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CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER. PAGE. 
 
 I. Geographical Distribution 13 
 
 II. The Ancient Mexicans 25 
 
 III. The Chichimecs 44 
 
 IV. The Aztecs, or Mexicans 48 
 
 V. The Rival Powers of Anahuac 65 
 
 VI. The Triple Kingdom . 76 
 
 VII. Nezahualcoyotl, King of Tezcoco .... 89 
 
 VIII. Mexico in her Glory . 97 
 
 IX. Last Years of the Mexican Empire .... 109 
 
 X. The Beginning of the End 125 
 
 XL A Glance at the Aztec at Home 142 
 
 XII. Religion. Gods and Goddesses 155 
 
 XIII. The Discovery of Mexico 186 
 
 XIV. Voyage of Hernando Cortez 197 
 
 XV. From Tabasco to Cempoalla 209 
 
 XVI. Destruction of the Ships and March Inland . 226 
 
 XVII. Tlascala, Cholula, and Mexico 245 
 
 XVIII. In the Aztec Stronghold 259 
 
 XIX. Montezuma a Captive 274 
 
 XX. The Disastrous Retreat from Mexico . . . 284 
 
 XXI. The Siege of Mexico 297 
 
 XXII. The Destruction of the City 311 
 
 XXIII. After the Overthrow 325 
 
 XXIV. The Reign of the Viceroys 340 
 
viii List of Illustrations. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Aztec Idol 165 
 
 Men Flying 173 
 
 Vapor Baths 177 
 
 Making Bread 181 
 
 Urn 185 
 
 Yucatan Ruins 187 
 
 Map of Yucatan 189 
 
 Cortez 198 
 
 Vera Cruz 221 
 
 Ruins of Papantla 229 
 
 Map — Route of Cortez 234 
 
 View in Tierra Caliente 243 
 
 Cholula . 248 
 
 Volcanoes as seen from Mexico 253 
 
 Map — Valley of Mexico 257 
 
 Cortez and Montezuma 261 
 
 Alvarado 282 
 
 Tree of La Noche Triste ....*.... 293 
 
 Sandoval 307 
 
 Christoval de Olid 310 
 
 Bust of Guatemotzin 326 
 
 Ruins of Mitla 332 
 
 "Church in Mexico , 334 
 
 Aztec Hut 341 
 
 New Mexican Pueblo 345 
 
 Palenque Cross . 353 
 
 Governor's House 357 
 
 Tower of Palenque 3^° 
 
 House of Nuns, Chichen 3^3 
 
 Bas-Relief of Tigers 3^7 
 
 Philip of Spain 375 
 
 Cathedral of Guadalajara 377 
 
 Mission at Monterey 3^3 
 
 Mines 387 
 
 At the Fountain ... 394 
 
 Termination of Aqueduct 39° 
 
 Virgin of Guadalupe 397 
 
 Fagade of Casa de las Monjas 4^7 
 
 A Hacienda 4^5 
 
 Scene in Texas 4^3 
 
 Portrait of Zachary Taylor 43^ 
 
 Battle of Monterey 435 
 
 Table-land of Mexico 44® 
 
List of Illustrations, ix 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Portrait of General Scott 442 
 
 Map showing Seat of War A.i 
 
 Map of Mexican Valley . . . aa>j 
 
 Gate of St. Antonio ^ei 
 
 Volcanoes, from Tacubaya 457 
 
 Chapultepec , 450 
 
 Mexico at Peace 461 
 
 Sagrario, or Parish Church of Mexico .471 
 
 Mexican Priests of the Past , . . 475 
 
 Portrait of Juarez . " 478 
 
 Portrait of Maximilian 402 
 
 Portrait of Car lota 45 ■7 
 
 Portrait of Romero . . . 498 
 
 Queretaro 499 
 
 Execution of Maximilian 502 
 
 Street Scene in Mexico ' . , 505 
 
 Portrait of Lerdo de Tejada 508 
 
 Mexican Saw-Mill 509 
 
 Scene in the Tierra Templada 512 
 
 Portrait of Diaz 519 
 
 Market Scene, city of Mexico. 525 
 
 Canal of La Viga, city of Mexico 531 
 
 Indian Peon 534 
 
HISTORY OF MEXICO. 
 
MEXICO. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 
 
 South of the United States, stretching away towards Cen- 
 tral America, hes the country of Mexico. It has a large 
 extent of territory, being fifteen hundred miles in length, 
 and quite eight hundred miles in width in its broadest part. 
 It has a coast line of nearly five thousand five hundred 
 miles, and lies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific 
 Ocean. Being so much farther to the south than the 
 United States, its climate w^ould naturally be much hotter, 
 yet such is not the case all over Mexico. Though it ex- 
 tends into the tropics more than six degrees, yet the greater 
 'portion of its territory enjoys a temperate climate. This 
 is due to the fact that it is a mountainous country. We 
 know that in going up a high mountain the temperature 
 gets lower, or colder, the higher we ascend. So it is that 
 Mexico, though extending far down into the torrid zone, 
 has the cool climate of the temperate zone, except along its 
 coasts and in the far south. 
 
 We might say that the backbone of Mexico is a long 
 mountain-ridge, with ribs of hills spreading away on either 
 side to the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, or that the 
 mountain system of the Andes stretches along its entire 
 length. In speaking of the Andes we naturallv think of 
 
14 Mexico. 
 
 South America and its ranges of volcanoes ; but if we take 
 a map and trace this vast system up through Central Amer- 
 ica, we shall see that it rises into great prominence in 
 Mexico, and even in the United States, where it is known 
 as the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 We shall see that it spreads itself into two great chains ; 
 one approaching the eastern and the other the western 
 coast, and running northward parallel to them. 
 
 These are the Cordilleras — or chains — of the Andes. 
 They enclose between them a vast plain, or plateau, not 
 always level, but broken by hills and dotted with other 
 mountains or volcanoes. This plateau, the Mexican table- 
 land, is several hundred miles in length, and from one to 
 three hundred miles in breadth. It is this table-land that 
 possesses the temperate climate and produces the plants 
 of our own zone, while the plains that lie between the bases 
 of the mountains and the coast are hot, and have a tropical 
 vegetation. To complete this broad sketch of Mexico, take 
 your map again, and note the shape of the country. Does 
 it not resemble a cornucopia, a horn of plenty .'' That is 
 what it is, a veritable horn of plenty, with its hills and 
 mountains containing great stores of silver, and its lowlands 
 filled with forests of valuable woods. You will see that the 
 throat of this horn of plenty is the most mountainous, and 
 that great plains spread out in the north towards the United 
 States, and a low, flat peninsula terminates its eastern por- 
 tion — the peninsula of Yucatan. This much for a broad, 
 general view of the physical features of the country whose 
 history we purpose to read. 
 
 You will see that it is no small portion of this North 
 American continent that we shall examine. It is a very 
 important portion, lying, as it does, — as the great Hum- 
 boldt has expressed it — in the highway of commerce be- 
 tween the two hemispheres. 
 
Geographical Description. 
 
 15 
 
 It has other considerations, also, than " those of "a com- 
 mercial character, to entitle it to our closest attention. The 
 wisest of our learned men have looked upon this region as 
 
 MEXICAN CACTI. 
 
 the seat of American civilization, — that is, that here the 
 wild Indian first forsook his habits of savagery and settled 
 down to a peaceful life. Here he becam.e civilized^ in fact, 
 
1 6 Mexico. 
 
 built cities and cultivated land, instead of always fighting 
 and wandering about from country to country. 
 
 We shall come to those wonderful cities they built by 
 and by, for their ruins fill the forests of the southern portion 
 of Mexico and Yucatan. 
 
 It is difficult to choose whether to follow first the history 
 of these most ancient of people, or to commence with 
 those that have filled a more prominent place in more 
 recent times. 
 
 Let us go up into that vast table- land and seek out the 
 abiding-place of the nation that ruled Mexico when first 
 this country was discovered by Europeans, by white men. 
 We shall find ourselves in the valley of Mexico, enclosed 
 on all sides by spurs of mountains from that mighty chain 
 that strides the whole length of the continent. We shall 
 find a valley sixty miles in length and thirty in breadth, 
 surrounded by a mountain wall two hundred miles in cir- 
 cumference. We shall find it a delightful region of lakes 
 and valleys and wooded hills, bathed in tropic sunshine, yet 
 with the pure atmosphere of the temperate zone. For it is 
 the centre of that region lying in the tropics, yet at an 
 altitude so high as to remove it from tropic heat. In the 
 distance you may see the glittering domes of two great snow- 
 crowned volcanoes. The valley itself is over seven thousand 
 feet above the sea, while the volcanoes are more than seven- 
 teen thousand ! 
 
 If we could occupy some commanding position, we should 
 not fail to note the numerous lakes that stretch along this 
 beautiful valley and form a glistening chain its entire length. 
 It is they that have given it its Indian name, Afid/iuac* or 
 by the water side, since the eailier towns and cities were 
 built near their margins, or upon the islands in them. 
 
 And when were these first cities built ? 
 
 * " Anakuac, qujere decir cerca del agua.'''' — Clavigero. 
 
First Settlement. \7 
 
 Rather, let us ask, when was this valley first populated ? 
 We are not the first who have asked this question ; we are 
 not the last who will ask it. Constantly, to the inquiring 
 mind that searches into the history of our country, this 
 question arises : " Whence came these people, and when ? " 
 
 Even yet, with all the light shed by science, we go groping 
 about in the dark, asking of ourselves and of one another : 
 " When and whence ? " The origin of the American people 
 is enveloped in mystery ; but our knowledge of that portion 
 that resided in Mexico extends farther into the past than 
 of any other, for they were more civilized when discovered 
 than any others They had records extending back hundreds 
 of years. 
 
 They had cities and white-walled temples and palaces, 
 even so long ago as when Columbus sailed into this New 
 World ; yes, even when the Northmen coasted our northern 
 shores, eight hundred years ago. 
 
 You may add yet another thousand years to those 
 eight hundred, and yet not reach the period in which those 
 cities were built and to which their records carry us. 
 
 Nobody knows whence came the first populators of 
 Mexico. Some historians think that they came from a 
 region in the north ; others believe that they originated in 
 the south; others say they came from the west, and yet 
 others that they came from the east. 
 
 From the north might have come the Jews, the lost tribes 
 of Israel, by the way of Behring's Straits to the northwest 
 coast of America, and thence, gradually moving southward, 
 have reached finally Mexico. 
 
 They might have come this way, and at that remote time 
 the islands between Asia and America may have been 
 nearer together, or the sea may have been frozen over and 
 have given them a safe passage. They may have brought 
 with them their flocks and herds, and also all those strange 
 
i8 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 birds and beasts that we find to-day peculiar to Mexico and 
 South America. Those historians who believe this have 
 found many things in support of their theory ; they have 
 found Jewish manners and customs among the Indian tribes 
 
 A PUEBLO. 
 
 in the north, and have even found some tribes speaking the 
 dialect. 
 
 From the west may have appeared the Japanese, the 
 Malays, or the Chinese. It would, indeed, seem easier for 
 
Early Civilization. 19 
 
 these people, any or all of them, to cross to the western 
 shore of our continent by sea than by land. There is a 
 great " river in the sea " called the Kuro Siwo, or Black 
 Stream, similar to our Gulf Stream, that crosses the Pacific 
 Ocean from Japan to our northwest coast, and sweeps 
 southward along the western shores. By means of this 
 ocean river, with its steady current, Japanese junks have 
 been drifted across the Pacific to the coast of California. 
 One writer, who has given the subject great attention, says 
 that a drifting wreck would be carried eastward by the 
 Kuro Siwo at the rate of ten miles a day. Cast upon our 
 coast, the Japanese sailors may have exerted some influence 
 upon the civilization of the Indians already there, but they 
 could not have come in this way in sufficient numbers to 
 people the country. 
 
 The Malays were bold navigators, and may have vis- 
 ited the west coast, but it is a question if any of them 
 stayed. 
 
 Looking east, how would it be possible for any people to 
 cross the wide expanse of ocean that Columbus first crossed 
 in modern times ? It would seem difficult, yet it does not 
 seem so to those who believe that from this direction Amer- 
 ica first received her people. 
 
 Did you ever hear the story of Atlantis ? 
 
 Atlantis was a great island that is said to have existed in 
 the Atlantic ocean ages and ages ago. According to some 
 ancient historians it was fertile and beautiful, with exten- 
 sive forests and rivers, hills, mountains, valleys — in short, 
 a good-sized continent. It was peopled by an intelli- 
 gent and warlike race, who even invaded the neighboring 
 coast of Africa and perhaps passed into Spain. Some 
 Phcenecian navigators claimed to have sailed beyond the 
 Pillars of Hercules — the Strait of Gibraltar — and to have 
 discovered it. It was claim.ed that this was more than an 
 
20 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 island — - that it was a continent — and was an extension of 
 Central America away out into the Atlantic and over towards 
 Africa. The peninsula of Yucatan is considered, by the 
 people who hold this theory, as part of that continent which 
 sank at some remote age of the world, and left the West 
 Ind^a islands as mountains, sticking up above the sea to 
 remind us of its former existence. 
 
 This continent, or great island, Atlantis, is said to have 
 
 PHCENECIAN VESSEL. 
 
 had just such temples and palaces of stone as we find in 
 Yucatan to-day lying in ruins in the wilderness. Did the 
 Phcenecians visit this country by coasting the shores of 
 Atlantis, or did part of the Atlantides themselves escape to 
 Central America and there build the cities buried in the 
 vast forest there now ? It has not been proven that they 
 did, any more than that the Jews came from the north, or 
 the Malays and the Japanese from the west. 
 
 And what has been proven by all our study of the ruins 
 and the records of this people ? 
 
 I 
 
PHCENECIAN ARCHITECTURE. 
 
Various Theories. 23 
 
 Only this, that there has long existed in Central America 
 — in which we would embrace Southern Mexico and Yu- 
 catan — an American civilization superior to any other on 
 this continent at the time of its discovery. 
 
 There remains still one more theory to consider : Was it 
 possible for this civilization to have been developed by the 
 people placed here by the Creator ? 
 
 Was it possible for the Creator to place men and women 
 here originally, without making them pass over from the 
 other continent ? 
 
 It was possible, was it probable ? 
 
 Some there are who think that this was done ; who claim 
 that our continent is oldest, according to its geological for- 
 mation, and that it was as likely that people passed to the 
 eastern hemisphere from the western as that they should 
 have passed to the western from the eastern. 
 
 It is difficult for those who hold this theory to account in 
 any other way for the many peculiarities in American ar- 
 chitecture, for the totally different aspect of the natives of 
 this country from every other. They hold that it would 
 have been impossible for all the animals of this so-called 
 New World to have originated from the Old World : the 
 tapirs, boa-constrictors, pumas, etc., that seem to belong to 
 the warmer parts of America alone, — that they would have 
 frozen in coming down from the north by way of Behring's 
 Straits, with the Jews, even if they had originally been 
 created in Europe or Asia. 
 
 Many wise men have at last concluded that our great 
 continent was originally settled by two different peoples. 
 One was an indigenous race, — created here, belonging ex- 
 clusively to this country; and the other came to North 
 America from Asia by way of Behring's Straits, or the 
 Aleutian islands. In support of this they call our attention 
 to the great difference between the northern and the south- 
 
24 Mexico. 
 
 em Indians. The Indians of Mexico and Central America 
 are totally different from those of the United States, Canada 
 and Labrador, with the exception of the Mound Builders, 
 the Cliff Dwellers and the Pueblo Indians, who belong to 
 the south and have strayed away. They are so unlike, that 
 only this difference of origin seems to explain the reason 
 why it is so. While those Indians now living mainly south 
 of the Mexican border have great similarity amongst them- 
 selves, and have no representatives in the Old World, those 
 of the north seem to have a resemblance to some Indians 
 in Eastern Asia. But these are all speculations, with more 
 or less of proof in favor of the last theory. 
 
 We will go on to describe the Indians found in Mexico 
 at the coming of the white men, and then the reader may 
 judge whether these people had a foreign origin ; or whether 
 they commenced existence in southern Mexico and founded 
 there a great empire, which will be mentioned in its proper 
 place. 
 
The Ancient Mexicans. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE ANCIENT MEXICANS. 
 
 [1000 B. C] Perhaps the principal reason why so many 
 have sought to find a birthplace for this race in a foreign 
 country is because their own traditions are so obscure. 
 Yet great historians tell us that they are no more so than 
 those of many nations of the Old World. They do not ex- 
 tend back so far, that is all. Their earliest traditions reach 
 only to about one thousand years before the coming of 
 Christ. And where the exact line of division occurs between 
 tradition and history it is difficult to determine. But we 
 may say pretty positively that their annals may be accepted 
 as history so far back as the sixth century. 
 
 [Sixth Century, A. D.] Though the ancient history of 
 Mexico commences with the annals of the Toltecs, it is 
 believed the country was inhabited by a wild people before 
 this race came into prominence. There were the Olmecs 
 and Xicalancas, the Otomies and Tepanecs — we are speak- 
 ing now of the Mexican valley. Then, also, if we may be- 
 lieve the traditions, there were giants in those days. But 
 we may find that the history of every people begins with 
 fables and traditions regarding giants, and a great flood 
 that may have occurred before or after the arrival of the 
 giants upon the earth. We shall see, later on, that all 
 these different tribes living in Mexico preserved traditions 
 of a flood, or deluge, that covered their portion of the world, 
 and destroyed the inhabitants of their country. Now, these . 
 giants may have been fabled monsters, but the early Indians 
 
26 Mexico. 
 
 believed that they Uvea here in Mexico. They were good- 
 natured men, but very lazy, and when the strangers arrived 
 among them from the south they enslaved them. Tired at 
 last of the disgusting habits of the giants, the Indians turned 
 upon them and slew them, first having put them to sleep by 
 drugging their wine. Thus Mexico was freed from these 
 worthless giants ; but another monster was to stride over the 
 land for many hundred years and make its fair valleys to 
 be desolate more than once, this was the demon war. 
 
 THE TOLTECS. 
 
 [596-1050.] Our first certain knowledge is of the race 
 known as the Toltecs, — Toltecas^ artificers, or architects, 
 — who were really quite civilized when they first appeared 
 in the pages of history. They understood and practised 
 agriculture and many arts. Being driven from a country 
 in which they had been long settled, by invading savages, 
 they commenced a journey southward, halting at intervals 
 long enough to plant corn and cotton and gather the 
 crops. 
 
 [596.] Their annals tell us that they began their migra- 
 tion in the year " i Tecpatl," or 596 of our Christian era. 
 The country they left, supposed to be in the north, they 
 called Huehiie Tlapaltan, or the old Tlapaltan. 
 
 Here again enters speculation, upon the location of that 
 country of the Toltecs. No one knows certainly where 
 it was, but everything points to its having been in the 
 north. 
 
 If you are acquainted with the early history of the United 
 States, you will remember that the oldest remains of civili- 
 zation there are those of the Mound Builders. You will 
 recall the descriptions given of the great earthworks lying 
 in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys; works so vast that.it 
 must have taken many generations to complete them, and 
 
The Mound Builders, 29 
 
 erected so long ago that not even the faintest tradition 
 remains to tell who built them. 
 
 They were a very civilized race, these Mound Builders, 
 very different from the savages who surrounded them, or 
 who have since swept over the country they once occu- 
 pied. 
 
 They extended their sway, we know, as far north as Lake 
 Superior, because old shafts have been discovered in the 
 copper mines there, and detached masses of copper ore, 
 with the wedges and chisels they used at their work. This 
 was but an outpost of theirs, for their great works were in 
 the south. Everything seemed to indicate, also, that they 
 came from the south. Besides axes, adzes, lance-heads, 
 knives, etc., found in these mounds, explorers have also 
 unearthed pottery of elegant design, ornaments of silver, 
 bone and mica, and of shell from the Gulf of Mexico. 
 But there have been found there implements of obsidian^ a 
 volcanic product once used by the ancient Mexicans for 
 spear-heads, arrow-heads, and knives. This shows that this 
 people had connection with Mexico, if they had not origin- 
 ally come from there, since this volcanic glass, obsidian, 
 " is found in its natural state nowhere nearer the Missis- 
 sippi valley than the Mexican mountains of Cerro Gordo." 
 
 There are evidences, likewise, that they possessed the 
 art of spinning and weaving, which was unknown to the 
 Indians of the north, but practised years ago by those of 
 the south — of the West Indies and Mexico. Now, it would 
 seem that these great Mound Builders, when they were 
 driven from this country, took a southerly direction, and at 
 last arrived in Mexico. It is much pleasanter to think this 
 than that they were crushed out of existence entirely ; and 
 there is a great deal to prove that this was actually the 
 case, and that they were identical with those Toltecs who 
 came down into Mexico twelve hundred and fifty years ago. 
 
30 Mexico. 
 
 In doing this, in performing this migration southward, they 
 were, it is said, only returning to their old homes, from 
 which their ancestors had strayed, it may be, in the first 
 years of the world's history. 
 
 [700.] Well, the Toltecs came into Mexico; suddenly 
 appearing from the darkness that had enveloped their past, 
 and settled finally at Tollantzingo, in the year 700, where, 
 twenty years later, they founded the city of Tollan, or Tula. 
 It is said by some that Tula already existed, under the 
 name of Man-he-mi., and was merely rebuilt and re-named 
 by the Toltecs. Be this as it may, the ruins of this capital 
 city of the Toltecs now remain on the northern edge of the 
 Mexican valley, to point out to the visitor the site of an an- 
 cient empire. The writer of this history has seen them — a 
 scattered line of earthen-walled houses and temples, occupy- 
 ing a ridge of hills overlooking a lovely valley. On the 
 face of a cliff is sculptured one of their heroes, and in the 
 market-place of the present town of Tula may be seen 
 sculptured pillars and great stones, taken from the ancient 
 city of Tollantzingo. The Toltec monarchy commenced 
 in the year 607 of the Christian era, and lasted till about 
 the year 1000, each monarch reigning fifty-two years ; or 
 if he died before this period was completed, his successor 
 was not appointed until its completion. 
 
 They were more given to the arts of peace than those of 
 war, and their civilization was, perhaps, of a higher grade 
 than that of any Indian nation that has succeeded them. 
 They invented, or reformed, that wonderful calendar system 
 which was used by all the people of the valley, and which 
 required great knowledge of astronomy in its construction. 
 * In about the year 660 they assembled all their wise men,, 
 prophets and astrologers, and painted a famous book, which 
 they called Teoamoxtli, or Divine Book. In this sacred 
 * Clavigero ; year 8 1 2-820, ace. to Bancroft 
 
The Toltecs. 
 
 31 
 
 book was represented 
 the origin of the Indians 
 and (according to Span- 
 ish writers) tlie confu- 
 sion of tongues at the 
 building of the tower 
 of Babel, the ecUpse of 
 the sun that occurred 
 at the death of Christ, 
 as well as prophecies 
 concerning the future 
 of the empire. 
 
 [1000.] Eight sov- 
 ereigns had reigned in 
 Tula before the empire 
 began to weaken. It 
 was during the reign of 
 the emperor Topiltzin, 
 some time in the tenth 
 century, that this hap- 
 pened. And it is said to 
 have come about by 
 means of the love of the 
 king for strong drink, 
 and for a woman he 
 had no right to 
 love. The legend 
 runs somewhat in 
 this wise : One of 
 the Toltec nobles 
 (who had such a 
 long name that it 
 would be difficult 
 for us even to 
 
 MEXICAN SYMBOLS. 
 
32 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 pronounce it) had 
 a lovely daughter 
 called Xochitl. One 
 day this noble suc- 
 ceeded in preparing 
 a delicious kind of 
 a drink — supposed 
 to be the pulque^ 
 made from the 
 maguey plant, and 
 now so much drank 
 in Mexico. Charmed 
 with his success, he 
 sent some as a pres- 
 ent to his sov- 
 ereign by the hand 
 of the beautiful 
 Xochitl' — pro- 
 nounced Hocheetl, 
 and signifying the 
 flower of Tollan. 
 The emperor was so 
 delighted with the 
 pulque that he or- 
 dered a large sup- 
 ply, and he was so 
 enamored of Xochitl 
 that he kept her a 
 prisoner in his pal- 
 ace for many years 
 and would not let 
 her return to her 
 people. Things 
 
 came to such a pass after a while that his subjects began to 
 
 murmur and many rose in rebellion. 
 
^ *qf 
 
 *^ 
 
 
 l^^'^i 
 
 
Most Aitcient Ruins. 35 
 
 [A. D. 1050.] And so it happened that, what with civil 
 wars, famine and pestilence, there was but little of the great 
 Toltec empire left by the middle of the eleventh century, 
 and it perished from the earth. The famished and plague- 
 stricken people scattered over a wide expanse of territory 
 to the southward, leaving their capital city because they 
 thought it accursed of their gods. But it was only as a 
 nation that the Toltecs disappeared, for many of them 
 continued to live in the country, and exerted an important 
 influence upon the tribes that afterward invaded the valley 
 of Anahuac. It is with a feeling of deep regret that we see 
 this cultured race swept into oblivion, and the land they 
 occupied once more given over to savages. 
 
 RUINS IN ANAHUAC. 
 
 There are many ruined structures in the valley of Mexico 
 that arc attributed to the Toltecs, and were either built by 
 them or by the people who preceded them, the Olmecs, or 
 the Totonacs. 
 
 The oldest of these ruins, apparently — older even than 
 those of Tula, or Tollan — are those of Teotihuacan, 
 — the. " City of the Gods," situated in the valley of 
 Anahuac, about twenty-five miles from the present, city of 
 Mexico. There are two great pyramids here, called the 
 " Pyramid of the Moon " and the " Pyramid of the Sun ; " 
 and, besides these, there are long rows, some miles in length, 
 of mounds and smaller pyramids. The pyramid of the 
 moon measures 426 feet long on one side at the base, by 
 511 feet on another, and is 137 feet high. There is a gallery 
 leading in to a deep well in the centre of the pyramid, 
 which is thought to contain treasure. 
 
 About 2700 feet from the pyramid of the moon is that 
 of the sun, larger than the former, being about 735 feet 
 square at the base and 203 feet high. It was called by the 
 
36 Mexico. 
 
 ancients, Tonatiuh Itzacual, or " house of the sun." Both 
 pyramids are built in terraces and have broad platforms at 
 their summits, upon one of which was borne a statue of the 
 sun and upon the other that of the moon, both covered 
 with gold and glistening in the sun so that worshipers com- 
 ing to this valley could see them many miles away. It is 
 thought that the Spanish soldiers stripped off the golden 
 coverings of the idols, and the statues themselves have long 
 since disappeared ; though there are yet some large carved 
 blocks of stone to be found at the base of one of the pyramids. 
 
 It is said that this was the site of a great city, a holy 
 place, where the priests of the people resided. The most 
 perplexing and peculiar feature of these ruins is the broad 
 avenue, lined on either side with mounds, two hundred and 
 fifty feet wide, called in the native traditions, Micaotli, or 
 " path of the dead." Many traditions refer to this place 
 as a holy city, and not only the dwelling-place of the gods 
 and priests, but that to which the kings of the different 
 people came to be crowned. One historian relates what 
 is said to have happened here once, towards the destruction 
 *of the Toltec empire. "The gods were very angry with 
 the Toltecs, and to avert their wrath, a meeting of .all the 
 wise men, priests and nobles, was called at Teotihuacan, 
 where the gods from most ancient times had been wont 
 to hear the prayers of men. 
 
 " In the midst of the feasts and sacrifices an enormous 
 demon with long bony arms and fingers, appeared dancing 
 in the court where the people were assembled. Whirling 
 through the crowd in every direction he seized upon the 
 Toltecs that came in his way and dashed them at his teet. 
 He appeared a second time, and the people perished by 
 hundreds in his clutches. At his next appearance the 
 demon assumed the form of a white and beautiful child, 
 sitting on a rock and gazing at the holy city from a neighbor- 
 
The God of the Air. 39 
 
 ing hill-top. As the people rushed in crowds to examine this 
 strange creation, it was discovered that the child's head 
 was a mass of corruption, the stench from which smote 
 with death all who approached it. Finally the devil, or the 
 god, appeared again and warned the Toltecs that their fate 
 was sealed as a nation, and that they could only escape 
 destruction by flight." 
 
 The visitor to this city of the gods to-day will find, 
 scattered all over the surface of the pyramids and mounds, 
 along the road of the dead and in the adjacent fields, 
 numerous heads of clay, or terra cotta. They are 
 grotesque in feature and singular in design. It is not 
 known what use was made of them, why they were made 
 in such quantities, nor why only heads are found, instead of 
 entire figures having a body as well. It is thought by 
 some that these idols were given by the priests, or holy men, 
 to the crowds of worshipers who used to resort to this 
 city of sanctuaries in these early times. 
 
 Whether those pyramids are Toltec, Olmec, or Totonac, 
 it is very certain that they were built by a people who 
 inhabited Anahuac long before the Aztecs arrived in it. 
 
 QUETZALCOATL, GOD OF THE AIR. 
 
 Before passing on to the people that succeeded the 
 Toltecs in the valley of Mexico, let us glance at another 
 pyramid of the past, belonging to this epoch, and at a great 
 hero mentioned in Toltec traditions. We have seen that 
 Tula was their capital and that there they lived in peace 
 for many years. It was some time during their residence 
 there that Quetzalcoatl, the " Feathered Serpent," appeared 
 amongst them. He was a beneficent deity, who seemed to 
 have taken the shape of a man in order to improve the con- 
 dition of the people of earth. His name is constructed 
 from two words. Quetzal^ a bird of beautiful plumage found 
 
40 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 in the forests of southern Mexico, and Coatl^ a serpent, 
 also found there — Quetzalcoatl, the "Plumed Serpent."' 
 The traditions, or legends, paint him as a tall, white man 
 with a large beard, in complexion and general appearance 
 very different from the Indians, among whom he lived, in 
 Tula, as " God of the Air." 
 
 Everything prospered exceedingly during his stay, and 
 the people wanted for nothing. He created large and 
 beautiful palaces of silver, precious stones, and even of 
 feathers. In his time corn grew so strong that a single 
 ear was a load for a man, gourds were as long as a man's 
 body, pumpkins were a fathom in circumference, while cot- 
 ton grew on its stalks of all colors, red, yellow, scarlet, blue, 
 and green. He taught the people all their wonderful arts : 
 how to cut the precious green stone, the chalchiuite, and the 
 casting of metals. He also had an incredible number of 
 beautiful and sweet-singing birds, the like of which has not 
 been seen in the country since his time. 
 
 But all this prosperity was to come to an end. There came 
 amongst the people an evil-minded god called Tezcatlipoca, 
 who wished to drive Quetzalcoatl from the country. So he 
 appeared to him in the form of an old man, and told him 
 that it was the will of the gods that he should be taken to 
 Tlapalla. After drinking a beverage the old man offered 
 him, the Plumed Serpent felt so strongly inclined to go that 
 he set out at once, accompanied by many of his subjects. 
 Near a city yet pointed out in the valley of Mexico, that of 
 Quauhtitlan, he felled a tree with stones, which remained 
 fixed in the trunk ; and near Halnepantla he laid his hand 
 on a stone and left an impression which the Mexicans 
 showed the Spaniards after the conquest. Finally, on his 
 way to the coast, he passed through the valley of Cholula, 
 where the inhabitants detained him and made him ruler 
 over their city. 
 
The Pyramid of Cholula. 4 1 
 
 He did not approve of the sacrifice of human beings, 
 which some of the tribes performed in their worship, but he 
 was a mild and benevolent being, and ordered that they 
 offer to the gods only flowers and fruits. 
 
 After twenty years, he continued his journey, though the 
 sorrowing Cholulans would have detained him longer. 
 Taking with him four noble and virtuous youths, he set out 
 for the province of Coatzcoalcos, on the Gulf of Mexico. 
 Here he dismissed his attendants and launched upon 
 the waters of the gulf alone, while they returned and ruled 
 over Cholula for many years. It is said that Quetzalcoatl 
 appeared upon the coast of Yucatan, where he was wor- 
 shiped under the name of Kukulcan ; and his image may 
 be seen to-day, cut in the wall of one of the vast ruined 
 edifices of Yucatan. 
 
 He promised his followers of Tula and of Cholula that 
 he would some time return, and bring back to them the 
 prosperity that had attended his coming. For everything 
 changed when he left, and even the sweet-singing birds 
 he sent before him to that mysterious kingdom in the east, 
 the land of Tlapallan. 
 
 Now, this is but a tale of the priests, a legend of those 
 early Mexicans, yet their descendants firmly believed in it, 
 and looked for the promised return of the Feathered Ser- 
 pent for hundreds of years. We shall find, farther on in 
 this history, that the Aztecs believed in his coming and at 
 first took the cruel Spaniards to be messengers from the 
 mild and beneficent Quetzalcoatl. They thought they 
 were messengers of life, these fierce and bloodthirsty de- 
 mons of death ! 
 
 THE PYRAMID OF CHOLULA. 
 
 Even at the arrival of the Spaniards, the city of Cholula 
 was considered a holy place, the residence of the priests. 
 
42 
 
 Mexico^ 
 
 Its inhabitants raised here an immense mound in honor of 
 Quetzalcoatl, with a temple on its summit dedicated to his 
 worship. It was more than a mound, it was 2i pyramid^ the 
 largest in America, with a broader base even than any of 
 those of Egypt. It covers a surface of more than forty 
 
 
 
 PYRAMID OF CHOLULA. 
 
 acres, is 1440 feet "square at its base, and rises to a height 
 of nearly two hundred feet. Though some ignorant writers 
 have called this Pyramid of Cholula merely a natural hill, it 
 has been proven to be wholly af-fificial. It is constructed of 
 adobe^ or sun-baked bricks, and is built in terraces with a 
 broad platform at the top about two hundred feet square. It 
 
The Hill of Shouting. 43 
 
 is said that the bricks used in its construction came from 
 Tlamanalco, several leagues distant, and were passed from 
 hand to hand, along a; long line of men. This statement, 
 however, may well be questioned. But that it is built of 
 bricks, any one who has seen it can testify. The writer 
 of this history has himself examined it, and wondered at 
 the evidence here shown of past labor, skill and patience. 
 He has climbed its terraced sides and has looked over the 
 plain that once held the city of the priests, across the fer- 
 tile fields to the great volcanoes that reach the clouds with 
 their crests of snow. 
 
 When Quetzalcoatl was alive — when^ indeed — he issued 
 his orders to the inhabitants of Tula by means of a crier, 
 who ascended a mountain near by, called the " hill of 
 shouting," and proclaimed the high priest's orders. The 
 hill was so high, or the crier could shout so loud, that his 
 voice could be heard for one hundred leagues around. It 
 was very convenient for Quetzalcoatl to have such a crier 
 as that, in those old days before the invention of telephones 
 and railroads. 
 
 It is possible that he took this same great shouter with 
 him to Cholula, and that he sent his marvelous voice far 
 and wide over the valley, even to the crests of the surround- 
 ing mountains. We have diverged from our description of 
 the different tribes, or nations, that invaded Anahuac, in 
 order to describe these pyramids, these monuments of those 
 most ancient of Mexican people, because they were the 
 work, probably, of their hands. 
 
 We will now take leave of the Toltecs and glance at the 
 next tribe that occupied the valley. 
 
44 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CHICHIMECS. 
 
 [A. D. iioo.] Nearly an age, or cycle (fifty-two years), 
 passed after the scattering of the Toltecs before their ter- 
 ritory was invaded by another tribe. Then came the 
 Chichimecs into Anahuac. They were said by some histo- 
 rians to be the oldest nation in Mexico ; but this is not so, 
 though they had long existed there. Chichimec was a term 
 also applied to all the unknown savage tribes, hence the 
 confusion. At one time they were a barbarous people, 
 and wandered about half-naked in the mountains, living in 
 miserable huts. They took possession of all territory which 
 they discovered unoccupied, became more civilized in the 
 course of time, and established a monarchy which counted 
 fourteen kings, and which lasted from 1120 to the coming 
 of the Spaniards in 1520 — four hundred years. 
 
 Let us see how this powerful monarchy commenced. It 
 was not long after those disasters that had overtaken the 
 Toltecs, before the Chichimecs, living around the borders 
 of that empire, found out that something had happened. 
 They no longer saw the Toltecs on expeditions, nor met 
 them in battles and skirmishes. Then they sent scouts 
 into their territory, who returned with the astonishing tidings 
 of the destruction of the nation and the abandonment of 
 Tula. A little later they prepared to invade the land of 
 their once powerful foes, who had ranked so high above 
 them in the arts of civilization. They advanced cautiously, 
 but wherever they settled they had come to stay, and so 
 
The Chichimecs. 45 
 
 they progressed until they reached the great valley of Ana- 
 huac. It belonged to them. They did not even have to 
 conquer it, only to march in and possess themselves of it. 
 The few Toltec families and bands of Toltecs they encoun- 
 tered they strove to incorporate into their society, and thus 
 gained their good-will and the great advantage of their supe- 
 rior knowledge. 
 
 [12th Century.] Finally they established themselves on 
 the eastern shore of Lake Tezcoco, the largest in the val- 
 ley, and here commenced their capital city, under their 
 leader, Xolotl (Holotl), whom they recognized as their 
 king. They intermarried with the Toltecs, and thus grad- 
 ually became more and more refined, learning from these 
 unfortunate people the advantages to be derived from agri- 
 culture and mining, and the art of casting and working 
 metals, spinning, weaving, and many other things, by which 
 they improved their means of living, their clothing, their 
 habitations and their manners. 
 
 Not many years had elapsed before another powerful 
 tribe came into the valley, from a region not far distant 
 from the original home of the Chichimecs. They were 
 princes of the Acolhua nation, with a great army. Though 
 their coming created much disturbance at first, King Xolotl 
 received them kindly, and assigned them land on the west- 
 ern side of the lake. He also married two of the princes 
 to his two daughters, and gave to the third a lady born of 
 noble parents. So it came about, in the end, that the more 
 refined of the Chichimecs dropped their old name, and came 
 to be known as Acolhuas, and their kingdom as Acolhuacan. 
 Those only were called Chichimecs who still pursued a 
 savage life, and preferred the wandering life of a hunter to 
 that of the peaceful agriculturist. They gradually strayed 
 away, joining the barbarous Otomies, and formed those wild 
 bands that worried the Spaniards for many years after they 
 had conquered the others. 
 
46 Mexico. 
 
 [13th Century.] After reigning about forty years, Xolotl 
 died, and his son, Nopaltzin, occupied the throne ; and he, 
 after a period of disturbance, was succeeded by his son 
 Holtzin. The most conspicuous of these Chichimec mon- 
 archs of that age was the next, the fourth. King Quinantzin. 
 Until his time the court had not been held at Tezcoco 
 entirely, but divided between that city and Tenayuca, on 
 the other side of the lake. Now it was transferred to Tez- 
 coco, and the king was borne on the shoulders of four of 
 the principal lords of his kingdom, in a litter. He was the 
 first to introduce such style and ceremony, and was much 
 hated for it in consequence. He had a stormy reign, but 
 at the last his kingdom was united and powerful. 
 
 When King Quinantzin died his body was embalmed, 
 clothed in royal raiment, and placed in a chair, with bow 
 and arrow in his hand, an image of an eagle at his feet 
 and a tiger at his back, to signify his bravery, and exposed 
 in this state to the people for forty days, after which he 
 was burnt, and his ashes deposited in a cave in the moun- 
 tains back of Tezcoco. 
 
 This Chichimec, or Tezcocan, dynasty really lasted for 
 over four hundred years, and only ended in 1520, when 
 the Spaniards invaded Mexico. Eleven chosen kings and 
 two usurpers occupied the throne, including among them 
 at least three so famous in the annals of Mexico as to 
 deserve especial mention. These will be named in their 
 proper place. Meanwhile, we must interrupt the chrono- 
 logical sequence, as relates to the kingdom of Tezcoco, to 
 notice the arrival in the valley of Anahuac of other tribes 
 destined to play important parts in the working out of 
 the destiny of the Mexicans as a nation. 
 
 The Acolhuas (of whom mention has been made, and 
 who were incorporated into the Chichimec confederacy) 
 were followed by several other tribes, or nations, who were 
 
The Nahuatl Tribes. 47 
 
 assigned by the king at Tezcoco various places of resi- 
 dence about the great lake. 
 
 Of the Otomies, Xicalancas, and Tepanecs, we have 
 already spoken. If we should go beyond the limits of the 
 great Mexican valley, we should find that there were yet 
 other peoples. There was the powerful nation of Michoa- 
 can, which, though the period of its , foundation is not 
 exactly known, is thought to have been contemporary with 
 that of Anahuac. The people of this kingdom were the 
 Tarascos, who were in no way less refined than the Acol- 
 huans. Away down in Southern Mexico dwelt several 
 other civilized nations : the Zapotecs, the Miztecs, the 
 Chiapans, and the Mayas of Yucatan, whose history will be 
 dwelt upon at length as we reach them in the course of 
 events. If we confine ourselves to mentioning only the 
 most powerful, and those which figured prominently in the 
 subsequent wars with the Spaniards, it will be sufficient, 
 without confusing the memory with a multitude of long 
 Indian names of comparatively insignificant peoples. 
 
 At various times during the twelfth and thirteenth centu- 
 ries, different tribes came straggling into the valley of Ana- 
 huac. The most powerful of these belonged (it is thought) 
 to one great nation, and spoke the same language. They 
 were called Nahuatlacas^ and came from the land of Aztlan. 
 There were seven tribes : the Sochimilcas, the Chalchese, 
 Tepanecas, Colhuas, Tlahuicas, Tlascallans, nad Mexicans. 
 
48 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE AZTECS, OR MEXICANS. 
 
 [A. D. 1 1 60.] Where was the land of Aztlan? the 
 "country of herons," from which the seven tribes invaded 
 Anahuac ? We know not ; various writers have assigned 
 it as various positions, ranging all the way from the Gulf of 
 California to the Gulf of Mexico. The preponderance of 
 opinion, however, seems to be in favor of locating it in the 
 north. Not that this was the original country of the Nahu- 
 atlacas, for it is believed, with great reason, that this — the 
 birthplace of the race — was in the south ! Migrating 
 northward, they reached a point somewhere in Southern 
 California, and thence they went no farther northward ; 
 they may have dwelt there for ages, until this great impulse 
 came over them to return to the south, to the birthplace of 
 these " children of the sun." But so much of their tradi- 
 tion as has been accepted as history, tells us only of Aztlan 
 as their place of residence when the great migration com- 
 menced which was to re-populate the country deserted of 
 the Toltecs. 
 
 [A. D. 1 160.] Among the Aztecs, who dwelt in Aztlan, 
 was a person of authority named Huitziton, who was desir- 
 ous that his people should leave that country and seek 
 another. One day, sitting beneath a tree, he heard — or 
 pretended he heard — a little bird, constantly repeating in 
 the Azcec tongue, '' tihui, tihui — let us go! let us go!" 
 Now, Huitziton took this to be a message from the gods, 
 directing him and his companions to change their place of 
 
The Aztecs, or Mexicans. 51 
 
 residence. In those days people must have paid more atten- 
 tion to the voices of the birds than now, or must have given 
 their utterances more significance. Who of us cannot recall 
 some bird of our own land that would give us a similar 
 message, if we would but construe it so ? The singular 
 thing about these bird-voices is, that they always speak in 
 the language of the people they dwell amongst, and seem 
 not to have an universal language of their own ! 
 
 Well, this was enough for Huitziton and the deluded 
 people who listened to him, and so they packed up what 
 few things comprised their household effects, and began to 
 travel. It is thought that all the seven tribes started 
 together, or about the same time, but all had got into the 
 valley of Mexico and comfortably settled before the Aztecs 
 finally reached it. It is thought that they crossed the river 
 Colorado near the head of the Gulf of California, and 
 thence went southeastwardly. There are in that part of 
 Mexico the ruins of great stone buildings, called the casas 
 gra?ides, or great houses, which it is believed the Aztecs 
 built in the halts during this migration. They were con- 
 structed on the same plan as those of New Mexico, where 
 the Pueblo people live, with terraces, each floor, or story, 
 reached only by ladders. They still kept marching south- 
 ward in an aimless sort of way, impelled by an irresistible 
 instinct, and we next hear of them at Chicomoztoc, or the 
 Place of Seven Caves, which one writer thinks was near the 
 present city of Zacatecas, where there are the remains of 
 ancient buildings. Here six of the tribes separated from 
 the Mexicans and went off independently, though they all 
 subsequently met again in the Mexican valley. Here, or at 
 some previous stopping-place, the Mexicans had made them- 
 selves a god of wood, which they called Huitzilopochtli. 
 naming him probably from their leader, Huitziton, who was 
 now dead. Four crafty men appointed themselves priests, 
 
52 Mexico. 
 
 and gave out that it was by the orders of Huitziton, who 
 they said was now an immortal god, that they had made the 
 idol. They called themselves Teo7nana, or god-bearers, and 
 ever after bore this senseless image on their shoulders. 
 
 Particular attention should be paid to these events, 
 because from this time dated three important things : the 
 change of the name of the people from Aztec to Mexican ; 
 the manufacture of that image of the god Huitzilopochtli^ 
 whose worship afterwards called for the sacrifice of mil- 
 hons of human beings ; and the establishment of the priest- 
 hood — that curse to Mexico from that day to this ! 
 
 The priests were not at all behind the Romish priests of 
 the present day in craft and cunning, and had a com.muni- 
 cation ready from their god whenever the interest of their 
 deluded subjects seemed to flag. 
 
 It must have been hard work for those god-bearers, this 
 carrying of that heavy image (some writers think it was of 
 stone, even at that time), but they were well rewarded for 
 their pains in the respect and devotion of their followers. 
 They had a message from Huitzilopochtli right away, to 
 the effect that he had selected them as his own and only 
 people, for whom he destined a glorious future — provided 
 they always minded the priests, who delivered this message; 
 and he ordered them to abandon the name of Aztec and 
 adopt that of Mexican, and to wear upon their foreheads 
 and ears a patch of gum and feathers as marks of their 
 distinction. They were then presented with a net and 
 bunch of arrows as insignia. 
 
 About this time, the legend runs, there mysteriously 
 appeared two small bundles in the Mexican camp, which 
 were the cause of the tribe being divided into two parties. 
 One party secured in their bundle a very precious stone, 
 and they thought they had the best of it when it was 
 found that the bundle of the other party only contained 
 
Aztec Migration, 53 
 
 two sticks. From these two sticks, however, they obtained 
 fire, which was far more useful to them than the gem, and 
 which the other party would gladly have bargained their 
 precious stone to obtain. This story the historians regard 
 in the light of a fable, to teach us that the useful is always 
 preferable to the beautiful. It served to account, also, 
 for the division of the Mexicans into two parties, which 
 remained distinct and jealous of one another for many 
 years, held together only by their mutual interest in that 
 worthless wooden god. 
 
 [A. D. 1 196.] Finally, it is said, they reached the city 
 of Tula, the ruined capital of the Toltecs, which had been 
 abandoned nearly one hundred and fifty years before. 
 
 During all these years of travel they had moved leisurely ; 
 for, though they may have heard of the famous valley of 
 Mexico, they had no special reason for reaching it at any 
 particular time. It was as if we might set out on a voyage 
 of discovery, looking for a place that suited us in its 
 climate, soil, and appearance, and hngering on our way 
 wherever the fancy struck us. It must also be borne in 
 mind that it was necessary at times to make long halts, in 
 order to plant and gather corn and cotton, and such things 
 as they needed for food and apparel. 
 
 They stopped at Tula nine years. Here they had at 
 last reached the northern verge of the Mexican valley ; 
 before them lay the promised land they were in future 
 years to govern, where they were to erect an empire, the 
 greatest, perhaps, in the New World, the fall of which was 
 to include millions in its overthrow. 
 
 [A. D. 1 2 16.] During the first years of the thirteenth 
 century they advanced farther into the valley, which had 
 become the objective point of so many tribes. At the city 
 of Zumpango they were very well received by the lord of 
 that place, Tochpanecatl, who not only entertained them 
 
54 Mexico. 
 
 well, but married one of their noble virgins to his son, 
 Ilhuicatl. From this union descended those famous kings 
 of Mexico, who inled the valley over a hundred years 
 later. 
 
 It was during the reign of one of the first Chichimec 
 kings, who, you will remember, entered Anahuac a 
 century earlier, in about the year iioo. The king then in 
 power, either Xolotl, or his son Nopaltzin, let them wander 
 where they liked and settle where they would, having 
 nothing to fear from such a wretched band of savages as 
 the Mexicans were at that time. 
 
 Ah ! if he could have foreseen the height which those 
 despised Aztecs were to attain, and that even his own 
 kingdom was one day to lie prostrate at their feet, do you 
 not think he would have killed them, then and there ? 
 
 As it was, however, he afforded them no protection — 
 as, indeed, why should he ? — and they suffered much from 
 the persecutions of petty tribes established in the valley 
 before them. They wandered from point to point about 
 the great Lake Tezcoco, and finally made a stand at 
 Chapultepec, a rocky hill, situated on the western border 
 of the lake. 
 
 [A. D. 1245.] I^ the annals of the Mexicans, Chapulte- 
 pec is called the "hill of the grasshopper" — r/^^/^/ mean- 
 ing grasshopper, and tepee hill. They gave it this name 
 either because they found grasshoppers there in abundance, 
 or because they were obliged to subsist upon them as their 
 principal food. 
 
 This place, Chapultepec, became famous in later years 
 as the resort and the burial-place of the Mexican kings, 
 and just about six himdred years later a decisive battle was 
 fought there between the soldiers of two nations that at 
 that time had not been heard of, - the troops of the Repub- 
 lic of Mexico and the United States ! 
 
 \ 
 
MEXICAN WAR-GOD, HUITZILOPOCH XLI. 
 
Mexicans in Slavery. 57 
 
 Let us try to recall the date of Chapultepec's first ap- 
 pearance in history, when we shall, at a later period, wander 
 beneath its cypress groves, with Montezuma, or heroes of a 
 later generation. 
 
 [A. D. 1260.] After seventeen years at Chapultepec the 
 Mexicans were driven thence to the southern borders of 
 the lake, Tezcoco, where they existed for fifty years in a 
 state of misery, feeding on fish and insects and reptiles of 
 the marshes. They clothed themselves in garments of 
 leaves, and their huts were made of the reeds and rushes 
 surrounding the lake. They were free, however, and it is 
 thought that they willingly endured these hardships rather 
 than ally themselves with any other tribe. 
 
 But in the year 13 14, they were made slaves by the Col- 
 huas, who lived near the junction of the fresh-water lake of 
 Chalco, or Xochimilco, with the salt-water lake of Tezcoco. 
 
 [A. D. 1320.] After they had been slaves some years a 
 war broke out between the Colhuas and the Xochimilcas, 
 both of whom were tribes that had separated from the 
 Mexicans at the Place of the Seven Caves. The Colhuas 
 were very willing the Mexicans should assist them in this 
 war, but they provided them with no arms. Then the 
 Mexicans armed themselves : they provided long poles, 
 hardening their sharpened ends in the fire, knives of itzli^ 
 or obsidian (that volcanic glass peculiar to the country) 
 and shields of reeds woven together; thus armed, they 
 rushed upon the enemy. ~ They had resolved to take 
 no prisoners, as that would waste their time and retard 
 their victory ; but to cut off an ear from every man they 
 captured and then to let him go. The Xochimilcas were 
 terrified at the savage attacks of these fierce Mexicans, for 
 they were fighting for freedom and fought their best^ and 
 they fled to the mountains. 
 
 When the Colhua soldiers came to show their captives, 
 
58 Mexico. 
 
 after the battle, they laughed at the Mexicans because they 
 had none. But when these artful savages opened their 
 baskets of rushes and showed the great number of ears 
 they had cut off, and explained that each ear represented 
 a prisoner, and that they had done this in order to assure 
 a more speedy victory, the Colhuas were silenced. They 
 were so terrified at the prospect of having such terrible 
 people among them as slaves, that they gave them their 
 freedom and ordered them out of their country. 
 
 Perhaps they were all the more ready to do this when 
 they were called upon by the Mexicans to witness a sacrifice 
 in honor of their god, who had given them the victory. 
 They had asked of the Colhuas something to place on the 
 altar as an offering, and they had sent them a filthy bird. 
 The Mexicans said nothing, but placed in its stead a 
 knife and a fragrant herb. Then, after the King of the 
 Colhuas and all his nobility were assembled, they brought 
 out four Xochimilcan prisoners, whom they had concealed, 
 and throwing them upon the altar cut out their hearts and 
 offered them to their god, Hiiitzilopochtli. This event 
 excited such horror that the Mexicans were at once driven 
 forth to seek a new place of abode. 
 
 This should be noted as the first human sacrifice among 
 them of which there is any record. It was the beginning 
 of that terrible slaughter of men that afterwards drenched 
 the altars of the Mexican god with blood . 
 
 The Mexicans left the south shore of Lake Tezcoco, and 
 came at last to a point — an island, or a marshy spot — in 
 the lake, not far from the former tarrying-place of Chapul- 
 tepec, which they had left full sixty years before. 
 
 It must be remembered that we are not narrating the 
 travels of a mighty nation, but of a battered tribe perhaps 
 not large in number, and the petty fights and squabbles of 
 insignificant clans, or bands ; their greatness was of the 
 future. 
 
The Founding of the City. 59 
 
 The Aztecs have been justly called the pests of Ana- 
 huac, for they seemed unwilling to live at peace with any 
 other tribe. Owing to their fierce character and their 
 bloody religious rites they were hated by all. The King 
 of the Colhuas was a follower of the prophet of peace, 
 Quetzalcoatl, and could not agree with the priests of the 
 god of the Mexicans. We shall see by following this his- 
 tory to its termination how these priests brought final 
 destruction to this people ; such as has been the fate of all 
 kingdoms founded in superstition and ruled by priests. 
 
 [A. D. 1325.] We now come to that period when the 
 Mexicans were to cease their wanderings and to have a 
 fixed abode. It was in the year 1325. They had tried to 
 exist at many points about the lake, but had been driven 
 from them all. They now fixed upon an island two or 
 three miles from Chapultepec, in the lake Tezcoco. There 
 the priests discovered an eagle, or bird of prey, perched 
 upon a nopal, or prickly-pear, which grew out of the crev- 
 ices of a rock on this small island. This the priests de- 
 clared to be in accordance with an oracle communicated to 
 them by their god, Huitzilopochtli, and here they built a 
 hut of rushes and reeds to serve temporarily as a temple 
 for their cherished idol. Some say that the nopal grew in 
 the middle of a lovely pool, into which two of the priests 
 dove down and had an interview with old Tlaloc, the god 
 of waters, who told them they had at last reached the spot 
 predicted by their oracle, and there to build their city. In 
 this manner was founded the city of Tenochtitlan, " which in 
 future times was to become the court of a great empire, 
 and the largest and most beautiful city in the new world." 
 Around the temple of their idol they built their rude huts 
 of grass and reeds, and called this nucleus of a city, Mex- 
 ico, or the place of Mexitli, their war-god, this being an- 
 other name for the god Huitzilopochtli. Their first human 
 
6o Mexico. 
 
 sacrifice had been attended witli sucli good results that 
 they resolved to celebrate the building of the new temple 
 — humble though it was — by the taking of another vic- 
 tim's life. They captured one of their enemies, and cutting 
 out his heart with a sharp knife of flint, or obsidian, offered 
 it to their god. Thus was baptized with blood the founda- 
 tion stone of Mexico, a city that two centuries later was to 
 be wrested from the race that built it, attended by the 
 slaughter of thousands. The condition of the Mexicans 
 was yet very wretched, for they had made enemies of all the 
 tribes in Anahuac, and had to depend upon their sole exer- 
 tions. Their island, in the first place, was too small, and 
 to remedy this they dug ditches and canals, and banked up 
 the marshy places to form gardens and building spots. 
 For food, they depended upon fish and the reptiles and 
 insects of the lake, and at the end of the rainy season the 
 lake was covered — even as at the present day — by innu- 
 merable water-fowl. It was at this period, or a little pre- 
 vious, that they constructed those ^^oxv^&xivX floating gardens^ 
 upon which they raised their corn and vegetables. 
 
 There has been much dispute over this subject, as to 
 whether the ancient Mexicans ever really had any such 
 things as these floating gardens, as none of them can be 
 found at the present day. There is no doubt that they did 
 have them, for if we take into account the nature of their 
 surroundings : with no firm land extensive enough for cul- 
 tivation, and the nearest shore in possession of enemies, 
 we must see that it was necessary for them to have some- 
 thing of the kind. It is said that they wove together wil- 
 lows and rushes, and upon this floating framework piled 
 grass, leaves, and mud, thus forming a very fertile soil, 
 always moist and extremely productive. These little gar- 
 dens they could tow about from place to place after their 
 canoes ; but though writers of a century ago or more claim 
 
Floating Gardens. 63 
 
 to have seen these chinampas, or floating gardens, none 
 have existed within the memory of people now Hving. 
 What are now called by that name are squares of firm 
 land surrounded by ditches, which may at one time have 
 formed these gardens, but which have been left by the 
 falling of the lake, and no longer float. Upon these they 
 raised their limited supply of vegetables : corn, peppers, 
 chia, beans, and gourds, or pumpkins. 
 
 [A. D. 1338 or 1340.] It was not long that this 
 quarrelsome people could live together without fighting 
 amongst themselves, and ten or fifteen years after the 
 founding of the city the two parties — the Mexicans and 
 the Tlatelolcans — separated, the latter going to a still 
 smaller island near the main one. The Mexicans, how- 
 ever, kept the god, and, though their neighbors were more 
 progressive at first, were in the end triumphant. Though 
 for a while each faction had a separate government and its 
 king, the Mexican is the one that finally absorbed the 
 other, and whose history we shall mainly follow. 
 
 Before we close this chapter we are obliged to chronicle 
 another deed of blood that disgraced this degraded people. 
 Their god, through his servants the priests, had given out 
 that they must have a maiden of foreign birth to be created 
 the " mother of the gods." They sent to the King of the 
 Colhuas, and asked him for his daughter to be erected to this 
 high place in their catalogue of deities. Very much flat- 
 tered, the unsuspecting chief sent his beloved daughter, 
 whom the Mexicans conducted in triumph to their capital. 
 There, at the command of the priests, this innocent maiden 
 was killed and flayed, and one of the young braves of the 
 tribe clothed in her skin. The unfortunate king was then 
 sent for to do homage to this mother of the gods. He 
 entered the temple with a censer in his hand, and was 
 about to begin his worship when he discovered in the dark- 
 
64 Mexico. 
 
 ness that horrible spectacle of the youth clothed in the 
 bloody skin of his unfortunate daughter. Stricken with 
 anguish, the miserable monarch fled from the temple, call- 
 ing upon his people to avenge this terrible outrage. The 
 Mexicans were too powerful to be punished as they de- 
 served, and the wretched father returned to his residence 
 to mourn his daughter the remainder of his life. 
 
 The king's daughter was thus created a goddess, and as 
 such was regarded by the Mexicans, under the name of 
 Tetoinan, or "mother of all the gods." 
 
The Rival Powers of Anahtcac. 65 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE RIVAL POWERS OF ANAHUAC. 
 
 [A. D. 1350-1431.] In 1350, the Mexicans elected their 
 first king, Acamapichtli. This was done without the con- 
 sent of the King of the Tepanecs, who resided at Azcapo- 
 zalco, on the mainland, and to whom they paid tribute. 
 The Tepanec king forthwith doubled their tribute, and also 
 imposed several very hard conditions for their remaining 
 in Mexico. He ordered them to bring to his capital several 
 thousand willow and fir trees, and to plant them in the 
 gardens of Azcapozalco, as well as one of their floating 
 gardens, with all their vegetables growing on it. The next 
 year he commanded them to bring him one of these chinam- 
 pas, with a duck and a swan sitting on their eggs, and at 
 such a time that they would hatch upon arrival at his 
 court. Next year's command was that they should bring 
 him one of these gardens with a live deer on it, knowing 
 that they would have to go to the mountains, amongst tribes 
 at war with them, to procure it. 
 
 They fulfilled all their obligations, owing to the help 
 given them by their god, and patiently waited for the time 
 when they should be freed from the exactions of the king ; 
 they are said to have endured them for fifty years. The 
 founding of the city of Mexico, in 1325, was during the 
 reign, probably, of the Chichimec king, Quinantzin, with 
 whom we closed the account of that people in chapter the 
 third. He was succeeded by King Techotl, who was fol- 
 
66 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 lowed by Ixtlilxochitl, in the first years of the fifteenth 
 century, probably in 1406. 
 
 [A. D. 1389.] Acamapichth, King of the Mexicans, died 
 in 1389, and the throne was given to the brave Huitzili- 
 
 MEXICAN WARRIOR. 
 
 huitl. He was a young man and unmarried, and some of 
 the nobles went to the King of the Tepanecs, their master, 
 and humbly besought him to give them his daughter to be 
 married to their king. The following speech, put in their 
 
The Mexicans Prosper, Sj 
 
 mouths by the historian, will illustrate their abasement and 
 their cunning : " Behold, great lord, the poor Mexicans at 
 your feet, humbly expecting from your goodness a favor 
 which is greatly beyond their merit. Behold us hanging 
 upon your lips, and waiting only your signals to obey. We 
 beseech you, with the most profound respect, to take com- 
 passion upon our master and your servant, Huitzilihuitl, 
 confined among the thick rushes of the lake. Hjp is with- 
 out a wife, and we without a queen. Vouchsafe, sir, to 
 part with one of your jewels, or most precious feathers. 
 Give us one of your daughters, who may come to reign over 
 us in a country which belongs to you." 
 
 The king was not proof against this sort of flattery. He 
 gave them his daughter, and she was married to King 
 Huitzilihuitl, by the usual ceremony of tying the skirts of 
 their robes together. Having strengthened himself by the 
 possession of this " precious feather," the crafty king pro- 
 cured another wife, also the daughter of a neighboring lord. 
 There is no knowing how many wives he did get, for he 
 was very anxious to strengthen Mexican relations with their 
 neighbors, and there was no law against his marrying as 
 many as he pleased. 
 
 Techotl^ the King of Tezcoco, was yet ruler over the 
 valley, and in suppressing an extensive rebellion he called 
 upon the kings of Mexico and Azcapozalco to aid him. 
 As they returned covered with glory they acquired respect 
 from the surrounding tribes. Under Huitzilihuitl, the 
 Mexicans prospered as never before ; they began to wear 
 clothes of cotton, having had till this time only coarse gar- 
 ments made of the threads of the wild palm, and perhaps 
 of the maguey. 
 
 [A. D. 1402.] The Tlaltelolcos, the people forming the 
 other division of Mexico, had also elected a king, and for 
 many years there was a great rivalry between them and the 
 
6S Mexico. 
 
 Mexicans. But King Huitzilihuitl dug canals, erected fine 
 buildings, multiplied the c/wiampas, and trained soldiers, 
 using so much vigilance and energy that the Tlatelolcos 
 were left behind in the march of improvement. Eventually, 
 as the marshes between the two cities were filled up, they 
 were only separated by a canal, and the rival factions were 
 united into the more powerful government of Mexico. 
 
