Hernando Cortez
by John S. C. Abbott · English · Gutenberg #32490 · 399,971 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Hernando Cortez
Author: John S. C. Abbott
Release date: May 23, 2010 [eBook #32490]
Most recently updated: January 6, 2021
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERNANDO CORTEZ ***
Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)
Makers of History
Hernando Cortez
BY
JOHN S. C. ABBOTT
WITH ENGRAVINGS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1901
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six, by
HARPER & BROTHERS
in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the Southern District
of New York.
Copyright, 1884, by SUSAN ABBOT MEAD.
PREFACE.
The career of Hernando Cortez is one of the most wild and adventurous
recorded in the annals of fact or fiction, and yet all the prominent
events in his wondrous history are well authenticated. All _truth_
carries with itself an important moral. The writer, in this narrative,
has simply attempted to give a vivid idea of the adventures of
Cortez and his companions in the Conquest of Mexico. There are many
inferences of vast moment to which the recital leads. These are so
obvious that they need not be pointed out by the writer.
A small portion of this volume has appeared in Harper's Magazine, in
an article furnished by the writer upon the Conquest of Mexico.
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. THE DISCOVERY OF MEXICO 13
II. EARLY LIFE OF CORTEZ 28
III. THE VOYAGE TO MEXICO 57
IV. FOUNDING A COLONY 84
V. THE TLASCALANS SUBJUGATED 117
VI. THE MARCH TO MEXICO 150
VII. THE METROPOLIS INVADED 184
VIII. BATTLE OF THE DISMAL NIGHT 214
IX. THE CAPITAL BESIEGED AND CAPTURED 246
X. THE CONQUEST CONSUMMATED 281
XI. THE EXPEDITION TO HONDURAS 305
XII. THE LAST DAYS OF CORTEZ 330
ENGRAVINGS.
Page
AMERICA DISCOVERED 16
CORTEZ TAKING LEAVE OF THE GOVERNOR 47
CUBA 52
THE FIRST MASS IN THE TEMPLES OF YUCATAN 61
FIRST CAVALRY CHARGE HEADED BY CORTEZ 73
INTERVIEW BETWEEN CORTEZ AND THE EMBASSADORS
OF MONTEZUMA 94
ROUTE OF CORTEZ 105
DESTROYING THE IDOLS AT ZEMPOALLA 120
MASSACRE IN CHOLULA 161
FIRST VIEW OF THE MEXICAN CAPITAL 168
THE MEETING OF CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA 177
THE CITY OF MEXICO 190
THE FALL OF MONTEZUMA 222
THE BATTLE UPON THE CAUSEWAY 232
THE CAPTURE OF GUATEMOZIN 260
HERNANDO CORTEZ.
CHAPTER I.
THE DISCOVERY OF MEXICO.
The shore of America in 1492.--Doubt and alarm.--A light appears.--He
watches the light.--The shore is seen.--The Spaniards land and are
hospitably received.--Mexico is discovered.--Arts and sciences of the
Mexicans.--The mines of precious metals.--Code of laws.--Punishments.
--Slavery.--Military glory.--Mexican mythology.--The three states of
existence.--Infant baptism.--Worship.--The temples and altars.--Mode
of offering sacrifice.--City of Mexico.--Montezuma.--Civilization of
the inhabitants.--The Governor of Cuba resolves to subjugate the
country.--Motives for carrying on conquests.--Hernando Cortez.
Three hundred and fifty years ago the ocean which washes the shores of
America was one vast and silent solitude. No ship plowed its waves; no
sail whitened its surface. On the 11th of October, 1492, three small
vessels might have been seen invading, for the first time, these
hitherto unknown waters. They were as specks on the bosom of infinity.
The sky above, the ocean beneath, gave no promise of any land. Three
hundred adventurers were in these ships. Ten weeks had already passed
since they saw the hills of the Old World sink beneath the horizon.
For weary days and weeks they had strained their eyes looking toward
the west, hoping to see the mountains of the New World rising in the
distance. The illustrious adventurer, Christopher Columbus, who guided
these frail barks, inspired by science and by faith, doubted not that
a world would ere long emerge before him from the apparently boundless
waters. But the blue sky still overarched them, and the heaving ocean
still extended in all directions its unbroken and interminable
expanse.
Discouragement and alarm now pervaded nearly all hearts, and there was
a general clamor for return to the shores of Europe. Christopher
Columbus, sublime in the confidence with which his exalted nature
inspired him, was still firm and undaunted in his purpose.
[Illustration: AMERICA DISCOVERED.]
The night of the 11th of October darkened over these lonely
adventurers. The stars came out in all the brilliance of tropical
splendor. A fresh breeze drove the ships with increasing speed over
the billows, and cooled, as with balmy zephyrs, brows heated through
the day by the blaze of a meridian sun. Columbus could not sleep.
He stood upon the deck of his ship, silent and sad, yet indomitable
in energy, gazing with intense and unintermitted watch into the
dusky distance. It was near midnight. Suddenly he saw a light, as
of a torch, far off in the horizon. His heart throbbed with an
irrepressible tumult of excitement. Was it a meteor, or was it a light
from the long-wished-for land? It disappeared, and all again was
dark. But suddenly again it gleamed forth, feeble and dim in the
distance, yet distinct. Soon again the exciting ray was quenched, and
nothing disturbed the dark and sombre outline of the sea. The long
hours of the night to Columbus seemed interminable as he waited
impatiently for the dawn. But even before any light was seen in the
east, the dim outline of land appeared in indisputable distinctness
before the eyes of the entranced, the now immortalized navigator. A
cannon--the signal of the discovery--rolled its peal over the ocean,
announcing to the two vessels in the rear the joyful tidings. A shout,
excited by the heart's intensest emotions, rose over the waves, and
with tears, with prayers, and embraces, these enthusiastic men
accepted the discovery of the New World.
The bright autumnal morning dawned in richest glory, presenting to
them a scene as of a celestial paradise. The luxuriance of tropical
vegetation bloomed in all its novelty around them. The inhabitants,
many of them in the simple and innocent costume of Eden before
the fall, crowded the shore, gazing with attitude and gesture of
astonishment upon the strange phenomena of the ships. The adventurers
landed, and were received upon the island of San Salvador as angels
from heaven by the peaceful and friendly natives. Bitterly has the
hospitality been requited. After cruising around for some time among
the beautiful islands of the New World, Columbus returned to Spain to
astonish Europe with the tidings of his discovery. He had been absent
but seven months.
A quarter of a century passed away, during which all the adventurers
of Europe were busy exploring these newly-discovered islands and
continents. Various colonies were established in the fertile valleys
of these sunny climes, and upon the hill-sides which emerged, in the
utmost magnificence of vegetation, from the bosom of the Caribbean
Sea. The eastern coast of North America had been during this time
surveyed from Labrador to Florida. The bark of the navigator had
discovered nearly all the islands of the West Indies, and had crept
along the winding shores of the Isthmus of Darien, and of the South
American continent as far as the River La Plata. Bold explorers,
guided by intelligence received from the Indians, had even penetrated
the interior of the isthmus, and from the summit of the central
mountain barrier had gazed with delight upon the placid waves of the
Pacific. But the vast indentation of the Mexican Gulf, sweeping far
away in an apparently interminable circuit to the west, had not yet
been penetrated. The field for romantic adventure which these
unexplored realms presented could not, however, long escape the eye of
that chivalrous age.
Some exploring expeditions were soon fitted out from Cuba, and the
shores of Mexico were discovered. Here every thing exhibited the
traces of a far higher civilization than had hitherto been witnessed
in the New World. There were villages, and even large cities, thickly
planted throughout the country. Temples and other buildings, imposing
in massive architecture, were reared of stone and lime. Armies, laws,
and a symbolical form of writing indicated a very considerable advance
in the arts and the energies of civilization. Many of the arts were
cultivated. Cloth was made of cotton, and of skins nicely prepared.
Astronomy was sufficiently understood for the accurate measurement of
time in the divisions of the solar year. It is indeed a wonder, as yet
unexplained, where these children of the New World acquired so
philosophical an acquaintance with the movements of the heavenly
bodies. Agriculture was practiced with much scientific skill, and a
system of irrigation introduced, from which many a New England farmer
might learn many a profitable lesson. Mines of gold, silver, lead, and
copper were worked. Many articles of utility and of exquisite beauty
were fabricated from these metals. Iron, the ore of which must pass
through so many processes before it is prepared for use, was unknown
to them. The Spanish goldsmiths, admiring the exquisite workmanship of
the gold and silver ornaments of the Mexicans, bowed to their
superiority.
Fairs were held in the great market-places of the principal cities
every fifth day, where buyers and sellers in vast numbers thronged.
They had public schools, courts of justice, a class of nobles, and a
powerful monarch. The territory embraced by this wonderful kingdom was
twice as large as the whole of New England.
The code of laws adopted by this strange people was very severe. They
seemed to cherish but little regard for human life, and the almost
universal punishment for crime was death. This bloody code secured a
very effective police. Adultery, thieving, removing landmarks,
altering measures, defrauding a ward of property, intemperance, and
even idleness, with spendthrift habits, were punished pitilessly with
death. The public mind was so accustomed to this, that death lost a
portion of its solemnity. The rites of marriage were very formally
enacted, and very rigidly adhered to.
Prisoners taken in war were invariably slain upon their religious
altars in sacrifice to their gods. Slavery existed among them, but not
hereditary. No one could be born a slave. The poor sometimes sold
their children. The system existed in its mildest possible form, as
there was no distinction of race between the master and the slave.
Military glory was held in high repute. Fanaticism lent all its
allurements to inspire the soldier. Large armies were trained to very
considerable military discipline. Death upon the battle-field was a
sure passport to the most sunny and brilliant realms of the heavenly
world. The soldiers wore coats of mail of wadded cotton, which neither
arrow nor javelin could easily penetrate. The chiefs wore over these
burnished plates of silver and of gold. Silver helmets, also, often
glittered upon the head. Hospitals were established for the sick and
the wounded.
Their religious system was an incongruous compound of beauty and of
deformity--of gentleness and of ferocity. They believed in one supreme
God, the Great Spirit, with several hundred inferior deities. The god
of war was a very demon. The god of the air was a refined deity, whose
altars were embellished with fruits and flowers, and upon whose ear
the warbling of birds and the most plaintive strains of vocal melody
vibrated sweetly.
There were, in their imaginations, three states of existence in the
future world. The good, and especially those, of whatever character,
who fell upon the field of battle, soared to the sun, and floated in
aerial grace and beauty among the clouds, in peace and joy, never to
be disturbed. The worthless, indifferent sort of people, neither good
nor bad, found perhaps a congenial home in the monotony of a listless
and almost lifeless immortality, devoid of joy or grief. The wicked
were imprisoned in everlasting darkness, where they could do no
farther harm.
It is an extraordinary fact that the rite of infant baptism existed
among them. This fact is attested by the Spanish historians, who
witnessed it with their own eyes, and who have recorded the truly
Christian prayers offered on the occasion. As the infants were
sprinkled with water, God was implored to wash them from original sin,
and to create them anew. Many of their prayers dimly reflected those
pure and ennobling sentiments which shine so brilliantly in the word
of God.
Their worship must have been a costly one, as the most majestic
temples were reared, and an army of priests was supported. One single
temple in the metropolis had five thousand priests attached to its
service. The whole business of youthful instruction was confided to
the priests. They received confession, and possessed the power of
absolution.
The temples were generally pyramidal structures of enormous magnitude.
Upon the broad area of their summits an altar was erected, where human
victims, usually prisoners taken in war, were offered in sacrifice.
These awful ceremonies were conducted with the most imposing pomp of
music, banners, and military and ecclesiastical processions. The
victim offered in sacrifice was bound immovably to the stone altar.
The officiating priest, with a sharp instrument constructed of
flint-like lava, cut open his breast, and tore out the warm and
palpitating heart. This bloody sacrifice was presented in devout
offering to the god. At times, in the case of prisoners taken in war,
the most horrid tortures were practiced before the bloody rite was
terminated. When the gods seemed to frown, in dearth, or pestilence,
or famine, large numbers of children were frequently offered in
sacrifice. Thus the temples of Mexico were ever clotted with blood.
Still more revolting is the well-authenticated fact that the body of
the wretched victim thus sacrificed was often served up as a banquet,
and was eaten with every accompaniment of festive rejoicing. It is
estimated that from thirty to fifty thousand thus perished every year
upon the altars of ancient Mexico. One of the great objects of their
wars was to obtain victims for their gods.
The population of this vast empire is not known. It must have
consisted, however, of several millions. The city of Mexico, situated
on islands in the bosom of a lake in the centre of a spacious and
magnificent valley of the interior, about two hundred miles from the
coast, was the metropolis of the realm.
Montezuma was king--an aristocratic king, surrounded by nobles, upon
whom he conferred all the honors and emoluments of the state. His
palace was very magnificent. He was served from plates and goblets of
silver and gold. Six hundred feudatory nobles composed his daily
retinue, paying him the most obsequious homage, and expecting the same
from those beneath themselves. Montezuma claimed to be lord of the
whole world, and exacted tribute from all whom his arm could reach.
His triumphant legions had invaded and subjugated many adjacent
states, as this _Roman empire_ of the New World extended in all
directions its powerful sway.
It will thus be seen that the kingdom of Mexico, in point of
civilization, was about on an equality with the Chinese empire of the
present day. Its inhabitants were very decidedly elevated above the
wandering hordes of North America.
Montezuma had heard of the arrival, in the islands of the Caribbean
Sea, of the strangers from another hemisphere. He had heard of their
appalling power, their aggressions, and their pitiless cruelty. Wisely
he resolved to exclude these dangerous visitors from his shores. As
exploring expeditions entered his bays and rivers, they were fiercely
attacked and driven away. These expeditions, however, brought back to
Cuba most alluring accounts of the rich empire of Mexico and of its
golden opulence.
The Governor of Cuba now resolved to fit out an expedition
sufficiently powerful to subjugate their country, and make it one of
the vassals of Spain. It was a dark period of the world. Human rights
were but feebly discerned. Superstition reigned over hearts and
consciences with a fearfully despotic sway. Acts, upon which would now
fall the reproach of unmitigated villainy, were then performed with
prayers and thanksgivings honestly offered. We shall but tell the
impartial story of the wondrous career of Cortez in the subjugation of
this empire. God, the searcher of all hearts, can alone unravel the
mazes of conscientiousness and depravity, and award the just meed of
approval and condemnation.
Many good motives were certainly united with those more questionable
which inspired this enterprise. It was a matter of national ambition
to promote geographical discoveries, to enlarge the realms of
commerce, and to extend the boundaries of human knowledge by
investigating the arts and the sciences of other nations. The
Christian religion--Heaven's greatest boon to man--was destined, by
the clear announcements of prophecy, to fill the world; and it was
deemed the duty of the Church to extend these triumphs in all possible
ways. The importance of the end to be attained, it was thought, would
sanctify even the instrumentality of violence and blood. Wealth and
honors were among the earthly rewards promised to the faithful.
Allowances must be made for the darkness of the age. It is by very
slow and painful steps that the human mind has attained to even its
present unsteady position in regard to civil and religious rights.
The Governor of Cuba, Velasquez, looked earnestly for a man to head
this important enterprise. He found just the man for the occasion in
Hernando Cortez--a fearless, energetic Spanish adventurer, then
residing upon the island of Cuba. His early life will be found in the
next chapter.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY LIFE OF CORTEZ.
Village of Medellin.--Early character of Cortez.--Hernando sent to
Salamanca.--Life at the university.--He turns soldier.--Expedition to
Hispaniola.--His early love, and unfortunate consequences attending
it.--He arrives at Hispaniola.--Patronage of the governor.--Life at
Hispaniola.--Cortez's courage.--The island of Cuba.--The new governor.
--The filibustering expedition.--Resistance.--Hatuey condemned to
death.--His conversation.--The colony.--The conspiracy.--Cortez
imprisoned.--He flees to a church.--Arrest and escape.--Cortez is
pardoned.--His marriage.--Voyage of discovery.--Discoveries.--
Disasters.--Reports from Yucatan.--Another expedition.--It arrives
at Mexico.--Accounts from Montezuma.--The golden hatchets.--Reports
carried to Spain.--Cortez obtains a commission.--His enthusiasm.--
Mission and means.--The governor alarmed.--Attempt to deprive Cortez
of the command.--The squadron sails.--Cortez and the governor.--St.
Jago and Trinidad.--The standard.--Providential gifts.--Orders to
arrest Cortez.--His speech.--The result.--Cortez writes to Velasquez.
--The squadron proceeds to Cape Antonio.--The armament.--Personal
appearance of Cortez.--The eve of departure.--The harangue.--Result
of the speech.--The squadron sails.
In the interior of Spain, in the midst of the sombre mountains whose
confluent streams compose the waters of the Guadiana, there reposes
the little village or hamlet of Medellin. A more secluded spot it
would be difficult to find. Three hundred and seventy years ago, in
the year 1485, Hernando Cortez was born in this place. His ancestors
had enjoyed wealth and rank. The family was now poor, but proud of the
Castilian blood which flowed in their veins. The father of Hernando
was a captain in the army--a man of honorable character. Of his mother
but little is known.
Not much has been transmitted to our day respecting the childhood
of this extraordinary man. It is reported that he early developed
a passion for wild adventure; that he was idle and wayward; frank,
fearless, and generous; that he loved to explore the streams and
to climb the cliffs of his mountainous home, and that he ever
appeared reckless of danger. He was popular with his companions, for
warm-heartedness and magnanimity were prominent in his character.
His father, though struggling with poverty, cherished ambitious views
for his son, and sent him to the celebrated university of Salamanca
for an education. He wished Hernando to avoid the perils and
temptations of the camp, and to enter the honorable profession of the
law. Hernando reluctantly obeyed the wishes of his father, and went
to the university. But he scorned restraint. He despised all the
employments of industry, and study was his especial abhorrence. Two
years were worse than wasted in the university. Young Cortez was both
indolent and dissipated. In all the feats of mischief he was the
ringleader, and his books were entirely neglected. He received
many censures, and was on the point of being expelled, when his
disappointed father withdrew the wayward boy from the halls of the
university, and took him home.
Hernando was now sixteen years of age. There was nothing for him to do
in the seclusion of his native village but to indulge in idleness.
This he did with great diligence. He rode horses; he hunted and
fished; he learned the art of the swordsman and played the soldier.
Hot blood glowed in his veins, and he became genteelly dissolute; his
pride would never allow him to stoop to vulgarity. The father was
grief-stricken by the misconduct of his son, and at last consented to
gratify the passion which inspired him to become a soldier.
At seventeen years of age the martial boy enlisted in an expedition,
under Gonsalvo de Cordova, to assist the Italians against the French.
Young Cortez, to his bitter disappointment, just as the expedition
started, was taken seriously sick, and was obliged to be left behind.
Soon after this, one of his relatives was appointed, by the Spanish
crown, governor of St. Domingo, now called Hayti, but then called
Hispaniola, or Little Spain. This opening to scenes and adventures in
the New World was attractive to the young cavalier in the highest
possible degree. It was, indeed, an enterprise which might worthily
arouse the enthusiasm of any mind. A large fleet was equipped to
convey nearly three thousand settlers to found a colony beneath the
sunny skies and under the orange groves of the tropics. Life there
seemed the elysium of the indolent man. Young Cortez now rejoiced
heartily over his previous disappointment. His whole soul was
engrossed in the contemplation of the wild and romantic adventures in
which he expected to luxuriate. It is not to be supposed that a lad of
such a temperament should, at the age of seventeen, be a stranger to
the passion of love. There was a young lady in his native village for
whom he had formed a strong youthful attachment. He resolved, with his
accustomed ardor and recklessness, to secure an interview with his
lady-love, where parting words and pledges should not be witnessed by
prudent relatives.
One dark night, just before the squadron sailed, the ardent lover
climbed a mouldering wall to reach the window of the young lady's
chamber. In the obscurity he slipped and fell, and some heavy stones
from the crumbling wall fell upon him. He was conveyed to his bed,
severely wounded and helpless. The fleet sailed, and the young man,
almost insane with disappointment and chagrin, was left upon his bed
of pain.
At length he recovered. His father secured for him a passage to join
the colonists in another ship. He, with exultation, left Medellin,
hastened to the sea-shore, where he embarked, and after an unusually
adventurous and perilous voyage, he gazed with delight upon the
tropical vegetation and the new scenes of life of Hispaniola. It was
the year 1504. Cortez was then nineteen years of age.
The young adventurer, immediately upon landing, proceeded to the house
of his relative, Governor Ovando. The governor happened to be absent,
but his secretary received the young man very cordially.
