October 16. 
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