 In 1402 the Mexicans celebrated the closing of one of 
 their cycles, or centuries, with greater magnificence than 
 any since they had left their homes in Aztlan. Their 
 prosperity was assured, their position unshaken. 
 
 Ixtlilxochitl, son of Techotl, succeeded his father upon 
 the throne of Tezcoco. At his inauguration, all the princes 
 or petty kings of his dominion were ordered to assemble at 
 the capital to witness the ceremony and acknowledge him 
 emperor. The King of Azcapozalco was ambitious to be 
 at the head of affairs in Anahuac, and absented himself 
 from the court at the time when he should have been pres- 
 ent. He stirred up a rebellion that involved many of the 
 lords of the valley, and finally Ixtlilxochitl marched upon 
 him with the royal army. After three years of fighting, 
 Tezozomoc, the King of Azcapozalco, sued for peace, and 
 the Tezcocan army was withdrawn from his territories. 
 But this was an artifice, and as soon as Ixtlilxochitl had 
 disbanded his army, he found himself in great danger from 
 his cunning foe, who pursued him even to the mountains, 
 where he was finally murdered, or died in misery. 
 
 [A. D. 1410.] The year previous, Huitzilihuitl, King of 
 Mexico, had died, and his brother, Chimalpopoca, was ap- 
 pointed king. It seems to have been established as a law 
 at that time, that on the decease of a king one of his 
 brothers should be appointed to the throne, or, if he had 
 no brothers, one of his grandsons. The tyrant, Tezozomoc, 
 was now ruler of Anahuac, having, at the death of Ixtlilxo- 
 
Tezozomoc, the Usurper. 69 
 
 chitl, swept the valley with his armies. He gave Tezcoco 
 to Chimalpopoca to be lord over, and another city, Huex- 
 otla, to Tlacatcotl, King of Tlatelolco, as rewards for their 
 assistance. 
 
 Azcapozalco was proclaimed as the royal capital and the 
 seat of power, with Tezozomoc as emperor. As mistress 
 of the valley, Tezcoco had fallen from her high position ; 
 the Chichimec dynasty was no longer to control the Mexi- 
 can world, though in a few years the ancient capital was to 
 revive its glory by becoming the centre of art and culture. 
 The legitimate heir to the crown, Nezahualcoyotl^ son of 
 Ixtlilxochitl, was now a fugitive, with a price set upon his 
 head by Tezozomoc the usurper. 
 
 For nine years, the tyrant held the throne of Tezcoco, 
 with. his capital at Azcapozalco. He was now very old, 
 and approaching his end ; not having within him sufficient 
 vitality to keep him warm he was kept wrapped in cotton, in 
 a great willow basket like a cradle. His hatred of the 
 Tezcocan prince continued to his last breath, and as he 
 had not been able to put him to death, he charged this 
 unpleasant duty upon his sons, his successors to the king- 
 dom. He was greatly troubled by hideous dreams, in all 
 of which figured Nezahualcoyotl, the young prince he had 
 driven from his home. He dreamed that this foe was at 
 one time changed into an eagle, and in this shape tore open 
 his breast and ate his heart ; at another, in the form of a 
 lion, he licked his body and sucked his blood. 
 
 [A. D. 1422.] Tormented with fears for the future of 
 his kingdom and for his own miserable life, Tezozomoc 
 expired, in the year 1422. The kings of Mexico were in 
 attendance as mourners at his funeral, as also was the 
 Prince of Tezcoco, whom the sons of Tezozomoc wished to 
 kill, but dared not from fear of the people. 
 
 Chimalpopoca, King of Mexico, lost his throne and his 
 
70 Mexico, 
 
 life at this time under peculiar circumstances. Tezozomoc 
 had left the kingdom to his son Tajatzin^ but another son, 
 Maxtla, took possession of it. Tajatzin complained of 
 this injustice to Chimalpopoca, and was advised by the 
 Mexican king to kill his brother at an entertainment which 
 he should prepare. This Maxtla heard of, and acted so 
 promptly that he not only killed Tajatzin, but succeeded 
 finally in making captive Chimalpopoca himself. 
 
 When the King of Mexico sent his annual tribute to 
 Azcapozalco, consisting of fish, cray-fish and frogs, accom- 
 panied by a polite message to the king as lord of the val- 
 ley, Maxtla showed his contempt for him by sending back 
 by the embassadors a woman's gown, thereby implying that 
 the Mexican king was a coward. After this insult, which 
 Chimalpopoca was unable to avenge, Maxtla succeeded in 
 getting a favorite wife of his enemy into his power, and 
 after doing her all the injury he was capable of, he sent 
 her back to her husband in tears and misery. 
 
 Chimalpopoca resolved, as he could not take revenge on 
 the tyrant, to sacrifice hi772self as an offering to his god, 
 Huitzilopochtli. This, in his opinion, and in the eyes of 
 his people, would wipe out the insult, to him as a king, and 
 to the nation he ruled over. Dressed in the garb of sacri- 
 fice, the unfortunate king was led to the temple, where the 
 priests stood ready to plunge into his breast the knife of 
 flint, and to tear out his troubled heart and offer it to their 
 god. But the tyrant anticipated this event and despatched 
 troops to the temple, who seized Chimalpopoca and hurried 
 him to Azcapozalco, where they confined him in a strong 
 wooden cage. Here he was visited by the fugitive Prince 
 of Tezcoco, to whom he related his woes, and besought 
 him to remember his poor people, the Mexicans, if he 
 should succeed in gaining again the ancient throne of 
 Acolhua. Then, giving him a golden pendant from his 
 
End of Chimalpopoca. 
 
 71 
 
 upper lip, and his ear-rings, which had once been worn by 
 his famous brother, Huitzilihuitl, he charged him to escape 
 at once from the dominions of Maxtla. 
 
 [A. D. 1423.] That night, the unhappy king ended his 
 
 MEXICAN PRIEST. 
 
 life by hanging himself in his cage by his girdle ; and thus 
 perished Chimalpopoca, third king of Mexico, in or about 
 the year 1423. 
 
 His reign had lasted about thirteen years, during which 
 
72 Mexico. 
 
 he had gained some victories over his enemies, and had, in 
 the eleventh year, brought into his capital two great stones 
 of sacrifice, one for ordinary prisoners, and one for gladia- 
 torial combats. 
 
 The Mexicans lost no time in electing another king, who 
 should be better qualified to cope with the tyrant ; and this 
 time they chose the brave Itzcoatl, a man of war from his 
 youth, who had commanded the Mexican armies for thirty 
 years. 
 
 In the meantime, Nezahualcoyotl, Prince of Tezcoco, had 
 fled from Azcapozalco, by crossing the lake in a canoe with 
 strong rowers. The tyrant organized a swift pursuit, but 
 the prince succeeded in escaping his enemies, and in visit- 
 ing all the important tribes in the valley, even penetrating 
 to the province of Tlascala. Nearly all had become dis- 
 gusted with the usurper, Maxtla, and promised aid to the 
 prince in a great revolt against him. Aided by these allies 
 he soon captured Tezcoco and several other cities once 
 belonging to the ancient kingdom. 
 
 The King of Mexico, Itzcoatl, sent an embassador to 
 congratulate him on these victories, and to assure him of 
 the assistance of the Mexicans at the time when the final 
 assault should be made on Azcapozalco. 
 
 This mission was an extremely difficult undertaking, for, 
 though Tezcoco and Mexico were only fifteen miles apart, 
 the roads and the lake were closely guarded by the tyrant to 
 prevent communication between his foes. It was entrusted 
 to the bravest man in all Mexico, a son of the former king, 
 Huitzilihuitl, called Montezuma, who, by his invincible cour- 
 age, had obtained the name of Ilhui-camina, or " Archer of 
 Heaven." He succeeded in delivering his message, but 
 in returning was captured by the troops of Toteotzin, lord of 
 Chalco, and condemned to death. Through the humanity 
 of his jailer he was allowed to escape, and returned to 
 Mexico where he was received with great rejoicings. 
 
The First Montezuma. 73 
 
 [A. D. 1425.] The populace of Mexico were terrified at 
 the prospect of a war with the tyrant, Maxtla, and tried to 
 dissuade their king from such a desperate measure. It is 
 related that finally they entered into a compact by which, 
 if victory crowned their efforts, the common people were 
 to be forever the slaves of the nobility, but if defeat, then 
 the latter were to be sacrificed at their pleasure. This was 
 the origin of the condition of things that prevailed at the 
 coming of the Europeans, a century later, when the rich 
 and powerful nobility dominated over a servile, degraded 
 people. 
 
 A declaration of war was sent to King Maxtla, and again 
 no one could be found to undertake this dangerous mission 
 but Montezuma. It was only four miles from capital to 
 capital, but nearly all the way through the enemy's lines. 
 On his return, having reached a position of safety, he 
 taunted the guards of the tyrant with negligence in having 
 allowed him to escape, and boasted that he would soon 
 return and destroy them all. They rushed upon him to kill 
 him, but he slew two of them, and then retreated rapidly 
 to Mexico, conveying to the trembling inhabitants the 
 declaration of war. 
 
 There is no more brilliant figure in Mexican history than 
 this dauntless Indian, the first and the greatest Montezuma, 
 risking his life in the cause of his people. Word was at 
 once sent to Nezahualcoyotl to join his troops with the 
 Mexicans, and the next day the Tepanec army — King 
 Maxtla's — appeared in the field, adorned with gold and 
 feathers, and shouting in anticipation of victory. 
 
 Knowing that upon their bravery the fate of their respec- 
 tive nations depended, each army attacked the other with 
 terrible fury. King Itzcoatl led the Mexicans, having a 
 little drum on his shoulder, by the sound of which he gave 
 them signals for attack. At the close of a long day's fight- 
 
74 Mexico > 
 
 ing the Mexicans were about to give way, and had already 
 promised the Tepanecs to sacrifice their nobles and gen- 
 erals to appease their wrath, when Montezuma rushed upon 
 the opposite leader, and by a furious blow laid him lifeless 
 on the field. This turned the tide of battle, and the Te- 
 panecs fled to their city, pursued by the Mexicans and 
 Tezcocans. The next day the battle v/as renewed, the city 
 was taken, and the Tepanecs dispersed in every directioH. 
 King Maxtla was found hidden in a temazcalli, or vapor 
 bath, and killed, and his body cast into the fields. By this 
 victory, which occurred in the year 1425, just one century 
 after the foundation of Mexico — Tenochtitlan — the Mexi- 
 cans obtained the ascendency in Anahuac ; thenceforward 
 they were its actual masters. Azcapozalco, the Tepanec 
 capital, was razed to the ground, and in the future was used 
 as a market-place for slaves. 
 
 The King of Mexico held the people to their contract, 
 by which they had agreed to cultivate the lands for the 
 generals and nobles, to build their houses, and to carry 
 for them their anns and baggage when they went to war ; 
 they were virtually their slaves. After the victory, the 
 united armies marched around the valley, subdued all 
 disaffected and rebellious tribes, and ended by entering 
 Tezcoco, and placing Nezahualcoyotl upon the throne of 
 his ancestors, from which he had been debarred by Tezo- 
 zomoc and Maxtla for fifteen years. With this act was 
 completed the restoration of the Chichimec monarchy, 
 although its dominion was restricted, whereas before it was 
 unlimited. The balance of power was held by the Mexi- 
 cans, over whom reigned Itzcoatl. 
 
 It must have been a great temptation to the Mexican 
 king to make himself Emperor of Anahuac, and prevent 
 his ally from ascending the throne of Tezcoco, when he 
 had it so fully in his power. Instead of this he showed 
 
Peace in Anahuac, 75 
 
 himself a monarch truly great, by considering the general 
 welfare and the claims of others before his own aggran- 
 dizement. He divided • the territory of Anahuac into 
 three kingdoms, placing a surviving son of Tezozomoc 
 over the Tepanecs, with his capital at Tacuha. Nezahual- 
 coyoti's capital was Tezcoco, east of the great lake ; while 
 Mexico, ruled over by Itzcoatl, lay between the two, — 
 mistress of the valley and arbiter of its destinies. The 
 many feudatories, or petty lordships, were placed either 
 under the control of one or the other of the three, and 
 peace for awhile reigned again in Anahuac. This triple 
 alliance took place in the year 1426, or, according to some 
 authorities, in 1431. 
 
76 Mexico, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE TRIPLE KINGDOM. 
 
 [A. D. 1426.] Though the small kingdom of Tacuba 
 formed one of the allied powers, it took very little part in 
 the fciture conquests, except to lend its aid to one or the 
 other of its powerful neighbors, and take its small portion 
 of the spoils. Mexico, under Itzcoatl, and with her armies 
 commanded by the brave Montezuma, extended her con- 
 quests in all directions. The monarch of Tezcoco had 
 evidently had enough of war and bloodshed ; in his years 
 of wanderings, in the many skirmishes and fights in which 
 he had passed his youth, he had gained the true knowledge 
 that the victories of peace are to be preferred over those 
 of war. 
 
 The unsettled condition in which the Acolhua kino:dom 
 had been left by twenty years of misrule rendered it neces- 
 sary for its sovereign to give it all his attention. He estab- 
 lished councils, civil and military, for the trial of persons 
 charged with crime ; he formed schools for the study of 
 poetry, astronomy, music, painting, and history, as well as 
 of the art of divination. These arts were in a very rude 
 state, and little, of course, could result from their study, 
 without the art of writing, or printing, to convey ideas. 
 He divided the city of Tezcoco into over thirty districts ; 
 in one dwelt the goldsmiths, in the other the sculptors, in 
 another the weavers, and so on. He built temples and 
 great houses, and planted groves, some of which are in 
 existence at the present day. 
 
Reign of Nezahual^oyotl. 77 
 
 [A. D. 1436.] Nezahualcoyotl, as we have seen, left to 
 his cousin, the King of Mexico, the subjecting of other 
 tribes, and seems to have felt no distrust or envy of the 
 growing power of the Mexicans. And it is worthy of 
 notice that, while the names of his contemporaries have 
 hardly survived the bloody kingdom they fought so hard 
 to aggrandize, that of the King of Tezcoco has come down 
 to us the subject of many eulogies by the native historians. 
 When we come to the year of his death, we shall mention 
 more in detail the glories of his reign. 
 
 Let us turn our attention to that growing capital of the 
 Mexicans, which seemed ambitious to reach its arms from 
 sea to sea. The fierce followers of Itzcoatl took the lead- 
 ing part in every contest in which the allied armies were 
 engaged ; " they became practically masters of the 'whole 
 country, and were on the point of subjugating even their 
 allies, or of falling before a combination of their foes, when 
 they fell before a foe from across the sea." 
 
 During the reign of Itzcoatl a difference arose between 
 him and the Tezcocan monarch as to who was best entitled 
 to the great title of Chichimecatl Tecuhtli, or chief of the 
 Chichimec empire. As one who occupied the ancient 
 Chichimec throne, Nezahualcoyotl was deemed to have 
 the best claim to this honor, though by the aid of Mexican 
 troops and the courtesy of their king, he had been re- 
 established in his position. " Yet," says one writer, " al- 
 though Itzcoatl and his successors by their valor and desire 
 of conquest took a leading part in all wars, and were in a 
 sense masters of Anahuac, there is no sufficient evidence 
 that they ever claimed any superiority in rank over the 
 Acolhua (Tezcocan) monarch, or that any important diffi- 
 culties occurred between the two powers until the last years 
 of the Aztec period." 
 
 Itzcoatl died in the year 1436, having commanded the 
 
78 Mexico. 
 
 armies for thirty years, and served thirteen as king. Mori- 
 tezu'riia Ilhuicamina was naturally the choice of the electors 
 for the crown, and once again a valiant leader of the Mexi- 
 can armies w^as called to the throne. According to the 
 horrid custom, which had now become fixed, Montezuma 
 sallied forth to secure prisoners, to be sacrificed at his 
 coronation. There resided about Lake Chalco, which you 
 may see in a map of the Valley of Mexico, the nation of 
 the same name, the Chalcas, or the Chalchese. Their 
 ancient capital yet exists on the border of the lake, though 
 only as a modern Mexican town of no great importance. 
 They were the people who had captured Montezuma, 
 during the reign of Maxtla, when he, a young man then, 
 had gone to them in the character of embassador. He 
 had never forgotten that they had intended to put him to 
 death, and now he entered their territory to make horrible 
 reprisals. He marched against them in person, took many 
 prisoners, and then went back to Mexico and gave them to 
 the priests to be sacrificed upon the altars. 
 
 [A. D. 1440.] From the allied kings and from the tribes 
 that paid them tribute he received a vast amount of treasure, 
 gifts of gold, silver, and feathers, game and provisions. 
 The coronation ceremonies lasted many days, and abounded 
 in all the barbarous pastimes indulged in by those people. 
 He constructed a new temple, in addition to two others his 
 predecessor had built, and in 1441 the relics of an ancient 
 chief, Mixcohuatl, a. Toltec who had been much venerated 
 in centuries past, were taken to Mexico, where a temple 
 was built for them. It seems to have been during Monte- 
 zuma's reign that the custom originated of taking all the 
 gods captured in battle from their enemies and depositing 
 them in Mexico. There they were allowed to remain, lion- 
 ored alike by friend and foe, but, like their former owners, 
 subordinate to the great HuitzilopochtlL 
 
Punishment of the Chalchese. 79 
 
 [A.D. 1443.] The Chalcas, who were always committing 
 some mitoward deed, — or who were said to by the Mex- 
 icans, in order that they might have a pretext for sacrific- 
 ing them, — captured two sons of Nezahualcoyotl and 
 killed them. The lord of that city was thought to be the 
 same Toteotzin who had meditated the killing of Monte- 
 zuma, years before. He ordered these royal princes to be 
 killed, and then had their bodies embalmed and placed 
 them in his banquet hall as torch-bearers, — holding in 
 their black and shrivelled hands the pine torches that gave 
 their light. The King of Tezcoco called upon his royal 
 brother for aid, and the Mexicans gladly responded, for 
 they were ever like tigers famishing for blood. They 
 sacked and ruined the city, killed the ruler and drove the 
 survivors to the mountains. 
 
 Sometime about this period King Nezahualcoyotl was 
 married to the daughter of the King of Tacuba, who 
 rejoiced in a name almost as long as her royal lover's, — 
 Matlalcihuatzin — said to be a beautiful and modest 
 ' virgin. It was more than this old reprobate deserved, 
 for he had already many children by various concubines, 
 the total number at his death being one hundred. He 
 manifested great affection for them, but at the same time 
 always put to death any of them that disobeyed him with 
 an alacrity that makes one think he considered them alto- 
 gether too many. 
 
 But he made a great rejoicing at the time he was legiti- 
 mately married, the entertainments lasting eighty days. And 
 he composed a poem, comparing the sho/tness of life and 
 its pleasures with the fleeting bloom of a flower. This was 
 sung by his musicians, and proved so affecting that there 
 was hardly a dry eye in the crowd. It commenced : 
 Xochitl mamani in ahuehuetitlan^ and went on in this pa- 
 thetic strain, drawing tears from the eyes of hardened old 
 
8o Mexico. 
 
 Aztecs who had looked upon the tortures of thousands of 
 victims upon the sacrificial block unmoved. A year later 
 a son was born, JVezahualpilli, who succeeded in due time 
 to the crown. 
 
 Elated at the continued success of their arms, the 
 Mexicans ravaged province after province and sent home 
 crowds of prisoners to be murdered on their sacrificial 
 altars. Under Montezuma, they carried their victories to 
 points one hundred and fifty miles distant ; they enlarged 
 their temple to their principal god, and enriched it with 
 spoils. 
 
 [A. D. 1446] — Mexico, you will remember, was built 
 upon an island in Lake Tezcoco. There are five great 
 lakes in the Mexican valley, four of them are fresh and 
 the fifth, Tezcoco, is salt. All the other lakes are at a 
 higher elevation than the salt lake, and three of them 
 higher than the city itself, even at the present day. And 
 so it happens, that whenever a great rain occurs, and the 
 higher lakes are flooded, the waters rush down into Lake 
 Tezcoco, which has no outlet, and are liable to overflow 
 the city. The first of these inundations of which we have 
 any mention occurred in the year 1446. Montezuma and 
 the Mexicans were greatly distressed by this great flood, 
 which rose so high that all the streets were filled and the 
 people compelled to go about in canoes. The king 
 consulted with Nezahualcoyotl and by the advice of this 
 sagacious monarch he commenced a great dike, to cross 
 the lake, and render it independent of the floods from the 
 fresh-water lakes. It was nine miles in length and con- 
 sisted of a double row of piles thirty feet apart, with the 
 space between filled with earth and stones. The lords of 
 the valley themselves labored, to incite the vassals to 
 activity, and this mighty work was soon finished. 
 
 [A. D. 1448.] In the years 1448 and 1449 there was a 
 
A Great Famine. 8i 
 
 great famine, first from the inundation and then from frost, 
 so that the corn crop, the maize upon which they almost 
 solely depended for food, was a failure. The two following 
 years were likewise unfavorable, and in the year 1452 many 
 people of Mexico died of starvation. Many others wan- 
 dered into the neighboring county and sold themselves into 
 slavery for a little corn, their needs were so great, even 
 though the royal granaries were opened. The king pub- 
 hshed a proclamation, that no woman should sell herself 
 as a slave for less than four hundred ears of maize, and 
 no man for less than five hundred. As in the olden time, 
 before Mexico was founded, the Aztecs now lived upon 
 water-fowl, small fish and insects, which they caught in 
 and about the lake. There is a peculiar water insect 
 called the axayacatl, which lays its eggs on the water, among 
 the rushes of Lake Tezcoco. Their eggs, when gathered 
 and pressed together, form a substance like cheese, and 
 this the inhabitants of Mexico subsisted upon, even as 
 many of their descendants do at the present time. 
 
 [A. D. 1454.] Even the famine, which lasted nearly six 
 years, did not interrupt the dreadful sacrifices. The priests 
 gave out that the gods were angry, and more blood must 
 be shed to appease them. You will perhaps hardly credit 
 the story, but it is related that in order to gratify the priests 
 and to cause their gods to relent, some tribes entered into 
 a compact to regularly fight one another, that the victors 
 might have prisoners to sacrifice to these bloodthirsty 
 deities. Half-starved men and women might have been 
 obtained in every town, but the gods were not satisfied with 
 their blood, they wanted the rich life-current of brave and 
 stalwart soldiers ! 
 
 [A. D. 1455.] At last the famine ceased, and plenty 
 once more came to the stricken land, just as a new cycle 
 entered upon its rounds. This they attributed to their 
 
82 Mexico. 
 
 having finally appeased the outraged gods, just as the 
 Mexicans, two centuries later, thought to stay the progress 
 of an inundation by bringing into the city an image of the 
 Virgin of Guadalupe. These people, the Mexicans, al- 
 ways had blood in their eyes, and no sooner was the famine 
 allayed than they again marched into the surrounding 
 country in search of victims. 
 
 [A. D. 1456.] That portion of the capital known as 
 Tlatelolco had become the commercial metropolis of the 
 country. To it people resorted from the remotest parts 
 of Mexico, and from it went out large bands of travelling 
 merchants. These merchants had so increased in number 
 and strength, and always went so strongly armed, that they 
 were very oppressive to the tribes they went amongst, and 
 often committed murders and robberies. They also acted 
 for the Mexicans in the capacity of spies; many a rich 
 province had they entered, in the guise of peaceful traders, 
 only to spy out its resources in wealth and prisoners. A 
 band of these land pirates had been maltreated by the 
 Miztecs, people who dwelt — as do their descendants to- 
 day — in the country south of the Mexican valley. No doubt 
 these rascally traders had deserved all they got, but they 
 came back to their homes with such a doleful story that 
 Montezuma resolved at once to punish the Miztecs for 
 the outrage. He was only too glad of a pretext against 
 them, for the supply of victims for that hideous god in the 
 temple was running short. So he sent to the King of the 
 Miztecs demanding an apolog\\ But Atonaltzm, this Miz- 
 tec king, treated the embassadors of Montezuma with scorn. 
 He loaded them with gold, and said, as he dismissed them, 
 " Bear this present to your king, that he may know from it 
 how much my subjects give me, and how much they love 
 me ; tell him that I willingly accept of war, by which it 
 shall be decided whether my subjects shall pay tribute to 
 
Defeat of the Miztecs, 83 
 
 the King of Mexico or the Mexicans to me." Then the 
 alUed kings united their armies, and marched rpon the 
 £ing of the Miztecs ; but they got terribly wliipped, and 
 for once returned to Mexico without their prisoners. Tliis 
 enraged the great Montezuma, so that he raised another 
 army, and led it in person ; and as in the past, so it was at 
 this time, nothing could stand before him. The Miztecs 
 were defeated, and he took possession of their capital. 
 
 [A. D, 1457.] In this year an expedition was undertaken 
 by the Mexicans against a nation in the south-east, to- 
 wards the Gulf of Mexico. After the army had started 
 Montezuma, hearing the forces of the army were far in 
 excess of his own, sent to recall them. The Mexicans 
 would have returned, but Moqicihitix, King of the Tlalte- 
 lolcans, declared that he would go on, and with his own 
 people alone vanquish the enemy. Animated by his words 
 and example they encountered the enemy, and carried back 
 over six thousand prisoners, to be sacrificed at the conse- 
 cration of a temple for the preservation of skulls. 
 
 Montezuma rewarded this victorious prince by giving 
 him one of his cousins for his wife, — of which great honor 
 he could not have been duly sensible, for he afterwards 
 abused her heartily. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE CHALCHESE. 
 
 [A. D. 1458.] By this time those rebellious people of 
 Chalco had recovered sufficiently to again defy the Mexi- 
 cans. They captured a brother of Montezuma, and wanted 
 to make him king over them, and make their city a rival 
 to that of Mexico. This he looked upon as treason ; but 
 he finally pretended to consent, and told them to plant one 
 of their tallest trees in the market-place and erect a scaffold 
 upon it, in order that he might view his new subjects from 
 this high position. When this was done he mounted to the 
 
84 Mexico. 
 
 dizzy height, with a bunch of flowers in his hand, and made 
 a speech to the few Mexicans who had been made prisoners 
 with him : "Ye know well," he said, "my brave Mexicans, 
 that the Chalchese wish to make me their king ; but it is 
 not agreeable to our god that I should betray our native 
 country. I choose rather to teach you by my example to 
 place a higher value on fidelity to it than upon life itself." 
 Saying this, he cast himself headlong to the ground and 
 perished. By this act the Chalchese were so enraged that 
 they slew all the Mexicans with darts. It is said that the 
 dismal hooting of an owl that night threw them into super- 
 stitious terror as an omen of their destruction. Nor were 
 they far wrong, for as soon as Montezuma heard the news, 
 he caused the hill-tops about Chalco to blaze with signal 
 fires ; and ere they had died away he marched upon the 
 rebels with his army. This time he left nothing of their 
 city, nor saved man, woman or child that his enraged 
 troops could discover in it. Again were the Chalchese 
 driven to the mountains, there to wander for many years, 
 living in holes and caverns. 
 
 [A. D. 1460.] Tenochtitlan, or Mexico, and Tlaltelolco, 
 into which the capital had been originally divided, had now 
 so extended themselves on every side that only a single 
 canal now separated them. This was widened and deep- 
 ened, and made into a navigable water-way, through 
 which passed the boats laden with vegetables from the 
 Chinainpas. 
 
 [A. D. 1474.] After having seen the Mexican dominion 
 widely extended, north, east, south, and west, — after hav- 
 ing erected a great temple to the god of war, and having 
 shed the blood of thousands upon its altars, the great and 
 glorious Montezuma died. He had been one of the wisest 
 and bravest of the Mexican leaders, had made many civil 
 and religious laws, had increased the splendor of his court. 
 
MEXICAN ARMOR, SHIELDS AND SWORD. 
 
Tehuantepec Invaded. 87 
 
 and had added largely to that dread band of fanatics, the 
 priests, who were engaged in hurrying this empire to its 
 ruin. 
 
 The fifth King of Mexico, successor to Montezuma, was 
 Axajacatl, a valiant general of the army. Having received 
 news of his election he marched into the south upon the 
 terrible mission of securing prisoners to grace by their 
 sacrifice his coronation. In this expedition his troops 
 penetrated as far south as Tehuantepec^ many miles from 
 the capital. Tehuantepec is the narrowest portion of Mex- 
 ican territory, only about a hundred miles here intervening 
 between the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and those of the 
 Pacific. To-day, in our time, it is about to be opened by a 
 railroad, and it has often been examined with reference to 
 the cutting there of a ship canal, which may form a great 
 highway between the seas of the two hemispheres. 
 
 The Mexican general defeated the inhabitants of Te- 
 huantepec, after hard-fought battles, and dragged the 
 wretched prisoners over all the long distance to Mexico, 
 to mingle their blood with that of the thousands who had 
 preceded them. 
 
 [A. D. 1466]. It is told that in this year, the famous 
 causeway and aqueduct to Chapultepec was completed. 
 It had been planned by Nezahualcoyotl and commenced by 
 Itzcoatl. It supplied the Mexican capital with water, as 
 that surrounding the city was salt and unfit to drink. 
 
 All the time, the people were working hard at the build- 
 ing of new temples, and many teocallis, or holy pyramids 
 were built in the three allied capitals. The most noted 
 one outside of Mexico was that constructed by Nezahual- 
 coyotl, highly ornamented with gold and precious stones, 
 and dedicated to the ^^ invisible god of the universe''^ — not 
 to an idol of stone. 
 
 [A. D. 1469]. The slumbering jealousy between the 
 
S8 Mexico. 
 
 rival portions of the city — Tenochtitlan and Tlaltelolco — 
 was finally carried into an open quarrel by the erection, by 
 each faction, of a new temple. It was on the occasion of 
 their return from a victory over another tribe. Each 
 erected a temple for the reception of the gods of the van- 
 quished nation which they had brought with them. That 
 of the Tlaltelolcans, called Coaxolotl, was finer than that of 
 the Mexicans, called Coatla7i, and this made much ill- 
 feeling. Three or four years later, Moquihuix, the fiery 
 king of the Tlaltelolcos, could endure no longer the con- 
 stant increase in power of his near neighbor, Tenochtitlan, 
 and planned a rebellion. His wife, sister to the now reign- 
 ing king, Axajacatl^ fled to her brother, complaining of her 
 ill-treatment and betraying the plans of her husband. Mo- 
 quihuix secretly assembled his soldiers, and, in order to 
 infuse into them the highest degree of courage, made them 
 drink of the blood of their enemies, washed from the 
 filthy surface of the sacrificial stone. Then he and his 
 officers made a solemn sacrifice on a mountain near the 
 city, to gain the favor of their gods. It was all in vain, 
 however, for the Mexicans prevailed over their neighbors 
 and brethren, in the bloody battle that ensued, and Moqui- 
 huix was cast down from the tower of the temple, from 
 which he was directing his troops, and slain. 
 
 [A. D. 1473]. In this manner, the Mexicans finally be- 
 came possessors of the entire city, in about the year 1473. 
 The Tlaltelolcans were driven into the marshes, and only 
 restored to their privileges after having been made to 
 croak like frogs, in token of submission. 
 
Nezahualcbytlj King of Tezcoco. 89 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 NEZAHUALCOYOTL, KING OF TEZCOCO. 
 
 [A. D. 1470]. In this year departed the greatest hero 
 of that ancient Indian history, Nezahualcoyotl, King of 
 Tezcoco. Son of a king who was murdered by the tyrant 
 Tezozomoc, his youth was passed in constant peril from 
 the designs that tyrant and his son entertained against his 
 Hfe. Possessed of extraordinary courage and endurance, 
 he had always kept in view the exalted station it was his 
 right to occupy, never for a moment faltering until he was 
 at last seated upon the throne of Tezcoco. Then, instead 
 of devoting himself to murdering and plundering his 
 neighbors, like his cousins, the Mexicans, he gave all his 
 energies to promote the growth and welfare of his king- 
 dom. It needed a man of his character and ability to 
 knit together its dismembered provinces, and firmly grasp 
 the helm that guided it on its. course. On rejecting the 
 bloody and barbarous creed of the Mexicans, refusing to 
 worship God through the sacrifice of his fellow-men, he 
 showed himself to be a long way in advance of those 
 people. By erecting to that God a temple, dedicated to 
 the "unknown god of causes," he humbly acknowledged 
 his inability to comprehend Him ; nor was he presump- 
 tuous enough to believe that any man on earth had ever 
 been appointed His especial agent. In this respect he 
 ranked even in advance of the Spanish priests, who con- 
 verted the Indians from a worship of their deities by main 
 force, and caused to be exterminated those whom they 
 
90 
 
 Mexico, 
 
 could not convert. He was tolerant in religion, thus 
 showing a spirit almost five hundred years in advance of 
 his time. He instituted tribunals, and ordered that no 
 lawsuit should be prolonged over eighty days; at the 
 expiration of that time a general assembly met in the 
 palace, and all cases pending were at once decided upon. 
 This shows that he had a hatred of those vultures of 
 the law that prey upon society. The unsettled state of 
 
 ARMOR AND SHIELD. 
 
 his kingdom called for severe laws ; it makes one shudder 
 to read of the penalties he caused to be inflicted : deaths 
 for drunkenness, for treason to the state, for taking any- 
 thing from another's field, — even the taking of seven 
 ears of corn was enough to incur the penalty. But to 
 provide for travellers passing through his kingdom, he 
 caused the highways to be sown with corn, which was free 
 to all. Another instance of his wisdom and foresight was 
 the preservation of his forests. He fixed limits to their 
 
The Council of Music, 
 
 91 
 
 destruction, establishing boundaries beyond which no one 
 was allowed to cut. Wishing one day to see if the law 
 was observed, he went out in disguise, into the forest. 
 He found a poor boy on the edge of the wood carefully 
 gathering up a few chips some one had left. The king 
 asked him why he did not go into the wood, where there 
 was plenty. 
 
 " Because," answered the boy, " the king has forbidden 
 
 ARMOR. 
 
 it." His family was in great want, but though the dis- 
 guised king urged him to break the law, he remained firm, 
 preferring to suffer from want rather than to incur the 
 penalty. Moved by this scene, the king is said to have 
 enlarged the boundaries. 
 
 Though without books or letters, he instituted acad- 
 emies, where oratory, history, poetry, sculpture, and works 
 in feathers, gold, and precious stones were greatly devel- 
 oped. He was himself at the head of a council of music, 
 with the kings of Mexico and Tacuba as associates. 
 
92 Mexico. 
 
 Music and poetry, being capable of being transmitted by 
 ear and mouth, have Uved longest. It is in his poems that 
 this king shows his elevation of thought, and comes down 
 to us as the exemplar of the progress of his nation on the 
 road from savagery to civilization. 
 
 Would you like to read one of these poems, composed 
 five hundred years ago, before the so-called discovery of 
 America ? The whole poem is too long for repetition here ; 
 let a verse or two suffice. It is said that he composed 
 sixty hymns in honor of the Creator of Heaven. In one of 
 his poems he lamented the fall of the tyrant Tezozomoc, 
 whom he compared to a "large and stately tree, which 
 had extended its roots through many countries and spread 
 the shade of its branches over all the empire ; but which 
 at last, worm-eaten and wasted, fell to the earth, never to 
 resume its youthful verdure." 
 
 This poem commences in this way, — 
 
 " O king, unstable and restless, when thou art dead then shall thy people be 
 overthrown and confounded ; thy place shall be no more ; the Creator, the All- 
 Powerful, shall reign.' ' 
 
 And it ends with this delightful verse, — 
 
 " Let the joyous birds sing on and rejoice in the beauty of spring, and the 
 butterflies enjoy the honey and perfume of the flowers, for life is as a tender 
 plant that is plucked and withers away." 
 
 SONG OF THE KING OF TEZCOCO. 
 
 ON THE MUTABILITY OF LIFE. 
 
 " Now will I sing for a moment, 
 Since time and occasion offer, 
 And I trust to be heard with favor, 
 If my effort proveth deserving ; 
 Wherefore thus I begin my singing, 
 Or rather my lamontation. 
 
The Poet King, 93 
 
 Fair Acolhuacan thou hast chosen 
 
 As thy dwelling-place and thy palace ; 
 
 Thou hast set up thy royal throne there, 
 
 With thy own hand hast thou enriched it ; 
 
 Wherefore it seems to be certain 
 
 That thy kingdom shall prosper and flourish. 
 
 And thou, O wise Prince Oyoyotzin, 
 Mighty monarch and king without equal, 
 Rejoice in the beauty of spring-time, 
 Be happy while spring abides with thee. 
 For the day creepeth nearer and nearer 
 When thou shalt seek joy and not find it. 
 
 A day when dark Fate, the destroyer, 
 Shall tear from thy hand the proud sceptre, 
 When the moon of thy glory shall lessen. 
 Thy pride and thy strength be diminished, 
 The spoil from thy servants be taken, 
 Thy kingdom and honor go from thee. 
 
 In Mexico, proudest of cities, 
 
 Reigned the mighty and brave Montezuma ; 
 
 Nezahualcoyotl, the just one, 
 
 Of blest Culhuacan was the monarch ; 
 
 To strong Totoquil fell the portion 
 
 Of Acatlapan, the third kingdom. 
 
 I would that those living in friendship. 
 Whom the thread of strong love doth encircle, 
 Could see the sharp sword of the Death-god. 
 For, verily, pleasure is fleeting, 
 All sweetness must change in the future, 
 The good things of life are inconstant." 
 
 This song, with others of the Tezcocan King's produc- 
 tions, were preserved in the memory of the "old ones," 
 and "written in Aztec, after the Spanish conquest, when 
 they were translated into Spanish by Ixtlilxochitl, a direct 
 descendant of the royal poet." 
 
 To this learned writer, Ixtlilxochitl, we owe these valu- 
 
94 Mexico, 
 
 able remains of the monarch, and to the fact that he was 
 his descendant, doubtless, is due the favorable picture that 
 is drawn of this king. 
 
 We are told that Nezahualcoyotl delighted in the study 
 of nature, and became a fair astronomer by studying the 
 heavens. Such plants and animals as he could not keep 
 alive at his court he caused paintings to be made of, by 
 skilled' native artists. These were seen by a learned Span- 
 ish naturalist, after the Conquest, who declared they were 
 true to the life. 
 
 Mention has been made of the palaces and temples this 
 king erected, one of the former being large enough to con- 
 tain several thousand people, as we shall see when we come 
 to speak of the Conquest. That temple which he built in 
 honor of the unknov/n God, was a high tower, consisting 
 of nine stories, the last one dark and with vaulted roof, 
 painted blue within, and with cornices of gold. Plates of 
 fine metal were hung here, which it was the duty of watch- 
 men to strike at intervals, when the king w^ould fall on his 
 knees in prayer. 
 
 " The elevated genius of this king," says the historian* 
 whose account we have been mainly following, " actuated 
 by the great love he had to his people, produced so en- 
 lightened a capital that in future times it was considered 
 as the nursery of the arts and the centre of cultivation. 
 Tezcoco was the city where the Mexican language was 
 spoken in the greatest purity and perfection, where the 
 best artists were found, and where poets, orators, and 
 historians abounded. The Mexicans and many others 
 adopted their laws ; and, if we may be allowed the applica- 
 tion, Tezcoco was the Athens and Nezahualcoyotl the Solon 
 of Anahuac." 
 
 * The learned Jesuit, Clavigero. 
 
The Athens of Anahuac. 95 
 
 Contrast this pleasing picture of this centre of culture 
 and refinement with that of the city in the lake, Tenochtit- 
 lan, hot with the lust for blood that poured in streams 
 from its reeking altars. 
 
 In many respects Nezahualcoyotl reminds us of King 
 David, mentioned in the Bible ; he seems to have had sim- 
 ilar talents to, as well as the vices of, that noted monarch. 
 We may trace the likeness even to the similar manner in 
 which each possessed himself of his wife, the mother of 
 his favorite son. The Tezcocan King became enamored 
 of the wife of Temictzin, a brave Tlaltelolcan general, and 
 he sent him to the wars, instructing his generals to put him 
 in the front ranks, and when he was surrounded by his 
 enemies to retreat and leave him. This they did, and he 
 was killed ; and after waiting awhile, for decency's sake, 
 Nezahualcoyotl married the wife of the man he had mur- 
 dered, and by her he had NezahualpilU, his only legitimate 
 son and heir. 
 
 The remains of some of the works of the departed 
 emperor still exist, near Tezcoco, in the limits of the city 
 that yet bears its name. A few miles distant from the 
 ancient city are the ruins of Tezcosingo, the pleasure 
 : "treat of Nezahualcoyotl and his son. There is there a 
 reservoir hollowed from solid rock, near which is a stone 
 bench or seat, and into which a pipe once conducted water 
 from an aqueduct. This is called " Montezuma's Bath," 
 though it undoubtedly was the work of the Tezcocan King. 
 Near this is a great embankment, nearly two hundred feet 
 high, on the top of which are pipes for conducting water. 
 This aqueduct lies between and connects two hills, and all 
 these remains are in a most charming, secluded vale, lying 
 among the hills overlooking the vale of Tezcoco, the great 
 lake, and the Aztec city. 
 
 A visitor to Tezcoco may find many remains of the 
 
96 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 former greatness of this "Athens of Anahuac," if he 
 search diUgently. The ruins of three great pyramids are 
 still pointed out, and from one of them, no longer ago than 
 last year (1881), was dug a large, sculptured slab, which 
 was thought to be a portion of a Tezcocan calendar stone. 
 
 MONTEZUMA'S BATH. 
 
Mexico in her Glory. 97 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MEXICO IN HER GLORY. 
 
 [A. D. 1474.] AxAjACATL, the sixth king of Mexico,, 
 was animated by the same desires for conquest as his 
 predecessors. He invaded the kingdom of Michoacan, 
 and subjected several provinces lying on its borders. 
 He was repulsed with great slaughter of his troops from 
 the capital of Michoacan, called Tzinfzuntzan, and in one 
 of the engagements about this time was severely wounded. 
 The fine valley of Toluca, and much other territory lying 
 west of Mexico, was annexed to his kingdom ; and he 
 had the pleasure of sacrificing a great number of, pris- 
 oners, including the two brave captains who had caused 
 him his wound. 
 
 [A.D. 1477.] At last he died, just after his return one 
 day from Chapultepec, where he had been for recreation. 
 On the face of a cliff, that supports the present castle of 
 Chapultepec, was carved an image of this monarch, and 
 also one of that still greater warrior, Montezuma I. He 
 had been out to examine these sculptures on the day of 
 his death. The king was a great lover of the Aztec 
 games, and especially that of ball-playing. He once com- 
 pelled the lord of the Xochimilcas to engage with him in a 
 contest of this kind, wagering the revenues of the city of 
 Mexico for a year against the freedom of the Xochimilcas. 
 He was beaten by his adversary ; but in order to avoid 
 paying the forfeit he caused him to be strangled, by means 
 of a wreath of flowers in which was hidden a noose. 
 
qS Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1482.] Tizoc was the name of the seventh king 
 of Mexico, a grave and serious man, who did not seem to 
 be barbarous enough for his subjects, since he was mur- 
 dered in 1482, after reigning but five years. He collected 
 a vast amount of material for the building of a temple to 
 their great war god, that should surpass all others, but 
 died without carrying out his design. 
 
 The son of the last king of Tezcoco was now about twenty 
 years old, having been but eight at his father's death. He 
 experienced much opposition from his brothers, when he had 
 taken possession of the throne, who considered themselves 
 entitled to some recognition. They were a great deal older 
 than Nezahualpilli, and could not endure the thought of 
 being reigned over by one so young. So they excited a 
 rebellion. And here the meaner traits of Nezahualcoyotl 
 showed themselves strongly in the son. Even as his father 
 had caused the death of a brave captain, to gratify his 
 lust, so did Nezahualpilli destroy one of his most valiant 
 officers to save his own miserable life. The enemy had 
 found out what armor the king would wear, and the rebel 
 general had directed his men to seek out and capture or 
 kill the wearer of this armor. Hearing this, Nezahualpilli 
 made one of his officers change garments with hiin; and 
 after that unfortunate soldier had been set upon and 
 killed, and while his foes were chanting songs of victory, 
 he came up with his men and utterly routed them. In the 
 eyes of men, this may have seemed perfectly justifiable ; 
 but in the sight of Him who considers all life sacred, and 
 does not recognize the petty distinctions among men, it 
 could not have been considered else than murder. If 
 Nezahualcoyotl was the David of this history, his son, 
 Nezahualpilli, was also the Solomon. Born, as w^as Solo- 
 mon, of a woman whose husband his father had murdered, 
 he seems to have striven to emulate him in the number of 
 his wives. 
 
King Nezahualpilli. 99 
 
 After the rebellion had been quelled he turned his at- 
 tention to the building of a new palace, of granaries, and 
 the laying-out of magnificent gardens. He caused to be 
 enclosed by a great wall " exactly as much ground as was 
 occupied by the rebels, when they came to the defence of 
 their general, and gave the place the name of that day on 
 which he had obtained the victory." Perhaps that noble 
 grove of cypresses, called at this day '"'■ El Bosque del Con- 
 tador^^'' — giant trees set out in double rows, and enclos- 
 ing a great space, — is a monument to this very achieve- 
 ment. 
 
 Though the King of Tezcoco had many wives, he had 
 no legitimate queen, and so he demanded and obtained 
 a grand-daughter of King Tizoc. Now this lady had a 
 beautiful sister whom she loved so much that she did 
 not wish to be separated from her. And when Neza- 
 hualpilli saw how lovely she was, he loved her also, and 
 did not want to be separated from her. The easiest way 
 to settle the difficulty, in his mind, was to marry them both, 
 and this he did ; for one queen more or less mattered 
 not to Nezahualpilli. His first queen was the mother of 
 Cacamatzin, who succeeded his father to the throne ; the 
 second was mother of three other sons, two of whom 
 will figure conspicuously in the period of the Spanish Con- 
 quest. We shall see then how the sins of these two mon- 
 archs were visited upon their sons, and were instrumental 
 in causing the destruction of their people. 
 
 [A. D. i486.] The Mexicans had chosen Ahiiitzotl as 
 their eighth king, at the death of Tizoc, brother of their two 
 previous monarchs. For four years, this fiend devoted him- 
 self to war and the accumulation of victims for a sacrifice 
 without a parallel in history. At the end of this time the 
 great temple was finished, from the material gathered by 
 King Tizoc, and by the aid of an incredible number of 
 
lOO 
 
 Mexico^ 
 
 workmen. Such a temple was called by the Aztecs a 
 TeocallV* — or holy pyramid. The first ones, constructed 
 at different periods, had been of wood ; but this one fin- 
 
 TEOCALLl. 
 
 ished by King Ahuitzotl, in i486, was of stone — a great 
 pyramid of earth faced with cut stone, one hundred and 
 twenty feet high. Two altars were erected upon the 
 
 * Teocalli, or Teopan, literally " House of God." 
 
The Great Sacrifice. lOl 
 
 flat surface of the pyramid, the tops of their cupolas 
 being one hundred and seventy feet above the pavement 
 of the great square in which the temple was erected.* 
 The pyramid was built in five stages, or stories, and steps 
 led up to each in such a manner that the whole structure 
 must be encircled before the ascent could be made from 
 one to the other. 
 
 When he had completed the temple, and had placed the 
 god of war, the terrible Huitzilopochtli, in position in one 
 of the adoratories on the summit, Ahuitzotl invited the two 
 allied monarchs to be present at the dedication. He also 
 extended invitations to all persons of distinction within the 
 valley. Even people at war with the Mexicans came to 
 witness the ceremonies, and were assigned seats where 
 they could have an unobstructed view. This terrible feast 
 of blood lasted four days, in which time were sacrificed 
 all the prisoners they had made in the past four years. 
 Were it not that all historians agree in estimating the num- 
 ber sacrificed as enormous, we could not believe that human 
 beings were capable of such a wholesale slaughter of un- 
 armed men. Sixty thousaiid prisoners were sacrificed during 
 the four days of this festival ! The demon who presided 
 at the feast, in the person of King Ahuitzotl, commenced 
 the work of blood with his own hands, and then the priests 
 took it up, each" continuing the slaughter until he was 
 exhausted, when his place was filled by another. Sixty 
 thousand is the lowest number estimated, and some histo- 
 rians say seventy thousand, were murdered on that day. 
 All are agreed that the prisoners were arranged " in two 
 long files, each a mile and a half in length, which began in 
 the roads of Tacuba and Iztapalapan, and terminated at 
 the temple, where, as soon as the victims arrived, they were 
 sacrificed." 
 
 * These are the dimensions given by Humboldt. 
 
10^ Mexico. 
 
 It is said by some writers that six millions of people wit- 
 nessed this ceremony. To all the principal personages 
 Ahuitzotl gave rich presents, intending, no doubt, that this 
 dedication of the great temple should live in the memory 
 of the Indians forever. This cruel and vindictive monarch 
 lived long after this, and the historian regrets that no signal 
 calamity befel him or the nation to show the displeasure 
 of the God whom they had thus offended by such a display 
 of their hellish passions. Such a terrible reputation did 
 this king create for himself that in Mexico, to this day, the 
 people characterize a ferocious villain by his name : es tin 
 Ahuitzotl, — " he is an Ahuitzotl." 
 
 [A. D, 1496.] War succeeded war, for this destroyer of 
 men was never satisfied. We are happy to chronicle 
 reverses as well as victories in the invasions of the Mexi- 
 cans. At one time they marched into the valley of the 
 Atliscas, who, wholly unprepared, sent for a brave chief of 
 the Hueotzincas, named Toltecatl, to assist them. Toltecatl 
 was at a game of ball when the embassadors arrived asking 
 assistance. He at once organized a band of troops, rushed 
 upon the Mexicans, unarmed, slew the first one with his 
 fist, and committed such slaughter that the invaders re- 
 treated to their own valley. On account of his bravery 
 his people made him chief of their republic, but he was 
 subsequently driven out by the priests, who were plotting 
 against law and order, and finally murdered, and his body 
 sent to the Alexicans. 
 
 In 1489, had died Chimalpopoca, King of Tacuba, who 
 had succeeded the first king of that province of Tlacopan. 
 This small kingdom had taken little part in the wars, 
 except to furnish such troops as were required by her ally, 
 and collect the tribute. 
 
 [A. D. 1498.] The close of the fifteenth century found 
 this atrocious villain, King Ahuitzotl, still in power. In 
 
Ahuitzotts Mistake. 
 
 103 
 
 1498, finding that Lake Tezcoco was growing shallow, he 
 undertook to replenish it by diverting into it the waters of 
 a spring in the mountains. The city of Cohoacan was 
 already supplied by this spring, and the lord of that city 
 
 was commanded to assist in conducting it to the city of 
 Mexico. 
 
 This lord represented to Ahuitzotl that the attempt 
 would be dangerous to the safety of the city, as at times 
 the fountain overflowed its banks, and if it were diverted 
 into the valley in a stream it might cause great damage to 
 
104 Mexico. 
 
 be done. At this, the tyrant, believing the lord of Cohoa- 
 can had other motives for wishing to keep the water from 
 him, ordered him to be murdered. A great aqueduct was 
 constructed and the water finally received with rejoicing, 
 the priests sacrificing birds and offering incense to the god 
 of waters. That very year was the murdered lord avenged, 
 for the waters rose so high as to inundate the city ; and 
 King Ahuitzotl himself, being caught by the flood in one of 
 the lower rooms of his palace, received such a blow on his 
 head, in getting out, as caused his death a few years later. 
 He was obliged to call upon the King of Tezcoco to aid 
 him in arresting the flood ; the old dike was repaired, and 
 the same priests that offered incense and sacrifices to the 
 god of waters for the gift of the fountain, defiled the spring 
 with their offerings in their vain attempts to make him take 
 it back. 
 
 As kings went, in that barbaric age, old King Ahuit- 
 zotl was a very fair specimen of the whole. There was 
 not one of them that we can recall that did not merit the 
 punishment the Spaniards meted out to their descend- 
 ants. Making every allowance for the ignorance of the 
 age in which they lived, they were yet willfully, wofully 
 perverse. They allowed themselves to be led by the 
 priests, whose appetite for blood was never satisfied. And 
 we shall see, that the nearer the rulers came to the priestly 
 influence the more cruel they became. If 3^ou will look 
 back through the vista afforded by this dark record, you 
 will not fail to perceive how the priests had been prepar- 
 ing a structure, composed of the bones and cemented 
 by the blood of their victims, that was to fall upon and 
 crush its builders out of existence ! Mexican progress 
 began when Tenochtitlan was founded, in 1325 ; its glory 
 culminated at the dedication of the temple, in 1486, during 
 the reign of Ahuitzotl. 
 
Treaty with the Zapotecs. 107 
 
 [A. D. 1500]. The Mexicans swept their armies south- 
 ward, as far as Guatemala, nearly nine hundred miles 
 distant. An Aztec army of 60,000 men cleared the coun- 
 try of the Miztecs and Zapotecs as far as the sacred city 
 of Mitla, where was the burial-place of the Zapotec kings, 
 and sent its priests to be sacrificed on the altar of Mexico. 
 There was one Zapotec king whom they could not defeat, 
 Cocioyeza, who fortified a great plateau, defended by 
 ravines and barrancas, and twice defeated the Mexican 
 armies sent against him. The King of Mexico was glad to 
 conclude a peace with him, and he also gave him one of 
 the royal princesses in marriage. In fact, the Zapotecan 
 king fell in love with this princess, a sister of Montezuma, 
 before he saw her, for she appeared to him in a vision as he 
 was taking his bath, -and after exhibiting to him a peculiar 
 mark on her hand, disappeared, saying she would return 
 when sent for. When he sent his officers to select a queen 
 for him from the Mexican court, he instructed them to 
 look for the beautiful princess with the peculiar mark in 
 the palm of her hand. At the court, they noticed one of 
 the beauteous damsels frequently raising her hand to ar- 
 range her hair, so as to expose the palm of her hand. Of 
 course, she was the one the Zapotec had seen in the vision, 
 and, of course, they were married and lived happily 
 together. King Montezuma, her brother, when he came 
 to the throne, tried to persuade her to poison her husband, 
 — after the fashion of that dark period, — but she refused, 
 thinking, very wisely, that a royal spouse alive was worth 
 more to her than one dead, and a royal brother into the 
 bargain ! 
 
 It is a pleasure, at last, to be able to chronicle the death 
 of that wicked old monarch, Ahuitzotl, who departed, full 
 of honors and much lamented, to his fathers. He left 
 
loS 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Mexico a more magnificent city than when he found it. 
 He had built temples and palaces, and had pushed her to 
 the pinnacle of her power ; but he had also sown the seeds 
 of distrust and terror that were to cause her to dissolve 
 before her enemies like the mist about a mountain-top. 
 
 MEXICAN URN. 
 
Last Years of the Mexican Empire. 109 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LAST YEARS OF THE MEXICAN EMPIRE. 
 
 [A. D. 1502.] In the year 1490, in one of the expedi- 
 tions to the Gulf coast, there came into prominence, through 
 his display of valor, one of the royal princes named Monte- 
 zuma. He was a son of the famous and terrible Axaja- 
 catl, and had been in many campaigns, though his warlike 
 father had died before he was old enough to accompany 
 him far. By the law of the kingdom, the throne vacated 
 by the death of Ahuitzotl should descend to one of the 
 grandsons of the preceding king. The choice fell upon 
 Montezuma, called Xocojotzin — to distinguish him from 
 the great Montezuma who died in the year 1464. He was 
 not a son of the first Montezuma, but of his brother, Axaja- 
 catl, who had succeeded him to the throne. He had shown 
 great bravery as a general, but of late had joined the priest- 
 hood, preferring to sacrifice his victims on the altar of the 
 war-god to slaying them in the heat of battle. 
 
 When the news of his election reached him he was found 
 sweeping the temple, to which occupation he returned, with 
 great aftectation of humility, as soon as he had been con 
 firmed in his exalted position. 
 
 It is said that the great Nezahualpilli made a noted 
 speech on the occasion of his coronation, congratulating 
 him upon having such an empire to govern, and the people 
 upon having such a king to preside over their destinies. 
 But this address of Nezahualpilli (like those of men like 
 him who have retired from business and spend their time 
 
no Mexico. 
 
 in domineering over their wives) is too long for repetition. 
 Montezuma II. — for this was now his title — was much 
 affected by this speech ; but whatever good resolutions he 
 may have formed did not prevent him from hurrying off to 
 secure some wretched captives to be murdered at the sub- 
 sequent ceremonies. 
 
 A convenient quarrel was opened with a neighboring 
 tribe, and a sufficient number of unfortunates dragged from 
 their homes to be slaughtered on this occasion. The 
 games, dances and illuminations were so varied, the value 
 of the tributes paid by different provinces was so great, 
 that visitors came from all over the country — even the 
 fierce Tlascallans^ between whom and the Mexicans existed 
 perpetual enmity. To all these were assigned choice seats, 
 — as at the dedication of the temple, in i486, — and all 
 departed greatly impressed with the magnificence of Mon- 
 tezuma's court. The rejoicings of his subjects were, how- 
 ever, of short duration, for the veil of humility was soon 
 drawn aside, and Montezuma showed himself the proud, 
 arrogant, and oppressive ruler that his subsequent acts 
 proved him really to be. 
 
 Disregarding the advice of his counselors, Montezuma 
 pursued a course directly opposite tothat of his predeces- 
 sors. They had been accustomed to bestow rewards for 
 valor upon deserving men, without regard to rank or birth, 
 and in this manner many plebeians had attained to high 
 office. Montezuma degraded these officials, and surrounded 
 himself only with the nobility. As had been predicted, 
 this conduct soon alienated the hearts of the people ; 
 though he made them fear him, they at the same time 
 hated him. His attendants in the palace were all persons 
 of rank ; several hundred noble young men especially 
 waited upon him at dinner. Every morning, he gave 
 audience to six hundred nobles and lords of tributary 
 
MONTEZUMA XOCOJOTZIN. 
 
Court of Montezuma, 113 
 
 provinces, whose retinues were so numerous that they 
 filled three small courts of the palace. All these rulers 
 over distant dependencies were obliged to reside several 
 months of each year at court, or leave some near relatives 
 as hostages for their fidelity in case of absence. When 
 they appeared before the king they wore only the coarsest 
 garments, laying off their rich robes in an outer apartment. 
 As they approached the king they made three bows, saying 
 at the first, "lord," at the second, "my lord," and at the 
 third, " great lord." They replied to his questions in a low 
 tone and humble manner, and soon retreated from the 
 room, always with their faces to the throne. 
 
 In a future chapter we shall describe his palace and the 
 state and ceremonies there, as observed by the Spanish 
 conquerors on their arrival at the Aztec capital. Our 
 object now is to inquire into the causes that contributed 
 to the subsequent destruction of the empire, and to trace 
 the succession of events up to the year 1520. 
 
 This ninth King of Mexico, Montezuma, committed a 
 fatal error in separating from him the common people, who 
 constituted the mass of his fighting men, and surrounding 
 himself only with persons of nobility and members of the 
 priesthood. He was digging the ground from under his 
 own feet; the glittering fabric he was rearing was top- 
 heavy, and would have been precipitated to the ground of 
 its own weight, even had not the Spaniards appeared to 
 hasten its downfall ! He even carried his arrogance so far 
 as to deprive the travelling merchants of all the privileges 
 they had enjoyed under previous monarchs. Now, these 
 travelling merchants, as we have seen in a previous chap- 
 ter, were important aids in the extension of the Aztec 
 dominion. They entered the country of an enemy, or one 
 not subjected to Mexican rule, in the character of mer- 
 chants, but really performed efficient work as spies. They 
 
1 14 Mexico, 
 
 had almost invariably been advance couriers, who had pre- 
 ceded the coming of an army of subjugation. Under one 
 of the kings, a party of these merchants had been cut off 
 in the country of the Miztecas, and there they seized a 
 town and fortifications and held out for four years ^ until 
 relieved by the approach of a Mexican army. 
 
 All these valuable spies and skirmishers, who traversed 
 the country at their own expense and added vastly to its 
 material wealth, were degraded to the ranks of the ple- 
 beians, without hope of elevation. His armies were con- 
 stantly employed in quelling revolts, but they succeeded in 
 adding little new territory. 
 
 The arrogance and severity of Montezuma, while they 
 disgusted his subjects and caused them to desire noth- 
 ing so much as a change of government, were somewhat 
 modified by his liberal spirit on great occasions and his 
 generosity towards deserving officials. By keeping his 
 subjects employed he smothered discontent, and by build' 
 ing temples and keeping the altars smoking with sacrifice, 
 he gained a reputation for devoutness and devotedness to 
 their gods. 
 
 [A. D. 1503.] Within sixty miles of the Mexican capital 
 there existed the republic of Tlascala, small but warlike, a 
 thorn in the side of the Aztecs, a perpetual menace to 
 them. No one knows why this belligerent people had 
 been allowed to exist so long near the centre of Mexican 
 power, when — notwithstanding their bravery — the Aztecs 
 could doubtless have crushed them by mere weight of 
 numbers. Some have thought that they were allowed to 
 remain there in order that the Mexican troops might have 
 an enemy near to be exercised against, and a place whence 
 they might draw victims for the altars without fatiguing 
 marches to distant provinces. 
 
 At all events, the brave little republic sat intrenched 
 
 I 
 
A Tlascallan Hero. 117 
 
 among the mountains of Tlascala, and had never been 
 subjugated since the entrance of its people into the Mexi- 
 can valley. Montezuma at last resolved to severely punish 
 these people, if not to conquer them, and sent against 
 them an army commanded by his son. This army was 
 defeated, and his first-born and much-beloved was slain. 
 A second army sent against the Tlascalans was also van- 
 quished, and these victories the heroes celebrated with 
 great rejoicings. 
 
 There was in Tlascala a famous general called Tlahui- 
 col, celebrated for his great strength and courage, and for 
 his skill with the maquahuitl, or the Mexican sword, the 
 one he carried being so heavy that an ordinary man could 
 hardly lift it. By some mischance he got embedded in a 
 marsh, and his enemies, who had hitherto fled in terror 
 wherever he appeared, captured and placed him in a cage 
 and sent him to Montezuma. 
 
 The generous nature of the king impelled him to set the 
 hero at liberty : but Tlahuicol refused to return to Tlascala 
 after having suffered the disgrace of being taken a pris- 
 oner, and demanded permission to die in honor of the god. 
 Montezuma offered him the command of his armies, as 
 general-in-chief, but the noble-minded Tlascallan refused, 
 saying he would not be guilty of such treason to his coun- 
 try. He, however, accepted a command of a body of 
 troops against Michoacan, enemies to both nations, and 
 acquitted himself so bravely that Montezuma renewed his 
 offers of reward and liberty. This great man would accept 
 neither, but steadily persisted in being allov/ed to die 
 before the god. At last, after having dwelt with the Mexi- 
 cans for three years, his request was granted. 
 
 There were two kinds of sacrifice, one performed by the 
 priests, in which the victim was stretched upon the convex 
 surface of the great sacrificial stone, his hands and legs 
 
ii8 Mexico. 
 
 held by four attendants, while the chief priest cut open the 
 protruding breast and tore out the yet palpitating heart. 
 This was offered to the god, either by being thrust between 
 his lips in a golden spoon, or roasted on the coals before 
 him, and the body was thrown down the steps of the great 
 temple-pyramid to the people assembled below. This cere- 
 mony took place on the summit of the great teocalli. 
 
