Testimony

Document Extracts regarding the Luna Settlement and Hurricane. Transcribed and translated by John E. Worth. Extract from testimony of Alonso de Montalban, August 11, 1561, regarding the storm: “They arrived safely without lacking one man or ship at the port of Ochus, which is now called Polonça … and that after having brought forth on land the people and horses…and more than half of the supplies and all the tools and weapons, within twenty or twenty-five days, a little more or less, there struck a hurricane, which was a very great storm, with which were lost all the ships that were anchored in the aforementioned port, except for two barks and one caravel and a frigate which escaped in the said port, and the ship San Juan which the aforementioned Governor Don Tristan and the stated Field Master dispatched to the aforementioned New Spain to the said Viceroy with the news of how they had arrived at the stated port and disembarked safely, with which news there went the Factor Luis Daça..and having dispatched the said Factor Luis Daça to the aforementioned New Spain to give the stated news to the said Viceroy, the aforementioned Governor and the stated Field Master dispatched Sergeant Major Mateo de Sauz and Captain don Christobal de Arellano into the interior to discover a settlement called Ypacana…the aforementioned Field Master and all the captains and officials asked the said Governor to to go to the stated Ypacana with all the camp, so that they would not see themselves in such necessity of hunger, which they had seen because of the supplies that they had taken out of the ships having been soaked and damaged with the hurricane and the many rains, if there had not arrived at that time the ship San Juan, which Luis Daça took, and a bark which they had dispatched to the aforementioned señor Viceroy giving him news of what happened with the hurricane, and the necessity in which they were. In the aforementioned ship and bark, the said señor Viceroy sent a quantity of supplies with great brevity…” “..llegaron en salvamento sin faltar hombre ny navio alguno al puerto de Ochus que agora se llama Polança … e que despues de aver sacado en tierra la gente y cavallos … y mas de la mytad de los bastimentos y todas las herramyentas e armas dende en veynte o veynte y cinco dias poco mas o menos sobrevino un huracan que fue muy gran tormenta con la qual se perdieron todos los navios que estavan surtos en el d[ic]ho puerto eçeto dos barcas y una carabela y una fragata que escaparon en el d[ic]ho puerto y el navio San Ju[an] que el d[ic]ho governador don Tristan y el dho maestre de campo despacharon a la d[ic]ha Nueva España al d[ic]ho senor Visorrey con la nueba de cómo avian llegado al d[ic]ho puerto y del embarcado en salvalm[ien]to con la q[ual] d[ic]ha nueba fue el fator Luis Daça…y despachado el d[ic]ho fator Luis Daça a la dicha Nueba España a dar la d[ic]ha nueva al dicho señor Visorrey despacharon el d[ic]ho governador y el d[ic]ho maestre de campo al sargento mayor Mateo de Sauz e al capitan don Xpoval de Arellano la tierra adentro a que descubriesen una poblacion que se llamava Ypacana…el d[ic]ho maestre de campo y todos los capitanes y oficiales pidieron al d[ic]ho governador que fuese a la d[ic]ha Ypacana con todo el campo por que no se viesen en necessidad de hambre como se avian visto por averseles moxado y dañado con el uracan y las llubias muchas los bastim[ient]os que abian sacado de los nabios si no llegaron en aquel tiempo el navio San Juan que llevo Luis Daça y una barca que abian despachado al d[ic]ho señor Visorrey dandole aviso de lo sucedido del uracan y la necesidad en que estavan en el qual dicho navio y barca el d[ic]ho señor Virrey enbio cantidad de bastimentos con mucha brevedad…”