"I have no doubt," said he to Hernando, "that you will receive a
liberal grant of land to cultivate."
"I come to get gold," Hernando replied, haughtily, "not to till the
soil like a peasant."
Ovando, on his return, took his young relative under his patronage,
and assigned to him posts of profit and honor. Still Cortez was very
restless. His impatient spirit wearied of the routine of daily duty,
and his imagination was ever busy in the domain of wild adventure.
Two Spaniards upon the island of Hispaniola about this time planned an
expedition for exploring the main land, to make discoveries and to
select spots for future settlements. Cortez eagerly joined the
enterprise, but again was he doomed to disappointment. Just before the
vessels sailed he was seized by a fever, and laid prostrate upon his
bed. Probably his life was thus saved. Nearly all who embarked on this
enterprise perished by storm, disease, and the poisoned arrows of the
natives.
Seven years passed away, during which Cortez led an idle and
voluptuous life, ever ready for any daring adventure which might
offer, and miserably attempting to beguile the weariness of provincial
life with guilty amours. He accepted a plantation from the governor,
which was cultivated by slaves. His purse was thus ever well filled.
Not unfrequently he became involved in duels, and he bore upon his
body until death many scars received in these encounters. Military
expeditions were not unfrequently sent out to quell the insurrections
to which the natives of the island were goaded by the injustice and
the cruelty of the Spaniards.
Cortez was always an eager volunteer for such service. His courage and
imperturbable self-possession made him an invaluable co-operator in
every enterprise of danger. He thus became acquainted with all the
artifices of Indian warfare, and inured himself to the toil and
privations of forest life.
In the year 1492 the magnificent island of Cuba, but a few leagues
from Hispaniola, had been discovered by Columbus. As he approached the
land, the grandeur of the mountains, the wide sweep of the valleys,
the stately forests, the noble rivers, the bold promontories and
headlands, melting away in the blue of the hazy distance, impressed
him with unbounded admiration. As he sailed up one of the beautiful
rivers of crystal clearness, fringed with flowers, and aromatic
shrubs, and tropical fruits, while the overhanging trees were vocal
with the melody of birds of every variety of song and plumage,
enraptured he exclaimed,
"Cuba! It is the most beautiful island that eyes ever beheld. It is an
elysium. One could live there forever."
The natives of the favored land were amiable and friendly. The
Spaniards did not for several years encroach upon their rights, and no
Spanish colony was established upon their enchanting shores. It was
now the year 1511. Nineteen years had elapsed since the discovery of
the island. Ovando had been recalled, and Diego Columbus, the son of
Christopher, had been appointed, in his stead, governor of Hispaniola.
He took the title of Viceroy, and assumed all the splendors of
royalty. Diego Columbus devoutly decided that it was manifest destiny
that Cuba should belong to Spain. He organized a _filibustering_
expedition to wrest from the natives their beautiful island. The
command of the expedition was intrusted to Don Velasquez, a bold
adventurer, of much notoriety, from Spain, who had been residing for
many years at Hispaniola, and who had been lieutenant under Governor
Ovando. A foray of this kind would, of course, excite the patriotic
zeal of every vagabond. Cortez was one of the first to hasten to the
standard of Velasquez. The natives of the island, unarmed and
voluptuous, made hardly the shadow of resistance, and three hundred
Spanish adventurers, with but a slight struggle, took possession of
this magnificent domain. The reputation and ability of Cortez gave him
a prominent position in this adventure.
One brave and patriotic Indian chief, who had fled from the outrages
perpetrated at Hispaniola, urged the Cubans to repel the invaders.
Though unable to rouse in a mass the peace-loving islanders, he
gathered a small band around him, and valiantly contended to resist
the landing. His efforts were quite unavailing. Gunpowder soon
triumphed. The Indians were speedily put to flight, and the chieftain
Hatuey was taken prisoner.
Velasquez ignobly and cruelly condemned the heroic patriot to be
burned alive; but religiously the fanatic invader wished, though he
burned the body, to save the soul. A priest was appointed to labor for
the conversion of the victim.
"If you will embrace our religion," said the priest, "as soon as the
fire has consumed your body, you will enter heaven, and be happy there
forever."
"Are there Spaniards," inquired Hatuey, "in that happy place of which
you speak?"
"Yes," replied the priest; "such as are holy."
"Then I will not go there!" Hatuey energetically rejoined. "I will
never go to a place where I shall meet one of that cruel people."
The poor Indian was burned to ashes. The natives gazed upon the
spectacle with horror. They were appalled, and ventured to make no
farther resistance to their terrible conquerors.
Such is Spain's title-deed to the island of Cuba. God has not smiled
upon regions thus infamously won. May the United States take warning
that all her possessions may be honorably acquired. "God helps," says
blind unbelief, "the heavy battalions;" but experience has fully
proved that "the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to
the strong."
One or two colonies were soon established upon the conquered island.
They grew very rapidly. Velasquez was appointed governor; Cortez was
his secretary.
Many families were enticed from Spain by the charms of this most
beautiful of the isles of the ocean. A gentleman came from old Castile
with four beautiful daughters. Velasquez became attached to one;
Cortez trifled grievously with the affections of another. The governor
reproached him for his infamous conduct. The proud spirit of Cortez
could not brook reproof, and he entered into a conspiracy to proffer
complaints against the governor, and to secure his removal. It was a
bold and a perilous undertaking.
Cortez prepared to embark in an open boat, and push out fearlessly but
secretly into the open sea, to make a voyage of nearly sixty miles to
Hispaniola. There he was to enter his complaints to Diego Columbus.
The conspiracy was detected upon the eve of its execution. Cortez was
arrested, manacled, thrown into prison, and was, after trial,
sentenced to death for treason. He, however, succeeded in breaking
his fetters, forced open his prison window, and dropped himself down,
in the darkness of the night, from the second story, and escaped to
the sanctuary of a neighboring church. Such a sanctuary, in that day,
could not be violated.
A guard was secreted to watch him. He remained in the church for
several days. But at length impatience triumphed over prudence, and,
as he attempted one night to escape, he was again arrested, more
strongly chained, and was placed on board a ship to be sent to
Hispaniola for execution.
The code of Spanish law was in that day a bloody one. Spanish
governors were almost unlimited despots. Cortez was not willing to go
to Hispaniola with the cord of a convicted traitor about his neck.
With extraordinary fortitude, he drew his feet, mangling them sadly,
through the irons which shackled them. Creeping cautiously upon deck,
he let himself down softly into the water, swam to the shore, and,
half dead with pain and exhaustion, attained again the sanctuary of
the church.
He now consented to marry the young lady with whose affections and
reputation he had so cruelly trifled. The family, of course, espoused
his cause. The governor, who was the lover of her sister, regarded
this as the _amende honorable_, and again received the hot-blooded
cavalier to his confidence. Thus this black and threatening cloud
suddenly disappeared, and sunshine and calm succeeded the storm.
Cortez returned to his estates with his bride a wiser, and perhaps a
better man, from the severe discipline through which he had passed.
Catalina Suarez, whom he married, was an amiable and beautiful lady of
very estimable character. She eventually quite won the love of her
wayward and fickle husband.
"I lived as happily with her," said the haughty Castilian, "as if she
had been the daughter of a duchess."
Velasquez, like every other Spanish governor at that time, was
ambitious of extending his dominions. In the year 1517, a number of
restless spirits, under his patronage, resolved to sail upon a voyage
of discovery and conquest.
Three vessels were fitted out for this adventure. One hundred and ten
men embarked in the enterprise, under the command of Francisco
Hernandez, of Cordova. Velasquez directed them to land upon some
neighboring islands, and seize a number of inhabitants, and make
slaves of them, to pay the cost of the expedition. "But when the
proposal," says one of the party, "was made known to the soldiers, we
to a man refused it, saying that it was not just, nor did God or the
king permit that free men should be made slaves. That our expedition,"
the same writer continues, "might be conducted on proper principles,
we persuaded a clergyman to accompany us." In fervent prayer,
commending themselves to God and the Virgin, they unfurled their
sails, and steered resolutely toward the setting sun. They discovered
the island of Cozumel and the vast promontory of Yucatan.[A] The
expedition, however, encountered many disasters. The natives assailed
them fiercely. At length the shattered ships returned, having lost
seventy men, and bringing with them quite a number bleeding and dying.
Cordova died of his wounds ten days after arriving at Havana.
[Footnote A: _Yuca_ is the Indian name of the plant used for bread.
The heap of earth in which it is planted is called _tule_. The two
words repeated together made Yucatul, or Yucatan as it was expressed
by the Spaniards.--_Bernal Diaz_, p. 10.]
The tidings, however, of the magnificent discovery, and the fabulous
report that the country was rich in gold, incited Velasquez to fit
out a second expedition of four ships, under the command of Juan
de Grijalva. Two hundred and forty adventurers embarked in the
enterprise. On the 5th day of April, 1518, after having devoutly
partaken of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the anchors were
lifted, and the little squadron sailed from the port of Matanzas.
Eight days brought them to Cozumel. They then passed over to the
continent, and coasted along the shore for many leagues to the north
and west. They made frequent attempts to land and open intercourse
with the natives, but they were invariably attacked with the utmost
determination. Though the Spaniards were generally victorious in these
conflicts, they lost several men, and very many were sorely wounded.
At length they arrived upon the coast of Mexico, and landed at the
point now called St. Juan de Ulua. Here they were kindly received by
the natives, and acquired considerable gold in exchange for glass
beads. They also obtained vague information of the great monarch
Montezuma, and of the extent and power of his realms. Greatly elated
with this success, Grijalva sent one of his vessels back to Cuba with
specimens of the gold, and with most glowing accounts of the grandeur,
wealth, and power of the newly-discovered empire of Mexico. To their
extreme delight, the voyagers found that the natives had hatchets
apparently of solid burnished gold. The excitement was intense on
board the ships. Six hundred of these hatchets were eagerly bought.
At length the expedition returned to Cuba. The six hundred golden
hatchets were triumphantly displayed, when, to the unutterable chagrin
of their possessors, they proved to be but copper. The disappointed
adventurers were overwhelmed with ridicule. "There was much laughter,"
says Diaz, who accompanied the expedition, "when the six hundred
hatchets were produced and assayed."
The tidings of the discovery of Mexico spread, however, like wildfire
over the island of Cuba. Every bosom which could be moved by avarice
or by the love of adventure was intensely excited. Velasquez promptly
dispatched the welcome intelligence to Spain, and immediately
commenced fitting out another expedition upon a scale of grandeur
hitherto unattempted. No one heard these tidings with such a thrill
of emotion as Hernando Cortez. Though enjoying a rich estate, his
extravagance had involved him in debt and distress. To retrieve his
ruined fortunes, and to gratify his insatiable love of adventure, he
resolved to leave no efforts untried to secure for himself the command
of the expedition.
He bribed some of the powerful friends of the governor to advocate
his cause, promising them a rich share of the booty which he hoped to
obtain. He also offered to contribute largely of his own wealth to fit
out the naval armament.
It was manifest to all that there could not be a man better adapted
to fill such a post than Hernando Cortez. The governor was well
instructed in his energy, capacity, and courage. But he feared these
traits of character. He wished for a man who would act as his agent,
who would be submissive to his authority, and who would transfer the
glory of successful achievement to his name. But Cortez was a man to
lead, not to be led. The governor hesitated. At last he yielded to
the powerful considerations which were pressed upon him, and publicly
announced Cortez as captain general of the armada.
As soon as Cortez received this commission, all the glowing enthusiasm
and tremendous energy of his nature were roused and concentrated upon
this one magnificent object. His whole character seemed suddenly to
experience a total change. He became serious, earnest, thoughtful.
Mighty destinies were in his hands. Deeds were to be accomplished at
which the world was to marvel. Strange as it may seem, for the heart
of man is an inexplicable enigma, religion, perhaps we should say
religious fanaticism, mingled the elements of her mystic power in the
motives which inspired the soul of this extraordinary man. He was to
march the apostle of Christianity to overthrow the idols in the halls
of Montezuma, and there to rear the cross of Christ. It was his
heavenly mission to convert the benighted Indians to the religion of
Jesus. With the energies of fire and sword, misery and blood, horses
rushing to the charge and death-dealing artillery, he was to lead back
the wandering victims of darkness and sin to those paths of piety
which guide to heaven.
Such was Hernando Cortez. Let Philosophy explain the enigma as she
may, no intelligent man will venture the assertion that Cortez was
a hypocrite. He was a frank, fearless, deluded enthusiast.
Governor Velasquez soon became alarmed in view of the independent
energy with which Cortez pressed forward the enterprise. It was quite
evident that the bold adventurer would regard no instructions, and
that, having acquired wealth and fame, he would, with his commanding
genius, become a formidable rival. Velasquez therefore determined,
before it should be too late, to deprive Cortez of the command. But it
was already too late. The energetic captain received from a friend an
intimation of his peril. With the decision which marked his character,
he that very night, though the vessels were not prepared for sea, and
the complement of men was not yet mustered, resolved secretly to weigh
anchor.
The moment the sun went down he called upon his officers and informed
them of his purpose. Every man was instantly and silently in motion.
At midnight the little squadron, with all on board, dropped down the
bay. Intelligence was promptly conveyed to the governor of this sudden
and unexpected departure. Mounting his horse, he galloped to a point
of the shore which commanded a view of the fleet at anchor in the
roadstead. Cortez, from the deck of his ship, saw the governor upon
the beach surrounded by his retinue. He entered a boat and was rowed
near to the shore. The governor reproached Cortez bitterly for his
conduct.
"Pardon me," said the captain, courteously; "time presses, and there
are some things which should be done before they are even thought of."
Then, with Castilian grace, waving an adieu to the governor, he
returned to his ship. The anchors were immediately raised, the sails
spread, and the little fleet, the renown of whose extraordinary
achievements was to fill the world, was wafted from the harbor of St.
Jago, and soon disappeared in the distant horizon of the sea.
St. Jago was then the capital of Cuba. Cortez directed his course to
Mocaca, about thirty miles distant. Hastily collecting such additional
stores as the place would afford, he again weighed anchor and
proceeded to Trinidad. This was an important town on the southern
shore of the island. Here he landed, raised his banner, and, with
alluring promises, invited volunteers to join the expedition. He
marshaled and drilled his men, collected military supplies, and, more
than all, by the charms of his daily intercourse secured the
enthusiastic devotion of his followers.
[Illustration: CORTEZ TAKING LEAVE OF THE GOVERNOR.]
His men were armed with cross-bows and muskets, and he had several
small cannon. Jackets, thickly wadded with cotton, were provided as
coats of mail for the soldiers, which were a great protection against
the missiles of the natives. Neither arrow nor javelin could pierce
them. A black velvet banner, embroidered with gold, and emblazoned
with a cross, bore the characteristic device,
"Let us follow the cross. Under this sign, with faith, we
conquer."
Beneath such a standard did these stern men march upon an expedition
of wanton aggression, crime, and woe.
A trading vessel appeared off the coast, laden with provisions and
valuable merchandise. It was a providential gift of exactly that which
the adventurers needed. Cortez, with gratitude to God, seized both
ship and cargo, and by his peculiar powers of moral suasion induced
the captain and most of the crew to enlist in his service. Another
ship made its appearance; it was a renewed token of God's kindness to
his servants; it was received with alacrity. Whatever remonstrances
the owners might raise were drowned in thanksgivings and praises.
Every movement of the expedition was inspired by the fanatical spirit
of the Crusades.
Cortez now, with his force much strengthened, sailed around the
western point of the island to Havana. With renewed diligence, he here
resumed his labor of beating up recruits and of augmenting his stores.
Governor Velasquez, informed of his arrival at this port, dispatched
orders to Pedro Barba, commander at Havana, to arrest Cortez and seize
the fleet. But it was much easier to issue this order than to execute
it. Cortez was now too strong to be apprehended by any force which
Barba had at his command. Cortez received from a friend an intimation
of the order for his arrest which had been received from the governor.
He assembled his bold followers around him; made a rousing speech,
full of eloquence and of the peculiar piety then in vogue; painted in
glowing colors the wealth and the renown opening before them in the
vast realms of Mexico; and then portrayed, with biting sarcasm, the
jealousy and the meanness of Velasquez, who wished to deprive him of
the command of the enterprise.
[Illustration: MAP OF CUBA.]
The speech was convincing. His tumultuary followers threw up their
hats and filled the air with acclamations. They declared that they
would acknowledge Cortez, and Cortez only, as their leader; that
they would follow him wherever he might guide; that they would defend
him with their lives, and that they would wreak unsparing vengeance
upon any enemies who should attempt to molest him in his glorious
career. This was the efficient reply which Cortez made to the order
for his arrest.
The reply was not lost upon Barba. He perceived that it would be folly
to attempt to execute the command of the governor. He wrote to him
accordingly, stating the impracticability of the attempt. In fact,
Barba had no disposition to arrest Cortez. He had become strongly
attached to the bold and earnest captain. Cortez himself also wrote
a very courteous letter to the governor, with studied politeness
informing him that, with the blessing of God, he should sail the next
day, and assuring the governor of eternal devotion to his interest. As
there was some danger that Velasquez might send from St. Jago a force
sufficiently strong to cause some embarrassment, the little squadron
the next morning weighed anchor and proceeded to Cape Antonio, an
appointed place of rendezvous on the extreme western termination of
the island.
Here Cortez completed his preparations and collected all the force he
desired. He had now eleven vessels. The largest was of but one hundred
tons. Three were of but seventy tons, and the rest were open barks.
His whole force consisted of one hundred and ten seamen, five hundred
and fifty-three soldiers, two hundred Indians, and a few Indian
women for menial service. His regular soldiers consisted of sixteen
horsemen, thirty musketeers, and thirty-two cross-bowmen. He had also,
as the most formidable part of his armament, fourteen pieces of
artillery, with an ample supply of ammunition. All the soldiers,
excepting the musketeers and the bowmen, were armed simply with swords
and spears. Sixteen horses formed also an exceedingly important part
of the physical force of the army. This noble animal had never yet
been seen on the continent of America. With great difficulty, a few
had been transported across the ocean from Spain. With such a force
this enthusiastic adventurer undertook the subjugation of a nation of
many millions.
Cortez was now thirty-three years of age. He was a handsome,
well-formed man, of medium stature, of pale, intellectual features,
with a piercing, dark eye, and frank and winning manners. He was
temperate, indifferent respecting all personal comforts, and reckless
of hardship and peril. He fully appreciated the influence of dress,
and ever appeared in the rich garb of a Spanish gentleman. He was
courtly yet frank in his manners, and possessed a peculiar power of
attracting to his person all who approached him.
On the eve of his departure from Cape Antonio, he again assembled his
followers around him, and thus harangued them:
"The enterprise in which you are engaged will fill the world with your
renown. I am leading you to countries more vast and opulent than
European eyes have ever yet beheld. It is a glorious prize which I
present to you. But this prize can only be won by hardship and toil.
Great deeds are only achieved by great exertions. Glory is never
the reward of sloth. I have labored hard and staked my all on this
undertaking, for I love that renown which is the noblest recompense
of man.
"Do you covet riches more? Be true to me, and I will make you masters
of wealth of which you have never dreamed. You are few in numbers, but
be strong in resolution, and doubt not that the Almighty, who has
never deserted the Spaniard in his contest with the infidel, will
shield you, though encompassed by enemies. Your cause is just. You are
to fight under the banner of the cross. Onward, then, with alacrity.
Gloriously terminate the work so auspiciously begun."
This speech was received with tumultuous cheers. Mass was then
celebrated by the ecclesiastics who accompanied the fleet, and with
many religious ceremonies the squadron was placed under the protection
of St. Peter. The anchors were raised, the sails were spread, and a
favoring breeze pressed them rapidly over the waves toward the setting
sun. It was the 18th of February, 1519.
CHAPTER III.
THE VOYAGE TO MEXICO.
The voyage.--They reach the island of Cozumel.--Treasures seized.--The
island and its inhabitants.--Exploring parties to the main land.--
Missionary labors.--The first mass.--Miraculous conversions.--Return
of the exploring party.--Arrival of Aguilar.--History of Aguilar's
life at Yucatan.--Escape and capture.--Guerrero takes to savage
life.--Escape.--Guerrero remains with the savages.--Squadron again
sails.--They enter the Tabasco.--They ascend the river.--Landing
postponed.--Encampment.--Preparation for the conflict.--The reception.
--The battle.--The charge.--Victory.--March to Tabasco.--Possession
taken of the town.--Gathering of the natives.--The two armies
meet.--The conflict.--The cavalry charge.--Terror of the natives.--The
fight.--Estimates of the number killed.--The declaration.--The natives
submissive.--The new religion.--St. Mary of Victory.--Motives which
actuated the adventurers.--Christian instruction.--Principle and
practice.--The altar.--Devotions.--Baptism.--The presents.--Marina.
