Gold and silver

Ma con tutto ciò il Guarinex, & i suoi sudditi non si rimossero dal mal'animo, che haueuano di amazzare i Christiani in vn giorno, deputato a portar loro il tributo dell'oro, che essi pagauano. Ma cotal lor congiura fu discoperta: et cosi furono presi in quello stesso giorno, che voleuano far l'effetto. & con tutto ciò perseuerarono nel lor rio proposito; &, mettendolo in opera, amazzarono quattro huomini, e Giouan Matteo, principal scriuano, & Antonio suo fratello, i quali haueuano riceuuto il Santo Battesimo: et corsero, doue haueuano ascose le imagini, & le gittarono in pezzi. Passati alquanti di andò a cauar gli Agi il Signor di quel campo, i quali Agi sono alcune radici, simili a' nauoni, et altre simili a' rafani; & nel luogo, oue le imagini erano state sepolte, eran nati due, e tre Agi, come se fosse stato posto l'vno per mezo l'altro, in forma di croce: ne era possibile, che huomo trouasse tal Croce, & pur la trouò la madre di Guarionex, che è la piu pessima donna, che io conobbi in quelle bande: la quale stimò ciò gran miracolo, & disse al Castellano della Fortezza della Concettione; Questo miracolo è stato mostrato da Dio, oue le imagini furono trouate. Dio sà perche.

But even so, Guarionex and his subjects did not give up their plan to kill the Christians. They meant to do it on a day set for bringing them the tribute of gold that they paid. But their plot was discovered, and they were captured on the very day they meant to carry it out. Even so, they held to their wicked purpose and put it into action. They killed four men, along with Juan Mateo, the chief scribe, and his brother Antonio, both of whom had received Holy Baptism. Then they ran to where they had hidden the images and smashed them to pieces. A few days later, the owner of that field went to dig up his ajes. These are roots, some like turnips and others like radishes. In the spot where the images had been buried, two or three ajes had grown, one set across the other in the shape of a cross. No one could have found such a cross by looking for it. And yet Guarionex's mother found it, the very worst woman I knew in those parts. She judged it a great miracle. She said to the commander of the fortress of La Concepción, “God has shown this miracle where the images were found.” God knows why.

Ho Capitam, quando eles vieram, estava asentado em huuma cadeyra, e huuma alcatifa ahos pees por estrado, e beem vestido com huum colar douro muy gramde aho pescoço: e Sancho de Toar, e Simam de Miramda, e Nicolaao Coelho, e Ayres Corea, e nós outros que aquy na naao com ele himos asentados no chaao per esa alcatifa. Acemderam tochas, e emtraram, e nom fezeram nhuuma mençam de cortesia, nem de falar aho Capitam, nem a ninguem: pero huum deles pos ho olho no colar do Capitam, e começou dacenar com ha maao pera aa terra; e despois pera aho colar, coma que dezia que avia em terra ouro: e tambem vio huum castiçal de prata, e asy meesmo acenava pera aa terra, e emtam pera aho castiçal, coma que avia tambeem prata.

When they came, the Captain was seated in a chair, with a carpet at his feet as a dais. He was well dressed, with a very large gold collar around his neck. Sancho de Toar, Simam de Miramda, Nicolaao Coelho, Ayres Corea, and the rest of us who sail with him in this ship were seated on the floor on that carpet. Torches were lit, and the two came in. They made no sign of courtesy and did not speak to the Captain or to anyone. But one of them fixed his eye on the Captain's collar. He began to point toward the land with his hand, and then toward the collar, as if he were saying there was gold in the land. He also saw a silver candlestick, and in the same way he pointed toward the land and then toward the candlestick, as if there were silver there too.

