In the City of Mexico, 5 November 1573, the lords president and magistrates of the Audiencia Real of New Spain, being in session, therefore Baltasar Dorantes de Carranza, who says he is the son of Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, deceased, and of María de la Torre, widow, residents of this city, has made a petition in the said session that a report be received about his age, qualities, abilities, and his wealth, and that he is the legitimate son and the eldest of those left by his said father, and his merits and service and characteristics, with which to appeal to the Royal Person, and ask of him that in remuneration, he grant the benefits referred to in the said petition, because in order to conform with what His Holy Majesty has ordered by his new royal decree, official report must be supplied proving that there is nothing to the contrary of that [report] given by the said Baltasar Dorantes de Carranza, in order to send it to His Holy Majesty and the lords of His Royal Council of the Indies with the opinion of this Real Audiencia, and in order to effect this the Lord Viceroy of the said Real Audiencia before which the said report is to be taken and received and to which purpose will require that the persons whom it is understood shall give evidence appear before it and receive from them their words and statements and guarantee, and [once] done the said report be brought to the session so that opinion be given conforming to what His Holy Majesty orders. Santiago López de Agurto.

In the City of Mexico, 6 November 1573, the Lord Doctor Farfan of His Holy Majesty’s Council, Magistrate of the Royal Audiencia of Mexico on duty in this matter, ordered Friar Antonio Roldán, Provincial of the Order of San Francisco, to appear before him, from whom an oath was taken and received in the due legal form, swearing by God and by Holy Mary and on the sign of the cross and as a priest he put his right hand on his chest, he himself swearing on his habit of Saint Francis, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth, and the said magistrate put to him the following official questions.

Asked if he knows María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, husband of the said María de la Torre, and if he knows all those mentioned in the question, and he believes that he knew them more than 30 years since, and the said Baltasar Dorantes when a child, and he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre were married and wed according to the orders of the Holy Mother Church because he saw them live married life, and during their marriage they had the said Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son and three or four daughters of whom, at present, one is a maiden and lives with her mother, and he does not know of any other male child except for the said Baltasar Dorantes, and this he responds.

Asked in what parts and places in this New Spain this witness knew the said Andrés Dorantes and what service he gave there to His Holy Majesty, he said that what he knows is that

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it may be more than 30 years since this witness saw the said Andrés Dorantes and Castillo Maldonado and Cabeza de Vaca and Estebán, the said Dorantes’ black [slave], come to this city and it was said to be very widely known that, of the many people who had left Spain to discover Florida, none were left but the aforementioned, and they had travelled towards the provinces of Culiacán, and in this city, this witness saw them, greatly impoverished, and Don Antonio de Mendoza, who was viceroy of this New Spain, received them and had them in his home, where this witness heard them recount their great misfortunes and calamities and hunger and thirst and slavery and other cruelties that the Indians did them, and at great length they recounted the troubles they suffered, and he had learnt since that a chronicle was written, to which he refers and thus he responds.

Asked in what other cases the said Andrés Dorantes has served and served His Holy Majesty, this witness said he saw that the said Viceroy Don Antonio put him in charge of magisterial cases in order to support himself, in which he did what should as an honoured man and the hidalgo that this witness understood him to be and as he showed through word and deed, that as such he was treated, having arms and horses and servants and a large family.

Asked about the characteristics of the said Baltasar Dorantes, son of the said Andrés Dorantes, this witness said that he held him to be a person of much goodness, rank, and openness, and without vice, and nobly married, and he would be suited to whatever favour His Holy Majesty may be pleased to do him, because he is such as has been stated and is married with children and has no wealth, neither he nor his mother nor his maiden sister, with which to support themselves and he deserves it because of his own character and because of the merits of his father, and this witness is certain that he would know how to serve His Holy Majesty very well and discharge well whatever royal duties He might bestow on him, and he knows for certain that they suffer great hardship and this that he has said is the truth for [the purpose of] the sworn statement that he affirmed and ratified, and he signed it with his name and it was signed and sealed by the Lord Magistrate, and he said he was more than 50 years old and that the general questions did not pertain [to him], Friar Antonio Roldán, Provincial, and he passed before me, Baltasar Moreno, His Holy Majesty’s Notary.

Following the above in the City of Mexico 6 November 1573 the said Lord Magistrate

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ordered that Friar Juan Osario, Professed Friar in the Monastery of the Lord Saint Francis in this city, appear before him and an oath was taken and received from him in the due legal form, swearing by Our Lord God and by Holy Mary and by his habit of the Lord Saint Francis that he will tell the truth about what he may know of this case, and he was asked about what is offered as testimony by the said Lord Magistrate, and he was asked the following official questions by the said Lord Magistrate, and in front of me Baltasar Moreno, Notary and Clerk of the Court of the Real Audiencia of Mexico.

Asked if he knows Baltasar Dorantes and María de la Torre, his mother, and Andrés Dorantes, his father, since when, and if he knows that the said María de la Torre and Andrés Dorantes have been man and wife, legitimately married and wed according to the order of the Holy Church and that during their marriage they had the said Baltasar Dorantes as legitimate children [sic], this witness said that he knew the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre for more than 35

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years since, and he knows that they were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church of Rome and they were taken and held to be so [married] and this witness took and held them to be so, and during their marriage they had and procreated the said Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate child and other daughters that they also had from the said marriage.

Asked what parts and places in this New Spain this witness knew the said Andrés Dorantes and what services he has done for His Holy Majesty there, he said that it was well known in this New Spain that in the bygone year 1527 he went as Captain to the provinces of Florida with Pánfilo de Narváez, in which he served His Holy Majesty very well because there are histories of the deeds and things he did and what happened, to which he refers, according to which he seems to have served His Holy Majesty as a person of great value and spirit and that he appears to have been much troubled, ill-clad, and tired, and the said chronicle states this at greater length, and this witness saw that the said Andrés Dorantes and Castillo Maldonado and Cabeza de Vaca walked about all Florida with Dorantes’s black man and this witness saw them come

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to this city ill-clad and in a bad state from the many troubles that they had suffered on the long peregrination that they had walked, by which, this witness understand, Our Lord was served through their discovery of such a quantity of territory so that the people there might live in recognition of our Holy Catholic Faith, and by the troubles and scant clothing and hunger, [and] this witness refers to the chronicle there is about it.