--Indulgences.--Character of Marina.--Her career.--Her devotion to
Cortez.--Departure from Tabasco.--Blessings left behind.--They coast
along the shore.--Arrival at San Juan de Ulua.
Light and variable winds retarded the progress of the squadron as it
was headed in a southwesterly direction toward the shores of Yucatan.
A terrible tempest succeeded, and the ships were driven wildly before
the storm. But after the lapse of about a week, as the storm abated,
they were cheered by the sight of land. The mountains of the island of
Cozumel rose towering before them. This large island is separated from
the main land of Yucatan by a channel of from twelve to thirty miles
in width.
When the natives saw the ships approaching, they fled from the shores
in terror. Such a fleet must have, indeed, presented to the artless
inhabitants an appalling spectacle. The squadron cast anchor in a
spacious bay, and those who first arrived were the first to land. The
captain of one of the vessels, with some of his crew, entered one of
the native temples, and, seeing the idol decorated with gold, seized
the treasure promptly as lawful prize, and also captured two or three
of the natives. Cortez was indignant at conduct so rash and impolitic.
He severely rebuked the over-zealous captain, ordered the ornaments to
be replaced, and liberated the captives and loaded them with presents.
He thus appeased the fears of the natives, and induced them to return
to their dwellings. They soon became quite reconciled to the
strangers, and opened with them a lucrative traffic. The island was
not very fertile, and was thinly inhabited; but the natives had large
and comfortable houses, built of stone cemented with mortar. There
were several spacious temples, with lofty towers, constructed of the
same durable materials. The adventurers were also exceedingly
surprised to find in the court-yard of one of the temples an idol in
the form of a massive stone cross. It was erected in honor of the god
of rain. It is, indeed, a curious question, and one which probably
will never be answered, how the natives of this new world obtained
those apparently shadowy ideas of Christianity. They certainly
performed the rite of baptism. The cross was one of their idols. They
also believed in original sin, which was to be in some way removed by
sprinkling an infant with water.
Cortez remained upon this island about a fortnight. During this time
all his energies were engrossed in accomplishing the great object of
his mission. He sent two vessels to the main land to make inquiries
about some Spaniards, who, it was reported, had been shipwrecked upon
the coast, and were still lingering in captivity. The captain in
command of this expedition was instructed to return within eight days.
Several parties were also sent in various directions to explore the
island thoroughly and ascertain its resources.
But one of the most important objects, in the estimation of Cortez, to
be accomplished, was the conversion of the natives to the Catholic
religion. He had with him several ecclesiastics--men whose sincerity
no candid man can doubt. The Indians were assembled, and urged,
through an interpreter, to abandon their idols and turn to the living
God. The simple natives understood but little of the harangue, except
the injunction to destroy their idols. At this suggestion they were
horror-stricken. They assured Cortez that were they to harm or insult
their gods, destruction in every awful form would immediately
overwhelm them.
The bold warrior wielded bold arguments. His logic was truly
military. With his mailed cavaliers he made a prompt onslaught upon
the idols, hewed them down, smashed them to pieces, and tumbled the
dishonored and mutilated fragments into the streets. He then
constructed a Christian altar, reared a cross and an image of the holy
Virgin and the holy child, and mass, with all its pomp of robes, and
chants, and incense, was for the first time performed in the temples
of Yucatan.
[Illustration: THE FIRST MASS IN THE TEMPLES OF YUCATAN.]
The natives were at first overwhelmed with grief and terror as they
gazed upon their prostrate deities. But no earthquake shook the
island; no lightning sped its angry bolt; no thunder broke down the
skies. The sun still shone tranquilly, and ocean, earth, and sky
smiled untroubled. The natives ceased to fear gods who could not
protect themselves, and without farther argument consented to exchange
their ungainly idols for the far prettier idols of the strangers. The
heart of Cortez throbbed with enthusiasm and pride as he contemplated
his great and glorious achievement--an achievement, in his view,
unparalleled by the miracles of Peter or of Paul. In one short
fortnight he had converted these islanders from the service of Satan,
and had won them to that faith which would secure their eternal
salvation. The fanatic sincerity with which this deed was accomplished
does not redeem it from the sublimity of absurdity. Faith, said these
mailed theologians, saves the soul; and these pagans have now turned
from their idols to the living God. It is true that man is saved by
faith, but it is that faith which _works by love_.
In the mean time the parties returned from the exploration of the
island, and Orday brought back his two ships from the main land. He
was unsuccessful in his attempts to find the shipwrecked Spaniards.
Cortez had now been at Cozumel a fortnight. As he was on the point of
taking his departure, a frail canoe was seen crossing the strait, with
three men in it, apparently Indians, and entirely naked. As soon as
the canoe landed, one of the men ran frantically to the Spaniards and
informed them that he was a Christian and a countryman. His name was
Aguilar.
Seven years ago, the vessel in which he was sailing from Darien to
Hispaniola foundered in a gale. The ship's company, twenty in number,
took to the boats. For thirteen days they were driven about at the
mercy of the winds and currents. Seven perished miserably from hunger
and thirst. The rest reached the barbarian shores of Yucatan. The
natives seized them as captives, guarded them carefully, but fed them
abundantly with the choicest food, and inflicted upon them no
sufferings, and required of them no toil. Their treatment was an
enigma which was soon dreadfully explained.
One day four of these captives who were in the best condition were
selected, sacrificed upon the bloody altars of the idols, and their
cooked flesh served up for a cannibal repast. The howlings of the
savages over the midnight orgies of this horrible entertainment fell
dismally upon the ears of the miserable survivors. In their despair
they succeeded in escaping, and fled to the mountain forests. Here
they wandered for a time in the endurance of awful sufferings. At
length they were again taken captive by the cacique or chief of
another province. He spared their lives, but made them menial slaves.
Their masters were merciless and exacting in the extreme. Under this
rigorous treatment all died but two--Aguilar, a priest, and Guerrero,
a sailor. The sailor, having no scruples of any kind, and being ready
to conform himself to all customs, gradually acquired the good will
of the savages. He obtained renown as a warrior; identified himself
entirely with the natives; tattooed his face; slit his ears, his lips,
and his nose, for those dangling ornaments which ever accompany a
barbarian taste, and took to him a native wife.
Aguilar, however, was a man of more cultivation and refinement. He
cherished his self-respect, and, resisting all enticements to marry an
Indian maiden, was true to the vows of celibacy which his priestly
profession imposed. Curious stories are related of the temptations to
which the natives exposed him. Weary years lingered along, presenting
no opportunity for escape. Cortez at last arrived at Cozumel. Some
Indians carried the tidings into the interior. Aguilar received this
intelligence with transport, and yet with trembling. He, however,
succeeded in reaching the coast, accompanied by two friendly natives.
He found upon the beach a stranded canoe, half buried in the sand.
Embarking in this with his two companions, they paddled themselves
across the strait, at that place twelve miles wide, to the island. The
frail boat was seen by the party of Cortez upon the surface of the
sea. As soon as Aguilar landed he dropped upon his knees, and with
streaming eyes gave thanks to God for his escape.
His companion in captivity refused to accompany him. "Brother
Aguilar," said he, after a moment's thought, "I am married. I have
three sons, and am a cacique and captain in the wars. My face is
tattooed and my ears bored. What would the Spaniards think of me
should I now go among them?" All Aguilar's entreaties for him to leave
were unavailing.
Aguilar appears to have been truly a good man. As he had acquired a
perfect acquaintance with the language of the natives, and with their
manners and customs, Cortez received him as a heaven-sent acquisition
to his enterprise.
On the 4th of March the squadron again set sail, and, crossing the
narrow strait, approached the shores of the continent. Sailing
directly north some hundred miles, hugging the coast of Yucatan,
Cortez doubled Cape Catoche, and turning his prow to the west, boldly
pressed forward into those unknown waters which seemed to extend
interminably before him. The shores were densely covered with the
luxuriant foliage of the tropics, and in many a bay and on many a
headland could be discerned the thronged dwellings of the natives.
After sailing west about two hundred miles, they found the coast again
turning abruptly to the south. Following the line of the land some
three hundred miles farther, they came to the broad mouth of the River
Tabasco, which Grijalva had entered, and which Cortez was seeking. A
sand-bar at the mouth of the river prevented the heavily-loaded
vessels from passing. Cortez, therefore, cast anchor, and taking a
strong and well-armed party in the boats, ascended the shallow stream.
A forest of majestic trees, with underwood dense and impervious, lined
the banks. The naked forms of the natives were seen gliding among the
foliage, following, in rapidly-accumulating numbers, the advance of
the boats, and evincing, by tone and gesture, any thing but a friendly
spirit. At last, arriving at an opening in the forest, where a smooth
and grassy meadow extended with gradual ascent from the stream, the
boats drew near the shore, and Cortez, through his interpreter
Aguilar, asked permission to land, avowing his friendly intentions.
The prompt answer was the clash of weapons and shouts of defiance.
Upon this Cortez decided to postpone a forcible landing until the
morning, and retired to a small island in the river which was
uninhabited. He here encamped for the night, establishing a vigilant
line of sentinels to guard against surprise.
In the early dawn of the next morning the party were assembled for
prayers and for the celebration of mass. They then, with new zeal and
courage, entered their boats, and ascended the glassy, forest-fringed
stream, upon which the morning sun shone brightly. Bird-songs filled
the air, and hardly a breath of wind moved the leaves, glittering in
the brilliant sunlight, as these bronzed men of iron sinews moved
sternly on to the demoniac deeds of war. The natives, in preparation
for the conflict, had been all the night rallying their forces. The
shore was lined with their war-canoes, and the banks were covered with
Indian troops drawn up in martial array. Gorgeous plumes decorated
their persons, and the rays of the sun were reflected from their
polished weapons. As soon as the Spanish boats appeared, the vast army
of the natives raised shouts of defiance, and the ear was almost
deafened with the clangor of their trumpets and drums.
The battle soon commenced. The sky was almost darkened by the shower
of arrows thrown by those upon the land. The warriors in the canoes
fought fiercely with their javelins. The conflict was bloody, but
short. Native valor could avail but little against European discipline
and art. The spears, stones, and arrows of the natives fell almost
harmless upon the helmets and shields of the Spaniards; but the
bullets from the guns of the invaders swept like hail-stones through
the crowded ranks of the natives, unimpeded by their frail weapons of
defense. Cortez himself headed a charge which broke resistlessly into
the hostile ranks. Appalled by the terrific thunder and lightning of
the musketry, the Indians soon scattered and fled, leaving the ground
covered with their slain.
Cortez now reviewed his troops in triumph upon the shore. He found
that fourteen were wounded, but none slain. To attend to the wounded
and to rest his exhausted men, he again encamped. The bloodstained
banner of the cross, which they had so signally dishonored, floated
proudly over their intrenchments. Prayers were offered and mass
celebrated in honor of the victory achieved by Christian arms against
idolaters. The next morning the Spaniards marched unresisted to
Tabasco, the capital of the province, a large town upon the river,
but a few miles above the place where the invaders had effected a
landing. The inhabitants, men, women, and children, fled from the
place in dismay.
Cortez took possession of the town in the name of the King of Spain.
But the whole surrounding region was now aroused. The natives, in
numbers which could not be counted, gathered in the vicinity of
Tabasco, and organized their forces anew, to repel, if possible, the
terrible foe. They were assembled on the great plain of Ceutla. Cortez
had anticipated this, and was also gathering his strength for a
decisive battle. He sent to the ships for six pieces of cannon, his
whole cavalry of sixteen horses, and every available man. A few only
were left to guard the vessels. This powerful re-enforcement soon
arrived. Thus strengthened, his whole army was called together to
celebrate the solemnities of mass, and to implore the blessing of God
in extending the triumphs of the cross over the kingdom of Satan. Thus
they marched forth, with powder, and ball, and neighing steeds, to the
merciless slaughter of those brave men who were fighting for their
country and their homes.
The Spaniards now advanced to meet their foes. It was a lovely
morning, the 25th of March. The natives, in point of civilization,
raised far above the condition of savages, had large fields in a high
state of cultivation, waving with the rich vegetation of the tropics.
After a march of three or four miles through a country cultivated like
a garden, they arrived at the ground occupied by the native army. The
lines of their encampments were so extended and yet so crowded that
the Spaniards estimated their numbers at over forty thousand. To meet
them in the strife Cortez had but six hundred men. But his terrible
engines of destruction made his force more powerful than theirs. The
natives were ready for the battle. They greeted their assailants with
a war-whoop, which rose in thunder tones over the plain, and showered
upon them volleys of arrows, sling-stones, and javelins. At this first
discharge, seventy Spaniards were wounded and one was slain. The
conflict soon raged with all imaginable horrors. The natives fought
with the courage of desperation. They seemed even regardless of the
death-dealing muskets. And when the terrible cannon, with its awful
roar, opened huge gaps in their ranks, manfully they closed up, and
with new vigor pressed the onset. The odds were so fearful that for
some time it seemed quite doubtful on which side victory would rest.
Cortez, heading his cavalry, swept around the plain, and, by a
circuitous route, came unperceived upon the rear of the tumultuous
foe. The sixteen horsemen, clad in steel, urging their horses to their
utmost speed, with loud shouts and sabres gleaming in the air, plunged
into the midst of the throng. Their keen-edged swords fell on the
right hand and on the left upon the almost naked bodies of the
natives. At the same moment, the energies of musketry and artillery
were plied with murderous carnage.
[Illustration: FIRST CAVALRY CHARGE HEADED BY CORTEZ.]
The natives had never seen a horse before. They thought the rider and
the steed one animal. As these terrific monsters, half human, half
beast, came bounding into their midst, cutting down and trampling
beneath iron hoofs all who stood in the way, while at the same time
the appalling roar of the cannonade seemed to shake the very hills,
the scene became too awful for mortal courage to endure. The whole
mighty mass, in uncontrollable dismay, fled from the presence of foes
of such demoniac aspect and energy. The slaughter of these poor
Indians was so awful that some of the Spaniards extravagantly
estimated the number left dead upon the field at thirty thousand.
Though many of the Spaniards were wounded, but two were killed.
Cortez immediately assembled his army under a grove upon the field of
battle to give thanks to God for the victory. The pomp and pageantry
of war gave place to the pomp and pageantry of the Church. Canonical
robes and banners fluttered in the breeze, processions marched, the
smoke of incense floated in the air, and mass, with all its imposing
solemnities, was celebrated in the midst of prayers and thanksgivings.
"Then," says Diaz, "after dressing our wounds with the fat of
Indians whom we found dead thereabout, and having placed good
guards round our post, we ate our supper and went to our
repose."
Under the placable influence of these devotions, the conqueror sent
word to the vanquished that he would now _forgive them_ if they would
submit unconditionally to his authority. But he declared that if they
refused this, he would ride over the land, and put every thing in it,
man, woman, and child, to the sword.
The spirit of resistance was utterly crushed. The natives immediately
sent a delegation to him laden with presents. To impress these
embassadors still more deeply with a sense of his power, he exhibited
before them the martial evolutions of his cavalry, and showed them the
effects of his artillery as the balls were sped crashing through the
trees of the forest. The natives were now effectually conquered, and
looked upon the Spaniards as beings of supernatural powers, wielding
the terrors of thunder and lightning, and whom no mortal energies
could resist.
They had become as little children. This Cortez thought a very
suitable frame of mind to secure their conversion. He recommended that
they should cast down their idols, and accept instead the gods of
papal Rome. The recommendation of Cortez was potent over the now
pliant natives. They made no opposition while the soldiers, whose
hands were hardly yet washed of the blood of their relatives, hewed
down their images. With very imposing ceremonies, the religion of the
conquerors was instituted in the temples of Yucatan, and, in honor of
the Virgin Mary, the name of Tabasco was changed into St. Mary of
Victory.
In all this tremendous crime there was apparently no hypocrisy. Human
motives will seldom bear rigid scrutiny. Man's best deeds are tainted.
Cortez was very sincere in his desire to overthrow the abominable
system of idolatry prevailing among the natives. He perhaps truly
thought that these violent measures were necessary to accomplish this
object, and that Christianity, thus introduced, would prove an
inestimable blessing. We may abhor his conduct, while we can still
make generous allowances for the darkness of his mind and of the age
in which he lived. It requires infinite wisdom to adjust the balance
of human deeds.
Two of the Catholic ecclesiastics, Olmedo and Diaz, were probably
unaffected Christians, truly desiring the spiritual renovation of the
Indians. They felt deeply the worth of the soul, and did all they
could rightly to instruct these unhappy and deeply-wronged natives.
They sincerely pitied their sufferings, but deemed it wise that the
right eye should be plucked out, and that the right arm should be cut
off, rather than that the soul should perish. It is a consoling
thought, that "like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him; for he knoweth our frame, he remembereth
that we are dust." The natives were assembled in their temples; they
came together in immense multitudes. The priests, through their
interpreter, Aguilar, endeavored to instruct them in the pure
doctrines and the sublime mysteries of Christianity. If the natives
perceived a marked difference between these precepts and the awful
carnage on the field of Ceutla, it was not the first time that
principles and practice have been found discordant.
A grand religious ceremony was instituted to commemorate the
conversion of the nation. The whole army took a part in the
solemnities of the occasion, with all the martial and ecclesiastical
pomp which their situation could furnish. The natives in countless
multitudes joined the procession, and gazed with astonishment upon the
scene. Advancing to the principal pyramidal temple of Tabasco, which
was an enormous structure, with a vast area upon its summit, they
wound around its sides in the ascent. Upon this lofty platform,
beneath the unclouded sun, with thousands of Indians crowding the
region around to witness the strange spectacle, a Christian altar was
reared, the images of the Savior and of the Virgin were erected, and
mass was celebrated. Clouds of incense rose into the still air, and
the rich voices of the Spanish soldiers swelled the solemn chant. It
must have been an impressive scene. There must have been some there
into whose eye the tear of devotion gushed. If there were in that
throng--all of whom have long since gone to judgment--one single
broken and contrite heart, that was an offering which God could
accept. Father Olmedo preached upon the occasion "many good things
touching our holy faith." Twenty Indian girls who had been given to
the Spanish captains for wives were baptized.
Cortez having thus, in the course of a week, annexed the whole of
these new provinces of unknown extent to Spain, and having converted
the natives to Christianity, prepared for his departure. The natives,
among their propitiatory offerings, had presented to Cortez, as we
have mentioned, twenty young and beautiful females whom they had
captured from hostile tribes, or who in other ways had become their
slaves. Cortez distributed these unenlightened maidens among his
captains, having first selected one of the youngest and most beautiful
of them, Marina, for his wife. Cortez had a worthy spouse upon his
plantation at Cuba. No civil or religious rites sanctioned this
unhallowed union; and he was sufficiently instructed to know that he
was sinning against the laws of both God and man; but the conscience
of this extraordinary adventurer had become involved in labyrinths
utterly inexplicable. He seemed to judge that he was doing so much for
the cause of Holy Mother Church that his own private sins were of
little comparative moment. His many good deeds, he appeared to think,
purchased ample indulgence.
But Marina was a noble woman. The relation which she sustained to
Cortez did no violence to her instincts or to her conscience. She
had never been instructed in the school of Christ. Polygamy was the
religion of her land. She deemed herself the honored wife of Cortez,
and dreamed not of wrong. Marina was in all respects an extraordinary
woman. Nature had done much for her. In person she was exceedingly
beautiful. She had winning manners, and a warm and loving heart.
Her mind was of a superior order. She very quickly mastered the
difficulties of the Castilian tongue, and thus spoke three languages
with native fluency--the Mexican, the Yucatanese, and the Spanish. "I
am more happy," said she one day, "in being the wife of my lord and
master Cortez, and of having a son by him, than if I had been
sovereign of all of New Spain."
Her career had been eventful in the extreme. She was the daughter of a
rich and powerful cacique, who was tributary to the Emperor of Mexico.
Her father died during her infancy, and her mother married again. A
son by her new husband gradually estranged the affections of the
unnatural mother from her daughter. These feelings increased, till
she regarded the child with deep dislike, and secretly gave her away
to some slave-drivers, circulating the report that the child was dead.
The slave-merchants brought her from her distant home, where the
language of Mexico was her native tongue, and sold her to one of the
chiefs of Tabasco. Here she acquired the language of Yucatan.