Trouveram lhes agoa per huuma albarada: tomaram dela senhos bocados, e nom beberam; soomente lavavam has bocas, e lançavam na fora. Vio huum deles huumas comtas de rosairo bramcas, acenou que lhas desem, e folgou muyto com elas, e lamçou has aho pescoço, e despois tirou has, e embrulhou has no braço, e acenava pera aa terra, e emtam pera aas comtas, e pera aho colar do Capitam, coma que dariam ouro per aquylo: isto tomavamonos asy polo desejarmos; mas se ele queria dezer que levaria has comtas, e mais ho colar, isto nom queriamonos emtemder; perque lho nom aviamos de dar: e despois tornou has comtas a quem lhas deo; e emtam estiraram se asy decostas na alcatifa a dormir, sem teer nhuuma maneyra de cobrirem suas vergonhas, has quaaes nom heeram fanadas. Ho Capitam lhes mandou poeer aas cabeças senhos coxys; e ho da cabeleyra procurava asas pola nom quebrar: e lamçaram lhes huum manto emcima, e eles cosentiram, e joveram, e dormiram.

They were brought water in an albarada. They each took a mouthful but did not drink it. They only rinsed their mouths and spat it out. One of them saw some white rosary beads and signed that he wanted them. He was very pleased with them and put them around his neck. Then he took them off and wrapped them around his arm. He pointed toward the land, and then toward the beads and the Captain's collar, as if to say they would give gold for these things. We took it that way because that is what we wished. But if he meant that he would take the beads and the collar too, we did not want to understand, because we were not going to give it to him. Afterward he gave the beads back to the man who had given them. Then they stretched out on their backs on the carpet to sleep. They made no effort to cover their private parts, which were not circumcised. The Captain had a cushion put under each one's head, and the one with the wig took good care not to spoil it. A cloak was thrown over them. They let it be, lay down, and slept.

Tiene esta ciudad muchas plazas, donde hay continuos mercados y trato de comprar y vender. Tiene otra plaza tan grande como dos veces la de la ciudad de Salamanca, toda cercada de portales al rededor, donde hay cotidianamente arriba de sesenta mil ánimas comprando y vendiendo; donde hay todos los géneros de mercadurías que en todas las tierras se hallan, así de mantenimientos como de vituallas, joyas de oro y de plata, de plomo, de laton, de cobre, de estaño, de piedras, de huesos, de conchas, de caracoles y de plumas; véndese cal, piedra labrada y por labrar, adobes, ladrillos, madera labrada y por labrar de diversas maneras.

This city has many squares, where markets are always going on and people buy and sell. There is one square twice as large as the square of Salamanca, surrounded on every side by arcades. Every day more than sixty thousand people gather there to buy and sell. Every kind of goods found in any land is there: food and provisions, and jewelry of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, stones, bones, shells, snail shells, and feathers. They sell lime, stone both cut and uncut, adobes, bricks, and timber, both shaped and rough, of many kinds.

La causa porque han muerto y destruido tantas y tales y tan infinito número de ánimas los Cristianos, ha sido solamente por tener por su fin último el oro, y henchirse de riquezas en muy breves dias, y subir á estados muy altos y sin proporcion de sus personas, conviene á saber, por la insaciable codicia y ambicion que han tenido, que ha sido mayor que en el mundo ser pudo, por ser aquellas tierras tan felices y tan ricas, y las gentes tan humildes, tan pacientes y tan fáciles á sujetarlas; á las quales no han tenido mas respeto, ni dellas han hecho mas cuenta ni estima (hablo con verdad, por lo que sé y he visto todo el dicho tiempo) no digo que de bestias, porque pluguiera á Dios que como á bestias las hubieran tratado y estimado; pero cómo y ménos que estiércol de las plazas.

The Christians have killed and destroyed so many souls, so infinite a number, for one reason alone. Their final goal has been gold. They wanted to fill themselves with riches in a very few days and to rise to very high positions far beyond their station. This came from their insatiable greed and ambition, greater than any the world has seen, because those lands are so fortunate and so rich, and the people so humble, so patient, and so easy to conquer. The Spaniards have had no more respect for them, and valued them no more, than the dung in the streets, and less. I do not say than beasts, for I wish to God they had treated them as well as beasts. I speak the truth, from what I know and have seen all this time.

