Spanish America, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ...saint in Spain, it received his name. It was a town of many vicissitudes; but it bears few traces of them to-day. Among the first buildings to be erected were the cathedral and the palace of the bishop: such was the faith of the soldier-builder in the permanence of his settlement. Upon the hill of Santa Lucia a fort was put up, which certainly was a more prudent act, from the merely material point of view, than the consecration of the religious edifices. In fact, the neighboring tribes were prompt to evince their lack of neighborliness, and news came to Valdivia that they meditated an attack. With his usual forehandedness, he seized some of the Mapochinian chiefs and confined them in his fort, and then himself went at the head of a troop of cavalry to reconnoitre the attitude of the Promaucians, who were liable, in his opinion, to ally themselves with the former. This was the Mapochinians' opportunity; they cared nothing for the lack of their own chiefs, but perceived the advantage of the absence of the captain of the invaders; and down they came upon the new city. The inhabitants fled at once to the citadel, where a woman, Inez Suarez, by way, perhaps, of showing that the presence of her sex in the colony could be of benefit in more ways than one, took a hatchet and chopped out the brains of the captive chiefs. Meanwhile the warriors of the natives set fire to the town, and reduced half of it to ashes; and then made repeated attacks upon the fort. The conflict raged from dawn to sunset; but Monroy, the commander, contrived to send a messenger to Valdivia. He came back hot-footed, and, after a desperate fight, drove away the enemy for the time; but they renewed the contest, and not for days or for months, but for six mortal years...