Asked if he knows in what cases and ways the said Andrés Dorantes was occupied after he came to this City of Mexico and New Spain, he said that the Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza entrusted him with magisterial and municipal duties in which he served His Holy Majesty because he was a man of much rank, a good Christian, fearful of God, and of much goodness, and this witness knows that he was taken to be a man of much standing and a gentleman, and thus he showed himself to be by his character.

Asked if he had been sufficiently remunerated for his service in the said provinces of Florida, this witness said that he understands that because of his service to His Holy Majesty and for discovering so much territory as he did, he deserves that His Holy Majesty’s favour be bestowed on his children, for the service that he did them,

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especially Baltasar Dorantes who is a very good youth and dedicated to virtue and he is very poor and needy and he is now a man of more than 25 years.

Asked if, were His Holy Majesty to favour the said Baltasar Dorantes, he would be well employed and know how to serve, he said that he took it as certain that whatever favour His Holy Majesty might bestow on the said Baltasar Dorantes is deserved, as much for the services and merits of his father as for being a man of much value and very virtuous and without vice and dedicated to virtue, and he would well know how to serve, and this is the truth and what he knows for [the purpose of] the sworn statement he made, which he affirmed and ratified and signed and said he was 68 years old, and the general questions do not pertain to him, Friar Juan Osorio passed before me Baltasar Moreno, His Holy Majesty’s Notary.

This said day, month, and year stated above, the said Lord Magistrate had appear before him Don Luis de Castilla, Knight of the Order of Saint James, of whom an oath was taken and received in due legal form, sworn by God and Holy Mary and by the Order of Saint James, which he received placing his hand on the red cross [lagarto] he wore

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[1/9] on his breast, under the charge of which he promised to tell the truth and he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knows Baltasar Dorantes, resident of this city, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, his father, and María de la Torre, his wife, father and mother of the aforementioned, and if he knows that they were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church of Rome, and as such he saw them live married life and during their marriage, besides other daughters, they had […] Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son, and thus and as such he saw him raised and named, calling him son and he [calling] them father and mother and this is public and well known, and that this witness did not known another male child of Andrés Dorantes apart from the said Baltasar Dorantes.

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Asked if he knows in what ways and cases the said Andrés Dorantes served His Holy Majesty in this New Spain and if he has been remunerated by reason of that service and if His Holy Majesty has bestowed any favours on him and what were the services he did, he said that what he knows is that the said Andrés Dorantes came to the provinces of Florida in the company of Pánfilo de Narváez, and as his Captain, where he served His Holy Majesty, crossing all the territories of Florida, managing where they [sic] could to pacify the territory and bring it into the service of His Holy Majesty, and that it is public and well known that for this reason he had much trouble, hunger and thirst and captivity for more than ten years, and that he could not avoid having much trouble, along with the others who were left, for he and Alonso de[l] Castillo Maldonado and Cabeza de Vaca came to be slaves of the Indians of those provinces and as such served them, and the Indians and their children made them suffer great risks and dangers to their lives, like martyrs, and the aforementioned suffered many and excessive troubles, for they crossed so much territory, escaping across enemy territory, and the service

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they did His Holy Majesty is written in a chronicle that is printed, where all this is attested to, [and] which is referred to, and this witness does not know of any favour that may have been bestowed on either father or son by reason of so much trouble that he suffered and the service he did, and at present this witness understands that the said Baltasar Dorantes is in very extreme need as a married man with children, and he does not know him to have any estate with which to maintain himself, and he deserves that in respect of the services of his father and the rank and goodness, standing and Christianity of the said Baltasar Dorantes that His Holy Majesty favour him, because he will thus be well employed and will know how to serve His Holy Majesty.

Asked if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes maintained arms and horses and servants in this city, being always at the forefront in serving His Holy Majesty, or if he knows something contrary, this witness said that the said Andrés Dorantes had always behaved to him like a noble gentleman, [an] hidalgo, maintaining arms and horses and servants and he was always at the forefront in serving His Holy Majesty, and in the offices he held he served His Holy Majesty

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as a good and honoured man in the time that Don Antonio de Mendoza was the Viceroy and he showed himself thus in the qualities of his character and this is public and well known and he knows nothing to the contrary.

Asked if he knows that the said María de la Torre, mother of the said Baltasar Dorantes, may have some wealth with which to suppor and feed herself and the said Baltasar Dorantes and a maiden daughter of hers, sister of the said Dorantes, this witness said that he does not know of any wealth that María de la Torre may have with which to support herself, nor the said Baltasar Dorantes, nor a sister he has, nor the children of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and that he is worthy of whatever favour His Holy Majesty may bestow on him, it will suit him, as well as the other merits that he has said, and this he responds and it is the truth for [the purpose of] the sworn statement he made, which

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he affirmed and ratified and he did not sign because unable to through having an eye disease, [such] that he says he cannot see a thing, and he said he was more or less 70 years old, he passed before me, Baltasar Moreno, His Holy Majesty’s Notary.

In the City of Mexico, 17 November 1573, the said Lord Magistrate had Diego de Ordaz, resident of this city, appear before him, from whom was taken and received an oath in due legal form, swearing by God and by Holy Mary and by the Sign of the Cross, which he held in his right hand, under the charge of which he promised to tell the truth, and he was asked the following official questions by the Lord Magistrate.

Asked if he knows María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and Doña Antonia de Benavides

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her very same daughter, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, who was resident of this city and has died, he said he knows and knew all those contained in the question for more than 30 years since and Baltasar Dorantes since he was a child.

Asked if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and the said María de la Torre were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church, and during their marriage they had the said Baltasar Dorantes as a legitimate child and what he knows about this, this witness said that the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre, his wife, were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church of Rome because he saw them live married life a long time and during their marriage they had Baltasar Dorantes as a legitimate son, because this witness saw him so raised,

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treated, and called, and this witness takes him to be such, and this is public and well known, and that this witness did not know of another male child had by the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre apart from the said Baltasar Dorantes who now intends to make a report, and that he also knew the aforementioned four daughters, one of whom is at present a maiden ready for marriage, and is a ward of her mother and this is public and well known.

