New Galicia as early as 1543, beginning with those of Espíritu Santo.[1] Mines not only of gold and silver but of tin, copper, mercury, iron, and other metals were brought to light and drew many Spaniards to the province from Mexico and Spain. Before the end of the century some of them, under the wasteful system then in vogue, showed signs of exhaustion, but many good mines, abandoned during the northern excitement, were afterward profitably worked.[2]
There is little to note in the events of New Galicia, during the last half of the century, save fluctuations created by mining excitements and the vague allusions to minor revolts and their suppression.[3] The revolts were to a great extent owing to abuses by encomenderos, who tore the natives from their homes to work in mines and on plantations, and assisted in reducing the already depleted province. The outrages of Guzman and the Mixton war are said to have destroyed half the population. Following these came a series of epidemics which ravaged the country on different occasions between 1541 and 1590, especially in 1545 and the two following years, and left but one tenth
- ↑ The others definitely mentioned are Jaltepec, Guachinango, Purificacion, Jocotlan, Etzatlan, Guajacatlan (Ahuacatlau), and Istlan. Mota Padilla, Conq. N. Gal., 179-80.
- ↑ The following items serve also as additional information: The Jocotlan and Ahuacatlan mines, with 30 miners, yielded well, but failed somewhat in 1569. Informe del Cabildo, in Icazbalceta, Col. Doc., ii. 494. Two hundred houses were occupied by miners at Guachinango in 1550; 214 veins of metals were open. Marcha, in Ternaux-Compans, Recueil, 198. The mines of Espíritu Santo first failed to pay in 1562. There had been 14 reduction works. Beaumont, Crón. Mich., iv. 483. It was on account of the Espíritu Santo mines that a royal treasury was established at Compostela. The mines of Jocotlan, Guachinango, Ahuacatlan, and Istlan discovered by Juan Fernandez de Híjar yielded to the king for his royalties in 30 years 200,000 pesos. Mota Padilla, Conq. N. Gal., i. 179-81.
- ↑ Ibarra and Camino led several small parties into the Nochistlan region to tranquillize it by arms and reforms in the encomendero management. Beaumont also refers to the revolt of 5,000 Texoquines of Ostotipac, who were defeated by Diego de Colis. Crón. Mich., MS., 615-16, 636-7, 911, 920-1, 1088, 1542-3. In 1550 and 1558 the natives of Tepic and Compostela had to be suppressed. Somewhat later the Yocotequanes killed two friars, but Oidor Contreras marched against them with 100 Spaniards and 4,000 allies, and inflicted a loss of 600 men. Torquemada, iii. 622. Visitador de la Marcha recommended in 1550 the enslavement of the Indians to check revolt and vice. Rapport, in Ternaux-Compans, Recueil, 171-200.