A todos pareceo bẽ pouoarẽ aqlla terra por estar ẽ boa paragẽ: que se se pouoara todolos nauios da Noua Espanha e do Peru e Sancta Marta, e Terra firme, indo pera a Espanha lhes vinha bẽ fazer ali escala: porq he por alli seu caminho: e por ser boa terra e aparelhada pera fazer proveito. Ho gouernador como seu intẽto era buscar outro tesouro como ho d'Tabalipa senor do Peru, nã se quis cõtẽtar cõ boa terra nẽ cõ Perlas em caso q muitas dellas a peso de ouro valiã: e se se a terra repartira as que os indios depois pescaram valerã mais; porq as q tinham por as furarem cõ fogo lhe fazia perder sua cor.

Everyone thought it good to settle that land, because it lay in a good position. If it were settled, all the ships from New Spain, Peru, Santa Marta and Tierra Firme could put in there on the way to Spain, since their route passes that way. It was also good land, fit for making a profit. But the governor's aim was to find another treasure like that of Tabalipa, lord of Peru. He would not be content with good land or with pearls, though many of them were worth their weight in gold. If the land had been divided among settlers, the pearls the Indians fished later would have been worth more. The ones they had lost their color because the Indians bored the holes with fire.

Of these people those that dwell vpon the branches of Orenoque called Capuri and Macureo, are for the most part Carpenters of Canoas, for they make the most and fairest houses, and sell them into Guiana for gold, and into Trinedado for Tobacco, in the excessiue taking whereof, they exceede all nations, and notwithstanding the moistnes of the aire in which they liue, the hardnes of their diet, and the great labors they suffer to hunt, fish, and foule for their liuing, in all my life either in the Indies or in Europe did I neuer behold a more goodlie or better fauoured people, or a more manlie.

Of these people, those who live on the branches of the Orinoco called Capuri and Macureo are mostly builders of canoes. They make the most and finest houses, and sell them into Guiana for gold, and into Trinidad for tobacco, in the excessive use of which they outdo all nations. They live in damp air, their diet is hard, and they endure great labor to hunt, fish, and fowl for their living. And yet in all my life, either in the Indies or in Europe, I never saw a more handsome or better-looking people, or a more manly one.

La ceremonia que en esto habia era, que en aquella laguna se hacia una gran balsa de juncos, aderezábanla i adornábanla todo lo mas vistoso que podian; metian en ella cuatro braseros encendidos, en que desde luego quemaban mucho moque, que es el zahumerio de estos naturales, i trementina con otros muchos i diversos perfumes. Estaba a este tiempo toda la laguna en redondo, con ser mui grande i hondable de tal manera que puede navegar en ella un navío de alto bordo, la cual estaba toda coronada de infinidad de indios e indias, con mucha plumería, chagualas i coronas de oro, con infinitos fuegos a la redonda, i luego que en la balsa comenzaba el zahumerio, lo encendian en tierra, en tal manera, que el humo impedia la luz del dia.

The ceremony went like this. On the lake they built a great raft of reeds, fitted out and decorated as splendidly as they could. On it they placed four lighted braziers, in which they burned a great deal of moque, the incense of these natives, with turpentine and many other kinds of perfume. The lake is very large and so deep that a tall-sided ship could sail on it. At this moment its whole shore, all the way around, was crowned with countless Indian men and women. They wore rich featherwork, gold ornaments, and gold crowns, and countless fires burned all around. As soon as the incense began to burn on the raft, they lit it on the shore too, so thickly that the smoke blocked out the daylight.

A este tiempo desnudaban al heredero en carnes vivas, i lo untaban con una tierra pegajosa i lo espolvoreaban con oro en polvo i molido, de tal manera que iba cubierto todo de este metal. Metíanle en la balsa, en la cual iba parado, i a los piés le ponian un gran monton de oro i esmeraldas para que ofreciese a su dios. Entraban con él en la balsa cuatro caciques los mas principales, sus sujetos, mui aderezados de plumería, coronas de oro, brazales i chagualas, i orejeras de oro, tambien desnudos, i cada cual llevaba su ofrecimiento.

Then they stripped the heir completely naked. They smeared him with a sticky earth and dusted him with finely ground gold, so that he was covered all over with the metal. They put him on the raft, where he stood, and at his feet they placed a great heap of gold and emeralds for him to offer to his god. Four of the most important caciques, his subjects, went with him on the raft. They were richly adorned with featherwork, gold crowns, armbands, ornaments, and gold ear spools. They too were naked, and each one carried his own offering.