There was much in the energy, magnanimity, fearlessness, and glowing
temperament of Cortez to rouse a woman's love. Marina became devotedly
attached to him. She watched over his interests with a zeal which
never slumbered; and when she became the mother of his son, still more
tender ties bound her to the conqueror of her race. In subsequent
scenes of difficulty and danger, her acquaintance with the native
language, manners, and customs made her an invaluable acquisition to
the expedition.
After a few days spent at Tabasco, the hour for departure came. The
boats, decorated with the banner of the cross, and with palm leaves,
the symbols of happiness and peace, floated down the beautiful river
to the squadron riding at anchor at its mouth. Again spreading the
sails, and catching a favorable breeze, the adventurers were wafted
rejoicingly on toward the shores of Mexico. The newly-converted
natives were left to meditate upon the instructions which they had
received--to count the graves of the slain--to heal, as they could,
the gory wounds and splintered bones of their friends, still writhing
in anguish, and to wail the funeral dirge in the desolate homes of the
widow and the orphan. Seldom, in the history of the world, has such a
whirlwind of woe so suddenly burst upon any people. How long they
continued to cherish a religion introduced by such harbingers we are
not informed.
The sun shone brightly on the broad Mexican Gulf, and zephyrs laden
with fragrance from the luxuriant shores swelled the flowing sheets.
As the fleet crept along the land, the temples and houses of the
natives, and their waving fields of grain, were distinctly visible
from the decks. Many a promontory and headland was covered with
multitudes of tawny figures, decorated with all the attractions of
barbarian splendor, gazing upon the fearful phenomena of the passing
ships. Cortez continued his course several hundred miles, sweeping
around the shores of this magnificent gulf, until he arrived at the
island of San Juan de Ulua. He was seeking this spot, which Grijalva
had visited, and here he dropped his anchors in one of the harbors of
the empire of Mexico.
CHAPTER IV.
FOUNDING A COLONY.
The fleet anchors.--Arrival of the canoes.--The two chiefs.--The
legend.--The presents.--The interview.--The government of the
empire.--Cortez lands.--Scene on the shore.--Visit of Governor
Teutile.--Cortez's speech.--Teutile's uneasiness.--His reply.--
Embassadors to be sent to Montezuma.--Picture writing.--Military
review.--The manoeuvres.--Terror of the natives.--Departure of the
runners.--Police regulations.--Kindness of the natives.--Arrival
of the embassy.--Message from Montezuma.--Chagrin of Cortez.--
Disaffection in the camp.--Second message from Montezuma.--The
Ave Maria.--Curiosity of the natives.--The sermon.--Presentation
of the crucifix.--Desertion of the huts.--The mutiny.--Shrewdness.
--The mutineers outwitted.--Success of the scheme.--Enthusiasm.--
Council elected for the new colony.--Appearance of Cortez before
the assembly.--The address.--Cortez lays down his commission.--He
is induced to take it up again.--Remonstrance.--Mode of reasoning.
--Envoys of Zempoalla.--Prospect of civil war.--Resolve to establish
a colony at Quiabislan.--Beauties of the country, and refinement of
the inhabitants.--Reception at Zempoalla.--Cortez offers his
services.--Wrongs of the Totonacs.--Help implored.--Applause of the
natives.--Erection of fortifications.--Building the town.--The lords
from Montezuma.--Consternation of the Totonacs.--The penalty.--
Cortez's orders.--Power of Montezuma.--The Mexican lords arrested.
--Perfidy of Cortez.--The lords are liberated.--Villa Rica de la
Vera Cruz.--Embassy from Montezuma.--He adopts a conciliatory
policy.--Amazement of the Totonacs.
It was a beautiful afternoon in April when the fleet sailed
majestically into the Mexican bay. Earth, sea, and sky smiled
serenely, and all the elements of trouble were lulled into repose. As
the ships glided over the smooth waters to their sheltered anchorage,
a scene, as of enchantment, opened around the voyagers. In the
distance, on grassy slopes, and in the midst of luxuriant groves, the
villages and rural dwellings of the natives were thickly scattered.
The shores were covered with an eager multitude, contemplating with
wonder and awe the sublime spectacle of the fleet.
Hardly were the anchors dropped ere two canoes shot from the shore,
filled with natives. The ship in which Cortez sailed was more imposing
than the rest, and the banner of Spain floated proudly from its
topmast. The Mexicans steered promptly for this vessel, and, with the
most confiding frankness, ascended its sides. Two of the persons in
these boats were men of high distinction in the Mexican empire. As
Marina understood their language perfectly, and the liberated Spanish
captive Aguilar was thoroughly acquainted with the language of the
Tabascans, there was no difficulty in the interchange of ideas. One of
these men was the governor of the province in which Cortez had landed;
the other was commander-in-chief of all the military forces in that
province. It has been mentioned that Grijalva had previously landed at
this spot, and given it the name of San Juan de Ulua. The Mexicans had
thus some knowledge of the formidable strangers who were invading the
New World, and in various ways tidings, for now the quarter of a
century, had been reaching their ears of the appalling power of this
new race.
Perhaps to this fact is to be attributed the general and discouraging
impression which then prevailed, that a fearful calamity which nothing
could avert was impending over the nation; that it was the decree of
destiny that a strange race, coming from the rising of the sun, should
overwhelm and desolate their country.
The two chiefs brought Cortez a present of bread, fruit, fowls,
flowers, and golden ornaments. The interview was conducted by the
interchange of the most formal social ceremonies of Mexico and of
Spain. Cortez invited his guests to remain and dine. The communication
between them was necessarily slow, as Marina interpreted their speech
to Aguilar, and Aguilar to Cortez. The Spanish commander, however,
thus ascertained the most important facts which he wished to know
respecting the great empire of Mexico. He learned that two hundred
miles in the interior was situated the capital of the empire, and
that a monarch named Montezuma, beloved and revered by his subjects,
reigned over the extended realm. The country was divided into
provinces, over each of which a governor presided. The province in
which Cortez had landed was under the sway of Governor Teutile, who
resided about twenty miles in the interior.
Cortez, though uninvited, immediately, with great energy and boldness,
landed his whole force upon the beach. He constructed a fortified
camp, and planted his heavy artillery upon the surrounding hillocks
to sweep all the approaches. Characteristically it is recorded that,
having posted their artillery, they _raised an altar_, and not till
after that was done did they erect barracks for themselves. The
friendly natives aided the Spaniards in building huts, brought them
presents of flowers and food, and entered into an active traffic, in
which both parties exulted in the great bargains which they made. Thus
the Mexicans warmed the vipers who were fatally to sting them.
It was indeed a novel scene, worthy of the pencil of the painter,
which that beach presented day after day. Men, women, and children,
boys and girls, in all the variety of barbaric costume, thronged the
encampment. Mexicans and Spaniards mingled merrily in all the peaceful
and joyful confusion of a fair. The rumor of the strange visitors
spread far and wide, and each day increasing multitudes were
assembled.
The intelligence was speedily communicated to Governor Teutile. With
a numerous retinue, he set out from his palace to visit his uninvited
guests, and to ascertain their object and purposes. The governor
entered the Spanish camp accompanied by the commander-in-chief of all
the provincial forces. Each party vied in the external demonstrations
of respect and friendship. The eyes of the Spaniards glistened with
avarice as Teutile spread before Cortez many valuable ornaments of
massive silver and gold, wrought in exquisite workmanship. The sight
inflamed them with more intense desires to penetrate a country where
such treasures could be obtained. After a splendid repast given by the
Spaniards, Cortez said to his visitors,
"I am the subject of Charles V., the most powerful monarch in the
world. My sovereign has heard of the greatness and the glory of
Montezuma, the Emperor of Mexico. I am sent to his court to convey the
respects of my sovereign, to offer suitable presents, and to confer
with him upon matters of great moment. It is therefore my desire to
proceed immediately to the capital, to accomplish the purposes of my
mission."
Teutile could not conceal the uneasiness with which he heard this
avowal. He knew that Montezuma and all the most intelligent men of the
nation contemplated with dread the power and the encroachments of the
Europeans, now so firmly established on the islands of the Caribbean
Sea. With embarrassment he replied,
"I hear with pleasure of the magnificence of your sovereign. Our
monarch is not less glorious. No earthly king can surpass him in
wealth or goodness. You have been but a few days in these realms,
and yet you are impatient to be admitted, without delay, into the
presence of Montezuma. Our king will doubtless hear with pleasure from
your sovereign, and receive his embassador honorably. But it will be
first necessary to inform him of your arrival, that he may communicate
to you his royal pleasure."
Cortez was exceedingly annoyed by this delay. Deeming it, however,
important to secure the friendship of the Mexicans, he consented to
wait until the return of the couriers who were immediately to be sent
to Montezuma. The natives were not acquainted with the alphabet, but
they had in use a sort of _picture writing_, delineating upon fine
cotton cloth pictures of scenes which they wished to represent.
Teutile requested that his painters might be permitted to take a
sketch of the Spaniards and their equipage. Consent being obtained,
the painters commenced their work, which they executed with remarkable
rapidity and skill. The fleet in the harbor, the encampment upon the
shore, the muskets, the artillery, the horses, all were delineated
true to life. They were so accurate in the figures and portraits of
Cortez and his leading companions that the Spaniards immediately
recognized them.
When Cortez observed this remarkable skill, that he might impress
Montezuma the more deeply with a sense of his power, he ordered his
whole force to be assembled for a military review. The trumpets pealed
forth the martial summons which the well-drilled bands so perfectly
understood. The troops instantly formed in order of battle. Infantry,
artillery, cavalry, all were at their posts. The most intricate and
beautiful manoeuvres were performed. Martial music contributed its
thrilling charms; banners floated in the breeze; helmets, cuirasses,
swords, and polished muskets gleamed in the rays of the unclouded sun.
Mounted horsemen bounded over the plain in the terrific charge, and
the artillerymen, with rapid evolutions, moved to and fro, dragging
over the sands their lumbering yet mysterious engines of destruction,
whose awful roar and terrific power the Mexicans had not yet
witnessed. It was a gorgeous spectacle even to eyes accustomed to
such scenes. The Mexicans, in countless thousands, gazed upon it in
silent amazement. But when, at the close, Cortez placed his cannon
in battery, and ordered a simultaneous discharge, aiming the
heavily-shotted guns into the dense forest, the bewilderment of the
poor natives passed away into unspeakable terror. They saw the
lightning flash, they heard the roar, louder than the heaviest
thunders. As the iron storm was shot through the forest, the limbs
of the gigantic trees came crashing to the ground. Dense volumes of
sulphurous smoke enveloped them. Even the boldest turned pale, and
the timid shrieked and fled.
Cortez was much pleased in seeing how deeply he had impressed his
visitors with a sense of his power. The painters made a very accurate
delineation of the whole scene to be transmitted to Montezuma. They
then, with much ceremony, departed.
The police regulations of Mexico were in some respects in advance of
that which then prevailed in Europe. For the rapid transmission of
intelligence from the remotest bounds of the empire to the capital,
well-trained runners were posted, at suitable stations, all along the
principal roads. Each man had a short stage, which he passed over with
great rapidity, and communicated his message, verbal or written in the
picture language, to a fresh runner. Burdens and governmental officers
were also rapidly transmitted, in a sort of palanquin, in the same
way, from post to post, by relays of men.
A week passed while Cortez remained impatiently in his encampment
awaiting an answer to the message sent to Montezuma. The friendly
natives, in the mean time, supplied the Spaniards with every thing
they could need. By the command of the governor, Teutile, more than a
thousand huts of branches of trees and of cotton matting were reared
in the vicinity of the encampment for the accommodation of the
Mexicans, who, without recompense, were abundantly supplying the table
of Cortez and of his troops.
[Illustration: INTERVIEW BETWEEN CORTEZ AND THE EMBASSADORS OF
MONTEZUMA.]
On the eighth day an embassy arrived at the camp from the Mexican
capital. Two nobles of the court, accompanied by a retinue of a
hundred _men of burden_, laden with magnificent gifts from Montezuma,
presented themselves before the pavilion of Cortez. The embassadors
saluted the Spanish chieftain with the greatest reverence, bowing
before him, and surrounding him with clouds of incense, which arose
from waving censers borne by their attendants. The presents which they
brought, in silver, in gold, in works of art, utility, and beauty,
excited the rapture and the amazement of the Spaniards. There were
specimens of workmanship in the precious metals which no artists in
Europe could rival. A Spanish helmet which had been sent to Montezuma
was returned filled with grains of pure gold. These costly gifts were
opened before Cortez in lavish abundance, and they gave indications of
opulence hitherto undreamed of. After they had been sufficiently
examined and admired, one of the embassadors very courteously said,
"Our master is happy to send these tokens of his respect to the King
of Spain. He regrets that he can not enjoy an interview with the
Spaniards. But the distance of his capital is too great, and the
perils of the journey are too imminent to allow of this pleasure. The
strangers are therefore requested to return to their own homes with
these proofs of the friendly feelings of Montezuma."
Cortez was much chagrined. He earnestly, however, renewed his
application for permission to visit the emperor. But the embassadors,
as they retired, assured him that another application would be
unavailing. They, however, took a few meagre presents of shirts and
toys, which alone remained to Cortez, and departed on their journey
of two hundred miles, with the reiterated and still more earnest
application from Cortez for permission to visit the emperor. It was
now evident that the Mexicans had received instructions from the
court, and that all were anxious that the Spaniards should leave the
country. Though the natives manifested no hostility, they immediately
became cold and reserved, and ceased to supply the camp with food.
With the Spaniards the charm of novelty was over. Insects annoyed
them. They were blistered by the rays of a meridian sun, reflected
from the burning sands of the beach. Sickness entered the camp, and
thirty died. Disaffection began to manifest itself, and some were
anxious to return to Cuba.
But the treasures which had been received from Montezuma, so rich and
so abundant, inspired Cortez and his gold-loving companions with the
most intense desire to penetrate an empire of so much opulence. They,
however, waited patiently ten days, when the embassadors again
returned. As before, they came laden with truly imperial gifts. The
gold alone of the ornaments which they brought was valued by the
Spaniards at more than fifty thousand dollars. The message from
Montezuma was, however, still more peremptory than the first. He
declared that he could not permit the Spaniards to approach his
capital. Cortez, though excessively vexed, endeavored to smother the
outward expression of his irritation. He gave the embassadors a
courteous response, but, turning to his officers, he said,
"This is truly a rich and a powerful prince. Yet it shall go hard but
we will one day pay him a visit in his capital."
"At this moment," says Diaz, "the bell tolled for the Ave
Maria, and all of us fell upon our knees before the holy
cross. The Mexican noblemen being very inquisitive to know
the meaning of this, Cortez hinted to the reverend father
Olmedo the propriety of a sermon, such as should convey to
them the truths of our holy faith. Father Olmedo accordingly
preached, like an excellent theologian which he was,
explaining the mysteries of the cross, at the sight of which
the evil beings they worshiped as gods fled away. These
subjects, and much more, he dilated upon. It was perfectly
explained to the Mexicans and understood by them, and they
promised to relate all they had seen and heard to their
sovereign. He also declared to them that among the principal
objects of our mission thither were those of putting a stop
to human sacrifices, injustices, and idolatrous worship; and
then, presenting them with an image of our Holy Virgin, with
her son in her arms, he desired them to take it with them, to
venerate it, and to plant crosses similar to that before them
in their temples."
The embassadors again retired with dignity and with courtesy, yet with
reserve indicative of deep displeasure at the pertinacity of the
Spaniards. That night every hut of the natives was abandoned. When the
morning sun arose, silence and solitude reigned upon the spot which
had so recently witnessed the life and the clamor of an innumerable
multitude. Cortez and his companions were left alone. The long hours
of the tropical day passed slowly, and no native approached the
encampment. No food was to be obtained. Not only was all friendly
intercourse thus suspended, but the Spaniards had much reason to fear
that preparations were making for an assault. The murmuring in the
camp increased. Two parties were formed: one party were in favor of
returning to Cuba, affirming that it was madness to think of the
subjugation by force of arms of so mighty an empire with so feeble an
armament. One of the generals, Diego de Ordaz, was deputed by the
disaffected to communicate these sentiments to Cortez, and to assure
him that it was the general voice of the army.
The shrewdness of this extraordinary man was peculiarly conspicuous
in this crisis. He promptly, and apparently with cordiality, assented
to their views, and began to make arrangements to relinquish the
enterprise. Orders were issued to commence the re-embarkation.
While thus dissimulating, he roused his friends to effort, and
secretly employed all his powers to excite a mutiny in the camp
against a return. Every motive was plied to stimulate the bold and the
avaricious to persevere in an undertaking where glory and wealth held
out such attractions. His emissaries were completely successful. The
whole camp was in a ferment. Before the sun went down, a large party
of the soldiers surrounded his tent, as in open mutiny. They declared
that, having entered upon a majestic enterprise, it was poltroonery to
abandon it upon the first aspect of danger; that they were determined
to persevere, and that, if Cortez wished to return with the cowards to
Cuba, they would instantly choose another general to guide them in the
career of glory upon which they had entered.
Cortez was delighted with the success of his stratagem. He, however,
affected surprise, and declared that his orders for re-embarking were
issued from the persuasion that the troops wished to return; that,
to gratify them, he had been willing to sacrifice his own private
judgment. He assured the mutineers that it afforded him the highest
gratification to find that they were true Castilians, with minds
elevated to the accomplishment of heroic deeds. He affirmed that
before such strong arms and bold hearts all peril would vanish.
The applause with which this speech was greeted was so long and
enthusiastic that even the murmurers were soon induced to join the
acclamations. Thus adroitly Cortez again enthroned himself as the
undisputed chieftain of an enthusiastic band.
He decided immediately to establish a settlement on the sea-coast as
the nucleus of a colony. From that point as the basis of operations,
he would, with the terrors of artillery and cavalry, boldly penetrate
the interior. He assembled the principal officers of the army, and by
their suffrages elected the magistrates and a council for the new
colony. He skillfully so arranged it that all the magistrates chosen
were his warm partisans.
The council assembled for the organization of the government. As soon
as the assembly was convened, Cortez asked permission to enter it.
Bowing with the most profound respect before the new government thus
organized, that he might set an example of the most humble and
submissive obedience, he addressed them in the following terms:
"By the establishment of the colony and the organization of the
colonial government, this august tribunal is henceforth invested
with supreme jurisdiction, and is clothed with the authority, and
represents the person of the sovereign. I accordingly present myself
before you with the same dutiful fidelity as if I were addressing my
royal master. The safety of this colony, threatened by the hostility
of a mighty empire, depends upon the subordination and discipline
preserved among the troops. But my right to command is derived from a
commission granted by the Governor of Cuba. As that commission has
been long since revoked, my right to command may well be questioned.
It is of the utmost importance, in the present condition of affairs,
that the commander-in-chief should not act upon a dubious title. There
is now required the most implicit obedience to orders, and the army
can not act with efficiency if it has any occasion to dispute the
powers of its general.
"Moved by these considerations, I now resign into your hands, as the
representatives of the sovereign, all my authority. As you alone have
the right to choose, and the power to confer full jurisdiction, upon
you it devolves to choose some one, in the king's name, to guide the
army in its future operations. For my own part, such is my zeal in the
service in which we are engaged, that I would most cheerfully take up
a pike with the same hand which lays down the general's truncheon, and
convince my fellow-soldiers that, though accustomed to command, I have
not forgotten how to obey."
Thus saying, he laid his commission from Velasquez upon the table, and
after kissing his truncheon, delivered it to the chief magistrate and
withdrew. This was consummate acting. The succeeding steps were all
previously arranged. He was immediately elected, by unanimous
suffrage, chief justice of the colony, and captain general of the
army. His commission was ordered to be made out in the name of Charles
V. of Spain, and was to continue in force until the royal pleasure
should be farther known. The troops were immediately assembled and
informed of the resolve. They ratified it with unbounded applause.
The air resounded with acclamations, and all vowed obedience, even to
death, to the authority of Cortez. Thus adroitly this bold adventurer
shook off his dependence upon Velasquez, and assumed the dignity of an
independent governor, responsible only to his sovereign.
There were a few adherents of Velasquez who remonstrated against these
unprecedented measures. Cortez, with characteristic energy, seized
them and placed them in imprisonment, loaded with chains, on board one
of the ships. This rigor overawed and silenced the rest. Cortez,
however, soon succeeded, by flattering attentions and by gifts, in
securing a cordial reconciliation with his opponents. He was now
strong in undisputed authority.
In the midst of these events, one day five Indians of rank came, in
rather a mysterious manner, to the camp, and solicited an interview
with Cortez. They represented themselves as envoys from the chief of
Zempoalla, a large town at no great distance. This chief reigned over
the powerful nation of Totonacs. His people had been conquered by
Montezuma, and annexed to the Mexican empire. They were restive under
the yoke, and would gladly avail themselves of an alliance with the
Spaniards to regain their independence.
