ABSTRACT
When Cortés had arrived at Gueyacala—for so it is called—the Caciques of that pueblo approached him peaceably and he spoke to them through Doña Marina the interpreter in such a way that to all appearance they were satisfied, and Cortés gave them articles from Spain, and they brought maize and provisions, and then he ordered all the Caciques to be summoned and asked them for information about the road we had to take, and questioned them whether they knew of other men with beards like us and with horses, and whether they had seen ships sailing on the sea. They replied that eight days’ journey from there were many men with beards, and women from Castile, and horses and three Acales, for in their language they call ships Acales. Cortés was delighted to hear this news, and, on asking about the pueblos and the road along which we must go, they brought it to him all drawn on some cloths, even to the rivers and swamps and miry places, and he begged them to build bridges over the rivers and to bring canoes, for they had numerous followers and there were populous villages. The Caciques replied that because there were more than twenty pueblos, most of which would not obey them, especially certain pueblos situated between some rivers, it was necessary for Cortés at once to send some of his Teules (for so they called the soldiers) to make them bring maize and other things, and order them to obey them [the Caciques], for they were their subjects.
