Diary of Sebastian Vizcaino 1602-1603
In: Spanish exploration in the Southwest 1542 – 1706, edited by Herbert Eugene Bolton, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1916
On the 12th of the said month, which was the day of the glorious San Diego, the general, Admiral, religious, captains, ensigns, and almost all the man went on shore. A hut was built and mass was said in celebration of the feast of Señor San Diego. When it was over the general called a council to consider what was to be done in this port, in order to get through quickly. It was decided that the Admiral, with the chief pilot, the pilots, the masters, caulkers, and seamen should scour the ships, giving them a good cleaning, which they greatly needed, and that Capt. Peguero, Ensign Alarcon, and Ensign Martin de Aguilar should each attend to getting water for the ship, while ensigns San Juan Francisco, and Sgt. Miguel de Lagar, with the carpenters, should provide wood.
When this had all been agreed upon, 100 Indians appeared on a hill with bows and arrows and with many feathers on their heads, yelling noisily at us. The general ordered Ensign Juan Francisco to go to them with four arquebusiers, father Fray Antonio following him in order to win their friendship. The Ensign was instructed that if the Indians fled he should let them go, but if they waited he should regale them. The Indians waited, albeit with some fear. The Ensign and soldiers returned, and the general, his son, and the Adm. went toward the Indians. The Indians seeing this, two men and two women came down from a hill. They having reached the general, and the Indian women weeping, he cajoled them and embraced them, giving them some things. Reassuring the others by signs, they descended peacefully, whereupon they were given presence. The net was cast and fish were given them. Whereupon the Indians became more confident and went to the rancherias and we to our ships to attend to our affairs.
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In this bay the general, with his man, went ashore. After they had gone more than three leagues along it a number of Indians appeared with their bows and arrows, and although signs of peace were made to them, they did not dare approach, excepting a very old Indian woman who appeared to be more than 150 years old and who approached weeping. The general cajoled her and gave her some beads and something to eat. This Indian woman, from extreme age, had wrinkles on her belly which looked like a blacksmith’s bellows, and the navel protruded bigger than a gourd. Seeing this kind of treatment the Indian came peacefully and took us to their rancherias, where they were gathering their crops and where they had made paresos of seeds like flax. They had pots in which they cooked their food, and the women were dressed in skins of animals. The general would not allow any soldier to enter their rancherias; and, it being already late, he returned to the frigate, many Indians accompanying him to the beach. Saturday night he reached the captain’s ship, which was ready; wood, water, and fish were brought on board, and on Wednesday, the 20th of the said month, we set sail. I do not state, lest I should be tiresome, how many times the Indians came to our camps with skins of martens and other things. Until the next day when we set sail, they remained on the beach shouting. This port was given the name of San Diego.
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On the 27th of the month, and before casting anchor in a very good cove which was found, a multitude of Indians came out in canoes of cedar and pine, native planks very well joined and caulked, each with eight oars and with 14 or 15 Indians, who looked like galley slaves. They came alongside without the least fear and came on board our ships, mooring their own. They showed great pleasure at seeing us, telling us by signs that we must land, and guiding us like pilots to the anchorage. The general received them kindly and gave them some presents, especially to the boys. We anchored, and the Admiral, Ensign Alarcon, father Fray Antonio, and Capt. Peguero, with some soldiers went ashore. Many Indians were on the beach, and the women treated us to roasted sardines and a small fruit like sweet potatoes.
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The next day the general and the Father Commissary went ashore, a hut was built, and mass was said. More than 150 Indian men and women were present, and they marveled not a little at seeing the altar and the image of our Lord Jesus crucified, and listened attentively to the saying of mass, asking by signs what it was about. They were told that it was about heaven, whereat they marveled more. When the divine service was ended the general went to their houses, where the women took him by the hand and led him inside, giving him some of the food which they had given before. He brought to the ship six Indian girls from 8 to 10 years old, whom their mothers willingly gave him, and he clothed them with chemises, petticoats, and necklaces, and sent them ashore. The rest of the women, saying this, came with their daughters in canoes, asking for gifts. The result was that no one returned empty-handed. The people go dressed in seal skins, the women especially covering their loins, and their faces show them to be modest; but the men are thieves, for anything they saw unguarded they took. They are people given to trade and traffic and are fond of barter, for in return for old clothes they would give the soldiers skins, shells, nets, thread, and very well twisted ropes, these in great quantities and resembling linen. They have dogs like those in Castile.