Asked in what ways and cases the said Andrés Dorantes served His Holy Majesty in this New Spain and elsewhere, this witness said that he has heard that the said Andrés Dorantes came from the Kingdoms of Castile to these parts, to the provinces

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of Florida in the company of Pánfilo de Narváez and that he managed to discover the provinces of Florida and that there he served His Holy Majesty with great trouble, hunger, and poorly clad, and this is public and well known, and that he has heard said that there is a chronicle of the deeds done, [the] hunger, troubles, and captivity they experienced, to which this witness refers, and that this witness saw that the said Andrés [Dorantes] and Cabeza de Vaca and Castillo Maldonado arrived very poor and needy from the said discovery in this New Spain, and with much trouble, and this witness heard them say that in order to reach this city they had suffered much hunger and excessive troubles and in this city they were lodged by the Viceroy

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Don Antonio de Mendoza and this is public and well known, and that in this city the Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza provided him with certain offices in which did well, and this he responds.

Asked if he knows of Andrés de [sic] Dorantes’s rank and class, this witness said he held the said Andrés Dorantes to be a well known gentleman, [an] hidalgo, and he was held in such repute in this city and New Spain, and he saw him behave as such, having his household, villages, servants, arms, and horses, and this is public and well known.

Asked if he knew that the said Baltasar Dorantes, son of the said Andrés de [sic] Dorantes is a youth of 25 years of age, settled, prudent, a good Christian, and without vice, dedicated to virtue, and if he knows anything to the contrary, this witness said that he takes Baltasar Dorantes to be about the age the question states, honoured, and a good Christian, dedicated to virtue and a good example, of good living habits and renown, and he holds him to be an able man, sufficient for whatever office

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His Holy Majesty may be pleased to favour him with, he will be thus well employed and will know how to serve very well, and the witness knows that at present he is married and that he has heard said that he has no wealth with which to maintain himself, nor his mother, nor a maiden sister, nor does this witness know of any, save for the rent from Alcalá and “Mexcalçimgo” that he has heard, and [which] is public and well known, have been taken from him, and this he responds and it is the truth of what he knows of the case for [the purpose of] the sworn statement he made, which he affirmed and ratified, and signed it with his name and said he was more or less 55 years old and the general questions do not pertain to him, and the Lord Magistrate signed it, Diego de Ordaz Villa Gómez passed before me, Baltasar Moreno, His Holy Majesty’s Notary.

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[1/19] In the City of Mexico on 7 December 1573, for the purpose of the said official report the Lord Doctor Pedro Farfan of the Council of His Holy Majesty and His Magistrate of the Audiencia of Mexico on duty, to whom this report is made by royal accord, ordered Juan de Santa Cruz, resident of this city, to appear before him, from whom an oath was taken and received, sworn by Our Lord and by Holy Mary, His Mother, and by a sign of the cross in due legal form, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knew Andrés Dorantes, husband of María de la Torre and father of Baltasar Dorantes, and if he knows the aforementioned and for how long, and if he knows that the aforementioned was married and wed, and where, and if the said they procreated the said Baltasar Dorantes from the said marriage, this witness said that he knew the said […] Baltasar Dorantes [sic] and Andrés Dorantes for more than 35 years since, whom he saw espoused and live married life correctly with the said María de la Torre, his wife, and he saw them held to be married and wed in this city and in other parts of New Spain, and this witness took them [to be], and he saw that during their marriage they had and procreated the said Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son, and he saw the said parents raise and feed and teach him as their legitimate son, and he has commonly been taken and held and reputed to be such in this city amongst all the other people here

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and that he does not know of any other male child of those mentioned above other than him mentioned above.

Asked to say and declare in which parts and places of this New Spain this witness had known the said Andrés Dorantes and what services he did His Holy Majesty, or heard that he might have done in other parts, he said that he did not remember well which year it was that this witness, being in this City of Mexico, the said Andrés Dorantes came from Florida, and this witness saw him come to this city in the company of Alonso Maldonado and of one Cabeza de Vaca, whom this witness heard say, in the presence of Don Antonio de Mendoza, who was the Viceroy of this New Spain, how the aforementioned came from the lands of Florida, that they had gone with an armada of Pánfilo Narváez, and that they had been captives of the Indians in the land many years, and that they had suffered great troubles and calamities and that this witness saw how following this campaign the Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, placing much trust in the said Andrés Dorantes, kept him employed, and he exercised many offices of sheriff and other business and offices in the service of His Holy Majesty, this witness always saw him give a good account of himself in what he was charged to do, and the said Don Antonio de Mendoza thought highly of him and he placed trust in him, and this he responds to what he is asked.

Asked to say and declare if he knows [that] the said Andrés Dorantes might have done something to discredit his character and if he knows the characteristics that he had and how he behaved, this witness said that he did not know nor had heard that the aforementioned had done anything discrediting, on the contrary, he held him and saw him held in great esteem and honoured

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[1/21] and a friend to honour, well respecting his character and having his arms and horses and servants, that after he came lost from Florida he was helped by the said Viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoza, honouring him and keeping him in his household, giving him the said offices and treating him as a gentleman, [an] hidalgo, this was the esteem in which he was held, and in which this witness held him, and this he responds to this question.

Asked what rank Baltasar Dorantes, son of the said Andrés Dorantes, had and what age he is, and if he is married or not, and what wealth he has, this witness said that he takes the said Baltasar Dorantes to be a virtuous man, the son of good parents, and he is intelligent and able, and he would be more or less 25 years of age, and that he behaves as befits him and his lineage and his family, and he is married, and he has heard that he has children, and this witness holds him to be a man in need, and that it seems to this witness that given his rank and the other good things about him, he would be suited to whatever favour His Holy Majesty might be pleased to bestow on him, and he is worthy of such, and that what he has said and declared is the truth and what he knows about the case for [the purpose of] the sworn

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[1/22] statement that he has made, and it is public and well known and publicly spoken of and renowned, which he affirmed and ratified, it being read again to him before the said Lord Magistrate in the presence of me, the Notary below named, and he signed it with his name and said he was more than 50 years old, and that none of the general questions he was asked pertained to him, Juan de Santa Cruz [passed] before me, Juan de Figueroa Farfan, His Holy Majesty’s Notary and Clerk of the Court.

