The Franciscans did not long labor alone, for other orders hastened to share in the promising harvest. Early among these were the Dominicans, twelve of whom were sent from Spain, in company with the twelve Franciscans. Their head, Vicar-general Tomás Ortiz, was detained at court for a time, and his associates waited for him at Santo Domingo. He joined them finally with an additional number, and from the whole selected the symbolic twelve[1] with whom he reached Vera Cruz in June 1526, in company with Ponce de Leon.
The malady which brought to his death this prominent personage wrought havoc with the friars, as well as others, and soon their number was reduced to seven.[2] Friar Tomás, who on a former occasion had evinced little regard for the glories of martyrdom, hereupon took alarm and hastened to depart with three of his companions, leaving Padre Betanzos alone with Deacon Lucero and the novice Casas.
Among those who accompanied Ortiz, chiefly on account of ill health, was Vicente de Santa María, a favorite of the Dominican general. Finding himself safe again on his native shore, his missionary zeal blazed up anew, and with assistance from the sovereign he returned to New Spain in 1528, at the head
- ↑ His second company from Spain consisted of seven besides himself, and from the nine survivors at Santo Domingo he selected the remainder. Mendieta gives the names of the seven as Vicente de Santa María, Tomas de Berlanga, Domingo de Sotomayor, Pedro de Santa Maria, Justo de Santo Domingo, Gonzalo Lucero, and Bartolomé de Calzadilla, the last two deacon and lay brother, respectively; and those who joined at Santo Domingo as Domingo Betanzos, Diego Ruiz, Pedro Zambrano, and Vicente de las Casas, novice. Hist. Ecles., 363-4. Torquemada writes in one place Ramirez instead of Ruiz. Several old authorities, including the Dominican chronicler Remesal, appear ignorant of this formation of the band, the latter giving a list made some time after their arrival, which embraces two novices received at Mexico. Hist. Chyapa, 11,12. See also Dávila Padilla, Hist. Fvnd. Mex., 3; Vetancvrt, in Monumentos Domin. Esp., MS., 34. Ortiz had gained his position chiefly through his service as vicar at Chiribichi, Torquemada, iii. 40, 598, whence he escaped from the massacre perpetrated by the natives. His intriguing character has already been pointed out.
- ↑ Remesal mentions four of the dead. Dávila, Padilla, Hist. Fvnd. Mex., 4, has five names. Ortiz left with Betanzos, as prelate, and held 'tambien el oficio de Comissario de la Inquisicion,' Remesal, Hist. Chyapa, 41, hitherto exercised by the Franciscan custodian, yet we find Aguilar named by Cortés as Inquisitor.