 The other mode of sacrifice was the gladiatorial. Near 
 the middle of the vast square of the temple was a low, 
 broad stone, upon which, tied by one foot to a ring in its 
 centre, any prisoner who had gained a reputation for bravery 
 was allowed to battle for his liberty. Should he vanquish 
 six Aztec warriors in succession he was allowed to go free. 
 Fettered in this way, the valiant Tlahuicol killed eight of 
 Mexico's bravest warriors and wounded twenty, when, fall- 
 ing senseless from a fearful blow on the head, he was taken 
 before the idol, Huitzilopochtli, and his heart torn out, as 
 a precious morsel for the god. 
 
 [A. D. 1505.] Two years of famine reduced the people 
 to such a condition that the king was obliged to throw open 
 the royal granaries, and even to allow them to wander away 
 into other countries to seek for food. In 1505, an expedition 
 was undertaken to Guatemala, nearly nine hundred miles 
 distant, and a temple was erected to the goddess Centiotl, 
 — the goddess of Maize, — and consecrated by sacrifice of 
 the prisoners taken in this year. A bad omen for them, at 
 this time, was the burning of the turret of another temple, 
 which was struck by lightning. The people of Tlaltelolco 
 seeing the fire, and thinking an enemy had got possession, 
 hurried into the Mexican portion of the city with arms in 
 their hands. This act was construed by Montezuma as 
 rebellious, and he deprived them of all offices and looked 
 upon them distrustfully till his wrath was spent. 
 
The Four Ages of Earth. I2I 
 
 THE FESTIVAL OF THE NEW FIRE. 
 
 [A. D. 1506.] At the end of this year occurred the 
 ceremonial of "tying up the cycle," or the festivities at- 
 tending the close of one of their cycles and the beginning 
 of another. You must know that the Mexicans divided 
 the duration of the world into four ages. The first they 
 called the age of water — Atonatiuh, or "first age of the 
 sun," — which lasted from the creation of the world until 
 the destruction of mankind in the great flood. The 
 second — Tlaltonatiuh — the "age of earth," was that 
 period when giants dwelt here, and was concluded by ter- 
 rible earthquakes. The third age — that of air — Ehecat- 
 onatiuh, ended in great whirlwinds, in which everything 
 perished along with the third sun. The fourth, the " age of 
 fire " — Tletonatiuh — was to be the last ; it began with the 
 restoration of the human race, and, according to their 
 mythology, was to end with the fourth sun. It was owing 
 to this superstition that the closing years of their cycle were 
 full of anxiety ; they regarded every omen in the sky, they 
 were never free from the fear that the god of fire would 
 devour them at the termination of every cycle. 
 
 This century, or cycle, contained fifty-two years, divided 
 into four periods of thirteen years each. Two of these 
 centuries made up an "old century" — HuehuetiliztU — 
 of one hundred and four years. Their years had four 
 names only, they were : Tochtli, the Rabbit ; Acatl, the 
 Cane, or Reed ; Tecpatl, Flint ; CalH, House. The first 
 year of the century was (i) Tochtli; the second (2) Acatl ; 
 the third (3) Tecpatl ; the fourth (4) CalH; while the fifth 
 was (5) Tochtli; and so on to the thirteenth year, which 
 ended with Tochtli. The second period., of course, began 
 with Acatl^ the third with Tecpatl, the fourth with Calli. 
 By this ingenious arrangement there was no repetition of 
 
122 Mexico. 
 
 the symbols and their corresponding numbers and no 
 confounding of the years one with the other. Now, as a 
 century was completed, they called the end of it by a 
 name, Toxiuhmolpia — signifying the " tying-together-of- 
 the-years," because at this time the two centuries were united 
 to form an age. On the last night of the centur}-', terror 
 and anxiety prevented every one from sleeping, even had it 
 been allowed by the laws. All the fires were extinguished, 
 both in temples and houses, and all articles for domestic 
 use, especially earthenware and kitchen utensils, were 
 broken and destroyed. Some hours before midnight " the 
 priests, clothed in various dresses and insignias of their 
 gods, and accompanied by a vast crowd of people, issued 
 from the temple out of the city, directing their way towards 
 a mountain — Huixachtla — near the city of Iztapalapan, a 
 little more than six miles from the capital. They regu- 
 lated their journey in some measure by observation of the 
 stars, in order that they might arrive at the mountain a 
 little before midnight, on the top of which the new fire was 
 to be kindled. In the meantime, the people remained in 
 the utmost suspense and solicitude, hoping, on the one 
 hand, to find from the new fire a new century granted to 
 mankind, and fearing, on the other hand, the total destruc- 
 tion of mankind if the fire by divine interference should 
 not be permitted to kindle." The faces of the children 
 were covered, and they were not allowed to sleep, to pre- 
 vent their being t7^ansfo7'med info mice. All those who did 
 not go out with the priests mounted upon roofs and terraces 
 to observe from thence the event of the ceremony. 
 
 Upon the breast of the human victim selected for this 
 event were placed two pieces of wood, and as one of the 
 priests gave him the fatal stab with the knife of flint 
 another kindled the wooden shield by friction, and the 
 flame flew upwards. Then the victim and the blazing 
 
The Tying-up of Years. 
 
 123 
 
 wood were cast into a pile of combustibles, and as the flames 
 leaped up they were received by the assembled multitudes 
 with shouts of gladness. The signal fire in the mountain 
 top was seen all over the valley. " Myriads of upturned 
 faces greeted it from hills, mountains, terraces, temples, 
 teocallis, house-tops and city-walls ; and the prostrate mul- 
 
 MEXICAN CENTURY. 
 
 titudes hailed the emblem of light, life, and fruition as a 
 blessed omen of the restored favor of their gods and the 
 preservation of the race for another cycle. The priests 
 carried the new fire to the temple, and in every temple and 
 dwelling it was rekindled from the sacred source ; and 
 when the sun rose again on the following morning, the 
 solemn procession of priests, princes and subjects, which 
 
T 24 Mexico. 
 
 had taken up its march from the capital on the preceding 
 night, with solemn steps, returned once more to the city, 
 and, restoring the gods to their altars, abandoned them- 
 selves to joy and festivity, in token of gratitude and relief 
 from impending doom," 
 
 This was the last celebration of the festival of the sacred 
 fire in Aztlan. Nearly eight cycles have rolled their rounds 
 of years since then, but at the termination of none of them 
 has been performed the ceremony of the "tying up of 
 years." At that last rejoicing, in 1506, they felt them- 
 selves safe for another century ; but, as a nation, they 
 were to be swept from the earth. The age of fire, indeed, 
 this proved for them, for their fair land was to be swept 
 by fire and sword ; the victims they had sacrificed were 
 to be amply avenged ! 
 
 1 
 
The Beginning of the End, 125 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 
 
 [A. D. 1507.] A strange campaign was undertaken by 
 the Aztec Emperor, in 1506, against the Lord of Malinalli^ 
 in the Miztec country. It seems that this lord had in his 
 possession a very precious plant, — and it must have been 
 very precious to have had such a long name, — called the 
 tlapalizqui-xochitl, that is, the " red flower." He refused 
 to give up to Montezuma this tlapalizqui-xochitl, and so 
 that emperor sent for it, and got it ; and also numerous 
 captives, who were sacrificed at the dedication of the Tzom- 
 pantli, or place of skulls, and at the festival of the tying- 
 up-of-the-cycle. 
 
 At the very beginning of the new cycle occurred an 
 eclipse ; this was followed by an earthquake ; seventeen 
 hundred soldiers were drowned in the Miztec country ; the 
 inhabitants of Anahuac were terrified at these manifesta- 
 tions of divine displeasure. " With the new cycle began a 
 period during which, down to the appearance of the Span- 
 iards at Vera Cruz, every event was invested with a myste- 
 rious significance. . . . An army, sent to the province 
 of Amatlan, perished with cold, and by falling trees and 
 rocks ; a comet with three heads hung in the sky above 
 Anahuac ; a great pyramid of fire was visible for forty days 
 in the east, reaching from the earth to the sky." It was 
 only too evident to Montezuma and the allied kings, as 
 well as to their people, that great disasters were impend- 
 
1 26 Mexico. 
 
 ing. It is not unlikely that unusual importance was given 
 to these mysterious events, owing to the arrival of Euro- 
 peans on the coast of Central America. Can we doubt 
 that the obedient subjects of Montezuma had failed to 
 inform him of the arrival of Columbus on the coast of 
 Honduras in 1502 ? Four years later his army had invaded 
 Guatemala. When they later returned, with prisoners for 
 the priests, did they not report, what they could not have 
 failed to have heard from the Guatemala Indians, that a 
 white man's vessel had touched their shore and bartered 
 with the natives? In 1506 De Soils and Pinzon, Spanish 
 navigators, had coasted the eastern shore of Yucatan. 
 Is it possible that Montezuma should not have heard of 
 one of these arrivals 1 At the opening of the sixteenth 
 century, when these omens first began to agitate the minds 
 of 4;he Mexicans, the islands of the Caribbean Sea had 
 been ten years visited by Europeans. The currents of 
 that sea set up directly against the eastern coast of Yucatan 
 and Mexico from the southernmost of these islands. Is 
 it not probable that some article belonging to the white 
 strangers should have been washed upon these shores ? 
 One of the early historians, Herrera^ says that the king 
 had in his possession " a box containing wearing apparel, 
 and a sword of a style unknown to the natives." 
 
 The appearance of the comet terrified them exceedingly ; 
 the superstitious Montezuma consulted his astrologers, but 
 they could give him no satisfactory explanation. Then 
 he applied to Nezahualpilli, King of Tezcoco, who, of late 
 years, had given so much attention to the study of astron- 
 omy and astrology. Between the two monarchs a coldness 
 had existed for some years, owing to the public execution, 
 by Nezahualpilli, of one of his wives, a sister of Monte- 
 zuma, and of a son, for whose life the Mexican king had 
 interceded in vain. But in this extremity the disasters 
 
 I 
 
Omens of Disaster. 129 
 
 which threatened, seeming not to be confined to one nation, 
 but to be universal, the kings were reunited. Nezahualpilli, 
 jpeing invited to Mexico, and there put in possession of all 
 the facts, concluded " that the comet predicted the future 
 disasters of those kingdoms by the arrival of a new people." 
 Montezuma did not relish this interpretation, and they 
 agreed to settle it by a game of foot-ball between themselves. 
 As Nezahualpilli came off victorious, it seemed conclusive 
 that his interpretation was the correct one ; but still Mon- 
 tezuma was not satisfied. He resolved to consult a famous 
 astrologer of his own kingdom, who was justly considered 
 as an oracle. Much to the chagrin of the monarch this 
 diviner confirmed the prediction of the King of Tezcoco, 
 and Montezuma, in a great rage, caused his house to be 
 pulled to pieces and tumbled about his ears. No doubt he 
 would have liked to serve Nezahualpilli in the same man- 
 ner, but he dared not ; he retired to his palace in disgust, 
 and filled with apprehension. 
 
 [A. D. 1509.] Some of the Spanish historians speak of 
 an occurrence that happened at this time in confirmation 
 of these gloomy predictions. In the year 1509, Papantzin^ 
 a Mexican princess, a sister to Montezuma, died, apparently, 
 and was buried with great honors in a cavern in the garden 
 where she was wont to go to bathe in a fountain. It 
 ,seems, however, that she was merely in a trance, and when 
 she recovered she groped her way out of the cave and sent 
 for her relatives, Montezuma and Nezahualpilli, declaring 
 she had a message of great importance to communicate. 
 When they had arrived, and had convinced themselves that 
 it was truly Papantzin, sister of Montezuma, whom they 
 had buried a few days before, they sat down and listened 
 to her story. She said that after the trance had seized 
 her, she found herself wandering upon an extensive plain. 
 " In the middle of it I observed a road, which I afterwards 
 
1 30 ' Mexico. 
 
 saw was divided into a variety of paths, and on one side 
 ran a great river, whose waters made a frightful noise. As 
 I was going to throw myself into the river, to swim to the 
 opposite bank, I saw before me a beautiful youth, clothed 
 in a long habit, white as snow and dazzling like the sun, 
 with wings of beautiful feathers, and the mark of the cross 
 upon his forehead. He laid hold of my hand and said to 
 me, ' Stop, for it is not yet time to pass this river.' He 
 then led me along by the river-side, upon the borders of 
 which I saw a great number of human skulls and bones, 
 and heard most lamentable groans, that waked my utmost 
 pity. Turning my eyes towards the river I saw some large 
 vessels upon it, filled with men of a complexion and dress 
 quite different from ours. They were fair and bearded, 
 and carried standards in their hands and helmets on their 
 heads. The youth then said to me, ' It is the will of God 
 that thou shalt live to be a witness of the revolutions which 
 are to happen to these kingdoms. The groans which thou 
 hast heard among these bones are from the souls of your 
 ancestors, which are ever and will be tormented for their 
 crimes. The men whom you see coming in these vessels 
 are those who by their arms will make themselves masters 
 of all these kingdoms, and with them will be introduced 
 the knowledge of the true God, the Creator of heaven and 
 earth. As soon as the war shall be at an end, and the 
 means made known by which sins shall be washed away, 
 be thou the first to receive it, and guide by thy example 
 the natives of thy country.' Having spoken this, the youth 
 disappeared, and I found myself recalled to life." 
 
 It is said, that Montezuma M^as so shocked by this mel- 
 ancholy prediction of the downfall of his empire that he 
 immediately retired to one of his palaces devoted to occa- 
 sions of grief, and refused ever after to see his sister. It 
 is also related that she was the first, in the year 1524, to 
 
 I 
 
The Sacrificial Stone. . 131 
 
 receive baptism from the Spanish priests, and was called 
 Dona Maria Papantzin. The*re is nothing to cause us to 
 doubt the occurrence of tire other signs and events re- 
 lated, but there is every evidence in this tradition of the 
 work of the priests. It is a very pretty fable which they 
 used to relate, in those years following the conquest, to 
 induce the unsuspicious Indians to turn from their old 
 religion and embrace the new. 
 
 Though visibly affected by these prognostics of coming 
 woe, Montezuma continued to urge war, relentless war, 
 against tribes yet unconquered by Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 15 10.] In 1508 and the year following he made 
 5000 prisoners, which were reserved for sacrifice in 15 10. 
 This was the year in which he had brought to Mexico a 
 new sacrificial stone. Instead of acting upon the advice 
 of the King of Tezcoco, and desisting from further blood- 
 shed, he listened to the counsel of his priests, who de- 
 clared that only blood, shed in copious streams, could 
 avert the threatened punishment of his gods. Then he 
 sought for a stone large enough to form a fitting addition 
 to his magnificent temple. It was found in the quarries 
 near Cojoacan, and after it was hewn to the required size 
 it was brought to Mexico. A vast concourse attended it, 
 and the high-priest marched before it, muttering prayers 
 and scattering incense. In crossing one of the wooden 
 bridges over a canal, this immense mass broke through 
 and fell into the water. The miserable priest and many of 
 the men engaged in drawing it were drowned, or crushed 
 to death, and the people rendered very unhappy by this 
 event. They drew it out again, after incredible exertions, 
 and finally deposited it near, or on, the temple. This 
 stone may be seen to-day, in the Museum of Mexico, an 
 elaborately chiselled block of basalt, nine feet in diameter 
 and three feet in height. Those Mexican sculptors pa- 
 
132 Mexico. 
 
 tiently carved its sides and upper surface, the sides repre- 
 senting a procession of victors despoiling or slaying their 
 captives. The upper surface is cut in symmetrical designs, 
 and in the centre is a hollow with a gutter leading to the 
 edge of the stone. This was to receive the blood of their 
 victims, after they had been thrown upon the stone and 
 their breasts cut open — as described on a preceding 
 page. 
 
 This memorial of Aztec barbarity was discovered in 
 1790, in the great square where the temple formerly 
 stood, which was demolished during the siege of the city. 
 Twelve thousand prisoners, were, it is said, sacrificed upon 
 this stone at its dedication, in the year 15 10. 
 
 All the nobility of the kingdom were invited to be 
 present at the ceremonial, and departed laden with pres- 
 ents ; for the king, Montezuma, was a generous king, 
 giving away the products of earth with as unsparing a hand 
 as he took the human lives entrusted to his keeping. 
 
 [A. D. 15 15.] Up to the year 15 15, the armies of Mon- 
 tezuma were constantly engaged in different parts of the 
 empire, in quelling riots and in extending its limits. At 
 this period they had acquired all the territory they held at the 
 coming of the Spaniards. If you would ascertain the extent 
 of Aztec dominion at this time, and will turn to a map of 
 Mexico, you will find that territory comprised in the mod- 
 ern states of Mexico, Puebla, San Luis Potosi and some of 
 Tamaulipas, Queretaro, Vera Cruz, Guerrero, Western 
 Oaxaca and Chiapas. South of Chiapas the Mexicans had 
 penetrated even to Guatemala, and perhaps to Nicaragua, 
 but had acquired no permanent foothold there. The 
 Aztec empire thus extended from Gulf to Ocean, not 
 directly across, but touching both coasts at different 
 points ; it comprised a large area, though not alto- 
 gether entirely subjugated. During the reign of Ahu- 
 
Extent of the Empire, 135 
 
 itzotl it had attained to the zenith of its power and 
 glory ; although territory had been added since, yet 
 the empire was sensibly weaker. As an ancient his- 
 torian truly says : " Every province which was conquered 
 created a new enemy to the conquerors, who became im- 
 patient of the yoke to which they were not accustomed, 
 and only waited an opportunity of being revenged and 
 restoring themselves to their wonted liberty. It would 
 appear that the happiness of a kingdom consists, not in 
 the extension of the dominions, nor the number of its 
 vassals, but, on the contrary, that it approaches at no 
 time nearer to its final period than when, on account of its 
 vast and unbounded extent, it can no longer maintain the 
 necessary union among its parts, nor that vigor which is 
 requisite to withstand the multitude of its enemies." 
 
 Nezahualpilli, King of Tezcoco, was greatly depressed 
 by the forebodings of the oracles, and retired to his pleas- 
 ure-retreat of Tezcosingo, where he shut himself up with 
 his favorite wife, Xocotzin. Six months later, he returned 
 to his palace in Tezcoco, and there died in seclusion, wish- 
 ing, perhaps, that his subjects should think he had been 
 translated to the kingdom of his ancestors, Ameque-mecan^ 
 like his worthy father before him. Nezahualpilli resem- 
 bled his father, Nezahualcoyotl, in his love of justice and 
 inflexible administration of his own laws. Having com- 
 manded that no person in his kingdom should repeat cer- 
 tain indecent words, on pain of death, he caused the 
 penalty to be carried out against his own son for having 
 addressed them to one of his mistresses. He was the last 
 of that glorious line of Chichimec kings that sat undis- 
 turbed upon the throne of Acolhuacan. Through discord- 
 ant elements, directly traceable to his own sins, his king- 
 dom was divided against itself, one portion taking part 
 with the Mexicans and the other with the Spaniards, in 
 the coming contest. 
 
13^ Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 15 1 6.] Cacamatzin, the first-born of the late 
 king's sons by his first marriage — to the Mexican princess 
 — was the choice of the electors to fill the throne. This was 
 violently opposed by IxtUlxochitl, the son of the second 
 princess married by NezahualpilH, though Coanocotzin, the 
 second son, acquiesced in the wisdom of the choice. 
 
 Cacamatzin was twenty-two, Coanocotzin twenty, while 
 Ixtlilxochitl was only eighteen. But the latter was the 
 most given to fighting of the three, and, though he may not 
 have been the bravest, was the most quarrelsome. When 
 only three years of age he pushed his nurse into a well, 
 and threw stones upon her. At seven he raised a company 
 of boys, which was the constant torment of peaceful citi- 
 zens, not even considering their lives. One of the royal 
 council having, very wisely, counselled the king to put to 
 death such a disgraceful wretch, was assassinated by the 
 boy himself. Old Nezahualpilli looked complacently upon 
 the doings of this little imp, being the son of his favorite 
 wife, — though he put one of his sons to death for speaking 
 disrespectfully to one of his mistresses, and another for 
 having commenced a palace without his royal permission. 
 
 Cacamatzin was favored by Montezuma, and was crowned 
 King of Tezcoco, while the fiery Ixtlilxochitl withdrew in a 
 rage to the mountains. He was followed by a large force, 
 and raised an army of nearly one hundred thousand men, 
 with which he marched southward against Tezcoco. He 
 took Otompan^ and made it his capital, and his brothers 
 were glad to send him word that they would divide the 
 kingdom with him, he taking the mountains and they the 
 plain. Ixtlilxochitl returned, that he had no further design 
 against Tezcoco, but that he should maintain his army as 
 a safeguard against the ambitious designs of Montezumia, 
 of whom he warned them. He annoyed the Mexicans 
 greatly, by appearing suddenly at different points in the 
 
The Year 1517. 137 
 
 valley. He burned alive a general of Montezuma's, who 
 had gone out to capture him, and even had the temerity to 
 dare his uncle, the great Montezuma, to personal combat! 
 We cannot be less amazed than amused at this youth's 
 audacity ; his courage seems to have been equal to that of 
 his grandfather, Nezahualcoyotl. 
 
 [A. D. 15 17.] The year 15 17 had been ushered in 
 during the transactions narrated above, — a year big with 
 the fate of the Mexican empire, for in it landed the first 
 Spaniards on the shores of the Mexican Gulf. Let us not 
 forget the condition of things at this time: the constant 
 decrease in strength of the Mexican empire through its 
 repeated acts of aggression, and the position taken by its 
 most important ally, the kingdom of Tezcoco. 
 
 Do not lose sight of these three Tezcocan princes, two 
 of whom perished at the hands of the Spaniards, while the 
 wickedest was rewarded with riches and honors. It will 
 appear, when we reach the account of the Conquest, that 
 the great arrny of the active prince, Ixtlilxochitl, was of 
 the greatest service to the Spanish conqueror, Cortes, 
 second in importance only to that of the brave Tlascallans. 
 Had the Spanish commander known of the condition of 
 things in Anahuac at the time of his coming, he could not 
 have chosen a more auspicious season than that in which 
 he invaded the country. 
 
 Montezuma exerted himself to the utmost to appease his 
 incensed gods. One historian tells us that he even ordered 
 the great pyramid-temple of Huitzilopochtli to be covered 
 with gold, feathers, and precious stones, from the ground 
 to the summit platform, and put to death his minister of 
 finance for representing that his subjects could not endure 
 the necessary increase of taxation. 
 
 [A. D. 1518 ] The last great sacrifice in Mexico appears 
 to have been in the year 15 18, at the dedication of the 
 
1 38 Mexico, 
 
 temple of Coatlan. ''But," says a learned writer,* "almost 
 before the groans of the dying victims had died away there 
 came to the ears of the Aztec sovereign the startling tidings 
 that the eastern strangers had again made their appearance, 
 this time on the coast of his own empire." Perhaps 
 nothing had so startled Montezuma as this intelligence, for 
 here was positive confirmation of the truth of the predic- 
 tions of the oracles. Here at last were those strangers 
 whose coming had been so long expected ; they could be 
 no others, for they came from the East. And what was 
 the significance of this ? Could they not have come from 
 the West and yet not prove unexpected ? 
 
 One element of disturbance in the mind of Montezuma 
 was the prophecy of Quetzakoatl, the "Plumed Serpent" 
 (see pages 39 and 40), who had declared at his departure 
 that he would return from the direction in which he went — 
 from the land of the rising sun. Centuries had passed since 
 then ; the Aztec nation had risen from the obscurity of the 
 marshes of Aztlan to be the greatest empire in the western 
 world. To the inhabitants of this country there was no 
 other world. The two seas bounded it — the Pacific and 
 the Gulf ; beyond its shores they not only could not look, 
 but they could not even send their thoughts ! These new 
 arrivals, then, could be no others than the children of 
 Quetzalcoatl; they were white, like Quetzalcoatl, and they 
 were bearded, like him, and they came in great canoes that 
 were swept over the water by broad white wings ! 
 
 The ofiicials of the king on the watch on the coast caused 
 accurate paintings to be made of the Spanish ships of 
 Grijalva — who arrived on the coast in this year — and 
 transmitted a full account of these wonderful strangers to 
 Montezuma. At a royal council, hastily assembled, it was 
 decided that these arrivals were the followers of Quetzal- 
 
 * Bancroft, " Native Races of the Pacific States. 
 
— isL ^^-^ -J 
 
The Arrival of Strangers. 141 
 
 coatl, and an embassy with rich presents was despatched 
 to propitiate them. They arrived at the coast too late, for 
 Grijalva had sailed for Cuba, leaving the promise of an 
 early return. 
 
 Priests and rulers seemed united now in the belief that 
 the Spaniards were the messengers of the prophet, and from 
 this time on the neglected deity, the " Plumed Serpent," 
 was supreme. Upon his altar were deposited various relics 
 of the Spaniards, that had been picked up from time to 
 time, and "his peaceful rites prevailed over the bloody 
 ones of Huitzilopochtli." 
 
 Painful must have been the feelings of the proud Monte- 
 zuma, as he recalled what Mexico had been in the past, 
 and reflected what it was likely to be in the future ! 
 Menaced by the brave and wary Ixtlilxochitl, who was 
 constantly drawing surrounding tribes into alliance with 
 him ; hated by his own people, whom he had kept so long 
 in bondage ; forsaken even by his gods, to whom he had 
 sacrificed thousands of human victims, what gloomy 
 thoughts must have possessed him! 
 
 He had abandoned the peaceful worship of Quetzalcoatl 
 for the horrid practices of Huitzilopochtli — the offerings 
 of corn and fruits for those of human hearts — was it 
 possible that the great prophet w^ould regard him with 
 favor at his coming ? He must have been, though dimly, 
 conscious that the end of the Aztec Empire was nigh \ 
 
142 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 A GLANCE AT THE AZTEC AT HOME. 
 
 Indians, Columbus called the first men of the new 
 world that met his sight in the Bahamas, and " Indians " 
 they have remained to this day. Not only has the name 
 been applied to those red men of the West India Islands, 
 but to the whole race inhabiting North, South, and Cen- 
 tral America. 
 
 Did it ever occur to you that there might be a differ- 
 ence among these Indians, as to color, size, nature and 
 acquirements ! Has it ever been brought forcibly to your 
 mind that there is as great a difference between the Indians 
 of the North and those of the South as between the varied 
 families of the white race ? The Irish and English are 
 not as dissimilar as the Indians of the United States and 
 those of Mexico. The Northern Indians are nomades, 
 wild rovers by nature, possessing few of the arts of civiliza- 
 tion ; the Southern Indians (as has been remarked in the 
 opening chapters), were fixed to the soil, and had many 
 acquirements to entitle them to high respect. Those 
 Indians, at the time of their discovery by the Spaniards, 
 were remarkably well-formed, of good height, with black 
 eyes and hair, rather narrow foreheads, straight, shapely 
 limbs and remarkable for their endurance. 
 
 If allowed to live out the natural term of their years 
 they generally arrived at a good old age. They were very 
 moderate in eating, but indulged in strong drinks fre- 
 quently to excess. They were patient and long-suffering, 
 
Mexican Costumes. 143 
 
 enduring hardships without murmuring, and suffering even 
 death without complaint. Tliey were (and so are their 
 descendants at the present day) generous, grateful for 
 kindness, nor distrustful . by nature. " They were by 
 nature taciturn, serious and austere, and showed more 
 anxiety to punish crimes than to reward virtues ; " yet were 
 joyous on occasions, and even hilarious. They were not 
 indolent, laziness even being considered by them a vice. 
 Finally, they were courageous, being more affected by 
 superstition than cowardice. To conclude, says the 
 ancient historian, "the character of the Mexicans, like 
 that of every other nation, is a mixture of good and bad ; 
 but the bad is easy to be corrected by a proper education, 
 as has frequently been demonstrated by experience." 
 
 In regard to the state of civilization amongst the Mex- 
 icans, when they w^ere found by the Spaniards, he says, 
 " it was much superior to that of the Spaniards themselves 
 when they were first known to the Phoenicians, that of 
 the Gauls when first known to the Greeks, or that of the 
 Germans and Britons when first known to the Romans." 
 Of this let the future pages speak in evidence. 
 
 DRESS OF THE MEXICANS. 
 
 Though the very earliest people of Mexico went entirely 
 naked, or partially covered by the skins of wild beasts, 
 they gradually adopted a decent garb as they grew more 
 civilized. The year that the Aztecs first wore garments 
 of cotton is pictured in their annals. The men wore 
 invariably the breech-cloth, and a mantle made of a 
 square piece of cloth about four feet in length ; in addi- 
 tion to this, in winter, they wore a sort of sack, with holes 
 for the head and for the arms, reaching below the hips. 
 The rich wore a greater number of and larger mantles, 
 and fringed the ends, besides adorning themselves with 
 
144 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 jewelry. The dress of the women was the same as we 
 may see worn in portions of Mexico and Yucatan. It 
 consisted of two articles, the ciieitl^ a sort of petticoat, 
 
 reaching from the waist to 
 near the ankles, and the 
 uipil^ or chemise, with very 
 short sleeves, or without any 
 at all, which covered the 
 upper part of the body and 
 thighs. On going out of 
 doors they drew on a larger 
 uipil, that descended lower, 
 or perhaps an elegant man- 
 tle. Both sexes, especially 
 of the better classes, wore 
 sandals, made of maguey 
 fibre or deer- skins ; but 
 probably knew not the use 
 of stockings. The Aztecs 
 wore their hair long and 
 hanging down their back, 
 sometimes- twisting it with 
 black thread, as do many 
 Indian women at the pres- 
 ent day. Other tribes par- 
 tially shaved their heads, 
 and others braided their 
 hair, some left a ridge and 
 some left a single scalp- 
 lock. The Aztec women 
 painted their faces in va- 
 rious colors, red, yellow or black, dyed their feet black, 
 and cleaned and painted their teeth with the crimson 
 cochineal. Both men and women had a passion for orna- 
 
 DRESS OF THE MEXICANS. 
 
Mexican Costumes. 145 
 
 merits ; gold, silver and precious stones for the king and 
 the nobility; bone, stone or copper for the plebeians, in 
 the shape of bracelets, anklets, armlets, and rings for the 
 ears, nose, fingers and lower lip. But no subject could 
 wear the same dress or ornament as his king, the penalty 
 was death ! The nobles wore in their lips the chalchihuite, 
 or native emerald, while the poorer classes thrust eagle- 
 claws and fish-bones through holes bored in their ears, 
 lips, and nose. 
 
 The king possessed the greatest variety of mantles of 
 cotton, so finely made as to resemble silk, and wore a dif- 
 ferent one for every occasion. We can hardly believe 
 that he never wore any dress a second time, as many have 
 pretended. His sandals had golden soles and were orna- 
 mented with precious stones ; the royal crown was a 
 band of gold rising to a point in front, and sometimes or- 
 namented with the long feathers of the quetzal, or royal tro- 
 gon. Besides feather tassels garnished with gold, worn upon 
 the crown of the head, the king sometimes wore chin orna- 
 ments of crystal and precious stones, or golden crescents 
 suspended from his under lip. In one account given of 
 the visit of Nezahualcoyotl to the unfortunate King 
 Chimalpopoca, imprisoned in a cage, we read that the king 
 gave the young prince his emerald lip ornament at parting. 
 The great lords bored holes in their noses and wore some 
 kind of precious stones, one on each side. They wore 
 strings of gems about their necks, bracelets of mosaic 
 work, and greaves of thin plates of gold on their legs 
 below the knees. Sometimes they carried a small golden 
 flag in their hand, ornamented with a tuft of brilliant 
 feathers, and wore upon the head a rich-plumed bird with 
 its beak in front and its wings hanging over their temples. 
 
 From this plain and sober statement of the costume 
 and ornaments of the higher classes, collected from a 
 
146 Mexico. 
 
 great number of writers, it will . be seen that the Aztecs 
 were something more than the " barbarians " some histo- 
 rians would have us believe them to have been. 
 
 Soon after the birth of a child, the diviners were con- 
 sulted as to its fortune, and a name was given it, taken 
 from the symbol of the day of its iDirth. Thus, if it was 
 born on the day of the flower, it was called Xochitl, with a 
 proper prefix. One of the Tlascallan chiefs bore the name 
 of Citlalpopoca, " Smoking Star," because he was born 
 at the time of the appearance of a co77iet. On the fifth 
 day of the little one's life its parents gave a great enter- 
 tainment, and made presents to all their guests. The father 
 fashioned a miniature bow and arrows, if he was a mili- 
 tary man, and the child was a boy ; if it was a girl, they 
 made a little garment, a spindle and instruments for weav- 
 ing. These were buried in certain places — the instru- 
 ments of war in the fields, those for the little girl in the 
 house, under the stone for grinding corn. The babe was 
 taken to the middle of the court and bathed, its nurse 
 making a little speech to it as she undressed it, as follows : 
 " My child, the gods, OmeteuctU and Omecihuatl^ lords of 
 heaven, have sent thee to this dismal and calamitous world. 
 Receive this water which is to give thee life ; " and, bathing 
 and rubbing its limbs, she continued : " Where art thou, 
 ill-fortune ? In what limb art thou hid ? Go far from this 
 child." " She then dressed and laid him in the cradle, 
 Cozolli, praying Joalticitl^ the goddess of cradles, to warm 
 and guard him in her bosom, and Joalteuctli^ god of the 
 night, to make him sleep." 
 
 Early in life the Mexican children were taught useful 
 lessons in modesty, religion and industry. At five years 
 of age they were either delivered to the priests, to be 
 educated in the seminaries, or their education commenced 
 at home. The Mexican paintings show us the various 
 
Model Seminaries, 147 
 
 steps taken in the bringing up of the children. One goes 
 to the war, with his father, to learn the use of arms and to 
 be courageous; another carries a small pack upon his 
 back to market with his father; the little girls are early 
 taught to spin and weave. 
 
 They abhorred a lie, and the child that told one had its 
 lips pricked with a thorn of the aloe ; if it persisted in 
 lying, its lip was slightly split. Girls were instructed to 
 remain at home, and if prone to walk about, their feet 
 were tied. These Aztec fathers understood the beneficial 
 effect of a " dose of birch," and in one of the paintings is 
 a representation of a loving parent holding a rod over his 
 son's back. If the boys were very refractory they were 
 held over the smoke of burning paper until nearly suffo- 
 cated. They were obliged at all times to sleep upon a hard 
 bed, a mat spread on the floor, and to eat the plainest 
 food. 
 
 At the seminaries, the priests seem to have had it all 
 their own way with the boys, pricking them with aloes- 
 thorns and throwing firebrands at their heads if they were 
 disobedient. It was not all a pastime, going to school in 
 those days. Corporal punishment, as the Aztecs under- 
 stood it, meant something more than a few strokes of a 
 ferule ! In one of the paintings we see a naughty boy of 
 twelve, bound hand and foot ; and a bad girl was obliged 
 to rise in the night and sweep the house — no great task, 
 by the way, as the houses of the poorer classes consisted 
 of only a single room. Between thirteen and fifteen, the 
 boys brought wood from the mountains, made trips across 
 the lakes in canoes, and supplied the family with fish ; the 
 girls ground corn, did the cooking and weaving. 
 
 Schools were established for children of either sex ; they 
 were always kept apart ; they were hardly allowed to speak 
 to one another. In the colleges, the boys and girls re- 
 
148 Mexico. 
 
 ceived chiefly religious instruction, were taught to sweep 
 the temples, to gather wood for sacrifice, to clean and 
 replenish the censers, and above all to fear and reverence 
 the idols. When they left the seminaries it was either to 
 be married or to go into the army. If a young collegiate 
 did not then choose a wife it fared hard with him, should 
 he desire one later, for hardly a girl would even look at 
 him ! 
 
 The maidens who attended the female seminaries were 
 chiefly daughters of nobles and princes. They were 
 strictly guarded and watched over by vestal priestesses ; 
 and old men prowled about the outside of the building to 
 keep off the boys. There were no evening serenades nor 
 moonlight rambles for the young ladies of those semi- 
 naries, for if a girl was detected in even looking at a 
 young man she was severely punished ; and if she should 
 presume to go to walk with him, her feet were tied to- 
 gether and pricked with sharp thorns ! Death, even, was 
 the penalty for the infraction of some of the rules. There, 
 the young ladies learned how to spin and weave mantles, 
 and to make the beautiful feather-work ; they, too, were 
 obliged to sweep the temples and to tend the sacred fires. 
 They were made to bathe often and to give great attention 
 to personal cleanliness, to be skillful and tidy in domestic 
 affairs. Both sexes were taught to hold their tongue in 
 the presence of their elders, to answer them with rever- 
 ence, and to be modest in their behavior. 
 
 There are those who have said that these people were 
 savages, who have called them barbarians. Let the reader 
 judge if barbarians would take such jealous care of their 
 children, if they would instruct them so judiciously. Let 
 the reader form his opinion of them from their acts and 
 discourses ; let him reflect upon the following good advice 
 given by parents to their children. As rendered by the 
 
Mexican Morals. 149 
 
 early historians, it is too long to be produced here in full, 
 fragments only can be given : — 
 
 " My son," said the Mexican father, "we know not how 
 long heaven will grant to us the enjoyment of that precious 
 gem we possess in thee ; but, however short the period, 
 endeavor to live exactly, praying God continually to 
 assist thee ! Mock not, my son, the aged or the imperfect. 
 Scorn not him whom you shall see fall into some folly or 
 transgression, nor make him reproaches ; but restrain thy- 
 self, and beware lest thou fall into the same error which 
 offends thee in another. Go not where thou art not called, 
 nor interfere in that which does not concern thee. En- 
 deavor to manifest thy good breeding in all thy words and 
 actions. In conversation do not lay thy hands upon 
 another, nor speak too much, nor interrupt or disturb 
 another's discourse. When any one discourses with thee, 
 hear him attentively, and hold thyself in an easy attitude ; 
 neither playing. with thy feet nor putting thy mantle to thy 
 mouth, nor spitting too often, nor looking about you here 
 and there. When thou art at table do not eat voraciously, 
 nor show thy displeasure if anything displeases thee. If 
 any one comes unexpectedly to dinner with thee share 
 with him what thou hast, and when any person is enter- 
 tained by thee do not fix thy looks upon him. When any- 
 thing is given thee accept it with tokens of gratitude ; if 
 the present is great, do not become vain or fond of it ; if 
 small, do not despise it or be provoked. If thou becomest 
 rich, do not grow insolent, nor scorn the poor ; for those 
 very gods who deny riches to others in order to give them 
 to thee, offended by thy pride, will take from thee to give 
 to others. 
 
 " Never tell a falshood, because a lie is a heinous sin. 
 Speak ill of nobody. Be not dissolute, because, thereby 
 thou wilt incense the gods, and they will cover thee with 
 
150 Mexico. 
 
 infamy. Steal not, nor give thyself up to gaming ; other- 
 wise thou wilt be a disgrace to thy parents, whom thou 
 oughtest rather to honor, for the education they have 
 g-iven thee. If thou wilt be virtuous, thy example will put 
 the wicked to shame. 
 
 " No more, my son ; enough has been said in discharge 
 of the duties of a father. With these counsels I wish to 
 fortify thy mind. Refuse them not, nor act in contradic- 
 tion to them ; for on them thy life and all of thy happi- 
 ness depend." 
 
 Now, this is not the language of a savage, nor — mak- 
 ing allowance for the embellishment it may have received 
 at the hands of the chronicler — is this the speech of one 
 insensible to the higher duties of life. What a paradox is 
 here before us, when we compare the moral with the reli- 
 gious life of this people ! 
 
 Let us see how the Mexican mother advised her daughter, 
 when the time came for her to leave her : " My daughter, I 
 have endeavored to bring thee up with greatest possible 
 care, and thy father has wrought and polished thee like 
 an emerald, that thou mayest appear in the eyes of men 
 a jewel of virtue. Strive always to be good, for otherwise 
 who will have thee for a wife ; thou will be rejected by 
 every one. Life is a thorny, laborious path, and it is neces- 
 sary to exert all our powers to obtain the goods which the 
 gods are willing to yield to us ; we must not, therefore, be 
 lazy or negligent, but diligent in everything. Be orderly, 
 and take pains to manage the economy of thy house. 
 Wherever thou goest, go with modesty and composure, 
 without hurrying thy steps, or laughing with those whom 
 thou meetest, nor casting thy eyes thoughtlessly first to one 
 side and then to the other. Employ thyself diligently in 
 spinning and weaving, in sewing and embroidering ; for by 
 these acts thou wilt gain esteem. 
 
Mexican Morals. 15 1 
 
 " In whatever thou doest encourage not evil thoughts, but 
 attend solely to the service of the gods, and the giving of 
 comfort to thy parents. If thy father or thy mother calls 
 thee, do not stay to be called twice, but go instantly to 
 know their pleasure. 
 
 " Keep not company with dissolute, lying, or idle women ; 
 otherwise they infallibly infect thee by their example. 
 Attend upon thy family, and do not go on slight occa- 
 sions out of the house, nor be seen wandering through 
 the streets, or in the market-place ; for in such places thou 
 will meet thy ruin. Remember, that vice, like a poisonous 
 herb, brings death to those who taste it ; and when it once 
 harbors in the mind it is difficult to expel it. 
 
 " Enter not without some urgent motive into another's 
 house, that nothing may be either said or thought injuri- 
 ous to thy honor ; but if thou enterest into the house of 
 thy relations, salute them with respect, and do not remain 
 idle, but immediately take up a spindle to spin, or do any 
 other thing that occurs. 
 
 " When thou art married respect thy husband, obey him 
 and diligently do what he commands thee. Avoid incur- 
 ring his displeasure, nor show thyself passionate or ill- 
 natured ; but receive him fondly to thy arms, even if he 
 is poor and lives at thy expense. If he occasions thee any 
 disgust let him not know thy displeasure at the time ; but 
 afterwards tell him with gentleness what vexed thee, that 
 he may be won by thy mildness and offend thee no far- 
 ther. Embrace, my daughter, the counsel which I give 
 thee ; I am already advanced in life and have had suf- 
 ficient dealings with the world. I am thy mother. I wish 
 that thou mayest live well. Fix my precepts in thy heart, 
 for then thou wilt live happy. If, by not listening to me, 
 or by neglecting my instructions, any misfortune befall 
 thee, the fault will be thine, and the evil also. 
 
152 Mexico. 
 
 " Enough, my child, may the gods prosper thee ! " 
 No comment is necessary upon this advice. Setting 
 aside the minor references to customs of the country and 
 the gods, what better counsel could even a Christian 
 mother offer to a beloved daughter than that of this 
 Pagan ? 
 
 The marriageable age was, for the young man, twenty to 
 twenty-two ; for the young woman, sixteen to eighteen. 
 The astrologers were first consulted, and if all promised 
 fair, the parents of the young man sent certain female 
 solicitors to the girl's family asking their daughter of them. 
 This first demand was always refused, no matter how rich 
 and respectable the young man might be, as it would have 
 been contrary to custom to do otherwise. A few days later 
 the old women made a second demand, which the girl's 
 parents finally acceded to. She was sent to the house of 
 the bridegroom, if of noble birth, borne on a litter ; if hum- 
 ble, carried on the back of a bridesmaid; in any case 
 accompanied by a great company of friends and by music. 
 After much good advice had been given them they both sat 
 down upon a new mat in the centre of the nuptial chamber, 
 and the priest performed the marriage ceremony by tying 
 together a corner of the htiepilli, or gown, of the bride 
 and the mantle of the groom. They then offered copal, or 
 incense gum, to their gods, and exchanged presents. At 
 the wedding feast, which followed, they alternately fed one 
 another and gave morsels to their guests. Four days they 
 remained engaged in fasting and prayer, never leaving the 
 room except to offer incense to their idols, certain old 
 women watching with them. Two mats of rushes served 
 them as couches, which had as charms against evil, feath- 
 ers and a native emerald, the chakhihuitl^ and at their four 
 corners were laid sharp spines of the aloe, with which they 
 were to prick their ears and tongues, drawing blood in 
 
Marriage and Funeral Rites. 153 
 
 honor of the god of matrimony. After four days were 
 passed, they dressed themselves in new garments and car- 
 ried the mats, canes, and remaining eatables to the temple, 
 as a present to the idols, concluding the ceremony by mak- 
 ing presents to the guests, who adorned their hands and 
 feet with red feathers. 
 
 In one district of Anahuac, a man wishing to marry pre- 
 sented himself before the priest, who cut off a lock of his 
 hair in front of the idol, and pointed him out to the people 
 as he descended the steps. They at once commenced 
 shouting, "This man wishes to marry," and the first free 
 woman the man met was obliged to become his wife. 
 
 In the Miztec country, after the garments had been tied 
 together, the priest cut off a portion of their hair, and the 
 man carried the woman about awhile on his back. 
 
 Though polygamy was permitted to the kings and nobles 
 of Mexico, it is thought that they had but one legitimate 
 wife ; while the poorer people were generally faithful to one 
 alone. 
 
 When death overtook the Mexican, his body was given 
 in charge of certain men, who dressed it in the garb of the 
 god who presided over the family of the deceased ; if a man 
 of war, that of Huitzilopochtli ; if he had been drowned, 
 he was dressed in the habit of Tlaloc ; while if he had died a 
 drunkard, in that of Tezcatzoncatl, the god of wine ! After 
 placing a jug of water at his head, to serve him on his long 
 journey, they gave the deceased different slips of paper ; the 
 first was a passport " between the two mountains which fight 
 together;" the second would enable him to go over "the 
 road of the great serpent ;" the third, through " the place of 
 the fierce alligator," etc. They also burnt his weapons of 
 war and some of his household goods, that the heat of 
 the fire might protect him from the "cold of the terrible 
 wind." They killed a techichi^ or dumb dog, and, tying a 
 
154 Mexico. 
 
 string about its neck, buried or burned it with the remains 
 of its master ; this was to guide him over the deep river, 
 Chiuhnahuapan, the "New Waters." After burning, the 
 ashes were gatliered in an eartlien pot and buried. 
 
 At the death of a member of royalty great ceremonies 
 were observed. The corpse was clothed in many garments 
 of fine cotton, ornamented with gold, silver and gems, an 
 emerald hung from the under lip and the face covered with 
 a mask. A funeral pile was prepared of resinous and 
 odorous wood, and the royal corpse placed upon it and 
 burned, with the arms and ensigns of the late king. The 
 only repulsive part of the ceremony was the sacrifice of 
 slaves and some of the king's jesters, that he might have 
 agreeable company to the other world. Sometimes, though 
 rarely, they sacrificed some of his wives, and always the 
 techichi, that little animal that was to act as a guide in dan- 
 gerous places. The ashes of the king, together with the 
 emerald that hung in his lip, were put into a box which 
 contained some of his hair, cut at an early age, and at his 
 death, and then deposited in the tomb. On the fourth, 
 twentieth, fortieth, sixtieth, and eightieth day afterwards, 
 they made sacrifice and offerings of eatables over the sep- 
 ulchre, and on each yearly anniversary, for four years, they 
 made offerings of quails, rabbits, flowers, and butterflies. 
 Sometimes a great deal of gold or treasure was buried with 
 a king or noble. 
 
Gods and Goddesses, 155 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 RELIGION, GODS AND GODDESSES. 
 
 By a people's conceptions of a future state many have 
 often presumed to judge of their advance towards, or into, 
 civiHzation. The Mexicans vaguely worshipped a Supreme 
 Being, invisible and unchangeable, whom they called Teotl, 
 or God ; him they feared, though they regarded him as a 
 friend of mankind. 
 
 The great enemy of man they considered to be an evil 
 spirit, whom they called Tlacatecolototl, or the " Rational 
 Owl." Instead of regarding the owl as the symbol of wis- 
 dom, as did the Greeks, they made it the personification of 
 evil and dark deeds. They believed the soul to be immor- 
 tal. Soldiers who were killed in battle, or slain in captiv- 
 ity, and the spirits of women who died in child-birth, went 
 at once to the house of the sun, whom they considered as the 
 " Prince of Glory," where they led a life of endless delight ; 
 "where, every day, at the first appearance of the sun's 
 rays, they hailed his birth with rejoicings, and with dancing, 
 and the music of instruments and voices, attended him to 
 his meridian ; there they met the souls of the women, and 
 with the same festivity accompanied him to his setting. 
 After four years, these spirits went to animate the clouds, 
 and birds of beautiful feathers and sweet song ; but always 
 at liberty to rise again to heaven, or to descend upon the 
 earth to warble and suck the flowers." 
 
156 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 The souls of the wicked departed to a place of utter 
 darkness, called Mictlan, or hell, where it seems they under- 
 went no other punish- 
 ment than that of being 
 deprived of light. 
 
 Had the Mexicans 
 been content with wor- 
 shipping only the great 
 and invisible god, Teotl, 
 and in offering him the 
 first-fruits of their fields 
 and gardens, all would 
 have been well with 
 them. But from the 
 time that priests arose 
 among them, so-called 
 men of God, dated their 
 woes and miseries. They 
 made idols, which they 
 pretended were images 
 of the deities, and these 
 the people adored — 
 first as the representa- 
 tives of God ; then they 
 lost sight of the Supreme 
 Being, and worshipped the senseless stone. 
 
 The greatest god to whom they gave external form, 
 and who ranked next to the invisible Go(i, was Tezcatlipoca^ 
 the " Shining Mirror," the master of heaven and earth, the 
 creator of all things. He meted out rewards and punish- 
 ments ; he was ever youthful, ever powerful. It was declared 
 by some that he had descended from heaven by a rope 
 of spider's webs. He it was who drove from the country 
 the great high-priest of Tula, the benevolent Quetzalcoatl 
 
 AZTEC IDOL. 
 
Gods and Goddesses. 1 57 
 
 (see Chap. II.). His image was carved from teotl (divine 
 stone), like polished black marble; it was ornamented 
 with gold and gems. Stone seats were placed at the cor- 
 ners of the streets for that god to rest on when he came to 
 earth. 
 
 Huitzilopochtli^ or Mexitli, was the god of war, the " Mex- 
 ican Mars." He was the deity most highly honored by the 
 Aztecs, to whom they offered most of the terrible sacrifices 
 spoken of in the preceding pages. By referring to the 
 first migration of the Aztecs, you will see that he was 
 created during that journey. He was said by some to 
 haye beein born of a woman named Coatlicue, whose chil- 
 dren prepared to kill her before this last child should be 
 born. They were about putting her to death when Huitzil- 
 opochtli sprang at once into existence, fully armed, with a 
 spear in his right hand, a shield on his left arm, a crest 
 of green feathers on his head, and his legs adorned with 
 feathers. He fell upon the would-be murderers with such 
 fury that he soon killed them all ; and after that he was 
 known as the " terrible god." It was in his honor that the 
 first temple of Tenochtitlan was built, at the foundation of 
 the city, in 1325, after he had conducted his followers to 
 the spot. 
 
 Ometeuctli and Omecihuatl were the names of a god and 
 goddess who dwelt in a magnificent city in the heavens, 
 from which they watched over the world and gave to mor- 
 tals what they asked of them. 
 
 Cihudcohuatl, the woman serpent, was believed to have 
 been the first woman in the world that had children, and 
 she always had twins. 
 
 TonatricU and MeztU were deifications of the sun and 
 moon. The pyramids of Teotihuacan were dedicated to 
 them; and of this place, and the primitive people once 
 assembled there, they relate a pretty fable. It seems 
 
158 Mexico. 
 
 that after the first great deluge there sprang sixteen 
 hundred heroes, from a flint flung from heaven. These 
 were at that time the only men on earth, and they prayed 
 their mother, Omedhuatl, to create men to serve them. She 
 directed them to go down to Mictlan and ask of the god of 
 hell, Mictlanteuctli, some bones of men that had died; 
 these they were to sprinkle with their own blood, and from 
 them men and women would be created who would after- 
 wards multiply. One of the heroes, Xolotl, went down to 
 hell and begged a thigh-bone of old Mictlanteuctli, who 
 gave it to him, but, when Xolotl turned and ran with it, 
 pursued him in a rage. Xolotl escaped with it to his 
 brothers, but in his haste fell and broke the bone. This 
 is the reason why mankind are of different sizes, owing to 
 their origin from different fragments. 
 
 There was no sun in those days, it having been extin> 
 guished in the great catastrophe. They assembled around 
 a great fire in Teotihuacan and danced about it, and they 
 told their servants that the one who would sacrifice himself 
 by casting himself into the flames should become a sun. 
 At this, an intrepid man named Nanahiiatzin threw himself 
 into the fire. True to the prediction, at the appointed time 
 the sun rose in the east, but he had hardly emerged above 
 the horizon when he stopped. The heroes sent a polite 
 message, asking that he would continue on his way up the 
 sky, as a well-behaved sun ought to do. The sun replied 
 that he would not stir a peg until they were all put to death. 
 One of the heroes named Citli then shot an arrow at the 
 sun, which the luminary escaped by dodging; but at the 
 third arrow he got enraged and cast it back, fixing it in the 
 forehead of Citli, who fell dead. Then the brothers all fell 
 upon one another and perished, the last one, dying by his 
 own hand, being Xolotl. The god, TezcatUpoca^ seeing the 
 men, now without masters, very sad, directed one of them 
 
The Creation of Man. 159 
 
 to go to the house of the sun and bring music to celebrate 
 the festival, and in order that he might do so he created a 
 bridge of whales and tortoises, over which he crossed the 
 sea, singing a song the god had given him. 
 
 This is related as a specimen of a Mexican fable, or tra- 
 dition, and to show (as they say) whence they first derived 
 the custom of sacrifice, whence they obtained music, songs, 
 and dancing. 
 
 Another of the men is said to have followed the example 
 of Nanahuatzin, and threw himself into the fire, but the 
 flames being less bright, he only became a moon. To him 
 was dedicated the pyramid of the moon, at Teotihuacan, 
 and to Nanahuatzin that of the sun. 
 
 Quetzalcoatl was " god of the air " (see pages 39 and 
 40 for a full description of him), highly reverenced, in 
 portions of Mexico, and by some considered equal with 
 Tezcatlipoca. 
 
 Then there was a "god of the water," Tlaloc (master of 
 paradise), "fertilizer of the earth and protector of the 
 earthly gods." He resided on the summit of the highest 
 mountain, probably the volcano Popocatapetl, where the 
 clouds were formed and whence the streams descended. 
 An image of Tlaloc, the oldest in Mexico, and supposed to 
 have been made by the ancient Toltecs, was found on a 
 mountain by the Chichimecs when they arrived in Anahuac. 
 This image, which was of white stone, was taken away by 
 King Nezahualpilli, and a black one substituted. This 
 was soon struck by lightning, and the priests declaring this 
 to be a punishment from heaven, the ancient white one was 
 replaced, and worshipped till broken by a Spanish bishop, 
 at a general destruction of the gods. Tlaloc had a com- 
 panion goddess, Chalchihuitlicue, who resided in the storm- 
 clouds. 
 
 XiuhteiictU was the god of fire, to whom the Mexicans 
 
i6o 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 burned incense and offered the first morsel of food and 
 draught at meals by throwing them into the fire. 
 
 The great goddess of the Totonacs was Centeofl, wor- 
 shipped also under the name of Tonantzin, goddess of tl^e 
 earth and corn, who had a temple on the top of a high 
 mountain, and was served by a great number of priests. This 
 
 
 goddess of grain was a true Mexican Isis^ who presided 
 over the crops, granting bountiful harvests. The Mexi- 
 cans, who seem to have adopted this deity, alone stained 
 her altars with human blood. 
 
 Gloomiest of the gods was Mictlanteiictli, god of hell, 
 and his awful spouse, Mictlancihiiatl^ who was believed to 
 dwell in darkness in the interior of the earth. 
 
Varieties of Gods. l6i 
 
 Joalteuctli was god of the night; Joalticitl, the goddess 
 of cradles, who watched over children in the darkness of 
 night. 
 
 There were several gods of war, besides the great Huit- 
 zilopochtli, sort of younger brothers, or adjutants. Every 
 trade had its patron deity, like Jacateuctli, god of commerce 
 and the merchants ; Xipe, the god of the goldsmiths, whom 
 no one could neglect to worship without being afflicted with 
 itch and boils; JVappateuctli, god of the mat-weavers, a 
 jolly, generous sort of a god, the best-hearted of the lot. 
 Mixcoatl was the goddess of hunting ; Opochtli the god of 
 fishing, the inventor of nets and fish-spears. Huixtocihu- 
 atl was the goddess of salt, who had been driven to the 
 bottom of a lake by Tlaloc, and in whose honor the Mexi- 
 cans committed a barbarous sacrifice yearly. Tzapotlate- 
 nan, goddess of physic, invented a very powerful oil called 
 oxitl, and useful drugs. Tezcatzoncatl was the god of wine, 
 called also, from the effects his beverage produced, "the 
 strangler," and "the drowner." Ixtlilton was a god of 
 physic ; Coatlicue, the goddess of flowers, whose festival 
 was celebrated in the spring months ; while Tlazolteotl was 
 the pardoner of special sins. 
 
 Teotiona?z was the " mother of the gods," created by the 
 murder and deification of that unfortunate princess in the 
 first years of Aztec national existence. 
 
 Finally, there were the little gods (Tepitoton), or house- 
 hold images, of which the kings and great lords had six in 
 their chambers, the nobles four, and the lower people two ; 
 besides which they also adorned the corners of the streets. 
 
 Those mentioned above are the most noted gods only, 
 for it is believed that there was a god for every day in the 
 year, — even as people of our clay, of certain religions, 
 have a saint for every day in the calendar. 
 
 Though the most celebrated god in Mexico was Huitzilo- 
 
l62 
 
 Mexico, 
 
 pochtli; in Cholula it was Qiietzalcoatl ; among the Toto- 
 nacs, Centeotl; and among the Otomies it was Mixcoatl. 
 
 They were made of clay, and of stone, often of gold, 
 and sometimes of gems. One of the first Spanish mis- 
 sionaries to the Miztecs found one cut from a precious em- 
 erald, which, refusing all offers for it, he ground to pow- 
 der ! Many thousands were destroyed by the monks and 
 priests, after the Spanish invasion, but many were pre- 
 served and may be seen to-day. In the famous Mexican 
 museum, in the capital of Mexico, you may find the images 
 
 of Hiiitzilopochtli, of Tezcatiipoca, Mictlanteuctli, and a host 
 of minor deities, in a good state of preservation. Cast 
 down from his high position at the destruction of the teo- 
 calli, Huitzilopochtli lay buried for many years, but was 
 finally exhumed, in the year 1790, and set up in a court 
 of the museum, no longer an object of worship, but of 
 
 curiosity. 
 
 The Mexicans prayed upon their knees, with their faces 
 toward the east, and performed fasts, penances, and sacri- 
 fices like other superstitious nations. We have already 
 mentioned how it was that the Mexicans had so many 
 gods — because they adopted those of the people they con- 
 quered ; but besides the temples they erected to them they 
 also had a great, cage-like prison, where they confaied the 
 idols of many conquered nations ! 
 
Feasts and Festivals. 163 
 
 A portion of this chapter will now be devoted to a 
 description of those repulsive sacrifices, without which no 
 important feast or festival was allowed to terminate. 
 Though the plebeian portion of the Mexicans lived upon 
 the poorest and scantiest food, yet everybody feasted and 
 entertained his friends once in a season. As his guests 
 arrived he presented them with flowers and made them wel- 
 come to his house. 
 
 The Mexican year contained eighteen months of twenty 
 days each, and each month contained at least one festival. 
 The first month (which commenced in February) held the 
 first feast to Tlaloc, in which children were sacrificed and 
 gladiatorial combats ensued, upon the stone for that pur- 
 pose in the temple-yard. This was previous to planting ; 
 but some of the children were reserved for the altars dur- 
 ing the months of March and April, to insure the neces- 
 sary rains for their crops. Xipe, the god of the goldsmiths, 
 demanded the most cruel of all sacrifices, for after the 
 prisoners had been murdered in the customary way, by 
 having their hearts cut out, they were skinned. On this 
 account this festival was called the " feast of the flaying of 
 men." A second feast to Tlaloc was offered in April, at 
 which time the filthy skins of the victims to Xipe (which 
 some writers say had been worn by the priests during twenty 
 days) were carried to a temple and deposited in a cave. In 
 the month of April, also, the flower-traders celebrated in a 
 more pleasing manner the festival of Coatlicue, the god- 
 dess of flowers, by offerings of garlands of flowers. In 
 the fourth month occurred the "great watch," when the 
 priests, nobility and people kept strict watch throughout 
 the nights, and did severe penance. 
 
 A festival to CenteotI, goddess of maize, also occurred 
 in this month, in which were sacrificed human beings, 
 quails, and other animals. Ears of corn were carried by 
 
164 Mexico. 
 
 girls to the temple, and after having been offered to the 
 goddess, were returned to the granaries, that they might 
 preserve the rest from decay. 
 
 The fifth month was nearly wholly given up to festivals, 
 but the principal one was that in honor of Tezcatlipoca. 
 Ten days previous to its arrival, a priest wandered through 
 the streets, sounding a clay flute. " Upon hearing the 
 sound of this flute, all kneeled down ; criminals were 
 thrown into the utmost terror and consternation, and with 
 tears implored the god to grant a pardon to their transgres- 
 sions, and hinder them from being discovered and de- 
 tected ; warriors prayed to him for courage and strength, 
 successful victories, and a multitude of prisoners for sacri- 
 fices ;" and all the people, using the same ceremony of 
 taking up and eating the dust, supplicated with fervor the 
 clemency of the gods. The idol was newly decorated and 
 adorned, and as the day arrived, a procession was fonned, 
 moving towards the temple ; young men and girls carried 
 wreaths of maize leaves, and bound them about the head 
 of the idol, while the youths and virgins of the temple, as 
 well as the nobles, carried similar wreaths. After doing 
 penance, by lashing their backs with knotted cords, they 
 made bountiful offerings of gold, gems, flowers, animals, 
 and provisions, all of which finally found their way into the 
 habitations of the priests. Then came the sacrifice of the 
 victim. This god, Tezcatlipoca, did not require a multi- 
 tude of prisoners to be killed in honor of him ; only one. 
 But the circumstances attending the murder of this one 
 were so heartlessly cruel as to cause our sympathies to go 
 out to him as they could not to a thousand others who were 
 killed in a body. He was selected a year before the festi- 
 val, the finest and bravest of all their prisoners. In com- 
 pany with another young man, selected as the victim to the 
 god of war, he roamed the city at pleasure, but always 
 
The Victim of the God. 
 
 165 
 
 strongly guarded. He was everywhere reverenced as the 
 Hving image of that supreme divinity, Tezcatlipoca. Every 
 pleasure of life was allowed him, and twenty days before 
 the festival he was married to four beautiful virgins, who 
 exerted all their arts of 
 pleasing to divert his atten- 
 tion from the terrible fate 
 so shortly to befall him. 
 For five days previous to 
 the festival he was feasted 
 with everything the land 
 produced. On the evening 
 of the last day he dismissed 
 his wives, took leave of 
 everything dear to him on 
 earth, and delivered himself 
 up to be sacrificed. He 
 was stretched upon the sac- 
 rificial stone, and his heart 
 torn out by the high priest 
 and offered to Tezcatlipoca. 
 