Following the above, in the City of Mexico, on the said day, 7 December 1573, [for the purpose of] the said report, the said Lord Magistrate had Alonso de Villa Seca, resident of this city, appear before him, who was asked, before me, the Notary and Clerk of the Court, below named, an oath was taken and received, sworn by Our Lord God and His mother, Holy Mary, and by a sign of the cross, in due legal form, by the charge of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and might be asked, he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knows Baltasar Dorantes and knew Andres Dorantes, his father, and María de la Torre, his wife, father and

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[1/23] mother of the aforementioned and if he knows that they were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church and during their marriage they had the said Baltasar Dorantes as a legitimate son, or if he knows something to the contrary, this witness said he met Baltasar Dorantes a few days ago and he knew the said Andrés Dorantes and his mother for 35 years since, more rather than less, and that he saw them live together and live in concord, living married life as husband and wife, and that thus they were and were taken and held and commonly reputed to be, and this witness held them as such, and that this witness heard said and had heard publicly how from the said marriage the aforementioned had and procreated the said Baltasar Dorantes as a legitimate son and that is the repute in which he has been had and held in this city, and this witness does not know nor has heard anything to the contrary, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to say and declare in which places and parts of this new Spain this witness knew the said Andrés Dorantes and what services he knows that he did there for His Holy Majesty and heard he had done in other parts, this witness said he met the said Andrés Dorantes later, when he came to this city from Florida, amongst those who were lost in Florida with the

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[1/24] with the armada of Pánfilo de Narváez, which could be more than 35 years ago, and later, when the aforementioned arrived in this territory, lost, this witness saw that he came in the company of Cabeza de Vaca and Castillo Maldonado, they who had escaped the said armada and came by land from Florida, and that the witness listened to the aforementioned recounting the great disasters they had been through, and had heard others [state] publicly that no one else had escaped other than those mentioned and Estevanillo, a black man, and this he responds.

Asked if he knows in what other ways he served His Holy Majesty in this land and if he was given office here, this witness said that he does not know /more than what is said/ in what other further ways he served His Holy Majesty than have been stated, nor what offices he was given, other than that the said Andrés Dorantes and the others who came with him were well received by the Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza and by the Marquis, Don Hernán Cortés, and by all the people and the Audiencia.

Asked to declare what rank Andrés Dorantes had, he said that after he came to this land, as has been said, he met the said Andrés Dorantes, that he had married and had his household and horses and arms

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[1/25] and behaved honourably as a gentleman and person of rank, and that was the reputation this witness held him to have, and he saw that he was had and held to be and commonly reputed to be so, and he knows nothing to the contrary, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to say and declare if the said Baltasar Dorantes, his son, is a man of 25 years, and an able and virtuous person, or knows something to the contrary, this witness said that he takes the said Baltasar Dorantes to be 25 years old, as he looks, and he holds him to be an able and virtuous person, and that he is married and has children, because he has heard it said thus.

Asked to declare if he knows of wealth with which he might maintain himself well and [if] they are in need, and what favour that His Holy Majesty might wish to bestow on him will suit his character, he said that he does not know the aforementioned to have any wealth because he had no dealings with him, nor does he know if he has estates, but he believes that whatever way that His Holy Majesty might be served by employing him and favouring him, it will suit his character well because he is of such kith and rank as he has declared and an able and capable and virtuous person, and that he knows nothing to the contrary of it, all he has said is the truth and what he knows of the case for [the purpose of] the sworn statement that made,

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[1/26] which he affirmed and ratified before the said Lord Magistrate and he signed it with his name, and said he was more than 50 years of age, Alonso de la Villa Seca, before me, Juan de Figueroa.

Following the above, in the City of Mexico on the said 7 December 1573, the said Lord Magistrate acting in the matter of the said official report, had Pedro de Benavides, resident of this City of Mexico, appear before him, of whom an oath was taken and received in due legal form, in front of me, the Notary and Clerk of the Court, named below, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knows María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and also if he knew Andrés Dorantes, the husband of the said María de la Torre and father of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and for how long and if he knows that the said María de la Torre and Andrés Dorantes were married and wed according the order of the Holy Mother Church and during their marriage they had and procreated Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son and that they had no other male child but him,

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[1/27] and if he knows anything to the contrary, this witness said that he has known the said Baltasar Dorantes and María de la Torre, his mother, and knew Andrés Dorantes, father of the above and husband of the said María de la Torre, who was first the wife this witness’s brother, Alonso de Benavides, for more or less 40 years, and this witness knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and the said María de la Torre, after she was widowed, were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church in this city, and he saw them espoused because at that time he was in this city and she had been the sister-in-law of this witness, who saw them live married life correctly as legitimate husband and wife and they were commonly had and held in such reputation, and this witness held them [thus] and saw that out of the said marriage they had and procreated Doña Beatriz and Doña Paula and another daughter and the said Baltasar Dorantes and that he does not know that they had another male child other than the said Baltasar Dorantes, whom he saw treated, raised, and nourished and named as a legitimate son and

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[1/28] saw him had and held in such repute, and this witness holds him [thus], and it is publicly voiced and well known and this he responds to what he is asked.

