La Concepción
The Spanish fortress in the Vega Real of Hispaniola, near the lands of the cacique Guarionex.
Today: Concepción de la Vega, Dominican Republic
The Images in the Field
Ramón Pané, An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians, written about 1496–1498, from the Italian of Fernando Colombo, Historie (Venice, 1571) · written about 1496–1498 (events of about 1495–1497); printed in Italian, 1571
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.