Of the town of Guanica and why it was abandoned and another, called Sotomayor, established, and of the Indian rebellion and uprising and how they killed half of the Christians that were on the island of San Juan, and of the force and prowess of Captain Diego de Salazar.

    At the beginning of the year 1510 the people whom Don Cristobal de Sotomayor brought over and others who came from this island of Hispaniola to San Juan founded a town they called Guanica which is almost at the end of the island, where there is a bay believed to be one of the finest in the world: and there at five leagues from the town of Guanica they discovered five goldbearing rivers, named Duyey, Horomico, Icau, In, and Quiminen. But there were so many mosquitoes in this town that they alone sufficed to cause its abandonment, and those people and its inhabitants passed over to the west-northwest to what is called Aguada and called this new site or village Sotomayor."
     While they were in this town, the Indians of the island rose up one Friday, almost at the beginning of the year 1511, while Indians and Christians were very much at peace, and their rebellion took this form. They saw that the Christians were spread out over the island, and so every chief killed those that were in his house or territory; so that eighty Christians or more were killed at the same time. And Chief Agueybana, who was also called Don Cristobal, as the most important one, ordered another chief called Guarionex to go as captain and assemble all the other cheftains and to go and burn the new town called Sotomayor. And more than three thousand Indians came together for this purpose, and as the town was completely surrounded by thickets and dense woods, they were not perceived until they fell on the village; although an Indian boy saw and reported them, he was not believed.

     And as they attacked suddenly they had time to set fire to the town and kill some of the Christians, and not a single one would have been left alive, if it had not been for a gentleman living there named Diego de Salazar who, be­sides being devoutly attached to the Mother of God and of chaste life, was a very brave and strong man. And when he saw matters in such sorry plight, and all the remaining Christians at the point of losing their lives, he took charge of them, and so encouraged those who were already almost conquered, that by his own boldness and good words he compelled and persuaded them to resist like men, with great impetus and daring; and they did so. And he and they fought against the multitude of enemies in such wise that they withstood it, and like a valiant captain in the presence of his adversaries, he assembled all the Christians who were left and led them to the town of Caparra, where was Captain Juan Ponce, as I have said, governor of the island; and all who got there said that next to God, Diego de Salazar had saved their lives.
      This so frightened the Indians, and gave the person of Diego de Salazar such a reputation among them, that they feared him like fire, because they were completely unable to believe that any man in the world was so worthy of being feared. The truth is that, prior to this, Diego de Salazar had given another demonstration of his valor to the Indians, and such a big one that, if they had expected to find him at Soto- mayor, they would not have dared to go there, even though, as I have said, there were more than three thousand of them. But in order that we may pass on to other matters, since we have mentioned the strength and valor of this gentleman, I shall give another outstanding example of his courage, which began the reputation and concept the Indians had of him, and their reason for fearing him, and this was the cause.

      A chief named Aymanio seized a Christian youth, the son of Pero Suarez de la Camara, a native of Medina del Campo, and tied him up, and commanded his people to play batey (which is the Indian ball game), and the winners would have the privilege of killing him. This must have been about three months before what I have said was done to the town of Sotomayor. While the Indians were eating, before start­ing their ball game in the afternoon with the life of the poor youth at stake, as they had agreed, an Indian boy, servant to the captured Pero Suarez, got away and fled to the land of Chief Guarionex, where Diego de Salazar was at that sea­son: and as the boy wept, bemoaning the suffering and death to which he left his lord, Salazar asked him where his master was, and the Indian told him what was happening. Salazar immediately decided to go there to die or save him, if he could; but the boy, afraid, did not wish to go back or guide him.       Then Diego de Salazar threatened him and said he would kill him if he did not go with him and show him where the Indians had his master; so that he had to accom­pany him, and when they arrived where they were, Salazar waited a while so that they would not see him until he fell upon the Indians.
      And he went into a caney, a round but where Suarez was tied up, waiting for the Indians to finish their dinner to play for him and kill him when the game was finished; and Diego de Salazar quickly cut his bonds and said to him: "Be a man and do what I do." And he began to attack head on some three hundred or more Indian braves with sword and shield, killing and wounding with such fine daring and effect as if he had a like number of Christians behind him, and he wrought such destruction among the Indians that, although they were warriors and unwilling, they let him go with the said Suarez; because, as Diego Suarez severely wounded a captain in the very house where this happened, the others lost heart to such a degree that he and Suarez sallied out among them, as I have said.

     And after Salazar was separated by a good distance from his adversaries they sent messengers after him begging him to please return, because they liked him a lot as a very brave man, and they wished to content him and serve however they might. When he heard this message, even though it came' from such barbarous and savage people, he determined to go back to learn what the Indians wanted of him; but his com­panion, like a man who had seen himself in such a desperate spot and so near death, was not of the opinion that they should return: rather he knelt before Diego de Salazar and asked and begged him for the love of God not to return, since he knew that there were so many Indians, and only the two of them, that they could not escape death, and to do that now was to tempt God, and not an effort or thing to be done. And Diego de Salazar replied and said to him, "Look, Suarez, if you don't want to go back with me, go on in good hour, you are safe; but I have to return to see what these Indians want, and they must not think I am afraid to do so."
      Then Suarez could not do anything but go back with him, even though unwillingly; but as he was an honorable man and owed his life to Salazar, he agreed to follow him and turn back to danger in company of such a brave man, and he also brandished his sword. And they returned together and found the Indian captain very badly wounded; and Diego de Salazar asked him what he wanted and the captain or chief begged him to give him his name and said that he would be glad to be called Salazar like him, and he wanted to be his perpetual friend, and he was very fond of him: and Diego de Salazar said that he was pleased to have him called Salazar like himself. And straightway the Indians began to call him Salazar, Salazar; as if by the permission he were in­vested with the same strength and ability as Diego de Salazar. And as a beginning of this friendship and in payment for the favor of willingly letting him take that name, he gave him four naborias, or slaves, to wait on him and also jewels and gems, and the two Christians went off with them in peace. From that time on the Indians were so afraid of Diego de Salazar that whenever some Christian threatened them they replied: You think I ought to fear you as if you were Salazar."

      When Juan Ponce, who governed the island, saw then what this gentleman had achieved in the two outstanding feats I have mentioned, he made him a captain among the other Christians and gentlemen who soldiered under his command; and others were transferred; and afterwards, even when there were changes of governors, Diego de Salazar always remained a captain and was in charge of a num­ber of men until he died of syphilis. And even when he was very sick, they carried him with all his infirmity into the field, and wherever they were going to fight the Indians; because the Indians took it for granted that neither the Christians could be conquered, nor could they win, where Captain Diego de Salazar was found, and the first thing they sought to learn with all diligence was whether this captain was with the Christians.
      In truth, according to what I have heard from trustworthy eyewitnesses, he was a person to be respected; because, besides being a man of great strength and force of character, he was very temperate and well bred and to be esteemed by men everywhere, and all praise him as very devoted to Our Lady. He died after that painful sickness I have mentioned, performing a remarkable and patient penance, according to what I have learned of all this from Juan Ponce de Leon himself and Pero Lopez Angulo and other knights and gen­tlemen who were on the island when these things took place, and who even took part in these and many other troubles.