Asked to say and declare in which parts and places this witness saw the said Andrés Dorantes and what services he knows he did for His Holy Majesty, both in this land and in other parts where he may have been, and [what] he has heard, this witness said that he knew the said Andrés Dorantes, this witness being in this city [when he] came from Florida in the company of Cabeza de Vaca and Alonso del Castillo and one Estebanillo, a free black man, who said that they had escaped from the defeat/voyage and expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez, and that the said Andrés Dorantes had gone on the said campaign as Captain and Treasurer and that on it he had served with much willingness, that they had lost their way and had suffered very great and excessive troubles and calamities and that they had been prisoners of the Querechos and the barbarous people, that by the grace of God and because of their wisdom [and] hard work they freed themselves and came across lands and seas until they reached this New Spain, emerging at the Valle de los Corazones, and that the

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[1/29] Indians of that valley came to join those mentioned above, who alone had escaped from the said armada, at settlements of Christians and of these peoples, that the said Indians guided them towards the west to some cities and provinces called Cíbola and that they wisely did not go towards those parts, but had a different purpose and route, following the sun towards this New Spain and thus they turned in the opposite direction and reached Culiacán, where the sheriff was Hernán Darías de Saavedra, and Miguel Díaz, who was Captain in that province, and that from there Hernán Darías, seeing them arrive with no clothes and bows and arrows, with the Indians who accompanied them because the said they cured them of their diseases by blessing them, and that the said Hernán Darías treated them as the gentlemen that they were and he sent them to this city, to Don Antonio de Mendoza, who at that time was Viceroy in residence, and the said Don Antonio de Mendoza, on seeing them, lodged them in his household and gave them all the horses and personal effects they needed, and he questioned them and learnt that further towards the

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[1/30] north are the provinces of Cíbola and the Valley of Sonora and they are large enclosed settlements with six or seven stories in their permanent streets and squares, and that he chose Andrés Dorantes to go as Captain of a certain company he wished to give him for the discovery of the above, and that Fray Marcos de Niza, learning of this, spoke with and convinced Don Antonio de Mendoza that he should not send any captain to those parts because he offered to go with three or four friars of his order, if given Estevanillo, the black man, and as this seemed to the Viceroy to be good advice, he arranged it thus and the friar went on the expedition following instructions given [to] the Provincial by the said Andrés Dorantes, [and] that after eight or nine months the friar came with great news of those parts, and on seeing that the news was so great and the reports such Don Antonio Mendoza managed to arrange men and [an] armada and provide [a] general and captain for the purpose, and thus it was done and many memorable things were found in the land and because

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of the Captain General Coronado it became depopulated for being recently married [sic], and to say that New Spain had mutinied as he has said and declared above, which is public and well known, and this witness went as a soldier and understudy of the said Francisco Vázquez de Coronado and he saw all that he has said, and the land was valuable, and His Holy Majesty gave this witness a licence containing an order to the Viceroy of New Spain to take the information he might give about the case, and this he responds to this question.

Asked if he knows in what other ways the said Andrés Dorantes served His Holy Majesty and how he was employed by the Viceroy Don Antonio and what posts he held, this witness said that the said Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza thought highly of the said Andrés Dorantes and gave him the position of sheriff and other duties and he always had an eye out so that he could give to him [such] arduous cases as might arise, and in everything he would give and gave a good account [of himself] always showing himself to be a person of value and great prudence and stature as a servant of His Holy Majesty and this he responds to this question.

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Asked to declare if he knows the rank of the said Andrés Dorantes and how he behaved and if he had arms and horses with which to serve His Holy Majesty or if he knows anything to the contrary, he said that as he has said he saw the said Andrés Dorantes held and had and taken to be an important person of rank and to have his arms and horses and servants and to be held in much esteem and value and thus he was taken and held to be and this witness never heard anything said to the contrary.

Asked if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes may have been given some reward or other income in remuneration for the said services and if he left wealth or not when he died, this witness said that [already] being married to the said María de la Torre, he went to Spain to the Court of His Holy Majesty [and] that His Holy Majesty favoured him by giving him the settlement of Malcalcingo and he refers to the licence for the favour of the said settlement bestowed on him by His Holy Majesty and this witness saw him have and possess it until he died and after he died the said María de la Torre and the said Baltasar Dorantes succeeded him.

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and it is thus and as he is treated as a relative in the household of the said María de la Torre and the said Andrés Dorantes, this witness takes it to be very certain that no wealth at all was left to the aforementioned when he died, nor did this witness know of any, by contrast he understand that he was left in debt because of the great expenses that he had maintaining his character and family, and in respect of the said settlements that are part of another case, statements have been made by one side and by the other, and it is understood that those statements are not contrary to this [case], but [concur].

Asked to declare if he knows Baltasar Dorantes’s age and if he is married and has children or not, and whether he is an able and capable person for whatever thing he is charged with, and if he is virtuous, or otherwise, and if he is worthy of His Holy Majesty’s favour because of the service of his father and to what degree he might be favoured, and if he is rich or poor, this witness said that it seemed to him that Blatasar Dorantes was more or less 25 years old and that so he seemed from his appearance, and perhaps

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older, whom this witness knows to be married to a daughter of Juan Bravo de Lagunas, and this witness believes him to have children by her, and this witness understands that if they take away from him the settlements, and thus it is, that he would end up very poor, to such an extent that he would not be able to maintain himself because he has no other estate that this witness knows of, and that this witness holds Baltasar Dorantes to be an able and capable person for whatever business that one might wish to charge him with, and he holds him very virtuous and inclined to virtue and he neither knows nor has heard said that he may have done anything un-befitting a gentleman and honoured person, and that this witness holds it to be certain that because of his kith and because of his father’s service, His Holy Majesty might justly favour him and grant him any office and so doing he knows that any favour he might be granted would suit his character and he will be worthy of it, and this witness knows nothing to the contrary of what has been said and declared, all of which is the truth for [the purpose of] the sworn statement that he has made,

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which he affirmed and ratified before the said Lord Magistrate and he signed it with his name and said he was more or less 56 years old and that none of the general [questions] pertain [to him], other than that, as he has said, María de la Torre was first the wife of this witness’s brother, but he has not desisted from telling the truth because of that, Pedro de Benavides, before me, Juan de Figueroa.

