Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A SPANIARD'S ACCOUNT OF WAR
WITH THE INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE OF CÓRDOBA
{We] went to the province of the Comechingones [Córdoba], who
are bearded and very hostile Indians; and Captain [Pedro de]
Mendoza went to the said river of Amazona [sic] with half of the men,
and I remained in the camp in that province of the Comechingones,
where during the period of 20 days these Indians attacked us four
times, killing 20 of our horses. Seventy of us remained there in that
camp, and each week half of us would go out to look for food, and
once, seeing us divided, they came to the camp; but for bad luck they
would have attacked us at night, because they would always fight at
night and with fire. And at the time they came to do this, I [Pedro
González de Prado] and Francisco Gallego were on watch, and these
Comechingones came into the camp, and seeing this, I and the said
Francisco Gallego charged at them alone, and since we were no more
than two and this squadron had more than 500 Indians, placed in
good military order with the squadron closed up and carrying bows,
arrows, and half lances, when I charged into this squadron, they gave
my horse a blow on the head so that he was stupefied and fell with
me in the middle of this squadron, and the Indians would have killed
me with their arrows if it had not been for the good armor I was
wearing. . . .
. . . I remained with the Captain Nicolás de Heredia, where we
had many battles with the Indians and they killed many horses. We
managed to build a fort with logs and branches and kept watch at
the gates of it, and one night these bearded Indians came to attack
us and got in through some gates that were closed, seeing us divided
because the other companions had gone for food; and I was one of
the first who came out to these gates to fight with the Indians, and
the 30 of us Spaniards who were there defeated them and killed
many of them.
Source:
“Capítulos de una información de servicios prestados por
Pedro González de Prado, que entró en las provincias del Tucumán
y Río de la Plata.” In Parry, John H., and Robert G. Keith.
New Iberian
World:
A Documentary History of the Discovery and Settlement of Latin
America to the Early 17th Century
. 5 vols. (New York: Times Books,
1984), Vol. 5, pp. 426-427.