 The bodies of common victims were usually thrown down 
 the steps of the temple, but this one was borne tenderly to 
 the bottom of the pyramid and there beheaded, and his 
 skull added to the many thousands adorning the Tzompan- 
 tli, or temple of skulls. We are told that his arms and 
 legs were dressed and cooked for the tables of the nobles 
 and priests, and it has been often repeated that the children 
 sacrificed to Tlaloc were likewise prepared for the table ; 
 but many think there is not sufficient evidence on which to 
 accuse these Aztecs of cannibalism. 
 
 Races between the students, dances, offerings to the 
 idol and a general dismissal from the seminaries of all 
 boys and girls of a marriageable age, terminated the fes- 
 
 ;^5|^' 
 
1 66 Mexico. 
 
 tivities in honor of the great god, TezcatUpoca. The god 
 of war, HuitzilopochtU, demanded a festival in this month. 
 The priests formed an image of him and bore it about the 
 streets, and a great nmnber of quails were killed and 
 thrown at the foot of the altar. The priests and nobles 
 encouraged this sort of thing, because it gave them deli- 
 cious food for their tables sufficient to last man}^ days. 
 Then was sacrificed the companion to the victim of Tez- 
 catlipoca, the young man of perfect shape and bearing, who 
 had been selected a twelvemonth previously. Though he 
 had been for a year recognized as the visible presence of 
 Huitzilopochtli, he had not been adored, as had his com- 
 panion. Though doomed to die on a certain day, he had 
 been allowed to ramble about the city as he pleased. On 
 the last fatal morning he was dressed in a curious dress of 
 painted paper, and his head adorned with a mitre of eagle 
 feathers ; over his shoulder he carried a small net and a 
 bag, and in this costume he danced carelessly with the 
 courtiers. That day was his last ; his last hour was to 
 come when he should deliver himself to the cruel priests ; 
 when he had done this, his breast was cut open in the arms 
 of one of the priests, and his heart extracted. Dances 
 and offerings of incense concluded the festival. 
 
 In June, in the sixth month, the god Tlaloc had his 
 third and last festival, when the temple was strewn with 
 rushes from one of the lakes. If the barbarous priests 
 met any one on their way to fetch those rushes, they plun- 
 dered them of all their possessions, beating them unmerci- 
 fully if they offered resistance. Attended by a great mul- 
 titude of people, they went out in canoes to a certain por- 
 tion of the lake, where there was a whirlpool, and there 
 drowned two children. Either in this month, or one of the 
 preceding, they had sacrificed other children by shutting 
 them up in caves, leaving them to starve to death. All 
 
Barbarous Cruelties. 1 6/ 
 
 this was done at the bidding of the priests, that the god 
 Tlaloc might send them plenteous rains ! 
 
 The goddess of salt, Huixtocihuatl, claimed a victim in 
 the seventh month, which began the Ust of June. This 
 time it was a woman. This month was given up to rejoic- 
 ings ; the people went hunting in the mountains, and the 
 nobility exercised the troops and organized flotillas of 
 canoes upon the lakes. 
 
 The eighth month fell due upon the middle of July, when 
 a second feast to Centeotl, called now Xilonen, or tender 
 maize, was prepared. The kings and nobles gave away 
 food and drink, and priests and nobles made each other 
 presents. At sunset, on the last day of the feast, occurred 
 a dance of the nobility and the military, with whom danced 
 a female prisoner, who represented the goddess Centeotl, 
 and who was sacrificed with other prisoners as the sun went 
 down. 
 
 In the ninth month they held a feast to the god of com- 
 merce ; and in the tenth, that of the god of fire, Xiuhteiutli, 
 when they surpassed all former cruelties by torturing their 
 prisoners with fire. The owners of the prisoners dyed their 
 bodies bright red, to represent the flames, and the night 
 before the horrid sacrifice went with their captives to the 
 temple, where they danced till morning. As the hour 
 arrived, each one took his victim upon his back, and danced 
 about a great fire kindled in the court, into which they 
 threw them, one by one, having previously partially stupe- 
 fied them by the powder of a certain herb, which they shook 
 in their faces. After the poor wretches were half roasted, 
 they drew them out of the coals and bore them to the sac- 
 rificial stone, where the priests completed the hellish work 
 by tearing out their hearts. 
 
 In the eleventh month was the festival devoted to Teteoi- 
 nan, the " mother of the gods." A female prisoner was 
 
l68 ^ Mexico. 
 
 the principal victim, slain in memory of that princess of 
 Colhuacan who had been elevated to the high position of 
 mother of all the Mexican gods. She was not killed in 
 the usual manner, upon the stone of sacrifice, but was 
 beheaded upon the back of a priest, and then flayed, and 
 the ghastly offering made to the god of war. 
 
 This same month was also devoted to the sweeping of the 
 temples, the repairing of the streets, and the mustering into 
 the army of the youth destined for w^ar. 
 
 The twelfth month, beginning on the fourth of October, 
 ushered in the great festival attending the coming of the 
 gods — Teotkco. The temples and the corners of the streets 
 were decorated with branches. At the head of the invisi- 
 ble procession was supposed to be Tezcatlipoca, the deity 
 supreme, and before the door of his sanctuary they spread 
 a palm mat, sprinkled with maize meal. During the night 
 certain priests carefully watched this powdered mat, because 
 when the god came he left the imprint of his foot upon it. 
 And it is very interesting to note, that he always came and 
 left his footprint when nobody was about except the priest 
 on watch. Some incredulous people have affirmed that the 
 god did not come at all, but that the mysterious footprint 
 was made by another priest while the sentinel's back was 
 turned. Be this as it may, it always appeared on the night 
 expected, and then the watchman cried out : " Our great 
 god is now arrived P^ and the rest of the priests and the 
 people crowded about the temple to gaze upon the divine 
 token of the god's presence, and to sing hymns of thanks- 
 giving. During the two days following, the rest of the gods 
 came straggling in, and the happy people celebrated their 
 arrival in a fitting manner, by dancing about a great fire 
 and pitching into it such prisoners as they had destined for 
 burnt offerings. 
 
 The thirteenth month commenced on the last of October, 
 
Mixcoatl, Goddess of the Chase. 169 
 
 when they celebrated the feasts of the gods of water and 
 the mountains, making Httle mountains of paper, serpents 
 of wood, and images out of paste, dancing about them and 
 sacrificing five prisoners, four men and a woman. 
 
 On the thirteenth of November commenced the four- 
 teenth month, and the festival of Mixcoatl^ goddess of the 
 chase, preceded by four days of fasting and self-torture, 
 when, after making vast quantities of arrows and darts for 
 the royal armory, they repaired to the mountains and in- 
 dulged in a great hunt, sacrificing the animals they then 
 captured. 
 
 In the fifteenth month, which began on the third of De- 
 cember, was the great festival to Huitzilopochtli and his 
 brother, when the priests made two statues of a paste com- 
 posed of seeds and blood, using as bones pieces of acacia 
 wood. A grand and solemn procession followed these 
 statues out into the suburbs of Mexico, traversing in all a 
 distance of more than ten miles, and sacrificing on the 
 route a great many quails and prisoners. After watching 
 these paste statues in the temple over night, the chief priest, 
 next day, in the presence only of the king and some high 
 ofiicials, threw a dart at the chief statue. It passed through 
 its body and it was then said to be dead, and after the 
 heart had been cut out and given to the king, the body was 
 divided into small portions and given to the people to 
 eat. This being for the giving of strength in time of war, 
 only men and warriors were allowed to eat of it. 
 
 On the sixteenth month, beginning in the last of Decem- 
 ber, was another festival to the gods of the water and 
 mountains, when little figures of the mountains were made 
 of seeds and paste, and eaten by the people. 
 
 On the seventeenth month happened the feast of the 
 goddess Tlamateuctli, when another female prisoner was 
 sacrificed, after being allowed to dance to a tune the 
 
t/O Mexico. 
 
 priests provided, and sing a lament over her unfortunate 
 departure. 
 
 The feast of Mictlanteuctli, the god of hell, was cele- 
 brated in this month, by the nocturnal sacrificing of pris- 
 oners, and another feast, the second, to the god of the 
 merchants. 
 
 The first of February finally completed this round of 
 months and horrid festivals with another to the god of lire, 
 when all the fires were extinguished and kindled anew from 
 flame before the altar of that god. 
 
 The most solemn of all the festivals was that of the 
 Teoxihuitl, or "divine years," at the commencement of their 
 cycle (as has been explained on pp. 12 1-3), which fell due 
 on the twenty-sixth of February. 
 
 These are the principal festivals, though not all, at which 
 more or less of human blood was shed. Leaving this dark 
 and bloody picture, let us turn to one that exhibits the 
 Aztecs in a brighter aspect. 
 
 LAWS, GAMES, FOOD, MANUFACTURES, ARTS, AND ARCHI- 
 TECTURE. 
 
 Notwithstanding the cloud from the smoke of sacrifice 
 hung constantly above the lovely valley of Anahuac, it 
 appears from the historic records, that the Aztecs some- 
 times indulged in lighter enjo3"ments and possessed many 
 mirth-making games. Though common crimes were pun- 
 ished with terrible severity and the ordinary citizen was 
 closely hedged about by rules, the transgression of which 
 was death, he seems to have had periods of hearty enjoy- 
 ment. The laws in such a community, where life was held 
 lightly in esteem, were necessarily severe ; it is not of im- 
 portance that we should devote our space to an enumera- 
 tion of the crimes that entailed the death penalty, and we 
 will merely remark that they were many, as in the days of 
 
Lyric and Drmnatic Poetry. 171 
 
 Nezahualcoyotl, King of Tezcoco. Many of the transgress- 
 ors were sacrificed at some of the festivals, especially at 
 that of Xipe, god of the goldsmiths. Slavery was counte- 
 nanced, though the child of a slave was born free; and 
 if a refractory slave — even though his owner had the right 
 to punish him by placing a wooden collar about his neck 
 and selling him for sa^prifice — could escape, and gain the 
 royal palace, he was considered free henceforth. More 
 than this, if any one not his owner, or sons of his master, 
 undertook to stop him, he lost his own freedom from that 
 moment. 
 
 Their laws and customs — especially as regarding war 
 and the invasion of an enemy's territory — will be more 
 fully dwelt upon in the progress of the Conquest. 
 
 A rich and expressive language, like the Mexican tongue, 
 was capable of extensive use in the mouths of poets and 
 orators. They composed hymns almost without number, 
 historical poems, verses on love and morality, in all of 
 which was manifest their love for the objects of nature 
 that surrounded them, to which they made figurative allu- 
 sions. Nezahualcoyotl, the wise King of Tezcoco, was the 
 great patron of art, and richly rewarded successful compo- 
 sers in the Nahua tongue. 
 
 Dramatic poetry received almost as much attention as 
 lyric. In the great square of Tlaltelolco the Mexicans had 
 built a theatre where they had a mimic stage. It was 
 about thirty feet square, and raised twelve or thirteen feet 
 above the level of the market-place, adorned with flowers and 
 feathers. Here, after having dined, the people assembled 
 to witness the actors, "who appeared in burlesque char- 
 acters, feigning themselves deaf, sick with colds, lame, blind, 
 and crippled, and addressing the idol for a return of health. 
 Others appeared under the names of different little animals, 
 some in the disguise of beetles, some like toads and liz- 
 
1 72 Mexico. 
 
 ards, while several little boys, belonging to the temple, 
 appeared in the disguise of butterflies and birds of various 
 colors ; upon encountering each other they reciprocally 
 explained their employments, which was highly satisfactory 
 to the people, as they performed their parts with infinite 
 ingenuity. This took place at their principal festivals only, 
 when all the spectators made a grand dance, which termi- 
 nated the ceremony." 
 
 Their musical instruments consisted of horns, sea-shells, 
 little flutes or pipes, and two great drums, called respect- 
 ively Hiiehuetl and Teponaztli. The first was a tall cylin- 
 der of wood — perhaps only a hollow log — the top of which 
 was covered with a tightly-stretched deer-skin. The second 
 was wholly of wood, with two narrow slits in its centre, and 
 by beating this portion with drumsticks covered with rub- 
 ber gum they produced a soft, agreeable sound. The 
 sound of the larger could be heard a distance of two or 
 three miles. To the accompaniment of these instruments, 
 the Mexicans sang and danced their sacred dances. The 
 dances were, some of them, of complicated pattern, and 
 could only be learned by long and frequent practice. To 
 this day, this love for music and dancing continues among 
 the Mexicans, and some of their songs, dances, and rude 
 instruments are yet preserved among the people of secluded 
 districts. 
 
 In their games proper the Mexicans displayed the great- 
 est ingenuity and patience. That called by the Spaniards 
 the voladorez, or " flyers," was a wonderful exhibition, and 
 would even be considered so in modern times. In the cen- 
 tre of some square the young men planted a tall, straight 
 tree, stripped of its branches, and encased it in a wooden 
 cylinder. Four ropes hung from the top, supporting a 
 square frame, to which they lied four other ropes, and 
 twisted them about the tree. Four men, who were to be 
 
MEN FLYING. 
 
Games and Pastimes. 1 75 
 
 the flyers, mounted to the top of the tree disguised as great 
 birds, Hke eagles and herons, and fastening themselves to 
 the ends of the ropes, swung themselves into the air. As 
 they did this the frame was put in motion and they revolved 
 about the tree, the ropes becoming untwisted and their 
 flights wider, until they reached the ground. Usually, an 
 Indian would climb to the top of the cylinder, some sixty 
 feet above the ground, and beat a little drum with one hand 
 while waving a flag with the other. The conception of 
 such a complicated game as this required a high intelli- 
 gence, while its performance was attended with so much 
 danger as to demand great skill and courage in those who 
 took part in it. 
 
 Games of foot-ball were much in vogue among these 
 people, the principal one of which, called tlacheco, was 
 indulged in by even the kings and nobles. You will 
 remember that the two kings, of Mexico and Tezcoco, 
 resorted to a game of ball to decide whose interpretation 
 should be given to the omens in the sky, in the year 1508 ; 
 that the fugitive prince, Nezahualcoyotl, won the favor of 
 the people by his skill at this game, and that the brave 
 Tlascallan chieftain frequently played it. They also had 
 games resembling dice and backgammon, instead of cubes 
 of ivory using large beans marked with dots. 
 
 Feats of strength and agility were greatly encouraged in 
 a nation like theirs, given to war, and called upon to under- 
 go great hardships. Some of their acrobatic feats might 
 put to shame many of our athletes of to-day. One is 
 mentioned as having been exhibited before the Pope of 
 Rome by two Mexicans sent over by Cortes. One of them 
 balanced a heavy piece of wood, about eight feet in length, 
 upon his feet, and whirled it round and round, as he lay on. 
 his back with his feet in the air, with a man sitting astride 
 each end of the beam. They also performed feats similar 
 
I 'j6 Mexico. 
 
 to those common among our acrobats of the present day, 
 such as, a man dancing upon a piece of timber supported 
 on the shoulders of two others ; two men dancing upon the 
 head and shoulders of a third, etc. 
 
 The attainments of the Mexicans in the higher arts, such 
 as sculpture, historical painting, and the goldsmith's art, 
 were of no mean order. Though compelled to work with in- 
 struments of copper, and mainly with chisels of flint (as iron 
 and its uses was unknown to them), they executed admira- 
 ble sculptures in stone, statues of clay, wood, and copper, 
 gold and silver. The vast number of their idols bears wit- 
 ness to their patience and industry, even though thousands 
 have been destroyed, and those we see to-day are not a 
 hundredth part of those produced. It was acknowledged 
 by the gold and silversmiths of EurojDe that some of the 
 work of the Aztec artists could not be produced b}^ the 
 best workmen among them. Besides the wonderful figures 
 in various metals, gems set in gold, and objects of art and 
 utility, the Mexicans fabricated most wonderful mosaics of 
 the feathers of birds. This feather-work w-as something 
 entirely new to the Spaniards on their arrival, and an art 
 that seems to have been exclusively of Aztec origin. It is 
 one of the very few that have survived to the present day ; 
 perhaps the only one jDractised in its perfection. In the 
 manufacture of potter}' they were very skillful, especially 
 the natives of Cholula, the district in which dwelt the 
 priests of Quetzalcoatl. As weavers, also, they produced 
 admirable cloth of cotton, of the fibres of the maguey, and 
 the mountain palm. They made mats of palm leaves and 
 rushes, twisted thread and ropes of maguey fibre, and 
 dressed the skins of birds and quadrupeds so* excellently 
 that they could be worn as garments. 
 
 The goddess of niedicine, Tzapopotlatenaji^ had a great 
 number of very skillful followers, who understood the 
 

 VAPOR BATHS. 
 
Food of the Aztecs, 179 
 
 hidden virtues of the plants of Mexico and cured desperate 
 diseases and wounds. If we wish a notable example of 
 their skill, we will find it in the curing of the dangerous 
 wounds that were received by Cortes, in the retreat from 
 Mexico, which were healed by simples applied by a Tlas- 
 callan physician. As a great preventive against disease the 
 Mexicans used the bath frequently — especially the Temaz- 
 calli, or vapor-bath, a low, oven-like structure of brick, 
 where steam was generated from the water poured upon 
 heated stones. 
 
 What the Aztecs ate, may interest many to know, as in 
 those days the range of food-plants, and animals suitable 
 for the table was quite limited. They had no cattle, sheep, 
 goats, hogs, horses, donkeys or fowls (save turkeys). In 
 the early years of their existence in Anahuac (as we have 
 already seen), they subsisted upon the roots of marsh 
 plants, snakes, lizards, frogs, flies, and flies' eggs ; fish of 
 the lake, and small animals, such as rabbits, etc., that they 
 could catch. 
 
 Maize, or " Indian corn," was their chief reliance at all 
 times, from the very earliest period of which we have any 
 knowledge, and from it they made those corn-cakes known 
 in the Spanish colonies of America as tortillas. These are 
 made from corn that has been soaked in lime-water, crushed 
 to a fine paste between two stones, and formed into thin, 
 wafer-like cakes that are baked upon a stone or metal slab 
 over a quick fire. From this valuable grain they also made 
 strengthening gruels and drinks, as well as from the cacao 
 or chocolate bean, and the chia, belli v/hicli are native to 
 this country and were unknown in Europe till after the 
 Conquest. Their seasonings were salt, made from the 
 water of Lake Tezcoco and from salt-springs, peppers, 
 and tomate — tomatoes. They made wine from the maguey^ 
 or Mexican aloes, — the famous ''pulque^'' — and other 
 
1 80 Mexico. 
 
 beverages from the corn, the mountain-palm, and other 
 plants. 
 
 So we may see, that, though they did not possess a great 
 variety, yet they utilized all that their country afforded. 
 Eggs they had from the turkeys, iguanas, turtles, and per- 
 haps the alligators ; their meats were the flesh of quail and 
 other native birds, rabbits, deer, and wild hogs, or pec 
 caries. Having no beasts of burden, they trained their 
 children to carry heavy loads over great distances, which 
 they do even now, surpassing every other people in respect 
 to endurance and strength. It is said that they had not 
 found out how to make candles from wax, and as they had 
 no sheep they could not obtain tallow ; but in the coast 
 countries they made use of those luminous coleoptera 
 called fire-flies, and in the uplands torches of ocotl, or resin- 
 ous pine-wood, to give them light at night. The habits of 
 the people were very simple, and as they usually rose with 
 the sun and retired at dark, they had little need for arti- 
 ficial light. 
 
 Every house had its idol, before which they daily burned 
 incense of gum copal, which is a spontaneous product of 
 the country. After laboring a little while in the morning, 
 the poorer people had their frugal breakfast of tortillas^ or 
 atolli — maize gruel, which meal they repeated in the after- 
 noon. They ate sparingly, but drank frequently, and the 
 nobility enjoyed a siesta after their meals, soothing them- 
 selves to sleep by the aid of tobacco, which they smoked 
 through a little pipe of wood, or a reed, mixed with the 
 leaves of the liquidamber. 
 
 Finally, in a list of the vegetable productions that min- 
 istered to the wants of the Mexicans, should not be forget- 
 ten a singular fruit and a root that provided them with 
 soap. The root, called the amolli, possessed excellent 
 cleansing properties, not only when used upon the person 
 but upon cotton and linen. 
 
■i' 4i:-^\ 
 
 J. #.%M 
 
%* 
 
 Houses and Household Economy. 183 
 
 We have glanced over the Aztecs and their surroundings ; 
 to complete the picture we need to be informed upon their 
 household economy, one or two arts, and their architecture. 
 Their houses, even those of the nobles, were not fur- 
 nished with a great variety of furniture. The beds of the 
 poor were coarse mats of rushes, spread upon the floor, 
 while those of the higher classes were finer in quality and 
 used in greater quantity, covered with sheets of cotton, or 
 linen woven with feathers ; the pillows of the poor were 
 logs of wood, or stones, those of the rich were probably of 
 cotton, while quilts of cotton and feathers covered them at 
 night. For chairs they had low seats carved of wood, or 
 heaps of rushes or palm leaves, and at their meals they 
 spread a mat upon the ground, instead of using a table, 
 and " used napkins, plates, porringers, earthen pots, jugs, 
 and other vessels of fine clay, but not, as we can discover, 
 either knives or forks." No household was complete with- 
 out the metati, or stone corn-mill, the chocolate jug, and 
 the Xicallis, or vessels made from gourds or calabashes. 
 
 The houses themselves, the dwellings of the Mexicans, 
 were at first simple huts of reeds and rushes, and later 
 on were made of sun-dried brick or stone and mud, 
 with a thatching of grass, palm leaves, or the long, thick 
 leaves of the maguey. As the city of Mexico improved, 
 the houses of the lords and nobles were built of tezontli, a 
 rough, porous stone that was easily worked and laid with 
 lime. They were generally constructed in two stories, with 
 halls and large courts, with a door opening to the street 
 and another to the canal. The roofs were flat and terraced, 
 the floors and pavements were of plaster or cement, and 
 the walls covered with plaster so white and glistening as to 
 shine like silver in the sun. Battlements and turrets 
 adorned and defended the walls of some, fountains were 
 enclosed in their courts and gardens, and fish-ponds were 
 
1 84 Mexico. 
 
 numerous and well laid out. They had no doors, but mats 
 were hung in their place, with shells, broken pottery, or 
 some such thing hung to them to warn the family, by 
 their jingling, of the entrance of any one. It was not cus- 
 tomary, however, for any one not a member of the family 
 to enter another's house, and the laws against thieves were 
 so strict that there was Httle danger from stealing. Con- 
 spicuous examples of their skill in architecture will be 
 pointed out when we return to the city of Mexico in the 
 ranks of the conquerors. Let us speak of two great achieve- 
 ments of this people, then we will take up the thread of 
 historical events again. 
 
 Their calendar system was so nearly perfect as to excite 
 the highest admiration. It has already been alluded to. 
 Their great " calendar stone," by aid of which they calcu- 
 lated the recurrence of their cycles and the return of their 
 festivals, may yet be seen in the city of Mexico, where it 
 is cemented into the western wall of the great cathedral ; 
 which position it has occupied since 1790, though its antiq- 
 uity is much greater than that. It is said to weigh forty- 
 five tons, is eleven feet in diameter, and was hewn from a 
 great basaltic rock. 
 
 The most wonderful accomplishment of the Mexicans is 
 yet to be mentioned — their ce\ehr?itedi picfiire-writijtg. It 
 is thought that this art of representing historical events by 
 means of paintings was an invention of the Toltecs. It is by 
 means of them that their early history, as given in previous 
 pages, has been preserved. Thousands of them were de- 
 stroyed by the first Spanish missionaries to Mexico, as 
 " u'orks of the devil," but a sufficient number were hidden 
 from them, and afterwards discovered and preserved, to be 
 of service in constructing the aboriginal history. Besides the 
 picture-paintings, proper, they had also a system of hiero- 
 glyphs, they could count up to any required number, and each 
 
Hieroglyphs and Picture-P amthigs . 
 
 185 
 
 numeral was represented by a different character, and each 
 city giving tribute to the crown ; and not only material 
 things, but abstract ideas had their particular characters. 
 
 Having, in these latter pages, given a description of 
 Aztec life, customs, character, and accomplishments, we 
 shall be prepared to pursue the history of this people 
 through a period subsequent to the arrival of the Spanish 
 adventurers in the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 CACTI. 
 
II. 
 
 THE PERIOD OF THE CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE "discovery" OF MEXICO. 
 
 [A. D. 15 1 7.] Twenty-five years after the discovery 
 of the New World, the first European vessel that ever 
 landed on the shores of Mexico struck keel against the coral 
 rocks of Yucatan. Though Columbus heard of Yucatan in 
 1502, and Pinzon and Solis sighted its coast in 1506, circum>> 
 stances unexplained had set them sailing southward and 
 eastward without making a landing. In 15 11 Cuba, which 
 had been discovered in 1492 by Columbus, was colonized, 
 and in a few years her enterprising governor, Velasquez^ 
 aided in fitting out small expeditions for discovery in other 
 directions. The first of these was that of Francisco He?-- 
 nandez de Cordova^ equipped mainly at his own expense, 
 and consisting of one hundred and ten soldiers, in three 
 small vessels. They were guided by the famous pilot 
 Alafninos, who had sailed when a youth with the great 
 admiral. After several days they descried land at the 
 northernmost point of Yucatan, which they called Point 
 Cotoche. Drawing nearer shore they saw great buildings 
 of stone, whitened with lime, and shining in the sun. 
 Some of the natives came off to them, Indians far superior 
 to those of the West Indies, even excelling the intelligent 
 i86 
 
First Voyage to Mexico, 
 
 187 
 
 inhabitants of Cuba in appearance. They were clothed in 
 cotton garments, possessed bows, arrows, shields, spears. 
 
 and darts of a superior quality, and approached the vessels 
 fearlessly in canoes large enough to contain fifty men each. 
 
1 88 Mexico. 
 
 Returning the next day the captain of the Indians invited 
 the Spaniards on shore, and leading them into an ambus- 
 cade wounded several of them. The Spaniards, however, 
 gave them a taste of their sharp swords and killed fifteen. 
 Meanwhile, during the fight, a vagabond priest whom they 
 had brought along with them sacked a temple, and brought 
 off several wooden chests which contained stone idols, 
 various vessels, three diadems, and some images of birds 
 and fishes in. alloyed gold. This was their only consolation 
 during the entire trip, for after that they had nothing but 
 fighting. They wondered at the great stone buildings, as 
 the first of the kind they had seen in America, and at the 
 fierceness of the inhabitants of Yucatan, who resembled in 
 this respect the West Indian Caribs. Sailing southward, 
 skirting the western coast of Yucatan, they landed at a 
 place called Campeche, where they saw more temples of 
 stone, filled with hideous idols in the shape of serpents. 
 The natives assembled in great numbers, and their chief 
 asked of them, by signs, if they camiC from the East, prob- 
 ably having in mind the legend of the " Feathered Serpent." 
 Then their priests, dressed in robes of white cotton, their 
 long hair clotted with blood, rushed out of a temple, 
 kindled a fire of grass and faggots, and fumigating the 
 Spaniards with the incense of the native gums, indi- 
 cated by signs that if they were not well off their shores 
 before the fire had gone out, their warriors would attack 
 and destroy them. 
 
 Well had it been for Cordova and his soldiers had they 
 taken this advice and returned to Cuba. Escaping from 
 this place unharmed they were driven by lack of water to 
 go on shore below Campeche. They landed at an Indian 
 town called Champotan^ where, while they were sinking 
 wells, they were attacked by Indian warriors, armed with 
 shields and two-handed swords, their bodies protected by 
 
Brave and Warlike Indians. 191 
 
 defensive armor of quilted cotton, their faces painted 
 black, white, and red, and with plumes of feathers in their 
 hair. They were the fiercest Indians the Spaniards had 
 yet encountered ; they fought bravely, and though they for 
 the first time heard the report of firearms and witnessed 
 their destructive effects, they finally drove the Spaniards to 
 their boats, with the loss of half their number in killed, and 
 every one of them wounded but one. Then, indeed, were 
 the Spaniards glad to set sail for Cuba, first making for the 
 coast of Florida for water, for they were perishing of thirst. 
 Brave Captain Cordova had received no less than twelve 
 serious wounds from arrows, from the effects of which he 
 died a few days after reaching Cuba. They found 
 water on the coast of Florida, where they touched, but 
 while engaged in refreshing themselves and in washing 
 their wounds they were set upon by savages, and the only 
 man who escaped from Champotan without a hurt was 
 killed or carried into captivity. In pitiable state, with only 
 two vessels, and these in a sinking condition, they at last 
 reached Cuba with their dying captain, and the mem- 
 bers of the expedition scattered to their various plantations, 
 most of them having had enough of western exploration ; 
 but the fame of their discovery got noised about the island, 
 and incited others to follow in the track they had taken. 
 
 VOYAGE OF JUAN DE GRIJALVA. 
 
 [A. D. 15 18.] The avarice of the Governor of Cuba be- 
 ing excited at the sight of gold, and by the assertions of 
 two Indian captives that the land abounded in it, he fitted 
 out four ships, and placed them in command of a discreet 
 young man named Juan de Grijalva. Two hundred and 
 forty volunteers were in readiness to accompany him, 
 among whom were several of the last party of the unfortu- 
 nate Cordova. Chief among these was the skillful pilot 
 
192 Mexico. 
 
 Alaminos, and a young soldier named Bernal Diaz, who 
 was one of the conquerors of Mexico, and who, fifty years 
 later, wrote the best account of the Conquest that has ever 
 been given to the world. Driven by the currents farther 
 southward than w^ere the vessels of Cordova, those of Gri- 
 jalva first made land at the island of CozumeL Here they 
 found a good harbor, and soon reconciled the inhabitants, 
 who had fled at the sight of the vessels. 
 
 With what astonishment must these simple Indians have 
 regarded the great white-winged canoes that came to them 
 from an unknown country, full of bearded men clad in 
 strange garments and with such terrible weapons in their 
 hands ! 
 
 They had left Cuba on the third of April, 15 18, and 
 reached this island of Cozumel eighteen days later. After 
 having made presents to the inhabitants, and having found 
 that there were here great quantities of vegetables, such as 
 sweet potatoes, hives of honey, and great droves of wild 
 hogs, ox peccaries, they set sail down the coast. Arrived at 
 Champotan, they attacked and defeated the Indians gathered 
 here (which was an easy matter with their large force and 
 by the assistance of guns placed in the bows of their boats). 
 They were greatly annoyed, during the fight, by clouds of 
 locusts, which flew against their faces with such force that 
 they hardly knew which to put up their shields against, 
 arrows or insects. The coast below was entirely unin- 
 habited, but they found the forests filled with game, 
 especially deer and rabbits, some of which they captured by 
 the aid of a greyhound, which dog wandered into the woods 
 and was left behind. After passing a deep sound, which 
 they named Boca de Terminos, they finally arrived at the 
 mouth of the river Tabasco, which is sometimes called — 
 and with reason — the "River Grijalva," after the brave 
 captain who discovered it. 
 
First Signs of Gold and News of Mexieo. 193 
 
 As they approached the shore, they heard the sound of 
 falUng tunber, which indicated that the Tabascans were 
 making preparations for defence ; but by the wise policy of 
 Grijalvathe chiefs were brought to a peaceful consultation, 
 and, though in great force, they received the Spaniards 
 kindly. They brought them a great quantity of pro- 
 visions, such as boiled fish, fowls, fruit, and maize bread, 
 and what little gold they possessed, in the shape of golden 
 lizards and birds, and three golden necklaces, not of very 
 great value. The great object of the Spaniards, in all 
 their expeditions, being the discovery of the precious 
 metals, at whatever cost of life or labor to the Indians, 
 they inquired eagerly where it could be obtained. They 
 were told that away in the interior, a long ways off to the 
 west, was a country called Acolkua, or Mexico, where there 
 was a great abundance of gold. 
 
 [A.D. 15 18.] This was Xh^ first intimation the Spaniards 
 ever had of Mexico ; a fact it would be well to bear in mind 
 in its connection with subsequent events. 
 
 The Spaniards had with them the two Indians captured 
 on the expedition of Cordova the year previous, who 
 served as interpreters up to this point. These young men 
 had been baptized, and christened Julian and Melchor. 
 They had also taken off an Indian woman of Jamaica, 
 whom they had found at Cozumel, whither she had been 
 driven in a boat by the currents, and where her husband 
 and companions had been sacrificed. 
 
 We may well believe that the imaginations of Grijalva 
 and his followers were all aflame as they coasted this new 
 country, as virgin and unexplored as was Cuba when dis- 
 covered by Columbus, twenty-five years previously. At 
 the river Goazcoalcos they saw Indians with shields of 
 tortoise-shell, which, flashing back the sun from their pol- 
 ished surfaces, they took to be of gold. Indians came down 
 
194 Mexico. 
 
 to the shore and waved white flags to them as signals to 
 land ; perhaps embassadors of Montezuma, who were 
 already on the watch for the white strangers. This was 
 at the River of Banners ; they landed and bartered with 
 them, giving them worthless glass beads for precious gold. 
 They were, without doubt, officers of Montezuma, these In- 
 dians with the white flags, who had heard of the great 
 battle at Champotan the year previous, and had posted 
 sentinels on the watch all along the Gulf coast. By re- 
 ferring to Chapter X. you may ascertain the condition of 
 things in the Mexican empire, and learn of the supersti- 
 tions that caused Montezuma to receive these vagabond 
 Spaniards with gifts worthy royalty itself, when he should 
 have exerted all his power to crush them completely. 
 Calling to mind the legend of Qiietzalcoatl, and the strong 
 effect the signs and omens had upon the minds of the 
 Mexicans, you will see that these ships of Grijalva's were 
 supposed by them to contain messengers from the great 
 " Feathered Serpent " himself, who was now coming from 
 the East to resume his charge of the Mexican kingdom. 
 
 Landing at this place, the soldiers of Grijalva found the 
 embassadors of Montezuma reclining under some trees, 
 well supplied with provisions of bread, fruit, and fowls. So 
 eager were they to trade and to get objects of the Spaniards 
 to send to their sovereign, that for a small quantity of cut- 
 glass and beads they gave gold to the value of over fifteen 
 thousand crowns ! As before had been done, an account 
 of this arrival of the ships was transmitted to Montezuma 
 by his agents, painted on cloth, and ser\-ed to add fresh 
 fuel to his fears. 
 
 At a point on the coast where is now the city of Vera 
 Cruz Grijalva landed his men, and remained for quite a 
 while. Here thev found evidences of that accursed idol- 
 atry of the Mexicans, for on a small island in the bay they 
 
Grijalva Reaches Vera Cruz, 195 
 
 discovered a temple of stone containing an image of the 
 Mexican god, Tezcatlipoca, and the remains of two boys 
 who had been sacrificed the day before. Four Indian 
 priests met them as they landed on the island, and under- 
 took to fumigate them with incense, as was the custom 
 whenever they had landed in Yucatan. Another small 
 island, where the walls and altars of a temple were stained 
 with the blood of sacrifice, they called Isla de los Sacrificios, 
 or Island of Sacrifices ; and the one nearest the shore, as 
 it was told them that the sacrifices there had been done 
 by order of the Indians of Colhua, they called Ulua, and 
 afterwards St. John de Ulua. The fortress that guards 
 the harbor of the city of Vera Cruz is built ujDon this 
 island. 
 
 No more Indians coming to trade, and the mosquitoes 
 being " very importunate," Juan de Grijalva sent the soldier 
 Alvarado back to Cuba in one of the vessels, with the sick 
 and wounded of the company, and all the gold he had got, 
 while he with the three other vessels* kept on as far north 
 as the river Panuco. At the mouth of one of the rivers 
 they met with some very valiant Indians, who nearly suc- 
 ceeded in capturing their smallest vessel, and a little beyond 
 this point, finding nothing further of value or interest, they 
 turned about and retraced their route to Cuba. 
 
 In the province of Goazcoalcos they found some more 
 gold, and here the soldiers nearly went wild over the ex- 
 traordinary bargains they were making with the Indians 
 for their golden hatchets. Every Indian had a little 
 hatchet of a golden hue, which he carried about with him, 
 and readily parted with for a few glass beads. More than 
 six hundred were obtained by the company, and every 
 man fancied himself rich ; but when they had arrived in 
 Cuba it was found that these supposed treasures were 
 almost worthless, as they were all of copper ! The Gov- 
 
ig6 Mexico. 
 
 ernor of Cuba, Velasquez, could not be other than well 
 pleased at the success of Grijalva's expedition, for he 
 brought back gold to the amount of twenty thousand 
 crowns ; yet he pretended to blame this most generous 
 and upright of all the explorers because he had not planted 
 a colony. In his next expedition, which was nearly fitted 
 out at the time of Grijalva's return, he neglected the claims 
 of this intrepid young man, and bestow^ed the command 
 upon another — greatly to his cost, as we shall later see. 
 
Voyage of Hernando Cortez. 197 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 VOYAGE OF HERNANDO CORTEZ. 
 
 In the year 1504 there came to the West Indies a young 
 man, then about nineteen years of age, by the name of Cor- 
 tez. He was well received in the island of Hispaniola 
 (Haiti), as the governor, Ovando, was from his own native 
 province of Estremadura in Spain, and he was assigned the 
 clerkship of a small town and an encomienda of Indians. 
 In 15 1 1, when Velasquez sailed over to Cuba, and com- 
 pleted the conquest of that island, Hernando Cortez, now 
 a man of some importance, went with him. There he 
 acquired land and Indians, and grew wealthy, devoting him- 
 self to the cultivation of his plantation and the raising of 
 stock. 
 
 [A.D. 15 18.] And it so happened, that when, in the year 
 1 5 18, Governor Velasquez looked about him for a com- 
 mander for his third expedition to Mexico, the name of 
 Cortez was brought prominently before him. These two 
 gentlemen had previously quarrelled (about an affair which 
 does not particularly concern this history), but were now 
 reconciled, and Velasquez considered favorably the prop- 
 osition, made by a friend of Cortez, that he should have 
 the command. Imperious, as well as ambitious, the gov- 
 ernor had taken offence at the doings of the brave and dis- 
 creet Grijalva, who had the strongest claims upon his con- 
 sideration, and abandoned him for this man, Cortez, who 
 was soon to cause him to repent this folly, and to consume 
 his heart in rage and shame. Knowing that the governor 
 
198 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 would shortly become suspicious of him, Cortez, as soon as 
 appointed, made all haste to get on his voyage. " Nothing 
 was to be seen or spoken of," says one of the conquerors, 
 "but selling lands to purchase arms and horses, quilting 
 coats of mail, making bread, and salting pork, for sea 
 stores." Volunteers flocked to his standard from every 
 direction, and after visiting various points on the island, 
 and securing all the available recruits and provisions, Cor- 
 
 tez evaded the officers despatched to arrest him by the now 
 jealous Velasquez, and put to sea, taking his final depart- 
 ure from the port of Havana on the tenth day of Febru- 
 ary, 1519. 
 
 [A.D. 15 19.] After a rough passage, the fleet arrived 
 at the island of Cozumel, and here, says one old chronicler, 
 " Cortez now began to take the command upon him in 
 earnest, and our Lord was pleased to give him grace, that 
 whatever he undertook he succeeded in." 
 
 Here he ordered a review of the troops, being now be- 
 
Forces of Cortez. 199 
 
 yond the reach of Velasquez, and having bidden a final adieu 
 to Cuba. He found himself in command of eleven vessels, 
 five hundred and eight soldiers, one hundred and ten sail- 
 ors, sixteen horses, thirty-two crossbow men, and thirteen 
 musketeers. As ordnance, he had ten brass cannon, and 
 four falconets, with a large quantity of powder and ball. 
 He appointed a brave soldier who had served in Italy, 
 Francis de Orosco, as captain of artillery, and Alaminos 
 as chief pilot. He divided his men into eleven companies, 
 under the command of captains, nearly all of whom be- 
 came famous in the subsequent march through Mexico. 
 As we shall meet with most of them again, let us see what 
 were the names of these men who followed the standard 
 of Cortez. There was Alonzo Hernandez Puerto Carrero, 
 who took the first ship from Mexico to Spain ; Alonzo de 
 Avila, James de Ordas, Francis de Montejo, Francis de 
 Morla, Francis de Sancedo, John de Escalante, John Ve- 
 lasquez de Leon, Cristobal de Olid, and the brothers Alva- 
 rado, chief among whom was the famous, or infamous^ Pe- 
 dro de Alvarado. One of the conquerors, in his narrative, 
 justly gives a portion of his pages to a detailed description 
 of the horses^ which, being the first ever landed on the soil 
 of Mexico, aided more than anything else in striking terror 
 into the breasts of the Indians. 
 
 Cortez had already surrounded himself with much state 
 and ceremony, and had caused a standard to be made of 
 gold and velvet, on which was a red cross, embroidered in 
 the midst of white and blue flames, and underneath was 
 the motto, in Latin, ^^ Let us follow the Cross, and in that 
 sign we shall conquer y If we will bear this emblem in 
 mind, we shall see that throughout his long career of con- 
 quest Cortez was faithful in his devotion to that sign of the 
 cross. ■ Even to the wondering, innocent natives, he offered 
 the alternative, the cross or the sword; and he gave them 
 both. 
 
200 Mexico. 
 
 UXMAL. 
 
 Pedro de Alvarado's vessel arrived first at Cozumel, that 
 beautiful island on the coast of Yucatan, and that unscru- 
 pulous adventurer immediately plundered the inhabitants 
 and drove them into the woods. Cortez, when he arrived, 
 reprimanded him for this, and for sacking the temples, and 
 sent out to induce the people to return, who soon came 
 back and mingled unsuspiciously with the soldiers. 
 
 There was a temple here, and a large and very hideous 
 idol, before which the priests in charge burned incense and 
 bowed down in devotion. The island was considered a 
 holy place, even by the inhabitants of the mainland, who 
 came to it in great processions, as to a holy shrine. Cortez, 
 seeing this, determined to convert the natives to the 
 true faith by changing their gods, substituting the cross 
 and the virgin for the hideous idols. At first, the people 
 objected, telling him their gods had always been very 
 good to them, sending rain when it was needed, and 
 crops of corn to the people of Yucatan, who came over and 
 offered gifts at their altars. But Cortez disregarded their 
 prayers and predictions of disaster, and cast down the 
 idols, telling them they were evil things, and that they 
 would draw their souls down to hell, and if they wished to 
 remain as brothers to the Spaniards they must " place in 
 their stead the crucifix of our Lord, by whose assistance 
 they would obtain good harvests and the salvation of their 
 
Conversion of the Natives. 201 
 
 souls ; with many other good and holy reasons, which he 
 expressed very well." Lime was sent for, the Indian ma- 
 sons constructed an altar, and the Spanish carpenters a 
 crucifix, which was erected in a small chapel (the ruins of 
 which, it is said, yet remain). Then the " very reverend 
 father," Juan Diaz, preached an excellent discourse, which, 
 as it was in Spanish (a language the natives had never 
 listened to before in their lives), was received " with great 
 attention, and profit to their souls." Thus was a whole 
 village of pagans converted into good Christians in a single 
 day, — the natives reasoned that, as the Spaniards were 
 stronger than they, and evidently favored by unseen powers, 
 their god must be more powerful than theirs, and so they 
 accepted the Spanish images with joy, carefully swept the 
 temple, and attended upon the virgin. 
 
 As a curious circumstance, it is related that the Span- 
 iards found these people, not only at Cozumel, but at vari- 
 ous other points in this new^ territory, possessed of figures 
 of the cross. From this the Spanish ecclesiasts have 
 reasoned that these Indians were visited by Saint Thomas, 
 during the wanderings of that revered person on earth, and 
 received from him this emblem of the cross ; but of this 
 event the Indians have preserved no tradition. 
 
 One more allusion to the doings of the Spaniards here, 
 and then we have done with Cozumel. Cortez often 
 pondered over a question the natives oft repeated to his 
 soldiers, when, pointing to the east, they would say 
 " Castiliaji^'' as much as to ask if they were Castilians, or 
 Spaniards. At last, after much inquiry, he heard, through 
 his interpreter Julian — Melchor having died — that there 
 were two Spaniards confined in the interior as captives. 
 They had been cast upon the eastern shore of Yucatan, 
 their vessels wrecked, and all their companions sacrificed 
 save they two. Learning this, Cortez despatched a letter 
 
202 Mexico. 
 
 to them by an Indian runner (who hid it in his hair, having 
 to pass through an enemy's country), and a quantity of beads 
 as a ransom from their masters. The letter was as follows : 
 " Gentlemen and brothers, — Here in Cozumel I have been 
 informed that you are detained prisoners by a cacique : I 
 request as a favor that you will forthwith join me. I send 
 a ship and soldiers, with whatever is necessary for your 
 ransom, they have orders to wait eight days ; but come 
 with all dispatch to me, from whom you shall receive every 
 assistance and protection. I am here with eleven ships 
 and five hundred soldiers, with which I will, with the 
 assistance of God, proceed to Champotan, Tabasco, and 
 beyond." 
 
 Those two captives were named Aguilar and Guerrero. 
 The master of the former received the ransom jo}-fully and 
 set him free ; but the latter was already married to an 
 Indian woman, had three sons and was a great cacique 
 and captain in their wars. Indeed, it is said that he con- 
 ducted that bloody fight against Cordova, at Champotan. 
 He was afraid to return to the Spaniards ; and, moreover, 
 his face was scarred and his ears and nose bored, after 
 the Indian fashion. 
 
 " What would the Spaniards think of me," he said to 
 Aguilar, " if I went back among them ? Behold these three 
 beautiful boys ; I beseech you give me for them some of 
 these green beads, and say that my brother sent them as 
 a present to me from my own country." Then his wife 
 joined in and abused Aguilar for wishing her husband to 
 leave his family, and the poor fellow was only too glad to 
 go on to the coast alone. 
 
 When he reached the coast the boat that had been left 
 behind for him had departed. To his great jo}^, however, 
 the fleet was obliged to put back to Cozumel, one of the 
 vessels having sprung a leak, and he got into a canoe and 
 
The Rescued Spaniards. 203 
 
 paddled across the channel to the island, where he met 
 them. He had been so long in captivity that he could not 
 be distinguished from the Indians who had come with him, 
 and at first could only utter a few Spanish words, such as 
 Dios (God) and Santa Maria. He had only a fewlrags 
 about his waist, an oar in his hand, and the remains of an 
 old book of prayers tied up in a bundle on his shoulder- 
 When he came into the presence of the company he squatted 
 on his hams, like the Indians, and every one was looking in 
 vain for the Spaniard, when in answer to an inquiry he 
 said, " Here he is," and was received with gladness, clothed 
 and fed. He was subsequently of the utmost service to 
 the Spaniards, being for a while their only means of 
 communication with the natives. Cortez was not mistaken 
 in the value he set upon such an acquisition, nor in having 
 delayed the fleet in order to secure him. 
 
 As the fleet arrived off Champotan, a boat was sent 
 ashore, and there they were welcomed by the greyhound 
 that had been accidentally left there the year before by 
 Grijalva. On the 13th of March they arrived off the 
 mouth of the river Tabasco, or Grijalva, one of the largest 
 that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Knowing that the 
 larger vessels could not approach near land, Cortez sent a 
 large body of troops in boats to land about half a league 
 from the town of Tabasco. The Tabascans, who had 
 before received Grijalva so hospitably, had been reproached 
 by their neighbors, the Champotanese (and perhaps incited 
 by messengers from Montezuma), with cowardice in not 
 attacking these strangers on their first visit. At all events, 
 Cortez found his advance obstructed by above twelve 
 thousand armed Indians in canoes. They threatened the 
 Spaniards with death if they persisted in their intention of 
 visiting their town, which they had fortified with palisades. 
 Cortez then, displaying the policy for which he was always 
 
204 Mexico. 
 
 noted, requested permission, through the new interpreter 
 Aguilar, to land to procure wood and water, and to speak 
 with their caciques, to whom he had " matters of the greatest 
 importance, and of a holy natu7'e, to communicate ; but 
 to this they only replied in the same manner as before." 
 
 The next morning, after mass, Cortez approached to land 
 his men, when the enemy in canoes sallied out from the 
 mangroves along the banks in prodigious numbers and 
 making a fearful din with their horns and trumepts. See- 
 ing this, Cortez ordered a halt, and then, demanding the 
 Indians to give their attention, he caused the royal notary 
 to read a requisition for them to supply the Spaniards with 
 wood and water and to lay down their arms and become 
 good Christians, and to allow the priests to land and speak 
 to them concerning the service of God. If ' they should 
 refuse this reasonable request, which was made in the king's 
 name, then they would be responsible for all the mischief 
 that resulted. This was read in Spanish and amidst the 
 din and tumult of the horns and timbrels, so that it is pos- 
 sible that the Indians heard nothing of it, and if they did 
 certainly did not understand a word. But it mattered not 
 to Cortez, he had complied with the law, he was not fight- 
 ing to please the Indians so much as to justify himself as 
 an apostle of the faith in the eyes of the king and prelates 
 in Spain. The old historian seemed astonished that the 
 Indians paid no attention to this royal and ecclesiastical 
 mandate. " All. this," he says, "being duly explained to 
 them, produced 7io effect; they seemed as determined to 
 oppose us as they were before." Having satisfied his con- 
 science in this way, and having in this manner thrown all 
 the blame of the affair upon the ignorant Indians, Cortez 
 then unfurled his banner, with its cheerful emblem of 
 torment, the blue and white flames, and ordered his soldiers 
 to " at them, and show the unchristian dogs no mercy." 
 
The Great Fight at Tabasco. 205 
 
 You may be very sure that he and his soldiers were 
 very much provoked at the obduracy of these heathens, 
 who so ungratefully refused his generous offer of a new 
 king, whom they had never heard of, to rule over them. 
 And how indignant these pious soldiers must have been at 
 such heretics who scorned their offer of new images to 
 worship in place of their old ones, and added insult to 
 injury by telling them that their old gods were good enough 
 for them, and they only wished the Spaniards would sail 
 away and leave them in peace ! This, in the eyes of 
 the horror-stricken priests, was blasphemy of the worst 
 nature; these holy men washed their hands of such impious 
 wretches, and adjured the soldiers to do their best to wipe 
 them from the face of the earth. And they did ! Though 
 the Tabascans fought valiantly, attacking them with arrows 
 and lances, yet they were gradually driven back, until the 
 Spaniards were in possession of their town. They defended 
 barricade after barricade, whistling and shouting to one 
 another — al calachioni — "kill the captain," well knowing 
 the disastrous effect such a result would have upon the 
 strangers. They left many dead upon the field, but never 
 turned their backs upon the enemy, retreating face to the 
 foe, until their town, and temples, and idols, were finally 
 captured. 
 
 When the town was gained, Cortez took possession of 
 the country in the name of his majesty, the King of Spain, 
 — a disreputable monarch of a country thousands of miles 
 away, whom the Tabascans had never heard of. And 
 making three cuts with his sword in a great silk-cotton tree, 
 the commander claimed the whole country for his sovereign, 
 saying that, against any one who denied this claim, he was 
 ready to defend it with the sword and shield he then held. 
 Nobody offered any objection, because the soldiers believed 
 as he did : that the land belonged to them and the king 
 
■ 2o6 - Mexico. 
 
 they served ; and the poor Indians, strange to say, did not 
 understand that the making of three sword-cuts in a ceiba 
 tree gave these strangers a clear right and title to the 
 country they and their ancestors had held from time imme- 
 moiial ! Being brave men, they resolved to resent this 
 intrusion of an armed force into their territory, and on the 
 morrow a terrible battle ensued. Seeing that the Indians 
 were likely to press them hard, if not indeed drive them to 
 their ships, Cortez ordered out the horses. These animals 
 were very stiff from their long confinement on board the 
 vessels, but in the course of the day they recovered their 
 spirits and agility. Each one was furnished with a breast- 
 plate with bells hanging to it, and they were given to the 
 best horsemen in the army. Marching out upon a plain 
 beyond the town, the Spanish army saw a great host in 
 front of them, sounding horns and trumpets, with plumes, 
 on their heads, their faces painted in red, white, and black, 
 defended by quilted-cotton breastplates and shields, and 
 armed with two-handed swords, darts, and slings. They 
 fell upon the Spaniards with such fury that soon seventy of 
 them were wounded and two of them killed. Nor were 
 they deterred by the sharp swords of their enemy, which 
 made such terrible wounds in their naked bodies, nor by 
 the crossbows, and musketry and cannon, though they 
 had never heard the thunder of these dreadful weapons 
 before in their lives. Brave men, were these Indians of 
 Tabasco, as indeed were all the Indians of that country of 
 Mexico. Though believing that those black-mouthed can- 
 non, which spit at them smoke and fire, and tore such awful 
 gaps in their crowded ranks, were engines of destruction 
 sent by the deities of another world, they valiantly stood 
 their ground. At every discharge they threw up straw and 
 dust to hide their terrible losses, and shouted back defiance. 
 It would have fared hard with the invaders if the cavalry 
 
The First Horses in Mexico, 207 
 
 had not come to their rehef, and Cortez and his little 
 squadron come charging down upon the Indians. It was 
 the first time these Indians had ever seen a horse, and 
 when those great animals, larger than any that roamed their 
 forests, came thundering down upon them, they gave one 
 great shout of terror and amazement and fled in wild dis- 
 order. They believed, as they afterwards stated, that horse 
 and rider were one animal, and sent by the avenging deities 
 to complete their destruction. 
 
 What wonder that they fled ! Fancy ourselves in their 
 position, battling at fearful odds against an army encased 
 in mail and armed with the powers of thunder and lightning ; 
 while every nerve is strained, and every energy called into 
 play against this strong enemy, suddenly another appears, 
 a strange beast, a centaur, clad in steel and breathing death 
 upon all within its reach ! Think you we should not use 
 great expedition in getting beyond its reach ? Eight hun- 
 dred of the Indian army lay dead upon the field, and a still 
 greater number dragged their mutilated bodies away to 
 perish in the seclusion of the forest ! In this manner did 
 Cortez punish these wicked people for resisting the embas- 
 sadors of a king they did not know, and for refusing a 
 religion they did not understand ! They came in humbly, 
 the chiefs with their followers, and craved pardon for their 
 temerity in having tried to defend their homes from assas- 
 sins and thieves, their wives from dishonor, their children 
 from slavery ! They begged permission to bury their dead, 
 so that the wild beasts should not devour them, and bring- 
 ing abundance of provisions, promised to become obedient 
 vassals of the new king. 
 
 Cortez, says one of the historians of that time, " assumed 
 a grave countenance, told them they deserved death for 
 their neglect of our former offers of peace, but that 
 our great monarch, Don Carlos, had enjoined us to favor 
 
2o8 Mexico, 
 
 them so far as they should deserve it ; and in case of their 
 adopting a bad hne of conduct, they should again feel the 
 effect of our vengeance." Then followed another of those 
 wholesale conversions ; the Indians renounced their idols, 
 and were received into the bosom of the holy Catholic 
 church. And thenceforth they were to be under the loving 
 care of the priests, and the cherished children of the King 
 of Spain ; in return for which they were only called upon 
 to give the priests and soldiers all their property, all their 
 gold, all their handsome maidens, all their strong young 
 men. The Spaniards had found them freemen, living 
 happily in their primitive villages in the forest ; they left 
 them slaves, stripped of all possessions, bleeding from a 
 thousand wounds, and lamenting a thousand deaths. 
 
 It has been said by at least one historian that the Span- 
 iards were assisted by one of the saints that day, the war- 
 like apostle St. James, who rode a dappled horse, and 
 charged the unregenerate heathen right valiantly. If this 
 be true, it should but increase our sympathy for the poor 
 Indians, for what with the cannon, horse, and musketr}' 
 of the Spaniards, the odds were sufficiently against them 
 without the intervention of apostolic aid. 
 
From Tabasco to Cempoalla. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 FROM TABASCO TO CEMPOALLA. 
 
 Through the inscrutable workings of God's will, Cortez 
 received at Tabasco, from a source wholly unexpected, a 
 most important auxiliary to his force, without which indeed 
 the conquest would have been impossible. To propitiate 
 the Spaniards, and to obtain pardon of them for having 
 defended their homes, the Tabascans gave them what gold 
 and cotton cloth the province afforded ; and further, seeing 
 that the conquerors desired female servants, they pre- 
 sented the captains with twenty Indian women. These 
 Cortez refused to receive until they had been baptized, and 
 until the " reverend father, Bartolome Olmedo, had preached 
 to them many good things touching our holy faith." Then 
 these unfortunate Indian women, " the first Christian 
 women in New Spain," were divided among the captains, 
 Cortez retaining a young girl of noble birth, beauty, and 
 great spirit, who was baptized under the name of Dona 
 Marina. From this time to the end of the conquest, this 
 noble girl accompanied Cortez on all his expeditions, serv- 
 ing as counsellor and interpreter, clinging to him with 
 affection and love, though degraded by him to the lowest 
 position woman can occupy in the eyes of the world. She 
 was the daughter of a noble of Goazcoalcos, who died while 
 she was very young and left her in charge of her mother. 
 This inhuman parent married another noble, and they, 
 having a son whom they wished to have their inheritance, 
 sold the young girl to a party of slave traders on their way 
 
210 Mexico. 
 
 to Tabasco. Thus, by a singular conjunction of circum- 
 stances, was a subject of the Mexican crown delivered into 
 the possession of the Spaniards ; one who contributed 
 more than all their armies to its subjugation. Possessed 
 of more than ordinary intelligence, she rapidly acquired 
 the Spanish language, and as she spoke at the time of her 
 joining the Spaniards the Mexican dialect and that of 
 Tabasco, the Maya, she formed, with the rescued Aguilar, 
 the link in the chain necessary to conversation with the 
 Mexicans. 
 
 [A.D. 15 19.] Leaving Tabasco on Palm Sunday, after 
 a most solemn procession of the army, with music and 
 song, the soldiers carrying palm branches, the fleet arrived 
 at San Juan de Ulua on Holy Thursday ; and here their 
 sea voyage terminated. The next day the cavalry, infantry, 
 and artillery were disembarked on the sand-hills, an altar 
 was raised, and temporary barracks constructed for the 
 troops. They had hardly dropped anchor when two large 
 canoes came out to them, containing messengers from the 
 governor of that province, offering them assistance if they 
 needed it in the prosecution of their voyage. In communi- 
 cating their message it was necessary to employ three lan- 
 guages and two interpreters ; first. Dona Marina explained 
 to Aguilar what the Mexicans said, translating it into the 
 Maya tongue, and then Aguilar converted it into Spanish. 
 
 A day or two later two governors of that portion of the 
 coast made their appearance, accompanied by a great train 
 of attendants. By this time, with the assistance of the In- 
 dians, huts had been constructed for all the troops, and 
 cannon planted to defend their first nucleus of a colony in 
 New Spain. 
 
 They brought provisions and many things in gold and 
 feathers. Cortez invited them to dine with him, and dur- 
 ing the repast highly extolled his monarch, Don Carlos, 
 
Gifts fro7n Montezuma. 211 
 
 who, he said, was the mightiest in the world, and he de- 
 manded of the embassadors how soon he could march into 
 the interior and dehver his embassy to their own king, 
 Montezuma. The two Mexican lords were astonished, as 
 well as offended, at the impudence of this audacious leader 
 of a band of vagrants, that he should speak so lightly of 
 his sacred majesty, Montezuma, and one of them, the lord 
 Teuhtlile, haughtily replied : "How is this ? You are but 
 just arrived, and yet you talk of seeing our monarch. I 
 have listened with pleasure to what you have told me con- 
 cerning the grandeur and bounty of your sovereign ; but, 
 know ye, our king is not less bountiful and great. I rather 
 wonder that there should exist another in the world more 
 powerful than he ; but as you assert it I will make it known 
 to my sovereign, from whose goodness I trust that he will 
 not only have pleasure in receiving intelligence of that 
 great prince, but will likewise do honor to his embassador. 
 Accept, in the meantime, this present which I offer you in 
 his name." Thereupon, the Mexican lord presented Cor- 
 tez with some beautifully wrought pieces of gold, ten loads 
 of fine cotton mantles, and a great supply of provisions. 
 
 In return, — and how it disgusts one to read of the paltry 
 baubles the Spaniards, these adventurers who boasted so 
 loudly of the magnificence of their sovereign, sent in 
 returji, — Cortez gave the Mexican an old arm-chair, 
 painted and carved, some glass beads and a crimson cap 
 with a gold medal on it representing St. George killing the 
 dragon ! These, this impudent braggart, in a grandilo- 
 quent speech, begged the embassador he would present 
 the great Montezuma in the name of the King of Spain, 
 and at the same time request him to name a time when he 
 could wait on him. 
 
 One of the soldiers had on a gilded helmet, which the 
 embassador observed resembled one upon the head of 
 
212 Mexico. 
 
 their idol, Huitzilopochtli, and requested permission to 
 take it to the capital to show Montezuma. Cortez at once 
 gave it to him, adding — with a meanness unparalleled in 
 history — that it would be a capital thing if Montezuma 
 would return it, filled with gold, that the Spaniards might 
 be able to compare it with the gold of their own country, 
 and also as an acceptable present to their emperor. 
 
 Lord Teuhtlile then took his departure, promising to 
 return in a short time with Montezuma's reply, while the 
 other lord, Ciiitlalpitoc, remained, to keep the Spanish army 
 supplied with provisions. 
 
 What was the state of affairs at the Mexican court during 
 the while their eastern coasts were vexed with wars and 
 rumors of wars and their vessels trafficking with strange 
 beings from over the sea ? By referring to the tenth chapter, 
 (pp. 137-140) we shall recall to mind the demoralized condi- 
 tion of the people of Anahuac, and the consternation 
 amongst their rulers at the coming of the winged ships and 
 the bearded men. Upon the arrival of Juan de Grijalva, in 
 the previous year, the governor of the coast province had 
 sent immediate notice to the Aztec capital ; they had 
 caused hasty paintings to be made by their artists, of the 
 boats and men, and had followed them to court with a 
 more detailed descripton. Upon the reception of 'this 
 alarming news, Montezuma had hastily assembled the two 
 allied kings, Cacamatzin of Tezcoco, and Cuitlahuatzin 
 lord of Iztapalapan. Long and anxiously they debated 
 upon this mysterious visitation, and at last came to the 
 unanimous conclusion that he who commanded this great 
 army could be no other than Qiietzalcoatl, god of the air — 
 the " Plumed Serpent," who had, according to tradition, 
 departed from' their coast, ages ago, leaving behind him 
 the promise to return and conclude the beneficent reign he 
 had begun so happily in the time of the Toltecs. 
 
Consternation of the Aztecs, 213 
 
 Dominated by priestly superstitions, Montezuma was 
 filled with a dread of the coming of this lord of the air, 
 yet he devoutly believed in the truth of the tradition, and 
 was ready to yield up his kingdom upon his arrival. Those 
 kings held themselves to be but the viceroys of that deity 
 and trustees of the crown, which they were to cede to him- 
 whenever he should make his appearance and demand it 
 The great size of the " winged canoes " of the Spaniards, 
 the loud noise and destructive force of their artillery, so 
 closely resembling the thunder-laden clouds of the air, 
 all these things combined to awe them and inspire them 
 with the belief that the god of the air had finally arrived. 
 Having come to this determination, Montezuma ordered 
 five persons of his court to hasten to the coast with a large 
 and magnificent present for the supposed deity, and to offer 
 him homage in his name and to congratulate him upon his 
 safe, though long-deferred arrival. At the same time, he 
 ordered sentinels to be placed upon the mountains over- 
 looking the coast, with swift messengers to convey him 
 tidings of the movements of the fleet. 
 