Following the above, in the City of Mexico on the said 7 December 1573, the said Lord Magistrate, had Sebastián Granado, resident of this City of Mexico, appear before him, from whom an oath was taken and received in due legal form, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knows Baltasar Dorantes and María de la Torre, his mother, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, husband of the aforementioned and father of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and since when, and if he knows that the said María de la Torre and Andrés Dorantes were

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married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church, and during their marriage they had and procreated the said Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son, and that they did not have another male child but him, and if he knows anything to the contrary, he said he had known the said Baltasar Dorantes for a short time, and knew Andrés Dorantes, his father, since more or less longer than 35 years ago, which was when he came lost from Florida, and that this witness heard it said that it was public and well known that Andrés Dorantes had married in the City of Los Angeles in this New Spain and that from his marriage they [sic] had Baltasar Dorantes as a legitimate child, and this witness had held him to be such, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to say and declare in which places this witness knew Andrés Dorantes and what service he saw him do His Holy Majesty, and what he heard said that he had served, this witness said that he knew the said Andrés Dorantes [when] recently come to this City of Mexico when he came lost from Florida, himself and one Cabeza de Vaca and Maldonado, who were the only people who escaped from that campaign, the General of which

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was Pánfilo de Narváez, and this witness heard it said publicly [at] that time that the said Andrés Dorantes had served His Holy Majesty in that campaign with much trouble and with great calamities and troubles, and that he had escaped and risked coming across very remote lands and deserts and that God miraculously freed them and had mercy on them, for the Indians of the provinces through which they passed held them to be and called them children of the sun, and they brought them their sick, and in His mercy Our Lord permitted them to cure all the sick that were brought them of any disease they had, in His name, so that they [the Indians] might come to the Gates of Clarity [i.e. see the Way of Light], and thus they were given free passage between one place an another until they came to reach the land of Culiacán, and they were well received by the governor who was there at that time, and that once come to this city Don Antonio de Mendoza received them very well as gentlemen and the people of rank that they were, and he favoured them and this witness heard the above as much from the said Andrés Dorantes as from the said Cabeza de Vaca and Castillo Maldonado and other people, and it was something public and well known, and that after a certain time, this witness,

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when on his way to Castile in a lone ship captained by Sancho de Pinigo, saw that the said Andrés Dorantes embarked in order to petition His Holy Majesty for favour, and they travelled for eight months, lost at sea, with great troubles, at the end of which /in/ the ship turned back without arriving in Castile, and they reached Yucatán, where, during the said voyage, Andrés Dorantes recounted to this witness the great calamities and troubles that they suffered on the Florida campaign and how God had so miraculously freed them, and back in this land this witness had lost all he took with him to sea, and later he learnt that the said Andrés Dorantes had embarked again and gone to Castile, where say [sic] that for his services His Holy Majesty favoured him with the encomiendas of two settlements, and this he knows and responds to this question.

Asked to declare if he knows in what other ways the aforementioned served His Holy Majesty, he said that he does not know more than what he has said, which was and is well worthy of reward.

Asked if he knows the characteristics of the said Andrés Dorantes and how he behaved, this witness said that he always took the said Andrés Dorantes to be a gentleman and a person of much standing and character, and that the Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza had great respect for him

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and other gentlemen and people of rank in this city esteemed him and thought highly [of him], and thus he behaved as a gentleman and a person of worth and knowledge and of great wisdom, and this witness saw him behave thus, having his arms and horses both in this city as during the said voyage, with all those aboard the ship esteeming him as a person of much rank, and this witness did not know nor heard anything to diminish what he has declared, nor anything to the contrary, and this he responds to this question.

Asked if he knows the age of Baltasar Dorantes and if he is married and has children, and if he is a virtuous person, a knowledgeable man, or [to] the contrary, and if he knows him to have any wealth or not, and if he deserves His Holy Majesty to do him some favour both for his own character as for the services of his father, and this witness said that the said Baltasar Dorantes looked to be more or less 25 years old, and that this witness holds him to be a good and virtuous man and a knowledgeable man because of his appearance and wisdom, although this witness has not known him for long, and it seems to this witness that because of the merits and service of his father and what he suffered in the service of

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His Holy Majesty on the said Florida campaign that his son, the said Baltasar Dorantes, will be worthy of whatever favour that His Holy Majesty may be pleased to do him, because he is the son of a good father and he seems to be a good man to give good account [of himself], and that he does not know anything to the contrary of what is said, nor does he know of any wealth nor if he is married or not, which is the truth for [the purpose of] the sworn statement he has made, which he affirmed and ratified before the said Lord Magistrate and he did not sign because he said he did not know how to write and declared he was more or less 80 years old and that none of the general [questions] pertain to him, and that God aid [i.e. bless] the truth, and the said Magistrate signed it before me, Juan de Figueroa.

And following the above, in the City of Mexico, on the said 7 December 1573, for [the purpose of] the official report the said Lord Magistrate, before me, the said Clerk of the Court, had Gonzalo de las Casas, resident of this City of Mexico, appear before him, from whom an oath was taken and received, and he swore it in the due legal form, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know or be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

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Asked if he knows María de la Torre, widow, and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, husband of the aforementioned and father of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and for how long, and if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre, his wife, were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church, and during their marriage they had and procreated Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate child, and he was the only male amongst the children they had, or if he knows anything to the contrary, this witness said that he has known the said María de la Torre and the said Baltasar Dorantes since the aforementioned was born, and her since she married Andrés Dorantes, that Andrés Dorantes whom the witness had known for what could be more or less 36 years, which was when the aforementioned arrived lost from Florida, and that after he came he married the said María de la Torre, he saw them live married life correctly, as legitimate husband and wife, and it was and has been publicly said and well known that they were married in the way of the Holy Mother Church and that during the said marriage they had and procreated Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate child,

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and this witness was and has been his neighbour and saw him raised, treated, named, and nourished as such, and it is publicly said and well known, and this witness does not know these parents to have another male child, apart from the said Baltasar Dorantes, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to declare in which places this witness had known the said Andrés Dorantes, and what he saw or knew of his service to His Holy Majesty, both as an eyewitness and from hearsay, this witness said that, as he has said, he knew the said Andrés Dorantes later, when he came to this city from Florida in the company of Cabeza de Vaca and Castillo Maldonado and a black man called Estevanillo, who said that only they had escaped the Florida campaign of which the general was Pánfilo de Narváez, and this witness heard it said publicly in this city that the said Andrés Dorantes had been an important person on the said campaign and had served His Holy Majesty with much trouble and suffering, great calamities and disasters, and had been a captive of the Indians and that he

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and the aforementioned who came with him had escaped, coming from Florida through very remote lands and deserts and through great provinces, and that God had had mercy on them because in his name they cured all the sick who were brought to them, and the Indians took them to be children of the sun and they accompanied them and gave them safe passage until they were reaching Culiacán, where they were well received and treated as gentlemen and the important people they were, both by the governor and other people, and that once arrived at this city they were very well received by Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy at that time, who greatly esteemed and respected the said Andrés Dorantes as an important person, esteemed and wise, as [indeed] he was.