Cortez listened eagerly to this statement. It presented just the
opportunity which he desired. He saw at once that by exciting civil
war, and arraying one portion of the empire against another, he might
accomplish his ends. He also judged that, in an empire so vast, there
must be other provinces where disaffection could be excited. He
therefore received these envoys most graciously, and promised very
soon to visit their metropolis.
The spot where Cortez had landed was not a good location for the
establishment of a city. A party was sent along the coast to seek a
better harbor for the ships and a more eligible site for the city. At
the expiration of twelve days the party returned, having discovered a
fine harbor and fertile soil at a little village called Quiabislan,
about forty miles to the northward. This village was fortunately but
a few miles distant from Zempoalla. Most of the heavy guns were
re-embarked, and the fleet was ordered to coast along the shore to the
appointed rendezvous at Quiabislan. Then, heading his troops, he set
out on a bold march across the country to meet his fleet, arranging to
pass through Zempoalla by the way.
[Illustration: MAP _SHOWING THE_ ROUTE OF CORTEZ from Cozumel I. to
Mexico.]
The beauty of the country through which they marched entranced the
hearts even of these stern warriors. They were never weary of
expressing their delight in view of the terrestrial paradise which
they had discovered. When the Spaniards had arrived within three miles
of Zempoalla, a delegation met them from the city, accompanied by a
vast concourse of men and women. The adventurers were greeted with
courteous words, and gifts of gold, and fruits, and flowers. The
natives possessed many attractions of person, and their frank and
friendly manners were peculiarly winning. A singular degree of mental
refinement was to be seen in their passionate love of flowers, with
which they adorned their persons, and which bloomed, in the utmost
profusion, around their dwellings. Cortez and his steed were almost
covered with wreaths and garlands of roses, woven by the fair hands
of his newly-found friends.
The Spaniards were quite amazed in entering the city of Zempoalla.
They found a beautiful town, with streets perfectly clean--for they
had no beasts of burden--lined with spacious stone houses, and shaded
with ornamental trees. These paved streets were kept almost as
free from litter as a parlor floor, and they were thronged with,
apparently, a refined and happy people. A tropical sun, whose rays
were tempered by the ocean breeze, fell warmly upon them during all
the months of the year. Soil of astonishing fertility supplied them
abundantly with food, while a genial climate invited them to
indulgence and repose. At first glance it would seem that the doom of
Adam's fall had not yet reached the dwellings of Zempoalla. A few
hours' residence in the city, however, conclusively proved that here,
as elsewhere, man is born to mourn.
As Cortez entered the gates of the city, he was met and welcomed with
great pomp by the cacique of Zempoalla. He was excessively corpulent,
but very polite and highly polished in his manners. Marina and Aguilar
acted as interpreters.
"I am come," said Cortez, "from the ends of the earth. I serve a
monarch who is powerful, and whose goodness equals his power. He has
sent me hither, that I may give some account of the inhabitants of
this part of the world. He has commanded me to do good to all men, and
particularly to aid the oppressed and to punish their oppressors. To
you, Lord of Zempoalla, I offer my services. Whatever you may command,
I and my troops will cheerfully perform."
The cacique of Zempoalla replied,
"Gracious stranger, I can not sufficiently commend your benevolence,
and none can stand more in need of it. You see before you a man
wearied out with unmerited wrongs. I and my people are crushed and
trodden under foot by the most tyrannical power upon earth. We were
once an independent and a happy people, but the prosperity of the
Totonacs is now destroyed. The power of our nobles is gone. We are
robbed of the produce of our fields. Our sons are torn from us for
sacrifices, and our daughters for slaves.
"The Mexicans are our conquerors and oppressors. They heap these
calamities upon us, robbing us of our substance, and despoiling us
of our children. In the pride of aggression, they have marched from
conquest to conquest, till they gather tribute from every land. And
now, mighty warrior, we implore of thy strength and kindness that thou
wouldst enable us to resist these tyrants, and deliver us from their
exactions."
Cortez warily replied: "I will gladly aid you, but let us not be rash.
I will dwell with you a while, and whenever I shall see a suitable
occasion to punish your enemies and to relieve you from their
impositions, you may rely upon my aid to humble their pride and
power."
The rugged army of Cortez then advanced through the streets of
Zempoalla to the spacious court-yard of the temple assigned for their
accommodation. As in solid column, with floating banners and bugle
notes, they paraded the streets, headed by the cavalry of sixteen
horses, animals the Totonacs had never seen before, and followed by
the lumbering artillery--instruments, in the eyes of the Totonacs, of
supernatural power--which, with thunder roar, sped lightning bolts,
the natives gazed with admiration upon the imposing spectacle, and the
air resounded with their applause.
The next morning Cortez, with most of his army, continued his march
some twelve miles farther to meet his fleet at Quiabislan. The cacique
hospitably sent with him four hundred _men of burden_ to convey his
baggage. The spot which had been selected as the site of the new town,
which was to be the capital of the Spanish colony, met the approbation
of Cortez. He immediately commenced erecting huts and surrounding the
town with fortifications of sufficient strength to resist any assault
from the natives. Every man in the army, the officers as well as the
soldiers, engaged laboriously in this work. No one toiled in this
enterprise with more patient endurance than the extraordinary
commander of this extraordinary band. The Totonacs from Zempoalla and
Quiabislan, encouraged by their caciques, also lent their aid to the
enterprise with hearty good will. Thousands of hands were thus
employed; provisions flowed into the camp in all abundance, and the
works proceeded with great rapidity. The vicinity was densely
populated, and large numbers of the listless natives, women and
children, were attracted to the spot to witness the busy scene, so
novel and so exciting.
But such proceedings could not escape the vigilance of the officers of
Montezuma. In the midst of this state of things, suddenly one day a
strange commotion was witnessed in the crowd, and the natives, both
people and chiefs, gave indications of great terror. Five strangers
appeared--tall, imposing men, with bouquets of flowers in their hands,
and followed by obsequious attendants. Haughtily these strangers
passed through the place, looking sternly upon the Spaniards, without
deigning to address them either by a word or a gesture. They were
lords from the court of Montezuma. Their power was invincible and
terrible. They had witnessed with their own eyes these rebellious
indications of the subjects of Mexico. The chiefs of the Totonacs
turned pale with consternation. All this was explained to Cortez by
Marina.
The Totonac chiefs were imperiously summoned to appear immediately
before the lords of Montezuma. Like terrified children they obeyed.
Soon they returned, trembling, to Cortez, and informed him that the
Mexican lords were indignant at the support which they had afforded
the Spaniards, contrary to the express will of their emperor, and that
they demanded as the penalty twenty young men and twenty young women
of the Totonacs, to be offered in sacrifice to their gods.
Cortez assumed an air of indignation and of authority as he eagerly
availed himself of this opportunity of promoting an open rupture
between the Totonacs and the Mexicans. He declared that he would never
consent to any such abominable practices of heathenism. He haughtily
commanded the Totonac chiefs immediately to arrest the lords of
Montezuma, and throw them into prison. The poor chiefs were appalled
beyond measure at the very idea of an act so irrevocable and so
unpardonable. They had long been accustomed to consider Montezuma as
possessing power which nothing on earth could resist. Montezuma swayed
the sceptre of a Cæsar, and bold indeed must he be who would venture
to brave his wrath.
But, on the other hand, they had already offended beyond hope of
pardon by entertaining the intruders contrary to the positive command
of their sovereign. Twenty of their sons and daughters were to bleed
upon the altars of sacrifice. Their only hope was now in Cortez.
Should he abandon them, they were ruined hopelessly. They deemed it
possible that, with the thunder and the lightning at his command, he
might be able to set at defiance that mighty Mexican power which had
hitherto been found invincible.
In this dreadful dilemma, they yielded to the inexorable demand of
Cortez, and tremblingly arrested the Mexican lords. The Rubicon was
now passed. The Totonacs were from that moment the abject slaves of
Cortez. Their only protection from the most awful doom was in his
strong arm, and their persons, their property, their all, were
entirely at his disposal.
Cortez then condescended to perform a deed of cunning and of perfidy
which has left a stain upon his character which never can be washed
away. In the night he ordered one of his people secretly to assist two
of the Mexican lords in their escape. They were privately brought into
his presence. With guileful words, which ought to have blistered his
tongue, he declared that they, by their arrest, had received insult
and outrage from the Totonacs, which he sincerely regretted, and would
gladly have prevented. He assured them of the great pleasure which it
afforded him to aid them in their escape. He promised to do every
thing in his power to secure the release of the others, and wished
them to return to the court of their monarch, and assure him of the
friendly spirit of the Spaniards, of which this act was to be a
conspicuous proof. He then sent six strong rowers to convey them
secretly in a boat beyond the reach of pursuit. The next morning, in
the same guileful way, all the rest were liberated, and sent with a
similar message to the court of Montezuma.
Such was the treachery with which Cortez rewarded his faithful allies.
With perfidy so detestable, he endeavored to foment civil discord in
the empire of Montezuma, pretending to be himself the friend of each
of the parties whose hostility he had excited, and ready to espouse
either side which might appear most available for the promotion of his
ambitious plans. History has no language too severe to condemn an
action so utterly abominable. It is treason to virtue to speak mildly
of atrocious crime.
Cortez named the infant city he was erecting The Rich City of the True
Cross, _Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz_. "The two principles of avarice
and enthusiasm," says Robertson, "which prompted the Spaniards in all
their enterprises in the New World, seem to have concurred in
suggesting the name which Cortez bestowed on his infant settlement."
This city was a few miles north of the present city of Vera Cruz.
While Cortez was busily employed in laying the foundations of his
colony, and gathering around him native aid in preparation for a march
into the interior, another embassy from the court of Montezuma
appeared in the busy streets of Vera Cruz. The Mexican emperor,
alarmed by the tidings he received of the persistent boldness of the
Spaniards, and of their appalling and supernatural power, deemed it
wise to accept the courtesy which had been offered him in the
liberation of his imprisoned lords, and to adopt a conciliatory
policy. The Totonacs were amazed by this evidence that even the mighty
Montezuma was overawed by the power of the Spaniards. This greatly
increased their veneration for their European allies.
CHAPTER V.
THE TLASCALANS SUBJUGATED.
Exultation of the Totonacs.--The eight maidens and their baptism.
--Endeavors to induce the acceptance of Christianity.--The result.
--Fanaticism of the Spaniards.--Destruction of the idols.--Dismay
of the Indians.--Celebration of mass.--The harangue.--The change.
--Emotions of the natives.--They accept the new idols.--Cortez's
embarrassment respecting his commission.--The letter.--Anticipations
of wealth.--Presents.--Embassadors sent to the king.--Punishment of
the conspirators.--Disturbing developments.--Destruction of the
fleet.--Indignation of the soldiers.--Cortez wins the approval of his
men.--Preparations for the journey.--The departure and march to
Mexico.--Arrival of a strange vessel.--Capture of prisoners.--The
stratagem.--The re-enforcement.--They arrive at Jalapa.--Naulinco.
--Erection of the cross.--Ascent of the Cordilleras.--The city of
Tlatlanquitepec.--Indications of idolatry.--A cold reception.--
Cortez's mission.--His commands, and their refusal to obey.--Advice
of Father Olmedo.--Arrival at Xalacingo.--Friendly treatment.--
Embassadors to the Tlascalan capital.--They are seized, but escape.
--The Spaniards determine to force a passage.--The attack.--The
Tlascalans forced to retire.--Destruction of the provisions.--The
sacrament.--Chivalry of the barbarians.--A supply of provisions.--
Encounter the enemy.--Confession.--Release of the captive chiefs.
--Tlascalan mode of making peace.--Cortez prepares for battle.--The
battle.--Courage of the enemy.--The natives vanquished.--Surprise
at the small losses of the Spaniards.--Courage of the Spaniards
accounted for.--The midnight foray.--The Tlascalans sue for peace.
--Cruel treatment of the embassadors.--The Tlascalans subdued.--Speech
of the commander-in-chief.--They march to the city of Tlascala.--
Appearance of the city.--Treatment of the vanquished natives.--Peril
of Cortez's army.--Murmurs dispelled.--Population of the city.
The Totonacs were now exceedingly exultant. They were unwearied in
extolling their allies, and in proclaiming their future independence
of their Mexican conquerors. They urged other neighboring provinces to
join them, and become the vassals of the omnipotent Spaniards. They
raised a strong army, which they placed under the command of Cortez to
obey his bidding. To strengthen the bonds of alliance, the cacique of
Zempoalla selected eight of the most beautiful maidens of his country,
all of the first families, to be united in marriage to the Spanish
generals. Cortez courteously but decisively informed the chief that,
before such union could be consummated, these maidens must all
renounce idolatry and be baptized. The Totonacs, without much apparent
reluctance, yielded. Emboldened by this success, Cortez now made very
strenuous efforts to induce the chief and all the tribe to abandon
their idols and the cruel rites of heathenism, and to accept in their
stead the symbols of Christianity.
But upon this point the cacique was inflexible. "We honor your
friendship, noble Cortez," he firmly replied, "and we are grateful to
you for the generous interest you take in our welfare; but the gods
are greater than man. Earthly benefactors are but the ministers of
their favor. Gratitude to the gods is our first duty. Health, plenty,
all blessings are from their bounty. We dread their anger more than
the displeasure of the mightiest of men. Should we offend them,
inevitable destruction will overwhelm me and my people."
Cortez was provoked by such obstinacy. He was incapable of
appreciating the nobility of these sentiments, and of perceiving that
such minds needed but instruction to lead them to reverence the true
God. The sincere idolater, who worships according to the little
knowledge he has, is immeasurably elevated, in dignity of character,
above the mere nominal Christian, who knows the true God, and yet
disregards him. But Cortez, inspired by fanatic zeal, treated these
men, who deserved tender consideration, with insult and contempt.
He resolved recklessly to demolish their idols, and to compel the
Totonacs to receive in exchange the images of Rome.
[Illustration: DESTROYING THE IDOLS AT ZEMPOALLA.]
He immediately assembled his soldiers, and thus addressed them:
"Soldiers! We are Spaniards. We inherit from our ancestors the love of
our holy faith. Let us prostrate these vile images. Let us plant the
cross, and call the heathen to the feet of that holy symbol. Heaven
will never smile upon our enterprise if we countenance the atrocities
of heathenism. For my part, I am resolved that these pagan idols shall
be destroyed this very hour, even if it cost me my life."
The fanaticism of the Spaniards was now effectually roused. In solid
column, a strong division marched toward one of the most imposing of
the Totonac temples. The alarm spread wildly through the thronged
streets of Zempoalla. The whole population seized their arms to defend
their gods. A scene of fearful confusion ensued. Firmly the inflexible
Spaniards strode on. Fifty men ascended the winding stairs to the
summit of the pyramidal temple, tore down the massive wooden idols,
and tumbled them into the streets. They then collected the mutilated
fragments, and burned them to ashes. The Indians looked on in dismay,
with tears and groans.
The heathen temple was then emptied, swept, and garnished. The Totonac
chiefs, and the priests clotted with the blood of their brutal
sacrifices, now docile as children, obeyed obsequiously the demands of
the haughty reformer. He ordered these unenlightened pagan priests to
have their heads shorn, to be dressed in the white robes of the
Catholic priesthood, and, with lighted candles in their hands, they
were constrained to assist in performing the rites of the papal
Church. An image of the Virgin was installed in the shrine which had
been polluted by all the horrid orgies of pagan abominations. Mass was
celebrated upon the altar where human hearts, gory and quivering, had
for ages been offered in awful sacrifice. The prayers and the chants
of Christianity ascended from the spot where idolaters had slain their
victims and implored vengeance upon their foes.
Cortez then himself earnestly and eloquently harangued the people,
assuring them that henceforth the Spaniards and the Totonacs were
Christian brothers, and that under the protection of the Holy Virgin,
the mother of Christ, they would both certainly be blessed.
Violent as were these deeds, it is undeniable that they ushered in a
blessed change. The very lowest and most corrupt form of Christianity
is infinitely superior to the most refined creations of paganism.
The natives gradually recovered from their terror. They gazed
with admiration upon the pageant of the mass, with its gorgeous
accompaniments of incense, music, embroidered robes, and solemn
processions. The Spanish historians who witnessed the scene record
that many of the Indians were so overcome with pious emotion, in thus
beholding, for the first time, the mysteries of Christianity, that
they freely wept. No more resistance was made. The Totonacs, thus
easily converted, apparently with cheerfulness exchanged the bloody
and hideous idols of Mexico for the more attractive and more merciful
idols of Rome. Let not this remark be attributed to want of candor;
for no one can deny that, to these uninstructed natives, it was merely
an exchange of idols.
Cortez had now been in Mexico nearly three months. Every moment
had been occupied in the accomplishment of objects which he deemed
of fundamental importance. He was, however, evidently somewhat
embarrassed respecting the validity of his title to command. It was
at least doubtful whether the king would recognize the authority of a
colony established in so novel a manner. Cortez also well knew that
Velasquez would apply to his sovereign for redress for the injuries
which he had received. The danger was by no means small that, by the
command of the king, Cortez would be degraded and punished as a
usurper of power.
Before commencing his march into the interior, he deemed it of the
utmost importance to take every possible precaution against this
danger. He influenced the magistrates of Vera Cruz to address a letter
to the Spanish sovereign in justification of the course which had been
pursued, and to implore the king to ratify what had been done in his
name, and to confirm Cortez in the supreme command. Cortez also wrote
himself a long and labored letter to the Emperor Charles V., full of
protestations of loyalty and of zeal for the wealth and the renown of
the Spanish court. To add weight to his letter, it was accompanied by
as rich treasures from the New World as he had thus far been able to
accumulate. Such was the ascendency which this extraordinary man had
attained over the minds of his associates, and so confident were they
in their anticipations of boundless wealth, that all the soldiers,
without a murmur, at the suggestion of Cortez, relinquished their part
of the public treasure, that the whole might be sent to the king. Two
of the chief magistrates of the colony, Portocarrero and Montejo, were
sent in one of the two vessels which were fitted out to Spain to
convey these letters and presents. They were directed not to stop at
the island of Cuba, lest they should be detained by Velasquez. Ere
they embarked, mass was celebrated and prayers were offered for a
prosperous voyage. It was now the month of July, 1519.
Just after the vessels had sailed, Cortez was much disturbed by
a dangerous conspiracy which broke out in the camp. Some of the
disaffected, who had been silenced, but not reconciled, with great
secresy matured a plan for seizing one of the brigantines and making
their escape to Cuba. The conspirators had actually gone on board the
vessel, and were ready to weigh the anchor and spread the sails, when
one of the number repented of his treachery, and disclosed the plot to
Cortez.
The stern chieftain immediately went himself on board the vessel. The
crime was too palpable to be denied. He ordered all to be seized and
brought on shore. Cortez resolved to punish with a severity which
should intimidate against any renewal of a similar attempt. The two
ringleaders were immediately put to death. The pilot had one of his
feet cut off. Two of the sailors received two hundred lashes. The rest
were spared.
It is recorded that Cortez, as he was ratifying this sentence, gave a
deep sigh, and exclaimed,
"How happy is he who is not able to write, and is thereby prevented
from signing the death-warrants of men!"
But this development of disaffection disturbed Cortez exceedingly. He
was about to march two hundred miles into the interior. It would be
necessary to leave a garrison at Vera Cruz. The fleet would be lying
idly at anchor in the harbor. A more successful attempt might be made
during his absence; and Velasquez, informed thus of his position,
might easily send, from the powerful colony of Cuba, a force
sufficient to take possession of Vera Cruz, and thus leave Cortez in
the interior but a desperate adventurer, wandering in the midst of
hostile nations. In this emergence, he came to the decision, of
almost unparalleled boldness, to _destroy the fleet_! He would thus
place himself in a distant land, with but five hundred men, hopelessly
cut off from all retreat, and exposed to assault from exasperated
nations numbering many millions.
This plan was no sooner conceived than executed. He assembled his
principal friends privately, and informed them of his determination.
"We shall thus," said he, "gain all the sailors for soldiers, and the
men, having no possibility of escape, must either conquer or die."
While most of the soldiers were employed at Zempoalla, the ships were
dismantled of every movable article, and they were then scuttled
and sunk. In a few hours the majestic ocean rose and fell in silent
solitude where the fleet had so proudly floated. One small vessel
only was left.
