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• 41 This land and its inhabitants have been since God created them the subjects of the devil, and indeed his slaves until the present time. The entire country was full of the estufas1 of idolatry, where no one ever worshipped the holy name of Jesus nor indeed had ever heard of Him or the Holy Cross. And today, after only a few short years, all the land is filled with churches and crosses on their plinths, and their congregants salute each other crying out loudly in praise of the most holy sacrament of the altar and the most holy name of Jesus Christ. And as they ring the bells for their Ave Marías, they kneel down wherever the sound might catch them and in a loud voice worship the Most Holy Virgin. They offer up heartily the three customary Ave Marías, and they do the same when they hear the prayer of souls, praying a Paternoster and an Ave María. It is a land in which it seems that the devil corrupts the very breezes and makes the place uninhabitable. Today, the air is quite changed and peaceable, as our most holy sacrament has passed through it uncovered during our processions. It seems that God has chosen some very poor ministers to make this change and transformation in the sons of my Father Saint Francis. Contemptibilia elegit Deus, ut confundat fortia.2 Although here it is clearly evident that God is the author and primary mover of things—and for that we give Him our infinite 21. WhatThatKingdom OwestoYourMajesty 42 • Chapter 21 thanks—we also owe thanks to Your Majesty, because without your royalassistancewewouldneverhavebeenabletodefraysuchexpenses. Your Majesty should bask in the glory of having been the source of all this transformation. Your Majesty should also enjoy the fruits of all these conversions, in which we have snatched so many thousands of souls from the claws of the devil. Nothing but a miracle can explain it. God has left the entire business to Your Majesty, so that by use of your quite Catholic means and your royal monies you might enjoy a great number of spiritual and temporal treasures. As the Indians show a great deal of interest, we teach them to commend Your Majesty to God. You make so many expenditures on their behalf, and sustain so many ministers and churches there for the salvation of their souls. And you do it all as a matter of course. We friars, as your affectionate and sworn vassals and chaplains in that most remote of your kingdoms, never stop commending Your Majesty to God, neither in our masses nor in our private prayers. And in that primitive church, where Our Lord works such wonders , in everything and for everything may the honor and glory go to Our Lord God. ...

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