Asked to declare in what ways other than those he has said, he saw that the said Andrés Dorantes may have served His Holy Majesty, both in this New Spain and in other

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places, or what he had heard, this witness said he saw that during the said Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza’s campaigns to Jalisco he held the said Andrés Dorantes in great esteem and he took him with him on the said campaigns and expedition, both during the war when he went to force the people towards Cíbola, making good use of him, and this witness saw him there, and the said Viceroy valued him highly because of the qualities stated, and [he was] of great stature and wisdom in all matters of council, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to declare the character of the said Andrés Dorantes, and if he saw him have arms and horses and servants with which to serve His Holy Majesty and how he saw him behave and if he was remunerated for his said services and how, he said that as he has stated the said Andrés Dorantes was thus treated as a gentleman and highly respected hidalgo of much renown and stature, both by the said Don Antonio de Mendoza who was the Viceroy of this New Spain and the other important people, and thus he behaved, having his arms and horses and servants and that was and is publicly said and well known, and that this witness heard said that the aforementioned went to the Kingdoms of Castile to beg favour of His Holy Majesty, who, in remuneration of his service, favoured him with

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[1/45] certain encomiendas of settlements that this witness saw him have and possess in this New Spain, that he understands his son Baltasar Dorantes possesses at present, and that he does not know that he was otherwise favoured, nor knows if when he died he left any further wealth than that stated, and this he responds to this question ---

Asked to declare the age he knows the said Baltasar Dorantes to be, and if he knows that he is married and has children, and if he is an honoured, able, and virtuous man, a good Christian, and if he knows anything to the contrary, and if he knows that the aforementioned may have some more wealth than the said settlements with which to maintain himself and his household, and if he knows that both for his character and the merits and service of his said father he will be suited to whatever favour His Holy Majesty might be pleased to bestow on him, and in what things he will be worthy, this witness said that he holds the said Baltasar Dorantes to be and man of more or less 24 to 25 years and so he looks, and knows him to be married and wed with a daughter of Juan Bravo de Lagunas, by whom he has four or five children, and this witness holds him to be a virtuous and honoured man and a good Christian, and apt for any business, and this witness does not know of any wealth

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other than the said settlements that he inherited from his father, by contrast he sees that he is needy, and that if it were not for the settlements he would not be able to maintain himself, and that this witness understands that both for the qualities of his character and the services and merits of the said Andrés Dorantes, his father, he will be well suited and worthy of whatever favour His Holy Majesty may be pleased to bestow on him and he will give a good account of himself, and that he does not know anything to the contrary of this, because if there were this witness would know and it could not be otherwise because he has been and is a neighbour of the aforementioned, by whom all that he has said and declared is the truth and what he knows of the case and is public and well known and publicly stated and famed for the [purpose of the] sworn statement that he has made, which he affirmed and ratified before the said Lord Magistrate and he signed it with his name and said he was over 55 years old and that none of the general [questions] he was asked pertain [to him], and that God aid [i.e. bless] the truth, and the said Lord Magistrate signed it, Gonzalo de las Casas, before me, Juan de Figueroa.

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Following the above, in the City of Mexico, 7 December 1573, before me, the said Clerk of the Court, the Lord Magistrate had Santiago de Cabreros, resident of this city, appear before him for the said official report, from whom an oath was taken and received in due legal form, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

Asked to declare if he knows María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and if he knew Andrés Dorantes, the husband of the aforementioned and the father of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and for how long, and if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre, his wife, were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church and during their marriage they had and procreated Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate child, and as such they treated and nourished him, and that he was the only

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[1/48] male amongst the children they had, this witness said that he has known the said María de la Torre and the said Baltasar Dorantes, her son, since 18 years ago, and he did not know Andrés Dorantes, her husband and father of the aforementioned, however this witness has heard it said publicly in this city how the said Andrés Dorantes was the husband of the said María de la Torre and that from their marriage they had had the said Baltasar Dorantes, and the witness heard the said María de la Torre say how the said Baltasar Dorantes was her son, and she called and named him such, and that she had had him from her marriage to the said Andrés Dorantes, her husband, and he saw that she had the said Baltasar Dorantes in her household, when he married it caused the aforementioned great distress because it was without her permission, and so she has taken and held him to be thus her son, and he has seen that he is taken and held to be such in this city and it is publicly stated and well known, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to declare what he has heard said of the said Andrés Dorantes’s service to His Majesty both in this land and in

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other parts, and what characteristics he had, this witness said that he heard it said publicly in this city by people who had been in Florida /in other parts/ that the said Andrés Dorantes had been to Florida in the service of His Majesty and that he has been through many and innumerable troubles there, but to avoid being prolix he does not state them here, and the above was publicly stated and well known, that Castillo Maldonado and he and he does not know who else had been through it, and he does not know in what else he served because the said Andrés Dorantes was already dead when this witness came to this land, and this witness heard it said publicly that the aforementioned was an honoured man of quality, often hearing him much praised, and this he responds to this question.

