Cádiz

Cádiz is the port of departure for Juan’s voyage to New Spain aboard the Maria de la Luz, and the place where Bando is told to stay behind. The city’s role is brief but consequential: Juan leaves it by ship, while Bando’s refusal to remain there brings the two together at sea.

Port and Passage

The Maria de la Luz is the only ship scheduled to leave Cádiz for New Spain during the following month. Though modest, it carries a varied cargo—barrels of pickles and wine, Bibles, rosaries, and mail—and a crew of twelve. It departs the next morning for Veracruz, giving Juan a narrow opportunity to continue his journey.

Juan has been granted passage reluctantly by Captain Miguel de la Garza. A letter secures the captain’s consent, although the arrangement makes clear that Juan is travelling aboard the captain’s ship, even though he is under a viceroy’s commission. De la Garza’s casual manner in granting passage contrasts with the practical importance of his decision: without the ship, Juan has no stated means of leaving Cádiz on his intended route.

Juan and Bando’s Departure

Cádiz is also the place where Juan leaves Bando behind. Three months later, Juan describes Bando as his squire and tells the captain that he had left the boy in Cádiz, but that Bando followed him aboard. When the captain discovers Bando in the hold, Juan asks that his life be spared and says he is responsible for his safety because of an obligation to Bando’s family.

The city therefore marks a separation that does not hold. Juan’s departure seems to place Bando outside the voyage, but Bando’s decision to follow turns Cádiz into the starting point of their unexpected shared passage. Their reunion occurs aboard ship, not in the port itself, and makes Juan answer publicly for the boy he had meant to leave behind.

Narrative Significance

Cádiz functions as a threshold between Juan’s prior circumstances and the journey toward Veracruz. The limited sailing schedule, the captain’s permission, and the next-morning departure give the port a concrete role in shaping when and how Juan can travel. At the same time, the city establishes the terms of Juan’s responsibility for Bando: Juan leaves him there, but the voyage begins with the consequences of Bando’s refusal to stay.