The Spanish tried to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, but faced a language barrier. As Native Americans became slaves, the language barrier diminished. Buenos Aires became valuable for Spain, and as trade restrictions eased, its economy boomed. More Spanish ships were spotted off Mexico, worrying Aztecs who developed their own explanations. Central Mexico became the heart of New Spain, and two slave stories of struggle gained fame, one involving a man making a pact with the devil. A man named Cristobal had issues with the church and fled authorities after his family was involved in a murder. It was said a man named Isabel fathered 150 children, with 50 women pregnant at once. In western New Spain, a woman named Beatriz