On the town called Daguao, that was ordered to be settled by the admiral, Don Diego Columbus, on the island of San Juan.

Translated by Lucy Brown ’23

They informed the admiral, Don Diego Columbus, that a province on the island of San Juan known as Daguao would be a good place to build a town because the land was believed to be rich in mines; and determined to do so, he sent a gentleman named Juan Enríquez there to found the village with a number of people: he was a relative of the Vicereine, wife of the admiral, and the town was built in the richest part on the island, and Juan Enríquez would be the lieutenant to the admiral. But due to the laziness of the people who were there, who did not make an effort to sustain the village nor look for mines, in just a short time it was depopulated by the Caribs. And after it was depopulated, many rivers and streams rich with gold were found near the settlement; but since it is very open and accessible to damage by the Caribs who attacked it often the town did not survive. If they had discovered more gold when it was inhabited, the town would have lasted there forever and it would have provided safety to all of the island, because it was in a very convenient place, and in very fertile ground for farming and pastures, rich in gold and clean water. Some even say that no settlement could have better served the purpose of the Christians as this would have. This town was called Santiago; but as I have said, the settlement did not last long.