The herald., 1895-05-05
CHAPTER LVI
OF the Expedition Of Gonzalo de SandOval to
ChalcO and TalmanalcO, and of How the
ChaIcans and Their Allies Defeated the
Mexicans and Took Many Of Their Cap
tains Prisoners

After mass on the 18th of March, 1921,
Gonzalo de Sandoval commenced his
march. The second day he arrived at
Talmanalco, where he was well received
by the Caciques of the town, who gave
him food.
And they also tod him that If he
would march at once to the neighboring
town of Guaztepeque he would either find
the Mexicans there or meet them on the
road and that the whole forces of the
province would aid him. That night he
stopped at a town called Chimaiacan. not
far from where the Mexicans were. The
next morning Sandova arranged mis-
order of battle, placing the crossbowmen
and arquebusiers in front and arranging
the horsemen to charge by threes so as
to support each other; and he told them
to aim their lances at the faces of the en-
emy until their ranks were broken, while
he ordered the foot to keep close ranks
in one body and not to move until he
commanded them, because the enemy
were present i'll great numbers.
AS he moved out of the town he saw
the hetenemy coming against him in three
bodies, yelling and beating their drums.
The MeXicans came rushing toward our
men like lions, and Sandoval, seeing
them coming in such a furious charge.
placed his lance in rest and charged
them with his horse shouting, Santiago
and at them. - This charge partially
broke one squadron, but the others still
came on and because the ground was
broken our horse could not be used to ad-
vantage. Seeing this Sandova1 formed his
foot soldiers in u square with those carry
ing shields on the sides and the cross
bowmen and arquebusiers in front, and
in this order made ready to attack the
bnrcp har
ranca that they might have level ground
to charge. and when shot was fired
announcing that they were ready, he
gave the order to attack. The enemy
were soon beaten back on all sides and
forced to retreat to a place where there
were other barrancas which our men
could not cross. In this battle great
many of our soldiers were badly wounded
and the horse of Gonzalo Dominguez fell
un him and injured him so that few
days afterward he died
GonZalo DomlrgueZ was considered one
of the best horsemen III the army. and be-
sides he was a valiant soldier, and we es-
teemed HIM as being as good as GonZalo
de Sandoval o, Cristobal de Oil, and his
death was sincerely mourned by all of us.
Sandoval followed up the Mexicans un-
til he arrived near the town of Guaztepe-
que, when over fifteen thousand Mexicans
came forth to fight him, and in the battle
that followed many soldiers were wound
ed, but Sandoyal charged them so briskly
with his horse. the ground being level,
that he soon broke their ranks and they
retreated to the town, where they again
turned to tight behind some fortifica tions
which they had erected. But Sandoval
and the allies charged them fiercely and
drove them from their works into an
other part of the town and they, think
ing that they would not again turn to
fight that day, he camped and ordered
his men to repose themselves and dress
their wounds. But just as the men were
eating, TWO soldiers on horseback, who
had been placed on guard. came running
in, crying. ITO arms, to arms here come
the Mexicans.
As our men always went armed it took
only a moment to prepare themselves.
and presently the enemy came on. but
handled them so roughly that they with
turn that day. When he had driven
them out he gave sincere thanks to God
and encamped in a garden near the town.
This garden covered league OF ground
and was the finest we had seen in New
Spain, and was certainly worthy of be-
longing to a prince.
| did not see this garden at that time,
but afterwards when I went with Cortes
on the march around the lagoon. The
reason | did not go in this march was
because | had some time before received
lance thrust in the throat at Istapalapa
which came very near causing my death
and at this time was still very i'll. And
this Is why | say that they did SO and
20" and not 1--WE did so and so.
The next day Sandoyal, seeing that the