[138] Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca.
[139] Caravels.
[140] Mbiaçá or Santa Catalina. Mbiaçá was the name of the country opposite the island, and at Schmidt’s time it was not Brazil, but a part of the Government of the River Plate. That is why Barcia’s Spanish translation says that Alvar Nuñez arrived in Brazil and Santa Catalina, which is perfectly correct.
[141] Cabeza de Vaca does not say that the two ships were wrecked, but that they had to put back to S. Catherina on account of bad weather. Cf. his Comentarios, infra.
[142] When the Emperor was made acquainted of Don Pedro de Mendoza’s death, he appointed another Adelantado to take his place, in case the Lieutenant-Governor whom Mendoza had left there had died too. The new Adelantado was Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, famous for his shipwrecks and adventures in Florida. Alvar Nuñez sailed from Spain in November 1540. He brought with him orders to take possession of the sea-coast belonging to Spain, south of the Portuguese Capitania de San Vicente. He first took possession of the ports of Cananea, San Francisco, and Santa Catalina, all pertaining to Spain. This island was given to the Adelantado as a personal gift for the term of twelve years, on condition of maintaining its possession and keeping there the Indians who inhabited it. Alvar Nuñez stopped there several months. In May 1541 he sent out some of his people to Buenos Ayres in one of his ships; but storms forced them to return to the island. The wrecks mentioned by Schmidt did not occur. Towards the end of the same year, Alvar Nuñez with half his people and twenty-six horses started by land for Asuncion, and he gave the name of Province of Vera to the territory of Guaira (now the Brazilian Province of Paraná), which belonged to his Gobernacion. He marched across the province, taking possession of it on behalf of Spain, and arrived at Asuncion on the 11th of March 1542, after a painful journey of four months and a half. The other half of Alvar Nuñez’s people, under the command of his nephew, Pedro Estopiñan, went by sea to Buenos Ayres, and found the town of Don Pedro de Mendoza abandoned and the houses burnt by order of the ambitious Irala.
This Commander was eight whole months on his way, for the distance is reckoned to be five hundred miles from Noster Signora desumsion to this place or harbour of S. Catherina.
He also brought with him from Spain his commission from H. I. Majesty, and required that Martin Domingo Eijolla[143] should yield up the whole government to him, and that all the men should be obedient to him in every respect. The commander, Martin Domingo Eijolla, and all the people declared they were ready to obey, but with this understanding, that he, Cabessa de Bacha, should show and lay before them some document to prove that he had received from His Imperial Majesty such powers and authority.
[143] Domingo Martinez de Irala.
But this the whole assembly could not obtain from him; only the priests and two or three of the captains affirmed it, that Albernunzo Cabessa de Bacha ruled and commanded; but we shall see hereafter how things went with him.