os himself and Padre
Fray Joseph Delgado set off from Guatemala and traveled twenty-three
leagues through very rough country. At length they came upon some
Choles, whom they formed into three small villages called San Lucas,
Nuestra Senora del Rosario, and Santiago. They later made these
villages one and placed in it the thirty or so Indians whom they had
baptized. As the other Indians had withdrawn further to the north, the
Provincial and Delgado determined to go after them. The Indian converts
objected to this, but the missionaries overcame their fears. In due
time they came to a certain hill which the natives worshiped as God of
the Mountains. Some Indian lads they had with them as servants urged
the Padres to place an offering of copal before this god in order to
propitiate him and prevent him from destroying them all. Of course the
two priests refused to give in to the superstitious fears of their
servants. They said Mass instead. As a result all their followers, save
two bearers, left them.

The Indians are Friendly to them. Once the mountains had been safely
crossed, the Padres found that the Indians on the other side came to
see them readily enough. When the natives found that their white
visitors meant them no harm, they welcomed them and made a comfortable
pathway, over which they conducted the Padres.

The Route Taken by the Two Padres. After some time they reached the
shore of a large, fine river called Yaxha. There they encamped for a
while, going on afterward to the house of a cacique named Matzin, who
was later christened Martin. He treated them very well and they founded
the village of San Jacinto Matzin and preached the Christian faith
there. Four leagues away lived another cacique, called Ilixil, to whom,
in spite of the risk of hunger, they went. First founding a village
called San Pedro y San Pablo Ilixil, the Padres baptized many children.
In that same village of Ilixil they met some Indians who had come
thither from Cahabon and who offered to act as guides. With them the
Padres went to a place called May. After several interesting
adventures, told by Villagutierre (p. 157), they renamed the village
San Joseph May.

The rainy season shortly afterward began, and the missionaries retired
toward Cahabon, setting up crosses as landmarks at suitable places
along the way. When they regained their first village, San Lucas
Tzalac, they found matters much as they had left them. From San Lucas
they we