 Unfortunately for the Mexicans, the court embassadors, 
 though they made every exertion, did not overtake Grijalva, 
 who sailed northward as far as the river Panuco, and thence 
 made passage for Cuba. Unfortunately^ say we, because 
 Grijalva was a humane man, whose desire for conquest, gold, 
 and glory was tempered by a love of justice. We have 
 every reason to believe that, had it fallen to his lot to have 
 undertaken the subjugation of this Mexican empire, it would 
 have been done without the shedding of blood and the sacri- 
 fice of life that attended the invasion of Cortez. 
 
 The embassy had returned to Anahuac, and those per- 
 sonages who had met Cortez were simply governors of the 
 province, tributary to Montezuma. Before his departure 
 from the coast, Teuhtlile, who had numerous painters with 
 
214 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 him, divided the subject among them so that each one 
 represented a different portion of the armament, and in this 
 manner Montezuma received a description, perfect in every 
 detail, of tlie wonders he was to relate to him. Desiring 
 that they should omit nothing that would impress the 
 emperor with the grandeur and power of his armament, 
 Cortez ordered the cavalry to manoeuvre upon the beach 
 and the artillery to be fired. When they had somewhat 
 recovered from the stupor of amazement into which the 
 roar of the cannon and the crashing of the balls through the 
 trees had thrown them, the painters set themselves diligently 
 to work to represent this new wonder upon canvas. Then 
 they departed, bearing the miserable present and the 
 boastful message of Cortez to their expectant emperor. 
 
 After seven or eight days of waiting, the Spaniards saw a 
 long procession of Indians filing down the sand dunes ; 
 there were the embassadors of Montezuma borne in litters 
 upon the shoulders of attendants and upwards of one hun- 
 dred men laden with rich presents for the Spaniards. 
 
 The distance from coast to capital, at the present day 
 by rail, is two hundred and sixty miles ; but doubtless the 
 Aztecs had shorter paths by which their messengers trav- 
 elled and the distance may have been two hundred miles. 
 If we may believe the accounts related of the couriers of 
 Montezuma, they were incredibly swift ; along the line of 
 travel were stations with relays of runners and by this means 
 a message was borne along from post to post with the speed 
 of the mail-coach of old. The story often told of Monte- 
 zuma's receiving fish fresh from the Gulf every day, by 
 means of these runners, may well be doubted, and is only 
 believed in by those credulous authors who have never vis- 
 ited the country ; but, it is doubtless true that news sped fast 
 in those days, by the means above mentioned. Whether it 
 was seven days later, or ten, it matters not ; the embassa- 
 
Treasures for Royalty. 215 
 
 dors had returned and with them had brought such a 
 present for the Spanish monarch, Don Carlos, as never 
 before had passed from one hemisphere to another ! 
 
 On their arrival they touched the ground with their hands, 
 at the same time kissing them, and then fumigated the 
 Spaniards with incense, calling them Teteuctin — lords or 
 gentlemen. This, the customary mode of salutation of 
 embassadors, caused the Spaniards to imagine they 
 addressed them as gods — Teules, from Teteo^ gods — when 
 they had meant nothing of the kind, and gave these 
 cut-throat adventurers an exalted opinion of their own 
 importance. 
 
 With fine compliments, conveying from Montezuma his 
 congratulations, and the pleasure he had received in learn- 
 ing of the arrival of such a brave body of men on his coast, 
 the embassador begged Cortez to receive this present from 
 his emperor, as a slight return for the very valuable (?) gifts 
 he had sent him on the occasion of his first visit. Having 
 delivered himself of a speech to this effect, consisting of long 
 and high-sounding words — for diplomacy was a fine art at 
 the court of Montezuma — the embassador caused some 
 mantles to be spread upon the ground and the Indians to 
 lay upon them their precious burdens. It may be justly 
 imagined that the Spaniards gazed upon these treasures in 
 open-mouthed astonishment. There were elegant works in 
 gold and silver, gems, gold carved in the shape of various 
 animals, bales of the finest cotton garments interwoven 
 with bright feathers, bows and arrows, ten collars of fine 
 gold, plumes of feathers cast in gold, panaches of green 
 and gorgeous feathers, and numberless wrought and other 
 figures in gold. The~ most glorious gifts were two great 
 disks, as large as a cart-wheel, one of gold, representing 
 the sun, the other of silver, having an engraved image of 
 the moon. And last, there was the helmet, filled, — accord- 
 
2i6 Mexico. 
 
 ing to the base suggestion of Cortez, — with glittering 
 grains of gold, thought to be of the value alone of three 
 thousand crowns ! The intrinsic value of the golden wheel, 
 without reference to its exquisite workmanship, was held to 
 be more than twenty thousand crowns ! 
 
 After these had been spread before Cortez, the Mexican 
 made another short speech, in which he spoke of the 
 pleasure it gave his king to contribute this portion of his 
 treasure as a gift to their sovereign ; at the same time, in 
 the politest manner possible, he begged them to depart 
 from the coast to the land whence they came, as soon as 
 they had recovered from the fatigues of the voyage. Cortez 
 was greatly rejoiced at the present, but mortified at this 
 refusal of permission to visit the capital, still, he kept a 
 pleasant countenance and told the embassador that he 
 should insist upon his original intention of visiting Monte- 
 zuma in person, and delivering him the message he pre- 
 tended to have from his king. Then he gave in return for 
 this magnificent tribute, which would have been a costly 
 ransom for a king, three holland shirts and a glass cup I 
 
 How Teuhtlile's lip must have curled, and with what a 
 sinking of the heart must he have reflected upon this waste 
 of treasure, sent by his generous monarch to be cast before 
 such swine as these ! 
 
 He coldly promised to send the message to Montezuma, 
 and at the end of a number of days brought his answer. 
 He this time sent more gold, ten loads of mantles and four 
 rare jewels like emeralds, each one of which was considered 
 worth a load of gold ! 
 
 This time the Aztec emperor's orders were peremptory, 
 that the strangers should not be allowed to advance 
 farther into the territory with his consent, and that all 
 intercourse with them by the natives should be sus- 
 pended. Montezuma's eyes were now open to the true 
 
Montezuma s Eyes are Operied. 21 J 
 
 character of the invaders. Gods of the air no longer were 
 they now to him. Intelligence must have reached him by 
 this time of their cruel acts in Tabasco, of their insatiable 
 lust, of their low-born manners and total lack of all gener- 
 ous feelings. These were not the attributes of gods, that 
 they displayed ! 
 
 Some of the Spanish writers would have us believe that 
 Montezuma consulted his gods, making sacrifices to them 
 of tender children, and they commanded him to repel the 
 invaders. But it seems more probable that he now saw the 
 error into which his superstition had led him, and if he 
 still believed in the coming of Quetzakoatl, he was now 
 assured that the peace-loving god would not come in the 
 guise of these bloody-minded adventurers. In his total 
 ignorance of another country than that of Mexico and its 
 contiguous territory, he was puzzled to explain their origin, 
 and hence was easily led to accept the popular tradition. 
 No, these were not the emissaries of the Feathered Serpent, 
 of the Prince of Peace ; he would have nothing further to 
 do with them. Yet his generous nature — generous in 
 great things, despite the fact that his treasure was accumu- 
 lated through the oppressions of his suffering subjects — 
 refused to let the strangers go without a show of hospitality, 
 and a gift for that monarch they pretended had sent them 
 on this mission. Hence it was that he would dismiss them 
 loaded with favors, and that he would sever all connection 
 between them and his subjects. Ill-fated, short-sighted 
 monarch ! He mistook the natures of the beings he was 
 dealing with; he had thought them at least sensible to 
 generous treatment, while they were in fact strangers to 
 every sentiment of the kind ! He had not reflected upon 
 the consequences of such a display of the wealth of his 
 kingdom upon these men whose god was gold, whose creed 
 was as bloody as that of the Aztecs in their palmiest days. 
 
2 1 8 Mexico. 
 
 In sending them this treasure he inflamed their bosoms 
 with a common sentiment, an unquenchable desire to see 
 more of this kingdom in the mountains and to put its 
 inhabitants to the sword, that they might possess them- 
 selves of its wealth. 
 
 On to Mexico ! was the cry that now passed from mouth 
 to mouth of these brave, though unprincipled men. 
 
 The following day the Spaniards found themselves in a 
 strait, for there was not an Indian remaining of all the 
 thousands that had come to them for barter and had been 
 busy supplymg them with provisions. Their bread was 
 mouldy, and their sailors were kept busy fishing in the bay 
 to keep starvation from their doors. Why did not Monte- 
 zuma pour down upon them at this time with the forces of 
 his empire ? It is very certain that had he done so he 
 could have swept them out of existence, or have driven 
 them from his coast in dismay. But Providence, says an 
 an ancient historian, " preserved them to become the in- 
 struments of his views in that new world." "We do not 
 mean," he adds, " to justify the design and conduct of the 
 conquerors, but neither can we avoid tracing in the series 
 of the conquest the destiny which prepared the ruin of that 
 empire." 
 
 Indeed, if we will look back for a moment over the 
 events that seemed to have contributed to the peculiar 
 successes of Cortez we shall almost be tempted to accept 
 these conclusions of that historian — that Cortez and his 
 cut-throats were special instruments in the hands of 
 Providence for the destruction of the empire. We have 
 already seen that the country was vexed with unpro- 
 pitious signs and omens, which had hardly disappeared 
 from the sky when the news reached the Mexican 
 court that Grijalva was upon the coast ; this eminent navi- 
 gator, by his kind and judicious treatment of the Indians, 
 
The Totonacs of Cempoalla. 219 
 
 strengthened the prevailing opinion that the next arrivals 
 were in reality the children of the God of the air. By 
 a most fortuitous accident the Spanish captive, Aguilar, 
 was rescued from the Indians of Yucatan, and thus a 
 means of communication opened with the Tabascans, and, 
 through the wonderful acquisition of Marina, with the 
 Mexicans themselves. A most astonishing series of cir- 
 cumstances had thus operated in his favor. Is it improb- 
 able that Cortez should have looked upon these events as 
 special dispensations of the Almighty in his behalf ? 
 
 Their provisions were low and of poor quality, the 
 mosquitoes were pestering them night and day, thirty or 
 forty of their number were sick from their wounds, and 
 there was a strong party, the friends and relations of 
 Velasquez in particular, who were anxious to return to 
 Cuba, and tried tD excite a mutiny against the authority 
 of Cortez. But by putting some in irons, and pacifying 
 others with gold, he won the majority over to his side, and 
 they soon chose to remain and retain him as their general, 
 independent of Velasquez. It would probably have been 
 death to Cortez to return to Cuba at this time, for he had 
 neither the favor of the governor nor of his sovereign. It 
 was while these quarrels were going on among the 
 Spaniards, snarling over their captures like wolves in a 
 sheepfold, that another of those aids in the propulsion of 
 the army towards the capital came to hand. Some Indians 
 one day approached them, and stated that they were of a 
 province subject to Montezuma, but that their cacique 
 wished to throw off his allegiance and ally himself with the 
 strangers. They were Totonacs^ who, you will remember, 
 were subjugated by the Aztecs not many years before — 
 being among the last acquisitions by the Mexican crown. 
 The cruelties and exactions of the Aztecs had turned their 
 hearts from them, for they not only demanded tribute of 
 
220 Mexico. 
 
 their wealth but a certain number of their children yearly 
 to sacrifice on the altars of Anahuac. Intrigue was 
 always welcome to the Spanish commander, and he prom- 
 ised them assistance in throwing off the Mexican yoke, and 
 to shortly visit their town of Ce7iipoalla. Meanwhile he 
 found a better location for a settlement farther north, and 
 there they removed with their ships and laid the founda- 
 tions of a city, which they called La Villa Rica de la Vera 
 Cruz — the Rich City of the True Cross, This name is 
 applied to the present city of Vera Cruz, which was subse- 
 quently removed to the situation it now occupies, at the 
 point of the first landing, opposite the island of San Juan 
 de Ulua. The first things they erected in the new city 
 were a gallows and an altar ; magistrates were created at 
 the instigation of Cortez, to whom he resigned his com- 
 mand, but was immediately re-invested with it, in the 7iame 
 of the ki?tg, for whom this colony was now planted. In 
 this way the cunning Cortez shook himself free from his 
 dependence upon Velasquez. 
 
 Then the little army marched towards Cempoalla, which 
 was several leagues from the coast ; when within a league 
 of the town they were met by some of the principal men, 
 who presented the officers with fragrant flowers, and 
 begged them to excuse their cacique from coming out to re- 
 ceive them, as he was so fat and unwieldy as to be unable 
 to do so. He sent, however, an invitation for them to 
 enter, which Cortez accepted with thanks. 
 
 This town being the first of any extent, built of hewn 
 stone and plastered with lime, that the Spaniards entered, 
 they were greatly astonished at what they saw there. One 
 of the horsemen, having penetrated to the great square, 
 came flying back at the top of his speed, and in great 
 excitement, crying out that the walls of the public buildings 
 were all of silver/ But when the army entered the centre 
 
The White-walled City. 223 
 
 of the town they found that these " silver walls " were only 
 polished plaster glistening white in the sun. They were 
 assigned quarters, the inhabitants of Cempoalla treating 
 them to fruits and flowers, baskets of plums, and bread of 
 corn. The town was so large, clean, and beautiful, with its 
 white-walled dwellings and temples, its gardens and planta- 
 tions, that the soldiers compared it with Seville, in Spain. 
 The cacique shortly waited on Cortez, dressed in rich 
 mantles and ornaments of gold, and ordered a present to 
 be made hita of gold and mantles. It did not take long to 
 find out that what the Indians had told them on the 
 sands — that these people were tired of Montezuma's 
 exactions — was perfectly true. The next day the army 
 continued its march to the shore, to a point whither the 
 vessels had preceded them, and the cacique furnished them 
 with four hundred men of burden to carry their baggage. 
 This, they had found, was a custom of the country : for every 
 cacique through whose territory a stranger passed to 
 furnish, without pay, sufficient men to convey his effects or 
 merchandise a certain distance. At a town called Chia- 
 hiiitzla^ situated upon a steep and rocky hill, about three 
 miles from the coast, the lord of that town and the lord of 
 Cempoalla held conference with Cortez as to the advisa- 
 bility of throwing off the yoke of Montezuma. Just at 
 this juncture there entered the town five Mexican nobles, 
 tribute collectors for the king, who marched proudly by 
 with a great retinue, with their noses in the air, not deigning 
 to bestow even a glance upon Cortez and his soldiers. 
 They were dressed in elegantly embroidered mantles and 
 drawers, wore their hair gathered in a shining knot at the 
 top of the head, and carried in their hands bunches of roses, 
 "which they occasionally smelled to." The lords were 
 struck with terror, and deserted Cortez, hastening to 
 prepare lodgings and cups of chocolate for the royal tax 
 
224 Mexico. 
 
 collectors. These nobles reprimanded them severely for 
 holding intercourse with the Spaniards, after their great 
 lord, Montezuma, had especially forbidden it, and demanded 
 twenty men and women to be sent to Mexico and sacrificed 
 in expiation of their offence. 
 
 The poor lords were in great trouble, so well they knew 
 what Montezuma's displeasure meant; but at the instiga- 
 tion of Cortez they threw the officers into prison and 
 whipped one that continued refractory. By this act they 
 had openly committed themselves as rebels to Montezuma, 
 which was just what the wily Cortez desired. Having got 
 the poor chief into this dilemma, he secretly liberated the 
 imprisoned officers, protesting that it was the Cempoallans 
 that had done this, that he was their friend and that of 
 their king, and sending them away with their ears full of 
 lies and in the belief that he was greatly displeased with 
 what had happened. 
 
 In the morning he manifested great displeasure at the 
 guards who had allowed the prisoners to escape, and by 
 his double dealing not only impressed the Totonacs with 
 the idea that he was going to liberate them all from the 
 thraldom of Montezuma, but the latter monarch with the 
 belief that he was acting in his interests. In truth, while 
 Cortez was stirring up rebellion and acquiring all the peo- 
 ple of the coast provinces as allies, Montezuma sent him an 
 embassy with a very rich present and thanks for his civility 
 to his officers ; but cautioning him to beware of the Totonacs, 
 whom he would soon punish as they deserved. If he had 
 but persisted in his original intention of sending a large 
 army to wipe out the Spaniards, how different might have 
 been the story of Mexico's history ! 
 
 The fat cacique, desiring to cement the friendship now 
 existing between the Spaniards and his people, desired to 
 present Cortez and his officers with eight ladies, all of the 
 
Destruction of Idols. 225 
 
 first families of the place, ornamented with gold collars and 
 earrings and attended by female slaves. These, Cortez 
 said he would accept if they would renounce their old 
 religion and be baptized into that of the Spaniards. He 
 went further even than this, and proposed to the cacique 
 the entire destruction of his gods. The cacique and the 
 priests objected and finally attempted to resist ; but the 
 Spaniards collected their forces, and about fifty of them 
 rushed up the steps of the temple and hurled down the hid- 
 eous idols contained therein. Then the priests, who had 
 charge of the temple, were shorn of their long and blood- 
 matted hair, and a cross and an image of the virgin being 
 set up in place of the other idols, they were instructed in 
 the new faith by the Reverend Father Olmedo. An old 
 soldier, lame from wounds, was appointed to reside in the 
 temple as a hermit ; the priests were taught how to make 
 wax candles, to be brought before the new image, and thus 
 this people brought out from the darkness of idolatry into 
 the light of a new religion. They were now firm allies of 
 Cortez, for they had imprisoned the officers of Montezuma, 
 and insulted his gods ; the power of the strangers alone 
 could prevent them from being exterminated. 
 
226 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE SHIPS AND MARCH INLAND. 
 
 Before the overthrow of the idols, Cortez had taken 
 measures for the founding of a city on the coast which 
 should be a strong fortress to hold the Totonacs to their 
 allegiance to him, a nucleus for a colony, a post of defence 
 for any new troops that might arrive, and a place of refuge 
 to which to retreat in case of need. It was built on a 
 plain lying at the foot of the mountain of Chiahuitzla, 
 about twelve miles north of Cempoalla. 
 
 The first vessel that ever sailed from Mexico to Spain 
 direct left this port shortly after, in command of Captain 
 Alonzo Puertocarrero and Francisco Montejo, on the six- 
 teenth of July, 15 19. It was sent by Cortez to carry 
 letters to his king, asking that he be confirmed in his ofiice 
 of general and chief magistrate, and contained the gold, 
 silver, gems and mantles, sent to him by Montezuma. Not 
 only had Cortez succeeded, by bribes and flattery, in 
 inducing the soldiers to relinquish their share of this great 
 treasure for the king, but they had written a letter, praying 
 that his royal highness would bestow upon their commander 
 those honors which the Governor of Cuba, Velasquez, was 
 entitled to by royal favor. After describing the country 
 and people they had discovered, the battles they had 
 fought, and the great service they were doing his majesty 
 in bringing these idolatrous Indians to a knowledge of the 
 true religion, the letters went on to state, "We are four 
 hundred and fifty soldiers, surrounded by hosts of enemies, 
 
The March into the Interior. 227 
 
 and ready to lay down our lives for the service of God and 
 his majesty ; and we supplicate that his majesty will not 
 bestow the government of so great and rich a country, 
 which deserves to be ruled by a great prince or lord, upon 
 any unworthy person." 
 
 Two days only after their agent had departed, a plot was 
 formed among a few of the soldiers and sailors to seize 
 one of the small vessels and escape to Cuba. It was dis- 
 covered, two soldiers were immediately hanged, the feet of 
 the pilot were cut off, and the sailors were given two 
 hundred lashes each. 
 
 Foreseeing that this was but the first of what might prove a 
 long list of desertions, Cortez came to the determination to 
 prevent all such in the future by an act so bold and despe- 
 rate as to compel the admiration of even his enemies. 
 After secretly advising with his pilots and some of his 
 soldiers he resolved to destroy his ships, and thus effectu- 
 ally prevent his men from leaving the enemy's country. 
 This was done, the vessels were run on shore, the sails, 
 anchors, rigging, etc., carefully housed in the port; and 
 thus were five hundred men left without means of escape, 
 in a country swarming with enemies whom they must 
 conquer or perish in the attempt. 
 
 There is, says an English writer, " no equal to this act 
 in history ; " it stamps these adventurers as brave men, 
 their leader as one to whom cowardice was a stranger; 
 there was not a craven in the army. 
 
 Juan de Escalante, a valiant man, was left in charge of 
 a small company, principally sailors converted into soldiers, 
 who formed the garrison of the new city, while Cortez and 
 the main army took up its march into the interior. Arrived 
 again at Cempoalla, Cortez renewed his injunctions to the 
 cacique to take good care of the cross and the image he 
 had left in the temple, and recommending Escalante and 
 
228 Mexico. 
 
 Ills companions to his protection, commenced his circuitous 
 approach to the Mexican capital. 
 
 [A. D. 15 19.] It was on the sixteenth of August that 
 Cortez set out to leave the coast finally behind him. He 
 had four hundred and fifteen Spanish infantry, sixteen 
 horses, some Totonac troops, forty nobles of that province, 
 and four hundred men of burden to carry the baggage and 
 drag the artillery. 
 
 It was mentioned at the beginning of this book, that 
 Mexico contained three well-defined zones of climate and 
 vegetation, which one might pass through on his way from 
 the coast to the great plateau where the Mexican capital 
 was situated. Along the coast it is very hot, and the cli- 
 mate is tropical — this is the tierra calie?ite, or " hot coun- 
 try ; " next, as you advance into the mountains, you enter 
 the temperate country, the tierra templada, at an eleva- 
 tion above the sea of 3,000 to 4,000 feet ; last, is the 
 cold country — tierra fria — situated above an elevation 
 of 7,000 feet. Through all these zones, with their varying 
 types of vegetation and their changes of climate, the army 
 of Cortez was to march on its way to the capital. With 
 gladness, it may be presumed, they turned their backs upon 
 the hot coast country, swarming with insects and stricken 
 with fevers, and entered the hills that led up to the vine 
 and forest-clad mountains of the tierra templada. On their 
 second day's march they reached '^Xalapa, a. place where 
 there exists to-day a town of the same name — Jalapa 
 — celebrated for its green valleys and oak-crowned hills. 
 Beyond this region, still climbing, they entered the great 
 plains, crossing some forbidding mountains, where the 
 temperature was very cold, and the soldiers, and the 
 Indians of the hot country — especially those of Cuba — 
 
 * X or J, before a vowel, always pronounced like //.• Halapa. 
 

 
 RUINS OF PAPANTLA. 
 
j 
 
 i 
 
From Coast to Table-land. 231 
 
 suffered severely. After suffering greatly from fatigue 
 they arrived at a large city called Xocotla, which contained, 
 among numerous buildings, thirteen temples and the 
 cacique's palace of stone and lime, plastered, terraced and 
 turreted. Here they heard further information of the 
 capital of Mexico, as Montezuma kept at this place a great 
 force of soldiers, and it was one of the strongest in that 
 region. The cacique told Cortez that the Aztec capital was 
 a city of great strength, being founded on an island, with 
 no passage from one house to another except by boats and 
 bridges ; the Spaniards were also informed more positively 
 and particularly of the immense wealth of Montezuma, which 
 inflamed their lust for gold to that extent that they were 
 ready to overcome every obstacle to obtain it. The 
 cacique and the Spanish general each boasted to the other 
 of the great power and grandeur of his sovereign ; and 
 Cortez foolishly demanded of the cacique, called Olintetl, 
 gold to send to his king across the sea. 
 
 "I have enough of gold," replied Olintetl, ''but cannot 
 give it without the express orders of my king ; but if he 
 orders me, I wdll not only render up my gold and all my 
 estate, but even my person." 
 
 " Then," said Cortez, " I will soon make him order you 
 to give it and all that you have." 
 
 Here a difficulty presented itself as to the route to be 
 chosen thence to Mexico. The chiefs of Xocotla recom- 
 mended that passing through Cholula, as being all the way 
 through Mexican territory ; but their allies, the Totonacs, 
 advised passing directly through Tlascala, because its 
 people were enemies of the Mexicans and likely to welcome 
 them in a friendly manner. 
 
232 Mexico. 
 
 TLASCALA AND THE TLASCALLANS. 
 
 The republic of Tlascala, to which casual reference has 
 already been made, lay nearly in the centre of Mexican 
 territory, surrounded on all sides by hostile tribes. The 
 capital city, Tlascala, was founded about a century previous 
 to that of Mexico, and the inhabitants of this territory had 
 maintained their independence from their first entrance into 
 the Mexican valley, with the first tribes that settled about 
 Lake Tezcoco, to the year of the Spanish invasion. War- 
 like and courageous, they had resisted the encroachments 
 of the Mexicans upon their territory, fighting so zealously in 
 defence of their national honor that the Aztecs had never 
 succeeded in subduing them. They were idolatrous, having 
 essentially the same gods and religious system as the Mex- 
 icans ; their arts were also the same, but their commerce 
 restricted by their foes to corn and cochineal, two products 
 of their country. From the abundance of corn on this 
 elevated region amongst the mountains it has been called 
 Tlascalafi^ or the place of bread. Ever fighting against the 
 Mexicans, ever on the alert against surprise as they were, 
 and successful in the defence of their homes, they had yet 
 been unable to check Mexican progress, or to prevent 
 themselves from being entirely surrounded and cut off from 
 the sea. Hence, not strong enough to act more than on 
 the defensive, they had been prohibited from trade with 
 other nations, and had existed for many years without 
 several articles that many people term the necessaries of 
 life. It was in the time of King Axayacatl that the Tlas- 
 calan commerce with the maritime provinces was finally 
 prohibited, and from that time the inhabitants grew accus- 
 tomed to eat their food without salt, though it is said that 
 the nobles had secret means of obtaining a supply for 
 themselves. 
 
The Republic of Tlascala. 233 
 
 The extent of the repubhc was about fifty miles by thirty ; 
 the region in which it was situated was elevated and swept 
 by cold winds, and the soil produced little else than maize 
 and maguey. 
 
 The Tlascallans were friendly to the Totonacs ; that is, 
 they were not at war with them, and they probably sympa- 
 thized with them as conquered subjects of Montezuma, 
 though unable to aid them. 
 
 Four of the Cempoallans were sent to the senate of Tlas- 
 cala with a request that permission be granted the Spanish 
 army to jDass through their territory. The embassadors 
 were received very politely, and in due time addressed the 
 senate as follows : " Most great and valiant chiefs, may the 
 gods prosper you and grant you victory over your enemies. 
 The lord of Cempoalla, and all the nation of Totonacs, 
 desire to acquaint you that from the quarters of the East 
 there are arrived in our country in large ships certain bold 
 and adventurous heroes, by the assistance of whom we are 
 now freed from the tyrannical dominion of the King of 
 Mexico. They acknowledge themselves the subjects of a 
 powerful monarch, in whose name they come to visit you, 
 to communicate intelligence to you of a true God, and 
 to assist you against your ancient and inveterate enemy. 
 Our nation, following the dictates of that strict friendship 
 which has always subsisted between it and this republic, 
 counsels you to receive those strangers as friends, who, 
 though few in number, are equal in worth to many." 
 
 Tlascala was governed by four lords or chiefs, who com- 
 posed the senate, and of these but one, Maxacatzin, seems 
 to have been in favor of admitting the strangers. The 
 others, led by the old chief, Xicotencatt, whose son was 
 commander of the armies, counselled opposition to them 
 from the very beginning. Maxacatzin had suggested that 
 these were probably the messengers sent from the god of 
 
234 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 the air, but the wise and sagacious Xicotencatl repelled 
 this insinuation with scorn. "Those men," he said, "who 
 demand entrance into our city appear to be rather monsters 
 cast up by the sea, because it could not endure them in its 
 waters, than gods descended from heaven, as some have 
 vainly imagined. Is it possible they can be gods, who so 
 greedily covet gold and pleasures ? And what should we not 
 dread from them in a country so poor as this, when we are 
 even destitute of salt ? He wrongs the honor of the nation 
 
 
 
 
 ^^,^\vfi\MVEvc^^^^u)& o;^ tiffin's 
 
 ROUTE OF CORTEZ. 
 
 who thinks it can be overcome by a handful of adventurers. 
 If they are mortal^ the arms of the Tlascallans will tell it to 
 all the regions roimd ; if they are immortal, there will always 
 be time to appease their anger by homage, and to implore 
 their mercy by repentance. Let their demand, therefore, 
 be rejected; and if they dare enter by force, let our arms 
 repel their temerity ! " 
 
 After a long and stormy debate, it was decided finally 
 to allow the strangers to enter, but at the same time to 
 
 I 
 
Cortes Reaches the Table-land. 235 
 
 have a large army in waiting to oppose their progress and 
 try their strength. This army was placed in charge of a 
 son of the old chief, Xicotencatl, of the same name, one 
 whose bravery was equal to his skill as a general, and both 
 had been tested in many a fight. " If we remain victors," 
 said one of the senators, "we will do our arms immortal 
 honor ; if we are vanquished, we will accuse the Otomies — 
 a nation on their borders — and charge them with having 
 undertaken the war without our orders." 
 
 After waiting impatiently several days Cortez (the 
 embassadors not returning) decided to advance. They 
 had marched but a few leagues when they came to a kind 
 of fortification in the shape of a high wall of stone, which, 
 it was said, had been built around their territory by the 
 Tlascallans to defend them from the Mexicans. There 
 was but one narrow passage through it, and this, though 
 generally guarded by the Otomies, allies of the Tlascallans, 
 was now — when most in need of defenders — wholly 
 unprotected. 
 
 After seriously regarding this menace in stone and 
 mortar for a while, Cortez ordered his army on, knowing 
 well that when that boundary should be passed he would 
 be in the country of an enemy entitled to more respect 
 than the weak troops of the coast. The Otomies, to whom 
 had been entrusted the keeping of the pass, soon made their 
 appearance in flying detachments, too late to prevent the 
 entrance of the Spanish army, which they might have done at 
 the wall, or have caused them fearful loss. Cortez ordered 
 some of the cavalry to pursue and make them prisoners, 
 when the reckless savages attacked them with such fury 
 that their horses were severely wounded ; they could take 
 no prisoners, and so they killed five. This was the first 
 blood shed on Tlascallan territory by order of Cortez, and it 
 was enough to account for the subsequent hostility of the 
 
236 Mexico. 
 
 Tlascallans themselves, without seeking for a cause in the 
 decision of the senate. Three or four thousand Indians 
 then set upon the cavalry, and were only driven off by the 
 aid of the musketry and artillery, leaving fifty dead upon 
 the ground. As evening drew nigh, the army found itself 
 marching over a level plain lying between the hills, with 
 farm-houses thickly set among fields of maize and maguey. 
 They halted near a brook, and the soldiers dressed their 
 wounds with the fat of dead Indians, and feasted heartily 
 upon the dogs of the Indians, which were caught as they 
 returned to the deserted houses of their masters at night. 
 
 After this battle had come off, the embassadors arrived 
 with some Tlascallans, who paid their compliments to Cortez 
 in the name of the senate, who granted his request to 
 enter their capital, and blamed the Otomies for the 
 disagreeable reception he had encountered. Cortez was too 
 well versed in intrigue himself not to understand the full 
 meaning of this message, but he sent back a grateful reply, 
 promising to avail himself of their offer and visit them in 
 their own capital. The next morning, after taking every 
 precaution against surprise, the army resumed its march. 
 They had scarcely got into marching order when they were 
 attacked by a Tlascallan squadron, with arrows, darts, and 
 stones. Cortez, having first sent three prisoners to them 
 with a message of peace, ordered a halt, but the enemy 
 would not consider his overtures, and being much annoyed 
 by their persistence, he finally gave the war-cry, " Santiago^ 
 and at them ! " Great slaughter was committed amongst 
 them by the musketry and artillery and the Tlascallans 
 retreated to some broken ground, where Xicotencatl, the 
 general-in-chief, was posted, with his army drawn up in 
 good order. 
 
 This army contained twenty or thirty thousand men, and 
 fell upon the Spaniards so savagely that they would have 
 
The Ttascatlans Settle a Doubt. 237 
 
 all been destroyed but for their armor, their artillery and 
 horses, and the exceeding great bravery with which they 
 defended themselves. During this engagement the Tlas- 
 callans settled a question that had long troubled them, and 
 that was, whether the horses, those great creatures that 
 aided the Spaniards in their battles, were mortal or 
 immortal. They settled it in just such a way as those 
 Indians of Hayti did, when they held the belief that 
 the Spaniards themselves were children of the gods and 
 could not be killed. The Haytians took a Spaniard and 
 held his head under water till he ceased to breathe, thus 
 proving conclusively that those monsters who were 
 hurrying them to torment were mortals like themselves. 
 The Tlascallans selected a single horseman in the thick of 
 the fight, and while a number of them engaged him and 
 struck him from his horse, another warrior, with a single 
 blow from his great two-handed sword, killed the animal he 
 rode. 
 
 It must have been a tremendous blow this, with that 
 wooden sword edged with flints ; but it did not cut off 
 the horse's head, as some historians have averred, for 
 that would have been impossible, with a weapon set only 
 with sharp stones, and without a continuous edge ; but it 
 killed the horse, and settled their doubts forever as to its 
 immortality ! Then these brave Indians, while the fight 
 was raging round them, and their companions were falling 
 by scores, cut the animal in pieces and sent a portion 
 to every district in Tlascala. It was a trophy worthy of 
 preservation, to be kept by their children when they should 
 have passed away ; for it was the first of those monsters 
 slain by them, and its dismembered carcass showed these 
 observant Indians that it was only a larger animal than 
 any they had in Mexico, and could easily be killed. 
 
 The Spaniards finally beat off the enemy, with a loss to 
 
23 S Mexico. 
 
 themselves of but one killed and fifteen wounded, and the 
 next day they devoted to recruiting their strength and in 
 making crossbows and arrows. By a raid upon a large 
 village, Cortez secured many fowls and dogs for food, and 
 made several prisoners. The latter he sent to Xicotencatl, 
 expostulating with him for his madness in resisting his 
 advance ; but the only reply of the fierce warrior was that 
 the Spaniards should go to Tlascala only as prisoners, 
 where their hearts and blood would be offered to the gods, 
 and that the next morning Cortez should hear from him in 
 person. 
 
 A famous duel occurred that day between a Tlascallan 
 and a Cempoallan noble, in sight of both armies ; both 
 fought with great skill, but finally the Cempoallan cut his 
 antagonist to the ground, and hacking off his head bore it 
 to the Spanish camp in triumph. Such an incident must 
 have reminded the Spaniards of the exploits of their fathers, 
 in the time of famous Ferdinand and Isabella, when Moor 
 and Christian met in mortal combat under the walls of 
 Granada. The inflexible Xicotencatl was evidently deter- 
 mined to attempt the utter destruction of the Spaniards 
 on the following day, the battles heretofore having been 
 merely skirmishes to feel the force and strength of his enemy. 
 He was now without any doubts as to their being ordinary 
 mortals like himself, for his warriors had killed, not only 
 some of the men themselves, but their horses, those 
 fierce animals that coursed so fleetly over the plain and 
 trampled upon their stoutest fighting-men. He gathered 
 his forces anew and prepared to renew the contest. Fifty 
 thousand men were ranged under his banner. As the sun 
 rose on that eventful morning it saw this large array cov- 
 ering the plain in every direction. Ten squadrons, each of 
 not less than five thousand men, each with its own particu- 
 lar banner and commanded by its own cacique, with nodding 
 
The Terrible Battle. 239 
 
 plumes and golden ornaments, were gathered in front of the 
 common standard of the republic : a golden eagle with 
 expanded wings. To show them that he meant to conquer 
 them fairly by force of arms, Prince Xicotencatl sent the 
 Spaniards a present of three hundred turkeys and two 
 hundred baskets of cakes. Soon after, two thousand of 
 his men dashed so violently upon the Spanish lines that 
 they broke through and* penetrated to the centre of the 
 camp. 
 
 The Spaniards were not blind to the danger they were to 
 be in that day ; all the preceding night they had been con- 
 fessing their sins to their reverend fathers and preparing for 
 the worst. They found themselves attacked by an enemy 
 of great energy and skill at arms, and armed with pikes, 
 lances, swords, double and triple-pointed darts, as well as 
 bows and arrows. Had it not been for discord among 
 themselves they might that day have conquered, and their 
 nation have been saved from everlasting disgrace. But 
 two of the generals — unworthy to be named in the same 
 breath with Xicotencatl — became offended at the com- 
 mander-in-chief, and withdrew their forces, remaining idle 
 spectators while their comrades engaged the Spaniards in 
 deadly combat. For hours the battle raged, the brave 
 Tlascallans filling up the terrible gaps made by the artillery 
 in their ranks so quickly as to present a solid front to their 
 foes throughout the fight, and carrying away their dead with 
 such despatch that none remained on the ground to tell the 
 tale of their losses. Fate was against the Tlascallans that 
 day; their republic, like the kingdom of the Aztecs, was 
 divided against itself ; the Spaniards conquered, not alone 
 through their indomitable valor, but owing to disaffection 
 in the Tlascallan ranks. Seventy Spaniards, and all the 
 horses, were wounded, one man killed, and all so worn 
 down with fatigue as to be unable to pursue the retiring 
 
240 Mexico. 
 
 foe. " How wretched and comfortless," wrote one of the" 
 conquerors, "was our situation after our hardships and 
 dangers ! We could not procure even oil and salt ; and 
 the cutting winds of the snow-covered mountains made us 
 shiver again." 
 
 Cortez now renewed his offers of peace to the senate, and 
 now they were half willing to listen to them. But the war 
 chief, Xicotencatl, was unwilling yet to abandon the con- 
 test ; he knew he could afford to lose a score of men for every 
 one of the Spaniards, if he could but vanquish them in the 
 end. He sent for their diviners and astrologers, who told 
 him to prepare a night attack. " These strangers," said 
 they, " being childreji of the stm, are invincible during the 
 day ; but as soon as night arrives, by want of the genial 
 heat of that luminary, they are deprived of strength to 
 defend themselves." 
 
 Accordingly the general marched upon the camp at 
 night, with ten thousand chosen warriors ; but Cortez had 
 had intimation of their coming and was ready for them, 
 giving them such a reception that they did not venture to 
 repeat a nocturnal attack. As it was moonlight, the cav- 
 alry pursued them through the cornfields, inflicting great 
 slaughter. 
 
 Then Xicotencatl was almost in despair, for not only 
 was he abandoned by half his forces with their respective 
 generals, but the senate was resolved to make peace 
 with the Spaniards. Sending him orders to desist from 
 his attacks upon them, he refused to obey, and when they 
 sent to depose him his warriors and captains resisted 
 their authority. But for the craven spirit of these coun- 
 selors, and the traitorous conduct of those generals who 
 held aloof from the fight, Tlascala might have freed her- 
 self from these creatures of prey, who later sapped her 
 life-blood ; and Montezuma, seeiiig their noble deeds, 
 
TJie Valiant Xicotencatl. 241 
 
 would have been glad to conclude with them an honorable 
 peace, for having freed his dominion from a foe so danger- 
 ous to the safety of his empire. But here again stepped 
 in inexorable fate, and decreed that the Spaniards should 
 succeed, that the Indians should themselves forge the 
 chains that their descendants were to wear for hundreds 
 of years. At last, apparently yielding to the importunities 
 of the senators — it is not the only example history offers 
 us of disaster following close upon the meddling of sen- 
 ators and congressmen with affairs of war — Xicotencatl 
 sent an embassy of fifty persons to Cortez, carrying with 
 them bread and fruit, four old women, some incense and 
 parrots' feathers. " This present," said they, " our general 
 sends you. If you are, as it is said, Teuks, and desire hu- 
 man sacrifice, here are these four women ; take their hearts 
 and blood for food ; if you are men, here are fowls, bread, 
 and fruit; if you are benignant gods, we offer you this 
 incense and these parrots' feathers." 
 
 This was seemingly an honest message enough, but the 
 Cempoallan allies told Cortez that these men were spies, 
 and only making an inspection of the camp preparatory to 
 another nocturnal attack by Xicotencatl. At their instiga- 
 tion he arrested four of them, who confessed the object of 
 their coming ; and at this he committed one of the most 
 cruel deeds of those cruel times : He caused the hands 
 of those fifty spies to lie cut ofi^, and then sent them back, 
 mutilated and bleeding, to tell their general that, come 
 when he would, by night or by day, he would find the 
 Spaniards prepared for him, and should not fail to find out 
 the metal they were made of. 
 
 The news of the continued successes of the Spaniards 
 being carried to Montezuma, he had summoned again a 
 council of the kings, and requested their advice. The 
 King of Tezcoco advised that the strangers should be 
 
242 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 courteously treated in every place through which they 
 passed, as all embassadors from one sovereign to another 
 were wont to be and entitled to according to their laws, 
 the king still preserving his supreme authority, and exact- 
 ing the respect due to the majesty of the throne. If they 
 should seem to design anything against the state, or the 
 person of the king, then force and severity should be em- 
 ployed against them. Other advice was that which had 
 proved so pernicious in the first dealings with them, name- 
 ly, to send them a rich present and request them to depart 
 from the country. Montezuma knew not what to do, for 
 he foresaw that the dread arrivals would surely form an 
 alliance with his deadly foes, the Tlascallans, unless they 
 were destroyed by them — which did not seem probable ; 
 and another cause for alarm was, the action of Ixtlilxo- 
 chitl, the disaffected Tezcocan prince, who was then at the 
 head of a formidable army at Otompan, and who medi- 
 tated an alliance with the Spaniards as soon as they should 
 emerge from Tlascallan territory. Unhappily for him, he 
 sent fresh baits for the cupidity of the Spaniards in the 
 shape of a thousand cotton garments, and a large quan- 
 tity of gold and feathers. These were in charge of six 
 embassadors, accompanied by a retinue of two hundred 
 men, who were advised to congratulate the Spaniards on 
 their victories, but at the same time to attempt to dissuade 
 them from continuing farther towards his capital. 
 
 It may be a matter of surprise that such a large embassy 
 should be allowed by the Tlascallans to treat with a per- 
 sonage in their country, but it was according to the law of 
 nations, observed by them, that the persons of embassa- 
 dors should always be sacred from harm. Cortez received 
 this embassy, with its rich presents, with greater joy than 
 he was willing the Tlascallans should perceive, for (as in 
 the instance of the messengers of Montezuma treating 
 
A Treaty of Peace. 
 
 243 
 
 with him at Cempoalla), it gave him great importance in 
 the eyes of those by whom he was surrounded, and who 
 were jealously watching these pro- 
 ceedings. He contrived to make the 
 embassadors think him still friendly 
 to Montezuma, and desirous of pun- 
 
 ishing his mveterate ene- 
 mies, the Tlascallans, and he 
 begged them to remain with 
 him till he should conclude 
 arrangements with them to 
 pass through their territory 
 secretly desiring that they 
 should witness upon what ad- 
 vantageous terms he made 
 peace with them. 
 
 Fear that the Spaniards 
 
 might make an alliance with 
 
 the Mexicans, when they would then be able combined to 
 
 sweep the Tlascallans from the face of the earth, caused 
 
 Xicotencatl to yield to the wishes of the senators and treat 
 
 VIEW IN TIERRA CALIENTE. 
 
244 Mexico. 
 
 for peace. Consequently, he soon presented himself at 
 the camp of the Spaniards, with a noble retinue clad in 
 garments of red and white, and, excusing himself for his 
 hostilities on account of the belief that Cortez was a friend 
 of Montezuma — having accepted so many valuable pres- 
 ents from him, and being accompanied by Mexican troops 
 — he now promised a firm peace and eternal alliance 
 on the part of his people. Cortez assured him that he 
 wanted nothing else, though the chief gave him but a small 
 present of gold and cotton, — apologizing for its being so 
 little on account of the poverty of his country, — and re- 
 ceived him with many demonstrations of respect. 
 
 After peace had been concluded Cortez ordered mass to 
 be celebrated ; and it may well be imagined that the 
 soldiers were ready to offer thanksgiving for the prospect 
 of a season of rest. The Mexican embassadors, who had 
 witnessed all this, now warned the Spaniards against 
 Tlascallan perfidy, but Cortez declared he was not afraid 
 of them, even in their capital, and invited the Mexicans 
 along to see how he would treat with them, and how 
 he would punish them if they should prove treacherous. 
 
Tlascala Submits to Spain. 245 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 TLASCALA, CHOLULA, AND MEXICO. 
 
 The Tlascallans never broke faith with the Spaniards, not 
 even when they had them in her power at their capital, nor 
 when, crushed and bleeding, they returned to them from their 
 disastrous defeat at Mexico. Once having made treaty with 
 them, they gave over all thoughts of revenge ; the past was 
 completely buried ; they received the conquerors into their 
 homes, gave them their sisters and daughters for wives, 
 and what gold the country afforded. This present was 
 small, because, they explained, Montezuma absorbed it all 
 as a condition by which he refrained from a war upon them 
 of extermination. Another present, the second received 
 in Tlascalla, now arrived from Montezuma, — jewels and 
 gold, dresses of cotton and beautiful feathers. 
 
 It is strange how blind that monarch was to the actual 
 consequences of such an exhibition of his wealth ; while he 
 thought to bribe the conquerors to retire, he was only offer- 
 ing stronger inducements for them to advance. It was only 
 the burning desire to witness for themselves the source of 
 all this wonderful wealth that urged them on ; but for that, 
 Cortez would long before have been left alone. 
 
 The aged senators came out to meet him, in hammocks 
 and litters, and ratified the aUiance ; they acknowledged 
 themselves as vassals to the King of Spain ; a fact very 
 gratifying to Cortez, and humiliating to them, as they had 
 maintained their independence, as a people, from time 
 immemorial. 
 
246 Mexico. 
 
 At the entrance to the city, which the soldiers said would 
 compare favorably with Granada at the time of its capture 
 from the Moors, they were received by a crowd of near one 
 hundred thousand people. Arches of flowers were sprung 
 across the streets by the inhabitants, who gave flowers to 
 the soldiers and hung garlands upon the necks of the 
 horses. 
 
 [A. D. 1519.] This day of music and rejoicing was the 
 twenty-third of September, a day celebrated even in 
 modern times by the people of Tlascala. The officers 
 and troops were assigned quarters, each man being given a 
 bed of nequen, or aloe-fibre, to sleep on. Not yet fully 
 satisfied as to the good faith of the Tlascallans, Cortez kept 
 his men under arms, keeping watch at night, and sentinels 
 at the doorways and on the parapets ; and when the senate 
 complained of their lack of faith in their good intentions 
 the general told them it was the custom of his country, and 
 they were satisfied. Many of the cotton garments pre- 
 sented by Montezuma were given by Cortez to the Tlas- 
 callan chiefs, for, through poverty, they yet wore dresses of 
 neqiieii, cotton being a coast product, and jDrohibited. 
 
 With all his powers of persuasion, Cortez could not 
 induce these people to turn from their idols, who, they 
 said, gave them rain, and victories over their enemies. 
 He showed them a "beauteous image of our Lady," 
 but, though they promised to respect her, they could not be 
 induced to abandon their other gods in her favor. 
 
 THE HOLY CITY. 
 
 The Tlascallans so far yielded to the advice of Cortez as 
 to break the wooden cages in which they confined prisoners 
 destined for sacrifice, to set these wretches free, and 
 promise to desist from this horrid practice in the future. 
 They strongly advised him not to advance any farther, but 
 
Departure from Tlascala. 247 
 
 to settle amongst them with his troops, and they gave him 
 and his officers some of the noblest Indian women as 
 wives, in order to strengthen the alliance between them. 
 They cautioned him against the people of Cholula, their 
 next neighbors, who had formerly been allies of theirs, but 
 who, by a detestable act of treachery, had won their undying 
 hate, and were now subjects, or allies, of Montezuma. 
 There were two roads to the Mexican capital, the most 
 direct was through the country of the Huexotzincos, who 
 had already sent in their allegiance to the King of Spain ; 
 the other through the district of Cholula, the residence of 
 the priests of Quetzalcoatl. The embassadors of Monte- 
 zuma advised them to go by the way of Cholula, because, 
 though the route was longer, they could perform the 
 journey with less discomfort. Cortez sent to ask the 
 Cholulans why they had not offered their congratulations 
 on his arrival, and they returned reply that they feared the 
 Tlascallans, who were a base and treacherous peojple, but 
 that they now acknowledged themselves vassals of his 
 king, and hoped he would pay them a visit. 
 
 Four of the principal nobility of the Mexican court now 
 arrived, with more gold and more mantles, amounting to 
 ten thousand crowns' value of the former, and ten bales of 
 the latter. Montezuma had now changed his policy, 
 probably seeing that the Spaniards were determined to ad- 
 vance at all odds, and thinking perhaps that it would be 
 better to receive them as friends than to allow them to 
 league themselves with his enemies, the Tlascallans. He 
 sent to them, saying that he " wondered at their staying 
 amongst a people so poor and base as the Tlascallans, who 
 were robbers, and unfit even for slaves," and then invited 
 to his capital. 
 
 When the Tlascallans saw that Cortez would go to Mex- 
 ico, and through the district of Cholula, they raised an 
 
248 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 army of fifty thousand men, foreseeing, no doubt, an oppor- 
 tunity for revenge upon the Chokilans for past offences. 
 Cortez would accept of only six thousand, and even these, 
 when he approached the city of Cholula, were obliged to 
 encamp outside upon the plain. 
 
 The holy city of the priests was eighteen miles distant 
 from Tlascala, and about sixty from Mexico, situated (as 
 now) in the centre of a beautiful and highly-cultivated plain. 
 It was very populous, containing, according to Cortez 
 himself, who described it in one of his letters, above forty 
 
 CHOI.ULA. 
 
 thousand houses. It was celebrated for its commerce and 
 its manufactures of cotton and pottery. Famous above all, 
 was it, as the site of the holy pyramid of Qiietzalcoatl, 
 which towered above the plain and supported the sanctuary 
 of that divinity, who (it will be seen, by referring to Chap. 
 II.), dwelt here many years prior to his final departure 
 from Anahuac. The city was full of temples and priests, 
 and the latter came out to meet them, fumigated them with 
 incense, and welcomed them to their houses, except their 
 enemies, the Tlascallans, whom thev insisted should camp 
 
The Massacre at Cholula. 249 
 
 outside. Cortez could not object to this, and his alHes 
 were hutted on the plain, while he and his soldiers were 
 provided with lodgings in the city. These people gave in 
 their allegiance to Cortez without hesitation, but refused to 
 abandon their ancient religion, which was the oldest in the 
 country — that of the Toltecs themselves — and had not the 
 repulsive features of that of the Aztecs and Tlascallans. 
 In fact, it was far superior to that of the Spaniards them- 
 selves : it required milder sacrifices, and less bloody deeds 
 were committed in its name. 
 
 Now we come to chronicle a deed, the commjttal of 
 which forever stamps this abandoned crew as the basest, 
 most depraved body of adventurers that ever collected itself 
 together for plunder and murder. Cortez had, or thought 
 he had, just suspicions of treachery on the part of the 
 Cholulans ; his allies charged them with it, asserting that 
 Montezuma had secretly sent an army of twenty thousand 
 men to Cholula, and that the people, at a favorable moment, 
 were to rise and massacre every man of the Spanish army. 
 The mistress of Cortez, the faithful Marina, whom he had 
 obtained at Tabasco, pretended that one of the ladies of 
 Cholula had confided to her this fact. The Cempoallan 
 allies, who still continued with Cortez, said they had 
 observed the Cholulans digging pits in the streets for the 
 disabling of the horses, and some of the Tlascallans came 
 in with the news that the women and children were fleeing 
 to the mountains. 
 
 The provisions failed about this time, and only wood and 
 water were furnished by the authorities. Calling a consul- 
 tation of his officers, Cortez asked their opinion, but still 
 held to his own, which agreed with his inclination : to put 
 every man in the city to the sword. He gave out that he 
 would depart on the following day, and secretly sent word to 
 the Tlascallans t-o storm the city at sunrise and to kill every 
 
250. Mexico. 
 
 man they met. Two of the priests were said to have con- 
 fessed that Montezuma had notice from his gods that the 
 Spaniards were to be dehvered into tlieir power at Cholula 
 to be sacrificed, and an old woman had confessed to Marina 
 that her husband, who was a chief, had received from 
 Mexico a present of a golden drum, and that many other 
 presents had been distributed among the chiefs and gen- 
 erals. Next morning, as the nobles assembled to super- 
 intend the removal of the baggage of the Spanish army, 
 and the men of burden were preparing to take up their 
 loads, Cortez ordered the great gates of the court to be 
 closed. There were already assembled in the courts of the 
 immense building in which the Spaniards were lodged, a 
 multitude of people, comprising the flower of Cholulan 
 nobility. After addressing these people, informing them 
 that he knew they were preparing to sacrifice his soldiers, 
 that he knew they had pots already boiling, and seasoning 
 of salt and tomatoes ready for the preparation of their 
 flesh, he ordered his soldiers to fall upon the defenceless 
 crowd. The signal was given by the discharge of a musket ; 
 then all those ferocious villains fell upon the Cholulans 
 and slaughtered them without mercy. Not one was left 
 alive ; blood flowed in streams, and the groans and cries 
 of the dying rent the air. When all these hundreds 
 had been put to death, the savage Spaniards sallied into 
 the streets, and, together with the fierce Tlascallans, 
 rushed like famished tigers upon the Cholulans. Fire 
 added to the sword in sweeping the city clear of people, 
 and in a short time over six thousand inhabitants had died 
 most miserable deaths. 
 
 And all this had been done in revenge for a fancied 
 slight ! There was no necessity for the passing of the 
 Spanish army this way ; in fact, the other was the shorter 
 road. There was no demand for such a wholesale mas- 
 
The Spaniards leave. Chohila. 251 
 
 sacre ; there was no certain proof that such was intended 
 against the Spaniards. Even had the Cholulans neglected 
 to supply the army with provisions, they were certainly en-- 
 titled to excuse on the ground that Cortez had forced him- 
 self upon them, and had marched to their city with their 
 deadliest enemies, whom they had every reason to hate. 
 Viewed from any standpoint, this massacre was unjustifi- 
 able ; yet when the wretched inhabitants — such as had been 
 saved from the fury of the Tlascallans, and the equally 
 savage Spaniards — came creeping back to the smoldering 
 ruins of their homes, Cortez made as though he were the 
 aggrieved one and these miserable women and children 
 the real offenders ! 
 
 Some of the nobles had been spared, and these begged 
 of him to allow the women and children to return to the 
 city after the massacre was over, for they were wandering 
 in terror and dismay in the mountains. What heart- 
 rending scenes might then have been witnessed, as these 
 helpless innocents groped through the ruins of their once 
 beautiful city in search of fathers, sons, and brothers, 
 greeted by the groans of the dying and the insulting taunts 
 of the victors ! The soldiers took a great quantity of 
 booty, gems, gold and silver, while the Tlascallans seized 
 the cotton, feathers, and salt ; they also made many slaves. 
 
 Nothing more is heard of the army of twenty thousand 
 men that was said to have been sent by Montezuma, and 
 it is thought by many to have existed solely in the imagina- 
 tion of the Spaniards. After passing fourteen days in and 
 about Cholula, Cortez prepared to continue his march to 
 Mexico. He had sent a full account of proceedings to 
 Montezuma, giving his own story, but affecting to believe 
 that the Mexican monarch had nothing to do with it, and 
 the king had sent him another large present, congratulating 
 him on his victory. Whether there was treachery on the 
 
252 Mexico. 
 
 part of Montezuma, at whose instigation the Cholulans 
 were to rise upon and sacrifice the Spaniards, or not, seems 
 never to have been fully proven. It seems more in ac- 
 cordance with what we know of Cortez and his band to 
 believe that there was no treachery intended, except by the 
 Spaniards themselves, and the massacre was committed in 
 order to strike terror into the hearts of all the inhabitants 
 of the Mexican valle}^, and to secure the rich booty that 
 would fall to the share of the victors. 
 
 The Spanish army at last moved out of Cholula, leaving 
 behind them woe and ruin, tears, wounds, death, and lam- 
 entation, as they did at Tabasco, and, turning their backs 
 upon the fertile plains, commenced to climb the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 Between them and the central valley of Mexico lay only 
 a ridge of mountains, but a ridge containing two of the 
 highest peaks in North America, which rose directly before 
 them. Popocatapetl was the name of the highest peak, 
 which, rising to a height of nearly 18,000 feet, had its sum- 
 mit always covered with snow. Popocatapetl is an Indian 
 name, and signifies the " hill that smokes," because it is a 
 volcano, and within the memory of the Indians had belched 
 out smoke and even ashes. A few miles away from this 
 volcano rose another, a long, broken ridge covered with 
 snow, and called Iztaccihuatl — or " the woman in white ; " 
 named by the Spaniards, La Miijer Blanca — which signi- 
 fies the same thing. This name had been given to it on 
 account of its shape, which has a fancied resemblance to a 
 great, dead giantess, robed in snowy white. Between these 
 giant mountains ran the trail to Mexico, and from their 
 western slopes the Spaniards first caught sight of the Aztec 
 city, which, though near sixty miles away, could be seen 
 glimmering in the sunlight like a fairy creation of pyra- 
 mids and palaces. 
 
VOLCANOES AS SEEN FROM MEXICO. 
 
The Valley of Mexico, 255 
 
 If Montezuma had really intended harm to the Spanish 
 army this would have been the place, in this gap, where 
 he would, beyond all doubt, have attacked them. For the 
 trail ascends to a height of nearly 14,000 feet, where the 
 winds are of chilling temperature, and the roads wind 
 through great black forests of pine and hemlock, where an 
 Aztec army would have every advantage for an ambus- 
 cade. They found nothing to prevent their ascent and 
 descent, except trees felled to obstruct their passage, and 
 another day found them within the limits of the valley of 
 Anahuac, with their goal in sight, at intervals, from the 
 higher hills. 
 
 At Cholula, previous to leaving it behind him, Cortez had 
 dismissed the Cempoallans and had accepted from the 
 Tlascallans a thousand men to carry his baggage and draw 
 the artillery. He might have had ten thousand had he so 
 chosen, but that great number it would not have been 
 policy to carry into Montezuma's kingdom on an errand 
 of peace. The Cempoallans returned to their homes ; 
 and we do not know that they ever received a reward for 
 their inestimable services ; they fell, with the rest of the 
 Indian nations, under Spanish dominion, and to-day you 
 cannot find their city, save perhaps a stone or two of its 
 ruins. Many of them, and likewise all the Indians brought 
 from Cuba, perished of cold and privation when they 
 reached the cold altitudes of the table-lands. 
 
 The feelings of the conquerors, as they caught sight of 
 the royal city, situated in the centre of that vast valley^ 
 the hills, plains, mountains, even the lakes, dotted with 
 cities and villages, all exhibiting tokens of wealth and 
 power, must have been indescribable. To the first feeling 
 of exhilaration, consequent upon gazing upon such a 
 glorious scene, must have succeeded gloomy reflections 
 upon their own position in this powerful kingdom, sur- 
 
256 Mexico. 
 
 rounded on every side by enemies. Had not their bravery 
 been equal to their depravity, they would have turned about 
 for Vera Cruz then and there. But some undefined 
 impulse urged them on ; the magneit that drew them was 
 perhaps the gold of Montezuma, for which they were ready 
 to sell their souls. 
 
 On the western slope of the mountains, more embassadors 
 met Cortez with another present from Montezuma, and 
 with earnest entreaties that he would reconsider his deter- 
 mination and desist from marching upon Mexico. He 
 promised, if they would return, to send a great treasure of 
 gold and jewels for the King of Spain, four loads of gold 
 for Cortez himself, and a load for each of the soldiers. 
 This would have amounted to millions of dollars, for a load 
 was ^<d^\N2\Q.VLl\.Q) fifty pounds I Cortez courteously thanked 
 the embassadors, but said that nothing could now turn him 
 from his mission when so near the royal residence. 
 
 On the second day they passed through Amecameca and 
 Tlalmanalco, two towns that yet exist as thriving settle- 
 ments. Either in the last named place, or at Chalco — so 
 celebrated in the aboriginal history of Mexico — they were 
 met by the King of Tezcoco, Cacamatzifi, who had come 
 by request of Montezuma, to make a last appeal to Cortez 
 to return whence he came. He was borne in a magnificent 
 litter, and adorned with gold and feathers, and when he 
 alighted his lords went before him and swept the ground 
 over which -he was to pass. After an interchange of 
 presents, the king preferred his request, and Cortez 
 answered it as he had the others. 
 
 " If this is so," said the king on taking leave ; " if you 
 are determined to go on, we will see each other at court." 
 
 And they did see each other at court, not many months 
 later, when the Spaniard received the king as a prisoner, 
 by the orders of Montezuma himself. 
 
Ixtlilxochitl Meets Cortez. 
 
 257 
 
 The army skirted the south-eastern shore of Lake Chalco, 
 and at a town called Ayocingo (at this day existing), where 
 was a harbor for the canoes of the merchants, they entered 
 a causeway that led to a small island. Here was a city 
 known as Cuitlahuac (to-day Tlahuac)^ which was thought 
 by the Spaniards to be the most beautiful they had ever 
 seen. Another causeway led across the lake to the north, 
 and over this the army marched to Iztapalapan — to-day, 
 called Ixtapalapa — where they saw palaces built of stone, 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 .^i^r 
 
 s-*- si 
 
 
 A mecameca *'^J^^^\v"/ 
 
 ^^- '^l 
 
 with massive cedar beams, lovely gardens of flowers, and 
 ponds of clear water. Here also they saw those wonderful 
 " floating gardens " for the first time, and were struck with 
 astonishment at the many works of art and evidences of 
 taste and refinement. 
 
 Here the rebellious Tezcocan prince, Ixtlilxochitl, with 
 a portion of his army, met them and tendered his services 
 to the Spanish crown, offering to join forces with Cortez if 
 
258 Mexico. 
 
 he would attack the Mexican king. He was quieted for a 
 while with a diplomatic answer, and went back to his 
 mountain capital to nurse his wrath till the time arrived 
 for action. 
 
 Great crowds, that continually increased, now obstructed 
 the way ; curiosity alone moved them to inspect these stran- 
 gers, for they were the first that had ever entered their 
 territory. 
 
 What a sight they must have been to those Indians, these 
 mailed men, with their glittering armor, flashing swords and 
 helmets, their terrible aids, the horses, and their artillery ! 
 Sternly they marched along, with solid front and close 
 ranks, the tramp of their iron heels ringing ominously upon 
 the stone causeway. 
 