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… On the beach there was a Pueblo and more than 300 Indians, men, women and children. The general and Ensign Alarcon went ashore and inspected it. The next day the general and many of the rest of us went ashore. The Indian men and women embraced him and took him to their houses. These women have good features. The general gave them beads and regaled them, and they gave him prickly pears and a grain like the gofio of the Canary Islands, and in some willow baskets very well made, and water in vessels resembling flasks, which were like rattan inside and very thickly varnished outside. They had acorns and some very large skins, apparently of bears, with heavy fur, which they use for blankets.
The general went inland to see the opposite coast. He found on the way a level prairie, very well cleared, where the Indians were assembled to worship an idol which was there. It resembled a demon, having two horns, no head, the dog at his feet, and many children painted all around it. The Indians told the general not to go near it, but he approached it and saw the whole thing, and made a cross, and placed the name of Jesus on the head of the demon, telling the Indians that that was good, and from heaven, but that the idol was the devil. At this the Indians marveled, and they will readily renounce it and receive our holy faith, for apparently they have good intellects and are friendly and desirous of our friendship. The general returned to the Pueblo, and an Indian woman brought him to pieces of figured China silk, in fragments, telling him that they had got them from people like ourselves, who had negroes; that they had come on the ship which is driven by a strong wind to the coast and wrecked, and that it was farther on. The general endeavored to take two or three Indians with him, that they might tell him where the ship had been lost, promising to give them clothes.
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So we went on skirting the coast and on Monday, the second of the said month, we sighted two other large islands. Passing between the first and the mainland, a canoe came out to us with two Indian fishermen, who had a great quantity of fish, growing so swiftly that they seem to fly. They came alongside without saying a word to us and went twice around us at so great speed that it seemed impossible; this finished, they came aft, bowing their heads in the way of courtesy. The general ordered that they be given a cloth, with bread. They received it, and gave in return the fish they had, without any pay, and this done they said by signs that they wished to go. After they had gone five Indians came in another canoe, so well constructed and built that since Noah’s Ark the finer and lighter vessel with timbers better made has not been seen. Four men rowed, with an old man in the center singing as in a mitote of the Indians of New Spain, and others responding to him. Before coming alongside the stopped and he saluted us three times, making many ceremonious gestures with his head and body, and ordering the Indians to row around. This was done so swiftly that in a moment they went around us twice and immediately came aft. Only the old man spoke, he saying by signs that we must go to his land, where they would give us much food and water, where there was a river. He gave us a flask of it which he had brought, and a willow basket of food, a sort of porridge made of acorn meal. This Indian made himself so well understood by signs that he lacked nothing but ability to speak our language. He came to say that as a pledge of the truth of what he said one of us should get into his canoe and go to his land, and that he would remain on board ship with us as a hostage. The general, in order to test the Indians good faith, ordered a soldier to get into the canoe, and at once the Indian came aboard our ship with great satisfaction, telling the others who were in the canoe to go ashore and prepare food for all of us.
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… The Ensign and the pilot said that they had gone into the interior of the said Island and that there was a Pueblo there with more than 200 large houses in each one of which led more than 40 Indians; and that in the midst of its two poles were nailed together, with one above, like a gallows. More than 20 canoes came alongside the frigate, and because they were all done they dared not stay there. In this place there are many numbers of Indians, and the mainland has signs of being thickly populated. It is fertile for it has pine groves and oaks, and a fine climate, for although it gets cold it is not so cold as to cause discomfort.
RICHARD PETTINGER HELLER 