with all of them, but only with some who, after debaucheries and guzzling of wine, come to the Spaniards, and say that they have nothing wherewith to pay the tribute.  This is not true of whole villages, but of certain individuals, who, as they seldom obey their chiefs, do whatever wine incites them to.  All this is no reason to detract from the prosperity and riches of the natives; for if some Indians go without robes and loin-cloths, they must be slaves and laborers—­not because they lack cloth, since it costs them so little to make a robe that there is no one who cares to work who has not one; and not only robes, but many other valuables.  For all these causes and reasons, then, although the “Opinion” of the father provincial and the other religious has been given with good and holy zeal, it is, nevertheless, exceedingly harmful to the augmentation and settlement of this land, and the perpetuation of the Spanish rule therein.  To the natives themselves it is pernicious; because, if they do not pay tribute to the Spaniards, the latter have to take from them their provisions and such things as they possess, in order to support themselves—­as was done before the land was divided into repartimientos, and before the natives paid tribute.  It is, therefore, most useful and profitable for the natives to pay tribute, by which the said Spaniards can be supported comfortably, and without vexation to them; and if the tribute is too small and the Spaniards can not be supported on it, it will come to the point of taking away their property on the sea, as was done before the land was divided into repartimientos, but does not happen now.  On the contrary the natives are all very secure and quiet, and come and go to trade, and are altogether much profited and enriched by the repartimiento.

Guido de Lavezaris. Juan Maldonado. Martin de Goiti. Andres Cabchela. Luis de la Haya. Salvador de Aldave. Joan de la Ysla. Amador de Arriaran.  The licentiate Chacon. Gabriel de Rribera.

In my presence,

Fernando Riquel

Two Letters from Guido de Lavezaris to Felipe II

Sacred Catholic Royal Majesty: 

In the past year of seventy-three, I sent to your Majesty, by two ships despatched to the kingdoms of Nueva Espana, a written account of what had occurred in these regions until that time.  A few days after the departure of these two ships, I despatched another one, which had taken more time in its preparations.  The last-named vessel followed a different course from the others, and put into a harbor again, after having sailed all around this island of Lucon, on account of the bad weather with which it met.  The ship has been detained until now in order to repair it, and to make all the necessary preparations.  We are waiting every day for the arrival of the ships from Nueva Espana, for it is already time that they should arrive; but, in order that the vendavales may not prevent the navigation of this ship, we shall not detain it here until the others arrive—­although it would have been much better for the service of your Majesty to receive an explanation of matters regarding which an answer was expected.