 The Spaniards were not less amazed at what they saw 
 than the Indians. Here is a description by one of them : 
 " When we beheld the number of populous towns on the 
 water and firm ground, and that broad causeway running 
 straight and level to the city, we could compare it to noth- 
 ing but the enchanted scenes we had read of in Amadis of 
 Gaul, from the great towers and temples and other edifices 
 of lime and stone which seemed to rise out of the water. 
 To many of us it appeared doubtful whether we were asleep 
 or awake ; nor is the manner in which I express myself to 
 be wondered at, for it must be considered that never yet 
 did man see, hear, or dream of anything equal to the spec- 
 tacle which appeared to our eyes on this day ! " 
 
 From the beautiful city of Iztapalapa, which was situated 
 on a peninsula between the fresh-water lake of Chalco and 
 the great salt-water lake of Tezcoco, a road led to Mexical- 
 cingo — yet to be found on the map of Mexico — and thence 
 it was straight away to the capital. 
 
In the Aztec Stronghold. 259 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 IN THE AZTEC STRONGHOLD. 
 
 [A. D. 1 5 19.] The city of Mexico, built on an island 
 in Lake Tezcoco, was connected with the mainland by four 
 causeways of stone. That by which Cortez approached, six 
 miles in length, commenced at Mexicalcingo, and, crossing 
 the lake to the island, was prolonged on the north to 
 Tepeyacac, where is now the shrine of Guadalupe ; another 
 ran nearly west, and the fourth, which supported an aque- 
 duct, terminated at Chapultepec. All centred in the great 
 square of the city, from which branched other streets and 
 canals, or streets one-half water and the other half solid 
 earth. All these causeways were intersected by broad 
 ditches to allow passage to the water of the lake, crossed 
 by wooden bridges that could be easily raised, and thus 
 cut off the retreat of an enemy brave enough to advance 
 over them. 
 
 The grand causeway was eight yards wide, and ran 
 straight to Mexico. In good order, the Spaniards marched 
 over it between the assembled thousands of Indians. At 
 about a mile from the city this causeway was joined by 
 another from the town of Coyoacan, and at their juncture 
 was a small, though strong, fortress, with walls ten feet 
 high, battlements, two entrances, and a drawbridge. This 
 point was called Xoloc, and was occupied by Cortez in the 
 following year as his military headquarters, whence he 
 directed the siege of the city. The army halted here, and 
 waited, until more than a thousand Mexican nobles had 
 
26o Mexico. 
 
 passed by and saluted the general. As this salute con- 
 sisted of a low bow, touching the earth with the hand and 
 then kissing it, the halt was a very long one. An hour or 
 two later the army moved on, and just as the city limxits 
 were reached they were informed that the great Monte- 
 zuma was approaching. They halted and Cortez dis- 
 mounted from his horse. The monarch appeared, borne in 
 a litter upon the shoulders of four nobles, while , others 
 carried golden rods in front to indicate his coming. The 
 litter was covered with plates of gold, its canopy orna- 
 mented with green feathers, gold, and pendants of precious 
 stones. Supported upon the arms of two of his principal 
 lords, Montezuma, having alighted from the litter, advanced 
 to meet Cortez. He wore upon his head a golden crown, 
 rich mantles, worked with gold and jewels, hung from his 
 shoulders, and upon his feet were golden sandals, tied with 
 strings of leather ornamented with gems. 
 
 As they met, Cortez threw upon his neck a string of glass 
 beads, and would have embraced him had not the lords in 
 attendance interposed. Montezuma made a short speech of 
 welcome, and in return for the glass beads gave the auda- 
 cious stranger two necklaces of mother-of-pearl, hung with 
 beautiful crayfish of gold. Having then given orders to 
 his brother. Prince Cuitlahiiatzin^ to conduct Cortez and 
 his army to the palace provided for them, he returned to 
 the city with the King of Tezcoco. The entire populace 
 had been drawn out to observe this extraordinary spectacle. 
 As Montezuma passed, attended by his nobles, they crowded 
 close to the walls, not daring even to lift up their eyes. 
 
 On the western side of the great square, which contained 
 the holy pyramid and the temples and altars to their 
 various gods, stood the palace of Axayacatl, father of 
 Montezuma. Into this immense building, which contained 
 ample room for them all, not less than seven thousand in 
 
MEETING OF CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA. 
 
Cortez Visits Montezuma s Palace. 263 
 
 number, the Spanish army was conducted. Montezuma 
 and his nobles stood waiting for them at the gate, and, 
 when they had arrived, took Cortez graciously by the hand 
 and showed him his apartment, at the same time placing a 
 valuable collar of gold about his neck. The walls were 
 hung with tapestry of cotton with golden fringe, mats 
 of rushes and palm leaves covered the floors, low seats of 
 wood were provided as chairs, and everything in and about 
 the palace was neat and clean. Then giving orders to his 
 officers to prepare provisions and refreshments for his 
 weary guests, Montezuma said to Cortez, '' You are now 
 in your own house," and withdrew, leaving the Spaniards 
 arnazed at the magnificence of their surroundings and 
 the munificence of the emperor. 
 
 After the grim and battered warriors had filed in, with 
 their Indian allies and attendants, Cortez planted cannon 
 to defend the gate, distributed guards about the parapets, 
 and then, having placed himself in a posture of defence, 
 fired a salute from the cannon, in order to terrify the Mexi- 
 cans and to express their triumph in having at last reached 
 the goal of their desires. 
 
 This memorable day, the eighth of November, 15 19, 
 seven months after their arrival on the Mexican coast, was 
 terminated by a banquet, at which the nobles served them, 
 and distributed to officers and soldiers abundance of 
 such as the land produced 
 
 The following day, Cortez, attended by five of his 
 captains, paid a visit to Montezuma in his own palace, 
 which was reached by crossing the great square. They 
 were graciously received by the lords-in-waiting, and, after 
 having been required to cover their garments with coarse 
 wrappers and to put olf their shoes, they were admitted 
 into the royal presence. Montezuma put many questions 
 to them about their country of Spain and its government, 
 
264 Mexico. 
 
 and finally Cortez drew the conversation upon religion, 
 which he explained to the king, was the real object of his 
 embassy. He drew a touching jDicture of the concern of 
 the King of Spain — a monarch who sanctioned the burn- 
 ing of heretics in his own dominions — for the souls of the 
 inhabitants of Mexico. He told him — what was utterly 
 false — that this great monarch had such deep sympathy 
 for them, and was so desirous of leading them away from 
 the worship of idols, that would only destroy their souls, 
 that he had despatched him on his mission. Montezuma 
 made a reply, in substance the same as that given by the 
 Tlascallans to a similar request that they should abandon 
 their idols : that their gods were good enough for them, that 
 they gave them sun, and rain, and victories ; he desired 
 Cortez to say no more on the subject. This interview 
 ended with another present from Montezuma to the 
 Spaniards : to the general he gave a large quantity of 
 golden ornaments, to each of the captains three loads of 
 mantles, and to each soldier two loads of these valuable 
 articles, richly wrought. He was so generous and affable 
 that he won the heart of every soldier, and if he entertained 
 any designs against them he well concealed his feelings 
 beneath an appearance of content, even of gayety. 
 
 " He was at this time about forty years of age, of good 
 height, and well-proportioned, with a complexion much 
 fairer than that of the Indians in general, wearing short 
 black hair, and a very thin beard. His countenance was 
 pleasing, and gravity and good humor blended together 
 when he spoke." His clothing was often changed, as he 
 was cleanly in his habits, and bathed frequently ; and a 
 garment having been once worn, was not put on again for 
 four days after. A thousand people comprised his house- 
 hold. " His cooks had upwards of thirty different ways of 
 dressing meats, and had earthen vessels so contrived as to 
 
Mofitezumd s Capital, 265 
 
 keep them always hot. For the table of Montezuma him- 
 self, above three hundred dishes were prepared, and for his 
 guards above a thousand ; the ordinary meats were pheas- 
 ants, geese, quails, venison, peccaries, pigeons, hares and 
 rabbits, with many other animals and birds peculiar to the 
 country. Torches of aromatic wood gave light in winter ; 
 the table was covered with snowy cloths and napkins, and 
 four beautiful women presented him with water for his hands 
 in vessels which they called Xicales — or calabashes. A 
 screen was placed before him when he ate, to shield him 
 from the gaze of the vulgar, and four ancient noblemen 
 stood near the throne at this time, to whom Montezuma 
 occasionally presented a plate of food, which they ate with 
 every token of humility. Fruit of every kind was placed 
 before him, and from time to time he drank a little foaming 
 chocolate, which was presented him in golden cups. Some- 
 times he had singers and dancers to amuse him, as well as 
 deformed and hump-backed dwarfs, acrobats, and jesters. 
 After he had dined, four female attendants brought him 
 water with which to wash his hands, and then they presented 
 him with three little canes, highly ornamented, containing 
 liquidamber mixed with tobacco ; and when he had sufficiently 
 viewed and heard the singers, dancers, and buffoons, 
 he took a little of the smoke of one of these canes, and then 
 laid himself down to sleep ; and thus his principal meal 
 was concluded." 
 
 About the great square in the centre of the city were 
 grouped all the principal buildings ; within it were the tem- 
 ples, the largest of which was the holy pyramid — the teo- 
 calli — (already described in Chap. III.) and various others. 
 There was one like an immense serpe7it,\^\{\Qk\. Bernal Diaz, 
 oae of the conquerors, said he could never pass without 
 comparing it with the infernal regions, for at the door " stood 
 frightful idols ; by it was a place for sacrifice, and within it 
 
266 Mexico, 
 
 boilers and pots full of water to dress the flesh of the vic- 
 tims, which was eaten by the priests. The idols were like 
 serpents and devils, and before them were tables and knives 
 for sacrifice, the place being covered with the blood which 
 was spilled on those occasions." 
 
 Near this temple was another, full of bones, and skulls 
 and skeletons, piled in heaps and laid in rows. The dwell- 
 ings of the priests, the colleges and nunneries, were 
 within the vast enclosure also. The great wall which 
 surrounded it had four gates, above which were places for 
 the collection of the royal arms. In the Place of Skulls, 
 these ghastly emblems were symmetrically arranged,, and 
 when one dropped from its place, owing to decay, it was 
 replaced by a fresh one. Some of the conquerors declared 
 that they counted the skulls preserved* in this horrible place, 
 and that there were one hundred and thirty-six thousand ! 
 
 The favorite palace of Montezuma was built of stone, 
 whitened with lime, and bad twenty doors opening into the 
 public square. It contained more than a hundred chambers, 
 three great courts adorned with fountains and gardens, and 
 apartments finished in jasper and marble. One of these 
 halls was so large that it would hold, according to credible 
 testimony, three thousand persons. Upon the roof of some 
 of the buildings, some of the Spanish officers declared, there 
 was ample room for a tournament ! These roofs were flat, 
 and sometimes with battlements ; the houses were of stone, 
 one and two stories in height, sometimes roofed with stone 
 and sometimes with thatch ; but all with immense beams 
 of cedar and cypress. Two great houses about the central 
 square were devoted to the animals of the kingdom, and 
 contained every variety of bird and beast it was possible to 
 obtain, even snakes and alligators. The birds alone 
 demanded three hundred men for their daily care, and they 
 had physicians also, who carefully noted their diseases and 
 
Cortez Ascends the Pyj'-ainid. 267 
 
 prescribed for them. Strong wooden cages contained 
 pumas, jaguars, wolves and wild-cats, to whom, it was said, 
 were thrown the bodies of the sacrificed victims, after the 
 limbs had been reserved for the table of the priests. Out- 
 side of the city there were woods, in which the emperor 
 hunted, and gardens and groves in which he delighted to 
 ramble, supplied with canals of running water, fountains 
 and springs, like those of Chapultepec, which exist to this 
 day. 
 
 About this vast square, also, were the palaces of the 
 nobles and the lords of distant provinces, who were obliged 
 to reside here a portion of their time ; the royal arsenal, 
 full of every kind of aboriginal weapons, shields, and 
 helmets ; in fact, all the public buildings and residences of 
 Mexico's greatest men were here. There Avere other 
 squares and market-places, temples and towers, scattered 
 all over the city, so that it was a most magnificent city to 
 behold, and one to convey to a stranger an idea of vast 
 wealth and power. No wonder that the Indians of the 
 mountains were impressed with a sense of its grandeur, 
 and thought the King Montezuma to be the mightiest 
 potentate on the face of the earth ! 
 
 One day, Cortez ascended to the top of the great pyramid, 
 and there Montezuma met him and pointed out to him the 
 notable places in the valley and the chief buildings in his 
 city. Here the Spaniard saw that grim old idol, Huitzil- 
 opochtli, with human hearts smoking before him on some 
 coals, and other idols to which the Aztecs had been sacri- 
 ficing for a hundred years and more. Cortez attempted to 
 reason with Montezuma upon the folly and wickedness of 
 worshipping such hideous images : " I wonder," said he, 
 "that a monarch so wise as you are can adore as gods 
 those abominable figures of the devil." This he said half 
 in jest, but Montezuma, — to whom they seemed as really 
 
268 Mexico. 
 
 gods as the image of the Virgin to Cortez, — was shocked 
 and grieved, and repUed sadly : " If I had known that you 
 ^vould have spoken disrespectfully of my gods, I should 
 not have yielded to your request to visit the platform of 
 the temple. Go now to your quarters, go in peace, while 
 I remain to appease the anger of our gods, which you have 
 provoked by your blasphemy." 
 
 The king was more liberal in his views than Cortez, for 
 he allowed him to build an adoratory for his own god, and 
 even gave him workmen and material for the purpose. 
 Soon after, he gave him and his soldiers more presents ; 
 great pieces of gold for Cortez, ten loads of fine mantles 
 for him and his captains, and to every soldier two loads of 
 mantles and two collars of gold. 
 
 In a shoi;J; time, the Spaniards had visited the greater 
 portion of the city — the people paying no particular atten- 
 tion to them after their first curiosity had been gratified, 
 so well-bred were they — they had visited the great market- 
 place where all the productions and commodities of the 
 kingdom were gathered for sale, the courts of justice, and 
 the temples. 
 
 It was in looking for a niche in which to place their holy 
 emblem of the cross, that the Spaniards found the de- 
 pository of Montezuma's treasure ! They broke through a 
 wall in one of the apartments and there saw " riches without 
 end ; " a vast quantity of works of gold, gems, gorgeous 
 feathers and fabrics, silver and jewels. The secret soon 
 leaked out, and all the soldiers had a glimpse of the royal 
 treasure, which had been accumulated during the lifetime 
 of Axayacatl, father of Montezuma. It was left untouched 
 for a more convenient time, and the wall closed up. " I 
 was then a young man," wrote the conqueror, Diaz, " and 
 I thought that if all the treasures of the earth had been 
 brought into one place they could not have amounted to 
 so much." 
 
Base higratitude. 269 
 
 A week had elapsed, the Spaniards had tired of sight- 
 seeing, their allies longed for active work in the field, their 
 cupidity was aroused by the sight of so much treasure : they 
 longed to get it into their possession ; in short, they were 
 getting restless and were desirous of an opportunity for 
 departure. But how could they do this without exciting the 
 fears of the multitude by whom they were surrounded, and 
 causing them to rush upon and massacre them in the 
 streets ? The past days and nights had been to Cortez full 
 of anxious thought. He had placed himself in a predica- 
 ment from which he saw no escape except by artful strategy ; 
 he had played a deep game, he could win only by bold moves. 
 At last he thought he saw an opening out of the difficulty ; 
 if he could get the emperor into his power he might then be 
 able either to retreat with honor, or to stay in comparative 
 safety. But how could they do this ? He had given them 
 no pretext for seizing his person, he had not shown by word 
 or deed that he bore them aught but the best of feeling ; 
 he had treated them like princes — they, the offscourings 
 of Spain ; had enriched them, petted and caressed them. Yet 
 they could not believe but that he meditated evil ; they 
 judged his nature by their own ; they knew what they 
 would do had affairs been reversed, and had they been the 
 rulers of his kingdom and he and his nobles their guests — 
 they would have burnt him as an idolater within twenty- 
 four hours of his coming ! 
 
 Now, history has not shown that Montezuma intended 
 to deal by them treacherously, even though the events of 
 that time were recorded by men belonging to the nation of 
 the conquerors themselves ; yet, forgetting all his generous 
 treatment of them, they resolved to seize him, hold him 
 prisoner, and, if necessary, kill him ! A pretext was found 
 in an outbreak, in one of Montezuma's provinces on the 
 coast, against the Spaniards left in garrison at Vera Cruz. 
 
2/0 Mexico. 
 
 Qiietzalpopoca, lord of a province contiguous to the Toto- 
 nacs, had undertaken to bring the latter people under sub- 
 jection. The Spanish garrison had gone to the assistance 
 of the Totonacs, but, though they defeated Quetzalpopoca, 
 had lost six or seven soldiers, and among them their gov- 
 ernor, Juan de Escalante. One of the soldiers, who had 
 an enormous beard and fierce visage, was sent as a pris- 
 oner to Montezuma, but, having died on the way, his head 
 was cut off and presented to the emperor. Montezuma 
 was so terrified at the ferocious aspect of this hideous tro- 
 phy — the first European face he had ever looked on — 
 that he refused to have it offered in any of his temples, 
 and retired to a place of seclusion, greatly tfoubled by the 
 event. This occurred while the Spanish army was in Cho- 
 lula, and Cortez had heard of it at the time, but had kept 
 it to himself. Now, he considered it a proper time to men- 
 tion it to his soldiers, and a sufficient cause for taxing 
 Montezuma with treacher}^ Having consulted with his 
 captains, it was determined on to seize the king the very 
 next day; and in the morning the interpreters, Aguilar and 
 Marina, were despatched to notify the king that Cortez 
 would visit him at his palace. He and five of his captains 
 entered the audience-hall where they were received with 
 much affection, and presented with some gold. Cortez soon 
 revealed the nature of the business he came on, charging 
 Montezuma with not only instigating the attack on the 
 Spaniards at Vera Cruz, but also the meditated massacre 
 at Cholula. The astonished monarch declared his inno- 
 cence, and taking from his wrist a ring bearing the signet 
 of Huitzilopochtli — the royal seal, upon presentation of 
 which no man dared disobey the bearer of it — and giving 
 it to an officer of his court, he commanded him to bring 
 Quetzalpopoca and those responsible for the attack upon 
 the Spaniards into his presence. With this, Cortez de- 
 
Montezuma a Prisoner. 2"ji 
 
 clared himself much pleased, but added that he and his 
 men would not be satisfied unless the king would consent 
 to return with them to their quarters — in the palace of the 
 late king, Axayacatl — and there take up his abode with 
 them till the return of the guilty parties. 
 
 The king was thunderstruck at the audacity of such a 
 proposal, and as soon as he could recover his senses made 
 reply : " When was there ever an instance of a king 
 tamely suffering hi nself to be led into prison ? And 
 although I were willing to debase myself in so vile a man- 
 ner, would not all my vassals immediately arm themselves 
 to set me free ? I am not a man who can hide myself or 
 fly to the mountains; without subjecting myself to such 
 infamy, I am here now ready to satisfy your complaints." 
 Cortez was firm, however, in persisting that he should go 
 with them, adding that, if his subjects should attack them, 
 they could defend themselves — forgetting, perhaps, that 
 the very reason why he wanted Montezuma in their power 
 was to prevent the dreaded attack. 
 
 Much argument ensued, the king giving decidedly the 
 best reasons, when one of the soldiers, a brutal captain, 
 spoke up in a rough voice, advising Cortez to waste no 
 more words, but, unless he yielded, to run him through with 
 a sword. Learning the meaning of these words, and fear- 
 ing he would be murdered before his guards could come to 
 his assistance, Montezuma cowardly yielded to his fears, 
 and said in a trembling voice : "I am willing to trust 
 myself with you ; let us go, let us go, since the gods intend 
 
 ^^* Ordering his litter he got into it, and in pomp and mag- 
 nificence, though closely guarded by the Spanish troops, 
 he went from the palace, looking his last upon the hall 
 where he had so often sat in state, for he was never to enter 
 it again ! News of such an event as this could not fail of 
 
2^2 Mexico. 
 
 being rapidly spread amongst the people, and there would 
 certainly have been an uprising and attempted rescue had 
 not Montezuma commanded his nobles to threaten with 
 death any one who should attempt it, and declared that the 
 visit to the Spanish quarters was made of his own free will. 
 
 His domestics preceded him and hung an apartment 
 with fine tapestry and transported furniture from the royal 
 palace. They ministered to his wants as before, and he 
 preserved the same state, giving audiences to his subjects 
 in the same manner as w^hen he was in supreme control. 
 But he w^as now a monarch only in name, as the subse- 
 quent dealings of Cortez with him fully show. 
 
 The officers bearing the signet of the god returned in 
 fifteen days with the culprits, Quetzalpopoca, his son, and 
 fifteen others. They were richly dressed ; putting off their 
 shoes and covering their fine garments with coarser ones, 
 they came into the presence of Montezuma. He received 
 them coldly, reprimanded them for attacking the Spaniards, 
 and then delivered them over to Cortez. 
 
 If there is anything that can reconcile us to the ignoble 
 treatment of Montezuma by the Spanish chief, it is his 
 baseness in delivering his vassals up to torture in order to 
 shield himself from the consequences of his own policy 
 and commands. There is no doubt that he commanded 
 this lord to reduce the Totonacs to obedience — as he had 
 a right to do, as Rebellious subjects — but he had not the 
 spirit to admit as much to the Spaniards. 
 
 Quetzalpopoca and his officers were handed over to the 
 Spaniards, to be dealt with as traitors to the Spanish king, 
 of whom they — the subjects of Montezuma — had never 
 heard before in their lives ! In the centre of the square a 
 large collection was made of darts, arrows, bows, and shields, 
 from the royal armory, which Cortez was anxious to get rid 
 of, as they might be of use against him in the hands of the 
 
The Burning of Quetzalpopoca. 273 
 
 Indians, in case of outbreak. Upon a vast pile of these the 
 brave Mexicans were placed and fire applied. The flames 
 leaped up and enveloped them, and soon, after exhorting 
 one another to face death courageously, perished Quetzal- 
 popoca and his companions, the first martyrs by fire to 
 Spanish cruelty in Mexico. 
 
 We look with horror upon such an act as this, even after 
 the lapse of more than three centuries, but in Mexico it was 
 not regarded with deep feeling; and even in "Christian" 
 Spain, forty years later, the burning of a heretic was made 
 an occasion of feasting and rejoicing ! What would not 
 the bloody Philip of Spain have given for such a lieutenant 
 as Cortez ? Reading — if he ever read — the list of his 
 executions, he must have exclaimed with regret, " Ah ! here 
 was a man in advance of his time; would that I had such 
 as he to purge my kingdom with fire and sword ! " 
 
 As the smoke of this terrible sacrifice ascended and 
 spread over the valley, it carried with it the mutterings of 
 an outraged and a revengeful people ; the subjects of 
 Montezuma could be held in check but little longer ; the 
 nobles were gathering their forces, even the priests — blind 
 devotees of Montezuma's god — were disgusted at the 
 servility of their king. That cloud of smoke was charged 
 with thunder ; from it was to dart the lightning that was to 
 destroy the Spanish forces ! 
 
2/4 Mexico, 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MONTEZUMA A CAPTIVE. 
 
 Seventeen souls had passed through fire to the realms 
 beyond. Outraged justice was to be yet further insulted, 
 buffeted, and trampled upon. During the burning of the 
 Mexicans, Montezuma had been kept in irons. Fetters had 
 been placed upon his ankles. Stupefied with grief and 
 shame, he had uttered no protest, then he broke down ut- 
 terly and wept ; his spirit was entirely broken, the iron had 
 entered his soul. His abasement was such, that when the 
 tyrant entered his apartment to remove the irons, boasting 
 of his clemency in not taking his life, Montezuma fell upon 
 his neck with expressions of gratitude ! Knowing that he 
 had the king fully in his power, Cortez offered to allow him 
 to return to his palace ; but this he would not consent to 
 do, w^ell aware that the offer was insincere, and of the 
 danger possible to his life from his incensed and disgusted 
 nobles. Though constantly guarded, Montezuma was 
 allowed to go wherever he liked ; to the lake to fish for 
 water-fowl, to the woods of Chapultepec to hunt, to the 
 temple to consult his gods. Two vessels had been built, 
 wdth iron from Vera Cruz and wood from the royal forests, 
 and one day the king and his party went in them to an 
 island in the lake kept as a preserve, where they had great 
 sport with deer and rabbits, and enjoyed the swift sailing 
 of the great boats, which left the Indian canoes far behind. 
 The royal prisoner was kept amused by parades of the 
 soldiers and by means of conversation with a page in the 
 
Seizure of the King of Tezcoco. 275 
 
 employ of Cortez, who had learned the Aztec language. 
 There was no popular commotion at the burning of the 
 prisoners, because the people had looked upon the act as 
 done by the orders of their king ; but all the Spanish 
 soldiers were on duty in the square ; and after that the 
 sentinels were doubled and the horses kept always saddled 
 and bridled at night. They prepared themselves as best 
 they could for the revolt they had every reason to expect. 
 
 The crowning act of Montezuma's perfidy was the capture 
 and delivery into the hands of Cortez of Cacamatzin^ King 
 of Tezcoco. This prhice, a nephew of Montezuma, had 
 become justly indignant at the treatment his uncle was 
 receiving at the hands of the Spaniards, and he sent to tell 
 him that he should not forget that he was a king^ and that 
 he had no more spirit than a hen, to allow himself to 
 be reduced to such a miserable condition. He called to- 
 gether other princes of Mexico and tried to incite them to 
 attack these strangers who had acquired such influence over 
 their king, and had offered such insults to their deities. 
 " It is now time," said this sagacious prince, " to fight for 
 our religion, for our country, for our liberty, and for our 
 honor, before the power of those men is increased by re- 
 inforcements from their own country or new alliances in 
 this." 
 
 Cortez became alarmed, and sent to him a reminder of 
 their former friendship and a warning against incurring his 
 enmity. Cacamatzin made a spirited reply, saying that 
 he could not regard as friends those who had so grossly 
 insulted his gods and his relatives ; and declared that he 
 would soon rid the country of such pestilent vermin. 
 
 By means unworthy of a king, Montezuma obtained pos- 
 session of the person of Cacamatzin and delivered him up 
 to Cortez to burn or imprison, as he thought best. The 
 utter baseness of this act will be apparent when we recollect 
 
276 Mexico. 
 
 that Cacamatzin was nephew of Montezuma, that he had 
 been placed upon the throne by his aid, and that he had 
 purposed resorting to arms only to free his uncle from im- 
 prisonment and his country from the presence of unprin- 
 cipled oppressors. Cortez immediately placed the unfor- 
 tunate prince in irons, and he subsequently perished, in the 
 retreat from Mexico. A brother of his was in the city, 
 CuicuicatztJt, who had sought protection from Cacamatzin, 
 owing to a family quarrel. He was at once proclaimed 
 king by Cortez and Montezuma, under the title of Don 
 Carlos, and accepted as such by the servile nobility of 
 Tezcoco. 
 
 It will be remembered that there were three possible 
 heirs to the throne of Tezcoco at the death of Nezahual- 
 pilli, children of his favorite wife (see Chap. VI.). They 
 were named Cacamatzin, Coanocotzin, and Cuicuicatzin. 
 Another son, born of the second wife, was Ixtlilxochitl, 
 whose warlike character and rebellious proceedings have 
 already been noted. He was now lying in wait for events 
 at his capital in the mountains, Otompan. The second 
 son, Coanocotzin, was best entitled to the throne on the re- 
 moval of Cacamatzin ; but it was concluded that the other 
 brother would be a more pliant instrument in the hands of 
 Montezuma and Cortez. Having been elevated to the 
 throne through their combined efforts he was expected to 
 render them aid whenever required. 
 
 By skilful strategy, Cortez soon got possession of the 
 lords of the principal cities of the valley, the King of 
 Tlacopan, and the high priest of Tlaltelolco. But one 
 thing now remained to secure, as he thought, the entire 
 kingdom to his will. This was to compel Montezuma, his 
 nobles, and lords, to acknowledge themselves as vassals of 
 the Emperor of Spain, Charles V., then a dissolute youth 
 of nineteen ! 
 
Vassals of the King of Spain. 1^^ 
 
 Montezuma summoned his nobles and tributary lords, 
 and, at the suggestion of Cortez, explained to them his 
 reasons for believing the Spaniards to be the long-pre- 
 dicted " children of the sun," and the King of Spain the 
 lawful descendand of Quetzalcoatl, god of the air, who 
 were to return to Mexico to rule the country. This, it is 
 stated that he told them ; but there is every reason for 
 believing that this god-of-the-air theory had long since 
 exploded, so far as it could be applied to the Spaniards. 
 Far from exhibiting that love for peace and desire to pro- 
 mote happiness, which were attributes of the god of the air, 
 they had shown themselves men of blood, full of lust, and 
 fit servants of that prince of darkness who is supposed to 
 reside in the depths of the infernal regions. However, 
 Montezuma was now a willing tool in the hands of Cortez 
 for the enslaving of his people. He repeated to his nobles 
 what the Spaniard directed, and they assented, declaring 
 themselves vassals of the new king, though with sobs, and 
 sighs, and groans, weeping and lamenting the fall of their 
 own mighty empire. Now a slave, Montezuma had done 
 his best to rivet the fetters upon the limbs of his faithful 
 subjects. Low, indeed, had now sunk the great and 
 terrible Montezuma ! 
 
 Other indignities were in store for him and for his 
 people. The treasure of Axayacatl, his revered father, was 
 now requested of him, as tribute to that unknown being 
 beyond the sea; he gave it. "Take it," said he, when 
 Cortez informed him that some of the soldiers had been 
 pilfering from it — "take it all ; provided they do not touch 
 the images of the gods, nor anything destined for their 
 worship, they may take as much as they please." And 
 take it they did, we may be very sure. They were three 
 days sorting and distributing the articles of gold, which 
 were wrought in elegant shapes. Most of it they melted 
 
2/8 Mexico. 
 
 down, but there were some rich ornaments of such 
 exquisite workmanship that even these savage soldiers had 
 respect for their great beauty, and resolved to send them 
 to the King of Spain as they were. It was all weighed and 
 divided, and it was thought that, exclusive of the gold and 
 silver ornaments reserved, there was the value of 60,000 
 crowns in gold alone ! In dividing it the cunning Cortez 
 took good care that he and his captains should secure the 
 lion's share. He first laid aside one-fifth for the king, 
 another fifth for himself, another portion towards the 
 expenses of the expedition, another for some imaginary 
 agents in Spain, another for the soldiers in Vera Cruz — 
 who never got it ! — a goodly share for each of the captains 
 and the " reverend father of mercy ; " so that when it 
 came down to the poor soldiers of the rank and file there 
 was nothing worth having. 
 
 The captains got the native goldsmiths to make them 
 chains of gold, and Cortez ordered a golden service of 
 plate ; but the miserable soldiers soon gambled away what 
 little they had obtained with cards, which they made from 
 a worn-out drumhead. 
 
 Montezuma also had sent out guides with small parties 
 of Spaniards, who found out all the rich gold mines and 
 rivers containing golden sands, so that there was soon 
 collected an amount of treasure almost beyond calculation. 
 
 "Take this gold," said he, " which is all I now can col- 
 lect on so short a notice, and also the treasure which I 
 derived from my ancestors, and which I now give you, and 
 send it to vour monarch ; and let it be recorded in vour 
 annals that this was the tribute of his vassal^ Montezuma^ 
 
 With noble scorn, he looked upon the quarrels of these 
 freebooters over a little gold ; with noble disregard of 
 wealth, he gave these ruffians all he had — all the accu- 
 mulations of his ancestors for generations past ! Yet, they 
 
The Spaniards Ordered to Leave. 279 
 
 were not satisfied ; though they pulled off their helmets in 
 his presence and obsequiously thanked him for these royal 
 gifts, doubtless they would have served him as they later 
 did his nephew, Guatemotzin, — have burned his feet to a 
 crisp, — if more gold could have been extracted from him 
 in this way. 
 
 Now the Spaniards were exultant, but their rejoicings 
 were of short duration. The nobles had at least succeeded 
 in awakening the people to a sense of the degradation of 
 their monarch, and the necessity of expelling these foreign- 
 ers from their country. The priests at last informed Mon- 
 tezuma that the gods looked upon his conduct with disap- 
 proval, that they had threatened to withhold rain and to 
 destroy them entirely unless the Spaniards were driven 
 forth. His nobles also had consultations with him, in the 
 last of which they had told him it was impossible to restrain 
 the people longer. 
 
 Cortez was sent for and the unwelcome intelligence com- 
 municated to him, in a constrained manner, by Monte- 
 zuma. After many expressions of affection and regret, he 
 said, " Hitherto I have willingly entertained you at my 
 court, have even been so desirous of the pleasure of your 
 company and conversation as to live here amongst you. 
 As for my own part, I would retain you here without any 
 charge, daily making you experience some fresh proofs of my 
 good-will towards you ; but it cannot be done, neither will my 
 gods permit it, nor my subjects endure it. I find I am 
 threatened with the heaviest punishments of heaven if I let 
 you remain any longer in my kingdom ; and such discon- 
 tent already prevails among my vassals that unless I quickly 
 remove the cause it will be altogether impossible to pacify 
 them. Wherefore it is become necessary for my own safety 
 as well as yours, and the good of all the kingdom, that you 
 prepare yourselves to return to your native country." 
 
28o Mexico. 
 
 Though greatly enraged at this command, and really 
 fearful that it might be enforced, Cortez suggested an expe- 
 dient for delay, requesting time to build three ships to carry 
 him and his troops from the country; He promised to 
 leave as soon as they were done, and at once despatched his 
 carpenters to the coast, hoping that something might' occur 
 meanwhile which would enable him to remain. 
 
 It was not long after that Montezuma sent for him again, 
 telling him with joy that he need defer his departure no 
 longer, as a fleet of eighteen vessels had arrived on the 
 coast. Cortez examined the paintings by which this news 
 was conveyed, and found it was really true. He was at 
 first rejoiced at this, as was Montezuma, for he imagined 
 these vessels to contain reinforcements and munitions of 
 war from Cuba or San Domingo ; but when letters arrived 
 from the governor of the port he found out his mistake — 
 it was an armament sent agaiiist him instead of for him. 
 
 There were eleven ships, seven brigantines, eighty-five 
 horses, eight hundred infantry, five hundred sailors and a 
 great quantity of ammunition, all under the command of 
 Panfilo de Narvaez, a noted soldier, who afterwards perished 
 in Florida. This vast armament was sent by Velasquez, 
 Governor of Cuba, against Cortez, as a rebel and traitor to 
 the King of Spain. 
 
 Then did this intrepid man exhibit the stuff that he was 
 made of ; he received the news without flinching, in the 
 presence of Montezuma, and told him the arrival was that 
 of expected succor. But Montezuma soon had truthful 
 reports as to the nature of the expedition, as Narvaez sent 
 to inform the king himself that he had heard of the indig- 
 nities that had been heaped upon him, and was coming with 
 his army to rescue him, and to punish Cortez and his 
 brutal soldiery. 
 
 The wonderful energy and courage of Cortez sustained 
 
Cortez defeats Narvaez. 2^x 
 
 him in the demand now made upon him for extraordinary 
 exertion and sagacity. He soon decided upon a course of 
 action ; he tried to effect with Narvaez a junction of forces 
 against the Mexicans as a common enemy, or division of the 
 territory between them ; in both of which he failed. Narvaez 
 would listen to nothing ; he would seize Cortez as a traitor 
 and send him to Cuba. 
 
 Then Cortez acted. Leaving but one hundred and forty 
 soldiers as garrison in Mexico, he took two hundred and 
 fifty and started for the coast, passing through Cholula and 
 Tlascala. It was a distance of quite two hundred and fifty 
 miles, but he soon traversed it. With his trained and war- 
 scarred veterans he attacked the forces of Narvaez, en- 
 camped in the town of Cempoalla, and defeated them. Two 
 hundred and fifty men captured four times their number ! 
 Not many were killed, some were wounded, and Narvaez 
 himself lost an eye. It was a gallant fight on the part of 
 Cortez' men, but the army of Narvaez was disaffected. 
 Cortez had secretly despatched messengers to the princi- 
 pal officers with rich presents ; the soldiers had been told 
 of the immense booty awaiting them if they should join him 
 and march with him to Mexico; and last, "our reverend 
 father of the Order of Mercy," Parson Olmedo, had been 
 among them, with the gold of Cortez in his hand and his 
 own oily tongue in his head, both which were used to the 
 best advantage of his commander. 
 
 Cortez now commanded nearly two thousand men, 
 eighteen vessels and nearly a hundred horses. He was 
 himself again, with fortune smiling upon him. He pre- 
 pared troops and expeditions to explore the coast and 
 establish colonies, and was about setting in motion a train 
 of great discoveries when evil news came down from the 
 table-land, from Mexico, two hundred miles away. 
 
 Among the captains of Cortez there was one named 
 
2B2 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Alvarado, a man brave even to rashness, fiery and impulsive. 
 He had been left in charge of the one hundred and forty 
 men, at the departure of Cortez for the coast, with the 
 admonition to act prudently and to do nothing to oifend 
 the Mexicans. 
 
 He had been a favorite with Montezuma and his attend- 
 ants because of his jovial disposition and pleasing manners. 
 They had bestowed upon him the appellation, Toftatiuh — 
 the sun — because of his fiery hair and ruddy complexion. 
 
 PEDRO DE ALVARADO. 
 
 To Tonatiuh, then, Cortez had left the command of the 
 little garrison, recommending him to Montezuma and the 
 nobles. While Cortez was away, the feast of the War God 
 fell due, in the month of May, and as it was customary for 
 the king to dance with the priests and nobles at this festival, 
 the latter sent to Alvarado asking that he would allow 
 Montezuma to join them in the temple for that purpose. 
 Alvarado refused this request, and so they swallowed their 
 indignation and performed the ceremonies in the courtyard 
 
Alvarados Atrocities. 283 
 
 of the palace in which Montezuma was confined and which 
 the Spaniards and Tlascallans occupied. Here were several 
 hundred of the highest order of nobility, wearing their 
 richest ornaments and dressed in most gorgeous garments. 
 Whether it was that the avaricious Alvarado desired to 
 secure the wealth of ornament that the nobles wore, or 
 whether he was incited by the suspicious whispers of the 
 Tlascallan allies, is not known ; but, for some wicked reason, 
 he fell upon them with his troops and massacred them all ! 
 Unsuspicious of danger, and excited with the religious 
 performances of their sacred dances, the nobles became so 
 fatigued that they could offer no resistance to the fierce 
 Spaniards, and fell like sheep before a pack of wolves. 
 Blood flowed in streams ; their piteous cries for mercy, 
 their groans, their dying shrieks, filled the air. When all 
 was over, Alvarado and his men stripped their innocent 
 victims of their gold and jewels, and thrust their bodies 
 into the street or buried them in the court. 
 
 After the first thrill of horror at this revolting deed an 
 ominous silence pervaded the city ; then there ensued the 
 gathering of a mighty storm ; the outraged people assembled 
 and dashed against the palace with the fury of a whirlwind. 
 They beat down the walls and poured through the breach, 
 and were beaten back by the artillery and musketry only 
 to return again and again. Surely the Spaniards would 
 have been utterly destroyed had not the recreant Montezuma 
 showed himself upon the walls, and begged his people to 
 desist from further attack. Sullenly they withdrew, re- 
 solved to exterminate the villains by famine, and cut off 
 from them their supplies. 
 
 This was the condition of things when the messengers 
 reached Cortez. With all his troops, and in forced marches, 
 he hastened to the rescue. 
 
2S4 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE DISASTROUS RETREAT FROM MEXICO. 
 
 [A.D. 1520.] With thirteen hundred Spanish infantry, 
 two thousand Tlascallans, and near one hundred horse, 
 Cortez, a second time, entered the Aztec capital, on the 
 twenty-fourth of June, 1520. 
 
 Montezuma hastened to meet him, congratulating him 
 upon his return with augmented forces ; but Cortez, either 
 swelled with pride, or affecting to believe the king guilty 
 of having secretly treated with Narvaez, ignored him en- 
 tirely. Grieved and angry, Montezuma retired to his quar- 
 ters. It having been stated to Cortez that the failure in 
 the supply of provisions was owing to the imprisonment of 
 Cuitlahuatzin, he was induced to release him ; an act fatal 
 to the Spaniards, as subsequent events will show. It is 
 thought that Cortez had under his command at this time 
 an army, including the Tlascailan allies, of about nine 
 thousand men. Cuitlahuatzin was brother to Montezuma, 
 and general of the Mexican armies, which, upon his release, 
 he at once commenced to assemble. On the very next day 
 the Spaniards were made sensible of their error in releas- 
 ing this brave prince, as the populace stormed their quar- 
 ters, and sent in upon them such a tempest of darts and 
 arrows that the pavement of the court and the terraces 
 were completely covered with them. A force sent out to 
 repel them was driven back with loss, and upon a second 
 attempt were drawn into an ambuscade, the Mexicans 
 affecting to retreat, and then turning upon them and inflict- 
 
Montezuma Advises a Retreat. 285 
 
 ing great slaughter. They set fire to the roofs of the 
 palace, opened a breach in one of the walls, and poured 
 into it with such tumultuous fury that they were only driven 
 back by the incessant play of the Spanish artillery. On 
 the morning of the next day, the twenty-sixth of June, the 
 Mexicans renewed the fight with terrible energy. Cortez 
 sallied out with the whole force, but though he destroyed 
 great numbers of the enemy, he was forced to retreat with 
 considerable loss. Montezuma, from a terrace of the pal- 
 ace, saw his brother fighting at the head of the Mexican 
 troops, and this sight filled him with anguish and despair. 
 He saw in the victory of either party the loss to him of his 
 throne, and probably of his life ; but, true to his sympathies 
 with the Spaniards, and magnanimously ignoring the great 
 affront put upon him by the Spanish commander, advised 
 Cortez to secure, if possible, his retreat. Cortez, though 
 he had so recently scorned the friendly offices of the 
 deposed emperor, gladly listened to this advice, upon 
 which, however, he was unable to act. He was unable 
 even to make an impression upon the multitude of his foes, 
 though the artillery and musketry mowed them down in 
 heaps. In such vast numbers did they come that they 
 boasted they could afford to lose a hundred lives for every 
 Spaniard killed; indeed, they considered that number a 
 cheap sacrifice for the death of one of their hated foes. 
 Not only in the great square and in the streets did the 
 Spaniards suffer from the missiles of the Mexicans, but a 
 galling fire was turned upon them, in the court of the 
 palace, from the neighboring roof-tops and terraces. In 
 order to protect his soldiers from the annoying fire, Cortez 
 constructed three large machines, called manias, each one 
 large enough to contain twenty soldiers, and mounted on 
 wheels. With these he hoped to be able to approach the 
 houses and walls under cover, but upon the first trial they 
 
286 Mexico. 
 
 proved ineffective, for the huge stones thrown against them 
 crushed the roofs and the soldiers beneath them. The 
 most disastrous and deadly discharge of arrows and darts 
 now came from an unexpected quarter. Towering above 
 the great square and above the palace, which bounded the 
 western side of this square, rose the vast temple-pyramid. 
 Upon the summit platform of this massive structure, five 
 hundred Mexican nobles fortified themselves, and from it 
 launched a shower of arrows, stones, and darts. This 
 commanding position it was necessary should be taken, 
 and Cortez sent a hundred men against it, who were finally 
 driven back after three vigorous attempts. Then he de- 
 termined to lead the assault in person, and though suffer- 
 ing from a severe wound in his left hand, he tied his shield 
 to his left arm, and, brandishing his sworcl, called upon his 
 men to follow. Furious at this attack upon their sanctu- 
 ary, the Mexicans rallied about their imperilled nobles in 
 vast numbers ; four or five thousand rushed immediately 
 into the enclosure and up to the steps of the great pyra- 
 mid, defending it with lances, slings, and javelins. The 
 fight waged here was the bloodiest that had yet taken 
 place ; the carnage was awful ; the smooth and polished 
 pavement of the enclosure was sliiDpery with human blood, 
 so that the horses of the cavalry could not keep their foot- 
 ing, and upon the infantry devolved the burden of the bat- 
 tle. Animated by a common resolve to defend their no- 
 bles, their priests, and their gods, now in such imminent 
 danger, the Mexicans fought with incredible bravery. Step 
 by step the Spaniards ascended the terraces of the temple, 
 every man covered with blood, and engaged in a hand-to- 
 hand conflict with the defenders. At last they reached 
 the broad platform of the pyramid, where were gathered 
 the priests and the flower of the Mexican nobility, who, 
 reduced to their last extremity, fought with the desperation 
 
The Fight on the Teocalli. 287 
 
 of despair. It was of no avail, the mail-clad warriors, in 
 their coats of impenetrable steel, bore everything before 
 them ; and though it was three hours before the termina- 
 tion of this dreadful conflict, they finally succeeded in set- 
 ting fire to the temples of the gods. Though some writers 
 have affirmed that every priest and noble here perished at 
 the point of the sword, it seems more probable that, after 
 setting fire to the adoratories, the Spaniards retreated, pur- 
 sued unrelentingly by the remnant of the nobility. At 
 least, they were soon driven to their quarters in great con- 
 fusion, with the loss of fifty killed, and nearly all the 
 survivors covered with wounds. The greater part of this 
 heroic action was carried on upon the summit of the pyra- 
 mid, more than one hundred feet above the pavement of 
 the square, and many of the combatants were hurled from 
 the terraces, and trampled upon by the fighting crowd 
 below. 
 
 They found their quarters partially in possession of the 
 Mexicans, whom wdth great difficulty they succeeded, in 
 driving out. They had beaten down the walls, and the 
 night was spent in repairing the breaches, burying the 
 dead, and caring for the wounded. Their prospects were 
 dismal in the extreme, for their provisions were nearly 
 exhausted, each soldier having but half an allowance, 
 nearly all of them were wounded ; and while their numbers 
 steadily diminished those of the enemy continued to 
 increase. 
 
 The next morning the enemy renewed the attack, 
 endeavoring to set fire to the buildings, storming the walls, 
 and showering upon them countless thousands of. stones 
 and arrows. They even penetrated into the great court 
 of the palace, engaging the Spaniards hand to hand ; in 
 this extremity Cortez sent to Montezuma desiring him to 
 show himself to his subjects and try to induce them to 
 
288 Mexico. 
 
 desist from their attacks. The scorned and insulted 
 monarch, plunged into the deepest dejection, at first 
 refused, saying, " I neither desire to hear him, nor to live 
 any longer, since it is on his account I have been reduced 
 to this unhappy fate." But he was at length persuaded to 
 exhibit himself, and, attended by some of the soldiers, he 
 went out upon the terraced roof in sight of his people 
 below. 
 
 As soon as they perceived him, the chief and nobles 
 commanded their troops to refrain from the attack. The 
 tumult ceased, and in silence, many of them on bended 
 knees, the multitude awaited what he had to say. His 
 first utterance, requesting them to disperse and return to 
 their homes and allow the Spaniards egress unmolested 
 from the city, showed them that his heart was still with the 
 hated visitors who had him in their power. He was soon 
 interrupted, and four of the principal nobility, advancing, 
 reproached him with his effeminacy, telling him that they 
 had raised his brother to the throne, that they had promised 
 their gods never to desist until the Spaniards were totally 
 destroyed ; but that they prayed daily for his safety, and as 
 soon as they had rescued him they should venerate him as 
 before. They had, however, no sooner finished their 
 speech, than one of the Mexicans, thought to have been a 
 nephew of Montezuma, commenced to revile him, lamenting 
 the misfortunes of his family, and in the heat of his anger 
 let fly an arrow at him. This was but a signal to the 
 populace, who had stood undecided what to do, and 
 immediately their stones and arrows rained like hail about 
 the person of his majesty. Sacred no longer from the 
 attacks of those who had once held him in fear and reverence, 
 and without the protection of the shields of the soldiers, 
 who, now too late, sprang forth to interpose them, 
 Montezuma was wounded. A stone struck him on the 
 
Death of Montezuma. 289 
 
 head, another on the leg, and an arrow pierced his arm, and, 
 bruised and bleeding, he was borne below. There he 
 lingered a few days, refusing all nourishment, assistance 
 and sympathy, until death finally came to his relief. Thus 
 perished the great Montezuma, in the fifty-fourth year of 
 his age, and in the eighteenth of his reign, after having 
 been six months a prisoner. 
 
 Weak as he was in the defence of his people, superstitious 
 and cruel as he was in the practice of his religion, we 
 cannot but lament this unfortunate termination of his life. 
 In many noble qualities he far transcended those men by 
 whom he was surrounded at the time of his death, who, 
 though they had made him prisoner, bewailed the departure 
 of a being so generous and so magnanimous. Of his 
 children who survived him, three perished on the terrible 
 night of the retreat, while from two others, a son and a 
 daughter, descended the noble houses of Montezuma. 
 The kings of Spain " granted many privileges to the 
 posterity of Montezuma on account of the unparalleled 
 service rendered by that monarch in voluntarily incorpo- 
 rating a kingdom so great and rich as Mexico with the 
 crown of Castile." 
 
 His body was delivered to the nobility, who, with much 
 mourning and lamentation, burned it with the usual cere- 
 monies, and the ashes were buried at Chapultepec. The 
 people now attacked the besieged with greater violence, if 
 possible, than before, threatening them that within the space 
 of two days they should all pay with their lives for the death 
 of their king, for they had chosen a sovereign whom they 
 could not deceive as they had the good Montezuma. Not- 
 withstanding the fact that the Spaniards made frequent 
 sallies from the palace into the city, in one of which they 
 destroyed many houses and barricades, they could not 
 succeed in opening a clear road for their retreat. 
 
290 Mexico. 
 
 The death of Montezuma occurred on the twenty-ninth 
 or thirtieth of June ; on the first of July it was determined, 
 by Cortez and his captains in council, to retreat from the 
 city. The preparations for that event were immediately 
 commenced. The road to Tacuba, a town on the mainland, 
 being the shortest, was selected as the route of departure. 
 As the bridges crossing the several canals had been re- 
 moved by the Mexicans, Cortez ordered a bridge of wood 
 to be made, which, carried by forty men, could be laid 
 across the ditches as necessity might require. Owing to 
 the predictions of an astrologer, contrary to the dictates of 
 military science, it was decided to commence the retreat at 
 iiight, in as secret a manner as possible, after the Mexi- 
 cans should have desisted from their daily attack upon the 
 palace. The gold and treasure of Montezuma was brought 
 into the great saloon, and after entrusting the fifth belong- 
 ing to the King of Spain to the proper officers, Cortez gave 
 permission to his soldiers to load themselves with the 
 remainder, cautioning them, however, that such a burden 
 might prove their death during the retreat, and that it 
 would be much better to abandon it all to the enemy. 
 Unheeding his advice, many of the soldiers loaded them- 
 selves heavily with the treasure, and were the first to fall 
 in the pursuit that soon followed. 
 
 [A.D. 1520.] A little before midnight, on the first of 
 July, the army of the besieged emerged from the gates of 
 the palace. In advance went the bearers of the temporary 
 bridge, in charge of a detachment of five hundred men; 
 the vanguard, commanded by the indomitable Sandoval, 
 consisted of two hundred infantry and twenty cavalry. 
 Next came the prisoners, the servants, females and baggage, 
 protected by a hundred infantry and several hundred of the 
 allies ; the rear-guard, containing a greater portion of the 
 Spanish troops, was in charge of the dashing Alvarado. 
 
The Midnight Retreat. 291 
 
 Cortez and a few chosen officers galloped along the line 
 ready to render assistance where it was most needed, while 
 the great body of the allies was distributed amongst the three 
 divisions of the army. The night was dark and rainy, and 
 hid their operations from the enemy, but it was impossible, 
 of course, to conceal the departure of such a host, of nine 
 thousand men, with artillery, horses, and baggage, from 
 their wary and suspicious foes. 
 
 They crossed the great square in silence and in safety ; 
 they reached the first canal, where the portable bridge was 
 placed in position ; the artillery, some of the cavalry, and 
 the Tlascallans in charge of the king's gold, the vanguard, 
 Cortez, and many of his officers, had crossed the canal, 
 when their ears were saluted by dismal sounds. The alarm 
 was given ; the priests watching on the temple gave notice 
 to the people by blowing trumpets and sounding the great 
 drum of serpent-skin that hung above the altar of their 
 war-god. They were instantly attacked by the enemy, who 
 sprang like apparitions from the lake, from the canals, from 
 canoes, and from every street. All was confusion, the rear- 
 guard, dashing forward to escape the multitude of enemies 
 that now fell upon them, crowded upon those in front ; 
 cavalry, artillery, baggage, prisoners, infantry, all were 
 driven together in a struggling, disorganized mass. The 
 vanguard was halted by an open canal in front, behind the 
 rear-guard was the wooden bridge, but so wedged and 
 fastened in position by the weight that had passed over it, 
 that it was impossible to remove it. The slaughter that 
 then ensued was horrible ; completely at the mercy of the 
 Mexicans, the unfortunate Spaniards and their allies were 
 pierced with lances and arrows, hewn down with swords 
 taken from their own soldiers, and hundreds of them taken 
 prisoners and hurried off to be sacrificed to the Mexican 
 deities. Then was the dead emperor avenged ; then did 
 
292 Mexico. 
 
 the Mexicans glut their long-repressed desires for blood. 
 Upon the night air rose the shrieks and groans of the 
 wounded and dying, and the appealing cries of the un- 
 fortunate victims, who were dragged into the canoes and 
 carried off to be murdered upon the sacrificial stone. The 
 second canal finally became so filled with the dead and dy- 
 ing, horses, baggage, and artillery, that those remaining 
 alive in this terrified throng found a passage over them 
 across the water and hurried along the causeway to the 
 third canal. This soon became filled like the other with 
 dead and wounded prisoners and soldiers, and over this 
 horrible bridge the wretched remnant of the army escaped 
 to solid land, Cortez and his captains, those who were at 
 liberty to do so, clapped spurs to their horses and galloped 
 along the causeway. 
 
 In the courts of a small place called Popotla, the remains 
 of which may be seen at this day, the survivors of the van- 
 guard halted to await information of their miserable com- 
 rades. Cortez and a few of the cavalry went back as far 
 as the first canal, and there met the captain, Alvarado, 
 wounded and on foot, Umping along with his lance in his 
 hand. He had with him but fifteen or twenty soldiers of 
 the rear-guard, and they told Cortez it was vain to wait 
 for more, as all had perished. When Cortez learned this 
 it is said that the tears ran from his eyes, for there were in 
 the rear-guard nearly one hundred and fifty of his bravest 
 soldiers, besides one of the most gallant of his captains, 
 Velasquez de Leon, whom he dearly loved. Alvarado told 
 them that, after the horses had been killed, about eighty of 
 them collected in a body and forced the second canal upon 
 the corpses of the slain ; he, himself, if we may believe his 
 own story, saved his life by a tremendous leap ; placing his 
 lance at the bottom of a canal he vaulted across the broad 
 space to the other side. This story, whether false or true, 
 
TJie Mexicans Obtain Revenge. 
 
 293 
 
 has given a name to the place where this event is said to 
 
 have occurred, as it is 
 known even to-day as the 
 " Leap of Alvarado " — el 
 Salto de Alvarado. 
 
 Finding from the infor- 
 mation given by Alvarado 
 that they were not to ex- 
 pect any 
 more of their 
 c o m - 
 
 ors, these 
 distressed 
 f ugi t iv e s 
 hastily assembled 
 themselves together for 
 defence against the in- 
 habitants of the sur- 
 rounding country. In- 
 cited by messengers from 
 the Mexican capital, the In- 
 dians were now rising upon 
 TREE OF LA NocHE TRisTE. ^11 sldcs of thcm, and it 
 seemed as if no power on earth could save them from 
 total annihilation. There is in this little village where 
 
294 Mexico. 
 
 they made their first halt, near the present town of Tacuba, 
 a giant cypress-tree, beneath which, it is said, Cortez sat 
 awliile and wept at the loss of his soldiers. That terrible 
 night of the retreat being known as la Noche Triste — or 
 the sorrowful night — this great cypress, still standing, is 
 called " the tree of the sorrowful night." 
 
 Well may Cortez have wept, not only at the loss of his 
 soldiers, but at the almost total ruin which had over- 
 taken his army. More than one-half of the Spanish 
 army had fallen, more than four thousand of their Indian 
 allies, almost all the prisoners, and the men and women, 
 who were in the service of the Spaniards. Four of their 
 most noted captains also had been killed, and among the 
 prisoners slain were a brother, a son, and two daughters of 
 Montezuma, a daughter of Prince Maxicatzin, and finally, 
 the noble Cacamatzin, King of Tezcoco, who had been 
 deposed by Cortez and Montezuma. Among the officers 
 left to Cortez were his brave and trusty captains, Sandoval, 
 Alvarado, Olid, Ordaz, Avila, and Lugo, and besides these 
 his interpreter, Aguilar, and his mistress, Marina. 
 
 Dejected, wearied, most of them bleeding from terrible 
 wounds, the unfortunate Spaniards made their way into the 
 country. Had the Mexicans then pursued them they would 
 have been entirely destroyed, not a life would have been 
 saved ; but for some unaccountable reason they ceased their 
 pursuit at the end of the causewa}^, returning to care for 
 the wounded and pay funeral honors to the dead. 
 
 Nine miles west of the capital of Mexico is a hill, which 
 the Spaniards reached on the day after the defeat, and 
 where they fortified themselves for the night ; here they 
 obtained a little repose and a small amount of food from 
 the neighboring Indians. Many years later, a small chapel 
 was erected here in memory of their deliverance. The 
 next day thev were so famished that they ate a horse which 
 
The Battle at Otumba. 295 
 
 had been killed that day by the enemy, and the Tlascallans 
 threw themselves upon the earth to eat the roots of the 
 grass, hnploring the assistance of their gods. By general 
 consent they directed their way towards Tlascala, many 
 miles distant, a single Indian their only guide. They pro- 
 ceeded but slowly, impeded by the wounded and continually 
 annoyed by the enemy. 
 
 Several days had passed, when they reached the plain of 
 Otumba^ not- far from the great pyramids of the Sun and 
 Moon, — see Chap. II., pp. 35, 36, — and here they beheld 
 a sight that caused them justly to fear that their last days 
 had come. The whole plain was covered with the hosts of 
 the enemy, not less, it is thought, than one hundred thousand 
 in number, who presented a most glorious appearance, with 
 waving plumes and weapons shining in the sun. To the 
 Spaniards it seemed hopeless to attempt even to defend 
 themselves, but they formed their shattered ranks and 
 bravely met the onset of their foes. It would have gone 
 hard with them indeed had not Cortez at a critical moment 
 killed the general of this immense army and seized their 
 royal banner, upon which the superstitious Indians turned 
 and fled. This was justly considered one of their most 
 famous victories ; but though they made great slaughter of 
 the enemy they dared not pursue them far, and resumed 
 their march to Tlascala, which they entered on the tenth day 
 after their disastrous defeat. They were received by the 
 Tlascallans with a kindness they had no reason to expect, 
 for of the total number killed during the retreat from 
 Mexico, more than four-fifths were natives of this republic. 
 Though lamenting the deaths of their friends and relations, 
 these devoted people did not do more than mildly blame 
 the Spaniards, chiding them only for not listening to their 
 warnings of Mexican treachery. They gave them their 
 deepest sympathies, took them into their houses, furnished 
 them with nurses and surgeons, v/ho cured their wounds , 
 
296 Mexico. 
 
 and, thus protected and cherished by these noble Indians, 
 the Spaniards slowly recovered from the effects of their 
 late disasters. 
 
 Passing in review the losses sustained by the Spanish 
 army we find the numbers of the slain variously stated, but 
 they probably amounted, up to the time of their arrival in 
 Tlascala, to not much less than nine hundred men, besides 
 at least five times that number of their unfortunate allies. 
 All the gold, except that saved for the king's' portion, had 
 been lost in the ditches of Mexico, and the soldiers found 
 themselves impoverished, as well as wounded, and enfeebled 
 by their long privations. The esteem and compassion of 
 their hospitable friends seemed in nowise to abate after 
 several weeks' residence, and even the prince, Maxicatzin, 
 whose daughter had perished through their neglect, was 
 their most ardent supporter. It was not long before the 
 fidelity of the Tlascallans was put to a severe test by the 
 arrival of an embassy from the King of Mexico, with a 
 large present of cotton, fine feathers and salt, desiring that 
 they would enter into an alliance with him to expel the 
 murderous invaders of their soil. He urged that, although 
 they had been enemies in the past, their unity of language 
 and religious belief should unite them against this common 
 foe, who, as they had seen, had violated every sacred law 
 of honor, sacrificed the lives of their friends to their lust 
 for gold, and had perfidiously murdered the great and 
 generous Montezuma, If they would enter into such an 
 alliance they should forever enjoy free commerce with their 
 neighbors, and their gods would grant them success in 
 every undertaking; but if, on the contrary, they should 
 receive and harbor these bloodthirsty strangers, they should 
 be forever accursed and branded with infamy. The Tlas- 
 callan senate disputed long and earnestly, but finally re- 
 jected these overtures of the Mexicans, and voluntarily 
 renewed their allegiance as vassals to the King of Spain. 
 
TJie Siege of Mexico. 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE SIEGE OF MEXICO. 
 
 [A. D. 1520.] The Mexican capital, during the time the 
 Spaniards were recuperating at Tlascala, was a scene of 
 incessant activity. Knowing the character of Cortez and 
 his companions : that they would some day return to avenge 
 their defeat, the inhabitants lost no time in putting their 
 city in a condition to resist them. Undismayed by the dis- 
 tressing losses of the past year, the death of their king, and 
 the greater part of their nobility, the destruction of some of 
 their principal temples and important buildings, they bent 
 every energy to the repairing of the ravages caused by the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 Cuitlahuatzin, whom they had elected king to succeed 
 his brother, Montezuma, was the general of the army, and 
 a man of great talents and sagacity ; his military skill and 
 great bravery had given him a reputation throughout all 
 Mexico ; he exhibited his energy and talents for diplomacy 
 by immediately despatching embassies to every province of 
 the empire, promising to relieve from tribute all those who 
 would unite in the defense of the crown. It was he who 
 had sent the embassadors to Tlascala soliciting their alle- 
 giance. He repaired the buildings and fortifications of the 
 capital ; and it is believed that had he lived Mexico would 
 not have been taken upon the return of the Spaniards. 
 
 [Summer of 1520.] Unfortunately, he reigned but a few 
 months, for he soon fell a victim to small-pox, a disease 
 that had been introduced into Mexico in the person of a 
 
298 Mexico. 
 
 slave in the army of Narvaez ; but one of the many curses 
 brought by those adventurers from the Old World to the 
 inhabitants of the New. This dreadful scourge spread 
 throughout the whole Mexican empire, and many thousands 
 perished, and in many instances whole towns and cities were 
 depopulated. Though the Spaniards do not appear to have 
 suffered much themselves from this dread disease they were 
 the means of bringing to this unhappy country, yet many of 
 their Indian friends, especially the Cempoallans, fell a prey 
 to it, and many of the Tlascallans, including the great chief, 
 their friend Maxicatzin. 
 
