"Yazi ukuthi ngakwesokunene sama-Indies kwakukhona isiqhingi esibizwa ngokuthi yiCalifornia esiseduze kakhulu ne-Earthly Paradise." I-sergas yase-Esplandián (Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo)
UCortés wabhala encwadini yakhe yesine ye-Relationship elandisa ngohambo olwenziwa omunye wabaphathi bakhe esifundeni saseColima: “… kanjalo-ke wangilethela ubudlelwano namakhosi esifundazwe saseCiguatán, okusolakala ukuthi sinesiqhingi sonke esinabantu abesifazane, ngaphandle kowesilisa, nokuthi ngezikhathi ezithile basuka ezweni lamadoda ... futhi uma bezala abesifazane bayabagcina futhi uma amadoda ebakhipha enkampanini yabo ... lesi siqhingi sinezinsuku eziyishumi ukusuka kulesi sifundazwe ... ngitshele ngokufanayo, umnqobi, icebe kakhulu ngamapharele negolide ”. (UBernal Díaz del Castillo, Umlando Wokunqotshwa kweNew Spain, uhlelwe nguPorrúa, Mexico, 1992.)
Akunzima ukucabanga, ukwazi ukucabanga kwesifazane-yize ama-Amazon ashiwo ngenhla edlula lokho okungase kube nakho kolwazi olushiwo ngalo-, ukuthi phakathi kwamasayithi akhethwe abesifazane basenganekwaneni kwakukhona leyo ndawo ekude, nolwandle lwayo, lapho amaparele ayemaningi khona, ngoba ama-Amazon -uma ayekhona- ngokungangabazeki angakujabulela ukuzihlobisa ngomkhiqizo odidayo wesinye sezimvukuzane ezibukeka kabi kakhulu sezilwandle, esinikezwe ubuhlakani obuphakathi, mhlawumbe ukuze ukhokhele ububi bayo bangaphandle, ngesinye sezipho ezinhle kakhulu: amaparele. Akungabazeki ukuthi la "maqhawe" ayezobamba intambo nezingalo zabo ngemicu nangemicu yalezi, ezihlanganiswe nefayibha yama-magueys ayezochichima "ekukhubazekeni" kwabo okuyinganekwane, okwakuyogcina kuholele ekutheni kube neqiniso elimangalisayo kepha kungahlali ama-Amazoni.
UHernán Cortés, owayesevele eneminyaka engamashumi ayisihlanu ubudala, futhi enezifo ezithile ezincane zakhe, yize kungenzeka ukuthi zabangelwa kakhulu yimpilo yakhe eyingozi, eneminwe emibili yesandla sakhe sobunxele ekhubazekile nengalo yakhe yaphuka ngokuwa okubi kwehhashi, nomunye emlenzeni owodwa ngenxa yokuwa odongeni eCuba, futhi lapho ayengakalulanga khona ngokushesha lapho ukuphelelwa isineke akufisayo, eshiya ukuxhwala okuncane - umphumela owawungaqinisekiswa lapho kutholakala amathambo akhe emashumini amane eminyaka edlule iSonto Lasesibhedlela saseJesús-, mhlawumbe wayingabaza le nganekwane, kodwa wazwakalisa intshisekelo yakhe yokukhuthaza ukuhlola amazwe ageza iSouth Sea ngalesosikhathi, eyadlulela ngale kwamazwe awanqobayo, ngenhloso Ngokushesha waqala ukwakha imikhumbi ngasogwini lwaseTehuantepec.
Ngo-1527 imikhumbi emincane eyayikhokhelwa nguCortés futhi yabekwa ngaphansi komyalo ka-Álvaro de Saavedra Cerón washiya indawo yokulungisa imikhumbi eyayingcono futhi wangena kulolo lwandle olukhulu, ezinsukwini zethu iPacific Ocean - igama elinehaba kancane-, futhi njengoba kwaziwa, wafika Ngemuva kwesikhathi siye eziqhingini zeSpice noma iMoluccas, eSoutheast Asia. Empeleni, uCortés wayengahlose ukukhulisa ukunqoba kwakhe aye emazweni angaziwa nasekude e-Asia, futhi ngisho nokuncane ukuhlangana nama-Amazon ashiwo ngenhla; isifiso sakhe kwakungukubona ogwini loLwandle LwaseNingizimu, njengoba sekushiwo, nokuhlola, njengoba kukhonjiswa amasiko athile omdabu, uma ngabe kukhona iziqhingi zomcebo omkhulu eduze nezwekazi.