When the soldiers heard of this desperate deed, they were struck with
consternation. They were apparently now forever separated from friends
and home. In case of disaster, escape was impossible and destruction
sure. Murmurs of indignation, loud and deep, began to rise against
Cortez. He immediately gathered his troops around him, and, by his
peculiar tact, soothed their anger, and won them to approval of his
course. They at once saw that murmurs would now be of no avail; that
their destiny was henceforth entirely dependent upon their obedience
to their leader. It was evident to all that the least insubordination,
in the position of peril in which they were placed, would lead to
inevitable ruin. Cortez closed his speech with the following forcible
words:
"As for me, I have chosen my part. I will remain here while there is
one to bear me company. If there be any so craven as to shrink from
sharing the danger of our glorious enterprise, let them go home. There
is still one vessel left. Let them take that and return to Cuba. They
can tell there how they have deserted their commander and their
comrades, and can wait patiently till we return, loaded with the
treasures of the Mexicans."
These excitable men were roused to enthusiasm by this speech. One
general shout arose, "To Mexico! to Mexico!" Cortez now made vigorous
preparations for his march, uninvited and even forbidden, to the
capital of Montezuma. All was alacrity in the camp, and the Totonac
allies were as zealous in their preparations as were the Spaniards.
On the 15th of August, 1519, commenced this ever-memorable march. The
force of Cortez consisted of four hundred Spaniards, fifteen horses,
and seven pieces of artillery. The small remainder of his troops, some
being sick or otherwise disabled, were left in garrison at Vera Cruz.
The cacique of the Totonacs also furnished him with an army of two
thousand three hundred men. Of these, two hundred were what were
called _men of burden_, trained to carry heavy loads and to perform
all arduous labor. These men were invaluable in carrying the luggage
and in dragging the heavy artillery. Cortez assembled his forces at
Zempoalla. At the moment of their departure, he called all the
Spaniards around him, and addressed them in a devout speech.
"The blessed Savior," said he, "will give us victory. We have now no
other security than the favor of God and our own stout hearts."
The morning was serene and cloudless when the army commenced its
march, which led to scenes of unparalleled cruelty and of blood. Just
as the advance guard was leaving, a messenger brought the intelligence
that a strange vessel was seen cruising off the coast near Vera Cruz.
Cortez was alarmed, being apprehensive that it was some ship
belonging to a fleet sent against him by Velasquez. He immediately set
off with a small party of horse toward the shore. A boat left the
vessel and landed four men. Cortez seized them, and learned that this
ship was sent with two others, conveying two hundred and seventy
soldiers. The Governor of Jamaica having learned of the expedition of
Cortez, had sent this embassy to take possession of the country, and
to inform Cortez that, by a royal commission from the sovereign, the
Governor of Jamaica was entitled to have authority over the whole
coast. Cortez impressed the men as soldiers, and sent them to be added
to his army. Hoping to get a few more, he hid, with his guard, for
a whole night behind some sand-hills, expecting that others might
land to look for their lost comrades. Being disappointed in this
expectation, he resorted to a stratagem to lure others on shore. Four
of his men were dressed in the clothes of the prisoners, and sent to
the coast to make signals. A boat was soon seen making for the shore;
but, as soon as three had landed, some suspicion excited the fears of
the rest, and they pushed off from the beach. The three were, however,
instantly secured, and were immediately sent to join their companions
in the ranks. Cortez thus obtained an important re-enforcement of
seven Spaniards.
Delaying no longer, the whole army was speedily on the march. For two
days they moved gayly along through an enchanting country of luxuriant
foliage, waving grain, flowers, and perfume. They encountered no
opposition. Indian villages were thickly scattered around, and scenery
of surpassing magnificence and loveliness was continually opening
before their eyes. On the evening of the second day they arrived
at the beautiful town of Jalapa, which was filled with the rural
residences of the wealthy natives, and whose elevated site commanded a
prospect in which the beautiful and the sublime were most lavishly
blended.
Still continuing their march through a well-settled country, as they
ascended the gradual slope of the Cordilleras, on the fourth day they
arrived at Naulinco. This was a large and populous town, containing
many massive temples, whose altars were ever crimsoned with human
gore. The adventurers were received here, however, with great
kindness. The sight of these heathen temples inspired Cortez, as
usual, with intense zeal to convert the natives to Christianity. Time
pressed, and it was not safe to indulge in delay. The Indians were
bewildered rather than instructed by the exhortations of the Spanish
priests. They, however, consented that Cortez should rear a large
cross in the centre of their market-place as a memorial of his visit.
The enthusiastic Spaniard devoutly hoped that the sight of the cross
alone would excite the devotion of the natives.
They had now ascended far up the gentle ascent of the Cordilleras, and
were entering the defiles of the mountains. Here they encountered
rugged paths, and fierce storms of wind and sleet. A weary march
of three days brought them to the high and extended table-land so
characteristic of this country, seven thousand feet above the level
of the sea. Here they found a fertile and flowery savanna extending
before them for many leagues. The country was highly cultivated, and
luxuriantly adorned with hedges, with groves, with waving fields of
maize, and with picturesque towns and villages. God did indeed seem to
smile upon these reckless adventurers. Thus far their march had been
as a delightful holiday excursion.
They soon arrived at Tlatlanquitepec. It was even more populous and
improving in its architecture than Zempoalla. The stone houses were
spacious and comfortable. Thirteen massive temples testified to the
religious fervor of the people. But here they witnessed the most
appalling indications of the horrid atrocities of pagan idolatry. They
found, piled in order, as they judged, one hundred thousand skulls of
human victims who had been offered in sacrifice to their gods.[B]
There was a Mexican garrison stationed in this place, but not
sufficiently strong to resist the invaders. They, however, gave Cortez
a very cold reception, and endeavored to discourage him from advancing
by glowing descriptions of the wealth and power of the monarch whose
displeasure he was incurring. These developments, however, rather
incited anew the zeal of the Spaniards. Cortez, with commendable zeal,
again made vigorous but unavailing efforts to induce these benighted
pagans to renounce their cruel and bloodstained idols, and accept the
religion of Jesus. Poorly as Cortez was instructed in the doctrines
and the precepts of the Gospel, Christianity, even as darkly
discerned by his mind, was infinitely superior to the sanguinary
religious rites of these idolaters.
[Footnote B: "Near some temples were laid numbers of human skeletons,
so arranged that they could be counted with ease and certainty. I am
convinced, from my own observation, that there were above a hundred
thousand. I repeat it, I am sure that there were more than a hundred
thousand."--_Bernal Diaz_, p. 91.]
"We come," said he, firmly, to the chiefs and the principal personages
of the town, "from a distant country, to warn the great Montezuma to
desist from human sacrifices, and all outrages upon his own vassals or
his neighbors, and to require from him submission to our monarch; and
I now require you, all who hear me, to renounce your human sacrifices,
cannibal feasts, and other abominable practices, for such is the
command of our Lord God, whom we adore, who gives us life and death,
and who is to raise us up to heaven."
The natives, however, clung to the debasing faith of their fathers.
The zeal of Cortez was roused. He regarded the hideous idols as
representatives of devils, whom it was right, with any violence, to
overthrow. He was just about ordering an onslaught upon the temples
with sword and hatchet, when the prudent Father Olmedo dissuaded him.
"By introducing our religion thus violently," said this truly good
man, "we shall but expose the sacred symbol of the cross and the image
of the Blessed Virgin to insult as soon as we shall have departed. We
must wait till we can instruct their dark minds, so that from the
heart they may embrace our faith."
And here let us record the full and the cordial admission, that the
Roman Catholic Church, notwithstanding its corruptions, has sent out
into the wilds of heathenism as devoted Christians as the world has
ever seen.
After a rest in this city of five days, the route was again commenced.
The road wound picturesquely along the banks of a broad and tranquil
stream, fringed with an unbroken line of Indian villages. Some twenty
leagues of travel brought them to the large town of Xalacingo. Here
they met with friendly treatment. They were now on the frontiers of a
very powerful nation, called the Tlascalans, who, by their fierce and
warlike habits, had thus far succeeded in resisting the aggressions of
the Mexicans. The whole nation was organized into a camp, and thus,
though many bloody battles had been fought, the Tlascalans maintained
their independence.
Cortez was quite sanguine that he should be able to form an alliance
with this people. He therefore decided to rest his army for a few
days, while an embassy should be sent to the Tlascalan capital to
solicit permission to pass through their country, and gently to
intimate an alliance. Four Zempoallans of lofty rank were selected as
embassadors. In accordance with the custom of the country, they were
dressed in official costume, with flowing mantles, and each bearing
arrows tipped with _white_ feathers, the symbol of peace.
But the Tlascalans had heard of the arrival of the Spaniards upon the
coast, of their ships, "armed with thunder and clad with wings," of
their fearful war-horses, and of their weapons of destruction of
almost supernatural power. They had also heard of the violence with
which they had assailed the gods of the country. The principal lords
had already assembled in debate to decide upon the course to be
pursued should these formidable strangers approach their territory. It
was determined to oppose them with all the energies of artifice and of
force. The embassadors were accordingly seized and imprisoned, and
preparations were made to sacrifice them to their gods. They, however,
fortunately made their escape and returned to Cortez.
The Spanish chieftain, disappointed but not intimidated by this
result, made prompt arrangements to force his way through the
Tlascalan territory. Waving the sacred banner of the Church before his
troops, he exclaimed,
"Spaniards! follow boldly the standard of the Holy Cross. Through this
we shall conquer."
"On! on!" was the enthusiastic response of the soldiers. "In God alone
we place our trust."
The march of a few miles brought them to an extended wall of solid
masonry, built, like the great wall of China, to protect the territory
of the Tlascalans from invasion. Though the entrance gate was so
constructed that a small army stationed there might have made very
powerful resistance, for some reason the Tlascalan force had been
withdrawn. The army boldly pressed in, and advanced rapidly, yet using
all caution to guard against an ambuscade. They had not proceeded far,
however, before they met a large force of the Indians, who attacked
them with the utmost fury, and with a degree of military skill and
discipline which greatly surprised the Spaniards. Two of the horses
were killed, and several of the Spaniards wounded. For a time the
situation of the invaders was very precarious; but Cortez soon
brought up the artillery, and opened a destructive fire upon the
unprotected foe. The thunder of the guns, which the Tlascalans had
never heard before, and the horrid carnage of the grape-shot sweeping
through their ranks, compelled the warlike natives at last, though
slowly and sullenly, to retire. There was, however, no confusion in
their retreat. They retired in good order, ever presenting a bold
front to their pursuers. Cortez estimated the number of the enemy
engaged in this battle at six thousand.
The retiring Tlascalans took with them or destroyed all the provisions
which the country afforded; but, notwithstanding this, "their dogs,"
one of the historians of the expedition records, "which we caught when
they returned to their habitations at night, afforded us a very good
supper."
It was now the end of September. The army of Cortez had been gradually
increased by recruits from among the natives to three thousand.
Immediately after this first battle with the Tlascalans, the whole
army was assembled to offer thanks to God for the victory, and to
implore his continued protection. The soldiers, with the fresh blood
of the Tlascalans hardly washed from their hands, partook of the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper according to the rites of the Roman
Catholic Church.
The army now marched in close order. The Totonac allies, as well
as the Spaniards, were drilled to perfect discipline, and all were
inspired with intense zeal. With characteristic caution Cortez
chose every night his place of halting, and with great vigilance
fortified his encampment. There was something truly chivalrous in
the magnanimity displayed by these barbarians. They seemed to scorn
the idea of taking their enemies by surprise, but always sent them
fair warning when they intended to make an attack. They had now the
impression that the Spaniards had left their own country because it
did not furnish sufficient food for them. They therefore sent to their
camp an abundant supply of poultry and corn, saying, "Eat plentifully.
We disdain to attack a foe enfeebled by hunger. It would be an insult
to our gods to offer them starved victims; neither do we wish to feed
on emaciated bodies." We have before mentioned that it was the horrid
custom of this people to offer as sacrifices to their gods prisoners
taken in war, and then to banquet in savage orgies over the remains.
As Cortez moved cautiously on, adopting every precaution to guard
against surprise, he suddenly emerged from a valley upon a widespread
plain. Here he again encountered the enemy, drawn up in battle array,
in numbers apparently overwhelming. It was now evening. As it was
understood that the Tlascalans never attacked by night, considering it
dishonorable warfare, the Spaniards pitched their tents, having posted
sentinels to watch the foe with the utmost vigilance. The morning was
to usher in a dreadful battle, with fearful odds against the invaders.
Two chiefs who had been taken prisoners in the late battle stated that
the force of the Tlascalans consisted of five divisions of ten
thousand men each. Each division had its own uniform and banner, and
was under the command of its appropriate chief. It was a solemn hour
in the Spanish camp. "When all this was communicated to us," says
Diaz, "being but mortal, and, like all others, fearing death, we
prepared for battle by confessing to our reverend fathers, who were
occupied during that whole night in that holy office."
Cortez released his captive chiefs, and sent them with an amicable
message to their countrymen, stating that he asked only an unmolested
passage through their country to Mexico, but sternly declaring, "If
this proposition be refused, I will enter your capital as a conqueror.
I will turn every house. I will put every inhabitant to the sword." An
answer was returned of the most implacable defiance. "We will make
peace," said the Tlascalans, "by devouring your bodies, and offering
your hearts and your blood in sacrifice to our gods."
The morning of the 5th of September dawned cloudless and brilliant
upon the two armies encamped upon the high table-lands of the
Cordilleras. At an early hour the Spanish bugles roused the sleeping
host. The wounded men, even, resumed their place in the ranks, so
great was the peril. Cortez addressed a few inspiriting words to the
troops, and placed himself at their head. Just as the sun was rising
he put his army in motion. Soon they arrived in sight of the
Tlascalans. The interminable host filled a vast plain, six miles
square, with their thronging multitudes. The native warriors, in bands
skillfully posted, were decorated with the highest appliances of
barbaric pomp. As the experienced eye of Cortez ranged over their
dense ranks, he estimated their numbers at more than one hundred
thousand. Their weapons were slings, arrows, javelins, clubs, and rude
wooden swords, sharpened with teeth of flint.
The moment the Spaniards appeared, the Tlascalans, uttering hideous
yells, and filling the air with all the inconceivable clamor of their
military bands, rushed upon them like the on-rolling surges of the
ocean. The first discharge from the native army of stones, arrows, and
darts was so tremendous as to darken the sky like a thick cloud.
Notwithstanding the armor worn by the Spaniards was impervious to
arrow or javelin, many were wounded.
But soon the cannon was unmasked, and opened its terrific roar. Ball
and grape-shot swept through the dense ranks of the natives, mowing
down, in hideous mutilation, whole platoons at a discharge. The
courage displayed by the Tlascalans was amazing. It has never been
surpassed. Though hardly able, with their feeble weapons, to injure
their adversaries, regardless of death, they filled up the gaps which
the cannon opened in their ranks, and all the day long continued the
unequal fight.
Immense multitudes of the dead now covered the field, and many of the
chiefs were slain. Every horse was wounded; seventy Spaniards were
severely injured; one was dead, and nearly all were more or less
bruised. But the artillery and the musketry were still plied with
awful carnage. The commander-in-chief of the native army, finding
it in vain to contend against these new and apparently unearthly
weapons, at last ordered a retreat. The natives retired in as highly
disciplined array as would have been displayed by French or Austrian
troops. The victors, exhausted and bleeding, were glad to throw
themselves upon the gory grass of the battle-field for repose. The
cold wind at night, from the mountain glaciers, swept the bleak plain,
and the soldiers shivered in their houseless beds. They did not sleep,
however, until, in a body, they had returned thanks to the God of
peace and love for their glorious victory. "It truly seemed," said
Cortez, devoutly, "that God fought on our side."
It appears almost incredible that, in such a conflict, the Spanish
army should have received so little injury. But Cortez made no account
of any amount of loss on the part of his native allies. The Spaniards
only he thought of, and they were protected with the utmost care.
Their artillery and musketry kept the natives at a distance, and
their helmets and coats of mail no native weapon could easily
penetrate. Their danger was consequently so small that we can not
give them credit for quite so much heroism as they have claimed. The
enterprise, in its commencement, was bold in the extreme; but it is
easy to be fearless when experience proves that there is but little
peril to be encountered. They fought one hundred thousand men for a
whole day, and lost _one man_!
As night enveloped in its folds the bloodstained hosts, the untiring
Cortez, having buried his dead, that his loss might not be perceived
by the enemy, sallied forth with the horse and a hundred foot, and
four hundred of the native allies, and with fire and sword devastated
six villages of a hundred houses each, taking four hundred prisoners,
including men and women. Before daybreak he returned from this wild
foray to the camp.
During the night the Tlascalans had been receiving re-enforcements,
and when the first dawn of morning appeared, more than one hundred and
forty-nine thousand natives, according to the estimate of Cortez, made
a rush upon the camp. After a battle of four hours they were again
compelled to retreat. "As we carried the banner of the cross," says
Cortez, "and fought for our faith, God, in his glorious providence,
gave us a great victory."
Night again came. Again this indomitable man of iron sinews marched
forth in the darkness, with his horse, one hundred Spanish infantry,
and a large party of his allies, and set three thousand houses in
flames, encountering no opposition, burning out only the women and
children and the unarmed inhabitants. Cortez treated all the prisoners
he took very kindly, and liberated them with presents. This humanity
amazed the natives, who were accustomed to a procedure so very
different.
The Tlascalans were now much disheartened, and were inclined to peace.
But they were quite at a loss to know how to approach the terrible
foe. After much deliberation, they sent an embassage, composed of
fifty of their most prominent men, bearing rich presents. Cortez
suspected them of being spies. With cruelty, which will ever be an
ineffaceable stigma upon his name, he ordered them all to be arrested,
and their hands to be cut off. Thus awfully mutilated, these unhappy
men were sent back to the Tlascalan camp with the defiant message,
"The Tlascalans may come by day or by night; the Spaniards are ready
for them."
Cortez himself relates this act of atrocious cruelty. Nothing can be
said in its extenuation. There was even no _proof_, but only suspicion
that they were spies. It is, indeed, not at all probable that, if such
were the intention, fifty of the most prominent men of the nation
would have been selected. It is, however, certain, that after this all
farther idea of resistance was abandoned. The commander-in-chief of
the Tlascalan army, with a numerous retinue, entered the Spanish camp
with proffers of submission. This brave and proud chieftain, subdued
by the terrors of the resistless engines of war worked by the
Spaniards, addressed Cortez in the following language, which will
command universal respect and sympathy.
"I loved my country," said he, "and wished to preserve its
independence. We have been beaten. I hope that you will use your
victory with moderation, and not trample upon our liberties. In the
name of the nation, I now tender obedience to the Spaniards. We will
be as faithful in peace as we have been bold in war."
Cortez received this submission with great secret satisfaction, for
his men, worn down with fatigue, were beginning loudly to murmur. A
cordial peace was soon concluded. The Tlascalans were the inveterate
foes of the Mexicans, and had long been fighting against them. They
yielded themselves as vassals to the King of Spain, and engaged to
assist Cortez in all his enterprises. The two armies, which had
recently met in such fierce and terrible encounter, now mingled
together as friends and brothers. In one vast united band they marched
toward the great city of Tlascala, and entered the capital in triumph.
It was, indeed, a large and magnificent city; more populous, and
of more imposing architecture, Cortez asserts, than the celebrated
Moorish capital, Granada, in old Spain. An immense throng flocked from
the gates of the city to meet the troops. The roofs of the houses were
covered with spectators. Wild music, from semi-barbarian voices and
bands, filled the air. Plumed warriors hurried to and fro, and shouts
of welcome seemed to rend the skies, as these hardy adventurers slowly
defiled through the crowded gates and streets of the city. The police
regulations were extraordinarily effective, repressing all disorder.
The Spaniards were surprised to find barbers' shops, and also baths
both for hot and cold water.
The submission of the Tlascalans was sincere and entire. They were
convinced that the Spaniards were beings of a superior order whom it
was in vain to resist. Cortez treated the vanquished natives with
great courtesy and kindness. He took the Tlascalan republic under his
protection, and promised to defend them from every foe.
The peril of Cortez at this juncture had been very great. The
difficulty of obtaining sufficient food for his army, while ever on
the march, called into requisition his utmost sagacity and exertions.
No man of ordinary character could have surmounted this difficulty.
Fatigue and exposure had placed many on the sick-list, and there were
no hospital wagons to convey them along. Fifty-five Spaniards had died
on the way. Cortez himself was seriously indisposed. Every night one
half of the army kept up a vigilant watch, while all the rest slept on
their arms. And Diaz records that they had no salve to dress their
wounds but what was composed of the fat of the Indians whom they had
slain. Whenever the enemy was defeated, he retired only to reappear in
increasing numbers. Under these circumstances, it is not strange that
many of the soldiers had thought of their homes, and that loud murmurs
had been uttered. But this sudden peace dispelled all discontent. In
the abundance and the repose of the great city of Tlascala, all past
toil and hardship were forgotten.