 As successor to Cuitlahuatzin the Mexicans chose his 
 nephew, a spirited young man of about twenty-five years, 
 named Guatemotzm as their king, and under this intrepid 
 man, the eleventh King of Mexico, the capital was placed 
 in a posture of defence. Cortez himself was not idle, for 
 as soon as his wounds were cured by the Indian surgeons, 
 he commenced preparations for a renewal of his designs 
 upon Mexico. He sent to the coast for such reinforcements 
 and supplies as the commander at Vera Cruz could spare, 
 and in order to allay a feeling of discontent which was 
 becoming general in the army, he marched his men upon 
 the neighboring refractory tribes. He subjugated a prov- 
 ince on the borders of Tlascala, the inhabitants of which 
 had murdered some Spaniards on their way to Vera Cruz, 
 and marched from city to city, inflicting great punishment, 
 declaring many of their citizens slaves and branding them 
 with hot irons. The people of these provinces all made a 
 stubborn defence, in which they were greatly assisted by 
 Mexican troops ; but all to no avail ; the Spaniards were 
 soon masters of all the country about Tlascala, and opened 
 unobstructed routes of communication, not only with the 
 coast at Vera Cruz, but with the borders of the great lake 
 of Tezcoco. 
 
Movements of Co^tez. 299 
 
 In one expedition, however, they lost one of their captains 
 and eighty soldiers, which was a great offset to the victories 
 they had gained ; and others of the soldiers becoming dis- 
 contented, Cortez sent them to the coast to take passage 
 for Cuba. He despatched one of his captains to the island 
 of Hispaniola for arms and reinforcements, and another to 
 the court of Spain with a long letter to his sovereign, 
 Charles V., describing his doings up to that time, and with 
 a portion of the royal treasure saved from Mexico. 
 
 Several vessels arrived about this time with arms, ammu- 
 nition and soldiers destined for a settlement on the river 
 Panuco, and sent out by the Governor of Jamaica. As they 
 reached the port of Vera Cruz these forces were easily 
 diverted into the interior, joining Cortez, who found him- 
 self much strengthened and encouraged by this important 
 addition to his command. Never for a moment had this 
 intrepid leader abandoned his intentions upon Mexico, and 
 he now drew reinforcements'and accumulated supplies from 
 every available quarter. He sent into the forests of Tlas- 
 cala a noted man of his command, a most skilful shipwright, 
 named Martin Lopez, with orders to get out timber for 
 some brigantines. From the senate of Tlascala he obtained 
 a hundred men of burden to be sent to the coast for the 
 iron, sails, and rigging of the vessels he had dismantled the 
 previous year. He obtained tar from the pine trees of the 
 mountains, other material from various sources, and all 
 this was finally transported to Tezcoco, where the brigan- 
 tines were put together and launched upon the lake. He 
 was now in command of forty or fifty cavalry and five hun- 
 dred and fifty infantry ; and, having resolved to make his 
 headquarters at the ancient capital of Tezcoco, he set out 
 for that place after having been joined by ten thousand 
 Indians of Tlascala. 
 
 In two days they had passed through the mountains, and 
 
300 Mexico. 
 
 on the twenty-eighth of December they again looked npon 
 the beautiful valley of Mexico, from which they had been 
 driven five months previous. As they approached Tezcoco 
 they were met by a party of embassadors carrying a golden 
 banner, which they presented to Cortez as a token of 
 peace. They had been sent by Coanacotzin, King of 
 Tezcoco, to invite the Spanish general to his court, and to 
 request him not to commit any hostilities in his province. 
 Though Cortez desired to capture the king, and to obtain 
 revenge for the death of forty-five Spaniards and three 
 hundred Tlascallans, who had been killed while passing 
 through, laden with gold, silver, and arms for the Spaniards 
 (at that time in Mexico), yet he returned him a message of 
 friendship. Apprehensive of ill-treatment at the hands of 
 Cortez, who had caused the death of his brother, Caca- 
 matzin, and his uncle, Montezuma, the king fled to Mexico 
 at night. 
 
 Among the prisoners who escaped the slaughter on the 
 night of the retreat from Mexico was Cuicuicatzin, whom 
 Cortez and Montezuma had placed upon the throne of 
 Tezcoco and then removed, and who, having fled from 
 Tlascala to the court of Tezcoco, was killed by this same 
 brother, Coanacotzin. It seems, then, that his fears re- 
 specting the danger to his life from Cortez were perfectly 
 justifiable, and that he did well in seeking protection at 
 the Mexican court. 
 
 [Dec. 1520.] It was on the last day of December, 
 1520, that they arrived at Tezcoco, where they discovered 
 things in a state of confusion ; but some of the nobles came 
 up to meet them and conducted them to one of the palaces 
 of the late King Nezahualcoyotl, which was large enough 
 to contain twelve hundred men. Here they saw those 
 temples and palaces, which have been described in previous 
 chapters, and ascending one of them some of the officers 
 
March upon Tezcoco. 301 
 
 beheld the women and children of the city fleeing to the 
 lake border and hiding in the rushes and canoes. This 
 warned Cortez to be upon his guard, as the people 
 evidently meditated a revolt. Though he ordered his men 
 to remain within their quarters and to commit no act 
 of aggression upon the inhabitants, Cortez already had a 
 large party in his favor in the friends of the youngest 
 Prince of Tezcoco, Ixtlilxochitl, whom he now elevated 
 to the vacant throne. This young man, whose warlike pro- 
 clivities we have already referred to, was, next to the Tlas- 
 callans, the ablest ally of the Spaniards, and of essential 
 service to them in the subjugation of the Aztec capital. 
 
 The city of Tezcoco, having been next to Mexico the 
 most important in Anahuac, contained substantial houses 
 and fortified temples and palaces. Situated upon the 
 eastern shore of Lake Tezcoco, having in full sight the 
 Mexican capital, but nine miles distant, and the broad 
 plains behind it yielding sustenance for the support of a 
 large army, this city was an advantageous position from 
 which to conduct the siege of the city of the Aztecs. 
 
 No sooner was he well established here than Cortez 
 sent out various expeditions to subdue different towns and 
 cities about the lake. The first of these that felt the force 
 of his arms was the beautiful city of Iztapalapa, the 
 magnificent gardens and buildings of which had attracted 
 the attention of the Spaniards on their first approach to the 
 valley. The principal motive for the destruction of this 
 city was that it had been the residence of the celebrated 
 Cuitlahuatzin, who had been instrumental in driving them 
 from the city of Mexico. He marched upon it with more 
 than two hundred soldiers and three thousand Tlascallans, 
 and entered the city, the troops defending it feigning 
 a retreat, and the inhabitants fleeing to their canoes. 
 While they were busy sacking the city and setting fire to 
 
302 Mexico. 
 
 the houses an alarm was given that the streets were under 
 water and the water of the lake rapidly pouring in upon 
 them. Being situated between the two great lakes and 
 intersected by canals it was only necessary in order to flood 
 the city to cut the dikes, and this the self-sacrificing 
 inhabitants had done, preferring the destruction of their 
 homes to their occupation by the hated invaders. They 
 would all have been drowned had it not been for the 
 timely warning by the Tlascallan sentinels, and as it was, 
 some were cut off, all their booty was lost, and the army 
 returned to Tezcoco in very bad humor. The city of 
 Chalco, on the eastern border of a lake of the same name, 
 was next delivered from the Mexican troops which occupied 
 it by an army under the gallant Sandoval, and renewed its 
 allegiance to the Spanish king. This was one of the most 
 important cities about the lakes, being a great resort of the 
 merchants. It had been often in rebellion against the 
 Aztec power, and gladly seized the opportunity of freeing 
 itself from their dominion. 
 
 Information now coming down from the mountains that 
 the timber for the brigantines was hewn and ready for 
 transportation, Cortez sent Sandoval with two hundred men 
 to guard its transportation to the lake. It was a long 
 distance from the mountain forests of Tlascala to the 
 borders of Lake Tezcoco, but the hardy natives, inured to 
 fatigue, cheerfully carried the weight of this material, which 
 was to contribute so much to the defeat of their enemies. 
 Eight thousand Tlascallans carried on their backs the 
 timber, ready shaped, for every part of the thirteen vessels. 
 Two thousand were laden with provisions, and eight 
 thousand more acted as a guard of defence. They were 
 led by their valiant chieftain, Chichimecatl, until Tezcoco 
 was approached, when Sandoval placed his men in the 
 vanguard, and assigned the Indian chief the rear. This 
 
Building Vessels. 303 
 
 gave great offence to the brave Chichimecatl, until it was 
 explained to him by the Spaniards that in their country the 
 rear was considered the post of honor, when his pride was 
 pacified. Two days later this great body arrived at 
 Tezcoco, which they entered in triumph, dressed in their 
 finest regalia, wearing great plumes of feathers on their 
 heads, and marching to the sound of horns, drums and 
 trumpets. So long was this procession that they were six 
 hours in entering the city, during which time they kept up 
 their patriotic shouts of '"'' Castilla I Tlascala ! Castilla! 
 Tlascalaf^ 
 
 The timber was carried to the edge of the lake and 
 deposited at the docks, where the vessels were put together 
 with the greatest expedition, though the M^orkmen were con- 
 stantly harassed by Mexican soldiers, who came across the 
 lake in canoes, and made several attempts to destroy the 
 ship-yards by fire. Owing to the vigilance of the King of 
 Mexico, his troops were continually crossing the lake in 
 their canoes and annoying the Spaniards and their allies, 
 and every day skirmishes were passing between them. 
 There was on the borders of the lake, not far from Tez- 
 coco, a vast field of Indian corn, the produce of which 
 usually went to the priests of Mexico. When it was time 
 to reap the harvest the Mexicans crossed over in upwards 
 of a thousand canoes, and attacked the allies who were 
 engaged in gathering the corn with such vigor that they 
 were only repulsed after a long and stubborn fight. 
 
 While the vessels were in process of construction, Cortez 
 availed himself of the presence of the Tlascallan troops, 
 some thirty thousand in number, to advance around the lake 
 nearly to the city of Mexico. He even penetrated as far as 
 the town of Tacuba, not three miles distant from the 
 capital, and reached the famous causeway where, nine 
 months before, he had suffered that fatal defeat. It came 
 
304 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 near being the scene of a second disaster, for the Mexicans, 
 fei""ning retreat, drew him along the causeway into an 
 ambuscade, and then fell so furiously upon his troops that 
 he only extricated them with the greatest difficulty. The 
 Mexicans ironically invited them to enter their capital, 
 assuring them that their priests were waiting to sacrifice 
 them, and boasting that they would no longer find a Monte- 
 zuma to deal with, but a king unaffected by bribes or 
 threats. Cortez retreated to Tezcoco, followed by the 
 Mexicans most of the way, who heaped insults upon his 
 troops and attributed their return to cowardice. 
 
 The province of Chalco, lying south of Tezcoco, and 
 southeast of Mexico, being rich and populous, was the 
 scene of continual warfare between the rival forces, each 
 struggling desperately for its possession. Several times its 
 capital, the city of Chalco, had been the field of bloody 
 strife between the Spanish and Mexican soldiers, for no 
 sooner w^ere the latter driven out than the indefatigable 
 Guatemotzin again covered the lake with his war-canoes. 
 At last Cortez resolved upon a general invasion of the 
 province, and marching swiftly through the cities of Chalco 
 and Tlalmenalco, he swept his army southward towards the 
 vale of Cuernavaca. He everywhere encountered a deter- 
 mined resistance. At one point, in assailing a garrison 
 entrenched on the top of a steep and rocky hill, the whole 
 army was kept for a time powerless by reason of the great 
 rocks which the Indians rolled down upon the heads of the 
 assaulting party. At another engagement the slaughter 
 was so great that the waters of a small stream near which 
 it took place were tinged with blood for the space of an 
 hour. 
 
 In the valley of Cuernavaca, nearly forty miles distant 
 from Mexico, they found a city considered impregnable 
 from the strength of its natural defences ; surrounded on 
 
Moving Northward. 305 
 
 every side but one by deep ravines, it could only be 
 entered by means of bridges, which were raised by the in- 
 habitants as soon as they caught sight of the enemy. While 
 the army was hesitating, unable to advance and much 
 annoyed by the insults and arrows of the Indians on the 
 opposite bank, some of the soldiers, headed by Captain 
 Bernal Diaz, crossed one of the ravines upon two great 
 trees^ which, growing upon opposite sides, locked their 
 branches full forty feet above a rapid river. Many other 
 soldiers then crossing upon this perilous bridge, the city 
 was soon taken and given up to fire and pillage. 
 
 Having received the allegiance of the lord of this city, 
 Cortez faced his army northward, in the direction of 
 Mexico, his objective point being the large and beautiful 
 city of Xochimilco, the fourth in the valley in point of size 
 and population, and celebrated far and near for the mag- 
 nificence of its buildings and the beauty of its floating 
 gardens. Its inhabitants only yielded after a long and 
 obstinate struggle, during which they killed and wounded 
 many of the attacking force. The news of the fall of this 
 great and important city, situated less than twelve miles 
 from the capital, having reached the ears of the King of 
 Mexico, he at once despatched to it two thousand canoes 
 and an army of ten thousand warriors, who nearly succeeded 
 in retaking it, killing many of the Spaniards and wounding 
 a great number. They also captured four of them alive 
 and sent them to Mexico to be sacrificed, which being 
 done, their arms and legs were exhibited as trophies in 
 various parts of Anahuac. 
 
 Having sacked the city, Cortez departed to examine the 
 causeway of Iztapalapa, and thence marched upon the city 
 of Coyohuacan, whence another causeway led to the city 
 of Mexico. Leaving this city, which he found deserted, he 
 swung his army past Chapultepec, to Tlacopan and Tacuba, 
 
3o6 Mexico. 
 
 •which he thus visited for the third time. Having viewed, 
 from the summit of one of the temples of Tacuba, the ever- 
 memorable causeway leading thence to Mexico, he de- 
 parted for Tezcoco, constantly subjected to attacks from 
 flying troops of the enemy. In this long expedition the 
 Spaniards marched completely around the great lakes ; and 
 though their losses were large, nearly every survivor having 
 received a wound, and Cortez himself having been severely 
 injured and twice in danger of capture, what they had 
 accomplished was of the most vital importance to the 
 success of their future operations against the Mexican 
 capital. 
 
 The brigantines were now completed and ready for 
 launching, for which purpose a canal, a mile and a half in 
 length, twelve feet deep, and twelve broad, was dug by the 
 Indian laborers, eight thousand persons having been em- 
 ployed fifty days at this work. Ships, with arms, gun- 
 powder, and reinforcements, had meanwhile landed on the 
 coast and brought them valuable acquisitions ; among them 
 was " a very holy and reverend father," bringing with him 
 " bulls from the pope " to compose the consciences of the 
 soldiers for the murders they had committed, and were 
 about to commit, in this war for the conversion of the un- 
 regenerate Mexicans. This " holy man " amassed a fortune 
 in a few months, and soon returned to Spain to live at 
 ease. 
 
 About this time a conspiracy was formed against the life 
 of Cortez, a party having resolved to assassinate him while 
 at dinner, but this was discovered in season and the chief 
 conspirator hanged, 
 
 [April, 152 1.] On the twenty-eighth day of April, the 
 thirteen brigantines,' which had cost such an immense 
 amount of labor, and which were to play so important a 
 part in the siege of the island-capital, were launched upon 
 
 I 
 
Cortes Reviews his Forces. 
 
 307 
 
 the lake to the roar of artillery and the sound of military 
 music. At a review of his army, made in the great square 
 of Tezcoco, Cortez found it to contain eighty-six cavalry, 
 seven hundred infantry, armed with sword and buckler and 
 lance, and about one hundred musketeers and cross-bow 
 men, with three large cannon, a thousand pounds of pow- 
 der, fifteen small copper field-pieces, and a large supply of 
 balls and arrows. Word was now sent to the allies, who 
 quickly assembled to the number of seventy thousand men, 
 
 GONZALEZ DE SANDOVAL. 
 
 one of the towns in alliance also sending eight thousand 
 arrow-heads of copper for the use of the cross-bow men. 
 Having assembled this vast host at Tezcoco, Cortez issued 
 his orders for their guidance. " First, no person to utter 
 any blasphemy against the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy 
 Virgin, the holy apostles, nor any other of the saints, under 
 heavy penalties ; second, no soldier to ill-treat the allies, 
 nor to absent himself from his quarters under any pretence ; 
 every soldier to be fully provided with arms ; no soldier to 
 
3o8 Mexico. 
 
 stake his horse or arms in gaming ; no soldier to sleep out 
 of his armor nor without his weapons beside him ; the 
 penalty of death to be inflicted for sleeping at his post, 
 absence from quarters without leave, or flight in battle." 
 
 [May, 152 1.] On the twentieth day of May, the general- 
 m-chief assigned the different divisions of the army to 
 their posts about the valley : Captain Alvarado, with two 
 hundred soldiers, twenty thousand Tlascallans, and two 
 pieces of artillery, was appointed to Tlacopan ; Captain 
 Olid marched with Alvarado around the northern border 
 of the lake, and beyond, to the city of Coyoacan, having 
 about the same number of soldiers and cannon ; Captain 
 Sandoval was given a nearly equal number of horse, infantry, 
 and cannon, in order to go and possess the city of Iztapa- 
 lapa. Among the thirteen brigantines were distributed 
 three hundred and twenty-five men ; each vessel containing 
 twelve soldiers, twelve rowers, and a copper cannon. 
 
 An unhappy incident occurred at this time which 
 deprived the Tlascallans of one of their leaders and gave 
 Cortez an opportunity for committing an arbitrary and 
 revengeful act. Among the native nobles who accompanied 
 Alvarado was the valiant general, Xicotencatl, the same 
 who had resisted so manfully the entry of the Spaniards 
 into Tlascala. When the Spaniards had sought refuge in 
 that republic after their expulsion from Mexico he had 
 advised the senate to seize the opportunity for ridding 
 their territory of such dangerous allies, being one of the 
 few wise enough to foresee the evil they would bring upon 
 them. By this means, though he had now joined the 
 Spaniards with the forces under his command, he had 
 gained the enmity of Cortez, who only waited a fitting 
 time to destroy him. This time had now arrived, for 
 Xicotencatl, incensed at the insulting treatment of a friend, 
 who had been wounded by a Spanish officer, secretly left 
 
The Aztec City Invested. 309 
 
 the army and set out for Tlascala. Cortez immediately 
 sent officers in pursuit of him, giving orders to hang him 
 as a traitor, which command was carried into effect in a 
 small town near Tezcoco. The real motive for this 
 outrageous proceeding appears, when we find that Cortez 
 seized upon his family of thirty wives, and his property, a 
 large part of which was jewels and gold. 
 
 The captains, Alvarado and Olid, continued together 
 with their forces as far as Chapultepec, where, after a hard 
 fight with the Mexicans, they destroyed the only aqueduct, 
 which supplied pure water to the capital. Then they re- 
 treated to the positions respectively assigned them : Alva- 
 rado to Tlacopan, and Olid to Coyoacan, while Sandoval 
 proceeded by land, and Cortez by water, to Iztapalapa, 
 which place they carried by storm. As soon as they were 
 in possession of the city, they perceived signals of smoke 
 arising, such as had been sent up by the Mexicans when 
 they entered the valley, and a large fleet of canoes filled 
 with warriors came out against them. A fresh breeze 
 springing up at this time filled the sails of the brigantines, 
 and the Spaniards bore down upon the canoes, overturning 
 many of them and destroying many others with shot from 
 the cannon."^' 
 
 Captain Olid was posted on a branch of the main causeway 
 that led from Iztapalapa to Mexico, and setting his forces 
 in motion he joined with Sandoval at the junction of these 
 roads, where there was a strong fortress in possession of 
 the Mexicans. The two captains attacked this stronghold 
 
 * In some descriptions of the launching of the brigantines of Cortez, great 
 stress is laid upon the employment of sails, as though the Indians were not 
 acquainted with their use. But Bernal Diaz, in describing the first that came 
 out to them from Yucatan, says, " five canoes full of Indians came out with oar 
 and sail," — y venian a remo y vela. And the canoe that Columbus saw off 
 Guanaco in 1502 — '■'■ Elle marchait h voiles et a rames.''^ — Brasseur de 
 
 BOURBOURG, 
 
3iO 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 by land, assisted by Cortez with his brigantines, and soon 
 reduced it, committing a great slaughter of the garrison 
 with their cannon. This place, known as Xoloc, Cortez 
 at once seized upon for the establishment of his camp 
 making it his headquarters until the close of the siege. 
 
 CHRISTOVAL DE OLID. 
 
 Every causeway except one was now in possession of the 
 Spaniards, and this one, that leading to the north, was a 
 few days later taken and held by Alvarado, thus rendering 
 the investment of the city complete, and cutting off all 
 communication, except by water, of the doomed inhabitants 
 with the outside world. 
 
The Destruction of the City. 31 1 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY. 
 
 The very day after he had become firmly fixed in his 
 position, Cortez himself made an assault upon the city, 
 Alvarado and Sandoval approaching it from their respective 
 camps. Eighty thousand allies assisted them, yet they 
 barely succeeded in penetrating to the great square, where 
 they were attacked by such numbers of Mexicans that they 
 fell back in confusion, leaving a cannon in possession of 
 the enemy. The forces of their allies daily increased, until 
 they soon amounted to above two hundj-ed and forty 
 thousand. The King of Tezcoco at last joined forces with 
 Cortez, sending him an army of fifty thousand men. Day 
 by day, the surrounding tribes sent in their allegiance 
 to Cortez, until at last the intrepid Mexicans were left 
 alone to struggle single-handed against the common enemy, 
 of their country. When he felt that he had his troops well 
 in hand Cortez made another attack upon the city, pene- 
 trating again — though over ditches and entrenchments 
 valiantly defended — to the square. Ten thousand of the 
 allies busied themselves in filling up the ditches in the 
 causeway, while others destroyed the houses bordering it. 
 Among the buildings demolished on that day were several 
 temples, the great palace of Axayacatl (in which the 
 Spaniards had been quartered on their first entry), and 
 Montezuma's aviary, or house of birds. At this time was 
 commenced that systematic tearing down of the structures 
 of the city and the filling of the canals with the del}ris^ that 
 
3 1 2 Mexico. 
 
 continued during the siege, and left little remaining of the 
 splendid Aztec capital. A retreat to camp was with great 
 difficulty effected, the Tlascallans carrying off the arms and 
 legs of many Mexicans, which, we are told, they ate that 
 night for their suj)per. It was impossible for Cortez to keep 
 a garrison in the city to hold what he each day gained, 
 owing to the fuiy of its defenders, so he instituted this 
 system of daily advances from the outside posts, demolish- 
 ing the buildings on the outskirts and laying waste as far 
 as he went. Notwithstanding all his eft'orts to fill the 
 ditches in the causeway, the Mexicans kept them open, re- 
 moving everything at night that had been thrown into them 
 during the day, and thus making them a great obstacle to 
 a successful advance, and especially to a swift retreat. 
 The first to seriously feel the disastrous effect of an 
 advance into the city, with open canals in the rear, were 
 the troops of Alvarado, who, in the heat of pursuit, pene- 
 trated as far as the market-place. When they had "drawn 
 them far enough the Mexicans turned upon them in such 
 numbers that they fled in confusion. In passing one of 
 the ditches, nearly fifty feet in width, several Spaniards 
 were taken, and at once hurried to the great temple and 
 sacrificed. As this terrible scene was enacted in sight of 
 the army, it had a most depressing effect upon the soldiers, 
 and taught them to act more cautiously. In ' spite of this 
 dreadful warning, however, the zeal of the allies, and the 
 impatience of the soldiers to get the treasures of the city 
 into their hands, overcame their prudence. After twenty 
 days of constant skirmishing, in which the gains, though 
 slight, were sure, the Spaniards, wearied of their slow 
 progress, pressed Cortez for a general assault. A council 
 of war was held; it was decided to advance, from the tfiree 
 different posts occupied by Cortez, Sandoval, and Alvarado, 
 upon the city, with the object of meeting in the great 
 
A Feigned Retreat, 313 
 
 square of the temple. All the Spanish forces, with over 
 one hundred thousand of the allies, marched along the 
 causeways, the brigantines and more than three thousand 
 canoes protecting them on the flanks. Unknow^n to the 
 Spaniards, the Mexicans had made elaborate preparations 
 for their defeat. They had deepened the principal ditch, 
 narrowed the causeway, and had posted a multitude of 
 canoes in ambush near this difficult pass to sally out 
 at a given signal to the attack. Induced by feigned 
 retreats and the apparent cowardice of the Mexicans, the 
 Spaniards eagerly pursued them as far as the great square, 
 closely followed by their allies, wedged in dense masses 
 upon the causeway. This was the moment for the wily Mexi- 
 cans. Suddenly the sound of a trumpet issued from the 
 temple of their war god. Inspired by this sound, the last 
 call of the priests and nobles to arms, the Mexican troops 
 burst forth from their places of concealment with incredible 
 fury. The Spaniards and their allies could not resist this 
 attack, and were at once thrown into confusion. At this 
 fatal moment they saw the error they had committed, in 
 allowing themselves to be drawn into the city without 
 filling all the ditches that intersected the great causeway. 
 Their allies only served to detain them in their retreat, and 
 the Mexicans now slaughtered them without mercy. The 
 canoes came out and fell upon their flank and rear, 
 dragging the soldiers into the water, and hastening with 
 them to the temple of sacrifice. Eighty were carried off 
 in this manner, shrieking and vainly struggling in the 
 clutches of their exulting foes. In the narrowest part of 
 the pass Cortez was caught, was wounded in the leg, 
 dragged from his horse, and came near being made a 
 victim for sacrifice. If the enemy had not been so anxious 
 to preserve him alive for an offering to their gods, but 
 had only killed him when they had him in their power, 
 
314 Mexico, 
 
 the siege of Mexico might have ended then and there. 
 But while they were dragging him away, a brave soldier 
 flew to his defence. With one stroke of his sword he 
 cut off the arm of one of the captors, and killed four 
 others, falling at last wdiile gallantly fighting. A valiant 
 Tlascallan, named Temacatzin, so ably seconded the efforts 
 of De Oli that Cortez was rescued, placed upon a horse 
 and hurried away towards his camp, his major-domo, 
 Cristoval de Guzman, falling into the hands of the enemy 
 in his endeavor to save him. 
 
 With the shattered remains of his army the wounded and 
 dejected general finally reached his quarters on the cause- 
 way at Xoloc, pursued by the infuriated Mexicans to the 
 very gates of the fortress. More than a thousand of the 
 allies and eighty or one hundred of the Spaniards were 
 killed, and several boats, a piece of artillery, and seven 
 horses were lost. 
 
 Alvarado and Sandoval had not attacked so briskly as 
 Cortez, and the Mexican troops that had defeated the 
 latter turned upon them before they reached the centre of 
 the city. As they neared them they threw down five 
 bleeding heads, telling them they were those of Cortez and 
 his officers ; then they attacked the discomfited Spaniards 
 so desperately that they fell back in disorder. It was 
 usual, in case of retreat, for the Spaniards to clear the 
 causeway of their allies to prevent confusion ; but at this 
 time, says the old historian, it was not necessary, " the 
 sight of the bloody heads had done it effectually, nor did 
 one of them remain on the causeway to impede our retreat." 
 Exulting in such a glorious victory, the Mexicans cleared 
 their city entirely of the last enemy ; they repaired their 
 defences, and passed eight succeeding days in feastings 
 and rejoicings. They threw into the camp of Cortez other 
 fresh and bleeding heads, telling him they were those of 
 
The Mexicans Triumphant. 315 
 
 Alvarado and Sandoval, which caused him great sorrow 
 until he had ascertained by messengers that they were yet 
 living. 
 
 The cause of this defeat was the same that had conduced 
 to that former one of Alvarado — the neglect to fill up the 
 canals as they advanced. Cortez sought to throw the 
 blame upon one of his officers, though it undoubtedly lay 
 at his own door. Now, in distress, with meagre food, and 
 suffering from wounds, the Spaniards were obliged to rest 
 upon their arms. The Mexicans carried on the sacrifices 
 of their prisoners day after day, and the horrid sight was 
 in full view of the whole army. We cannot do better than 
 quote the relation of an eye-witness of those scenes, brave 
 Bernal Diaz. He was in the detachment commanded by 
 Alvarado, which was the last attacked, and the nearest to 
 the great pyramid on which the prisoners were sacrificed. 
 " Before we arrived at our quarters, and while the enemy 
 were pursuing us, we heard their shrill timbals and the 
 dismal sound of the great drum, from the top of the 
 principal temple of the god of war, which overlooked the 
 city. Its mournful music was such as may be imagined 
 is that of the infernal gods, and it might be heard at the 
 distance of almost three leagues. They were then sacri- 
 ficing the hearts of ten of our companions to their idols. 
 Shortly after this the King of Mexico's horn was blown, 
 giving notice to his captains that they were then to take 
 their enemies prisoners, or die in the attempt. It is 
 impossible to describe the fury with which they closed 
 upon us when they heard this signal. Though all is as 
 perfect to my recollection as if passing before my eyes, it 
 is utterly beyond my power to describe ; all I can say is, 
 it was God's will that we should escape from their hands 
 and get back in safety to our post. Praised be He for his 
 mercies, now and at all other times ! " 
 
3 1 6 Mexico. 
 
 At another time, as the soldiers were sitting at rest, 
 engaged in relating the events that had happened, their 
 attention was attracted by the sound of the great war-drum, 
 and looking up to the temple-pyramid they saw a procession 
 of their unfortunate countrymen being driven up the 
 winding stairs, with cuffs and blows. Their white skins 
 served to distinguish them from the Indians, and they saw 
 them, after being subjected to every insult, thrown upon 
 the sacrificial stone, their hearts torn out and their bodies 
 thrown down the steps to the greedy people in waiting 
 below. Their heads, arms, and legs were sent as trophies 
 of Mexican valor to every tribe throughout Anahuac, with a 
 warning to them to return to their allegiance unless they 
 wished to be served in a similar manner. This so terrified 
 the allies that they nearly all forsook Cortez and returned 
 to their homes, all except a few of the bravest of the 
 Tlascallan and Tezcocan nobles. At the suggestion of 
 Prince Ixtlilxochitl, Cortez now changed his tactics, and 
 came to the resolution to destroy the Mexicans by famine, 
 rather than waste away his troops in fruitless attacks. 
 The Mexican priests committed the great error of predicting 
 the total destruction of the Spaniards within a certain 
 number of days. Their gods had told them that within 
 eight days they were to feast upon their flesh. But in 
 this case the priests had assumed too much, they had made 
 one prediction too many. They should not have assigned 
 a limit to the time ; for when Cortez heard of it he merely 
 drew off his soldiers and rested during the entire period. 
 As it expired, he caused the allies to be informed of it, 
 and they came back, no longer having faith in Mexican 
 forewarnings. Directly and indirectly (as we have seen) 
 the priests were the cause of Mexico's downfall, even 
 as they caused her repeated disaster in the centuries 
 following her capture by the Spaniards. 
 
The Ambuscade of the Canoes. 317 
 
 Had not famine come to the aid of the besiegers it is 
 doubtful if they would have so soon marched through the 
 streets of Mexico as they did. Boats and brigantines kept 
 constant watch about the doomed capital, preventing access 
 to water and provisions. The Mexicans were fully as well 
 versed as their foes in the mysteries of stratagem ; they were 
 their equals in bravery, superior to them even in the reck- 
 less disregard of their lives in defence of their homes. Had 
 their weapons of defence been equal to those of the Span- 
 iards, the history of Mexico would to-day be a different one 
 from what it is. They early displayed their talent for the 
 laying of ambuscades, into which the Spanish troops often 
 fell, greatly to their loss. They now prepared a successful 
 ambuscade for the brigantines, those large vessels which 
 annoyed them so much on the lake, along the causeways, 
 and around the borders of the city. They constructed 
 some very large canoes, called periaguas, covered with 
 thick plank. These they filled with fighting-men and 
 concealed among the floating gardens in a portion of the 
 lake where the Spanish vessels were cruising to intercept 
 canoes coming from the mainland with provisions. In 
 front of their ambuscade they drove large stakes, deep 
 enough beneath the surface to be out of sight, and yet 
 forming an obstruction upon which the brigantines would 
 founder or stick fast. They then sent out small canoes as 
 decoys, and when the brigantines pursued them they soon 
 ran afoul of these sunken stakes ; then, when they were 
 in this helpless condition, the periaguas sallied out and did 
 great mischief. They killed the captains of two vessels 
 and wounded nearly all the crew before they could be 
 extricated and the cannon on board brought into play. 
 Attempting this again soon after, they were themselves 
 drawn into ambush and many of their canoes destroyed. 
 
 The intelligence that guided their operations seems to 
 
3i8 Mexico. 
 
 have been one superior to that which guided the Spaniards. 
 With troops similar in number and equipment, Guatemotzin 
 would have been more than a match for Cortez. If we 
 read of any brilliant movement or piece of strategy executed 
 by the Spaniards, we shall find upon examination that it 
 was suggested by their observation of the superior skill of 
 the Mexicans. 
 
 Among the prisoners captured at the second attack of the 
 canoes were several nobles, who were sent by Cortez to 
 Guatemotzin with a message of peace. They undertook 
 this commission unwillingly, declaring that the fierce king 
 would have them instantly put to death ; but, though much 
 enraged at them for bringing him such proposals, he spared 
 their lives, and sent them back to Cortez with a message of 
 defiance. 
 
 About this time news came from Cuernavaca and other 
 frontier towns that the Malinalchese, instigated by the mes- 
 sengers of the Mexicans who had been sent to them with 
 the heads of the SjDaniards, were marching upon the besieg- 
 ers with a large army. These were met and defeated by 
 two detachments, and thus the last hope of the Mexicans of 
 aid from without was taken from them. Their condition 
 was most deplorable ; they were now " forsaken by all their 
 friends, surrounded by enemies, and oppressed by famine." 
 Not only the Spaniards were arrayed against them, but 
 nearly every native kingdom and republic lying between 
 the sea and the gulf. Still they were undismayed, and to 
 the overtures of peace sent them by the SjDani^rds returned 
 only answers breathing defiance and threatenings of the 
 vengeance they would take upon them when their gods 
 should have delivered them into their hands. 
 
 The Tlascallan chief, Chichimecatl, made restless by the 
 delay of the Spaniards to attack, one day entered the city 
 with his own troops, carefully guarding the great ditch by 
 
The Different Divisions Meet in the City. 319 
 
 his archers, and after a protracted fight, made good his re- 
 treat, covered with glory, to the Spanish camp. The Mexi- 
 cans revenged themselves for this insult by a night attack 
 upon Alvarado, which, however, was repulsed with little 
 loss. Just at this time, when their powder was running 
 low, a ship arrived at Vera Cruz with a fresh supply, and, 
 thus recruited, Cortez again commenced an advance into 
 the city. 
 
 As he advanced he destroyed every building, leaving not 
 one behind him. One hundred and fifty thousand allies 
 accompanied him and performed this work of destruction. 
 As these misguided wretches were employed at this work 
 of demolition, the Mexicans taunted them : " Demolish, ye 
 traitors," they shouted, " lay those houses in ruin, for after- 
 wards you will have the labor of rebuilding them." And, 
 in truth, they did ; though the Spaniards conquered, upon 
 the allies who so faithfully assisted them fell the labor 
 of reconstruction. Early were they made to feel the 
 weight of the chains they were unwittingly forging for their 
 own limbs ! 
 
 On the twenty-fourth day of July the Spaniards obtained 
 possession of the great road passing through the city from 
 Iztapalapa to Tacuba, and three-fourths of the city was 
 now in their hands. A few days later Cortez joined with 
 Alvarado and Sandoval, as they came in from the other sides, 
 and had the inexpressible satisfaction of completing this 
 junction of forces, which he had so often attempted in vain. 
 A great canal separated them from the district of Tlaltelolco, 
 to which the besieged were now confined. In one of the 
 temples, destroyed in the progress of the march, they dis- 
 covered the heads of many of their soldiers, the hair and 
 beards of which, says an old veteran, were much grown 
 since placed in position on the beams of the Place of Skulls. 
 
 Repeated demands were made of the Mexicans to sur- 
 
320 Mexico. 
 
 render, but they as often replied that they would continue 
 the defence so long as one of them remained alive. Four 
 days passed, during which crowds of wretched men, women, 
 and children, emaciated and dying of hunger, came to the 
 Spaniards and gave themselves up. The warriors were still 
 unsubdued ; by night and by day they made their assaults, 
 but they were so exhausted by hunger that they accomplished 
 little harm. At last Cortez gave the signal for a general 
 assault, by the firing of a musket, and the eager troops and 
 ferocious Indian allies fell upon the unarmed and half- 
 starved wretches so fiercely that in one day twelve thousand, 
 and in another forty thousand, perished. The common 
 people were ready to surrender, though thousands of them 
 were butchered as they fell into the hands of their enemies ; 
 but the priests and nobles, headed by their indomitable 
 king, refused to submit. They prayed for death ; " If you 
 are the child of the sun," said they to Cortez, " why are 
 you so slow in delivering us from our calamities by death ? " 
 Cortez sent to Guatemotzin an embassy with a present of 
 provisions, and asking for a conference, but though returning 
 assuring answers, that wily monarch was unwilling to trust 
 his person within reach of one who had always hated him, 
 and who had caused the murder of his uncle, Montezuma, 
 though professedly his friend. Cortez promised him plen- 
 itude of power and honors if he would but surrender and 
 thus terminate the bloody siege ; but Guatemotzin only 
 retreated farther into the fortified portion of his diminished 
 capital, and stubbornly refused to listen to his words. 
 Artillery was then brought up and trained upon the defence- 
 less people crowded in the streets and beneath the porticoes 
 of the buildings, and the allies again glutted their rage upon 
 helpless men and women, who threw themselves into the 
 canals, which became purple with the blood of' the slain. 
 In misery and woe they were perishing by thousands, when 
 
Capture of Guatemotzin. 321 
 
 it became known that the emperor, Guatemotzin, had 
 escaped. The Mexican nobles had prepared canoes in 
 which to flee, as a last resort, but Cortez had anticipated 
 such a measure, and had ordered Sandoval, in command of 
 the lake forces, to seize these boats and watch sharply for 
 the royal barge itself. At the last moment, when defence 
 was no longer possible, after he had exhausted every 
 resource his ingenuity could suggest in resistance, the 
 emperor, Guatemotzin, allowed himself to be led into a 
 periagua, which, in company with about fifty others, set 
 sail for the main land. Notice was at once conveyed to 
 Sandoval, who was actively engaged in tearing down the 
 houses, and who immediately despatched his swiftest ves- 
 sel in pursuit. It soon came up with the royal barge, 
 which was distinguished by its awnings and structure, and 
 its captain, Garcia de Holguin, received the surrender of 
 the ill-fated Emperor of the Aztecs. Guatemotzin had with 
 him the King of Tacuba, Coanoctzin, tlT,e deposed King of 
 Tezcoco, and other persons of rank, together with his wife 
 and children. Entreating for them the consideration of the 
 Spaniards, he took his queen by the hand and entered the 
 brigantine. 
 
 From the terrace of a temple Cortez had witnessed the 
 flight, the pursuit, and the capture. He awaited anxiously 
 the arrival of the monarch, and as he came before him 
 embraced him with the greatest show of affection. The 
 unhappy emperor, laying his hand upon a dagger that 
 Cortez wore at his girdle, begged him to deprive him of 
 the life which he should have lost in defence of his people, 
 and which was no longer of value to him ; '' I have done, 
 Malmtzin, that which was my duty in the defence of my 
 kingdom and my people ; my efforts have been of no avail^ 
 and now, being brought by force to you a prisoner, draw 
 that poniard from your belt and stab me to the heart." 
 
322 Mexico. 
 
 This he said with tears in his eyes and baring his breast to 
 receive the fatal thrust. Cortez tried to reassure him, 
 promising him his Uberty in due season and a return of all 
 the greatness which he had lost. Better had it been for 
 the great-hearted emperor had his wish been carried into 
 effect at that time, for he was reserved for torture and a 
 disgraceful death by hanging, at the hands of this same 
 deceitful captor ! What he would not ask for himself he 
 begged for his people, entreating Cortez that he would put 
 a stop to the slaughter still going on. This he did, and 
 when the bloodthirsty allies had been restrained, the 
 miserable remnant of Mexico's once-numerous population 
 was allowed to file out of the plague-smitten city into the 
 country. 
 
 [A. D. 152 1.] With the fall of Guatemotzin fell the 
 capital, and the little resistance until then offered ceased. 
 It was at the hour of vespers, on the thirteenth of August, 
 152 1, that this was effected, and the Spaniards found 
 themselves in possession of the prize for which they had 
 so long and so desperately striven. That night, the 
 soldiers fell back to their old posts, on the outskirts of 
 the city, which they had occupied during the seventy-five 
 days of the siege. Many thousands of the allies had been 
 killed, and of their own number above one hundred had 
 been killed and sacrificed. An immense number of the 
 Mexicans perished, according to the best authorities, not 
 less than one hundred thousand^ and of the survivors there 
 were few that were not afflicted with wounds and disease, 
 the result of pestilence and famine. " I have read," says 
 the soldier-historian, Diaz, " of the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 but I cannot conceive that the mortality there exceeded 
 this of Mexico ; for all the people from the distant 
 provinces which belonged to this empire had concentrated 
 themselves here, where they mostly died. The streets, 
 
The City Deserted. 323 
 
 the squares, the houses and the courts of Tlaltelolco were 
 covered with dead bodies ; we could not step without 
 treading on them ; the lake and canals were filled with 
 them, and the stench was intolerable. For this reason, 
 our troops, immediately after the capture of the royal 
 family, retired to their quarters." 
 
 In order to cleanse the city the inhabitants were ordered 
 into the country, the decaying corpses were buried, and 
 great fires were kindled to purify the air. "For three days 
 and nights the causeways were full, from one end to the 
 other, of men, women, and children so weak and sickly, 
 squalid and dirty and pestilential, that it was misery to 
 behold them. Some miserable wretches were creeping 
 about in a famished condition through the deserted streets ; 
 the ground was all broken up to get at the roots of such 
 vegetation as it afforded, the very trees were stripped of 
 their bark, and there was no water in the town. . . . During 
 all their distress, however, though their constant practice 
 was to feast on such as they took prisoners, no instance 
 occurred of their having preyed upon each other ; yet 
 certainly there never existed since the creation a people 
 which suffered so much from hunger, thirst, and warfare." 
 
 " Thus," says another historian, " did Providence, in 
 conducting the Spaniards, a polished nation of Europe, 
 to overturn the rude monarchy of the Mexicans, in America, 
 punish the latter for the injustice, cruelty, and superstition 
 of their ancestors. But there the victors, in one year of 
 merciless massacre, sacrificed more human victims to 
 avarice and ambition than the Indians during the existence 
 of their empire had devoted in worship to their native gods. 
 There the legislative art of Europe corrected the bloody 
 policy of American tribes, and introduced the ministry of 
 justice, by despoiling Indian caciques of their territories 
 and tributes, torturing them for gold and enslaving their 
 
324 Mexico. 
 
 posterity. There the mild parental voice of the Christian 
 religion was suborned to terrify confounded savages with 
 the malice of a strange, and by them unprovoked, God ; 
 and her gentle arm in violence lifted up, to raze their 
 temples and hospitable habitations, to ruin every fond relic 
 and revered monument of their ancestry and origin, and 
 divorce them in anguish from the bosom of their country." 
 
 The plunder obtained did not come up to the expectations 
 of the conquerors, and as the best part of the gold and 
 treasure was sent to the King of SjDain, the poor soldiers 
 came out of this long and trying siege with nothing but 
 wounds and sickness as their reward. The allies were 
 dismissed well laden with plunder of garments and feathers, 
 and with magnificent promises from Cortez of what he 
 would later do for them. What he did do was to compel 
 them to rebuild the city and labor for his enrichment ! 
 
 At the quarters in Coyoacan a great feast was held, at 
 which the soldiers " swore they would buy horses with 
 golden harness, and the cross-bow men would use none 
 but golden arrows." This was while they were under the 
 influence of wine ; but when they returned to their senses 
 they discovered that their condition was but little better 
 than that of their allies. When the revel was ended " the 
 crucifixes and the image of Our Lady were borne in solemn 
 procession, with drums and standards ; the litany was sung 
 during the ceremony ; Fra. Bartholome preached and ad- 
 ministered the sacrament, and we returned thanks to God 
 for our victory." In this manner was the divine blessing 
 invoked upon the destruction of a nation and the murder 
 of millions. 
 
After the Overthrow. 325 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 AFTER THE OVERTHROW. 
 
 [A. D. 1521-1530.] Gold and treasure were found in 
 such small quantities that Guatemotzin, the late emperor, 
 was suspected of having concealed it. The disappointed 
 soldiers and officers had forgotten that they had exhausted 
 the treasure of Montezuma during their first occupation of 
 the city. From the plundering of the dead Mexicans and 
 the sacking of empty houses they turned in disgust upon 
 Cortez, demanding that he should compel the emperor to 
 reveal the place where he had buried his treasure. Cortez, 
 conqueror of a million Mexicans, intrepid leader of a band 
 of adventurers, who had been the life and soul of this' bloody 
 enterprise, had not the courage to withstand the importu- 
 nities of these assassins. They insinuated that he was 
 treating Guatemotzin with kindness in order to obtain from 
 him the valuable secret and appropriate the booty, and to 
 clear himself of such suspicions he delivered the unfortu- 
 nate monarch over to be tortured. It availed the Indian 
 emperor little that Cortez had promised him protection ; 
 for he was to be served worse than had been his cousin, 
 Montezuma. His feet were soaked in oil and burned over 
 a slow fire ; but this cruel act only extorted from him the 
 confession that he had thrown the little remaining of his 
 treasure into the lake. He bore the torture with great 
 courage, even mildly rebuking a companion who shared it 
 with him for weakly crying out. His life was spared for 
 the time, but his friend died of the torment. 
 
326 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Expert swimmers and divers searched the places pointed 
 out by Guatemotzin, but recovered nothing of value, except 
 a sun of gold in a deep pond in his garden. The whole 
 sum collected amounted to only three hundred and eighty 
 thousand crowns, and, after deducting the shares belonging 
 to the king and the officers, that falling to the soldiers was 
 
 BUST OF GUATEMOTZIN. 
 
 so small that few of them would take it. The most curious 
 of the works of gold, some pearls, and a magnificent eme- 
 rald, pyramid-shaped, the largest they had ever seen, — 
 in fact, the greatest portion of the treasure, — was sent to the 
 Emperor of Spain, Charles V. The ship containing it, and 
 also messengers bearing letters from Cortez to the emperor, 
 
 I 
 
The Aztec Empire Subjugated. 327 
 
 was captured by a French cruiser and the valuable booty 
 transferred to France. It was a cause of great sorrow and 
 chagrin to the Spaniards to learn that this royal gift, 
 which they had toiled so hard to obtain, which had cost so 
 many lives, and for which they had even sacrificed their 
 souls, had been diverted into the coffers of a strange king. 
 The King of France and his subjects rejoiced greatly, and 
 the former is said to have then had his eyes opened to the 
 extent of the possessions of his brothers, the Kings of Spain 
 and Portugal, in the New World. He sent over to them 
 asking how it was that they had agreed to divide the world 
 between them without giving him a share, and asked to see 
 the will of our father Adam, by which he had made them 
 exclusively his heirs. 
 
 The downfall of the Aztec capital was also that of the 
 empire ; the Spaniards were now masters of the entire 
 territory, except certain remote portions, which they soon 
 subdued. Indians from all parts of the country flocked 
 to the vale of Anahuac to look upon the ruins of a city 
 that had seemed to them impregnable. The great kingdom 
 of Michoacan was the first to send embassadors to the 
 conquerors. After sending several messengers, the king 
 himself came to behold with his own eyes that which his 
 ears refused to credit. He brought a large quantity of gold 
 and pearls, and declared himself a tributary of the King of 
 Spain. Spanish soldiers were sent back into his country, 
 and through it to the coast of the Pacific, at Colima. 
 
 In two months the city had been cleansed and was ready 
 for occupation. To the Indians, Cortez assigned one dis- 
 trict, and to the Spaniards he gave another. That portion 
 form.erly occupied by the temples and royal palaces had 
 been levelled to the ground ; the remainder of the city was 
 nearly in ruins. Buildings were repaired, and the work of 
 construction immediately commenced ; and (as predicted 
 
328 Mexico. 
 
 by the Aztecs) the very Indians who had assisted in the 
 demohtion were compelled by the Spaniards to devote 
 themselves to the labor of building up the new city. Sub- 
 stantial and beautiful structures were rapidly reared, and 
 in a few years this ancient centre of trade and capital 
 became again mistress of Mexico. In the Indian quarter 
 of Tlaltelolco thirty thousand Indians found shelter, and 
 two thousand families occupied the district assigned to the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 Expeditions for conquest and colonization were sent east, 
 south, and west. The gallant Sandoval was sent to Goatz- 
 coalcos to punish some people who had murdered a party 
 of soldiers, and to settle a colony. Finding that the vicinity 
 of Mexico, though it had a most delightful climate, did not 
 abound either in mines or rich plantations, many of the 
 soldiers preferred to seek new territory. From the books 
 which contained the accounts of the tribute paid in former 
 years to Montezuma they ascertained the provinces richest 
 in gold, cotton, and cacao, and begged of Cortez to send 
 them there. 
 
 The natives of Panuco, northeast of Anahuac, rose in 
 rebellion, and were only put down" after a series of hard- 
 fought battles, and the troops were called in other direc- 
 tions, rarely being allowed to remain inactive for any length 
 of time. 
 
 [A. D. 1522.] In this year Captain Alvarado was sent 
 to conquer the country of the Zapotecs, in the province of 
 Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-hah-kah). This he succeeded 
 in doing, completely subjugating the people of this rich 
 and fertile valley, and procuring a great deal of gold. The 
 natives even made for him stirrups of gold, after patterns 
 he furnished them. 
 
 On the 15th of October of this year the emperor signed 
 the commission of Cortez as Captain-General, Governor,'" 
 
The King Confirms Cortez in Power. 329 
 
 and Chief Justice of New Spain. He was now established 
 in the position he had sought to obtain. In spite of the 
 opposition of Velasquez, Governor of Cuba, and Fonseca, 
 Bishop of Burgos, who had sought to have him declared a 
 traitor, arrested, and sent to Spain, the emperor now recog- 
 nized the great value of his services, and justly rewarded 
 them. From the time of the development of the enmity of 
 Velasquez against him to this, he had remained loyal to 
 his sovereign. In disconnecting himself from the Governor 
 of Cuba, and making himself responsible directly to the 
 emperor, he had ever in view the possibility of his motives 
 being mistaken. He had, hence, used every endeavor to 
 prove his fealty, to impress the emperor with the fact that 
 all his conquests were in his name. For this reason he 
 had despoiled the soldiers of their share of the captured 
 treasure at Vera Cruz, at Mexico, before and after the cap- 
 ture, and sent a vast amount to the court. Charles V. 
 could not be insensible to the fidelity and great value of 
 the services of this remarkable man, who had added to his 
 empire a domain larger than the whole of Castile. Cortez 
 was also as expert with the pen as with the sword, as the 
 letters written at various times during the conquest remain 
 to testify. Immediately upon retiring from the ruined 
 city to the suburb of Coyoacan, he sat down to write a 
 most graphic and temperate account of the whole pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 He had evaded the various officials sent out by the 
 Governor of Cuba with authority of the king to arrest him 
 or to suspend his operations, sending some away with 
 bribes and others by force, and now he was in the position 
 he had so long coveted, with all his acts sanctioned by the 
 king, and accountable to him alone. 
 
 The first government was really a military one, with 
 Cortez as chief, but there existed the Aytmtamiento, or 
 
330 Mexico. 
 
 body of magistrates, first appointed by Cortez himself in 
 Vera Cruz at the outset of his career of conquest. This 
 body had authority over the distribution of land to colo- 
 nists, the building of new cities, location of market-places, 
 and the promulgation of laws for the health, order, and 
 security of the new settlers. In a word, they were a very 
 respectable body, and many of their ordinances and regu- 
 lations have been observed in Mexico from 1522 to the 
 present day."^ Later, the Audiencia^ composed of lawyers, 
 generally five, under the name of oidores, dispensed justice 
 and the laws. Then there were visiting and resident jus- 
 tices, and swarms of lawyers soon came over from the 
 mother country to lend their assistance, notwithstanding 
 the prayers of Cortez to the emperor that he would keep 
 these pestiferous meddlers away from the colony. 
 
 The Aztecs, once subjugated, occasioned no more trouble ; 
 they were virtually slaves, as well as all the Indians of the 
 country, except the Tlascallans, who were made exempt on 
 account of their unequalled services in bringing the country 
 under the dominion of Spain. By the iniquitous system 
 of repartimie7itos — apportionments — that had for some 
 years prevailed in the West Indies, and under which the 
 Indians of Hayti became exterminated, the natives of Mex- 
 ico were doomed to perpetual slavery ! They were con- 
 demned to work in the mines, to cultivate the soil, to do the 
 most degrading labor, in a country they had once owned 
 and in which the Spaniards were usurpers. The misery of 
 conquest only commenced with the surrender of the people, 
 for more died under the lash of the task-master than by the 
 sword. The Indians of the West Indies soon perished under 
 the horrible cruelties practised upon them, but the Mexicans, 
 
 * " La mayor parte delas reglas y ordenanzas que dictaron los Ayuntamientos 
 de Mexico desde 1522 en adelante, estan todavia en observancia." — Compendia 
 de la Historia de Mexico. Payno. 
 
Expedition of Francisco de Garay. 331 
 
 besides being by nature more hardy, later had the benefit 
 of tardy laws, and their descendants exist to-day."^ 
 
 The soldiers of one Francisco de Garay, who had at- 
 tempted a settlement at the mouth of the river Panuco, 
 were now roaming the country in bands, robbing and mal- 
 treating the Indians. These at last could endure it no 
 longer and rose upon them, killing several hundred in all. 
 When Cortez heard of these outrages, he despatched San- 
 doval with a hundred Spaniards and eight thousand Tlascal- 
 lan and Mexican troops to punish and subdue them. This 
 he did, after a desperate battle, and acting on the orders 
 of Cortez, who sent an alcalde with legal instructions, he put 
 to death many of the caciques, burning some and hanging 
 others. In a short time quiet was restored, and the strag- 
 gling bands of soldiers belonging to Garay, (who had mean- 
 while died in Mexico) were gathered together and sent 
 back to the island of Cuba. 
 
 [Dec, 1523.] The most important of the expeditions 
 sent out after the pacification of the empire was one, under 
 Pedro de Alvarado, for the conquest of Guatemala. This 
 was successfully accomplished after a great deal of hard 
 fighting, and this vast province added to the Spanish pos- 
 sessions. 
 
 Another force was put under the command of Christoval 
 de Oli, a brave captain, and sent by sea to Honduras. Cor- 
 tez ever had in mind the discovery of a strait through the 
 continent which might lead to the Spice Islands. Colum- 
 bus had the same desire and follovv^ed this delusion south- 
 ward, away from Mexico and Yucatan, the coast of which 
 he saw but did not visit. De Oli arrived at his destination 
 in May, and subjugated the country, but eventually threw 
 
 * We have not here space to notice the untu-ing efforts of the good Las 
 Casas, Bishop of Chiapas, in behalf of the Indians of America. The reader 
 interested in the history of the Spanish colonies should consult his Life. 
 
332 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 off all dependence upon Cortez and conducted himself in 
 such a manner as to bring down upon his head the latter's 
 vengeance. Fighting was constantly going on in various 
 parts of the country, especially in the south and south-west 
 in the provinces of Tabasco, Oaxaca and Chiapas-; but 
 always resulting in Spanish victories and the bringing of 
 the natives under subjection. 
 
 RUINS OP MITLA, NEAR OAXACA. 
 
 Although Cortez was industrious in establishing his well- 
 earned reputation as conqueror of New Spain at the royal 
 court, and in securing land-grants and titles for himself and 
 his relations, he yet persistently ignored the claims of his 
 old comrades in arms. He employed them to the last in 
 battles and fatiguing marches, but did not reward as he 
 
Presents for the Ki?tg of Spain, 333 
 
 ought those valiant soldiers who had contributed to his ele- 
 vation. 
 
 The tribute of gold was carefully hoarded and his maj- 
 esty's fifth religiously set apart, for upon royal favor alone 
 depended the stay of Cortez in power, even in the country 
 which he had conquered by the force of his own arms. 
 Among other royal presents especially worthy of note was a 
 golden culverin, or small cannon, a superb piece of work- 
 manship, engraved with a flattering verse in praise of Charles 
 V. This was valued at twenty thousand ducats, but after 
 it had ceased to be a novelty the emperor gave it to one of 
 his officers. In compliance with the petitions of Cortez 
 and his companions, priests and monks were sent as soon 
 as possible to the new country, to conquer by the cross such 
 as the sword had left. The first body of twelve Franciscans, 
 though they came out as "poor brothers," barefooted and 
 with ragged habits, were received with great state. Cortez 
 gave directions for the road from Vera Cruz to the capital to 
 be put in order, houses to be built at certain distances for 
 them to refresh in, and for the inhabitants of every town to 
 meet them in procession, with the ringing of bells and with 
 candles and crucifixes. As they approached Mexico he went 
 out to meet them, and kneeling at the feet of the leader, rev- 
 erently kissed his hand. This example of humility had its 
 due effect upon the natives, who henceforth regarded these 
 barefooted beggars as gods, and flocked to their preaching 
 in such multitudes that thousands were converted to the most 
 holy faith in a single month. 
 
 [A. D. 1524.] Upon learning that De Oli had cast off 
 his allegiance to him as Captain-General, Cortez sent 
 another expedition to Honduras to kill him and take charge 
 of the colony. The vessels were wrecked and part of the 
 force destroyed, but eventually the leader. Las Casas, mur- 
 dered De Oli through treachery, and brought his people 
 
334 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 over to acknowledge Cortez. Ignorant of this turn of 
 affairs, and suspecting that his fleet had come to grief, Cor- 
 tez, as time passed on and no news arrived of the colony, 
 determined to set out himself upon a march to Honduras. 
 It was characteristic of the man, not to be satisfied so long 
 
 A CHURCH IN MEXICO. 
 
 as a portion of his territory — even though a small and dis- 
 tant one — remained unsubjected to his will. 
 
 While he was preparing for this long journey — for it was 
 to be by land, and through untraversed forests — there 
 arrived in Mexico some officers of the king, sent out to 
 inquire into his conduct of affairs, and to assume charge of 
 the government if such a measure should be necessary. In 
 
The Expedition to Hondttras. 335, 
 
 their hands, though very unwiUingly, Cortez left the charge 
 of affairs, and set out on his long and dangerous march. 
 Though the city and valley were well garrisoned, he took 
 with him Guatemotzin, the late emperor, and the Prince of 
 Tacuba, as hostages, to prevent a rebellion of the natives. 
 Having in view the settlement of the new country to be 
 traversed, he took along a large drove of swine, which fol- 
 lowed his army, feeding by the way. Many officers of his 
 household, a service of gold and silver plate, musicians, 
 priests, jugglers, and many other superfluous persons and 
 articles, he took with him, which before the march was 
 ended he wished himself rid of. His force consisted of 
 three hundred infantry and cavalry, three thousand Indians, 
 and several pieces. of artillery. They arrived at the prov- 
 ince of Goatzcoalcos, and here pressed into their service the 
 old comrades of Cortez, who, now living quietly on their 
 farms, had thought their days of fighting over. This was 
 the province of which the talented Indian woman, Marina, 
 who had served the Spaniards so long as interpreter, was a 
 native. There Cortez got rid of his mistress — this woman 
 who had contributed more towards the conquest than any 
 thousand of his soldiers, — by marrying her to one of his 
 soldiers, and assigning her lands in the province of her 
 birth. Beyond this province they soon became entangled 
 in the vast labyrinth of rivers and marshes of the present 
 state of Tabasco, and daily lost numbers of their men by 
 hunger and fatigue. 
 
 [A. D. 1 5 2 5 .] It was while his army was in this condition, 
 wandering through the forests of a vague and unknown 
 country, threatened with death by starvation, that C5rtez 
 performed that revolting act — the crowning one of a long 
 series of cruelties — the hanging of Guatemotzin. Know- 
 ing that this magnanimous chieftain had it now in his 
 power to destroy him and his weakened forces, and to return 
 
336 Mexico. 
 
 to Mexico and head an insurrection, Cortez hung him 
 and the Prince of Tacuba to a tree. 
 
 As he was being led to the place of his death, surrounded 
 by the minions of Cortez, the priests, he turned upon him 
 and sorrowfully said : " Malintzin, now I find in what your 
 false words and promises have ended — in my death ! 
 Better had I fallen by my own hands than trust myself in 
 your power in my city of Mexico. Why do you thus unjustly 
 take my life ? May God demand of you this innocent 
 blood ! " To this appeal all lovers of justice and haters of 
 iniquity will say, amen ! 
 
 In this manner, disgracefully hung upon a ceiba tree in 
 the depths of the Tabascan forest, perished Guatemotzin, 
 heroic defender of Mexico, noble and dauntless American, 
 last of the Aztec monarchs. That seared and scorched rem- 
 nant of a conscience that this monster, Cortez, still pos- 
 sessed, was much disturbed for a few days after this event, 
 and while wandering about restlessly at night he fell from 
 a native temple and injured himself severely. Troubles 
 and dangers thickened upon him at ever}^ step ; the forests 
 became well nigh impenetrable ; they were obliged to build 
 long bridges to cross broad marshes and deep rivers ; their 
 provisions were long since exhausted, and for his share of 
 the scant supplies obtained from the natives Cortez was 
 obliged to quarrel with his soldiers. Their only guide 
 through this wilderness was a map painted by the Indians 
 of Goatzcoalcos, used by their merchants in their journeys 
 through that country. The natives furnished them as 
 guides being ignorant of the trail, this was their dependence, 
 together with a compass Cortez had with him and to which 
 the superstitious Indians ascribed supernatural powers. In 
 the end, after enduring privations more terrible than had 
 before befallen them on any expedition in Mexico, a rem- 
 nant of the force arrived at the settlement in Honduras. 
 
Return of the Honduras Expedition. .337 
 
 With the same vigor as of old, Cortez applied himself to 
 gaining that territory, and even planned a journey to 
 Nicaragua. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Mexico, things were in a very disturbed 
 state, the men left in power quarrelling among themselves 
 and maltreating both the natives and their conquerors. 
 It was given out that Cortez and his army had perished, 
 and their property was divided amongst others, and large 
 sums paid to the priests for masses for the repose of their 
 souls. Letters finally reached Cortez of the condition of 
 affairs, and he was so distressed that he nearly lost his 
 reason. Fate seemed now to have turned against him, as 
 he tried several times to embark and was driven back by 
 contrary winds and currents. At last he succeeded in 
 coasting the shores of Yucatan and landing at Mexico, 
 where he was received with rejoicings by the people. The 
 natives swept the road before him, strewing flowers on his 
 way, and he entered the capital, from which he had been 
 twenty months absent, in triumph. 
 