Kwenzeka futhi ukuthi isikebhe esasiphethwe uCortés, futhi owayephethe iFortún -u Ortuño- Jiménez, nethimba lakhe elalihlubukile, esehlele nabanye "amaBiscayans ... sahamba saya esiqhingini asibiza ngokuthi yiSanta Cruz, lapho bathi khona ukuthi kwakukhona amaparele futhi kwakusenabantu abaningi njengamaNdiya njengamaqhawe ", kubhala uBernal Díaz kulo msebenzi oshiwo ngenhla - okwathi, yize engekho, wayengenakuphikwa kukho konke - futhi ngemuva kokulwa okukhulu babuyela ethekwini laseJalisco:" nangemva kwempi eyadala abalimele kakhulu babuyela ethekwini laseJalisco… baqinisekisa ukuthi umhlaba muhle futhi unabantu abaningi futhi ucebile ngamaparele ”. UNuño de Guzmán uliqaphelile leli qiniso, "nokuthola ukuthi kukhona yini amaparele, ukaputeni namasosha awathumile bazimisele ukubuya ngoba abawatholanga amaparele noma yini enye." (Qaphela: UBernal Díaz wakudlulisa lokhu ekuqaleni kwakhe.)
UMas Cortés - uBernal uyaqhubeka -, owafakwa eqhugwaneni eTehuantepec futhi "owayeyindoda enenhliziyo", nokwazi ukutholwa kukaFortún Jiménez nabavukeli bakhe, wanquma ukuya mathupha e "Island of Pearls" ukuyohlola izindaba zokuthi ifulegi likaDiego Becerra lilethe nabasindile abayisikhombisa bohambo oluthunyelwe phambilini, futhi basungula ikoloni khona lapho, lijoyine abakwa-harquebusiers namasosha ngemikhumbi emithathu: iSan Lázaro, iSanta Águeda neSan Nicolás, kusuka esikhumulweni semikhumbi iTehuantepec Ibutho lalinabesilisa abangamakhulu amathathu namashumi amabili, kufaka phakathi abangamashumi amabili nabesifazane babo abanesibindi, okuthi - yize lokhu kungukucabanga nje - bezwe okuthile ngama-Amazons.
Ngemuva kwamasonto ambalwa egibele - uCortés kanye nenani elithile lamadoda babezogibela amahhashi-, kamuva baqala eChametla, ogwini lwaseSinaloa, bafika endaweni abayiqambe ngokuthi iSanta Cruz, kwazise kwakungoMay 3 (usuku lwalokho iholide) ye! unyaka ka-1535. Ngakho-ke, ngokusho kukaBernal: "bagijimela eCalifornia, okuyibhayi." Umbhali wezindaba ezimnandi akasakhulumi ngabesifazane, mhlawumbe ngoba, mhlawumbe bekhathele, bahlala endaweni ethile ogwini olumangalisayo belinde abayeni babo abangafika namaparele emajele abo ukuze babaduduze ngokungabikho kwabo. Kodwa kwakungeyona yonke into eyayilula: ngesinye isikhathi uCortés kwakudingeka aye ogwini futhi, ngokusho kukaDe Gómara: "wathenga eSan Miguel ... ewela engxenyeni yaseCulhuacán, isoda eningi nenhlamvu ... nezingulube, amabhola nezimvu ..." ( UFrancisco de Gómara, General History of the Indies, umqulu 11, edluliselwe eLberia, Barcelona, 1966.)
Khona lapho kuthi ngenkathi uCortés eqhubeka nokuthola izindawo ezingavamile kanye namathafa, phakathi kwawo kukhona amadwala amakhulu athi, akha i-arch, avule umnyango wolwandle oluvulekile: “… kunedwala elikhulu ngasentshonalanga, elisuka ezweni, liqhubekela phambili ukuzolula kolwandle ... into ekhetheke kakhulu ngaleli dwala ukuthi ingxenye yalo igwazwe ... phezulu kwayo yakha i-arch noma i-vault ... ibukeka njengebhuloho lomfula ngoba ibuye ingene emanzini ”, kungenzeka ukuthi leyo arch yathi phakamisa igama elithi "California" kuCortés: "abantu baseLatin babiza i-vault enjalo noma i-arch fornix" (uMiguel del Barco, umlando Wezemvelo kanye nomlando weCalifornia yasendulo), "nasolwandle oluncane noma e-cove" ehambisana nalolo khothamo noma "vault", mhlawumbe uCortés, ongathanda ukusebenzisa isiLatin sakhe esifundwe eSalamanca ngezikhathi ezithile, wabiza le ndawo enhle: "Cala Fornix" -or "cove of the arch" -, eguqula amatilosi akhe abe "California" , ekhumbula ukufundwa kwakhe kwentsha kwamanoveli, okwakudume kakhulu ngaleso sikhathi, ebizwa "ngamahhashi".
