Juan Velarde Colodro, 1612-1614 
463 
of Mexico, or for a knighthood in any one of the military orders. Your 
Majesty will grant the favor that pleases you. May God preserve the 
Catholic person of your Majesty. Mexico, March 12, 1612. [Signatures.'] 
Statement of reports received in the royal Audiencia of Mexico concern¬ 
ing what Captain Juan Velarde Colodro said with regard to his 
services. This statement is to go to his Majesty and his royal Coun¬ 
cil of the Indies. 96 [ 1612-1614.] 
In the City of Mexico, on the ninth day of the month of August, 1612, 
the president and oidores of the royal Audiencia of New Spain stated that, 
whereas there has been presented in this Audiencia a statement on the 
part of Captain Juan Velarde Colodro concerning his qualifications, mer¬ 
its, and services, wherewith to appear before his Majesty and his royal 
Council of the Indies to beseech that the king will be pleased, in remun¬ 
eration of said services, to grant him a position, such as an alcaldía mayor 
or some other honorable judicial position, or whatever he may be pleased 
to grant; 
And whereas, conformably to his Majesty’s orders, this royal Audi¬ 
encia must take and receive this statement in official form: 
It was ordered that the said statement should be taken and received, and 
that the licentiate Don Pedro de Otalora, senior oidor , should, as acting 
president of the royal Audiencia, name an oidor before whom the state¬ 
ment should be made. That official named Doctor Juan Quesada de 
Figueroa, oidor of the Audiencia, as the person before whom the state¬ 
ment should be made and received, and instructed him to cause to appear 
before him all persons whom he might find to be informed, and to examine 
and re-examine them as should be necessary. For all this, and for all 
matters pertaining thereto, the Audiencia gave him powers and a com¬ 
mission in the legally required form, and ordered him to present the 
statement when completed to the real acuerdo , so that formal opinion 
might be rendered thereon. And it was ordered that this should be re¬ 
corded as an official decision. Martín Osorio de Agurto . 97 
In the City of Mexico, on the sixteenth day of the month of August, 
1612, Doctor Juan Quesada de Figueroa, oidor of this royal Audiencia, 
to whom is confided by the real acuerdo the taking of evidence of the 
merits and services of Captain Juan de Velarde Colodro, said that, 
in conformity with the cédula of his Majesty, it was desirable to make 
the official inquiry above mentioned with due secrecy and caution; for 
which purpose he was commanding and did command that, in order to 
obtain the said official statement, the witnesses whom it was desirable to 
examine and whom he had named should be brought before himself in 
order that the merits and services of the captain might be more definitely 
known, or whether there was anything ascertainable in this matter con¬ 
trary to what he on his part proposes to prove. He also ordered that 