Cortez, in his letter to the emperor, stated that so populous was
Tlascala, that he presumed as many as thirty thousand persons appeared
daily in the market-place of the city buying and selling. The
population of the province he estimated at five hundred thousand.
CHAPTER VI.
THE MARCH TO MEXICO.
Prudence of Cortez.--Enthusiasm of the natives.--Alarm of Montezuma.
--The embassy to Cortez.--Cortez's answer.--Conversion of the
natives.--The five maidens.--Cortez declines the gift.--Presentation
of the image.--The compromise.--Indignation on both sides.--Father
Olmedo dissuades him from his purpose.--The protest.--The prisons
emptied of the victims.--Baptism of the brides.--Montezuma invites
Cortez to his capital.--Zeal of the Tlascalans.--The city of Cholula.
--Arrival.--They decline admitting the Tlascalans.--Rumors of
treachery.--Marina discovers a plot.--Cortez resents the treachery
of the natives.--The massacre.--Destruction of Cholula.--Proclamation
offering pardon.--Appointment of the new cacique.--Public thanksgivings.
--Statement of Mr. Thompson.--Cortez resumes his march toward Mexico.
--Terror of Montezuma.--Cortez's message to the monarch.--His
answer.--Appearance of discontent.--Arrival at Ithualco.--View from
the heights.--Cortez resolves to continue his march.--Description of
the valley of Mexico.--Vacillation of Montezuma.--Offers from
Montezuma.--Satisfaction of Cortez.--His answer.--Arrival at
Amaquemecan.--Profuse hospitality.--Ayotzingo.--Lake Chalco.--
Cuitlahuac.--Immense crowd.--They enter Iztapalapan.--Appearance
of the city.--Reception of Cortez.--The procession.--The causeway.
--Arrival of the Emperor.--Appearance of Montezuma.--Meeting of the
emperor and the marauder.--Cortez conducted to his quarters.--His
accommodations.--Size and comfort of the mansion.--Vigilance of
Cortez.--Presents to Cortez.--The conference.--The tradition.
--Montezuma urged to accept the Christian faith.--The argument.
--Achievements of the Spaniards.
Cortez remained in Tlascala twenty days, to refresh his troops, and
to cement his alliance with his new friends. He was all this time
very diligent in making the most minute inquiries respecting the
condition of the Mexican empire, and in preparing for every emergence
which could arise in the continuance of his march. Bold as he was,
his prudence equaled his boldness, and he left nothing willingly to
the decisions of chance. The Tlascalans hated virulently their
ancient foes the Mexicans, and with that fickleness of character,
ever conspicuous in the uninformed multitude, became fond even to
adulation of the Spaniards. With great enthusiasm they embarked in the
enterprise of joining the expedition against Montezuma. All the forces
of the republic were promptly raised, and placed under the command of
Cortez.
Montezuma was informed of all these proceedings, and was greatly
alarmed. He feared that a prophetic doom was about to descend upon
him, and this apprehension wilted all his wonted energies. Thus
influenced, he sent an embassy, consisting of five of the most
conspicuous nobles of his empire, accompanied by a retinue of two
hundred attendants, to visit the Spanish camp. _Men of burden_ were
laden down with rich presents for Cortez. The gold alone of the gifts
was estimated at over fifty thousand dollars. Montezuma weakly hoped
by these gifts to induce Cortez to arrest his steps. The embassadors
were instructed to urge him, by all possible considerations, not to
attempt to approach the Mexican capital.
Cortez returned an answer replete with expressions of Castilian
courtesy, but declaring that he must obey the commands of his
sovereign, which required him to visit the metropolis of the great
empire.
But, in the midst of all these cares, Cortez did not forget his great
mission of converting the natives to Christianity. This subject was
ever prominent in his mind, and immediately upon his entrance into the
city he commenced, through his interpreters, urging the chiefs to
abandon their cruel idolatry. He argued with them himself, and called
into requisition all the persuasive eloquence of good Father Olmedo.
The chiefs brought five maidens, all noble born, and of selected
beauty. These girls were beautifully dressed, and each attended by
a slave. Xicotenga, the cacique of the nation, presented his own
daughter to Cortez, and requested him to assign the rest to his
officers. Cortez firmly, yet courteously declined the gift, saying,
"If you wish that we should intermarry with you, you must first
renounce your idolatrous worship and adore our God. He will then bless
you in this life, and after death he will receive you to heaven to
enjoy eternal happiness; but if you persist in the worship of your
idols, which are devils, you will be drawn by them to their infernal
pit, there to burn eternally in flames of fire."
He then presented to them "a beauteous image of Our Lady, with her
precious Son in her arms," and attempted to explain to them the
mystery of the incarnation, and the potency of the mediatorship of
the Virgin.
"The God of the Christians," the Tlascalans replied, "must be great
and good. We will give him a place with our gods, who are also great
and good. Our god grants us victory over our enemies. Our goddess
preserves us from inundations of the river. Should we forsake their
worship, the most dreadful punishment would overwhelm us."
Cortez could admit of no such compromise; and he urged the destruction
of the idols with so much zeal and importunity, that at last the
Tlascalans became angry, and declared that on no account whatever
would they abandon the gods of their fathers. Cortez now, in his turn,
was roused to virtuous indignation, and he resolved that, happen what
might, the true God should be honored by the swift destruction of
these idols of the heathen. Encouraged by the success of his violent
measures at Zempoalla, he was on the point of ordering the soldiers to
make an onslaught on the gods of the Tlascalans, which would probably
have so roused the warlike and exasperated natives as to have led to
the entire destruction of his army in the narrow streets of the
thronged capital, when the judicious and kind-hearted Father
Olmedo dissuaded him from the rash enterprise. With true Christian
philosophy, he plead that forced conversion was no conversion at all;
that God's reign was only over willing minds and in the heart.
"Religion," said this truly good man, "can not be propagated by the
sword. Patient instruction must enlighten the understanding, and
pious example captivate the affections, before men can be induced to
abandon error and embrace the truth." It is truly refreshing to meet
with these noble ideas of toleration spoken by a Spanish monk in that
dark age. Let such a fact promote, not indifference to true and
undefiled religion, but a generous charity.[C]
[Footnote C: "When Reverend Father Olmedo, who was a wise and
good theologian, heard this, being averse to forced conversions,
notwithstanding it had been done in Zempoalla, he advised Cortez to
urge it no farther at present. He also observed that the destruction
of their idols was a fruitless violence if the principle was not
eradicated from their minds by arguments, as they would find other
idols to continue their worship to elsewhere."]
Cortez reluctantly yielded to these remonstrances of an ecclesiastic
whose wisdom and virtue he was compelled to respect. The manifest
pressure of circumstances also undoubtedly had their influence. But
this ardent reformer could not yield without entering his protest.
"We can not," he said, "I admit, change the heart, but we can demolish
these abominable idols, clamoring for their hecatombs of human
victims, and we can introduce in their stead the blessed Virgin and
her blessed child. Will not this be a humane change? And, because we
can not do the whole, shall we refuse to do a part?"
Upon one point, however, Cortez was inflexible, and to this the
Tlascalans, by way of compromise, assented. He insisted that the
prisons should be entirely emptied of victims destined for sacrifice.
There were in the temples many poor wretches fattening for these
horrid orgies. A promise was also exacted from the Tlascalans that
they would hereafter desist from these heathen practices; but no
sooner had the tramp of the Spaniards ceased to echo through the
streets of Tlascala, than the prisons were again filled with victims,
and human blood, in new torrents, crimsoned their altars.
One of the temples was also cleared out, and an altar being erected,
it was converted into a Christian church. Here the young ladies
destined as brides for the Spanish soldiers were baptized, their
friends presenting no objections. The daughter of Xicotenga received
the Christian name of Louisa. Cortez took her by the hand, and
gracefully presented her to one of his captains, Alvarado, telling her
father that that officer was his brother. The cacique expressed entire
satisfaction at this arrangement. All were baptized and received
Christian names. Many of the descendants of this beautiful and amiable
Indian maiden may now be found among the grandees of Spain.
Montezuma, on the return of his embassadors, finding that no argument
could dissuade Cortez, and fearing by opposition to provoke the
hostility of an enemy who wielded such supernatural thunders, now
decided to change his policy, and by cordiality to endeavor to win his
friendship. He accordingly sent another embassy, with still richer
presents, inviting Cortez to his capital, and assuring him of a warm
welcome. He entreated him, however, not to enter into any alliance
with the Tlascalans, the most fierce and unrelenting foes of the
Mexican empire.
The time had now arrived for Cortez to resume his march. The zeal of
the Tlascalans to accompany him was so great that, according to his
representation, he might have taken with him one hundred thousand
volunteers. He, however, considered this force too unwieldy, and
accepted of but six thousand picked troops. This, however, was a
strong re-enforcement, and Cortez now rode proudly at the head of a
regular army which could bid defiance to all opposition.
Eighteen miles from Tlascala was situated the city of Cholula, and
this city was but sixty-four miles east of the renowned Mexican
metropolis. Cholula was a city whose population was estimated at one
hundred thousand. As it belonged to Mexico, the bitterest animosity
existed between its inhabitants and those of Tlascala. Cortez was
warned by his new allies not to enter the city, as he might depend
upon encountering treachery there; but the Spanish general considered
himself now too strong to turn aside from any danger.
As the Spanish army approached the city, a procession came out to meet
them, with banners, and bands of music, and censers smoking with
incense. Numerous nobles and priests headed the procession. They
received Cortez and the Zempoallans with every demonstration of
friendship, but declined admitting their inveterate enemies, the
Tlascalans, within their walls. Cortez accordingly ordered these
allies to encamp upon the plain before the city, while he, with
the rest of the army, marched with great military pomp into the
metropolis, which was resounding with acclamations.
He found a beautiful city, with wide, neatly-arranged streets and
handsome dwellings. It was the sacred city of the Mexicans. Many
gorgeous temples lined the streets, and one of extraordinary grandeur
was the most renowned sanctuary of the empire. It is alleged by some,
and denied by others, that the Mexicans had invited the Spaniards into
the holy city, hoping by the aid of the gods to effect their entire
destruction. The Tlascalans, who were encamped outside of the city,
affirmed that the women and children of the principal inhabitants were
leaving the city by night. They also declared that a large body of
Mexican troops were concealed near the town. Two of the Tlascalans,
who had entered the city in disguise, declared that some of the
streets were barricaded, and that others were undermined, and but
slightly covered over, as traps for the horses. They also reported
that six children had recently been sacrificed in the chief temple,
which was a certain indication that some great military enterprise was
on foot. Cortez, however, did not place much reliance upon this
testimony from the Tlascalans. He was well aware that they would be
glad, in any way, to bring down destruction on Cholula.
But more reliable testimony came from the amiable Marina. She had won
the love of one of the noble ladies of the city. This woman, wishing
to save Marina from destruction, informed her that a plot was in
progress for the inevitable ruin of her friends. According to her
account, deep pits were dug and concealed in the streets, stones
carried to the tops of the houses and the temples, and that Mexican
troops were secretly drawing near. The fatal hour was at hand, and
escape impossible.
The energy of Cortez was now roused. Quietly he drew up the Spanish
and Zempoallan troops, armed to the teeth, in the heart of the city.
He sent a secret order to the Tlascalans to approach, and, at a given
signal, to fall upon the surprised and unarmed Cholulans, and cut them
down without mercy. He then, upon a friendly pretext, sent for the
magistrates of the city and all the principal nobles. They were
immediately assembled, and the signal for massacre was given.
The poor natives, taken entirely by surprise, rushed in dismay this
way and that, encountering death at every corner. The Tlascalans, like
hungry wolves, swept through the streets, glutting themselves with
blood. It was with them the carnival of insatiable revenge. The
dwellings were sacked piteously, and the city every where kindled
into flame. Women and children were seized by the merciless Tlascalans
to grace their triumph, and to bleed upon their altars of human
sacrifice. For two days this horrid scene continued. At last, from
exhaustion, the carnage ceased. The city was reduced to smouldering
ruins, and pools of blood and mutilated carcases polluted the streets.
The wail of the wretched survivors, homeless and friendless, rose to
the ear of Heaven more dismal than the piercing shriek of anguish
which is silenced by death. The argument with which Cortez defends
this outrage is very laconic:
"Had I not done this to them, they would have done the same to me."
[Illustration: MASSACRE IN CHOLULA.]
Such is war--congenial employment only for fiends. It is Satan's work,
and can be efficiently prosecuted only by Satan's instruments. Six
thousand Cholulans were slain in this awful massacre. The Spaniards
were now sufficiently avenged. Cortez issued a proclamation offering
pardon to all who had escaped the massacre, and inviting them to
return to their smouldering homes. Slowly they returned, women and
children, from the mountains where they had fled; some, who had
feigned death, crept from beneath the bodies of the slain, and
others emerged from hiding-places in their devastated dwellings. The
cacique of the Cholulans had been killed in the general slaughter.
Cortez appointed a brother of the late cacique to rule over the city,
and, in apparently a sincere proclamation, informed the bereaved and
miserable survivors that it was with the greatest sorrow that he
had found himself compelled by their treachery to this terrible
punishment. The Tlascalans, glutted with the blood of their ancient
foes, were compelled to surrender all their prisoners, for Cortez
would allow of no human sacrifices.
Cortez thought that the natives were now in a very suitable frame of
mind for his peculiar kind of conversion. They were truly very pliant.
No resistance was offered to the Spanish soldiers as they tumbled the
idols out of the temples, and reared in their stead the cross and the
image of the Virgin. Public thanksgivings were then offered to God in
the purified temples of the heathen for the victory he had vouchsafed,
and mass was celebrated by the whole army.
In the year 1842, Hon. Waddy Thompson passed over the plain where once
stood the city of Cholula. He thus describes it:
"The great city of Cholula was situated about six miles from
the present city of Puebla. It was here the terrible
slaughter was committed which has left the deepest stain
upon the otherwise glorious and wonderful character of
Cortez. Not a vestige--literally none--not a brick or a
stone standing upon another, remains of this immense city
except the great pyramid, which still stands in gloomy and
solitary grandeur in the vast plain which surrounds it, and
there it will stand forever. This pyramid is built of
unburned bricks. Its dimensions, as given by Humboldt, are,
base, 1440 feet; present height, 177; area on the summit,
45,210 square feet. A Catholic chapel now crowns the summit
of this immense mound, the sides of which are covered with
grass and small trees. As seen for miles along the road, an
artificial mountain, standing in the solitude of a vast
plain, it is a most imposing and beautiful object."
After the delay of a fortnight, Cortez resumed his march toward
the capital of Mexico, which was now distant from him but twenty
leagues. It was now the 29th of October. The tidings of the horrible
retribution which had fallen upon Cholula spread far and wide, and
it accomplished its end in preventing any farther manifestations
of hostility. City after city, appalled by this exhibition of the
vengeance of those foes who wielded the thunder and the lightning
of heaven, and who, with the dreadful war-horse, could overtake the
swiftest foe, sent in the most humble messages of submission, with
accompanying presents, to propitiate the favor of the terrible
invaders.
Montezuma, as he was informed of the fate of Cholula, turned pale upon
his throne, and trembled in every fibre. He dreaded unspeakably to
have the Spaniards enter his capital, and yet he dared not undertake
to oppose them. Cortez sent embassadors before him to the capital with
the following message to Montezuma:
"The Cholulans have asserted that Montezuma instigated their
treachery. I will not believe it. Montezuma is a great and a powerful
sovereign; he would make war in the open field, and not by cowardly
stratagem. The Spaniards, however, are ready for any warfare, secret
or open."
This was bold defiance. Montezuma superstitiously read in it the
decree of fate announcing his doom. He returned an answer solemnly
declaring that he had no part in the guilt of the Cholulans, and
renewedly inviting Cortez to visit his city.
The country through which the adventurers passed became increasingly
populous, luxuriant, and beautiful. They were continually met
by embassies from the different cities on or near their route,
endeavoring to propitiate their favor by protestations of allegiance
and gifts of gold. They also perceived many indications of discontent
with the reign of Montezuma, which encouraged Cortez greatly in his
expectation of being able to overturn the empire, by availing himself
of the alienation existing in its constituent parts. Multitudes of the
disaffected joined the army of Cortez, where they were all warmly
welcomed. "Thus," says Clavigero, "the farther the Spaniards advanced
into the country, the more they continued to increase their forces;
like a rivulet which, by the accession of other streams, swells in its
course into a large river."
[Illustration: FIRST VIEW OF THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.]
For several days they toiled resolutely along, "recommending," says
Diaz, "our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, who had brought us through
our past dangers," until, from the heights of Ithualco, they looked
down over the majestic, the enchanting valley of Mexico. A more
perfectly lovely scene has rarely greeted human eyes. In the far
distance could be discerned, through the transparent atmosphere,
the dim blue outline of the mountains by which the almost boundless
basin of Mexico was girdled. Forests and rivers, orchards and lakes,
cultivated fields and beautiful villages adorned the landscape. The
magnificent city of Mexico was situated, in queenly splendor, upon
islands in the bosom of a series of lakes more than a hundred miles
in length. Innumerable towns, with their lofty temples, and white,
picturesque dwellings, fringed the margin of the crystal waters. The
circumference of the valley girdled by the mountains was nearly two
hundred miles.
The Spaniards gazed upon the enchanting scene with amazement, and many
of them with alarm. They saw indications of civilization and of power
far beyond what they had anticipated. Cortez, however, relying upon
the efficiency of gunpowder, and also deeming himself invincible while
the sacred banner of the cross waved over his army, marched boldly on.
The love of plunder was a latent motive omnipotent in his soul, and he
saw undreamed of wealth lavishly spread before him. Though Cortez was,
at this period of his life, a stranger to the sordid vice of avarice,
he coveted intensely boundless wealth, to be profusely distributed in
advancing his great plans.[D]
[Footnote D: Hon. Waddy Thompson thus describes the appearance of the
great valley of Mexico at the present time. "The road passes within
about twenty miles of the mountain of Pococatapetl, the highest point
of the territory of Mexico; but the brightness of the atmosphere, and
a tropical sun shining upon the snow with which it is always covered,
makes the distance seem very much shorter--not, indeed, more than one
or two miles. In descending the mountain, at about the distance of
twenty-five miles the first glimpse is caught of the city and valley
of Mexico. No description can convey to the reader any adequate
idea of the effect upon one who, for the first time, beholds that
magnificent prospect. With what feelings must Cortez have regarded
it when he first saw it from the top of the mountain between the
snow-covered volcanoes of Pococatapetl and Iztaccihuatl, a short
distance to the left of where the road now runs! The valley was not
then, as it is now, for the greater part a barren waste, but was
studded all over with the homes of men, containing more than forty
cities, besides towns and villages without number. Never has such a
vision burst upon the eyes of mortal man since that upon which the
seer of old looked down from Pisgah."]
Montezuma was continually vacillating as to the course to be pursued.
At one hour he would resolve to marshal his armies, and fall, if fall
he must, gloriously, amid the ruins of his empire. The next hour
timidity would be in the ascendant, and a new embassy would be sent
to Cortez, with courteous speeches and costly gifts. The unhappy
monarch, in his despair, had gone to one of the most sacred of the
sanctuaries of the empire to mourn and to pray. Here he passed eight
days in the performance of all the humiliating and penitential rites
of his religion. But each day Cortez drew nearer, and the crowds
accumulating around him increased.
The spirit of Montezuma was now so crushed that he sent an embassy to
Cortez offering him four loads of gold for himself, and one for each
of his captains, and he also promised to pay a yearly tribute to
the King of Spain, if the dreaded conqueror would turn back. This
messenger met the Spanish army upon the heights of Ithualco, as they
were gazing with admiration upon the goodly land spread out before
them. Cortez listened with much secret satisfaction to this messenger,
as an indication of the weakness and the fear of the great monarch.
Returning the laconic answer, "I must see Montezuma, and deliver to
him personally the message of the emperor my master," he more eagerly
pressed on his way.
Montezuma received this response as the doom decreed to him by fate.
"Of what avail," the unhappy monarch is reported to have said, "is
resistance, when the gods have declared themselves against us? Yet I
mourn most for the old and infirm, the women and children, too feeble
to fight or to fly. For myself and the brave men around me, we must
bare our breasts to the storm, and meet it as we may."