Asked if he knows that at the end and on his death the said Andrés Dorantes left any wealth, and if he knows the age of Baltasar Dorantes, his son, and if he has children from the said marriage, and if he is an honoured, virtuous, able, and capable man, if he has wealth with which he can maintain himself, or knows anything to the contrary,

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this witness said that he does not know if the said Andrés Dorantes left any wealth other than that he has heard said he had certain Indians which it is said they want to take away from the said Baltasar Dorantes, or have [already] taken, it seems to this witness he looks like he would be more or less 25 years old, and that he has heard said that he has three children, or so at least he has heard it said, and that this witness holds the aforementioned to be an honoured, virtuous man, apt for anything, and this witness does not know him to have any wealth other than that he has heard his mother say that the settlements yielded he does not know what food with which to support themselves and that if they are taken from him he understands they will not be able to support themselves because this witness does not know him to have any wealth, and that what he has said and declared above is the truth, and he knows nothing to the contrary for the [purpose of the] sworn statement that he has made, which he affirmed and ratified before the said Lord Magistrate and he signed it with his name and declared he was more or less 48 years old, and the general [questions] do not pertain [to him], Santiago Cabreros, before me, Juan de Figueroa.

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Following the above, in the City of Mexico, on the said 7 December 1573, before me, the said Clerk of the Court, the said Lord Magistrate had Juan de Villa Gómez, resident of this City of Mexico, appear before him for the [purpose of the] said official report, from whom an oath was taken and received in due legal form, on pain of which he promised to tell the truth of what he might know and be asked, and he was asked the following questions.

Asked if he knows María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and if he knows Andrés Dorantes, the wife of the aforementioned and father of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and for how long, and if he knows that the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre were married and wed according to the order of the Holy Mother Church, and as such lived married life correctly, and during their marriage they had and procreated Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son and he was the only male child amongst the daughters they had

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and they treated and nourished him as such, he said that he has known the said María de la Torre and Baltasar Dorantes, her son, and knew the said Andrés Dorantes since he came to this land from Florida, which might be more than 30 years since, and this witness knew the said Andrés Dorantes and María de la Torre, his wife, to be married and live married life as such, and during their marriage he saw that they had Baltasar Dorantes as their legitimate son, and that he does not know nor has known any other male child whom the aforementioned may have had apart from the said Baltasar Dorantes, and he saw him treated and named thus as a legitimate son, and this he responds to this question and he knows nothing to the contrary.

Asked in what parts this witness knew the said Andrés Dorantes and what he knows or has heard said of his service to His Holy Majesty, he said that as he has stated it would be over 40 years ago since this witness saw the said Andrés Dorantes come to this land from Florida in the company of Cabeza de Vaca and Castillo Maldonado, and this witness heard it thus said in this city in front of

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Don Antonio de Mendoza, who at that time was Viceroy, how the aforementioned had gone to Florida in the armada of Pánfilo de Narváez, and how on the said campaign they had suffered great an innumerable troubles and necessities, as they alone had miraculously escaped, going by land through very remote provinces, and how they cured the sick by virtue of the word of God, and that they came to travel towards Cíbola and Culiacán, and that the Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza had received them well, paying them much respect as people of quality and the hidalgos they were, holding the said Andrés Dorantes to be person worthy of esteem, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to declare what qualities the said Andrés Dorantes had, and how he behaved, and if he had arms and horses and servants in order to serve His Holy Majesty, and if he knows if His Holy Majesty remunerated him for the said services and granted him favour, and if at the time he died he left any wealth and if he knows anything to the contrary, this witness said, as he has stated, the said Andrés Dorantes behaved as a very good gentleman, with his arms and horses and servants, and he was held to be a person of value and esteem and thus esteemed, and he behaved as a gentleman and greatly valued his character, and as such he saw him esteemed, and he knows nothing to the contrary, and that this witness knows that the said Andrés Dorantes went to Castile to beg favour of His Holy Majesty, and that he saw him return and say that he brought the grant of favour of certain settlements from His Holy Majesty, and references is made to the [title] deed, and he understands that as he brought back the said settlements, thus His Holy Majesty would [i.e. must] have favoured him thus in order to reward his service, and he saw him hold and possess those settlements, and he does not know if he left any wealth when he died, and this he responds to this question.

Asked to declare if he knows the age of the said Baltasar Dorantes, and if he knows that he is married and has children, and if he is an honoured [and] virtuous man, apt for whatever he might be charged to do, and if he knows anything to the contrary, if he knows that he has any wealth with which he could support himself and family, this witness said that he holds the said Baltasar Dorantes to be a more or less 24 to 25 year-old man and so he looks, and he knows that he is married to a daughter of Juan Bravo de Lagunas and has children, and this witness holds him to be an honoured and virtuous man, and a good Christian, apt for whatever he might be charged to do, and that he does not know nor had heard said anything to the contrary, and he understand that were it so then he should know because of the knowledge he has had of him, and that this witness does not know of any wealth apart from the settlements his father left him, and that if they take them away he understands that he will be very poor and will not be able to maintain his household.

Asked to declare if this witness understands that both because of his character and the service and value of his father, the said Baltasar Dorantes is worthy and suited to whatever favour His Holy Majesty may be pleased to bestow on him, and if he will be worthy of it and give a good account of himself, this witness said that he understand that whatever favour and of whatever grade His Holy Majesty may grant the said Baltasar Dorantes

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[1/54] his character will be well suited to it and he will be worthy of it both because of his qualities and characteristics that he has stated and as the son of the said Andrés Dorantes who was valued as has been declared, and for being the son of good [parents] and of the character that he has stated, and he understands he will give a good account of himself in whatever he is charged to do, and that he knows nothing to the contrary, all that he has said above is the truth and what he knows of the case for the [purpose of the] sworn statement that he has given above, which he affirmed and ratified before the Lord Magistrate and he signed it with his name, he declared he was more than 65 years old and that none of the general [questions] pertain, and that God aid the truth, and the Lord Magistrate signed it, Juan de Villa Gómez, before me, Juan de Figueroa.

I, Juan de Figueroa, guarantee that the witnesses who testified before the Lord Doctor Farfam as they appear above.

[…]

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[1/56] Official report received in the Real Audiencia of Mexico, in New Spain, about the one Baltasar Dorantes de Carranza gave to [be] read before His Majesty [and] to his Royal Council of the Indies.

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