before and behind, endeavouring to pull him to the ground, and it required
the most strenuous exhortations both of Alvarado and Father Olmedo to
animate the exertions of our troops, who at length succeeded in defeating
and dispersing the Indians. Our army halted in the field of battle for
three days, unmolested by the enemy, and then marched to Quetzaltenango,
where Alvarado hoped to have given his troops some repose; but he found
two xiquipils of warriors, or 16,000 men assembled to oppose him in a
plain, where he gave them so complete a defeat, with so heavy a loss of
warriors, that they remained for a long time under complete awe of the
Spaniards. The chiefs of these Indians sent a deputation to Alvarado,
offering peace and submission, under which they had concealed a plan for
destroying his army in the following manner. At a short distance there was
a place called Utatlan, in a very difficult rugged country, and surrounded
by defiles, to which they invited him to march, intending to fall upon him
there with all their forces, as in that place the cavalry could not act.

Alvarado accordingly marched to Utatlan, a town of considerable strength,
which had only two gates, the ascent to one of which was by a stair of
about twenty-five steps, and the other opened to a very bad broken
causeway, the streets likewise being very narrow, and the houses very
close together. Observing the bad situation of this place, and that the
women and children had disappeared, Alvarado began to suspect that some
mischief was in contemplation; and he was informed by some Indians of the
place he had last quitted, that a number of warriors were concealed all
round the place, to which they meant to set fire in the night, and then
assault him with all their forces. Alvarado immediately called his troops
to arms, and marched out into the open country, telling the chiefs that he
did so for the purpose of procuring grass for his horses. They did not
seem pleased with this change; and as soon as Alvarado was completely
clear of the town, he seized the principal cacique, whom he reproached for