The Spaniards had now arrived at the city of Amaquemecan. They
were received by the principal inhabitants of the place with an
ostentatious display of courtesy and friendship. Two very large
stone buildings were provided for their accommodation. This profuse
hospitality was excited by terror. After resting here two days, Cortez
resumed his march. Their path still led through smiling villages and
fields of maize, and through gardens blooming with gorgeous flowers,
which the natives cultivated with religious and almost passionate
devotion.
At last they arrived at Ayotzingo--the Venice of the New World--an
important town, built on wooden piles in the waters of Lake Chalco.
Gondolas of every variety of color, and of graceful structure, glided
through the liquid streets. The main body of the Spanish army encamped
outside of the city. A vast concourse of the natives flocked to
the camp. Cortez became suspicious of premeditated treachery, and
fifteen or twenty of the natives were heartlessly shot down, as an
intimidation. The terrified Indians did not venture to resent this
cruel requital of their hospitality.
After remaining here two days, the march was again resumed along the
southern shores of Lake Chalco. Clusters of villages, embowered in
luxuriant foliage, and crimson with flowers, fringed the lake. The
waters were covered with the light boats of the natives, gliding in
every direction. At last they came to a narrow dike or causeway, five
miles long, and so narrow that but two or three horsemen could ride
abreast. In the middle of this causeway, which separated Lake Chalco
from Lake Xochicalco, was built the town of Cuitlahuac, which Cortez
described as the most beautiful he had yet seen. Before the mansions
of the principal inhabitants there were lawns ornamented with trees
and shrubbery. Temples and lofty towers rose in much majesty of
architecture. Floating gardens were constructed on the lake, and
innumerable boats, plied by the strong arms of the native rowers,
almost covered the placid waters. As the Spaniards marched along this
narrow causeway, the crowd became so immense that Cortez was obliged
to resort to threats of violence to force his way. The place was so
very favorable for the natives to make an assault, that Cortez
conducted the march with the utmost possible vigilance, and commanded
the Indians not to come near his ranks unless they chose to be
regarded as enemies. The adventurers were, however, received in
Cuitlahuac with the utmost kindness, and all their wants were
abundantly supplied.
When they had crossed the narrow causeway, and had arrived on the
other side of the lake, they entered the city of Iztapalapan, which
contained, according to their estimate, about fifteen thousand houses.
The city was in the near vicinity of the capital. The natives, with
refinement and taste not yet equaled by the money-making millions of
North America, had allotted land in the centre of the city for a vast
public garden, blooming with flowers of every variety of splendor. A
large aviary was filled with birds of gorgeous plumage and sweet song.
A stone reservoir, of ample dimensions, contained water to irrigate
the grounds, and it was also abundantly stored with fish. Many of the
chiefs of the neighboring cities had assembled here to meet Cortez.
They received him with courtesy, with hospitality, but with reserve.
He was now but a few miles from the renowned metropolis of Montezuma,
and the turrets of the lofty temples of idolatry which embellished the
capital glittered in the sunlight before him.
Another night passed away, and, as another morning dawned, the Spanish
army was again on the march. It was the 8th of November, 1519. When
they drew near the city, they were first met by a procession of a
thousand of the principal inhabitants, adorned with waving plumes, and
clad in finely-embroidered mantles. They announced that their renowned
Emperor Montezuma was advancing to welcome the strangers. They were
now upon the causeway which led from the main land to the island city.
The long and narrow way was thronged with crowds which could not be
numbered, while on each side the lake was darkened with boats. Soon
the glittering train of the emperor appeared in the distance.
Montezuma was accompanied by the highest possible pomp of
semi-barbarian etiquette and splendor. He was seated in a gorgeous
palanquin, waving with plumes and glittering with gold, and was borne
on the shoulders of four noblemen. Three officers, each holding a
golden rod, walked before him. Others supported over his head, by
four posts, to shelter him from the sun, a canopy of beautiful
workmanship, richly embellished with green feathers, and gold,
and precious gems. The monarch wore upon his head a golden crown,
surmounted by a rich head-dress of plumes. A mantle, richly
embroidered with the most costly ornaments, was folded gracefully upon
his shoulders. Buskins, fringed with gold, fitted closely to his legs,
and the soles of his shoes were of gold. He was tall, well formed, and
a peculiarly handsome man.
As the monarch drew near, Cortez dismounted, and advanced on foot to
meet him. At the same time Montezuma alighted from his palanquin, and,
leaning upon the arms of two of the highest members of his court, with
great dignity approached his dreaded guest. His attendants in the mean
time spread before their monarch rich carpets, that his sacred feet
might not come in contact with the ground. An expression of anxiety
and of deep melancholy overspread the countenance of the sovereign.
[Illustration: THE MEETING OF CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA.]
The Mexican emperor and the Spanish marauder met in the interchange of
all Mexican and Castilian courtesies. After the exchange of a few
words, the whole blended cortège marched through the immense crowd,
which opened before them, and entered the imperial city. "Who,"
exclaims Diaz, "could count the number of men, women, and children
which thronged the streets, the canals, and terraces on the tops of
the houses on that day? The whole of what I saw on this occasion is
so strongly imprinted on my memory that it appears to me as if it had
happened only yesterday. Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us
courage to venture upon such dangers, and brought us safely through
them."
Montezuma himself conducted Cortez to the quarters which he had
prepared for his reception in the heart of the metropolis. With
refinement of politeness which would have done honor to the court
of Louis XIV., he said, on retiring,
"You are now, with your brothers, in your own house. Refresh
yourselves after your fatigue, and be happy until I return."
The spot assigned to the Spaniards was an immense palace, or, rather,
range of mansions, in the very centre of the metropolis, erected by
the father of Montezuma. The buildings inclosed an immense court-yard.
The whole was surrounded by a strong stone wall, surmounted with
towers for defense and ornament. Cortez could not have constructed
for himself a more admirable citadel for the accomplishment of his
ambitious and violent purposes. The apartment assigned to the Spanish
chieftain was tapestried with the finest embroidered cotton. The rooms
and courts were so large as to afford ample accommodations for the
whole Spanish army.
"This edifice was so large," writes one of the historians of
that day, "that both the Spaniards and their allies, who,
together with the women and the servants whom they brought
with them, exceeded seven thousand in number, were lodged
in it. Every where there was the greatest cleanliness and
neatness. Almost all the chambers had beds of mats, of
rushes, and of palm, according to the custom of the people,
and other mats, in a round form, for pillows. They had
coverlets of fine cotton, and chairs made of single pieces of
wood. Some of the chambers were also carpeted with mats, and
the walls were hung with tapestry beautifully colored."
Cortez, with vigilance which never slept, immediately fortified his
quarters, so as to guard against any possible surprise. Artillery was
planted to sweep every avenue. Sentinels were posted at important
points, with orders to observe the same diligence by night and by day
as if they were in the midst of hostile armies. A large division of
the troops was always on guard, prepared for every possible emergency.
In the evening, Montezuma returned, with great pomp, to visit his
terrible guests, and to inquire if they were provided with every thing
which could promote their comfort. He brought with him presents of
great value for Cortez and his officers, and also for each one of the
privates in the Spanish camp. A long conference ensued, during which
Montezuma betrayed his apprehension that the Spaniards were the
conquerors indicated by tradition and prophecy as decreed to overthrow
the Mexican power. Cortez artfully endeavored to frame his reply so as
to encourage this illusion. He expatiated at great length upon the
wealth and the resistless power of the emperor whom he served. "My
master wishes," said he, "to alter certain laws and customs in this
kingdom, and particularly to present to you a religion far superior to
the bloody creed of Mexico." He then, with great earnestness, unfolded
to the respectful monarch the principal doctrines of Christianity--the
one living and true God--the advent of the Savior, his atonement, and
salvation through faith in him--the rites of baptism and of the Lord's
Supper--the eternal rewards of the righteous, and the unending woes of
the wicked. To these remarks Cortez added an indignant remonstrance
against the abomination of human sacrifices, and of eating the flesh
of the wretched victims. By way of application to this sermon, which
was truthful in its main sentiments, and unquestionably sincere, this
most singular of missionaries called out the artillery. We would
not speak lightly of sacred things in stating the fact that Cortez
considered gunpowder as one of the most important of the means of
grace. He judged that the thunder of his cannon, reverberating through
the streets of the astounded capital, would exert a salutary influence
upon the minds of the natives, and produce that pliancy of spirit,
that child-like humility, so essential both to voluntary and
involuntary conversion. The most important truth and the most
revolting falsehood here bewilderingly meet and blend.
The sun had now gone down, and the short twilight was fading away
into the darkness of the night, when, at a given signal, every cannon
was discharged. The awful roar rolled through the streets of the
metropolis, and froze the hearts of the people with terror. Were these
strange beings, they inquired among themselves, who thus wielded the
heaviest thunders of heaven, gods or demons? Volley after volley, in
appalling peals, burst from the city, and resounded over the silent
lake. Dense volumes of suffocating smoke, scarcely moved by the
tranquil air, settled down upon the streets. Silence ensued. The voice
of Cortez had been heard in tones never to be forgotten. The stars
came out in the serene sky, and a brilliant tropical night enveloped
in its folds the fearless Spaniard and the trembling Mexican.
It was the night of the 8th of November. But seven months had elapsed
since the Spaniards landed in the country. The whole Spanish force,
exclusive of the natives whom they had induced to join them, consisted
of but four hundred and fifty men. They were now two hundred miles
from the coast, in the very heart of an empire numbering many
millions, and by sagacity, courage, and cruelty, they had succeeded in
bringing both monarch and people into almost entire submission to
their sway. The genius of romance can narrate few tales more
marvelous.
CHAPTER VII.
THE METROPOLIS INVADED.
The ride through Tenochtitlan.--Visit to the market-place.--The
pyramidal temple.--View from the summit.--The gong.--Indignation of
Cortez.--The chapel.--General appearance of the city.--Apprehension
from the natives.--The Tlascalans anxious for war.--The trap.--
Situation of the city.--Cortez determines to seize Montezuma.--The
pretext.--Engagement at Vera Cruz.--Cortez demands atonement.--
Montezuma declares his innocence.--Montezuma called upon to surrender
himself a prisoner.--Montezuma conveyed to the Spanish quarters.--The
body-guard.--Qualpopoca arrested.--Condemned to be burned alive.--
Atrocious insult to Montezuma.--Execution of the victims.--Cortez the
emperor.--The Spanish commission.--Contributions exacted.--Discontent
of the soldiers.--Building of the brigantines.--Indignation of
Cacamatzin.--His arrest and imprisonment.--Acknowledgment of
vassalage.--Indignation of the nobles.--Cortez determines to overthrow
the system of idolatry.--Opposition.--Indications of trouble.--
Hardships endured.--Alarming intelligence.--An armament sent after
Cortez.--Surrender of Vera Cruz demanded.--The envoy sent to Cortez.
--Montezuma elated.--Preparations for war.--Terms of accommodation.
--Cortez marches on Narvaez.--The storm.--Narvaez's army seeks
shelter.--The harangue and the attack.--Narvaez made prisoner.--The
surrender.--Artfulness of Cortez.--The insurrection in the metropolis.
--Disaffection of the inhabitants.--They arrive at the causeway.--
Cause of the insurrection.--Displeasure of Cortez.--His insolent
manner.--Diaz's record.--Motives for the attack.--The massacre
intended to prevent insurrection.
The next morning, Cortez, with a showy retinue of horsemen, prancing
through streets upon which hoof had never before trodden, called upon
the emperor. The streets were lined, and the roofs of the houses
crowded with multitudes gazing upon the amazing spectacle. The Spanish
chieftain was kindly received by the emperor, and three days were
appointed to introduce him to all the objects of interest in the
capital. Tenochtitlan was the native name by which the imperial city
was then known.
They first visited the great public square or market-place. An
immense concourse was here assembled, engaged in peaceful traffic.
Three judges sat in state at the end of the square, to settle all
difficulties. A numerous body of police, ever moving through the
crowd, prevented all riot or confusion. Though there were many other
minor market-places scattered through the city, this was the principal
one.
Cortez then expressed the wish that he might be conducted to the great
pyramidal temple, which reared its lofty structure from the heart of
the city. The summit of the pyramid was an extended plain, where
several hundred priests could officiate in sacrifice. The corners of
the area were ornamented with towers. One hundred and fourteen steps
led to the summit of the temple. Several large altars stood here,
besmeared with the blood of human sacrifices, and there was also a
hideous image of a dragon polluted with gore.
From this towering eminence the whole adjacent country lay spread out
before the eye of Cortez in surpassing loveliness. Gardens, groves,
villages, waving fields of grain, and the wide expanse of the placid
lakes, covered with boats gliding rapidly over the mirrored waters,
presented a scene of beauty which excited the enthusiasm of Cortez to
the highest pitch. They then entered the sanctuaries of the temple,
where human hearts were smoking, and almost throbbing, upon the altars
before the revolting images of their gods. On the summit of the
temple there was an enormous drum or gong, which was struck when the
miserable victim was shrieking beneath the knife of sacrifice. Its
doleful tones, it was said, floating over the still waters of the
lake, could be heard at the distance of many miles.
From these sickening scenes Cortez turned away in disgust, and
exclaimed indignantly to Montezuma,
"How can you, wise and powerful as you are, put trust in such
representatives of the devil? Why do you allow your people to be
butchered before these abominable idols? Let me place here the cross,
and the image of the blessed Virgin and of her Son, and the influence
of these detestable idols will soon vanish."
Montezuma, shocked by words which he deemed so blasphemous, and
dreading the swift vengeance of the gods, hurried his irreverent guest
away.
"Go," said he, "go hence, I entreat you, while I remain to appease, if
possible, the wrath of the gods whom you have so dreadfully provoked."
But these scenes aroused anew the religious zeal of Cortez and his
companions. As they returned to their lodgings, they immediately
converted one of the halls of their residence into a Christian chapel.
Here the rites of the Roman Catholic Church were introduced, and the
whole army of Cortez, with soldierly devotion, attended mass every
day. Good Father Olmedo, with perhaps a clouded intellect, but with
that recognition of the universal brotherhood of man which sincere
piety ever confers, prayed fervently for God's blessing upon his frail
children of every name and nation.
The Spaniards estimated the population of the city at about five
hundred thousand. The streets were very regularly laid out at right
angles. Many of them were wide, and lined with shade-trees. The houses
of the common people were small but comfortable cottages, built of
reeds or of bricks baked in the sun. The dwellings of the nobles and
of the more wealthy inhabitants were strongly-built mansions of stone,
very extensive on the ground floor, though generally but one story
high. They were inclosed in gardens blooming with flowers. Fountains
of cool water, conveyed through earthen pipes, played in the
court-yards. The police regulations were unsurpassed by those of any
city in Europe. A thousand persons were continually employed in
sweeping and watering the streets. So clean were the well-cemented
pavements kept, that "a man could walk through the streets," says one
of the Spanish historians, "with as little danger of soiling his feet
as his hands."
Day after day was passed in the interchange of visits, and in the
careful examination by Cortez of the strength and the resources of
the city. He had now been a week in the capital, and the question
naturally arose, What is next to be done? He was, indeed, perplexed to
decide this question. Montezuma treated him with such extraordinary
hospitality, supplying all his wants, and leaving him at perfect
liberty, that it was difficult for one, who laid any claim whatever to
a conscience, to find occasion to pick a quarrel. To remain inactive,
merely enjoying the luxury of a most hospitable entertainment, was not
only accomplishing nothing, but was also enervating the army. It was
also to be apprehended that the Mexicans would gradually regain their
courage as they counted the small number of the invaders, and fall
upon them with resistless power.
The Tlascalans, who had rioted in blood at Cholula, seemed anxious for
a renewal of that scene of awful butchery in the streets of Mexico.
They assured Cortez that he had every thing to fear from the treachery
of Montezuma; that he had lured them into the city but to inclose
them in a trap; that the drawbridges of the causeways need but be
removed, and escape for the Spaniards would be impossible. They
assured him that the Mexican priests had counseled Montezuma, in the
name of the gods, to admit the strangers into the capital that he
might cut them off at a blow. It was obvious, even to the meanest
soldier, that all this might be true, and that they were in reality
in a trap from which it would be exceedingly difficult to extricate
themselves, should the Mexicans manifest any resolute hostility.
On the east the island city had no connection with the main land, and
could only be approached over the broad waters of the lake by canoes.
On the west the city was entered by an artificial causeway, built of
earth and stone, a mile and a half in length, and but thirty feet
in breadth. A similar causeway on the northwest, three miles long,
connected the city with the main land. There was another causeway on
the south, six miles long. There were many openings along these
causeways, through which the waters of the lake flowed unimpeded.
These openings were bridged over by means of timber. The destruction
of these bridges, which might be accomplished at any hour, would
render an escape for the Spaniards almost impossible.
[Illustration: CITY OF MEXICO.]
In this dilemma, the bold Spaniard adopted the audacious yet
characteristic plan of seizing Montezuma, who was regarded with almost
religious adoration by his subjects, and holding him as a hostage. The
following occurrence furnished Cortez with a plausible pretext to pick
a quarrel.
We have before mentioned that the Totonacs, wishing to escape from
the subjection of the Mexicans, had acknowledged themselves vassals of
the King of Spain. When the officers of Montezuma attempted, as usual,
to collect the taxes, the Totonacs refused payment. Force was resorted
to, and a conflict arose. The colony at Vera Cruz immediately sent
some soldiers to aid their allies, headed by Escalente, the commander
of the Spanish garrison. In the engagement which ensued, Escalente and
seven of his men were mortally wounded, one horse was killed, and one
Spaniard taken captive, who soon, however, died of his wounds. Still
the Spaniards, with their Totonac allies, were victorious, and
repelled the Mexicans with much slaughter. The vanquished party cut
off the head of their unfortunate prisoner, and carried it in triumph
to several cities, to show that their foes were not invulnerable.
With alacrity Cortez availed himself of this event. He immediately
repaired to the palace of Montezuma, and, with bitter reproaches,
accused him of treacherously ordering an assault upon the Spaniards
who had been left at Vera Cruz. Sternly the pitiless Spaniard demanded
reparation for the loss, and atonement for the insult. Montezuma,
confounded at this unexpected accusation, earnestly declared that the
order had not been issued by him, but that the distant officer had
acted on his own responsibility, without consulting the sovereign.
Ungenerously he added that, in proof of his innocence, he would
immediately command the offending officer, Qualpopoca, and his
accomplices, to be brought prisoners to Mexico, and to be delivered
to Cortez for any punishment which the Spaniards might decree.
Cortez now feigned a relenting mood, and declared that he could not
himself doubt the word of the emperor, but that something more was
requisite to appease the rage of his followers. "Nothing," said he,
"can satisfy them of your sincerity and of your honorable intentions,
unless you will leave your palace, and take up your abode in the
Spanish quarters. This will pacify my men, and they will honor you
there as becomes a great monarch."
When Marina interpreted this strange proposal, Montezuma was for a
moment so struck with amazement as to be almost bereft of speech. His
cheek was flushed with shame and rage, and then the hectic glow passed
away into deadly paleness. His ancient spirit was for a moment
revived, and he exclaimed, indignantly,
"When did ever a monarch suffer himself to be tamely led to a prison?
Even were I willing to debase myself in so vile a manner, would not my
people immediately arm themselves to set me free?"
One of the impetuous attendants of Cortez, as the altercation
continued, exclaimed, grasping his sword,
"Why waste time in vain? Let us either seize him instantly or stab him
to the heart."
Montezuma, though he did not understand his words, observed the
threatening voice and the fierce gesture, and, turning to the amiable
interpretress, Marina, inquired what he said.
"Sire," she replied, with her characteristic mildness and tact, "as
your subject, I desire your happiness; but as the confidante of those
men, I know their secrets, and am acquainted with their character. If
you yield to their wishes, you will be treated with all the honor due
to your royal person; but if you persist in your refusal, your life
will be in danger."
Montezuma, reading in these events, as he supposed, but the decrees of
fate, now yielded. He called his officers, and informed them of his
decision. Though they were plunged into utter consternation by the
intelligence, they did not venture to question his will. The imperial
palanquin was brought, and the humiliated emperor was conveyed,
followed by a mourning crowd, to the Spanish quarters. Montezuma
endeavored to appease them, and to prevent any act of violence, by
assuring the people that it was his own pleasure to go and reside with
his friends. He was now so thoroughly convinced of the resistless
power of the Spaniards, and that he was swept along by the decrees of
fate, that he dreaded any movement of resistance on the part of his
people.[E]
[Footnote E: Bernal Diaz says, "It having been decided that we should
seize the person of the king, we passed the whole of the preceding
night in praying to our Lord that he would be pleased to guide us, so
that what we were going to do should redound to his holy service."]
He was magnificently imprisoned. His own servants were permitted to
attend h
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