Isiko libuye lisho ukuthi umnqobi wabiza ulwandle, olwaluzophatha igama lakhe maduze, futhi ekhombisa ukuzwela kwalo - ngokungangabazeki ukuthi wayenakho - uLwandle lwaseBermejo: lokhu kungenxa yombala, othi ngokushona kwelanga kolwandle kuqhubeke, kutholakale izithunzi phakathi igolide nokubomvu: kulezo zikhathi akuselona ulwandle olukhulu oluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka noma oluphaphathekile olunikezwa ukukhanya kwemini. Ngokungazelelwe seluphenduke ulwandle lwegolide ngokuthinta okunobhedu okuncane, okuhambisana negama elihle elinikezwe umnqobi.
UMas Cortés wayenenye intshisekelo enkulu: enye yazo, mhlawumbe ebaluleke kakhulu, ngaphezu kokuthola umhlaba nezilwandle, kungaba yindawo yokudoba amaparele futhi washiya iSouth Sea ukuze ahambe olwandle aye kolunye ulwandle, noma kunalokho igebe eliseduze, Wayeyinika igama lakhe -ukuyibuyisela esikhundleni emakhulwini eminyaka kamuva yiGulf of California- ukuze azinikele kulo msebenzi, ethekwini laseSanta Cruz, futhi abe nempumelelo enkulu enkampanini. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wadabula izindawo ezinhle kakhulu-lapho kwakungavamile ukuna khona-, okwakhiwa ama-cacti nama-oases emithi yesundu kanye namacansi anezimila ezijabulisayo, ngasemuva kwezintaba ezinkulu, ezihlukile kunalokho ayekubonile. Umnqobi akalokothi akhohlwe umsebenzi wakhe ophindwe kabili, obekungukunikeza inkosi yakhe imiphefumulo kanye noNkulunkulu wakhe, yize kuncane okwaziwayo ngabokugcina ngaleso sikhathi, ngoba abomdabu bebengatholakali kalula, beba nokuhlangenwe nakho okungathandeki nabasohambeni -o abanqobi- ngaphambili.
Khonamanjalo, uDona Juana de Zúñiga, esigodlweni sakhe eCuernavaca, wayekhathazekile ngokungabikho komyeni wakhe isikhathi eside. Ngenxa yalokho akubhalele yena, ngokusho kukaBernal ongenakuchazeka: ngothando olukhulu, ngamagama nangemikhuleko ukuthi abuyele esimweni sakhe nasemarquise ”. Futhi u-doña Juana obekezelayo waya kumvikeli ka-don Antonio de Mendoza, "emnandi kakhulu futhi enothando" ecela umyeni wakhe ukuba abuye. Ukulandela imiyalo yenduna kanye nezifiso zikaDona Juana, uCortés wayengenakwenza okunye ngaphandle kokubuyela emuva abuyele e-Acapulco ngasikhathi sinye. Kamuva, "sifika eCuernavaca, lapho kwakukhona iMarchioness, lapho kwaba nenjabulo enkulu, futhi bonke omakhelwane bajabula ngokuza kwakhe", u-doña Juana nakanjani uzokwamukela isipho esihle esivela kuDon Hernando, futhi akukho okungcono kunamaparele athile kunabatshuzi. ibizokhipha ocingweni, ngaleso sikhathi, "isiQhingi Samaparele" -esifanekisela okwaseCaribbean futhi, kamuva, iCerralvo Island-, lapho umnqobi ayejabule khona, ebuka abomdabu namasosha abo beziphonsa ekujuleni kusuka olwandle futhi kuphume nengcebo yalo.
Kepha okubhalwe ngenhla inguqulo yeBernal Díaz engenakulinganiswa. Kunezinhlobo ezahlukahlukene zokutholakala "kwamazwe abebukeka enabile futhi enabantu abaningi kepha ebe ejulile olwandle." Abantu base-Ortuño Jiménez, ohambweni olwaluthunyelwe nguCortés, babecabanga ukuthi kwakuyisiqhingi esikhulu, mhlawumbe esasicebile, ngoba ezinye izinhlobonhlobo zamaparele oyster zazaziwa ogwini lwaso. Namalungu omkhankaso ayethunyelwe umnqobi, mhlawumbe ngisho noHernán Cortés uqobo lwakhe, ayengayiqapheli ingcebo enkulu yalezi zolwandle, hhayi kuphela emaparele ayesenesikhathi eside elindelwe futhi emangalisa, kepha nasezinhlobonhlobo zezilwane zasolwandle. Uhambo lwakhe oluya ezilwandle okukhulunywe ngalo ngenhla, olube ngenyanga kaMeyi, lwageja umbukwane omkhulu wokufika nokuhamba kwemikhomo. Kodwa-ke, amazwe anqotshwa uCortés, njengalawo e-Cid, "enweba" ngaphambi kwehhashi lakhe nangaphambi kwemikhumbi yakhe.