 A long while after, the wretched veterans of his army 
 returned by way of Guatemala, having been, some of them, 
 over two years absent from their homes. The sound of 
 rejoicings had scarcely died away when news came that a 
 royal officer, Luis Ponce de Leon, had arrived from Spain, 
 to take the government from his hands and institute inves- 
 tigations as to his conduct. This gentlemen survived but a 
 little while his entry into Mexico, and the one he had 
 appointed his successor also dying soon, it was rumored 
 that Cortez had poisoned them. It was then brought to 
 mind that the wife of Cortez, whom he exceedingly dis- 
 liked, had also died soon after joining her husband, after 
 the conquest, and that the unfortunate Garay had expired 
 while a guest in his house. There was great reason for 
 these reports to contain truth, as all were persons whose 
 
338 Mexico. 
 
 removal Cortez desired, and whose deaths were attended by 
 suspicious circumstances. 
 
 [A. D. 1527.] In order to vmaicate .ns actions m the 
 past, and to clear his character from these and other asper- 
 sions, Cortez resolved to set sail for Spain and present 
 himself before the king. Although much of his property 
 had been lost to him during his departure on the Honduras 
 expedition, and though he could not obtain from the priests 
 the large sum that had been paid them to say masses, and 
 which had been transferred to another he yet had posses- 
 sions to a vast amount. 
 
 At the same time that judges were appointed to proceea 
 to Mexico and inquire into the charges against Cortez, the 
 first Bishop of Mexico, John de Zumarraga, a Franciscan, 
 was nominated with a commission to be " protector of the 
 Indians." With him went forty Dominican friars, and 
 forty Franciscans followed later, with money from the king 
 for the building of a monastery. 
 
 Cortez fitted up a ship and sailed for Spain, in a manner 
 befitting the conqueror of New Spain, taking with him a 
 son of Montezuma, one of the chiefs of Tlascala, and several 
 other Indians, as interesting specimens of the peojole to 
 exhibit to the emperor. Four of these were those jugglers 
 so expert in swinging and in balancing heavy timbers on 
 their feet. He landed at Palos in December, 1527, at 
 which place, shortly after, died his friend, the gallant and 
 noble Sandoval, most trusty captain of the veterans of 
 Mexico. 
 
 The presence of Cortez at court allayed all the suspicions 
 of the king, who loaded him with honors. He created him 
 Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca, assigning lands and estates 
 of great extent to enable him to maintain his elevated rank, 
 and confirmed him in his title of Captain-General of New 
 Spain and the South Sea. He declined, however, to return 
 
Cortez in Spain. 339 
 
 him to Mexico as Governor of New Spain, fearing to place 
 in absolute power one so popular among the people. The 
 most Cortez could obtain was permission to fit out two ships 
 on voyages of discovery, with the royal consent to one- 
 twelfth the land he should find and the right to rule over 
 the new colonies. 
 
 His wealth and elevated position assisted him to form an 
 alliance with a niece of the Duke of Be jar, his firm friend 
 in times of adversity. The jewels he gave his young and 
 beautiful bride were the richest ever seen in Spain ; they 
 were the spoils of Indian princes whom the gallant Cortez 
 had murdered to obtain. But these gems shone resplendent 
 on the person of the fair Donna Juana de Zuniga, and so 
 excited the envy of the queen, Isabella, that from being a 
 friend of Cortez she became his enemy. 
 
 He had now entirely forgotten his old comrades, but he 
 sent a rich present to his holiness the Pope, and some of 
 the Indians to dance before him. His holiness was pleased 
 to grant bulls of indulgence to him and his soldiers from 
 the penalties of their sins ; and henceforth were their con- 
 sciences easy ; no longer need they fear the ghosts of the 
 millions of murdered Indians they had sent to the land of 
 shades. They were now recognized as apostles of the 
 most holy faith, who had done blessed work in converting 
 the pagan Mexicans from their worship of idols to that of 
 the true God. 
 
340 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE REIGN OF THE VICEROYS. 
 (1535-1820.) 
 
 The first Audiencia was created in 1528, with the cruel 
 and sanguinary Nuno de Guzman as president, Avho, among 
 other oppressive acts, tortured by fire the once-powerful 
 King of Michoacan. It governed the country badly, mak- 
 ing its tyranny felt in every part ; putting to death or 
 expelling from the country all who opposed it. The con- 
 dition of the Indians was terrible ; the system of oppres- 
 sion put in force at this time has left its traces visible even 
 to the present day. 
 
 In 1524 Padre Valencia founded convents in Tezcoco, 
 Tlascala, Huexotzinco and Mexico, and the Padre Gante 
 the parochial church of Santa Maria. In 1529 the same 
 Padre Gante established the College of San Juan de Letran. 
 
 In 1530, in April, was commenced the city of Puebla, 
 eighty thousand Tlascallans laboring so industriously that 
 it soon contained above 3,000 houses. To-day it is a city of 
 70,000 inhabitants. 
 
 [A. D. 1532.] Cortez, on his return from Spain in 1530, 
 had established himself with his lovely wife in the vale of 
 Cuernavaca, where he built a palatial residence and devoted 
 himself to the cultivation of sugar-cane. To him is due 
 the first impulse towards the development of this industry, 
 which has now assumed such vast proportions. 
 
 He soon tired of this employment, however, and in 1532 
 availed himself of the powers vested in him by the king for 
 
Death of Cortez. 
 
 341 
 
 discovery and conquest, and fitted out two ships to explore 
 the Pacific. This expedition proving a failure, he fitted out 
 two more vessels, which accomplished nothing more than 
 the discovery of Lower California. Still undaunted, he 
 launched three more ships, at Tehuantepec, in 1537, and 
 attempted a colony in Lower California ; but nearly all the 
 colonists perished, and he at last gave up his attempts at 
 fresh discoveries after having expended over 300,000 
 
 82. 
 
 AZTEC HUT. 
 
 crowns. In 1540, a disappointed and sorrowful man, he 
 returned to Spain to seek restitution for his losses ;. but, 
 after years of vain endeavor, he at last died, in the state of 
 misery he merited, in the year 1547, 
 
 We will not stop to inquire if his conscience was ever 
 oppressed by feelings of remorse for the unparalleled ca- 
 lamities he had entailed upon the innocent Mexicans, but 
 will turn from him with the same sense of relief we would 
 feel at the death of a venomous serpent that had drawn its 
 loathsome trail over this fair earth. 
 
342 Mexico. 
 
 In 1530 the misgovemment in Mexico called for a 
 ciiange ; a new Audiencia was appointed, followed by the 
 establishment of a viceroyalty. The viceroy, the person 
 who was to be invested with all the authority of the king 
 himself, and who was to govern the new vice-kingdom, was to 
 be one whose high position placed him beyond susioicion, and 
 whose fidelity to the crown was unquestionable. Such a man 
 was found in Don Antonio de Mendoza, one of the royal 
 chamberlains. 
 
 He arrived in Mexico in 1535, where he was received as 
 one who represented in his person the king, who was to 
 carry out the policy of Charles, believed to be favorably 
 disposed towards his Indian subjects. For several years 
 his reign was uneventful, except that the vice-kingdom 
 steadily progressed, the mines continued to be worked, and 
 the Indians still labored for the benefit of Spanish task- 
 masters. 
 
 [A. D. 1536.] Most celebrated in the annals of the vice- 
 royalty should be this year, 1536, for in it was published 
 th.e Jirst book printed in Mexico, the first ever printed in the 
 New World ! It was issued from the press of Juan Pablos, 
 and entitled La Escala de San Juan Climaca. 
 
 In the same year the first money was coined in Mexico, 
 for the viceroy had orders from the king when he left Spain 
 to establish a mint. Two hundred thousand dollars in cop- 
 per were coined, but it proved so offensive to the Indians 
 that they could only with difficulty be made to receive it, 
 and in 1541 cast the entire coinage into the lake. These 
 descendants of the nobility of Mexico had been accustomed 
 to ■ handling of gold and silver, and scorned to soil their 
 hands by contact with baser metal. 
 
 In 1537 Guzman, the assassin of the King of Michoacan, 
 was cast into prison; in 1540 Cortez sailed for Spain 
 accompanied by his son ; and in 15 41 died Pedro de Alva- 
 
Discovery of the Pueblos. 343 
 
 rado, formerly captain in Cortez's army, and later Governor 
 of Guatemala. 
 
 [A. D. 1542.] The Indians of Jalisco rising in rebellion 
 the viceroy marched upon and subdued them, treating them 
 with great humanity. In this movement he was accompa- 
 nied by an army of fifty thousand friendly Indians, and 
 four hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE PUEBLOS. 
 
 At this time came reports from a country far to the north, 
 brought by a wandering monk, of a native kingdom called 
 Qtcivara, containing the seven cities of Cibola. 
 
 If we could but follow the threads of history we should 
 see how closely interwoven with the conquest of Mexico 
 are the leading events in the discovery of other American 
 possessions. Pamphilo de Narvaez, who had fought Cor- 
 tez on Mexican soil in 1520, some years later, in 1528, 
 landed a large force in Florida. Owing to the failure of 
 his fleet to meet him at a certain point his army was 
 reduced to starvation. Embarking in frail boats nearly all 
 the survivors were drowned. A few were cast ashore on 
 what is now known as Texas, and three of them finally 
 succeeded in reaching their brother Spaniards in Mexico 
 after ten years' wanderings. They brought them this news 
 of the existence, far to the northward of Spanish 
 dominion, of seven wonderful cities, inhabited by people 
 far superior to the average Indian. With imaginations all 
 aflame from these stories, the Spaniards were eager to at 
 once undertake the capture of those wonderful cities in the 
 far north. 
 
 In the year 1540 the viceroy sent an army of three hun- 
 dred soldiers, under command of Vasquez de Coronado, 
 for the subjugation of the seven cities, with everything 
 necessary for colonization as well as conquest. They 
 
344 Mexico. 
 
 found " The Seven Cities of Cibola," as report had named 
 them ; but found no silver, as in Mexico ; no gold, as in 
 Peru. 
 
 Sadly disappointed, Captain Coronado abandoned the 
 country at the end of two years, and returned southward to 
 his home. 
 
 The people living here offered but little resistance and 
 were consequently humanely treated. They were found to 
 be a peace-loving and agricultural race, living in great 
 houses of adohe^ hundreds of families in a single residence. 
 Their descendants occupy the same dwellings to-day and 
 retain the names given them at that time by the Spaniards. 
 They were called Puehlos — from the Spanish pueblo, or 
 vijllage — and the Pueblos to-day constitute the most civ- 
 ilized and intelligent of ouijndians. They have many tradi- 
 tions that connect them with the Aztecs or the Toltecs, but 
 they have no system of written characters or hieroglyphs. 
 Their legends have been passed down by word of mouth 
 alone, and are hence valueless as affording even material 
 for history. Great pains have been taken to obtain their 
 secret traditions as preserved by the old men of the nation 
 of the Zimis, and extravagant efforts have been used to 
 draw public attention to them of late ; but without any 
 beneficial result to the student of history. 
 
 Towards the close of the sixteenth century another Span- 
 ish captain reconquered that region, and the people were 
 eventually enslaved and compelled to labor in the mines. 
 Nearly a hundred years later, in 1680, they rebelled and 
 after much brave fighting drove the Spaniards from the 
 country. Thirteen years afterward they were again enslaved, 
 and remained victims of Spanish oppression for one hun- 
 dred and thirty years, until Mexico gained her independ- 
 ence, in 1821. 
 
 These Indians had a tradition that a new race of men 
 
The Conquest of New Mexico. 347 
 
 would come from the East to deliver them from the bond- 
 age of the Spaniards and Mexicans, and this was happily- 
 verified in 1846, when their territory, New Mexico, fell into 
 the hands of United States soldiers. 
 
 Returning to the capital of Mexico, we shall find that 
 everything continued to prosper ; lands were distributed to 
 poor and meritorious Spaniards, and mines long known to 
 the ancient Mexicans were opened and successfully worked. 
 In the years 15 41 and 1542 were founded the cities of 
 Guadalajara and Valladolid. 
 
 [A. D. 1545.] In this year occurred an eruption of the 
 volcano of Orizaba ; in the following year the rich mines of 
 Zacatecas were discovered, and a terrible pestilence broke 
 out among the Indians, in which eighty thousand of them 
 perished. 
 
 In 1548 the first Bishop of Mexico, Zumarraga, died, the 
 same man who caused such a great loss to the world by the 
 destruction of Indian paintings. Desiring to remove from 
 the sight of the Indians every vestige of their former 
 arts, and especially of their idolatry, this infamous bigot 
 ransacked the library vaults of Tezcoco and Mexico, and 
 piling the hieroglyphic paintings in a great heap destroyed 
 the whole by fire. No one can estimate the loss such a 
 destruction of historic paintings has occasioned. Learned 
 men have not ceased to regret it to the present day ; and 
 if any man ever deserved the curses of the Mexican nation, 
 it is this same first Bishop of Mexico, Don Juan de Zu- 
 marraga. 
 
 [A. D. 1550.] Of the large number of viceroys sent 
 out by the Kings of Spain to govern their new king- 
 dom across the sea none was better fitted for the position 
 than the first one, Mendoza. His many estimable qualities 
 won upon people of all classes, and he paved the way for 
 the future government of his successors by uniting the 
 
348 Mexico. 
 
 many apparently incongruous and inharmonious elements 
 of society. 
 
 Recognizing his peculiar fitness for the task of organizing 
 the disordered elements of a new colony, the king promoted 
 this able man to the viceroyalty of Peru, the subjugation 
 of which country had been accomplished by Pizarro. He 
 left Mexico in the year 1550, and his successor arrived the 
 same year. 
 
 Before following any farther the chronology of events in 
 the capital it would be well for us to turn back a leaf or 
 two in our history, and recall a province which we have 
 well-nigh forgotten, and which, during these years just 
 recorded, had come into prominence again — the province 
 of Yucatan. 
 
Discovery and Conqtcest of Yucatan. 349 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF YUCATAN. 
 
 In Chap. I., pp. 23 and 24, we made allusion to a 
 great empire which once existed in Central America, and 
 the fact of whose existence gave support to the theory that 
 our American Indians were autochthonic — native to the 
 soil. In an epoch which it is impossible to fix, but which 
 undoubtedly was long before the beginning of the Christian 
 era, there flourished here a powerful theocratic empire, 
 called by its enemies Xibalba, of which it is thought 
 Palenque was the capital, now in ruins, the most magnificent 
 of any on this continent. 
 
 This was destroyed (it is thought) by Nahuatl tribes from 
 beyond the River Panuco. The dispersed inhabitants 
 sought refuge in Yucatan, Guatemala, Darien, and even 
 spread to Peru. The conquerors founded a city near 
 Ocosingo (state of Chiapas), which they called Tulhd, 
 or Tula. Following a sacred historical book of the Quiches, 
 called the Ah Tza, it is conjectured that the most ancient 
 inhabitants of Yucatan, the Itzaes — Ah Tzaes — are the 
 direct descendants of the inhabitants of Xibalba.* 
 
 Strange as it may seem, that the natives of Yucatan at 
 the period of its conquest all spoke one tongue — the 
 Maya — Yucatan shows traces of having been inhabited by 
 three distinct peoples. These were the Itzaes^ the Mayas, 
 and the Caribs. The first invaders of which there is any 
 tradition are the Itzaes, who established themselves in the 
 
 * Following the celebrated scholar, Ancona, Historia de Ytccatan, Merida, 
 1876. 
 
350 Mexico. 
 
 eastern and northern portions of the peninsula, and founded 
 the cities of Chicken, Itzamal, and T'Bo (Merida). 
 
 [A. D. 580 (?).] The Mayas followed soon after, and in 
 the sixth century came the Tutul Xius, who settled in the 
 country to the south-west, about Ux7?ial^ and gradually 
 spread north and east. 
 
 At the conquest, the Mayas allied themselves with the 
 conquerors, but the Itzaes, preferring ostracism to servi- 
 tude, retired to Peten, buried deep in the great forests on 
 the confines of Guatemala. Towards the end of the tenth 
 century the Tutul Xius had acquired great strength, and 
 commenced to persecute the Itzaes to the last extremity, 
 causing this afflicted people to return to the first city they 
 had established in Yucatan — Chacnovitan — in which they 
 had laid the foundation of their religion. 
 
 [A. D. 1 180, or 1200.] The growing power of the Tutul 
 Xius so alarmed the Prince of the Mayas, residing in 
 Mayapan, that he treated with the military chiefs of Tabasco 
 and Xicalango for troops. About this time, consequently, 
 there entered into Yucatan a strong body of Mexican, or 
 Toltec, soldiers, which were used as a garrison for Mayapan. 
 Dissensions and jealousy followed this introduction of 
 foreign troops. A century later the chief of the Tutul 
 Xius marched upon MayajDan, and after a bloody conflict 
 with its defenders destroyed it. 
 
 [A. D. 1450.] It was in this epoch that the Itzaes 
 abandoned their city of Chichen and secluded themselves 
 in the great wilderness. Their traditions relate that their 
 prophets predicted the coming of the Spaniards, and, tired of 
 war and bloodshed, they retired to a point where they could 
 be at peace. The country was then divided into numerous 
 independent states. According to some writers the people 
 were afflicted with famine, floods, and pestilence ; but it is 
 doubtful if any event of importance occurred between the 
 
Ruins of Central America.. 351 
 
 middle of the fifteenth century and the landing of Cordova 
 m Yucatan territory, in 15 17. 
 
 THE RUINS OF YUCATAN. . 
 
 In a geographical sense, Yucatan does not belong to 
 Mexico, but as it is a political province of the republic it 
 must be included in a history of that country. In its 
 physical features it is radically different from Mexico 
 proper, being a vast plain of coral rock with but few 
 elevations. Its ruins indicate that it was once inhabited 
 by highly civilized aborigines. There is nothing like them 
 in other parts of America, and only a few others that 
 approach them in magnitude, in grandeur, in beauty of 
 original design, construction, and embellishment. 
 
 We have not space to describe in detail these magnificent 
 structures, only to mention a few, conspicuous from their 
 great beauty and from the vastness of their remains. 
 
 Lying on the borders of Yucatan are the ruins of 
 Palenque, supposed to have been the capital city of that 
 great aboriginal empire of Xibalba. It was only discovered 
 by the Spaniards in 1750, although Cortez and his army 
 passed near it in the unfortunate march to Honduras. The 
 principal structure here, called the " Palace," is twenty-five 
 feet high, two hundred and twenty-eight feet long, and one 
 hundred and eighty deep. Its walls are stone, laid with 
 mortar and sand, covered with stucco nearly as hard as 
 the stone itself and painted. Ranges of stone steps thirty 
 feet broad lead up to it, flanked by gigantic statues, nine 
 feet high, carved in stone, with rich necklaces and head- 
 dresses. The characteristic feature of these ruins is the 
 stucco ornamentation, the fagades of the buildings being 
 covered with it, and the corner-pieces with hieroglyphics. 
 
 We cannot pass these ruins by without especially 
 mentioning one piece of sculptured stone that has excited 
 
352 Mexico. 
 
 a general interest the world over. This is the famous 
 "Tablet of the Cross," so faithfully reproduced in the 
 accompanying engraving. Many have argued from this 
 that the Indians of America were acquainted with this 
 symbol, and hence once had listened to the preaching of 
 Christianity by one of the apostles. All agree that it indi- 
 cates great antiquity for these ruins. 
 
 No one has yet been able to decipher the hieroglyphics 
 that surround this symbol, nor has any one yet interpreted 
 satisfactorily the meaning of the central picture. Figures 
 of the cross have been found in other places in Central 
 America, Europe, and Asia with such surroundings as give 
 a greater antiquity than is usually ascribed to it. 
 
 Copan, in Honduras, though situated beyond the province 
 we are examining, is worthy of description. Carved idols 
 and sculptured altars are there profusely scattered through- 
 out the forests. 
 
 To return to Yucatan. We find the largest "city" in 
 Chichen, about thirty miles west of the present city of 
 Valladolid, occupying an area about two miles in circum- 
 ference. A conspicuous ruin there is called the " House 
 of the Nuns," very rich in sculpture. The grandest 
 building is called the " Castle," though the names these 
 structures bear now are those bestowed by a later gener- 
 ation than the people who built ihem. The ornaments 
 carved in the white limestone and the hieroglyphs are 
 rich and wonderful ; all attempts to decipher the latter 
 have proved fruitless. Among the mural paintings that 
 adorn these walls are many that are beautiful, even from 
 an artistic standpoint. Some represent warriors in battle, 
 casting javelins and spears, while others portray events in 
 the lives of the successive rulers of Chichen. Around the 
 cornice of one building is a procession of tigers, or lynxes. 
 In another building, to which one explorer gave the name 
 
PALENQUE CROSS. 
 
Ruins of Chicken arid Uxmal. 355 
 
 of "the gymnasium," are great stone rings set in the wall. 
 Similar ones have been found in Mexico, and it is supposed 
 that they were used in games of ball. They are four feet 
 in diameter, and thirteen inches thick, with a sculptured 
 border of entwined serpents. 
 
 Among these ruins, which are the remains of the once 
 rich and flourishing capital of the Itzaes — Chichen-Itza, 
 the Itza city — men have labored for years striving to dis- 
 cover the secrets they contain. The celebrated explorer, 
 Dr. Le Plongeon, here discovered a beautiful monolith, the 
 largest statue ever unearthed in this country. It was called 
 by him Chaac-mol, and now reposes in the museum at the 
 capital of Mexico, an object of curiosity and speculation to 
 the student of American archseology. The same intrepid 
 explorer and his devoted wife have made tracings of the 
 mural paintings and photographs of all the hieroglyphs, 
 occupations which have cost them years of labor. 
 
 The ruins of Uxmal (pronounced Oosh-mdl), situated 
 about fifty miles south of the present capital of Yucatan, 
 Merida, are not less famous and interesting than those of 
 Chichen-Itza. There are many magnificent piles scattered 
 over a large area. The most conspicuous building is that 
 called the " House of the Governor," standing on the 
 uppermost of three ranges of terraces, the first of which is 
 five hundred and seventy-five feet long. The front wall is 
 towards the east, and is three hundred and twenty-two feet 
 in length ; the fa9ade is smooth and without ornament to 
 the tops of the doorways, but the cornice above is one 
 mass of rich and elaborately sculptured ornaments. It 
 forms a perfect sculptured mosaic, with the added interest 
 that each stone contains a history ; for these sculptures are 
 hieroglyphs, and preserve an allegory or part of a 
 historical record. Eleven doorways open into a double 
 series of rooms, the principal ones being sixty feet long, 
 
356 Mexico. 
 
 and with arched ceiUngs twenty-three feet high. This, in 
 brief, is a hasty description of the great " Governor's 
 House " — Casa del Gobernador — of Uxmal. Tire engrav- 
 ings will convey more faithful pictures than pages of text, 
 and to them the reader is referred. 
 
 But this is only one of the ruined structures that abound 
 in Uxmal. On one of the terraces supporting this ruin is a 
 smaller one, known as the " House of the Turtles " — 
 Casa de las Tortugas — from a beaded cornice containing a 
 row of stone tortoises of large size. 
 
 Chief of the structures is the " Palace of the Nuns," an 
 immense quadrangular building, its high and elaborately 
 chiselled walls surrounding a great court two hundred and 
 fourteen feet wide by two hundred and fifty-eight feet long. 
 The interior fa9ades are mazes of wonderful sculpture, and 
 on onQ wall is a representation of the deity, Qitetzalcoatl, 
 the symbolical " feathered serpent," stretching its plumed 
 body across the entire length of the court. 
 
 Other buildings lie in ruins, and heaps of stone alone 
 tell where many others formerly stood. The " House of 
 the Pigeons " is one, the " House of the Old Woman," and 
 the " Nameless Mound," all lie within sight of the central 
 structures. There is one pyramid here, crowned by a long 
 narrow building called the " House of the Dwarf," which is 
 reached by one hundred steps, each one foot high. The 
 entire mound is eighty-five feet high, two hundred and 
 thirty-five feet long by one hundred and fifty-five wide, 
 and the crowning structure is seventy-two feet by twelve. 
 
 All around Uxmal are ruins, the surface being literally 
 covered with them, showing that this region was at one 
 time densely inhabited. This section was that in which 
 dwelt the Tutul Xius, last immigrants to Yucatan before 
 the Spanish invasion. South and southeast of this are 
 many more vestiges of cities, once inhabited, but now 
 
Ruins and Antiquities. 359 
 
 silent ana desolate. Such are Labna, Kahbah, Nohpat^ 
 and many others. Some are celebrated for the simplicity 
 of their architecture and grandeur of proportions, while 
 others excite the wonder of the few travellers who have 
 seen them by the profuseness and beauty of their orna- 
 ments. Not the least interesting of these is that ancient 
 capital of the Maya empire, Mayapan. Of all the groups 
 of ruins it is the nearest to the present capital, Merida. 
 The mound at Mayapan is sixty feet high and one hundred 
 square at its base. Upon its summit is a stone platform 
 fifteen feet square, and sculptured stones are scattered all 
 about. 
 
 To go into the details of these remarkable structures, 
 scattered so profusely throughout the wilds of Yucatan, 
 would, with our present space, be impossible. The curious 
 and studious reader should consult such works as Stephen's 
 valuable volumes : " Incidents of Travel in Yucatan." This 
 indefatigable traveller and pleasant writer discovered, a 
 little over forty years 2igo, forty ruined cities. His pages 
 are replete with valuable descriptions and interesting 
 sketches of travel in that most fascinating land of ruined 
 cities. Since Stephen's time many valuable additions have 
 been ma^e to the list, and much has been brought to light 
 that was not then even dreamed of. The learned Brasseur 
 de Bourbourg spent many years studying the hieroglyphs 
 and Maya manuscripts. Monsieur Charnay procured many 
 photographs, and the United States Consul, Mr. Louis H. 
 Ayme, is at present (1882) industriously engaged in a 
 thorough examination of monuments of aboriginal skill 
 wholly unknown to our early archaeologists. 
 
 The attention of the country is being directed towards 
 that long-neglected peninsula, and its future seems to con- 
 tain almost as many possibilities as its past. We may, 
 perhaps, count upon more, for it yet remains for us to dis- 
 
360 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 cover the key to those hieroglyphs^ that adorn the silent 
 walls of those dead cities, and which may contain, locked 
 up within their mystic characters, the secret of the race 
 
 TOWER, PALENQUE. 
 
 that carved them. He who shall discover this will be 
 certain to have his name engraven high upon the walls of 
 the temple of fame. 
 
Details of the Conquest. 361 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 DETAILS OF THE CONQUEST. 
 
 [A. D. 1526.] Among the adventurers who sailed with 
 both Grijalva and Cortez was a gallant young man named 
 Montejo — Don Francisco Montejo, a cavalier of Seville. 
 Twice, by his last commander, Cortez, he was entrusted 
 with a commission to Spain to the king. He was one of 
 those who sailed in that first vessel that ever made the 
 voyage from New to Old Spain, when that royal present 
 was carried from Montezuma to Charles V. On his -second 
 arrival as commissioner he was rewarded for his dis- 
 tinguished services by a coat-of-arms, and many grants and 
 privileges. 
 
 In the year 1526, in December, he obtained a royal 
 grant for the pacification and conquest of Cozumel and 
 Yucatan. In the fevered haste with which the different 
 expeditions to New Spain had swept on towards the ill- 
 fated capital .of Montezuma's empire, Yucatan had been 
 entirely overlooked. We know that it was the first 
 province discovered of New Spain ; that its coast was made 
 known in 1502 to Columbus; in 1506 it was seenby Pinzon ; 
 that Cordova landed there in 15 17, followed by Grijalva in 
 15 18, and by Cortez in 15 19. But, as it was gold the 
 Spaniards were after, and as every indication of the 
 precious metal pointed to the table-lands of Mexico, Yuca- 
 tan remained neglected. There was no gold there, and, 
 moreover, the inhabitants of its coasts had always given the 
 visiting Spaniards such warm receptions that they were 
 
362 Mexico. 
 
 always glad to leave them alone after a single trial of their 
 prowess. Anxious as they were for the bringing of these 
 Indians under the influence of their religion, the acquisition 
 of wealth was a matter of vastly greater concern. So the 
 tide of conquest flowed over all Mexico, and extended even 
 to Guatemala and the Pacific, before it more than lapped 
 the shores of Yucatan, 
 
 [A. D. 1527.] But its time was soon to come. In the 
 year 1527 Montejo's fleet of four vessels, containing four 
 hundred men, with liberal supplies, landed at Cozumel, the 
 same island that Cortez had rendezvoused at eight years 
 before. Here, for the first time, the Spaniards had seen, 
 as they coasted, " villages in which they could distinguish 
 houses of stone that appeared white and lofty at a distance. 
 There were so many and such stately stone buildings that 
 they were amazing ; and the greatest wonder is that having 
 no use of any metal these people were able to raise such, 
 structures; which seem to have been temples." The 
 Spaniards took possession of the country in the name of 
 their king, the bearer of the royal standard planting it in 
 the ground, crying in a loud voice, " Espaha ! Espana I 
 Viva Espana I ''^ 
 
 Their troubles commenced almost at their landing, for 
 the people of this section of the country were as hostile to 
 strangers, and as courageous, as any the Spaniards had 
 met on the western coast. Men fell sick from the heat, 
 the country was rough and rocky, and overgrown with 
 dense woods ; thoug^h the little armv offered no violence to 
 any one, evidences accumulated on every side that the 
 natives of Yucatan were gathering for a general resistance 
 to the invasion. 
 
 After enduring great fatigue the army arrived at the town 
 of Ake. On the present map of Yucatan, Ake exists no 
 longer as a centre of population, but at this place are some 
 
HOUSE OF THE NUNS, CHICHEN. 
 
The Terrible Fight at Ake. 365 
 
 of the most wonderful ruins in the peninsula. Here are 
 great ranges of pillars, consisting of large stones piled one 
 upon the other. They are known to the Indians as 
 Katunes, or calendar stones, perpetuating epochs of their 
 history. By them their wise men kept the record of the 
 passing years, and by means of them we can trace the 
 existence of this people back in the past many thousands 
 of years. 
 
 In sight, perhaps, of these mute memorials of ages past, 
 the Spaniards and Indians fought a terrible battle. The 
 savages had lain in ambush, and pounced upon them with- 
 out warning, with shouts and yells, and such a sounding of 
 sea-shells, trumpets, and turtle-shells that the hills seemed 
 to shake. The astonished Spaniards fought bravely ; they 
 seem to have been superior men, in point of morals, to 
 other armies that had invaded New Spain, and more 
 deserving of sympathy than any that had preceded them. 
 
 Great slaughter ensued, but at nightfall, when the fight- 
 ing ceased, the Indians yet remained on the ground. At 
 daybreak next morning the battle was renewed and con- 
 tinued fiercely till midday, when the Indians gave way. 
 The Spaniards were so weary with watching and fighting 
 that they could not pursue the slowly retreating enemy, 
 and sank exhausted on the field. Many were killed and 
 wounded, and twelve hundred of the Indians had lost their 
 lives. 
 
 In 1528 another great battle was fought near Chichen 
 Itza, the very ancient capital of the unfortunate Itzaes. 
 This is said to have been one of the bloodiest engagements 
 that ever took place in these Indian wars. A great many 
 Indians were killed, but one hundred and fifty Spaniards 
 also lost their lives and nearly every survivor was wounded. 
 
 [A. D. 1528.] The only province in which they could 
 learn that gold existed was that of Bakalar, to which 
 
^66 Mexico. 
 
 Montejo dispatched one of his captains, Davila, with a 
 demand for tribute. The fierce cacique sent back the 
 haughty message that he would send them fowls on spears 
 and Indian corn on arrow-points. They were only too glad 
 to get back to the main body, this detachment under Cap- 
 tain Davila, which they only accomplished at the end of 
 two years. By this time the remains of the army had 
 reached CamjDeche, on the western coast, and here they 
 remained for several years making ineffectual attempts to 
 penetrate the country. The Indians of Tabasco, who had 
 been conquered by Cortez, now revolted, and as this prov- 
 ince belonged to the Adelantado, Montejo, he felt con- 
 strained to go over to compel them into obedience. While 
 he was gone the garrison at Campeche became so reduced 
 that but five soldiers remained fit for duty. 
 
 [A.,D. 1535.] It was therefore resolved to abandon the 
 post, and in the year 1535, after some years of fruitless 
 fighting the last Spaniard departed from the shores of 
 Yucatan. The last person to leave was Gonzales Nieto, the 
 one who had first planted the royal banner on the eastern 
 coast, eight years previous. 
 
 By this time the Adelantado, Don Francisco Montejo, 
 was impoverished. The fame of Pizarro's conquests in 
 Peru drew away his best soldiers, and no one could be 
 found to aid him in the subjugation of a people so fierce 
 as the Yucatecans, the capture of whom would yield no 
 booty other than cotton garments and rude implements of 
 warfare. 
 
 [A. D. 1537.] Don Francisco, having completed the 
 pacification of the Tabascans, again turned his attention to 
 Yucatan. In 1537 he landed a small force at Campeche, 
 or Champotan, and, leaving them in command of his son, 
 returned to Tabasco for supplies and reinforcements. The 
 Spaniards were attacked almost as soon as they had landed. 
 
BAS-RELIEF OF TIGERS, CHICKEN. 
 
The March upon Tihoo. 369 
 
 and some captured soldiers were carried into the interior 
 and sacrificed to the Indian idols. 
 
 Disunited as they were, the various Indian caciques 
 resolved to unite once more and attempt the expulsion of 
 the hated invaders. It was at Champotan, immense num- 
 bers gathered together and fell upon the Spaniards. The 
 latter were driven to their boats ; but, stung to shame by 
 the taunts and insults of their foes, they returned to land, 
 wounded and bleeding, and finally drove the Indians from 
 their camp. The latter might yet have crushed them out 
 had they but made concerted action against them, but 
 unfortunately they retired and dispersed to their various 
 villages. 
 
 [A. D. 1540.] The Adelantado, having placed his son 
 (also named Francisco) in possession of all the rights 
 and privileges granted him by the king, retired to the gov- 
 ernment of Chiapas, and the younger man carried out the 
 plans for pacification. 
 
 In 1540 the city of Campeche was founded ; it exists 
 to-day, a port of some importance. It was resolved to 
 strike direct for the Indian capital, and w^hen, after great 
 exertions, a small force had been finally collected, the 
 march was commenced. This Indian capital was known 
 as Tihoo, situated in the interior. The Indians did much 
 to obstruct their march ; concealed the wells and ponds 
 and withheld and destroyed provisions. In addition to the 
 perils of fighting they had hunger and thirst to contend 
 with. Their sufferings were almost unendurable ; but they 
 finally arrived in the vicinity of the great town of Tihoo. 
 A terrible storm was gathering, soon to break upon them. 
 
 [A. D. 1541.] In the month of June, 1541, the storm 
 burst. More than forty thousand Indians — according to 
 the old chroniclers — precipitated themselves upon the 
 Spanish camp. The battle that followed was the most san- 
 
370 Mexico, 
 
 guinary and most desperately fought of any that had taken 
 place. It lasted the greater part of the day, the Indians 
 returning to the attack again and again ; but at evening the 
 Spaniards remained masters of the field, though so 
 obstructed by the heaps of bodies of the slain that they 
 could not pursue the retreating foe. 
 
 This great battle ended all combined resistance to Span- 
 ish arms. Cacique after cacique came in and submitted, 
 until a great part of the territory came under Spanish rule. 
 
 [A. D. 1542.] On the sixth of January, 1542, Don Fran- 
 cisco Montejo, son of the Adelantado and conqueror of 
 Yucatan, founded on the site of this Indian town of Tihoo 
 the city of Merida. To-day you may view this beautiful 
 city, with its noble buildings, its quaint architecture. After 
 sixteen weary years of desultory fighting, after repeated 
 rebuffs, after enduring losses that might well have discour- 
 aged a less noble spirit, Don Francisco Montejo found 
 himself in possession of this coveted country. 
 
 Forty years had passed since Columbus heard of this 
 country, and eleven since Cortez had humbled the proud 
 capital of the Aztecs. Two new empires, Mexico and 
 Peru, had been added to the Spanish crown during these 
 years of fighting, both as rich in the gold the Spaniards so 
 coveted as this was poor in the elements of wealth. It 
 was a barren conquest, this of Don Francisco Montejo, not 
 at all worthy the great expenditure in men and treasure it 
 had cost him. 
 
 Dating from the period of its conquest, Yucatan existed 
 as a Captain-Generalcy, a distinct government from that of 
 Mexico or Guatemala. When we come to speak of Mexico 
 as a whole and united republic we shall take another 
 glance at Yucatan ; for the present, we will leave it to 
 follow the action of more stirring events in the territory 
 wrested from the Aztecs. 
 
TJie Reig7i of the Viceroys. 371 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE REIGN OF THE VICEROYS. — Continued. 
 
 [A. D. 155 1.] Don Louis de Velasco, the second vice- 
 roy, was a worthy successor of Mendoza, and one possessed, 
 apparently, of more firmness than he, for he had the cour- 
 age to carry out the laws for the liberation of the Indians. 
 He released from slavery more than one hundred and fifty 
 thousand Indians, who toiled for the benefit of their 
 oppressors in the mines, in the fields, and in the mountains. 
 By his humane conduct Velasco brought upon him the 
 enmity of the planters and mine-owners, who were becom- 
 ing rich from the labor of their Indian slaves, and who pro- 
 cured from the king a partial revocation of the laws in 
 favor of the friendless race. 
 
 In 1553 w^as founded the royal university at the city of 
 Mexico by an order of the emperor, Charles V., dated 
 September, 1551. In the same year occurred a great 
 inundation, the first since the occupation of Mexico by the 
 Spaniards, and a great dike was constructed, in imitation 
 of that ancient work of the Aztec kings. 
 
 In 1555 the Chichimecs, or wild Indians of the north, re- 
 belled and committed great depredations, and Don Fran- 
 cisco Ibarra was dispatched to conquer and explore the 
 territory to the north and west ; this he did successfully, 
 discovered many rich mines of gold and silver, and the city 
 of Durango was founded in 1563. 
 
 In the year 1557 the news reached Mexico of the abdi- 
 cation of Charles V., and the accession to the throne of 
 
372 Mexico. 
 
 Spain of that monster of iniquity, Philip, his son. This 
 had taken place with imposing ceremonies in Brussels in 
 the month of October, 1555. The transfer of power was 
 soon observed in the spies, that the suspicious Philip soon 
 sent out to watch the movements of the viceroy and to 
 oppress the Indians, whom, we have reason to believe, his 
 royal father honestly wished to relieve. A new Audiencia 
 was established, without consulting which the viceroy could 
 perform no important business ; and a visitador, or royal 
 spy, was sent out, who perpetrated such cruelties against 
 the Indians that he has ever since been mentioned as 
 "^/ Moles tador de los Indios^^ — the molester of the 
 Indians. 
 
 [A. D. 1564.] The good viceroy, who had striven to 
 perform his duty by all his subjects, died in 1564, while 
 engaged in fitting out an expedition for the Philippine 
 Islands, which sailed the same year, and founded the 
 celebrated eastern city of Manilla. Another viceroy took 
 the reins of government two. years later, and during the 
 interval the Audiencia was the ruling power. 
 
 This viceroy was distinguished for nothing that has made 
 his name memorable, and it will be an idle task for the 
 reader to burden his memory with even his name. This is 
 also true of the majority of that long list of viceroys, over 
 sixty in number, that ruled New Spain for a period of 
 three hundred years. With a few rare exceptions they 
 were merely creatures of the king, sent out to do his 
 bidding, and removed as soon as they ventured to perform 
 an independent act. Few of them were remarkable enough 
 to live in the pages of history, and, with the reader's per- 
 mission, we will not burden the narrative with half a 
 hundred superfluous names.* Now and then we shall find 
 some name shining forth, either elevated into prominence 
 
 * For a complete list of kings and viceroys see Appendix. 
 
Philip II. of Spain. 373 
 
 through some act of its owner, or the circumstances of the 
 times in which he lived and ruled. These shall not be 
 neglected. 
 
 In the year 1562 the " Marquis of the Valley," son and 
 heir of Cortez, returned to Mexico, taking up his residence 
 in the city. His palace was the resort of the Mexican 
 aristocracy — or of those who wished to be considered as 
 such — who had inherited fortunes or titles from their 
 fathers, the original adventurers. The prestige of his 
 name was such, and he so evidently was a favorite with the 
 people, that the Audiencia feared — or pretended to fear — 
 that he might wish to usurp the power bestowed upon them 
 by his majesty, the King of Spain. A plot was reported to 
 have been formed, which had for its object the murder of 
 the Spaniards in power and the elevation of the family of 
 Cortez. It would have been an easy matter for one bear- 
 ing that potent name to excite a popular uprising among 
 the Indians, who would have fought as bravely in his cause 
 — as against the cause of Spain — as did their fathers 
 against the advances of the conqueror. 
 
 [A. D. 1566.] It was to have taken place on the 13th of 
 August, on the anniversary of the fall of the city ; Don 
 Martin Cortez, son of the conqueror and the Indian girl, 
 Marina, was to place himself at the head of armed bands 
 and proclaim his half-brother, the Marques, King of 
 Mexico. This was in the year 1566. The Marques was 
 imprisoned, and two friends, who had given utterance 
 to treasonable expressions, were publicly beheaded and 
 their heads stuck upon spears. 
 
 The arrival of the new viceroy caused a stay of these 
 proceedings, and the Marquis of the Valley escaped to 
 Spain, where he felt himself more secure than in the 
 country which his father had given to the Spanish crown. 
 
374 Mexico. 
 
 THE INQUISITION IN MEXICO. 
 
 [A. D. 1568.] The Visitador Mufioz, who had been sent 
 to inquire into charges respecting the late viceroy, seized 
 Don Martin Cortez, and put him to the torture. Although 
 the innocence of this wretched man was fully established a 
 few years later, he suffered much bodily pain and great 
 losses of property during its seven years' sequestration. 
 The satisfaction with which some of the conquered race 
 must have viewed this putting to the torture of a son of Cor- 
 tez and Marina, the two instruments of their enslavement, 
 must have been extreme. 
 
 What a pity that the monster genius of Spanish invasion 
 could not have been brought within the compass of a single 
 body, and suffocated by the clasp of iron-handed justice 
 upon its throat ! 
 
 [A. D. 1571.] It was in the year 157 1 that the infernal 
 monsters engaged in burning heretics in Spain sent into 
 Mexico the terrible Inquisition. The world immediately 
 within control of that loathsome instrument of Satan, Philip 
 II. of Spain, was becoming purged of its dissenters, and, 
 with his diabolic instinct for making misery more miserable, 
 he reached out his bloody hands towards his western pos- 
 sessions. Thirteen years previously Charles V., the father 
 of Philip, had charged him upon his dying bed to show no 
 mercy to heretics. Says a learned writer upon events of 
 Spanish histor}^ : "The devout, prayerful (shall we say 
 conscientious) bigot, with dying breath, urged his son Philip 
 to extirpate heresy from his realms by all the energies of 
 the Inquisition, without favor or mercy to any one. * So,' 
 says he, ' you shall have my blessing, and the Lord shall 
 prosper all your undertakings.' Philip fulfilled these 
 injunctions with cruelty which one would think must have 
 flooded with tears the eyes of angels." 
 
The Dominicans Enter Mexico. 
 
 375 
 
 In the year following, in 1559, this incarnate demon pub- 
 licly celebrated an auto da fe, or " act of faith," in which, 
 in the city of Valladolid, many hmnan beings were burned 
 alive, simply because they differed from the Church of Rome 
 
 PORTRAIT OF PHILIP OF SPAIN. 
 
 upon some trifling matter of religious belief. Centuries 
 before, in 1231, this " Mother of Harlots," had sanctioned 
 the burning of the holders of heretical doctrines, and had 
 delivered the execution of its will to the Dominicans. 
 
376 Mexico. 
 
 This pestiferous sect had already established itself in 
 Mexico, and under the shadow of its church of Santo Do- 
 mingo the brethren of this iniquitous Inquisition settled 
 themselves, like vampires, on the watch for prey. 
 
 Another sect devoted to the interests of the Pope of 
 Rome, though not so stained with blood and imbued with 
 ignorance as the Dominican, gained a foothold in Mexico 
 in the year following, in 1572. 
 
 [A. D. 1573.] The corner-stone of the great cathedral 
 of Mexico was laid in this year. In 1525, upon the site of 
 the famous Aztec teocalli^ a temple had been erected. This 
 was now demolished to make way for a more stately edifice, 
 and the grand cathedral slowly grew to assume the propor- 
 tions it preserves to the present day. It was nearly a 
 century in progress of construction, as it was not finished 
 until the year 1667 ; and the total cost of this sumptuous 
 temple, including the works added by succeeding genera- 
 tions, has exceeded two millions of dollars. 
 
 A complete description of it would be out of place in a 
 work like this, but we may mention, in passing, that it is 
 one of the most magnificent churches in the New World. 
 Its length is 425 feet, its breadth 200, and the height of its 
 towers 200. These towers contained forty-six bells, which 
 rang out their deafening clamor upon the very spot where 
 stood the altars of the Aztec war-god, upon the summit- 
 platform of the temple-pyramid. 
 
 Its interior was adorned with every work of art available 
 to its builders at that period. Its Virgin and the glory of 
 its cupola are the work of celebrated artists. Its high 
 altar was formerly the richest in the world, and even to-day, 
 after having been successively plundered, is most magnifi- 
 cent, ablaze with gold and jewels. It contained chalices, 
 candlesticks, crucifixes, of solid gold, encrusted with pre- 
 cious stones. Some of these golden candlesticks required 
 
I^iUiiyiliUfik^ ..^ t^i 
 
The Great Cathedral. 379 
 
 two men to lift them. The statue of the Assumption (now 
 missing) was of solid gold, and cost $1,089,000! There 
 was a lamp of gold that cost eighty thousand dollars. 
 Around the choir is a balustrade, of a metal so precious (a 
 mixture of silver, gold, and bronze) that an offer to replace 
 it with one of equal weight in silver^ was refused. This 
 weighed twenty-six tons, and was brought from China dur- 
 ing those ancient days of Spanish dominion. All these 
 riches (the half of which have not been described) were 
 acquired when bishop, priest, and monk were rulers of New 
 Spain, and owned two-thirds the entire wealth of the 
 nation ! 
 
 Towards the end of this history we shall see how these 
 parasites were made to relax their hold upon the people's 
 earnings, and compelled by popular indignation to disgorge 
 their ill-gotten gains. 
 
 Three years previously the cathedral of Guadalajara was 
 commenced, which was not completed until 1818, having 
 consumed nearly two hundred and fifty years in building. 
 During this same year of 1571, in which was established 
 the Inquisition in Mexico, occurred an eruption of the 
 great volcano of Popocatapetl, an event infrequent enough 
 to excite general terror and apprehension. 
 
 [A. D. 1576.] A frightful pestilence visited Mexico, 
 and during the year it is estimated that more than two mil- 
 lion Indians died of its ravages. In 1580 the capital was 
 again inundated, owing to abundant rains, and great local 
 distress followed. At this time, however. New Spain was 
 apparently enjoying a period of prosperity. Owing to the 
 enforced labor of the Indians in her mines she was produc- 
 ing immense quantities of silver. Lying directly between 
 the oriental colony in the Philippines and Spain, the mother 
 country, her sea-ports — Acapulco on the Pacific, and Vera 
 Cruz on the Gulf coast, had become rich and thriving 
 
380 Mexico. 
 
 cities. People from the extremes of the world met in her 
 capital and transacted business ; but while the golden 
 stream of wealth and trade flowed from the west to the 
 east no portion of it fell to the share of the poor Indian. 
 Bowed down with misery and grief, he was compelled to 
 toil early and late for the aggrandizement of an empire far 
 distant over the sea. 
 
 [A. D. 1583.] Through frequent changes and the loose 
 administration of the oidores of the Audiencia the govern- 
 ment officials became very corrupt. To correct this state 
 of affairs Philip II. appointed the Archbishop of Mexico, 
 Pedro Moya de Contreras, visitador, with powder to 
 thoroughly search into their conduct, and to bring them to 
 justice. This man was also inquisito7% and through the 
 combined influence of his spiritual and temporal authority 
 he purified the local government, so far as loyalty to the 
 king was concerned. Soon appointed to the viceroyal 
 chair, he diverted a large current of gold and silver 
 towards the mother country. 
 
 [A. D. 1585.] His successor, Alvarado Enrique de 
 Zuniga, arrived in October, 1585, and carried out the wise 
 principles of government established by the inquisitor. In 
 1587 he likewise sent a rich treasure fleet to Spain, which 
 reached its port in safety. Such was not the fate of all 
 the treasure galleons that succeeded these pioneer vessels, 
 as the attention of other powers was becoming directed 
 towards that source of Spain's wealth and power. The 
 seas on both coasts of Mexico soon became infested with 
 pirates, called by courtesy "privateers," and "buccaneers." 
 The French and English were very annoying, especially the 
 latter, headed by the famous Captain Drake. After captur- 
 ing and sacking Spanish cities on both the Atlantic and 
 Pacific coasts he turned his attention to the rich galleons 
 which made annual voyages between the Philippines and 
 
Plundering the Galleons. 381 
 
 Mexico. Concealing himself among the coves of the 
 Lower California coast he lay in wait for the richly freighted 
 vessel, plundered it of its valuable cargo, and made his 
 escape, though vigorous search was instituted by order of 
 the viceroy. As only one sliip came in a year this loss was 
 severely felt bv the colonists, as the merchants had them 
 almost at their mercy 
 
 [A. D. 1590.] Internal troubles added to the vexations 
 of the viceroy, who was recalled to Spain, and his place 
 filled by another, Count Luis Velasco, son of the second 
 viceroy under Charles V. This sagacious ruler labored 
 earnestly for the amelioration of the condition of the 
 Indians, and, contrary to the' wishes of the foreign traders, 
 encouraged native manufactures of cotton and woollen 
 stuffs. In 1 59 1 the Chichimecs, who had always mani- 
 fested a hostile disposition* towards the Spaniards, were 
 brought to adopt the ways of civilized life by the settle- 
 ment among them of several hundred of the ever-faithful 
 Tlascallans. In this manner was commenced that import- 
 ant town so noted in the annals of mining history, San 
 Luis Potosi. The Spaniards were not so fortunate in their 
 attempts to compel the wandering Otomies to abandon a 
 savage life, as the first savage experimented upon not only 
 destroyed his habitation but murdered his family and then 
 hung himself. 
 
 [A. -D. 1593.] It was under this viceroy that there was 
 laid out and planted the beautiful forest garden of Mexico, 
 the Alameda^ in existence to-day, one of the most delight- 
 ful spots in that land of perpetual summer. Its walks and 
 avenues intersect a shady grove of poplars and eucalyptus 
 trees, beneath which are beds of flowers sprinkled by the 
 spray of cooling fountains. 
 
 [A. D. 1594.] The oppressed Indians were still further 
 burdened by the mercenary Philip with a tax of one dollar 
 
382 Mexico. 
 
 each, the imposition of which the viceroy strove in vain to 
 avert, and ^Yhich was tlie cause of much suffering. In 
 1595 this viceroy was promoted to Peru, his seat being 
 taken by Don Caspar de Zuniga, Count of Monterey, who 
 exhibited his firmness and' humanity by reheving the 
 Indians of that odious tax. In 1596 an expedition was 
 fitted out for the exploration of tlie California coast, and 
 colonists started for New Mexico, the land of the Pueblos, 
 from which they later returned dissatisfied with the country. 
 
 The year 1597 is celebrated in Mexican annals as that 
 in which perished '* Saint Philip of Jesus," a native of 
 Mexico, who was crucified in Japan, whither he had gone 
 on missionary work. 
 
 [A. D. 1598.] Philip II. of Spain, the ferocious perse- 
 cutor of his race and kindred, did the world an unwilling 
 service by dying, and his loathsome, worm-infested body 
 was consigned to earth. The news of this important event 
 did not reach Mexico till 1599, in which year the city of 
 Monterey was founded. 
 
 [A. D. 1600.] In the year following, 1600, the city of 
 Vera Cruz was transferred from its ancient site, where it 
 had been located by Cortez, to the one it at present 
 occupies, in the vain hope that the last would prove more 
 salubrious. 
 
 [A. D. 1602.] The coast of California, which in our 
 time became El Dorado — the land of gold • — was 
 thorougly explored, in 1602, by General Viscaino, by order 
 of Philip III., the new King of Spain and the Indies. 
 Setting sail from the port of Acapulco with four vessels he 
 reached the port of Monterey — named in honor of the 
 viceroy — and eventually coasted as far as Cape Mendo- 
 cino, in latitude 40® north. Cabrillo, a Portuguese in the 
 service of Spain, discovered California in the year 1542, 
 and the buccaneer, Drake, took possession of it for Queen 
 
SPANISH MISSION, MONTEREY. 
 
Draining the Valley of Mexico. 385 
 
 Elizabeth in 1578, naming it New Albion; but nearly 
 two hundred years passed before any attempt to plant 
 a colony here resulted in success. 
 
 The opening years of the seventeenth century saw the 
 Spaniards in possession of a vast amount of territory 
 north, south, east, and west of Mexico, chiefly acquired 
 through expeditions planned and started from the central 
 city. During these first years, it is alleged, the Indians 
 voluntarily returned to the old system of repartimientos, by 
 which they were assigned to the miners and planters as 
 laborers, in reality slaves. It is claimed that their natural 
 indolence moved them to this ; but such is contrary to 
 what is recorded by those interested in their welfare. 
 
 [A. D. 1607.] The early years of this century were also 
 made memorable by another inundation; and in 1607, as 
 it was found that the dikes erected at various times were 
 insufficient to protect the city, a stupendous undertaking 
 was set in progress, no less than the drainage of the entire 
 valley ! It was under the patronage of Don Louis Belasco, 
 who had been again returned from Peru to the viceroyalty 
 of Mexico, and under the direction of a celebrated engineer, 
 Enrique Martinez. 
 
 The valley of Mexico is an immense basin, situated about 
 7,000 feet above the level of the sea. It contains five lakes, 
 rising in stages one above the other, the uppermost, Lake 
 Zumpango, being over thirty feet higher than Lake Tezcoco ; 
 which is only five or six f<^,et lower than^the level of the 
 great square of Mexico. As a consequence, when any 
 great rains flood the upper lake its waters rush with great 
 fury towards the lower one, which sets back towards the 
 city in spite of the dikes built to protect it. The plan of 
 the engineer, Martinez, was to dig a subterraneous canal 
 through the valley brim, by which Lake Zumpango would 
 be thoroughly drained, This tunnel was commenced on 
 
386 Mexico. 
 
 the 28th of November, 1607. Fifteen thousand Indians 
 worked incessantly for eleven months, at the end of which 
 time the tunnel was completed. It was six thousand six 
 hundred meters in length, over three meters in height and 
 four in breadth, and was continued at its northern end by 
 an open cut eight thousand six hundred meters in length, 
 that conducted the water of the lake into the river Tula, 
 which finally makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 This tunnel having become stojDped up, either by accident 
 or design, the city was at once flooded in a single night, and 
 for five years, from 1629 to 1634, the people traversed the 
 flooded streets in canoes. 
 
 In 1637 the Franciscan monks secured control of the 
 work, which they held for over a hundred years, and diverted 
 through this channel a vast amount of gold into their 
 treasury ; though the water flowed no more freely than 
 before. In 1767 it was decided to convert this subterra- 
 nean canal into an open cut, as it frequently became choked, 
 and endano^ered the citv. Thousands of Indians lost their 
 lives in both undertakings ; but life was cheap in those days, 
 and labors were performed that to-day it would be impos- 
 sible to execute. 
 
 At a cost of a million dollars, the cut was concluded, in 
 the year 1789. It was then 67,537 feet in length, and in 
 some places, at the top, over 600 feet in breadth, with a 
 perpendicular depth of from one hundred and fifty to two 
 hundred feet ! 
 
 This was the great tajo, or cut, of Nochistongo, which 
 had cost, at the beginning of the present century only, over 
 $6,000,000 and a vast number of lives. It performed its 
 w^ork ineffectually, and the government of Mexico is yet con- 
 sidering, — at this day, two hundred and seventy-five years 
 after the tunnel was dug, — how it should properly drain the 
 great valley in ths centre of wliich is the magnificent cap- 
 
The Cut of Nochestongo. 389 
 
 ital of Mexico. Enrique Martinez, the great Mexican 
 engineer, is finally honored by a statue in the plaza of the 
 city, and through the cut commenced by him so many years 
 ago runs the track of a railroad, seeking exit from the 
 valley. 
 
 From 161 1 to 162 1 two other viceroys occupied the cap- 
 ital, and the year 16 12 was distinguished by a serious insur- 
 rection of the Indians, which was only subdued after seve- 
 ral months' hard fighting. 
 
 [A. D. 1620.] The aqueduct of San Cosme, a magnifi- 
 cent monument to the viceroy, the Marques of Guadalcazar, 
 was finished in 1620. Its nine hundred arches still stride 
 across the fertile fields between Chapultepec and the capi- 
 tal, and over it still flow the sweet waters from the hills of 
 El Desierto. 
 
390 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIIL 
 
 THE REIGN OF THE VICEROYS. - — Concluded. 
 
 [A. D. 1621-1810.] Viceroy and Audiencia continued 
 to rule the people of Mexico in the interests of the Kings 
 of Spain. The ahnost imbecile Philip III. having been 
 succeeded by the equally incapable Philip IV., affairs in 
 Mexico did not prosper much. 
 
 Between the viceroys and the arch-prelates there was a 
 continual struggle for the ascendency. In 1624 occurred a 
 great riot caused by a scarcity of corn. It was charged 
 upon the viceroy that an agent of his had bought up all the 
 maize at low rates, and was holding it for famine prices. 
 The Archbishop of Mexico, a man of upright character, took 
 sides with the people as against the viceroy, and the latter 
 expelled him from the city. The archbishop promptly 
 excommunicated the viceroy, and ordered all the churches 
 to be closed until the people should have their demands 
 satisfied. The matter ended with an attack upon the palace 
 by a mob, the burning of the vice royal residence and the 
 departure of both bishop and viceroy from Spain. 
 
 Philip IV. promptly dispatched an inquisitor to Mexico 
 to bring the rioters to justice, and a new viceroy to fill the 
 vacant seat of government. 
 
 [A. D. 1624.] A new enemy to Spanish commerce now 
 appeared in Mexican waters, the Dutch, who this year 
 captured Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, and in 1628 
 intercepted a large fleet of treasure-vessels on their way 
 from Vera Cruz to Spain. In 1629 the city was over- 
 
The Great Inundation. 
 
 391 
 
 whelmed by the great inundation (of Mdiich we have 
 already spoken), and in 1631 was seriously considered the 
 project of removing the capital to Tacubaya, on the hills 
 bordering the lake. The 
 vast interests of property- 
 
 owners alone 
 prevented this, 
 and in 1634 the 
 floods subsided, 
 owing to repeat- 
 ed earthquakes 
 which opened 
 outlets for the es- 
 cape of the water. 
 [A. D. 1642.] 
 Don Juan de Pa- 
 lafox. Bishop of 
 Puebla,who came 
 to Mexico from 
 Spain in 1640 in 
 acter of visitador, occupied the 
 viceroyal chair for a few months. 
 His rule was short but seveie , he en- 
 couraged education and religion, but at the fountain. 
 signalized his advent by destroying a great number of 
 idols and objects of antiquity that had been preserved 
 as souvenirs of the conquest. In a word, he was a bigot, and 
 as determined a foe to aboriginal culture, and strove a,s hard 
 
392 Mexico. 
 
 to eradicate all vestiges of it, as the infamous Zumarraga 
 of the century previous. After the arrival of the succeeding 
 viceroy, he was continued in his office of visitador, and 
 made a great deal of trouble, especially in Puebla, by his 
 domineering spirit. 
 
 In 1648 the Inquisition procured the punishment of an 
 apostate, and later on, in 1659, celebrated an auto dafe at 
 which yf/?y victims were burned alive. At this dreadful act 
 the viceroy presided, and the Indians flocked in from all 
 directions to witness a scene that revived recollections of 
 the horrid rites of their Aztec ancestors. 
 
 The bigoted ruler of this period was the Duke of Albu- 
 querque, who narrowly escaped assassination in the year 
 1660, and departed for Spain. 
 
 The Indians of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, the Tarahuma- 
 res, revolted in 1649, and continued in rebellion for over 
 twenty years, successfully resisting all Spanish forces sent 
 into their native valleys an'd mountains to subdue them, 
 until the year 1670. 
 
 [A. D. 1665.] Philip IV. died in 1665, and left the 
 kingdom to his son, a sickly boy of four years, under the 
 regency of his mother, whose amours were the talk of 
 the court. It could not be expected that poor Mexico 
 would receive much attention, except as she was able to 
 furnish funds to the royal debauchees, yet she was not 
 badly governed on the whole. 
 
 In 1667 the dedication of the grand cathedral took 
 place, after two millions of dollars had been expended 
 upon it and a century of toil. 
 
 The year 1673 is memorable in viceroyal annals as that 
 in which a lineal descendant of Columbus, the great navi- 
 gator, was despatched to New Spain, Don Pedro Nufio 
 de Colon, Duke of Veraguas, and Knight of the Golden 
 Fleece, was the twenty-sixth viceroy of Mexico. He was 
 
Revolt of the Tehuantepecs. 393 
 
 old and decrepit, and hardly survived his voyage to this 
 new world, which had been given to Spain by his illustrious 
 ancestor. 
 
 In 1 66 1 the Tehuantepecs revolted, but were soon paci- 
 fied, chiefly through the efforts of the clergy. In the same 
 year the inhabitants of the valley of Mexico were terrified 
 by another eruption of the great volcano, Popocatapetl. 
 About this period the pirates became very troublesome, 
 making the island of Jamaica (which had recently been 
 captured from the Spaniards by the English) their rendez- 
 vous. 
 
 [A. D. 1680.] The aborigines of New Mexico, some 
 twenty-five thousand in number, and residing in twenty-four 
 villages, rose in rebellion in November, 1680, driving the 
 Spaniards to their defences in Santa Fe, their northern 
 capital. From this point they were at last expelled, and 
 forced to seek refuge within the present limits of Mexico ; 
 and it was a long while before these usually peaceful 
 people, the Pueblos, were again subjected to Spanish rule. 
 
 [A. D. 1683.] On the 17th of May, 1683, Vera Cruz, 
 the only port of importance on the eastern coast, became 
 the prey of an English pirate, the celebrated Agramont, 
 who sacked it completely, obtaining property to the 
 amount of seven millions of dollars. 
 
 [A. D. 1686.] A colony was despatched to that portion 
 of Mexican territory now belonging to the United States, 
 and known as Texas, and another expedition sent to Cali- 
 fornia ; the town of Monoclova, in the State of Coahuila, was 
 also founded at this time. 
 
 In 1687 the volcano of Orizaba, now extinct, treated the 
 Mexicans to an exhibition of its powers in a great eruption. 
 It was during the reign of the viceroy of this period that 
 there was constructed the celebrated aqueduct which con- 
 ducts the water from the springs of Chapultepec to the city, 
 arid which is known as the Salto del A§iia. 
 
394 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1690.] The island of Hispaniola (Haiti), then in 
 possession of the French, was successfully attacked by 
 troops sent from Mexico, and the victors returned to Vera 
 Cruz with much booty and many prisoners. In the year 
 following the crops were destroyed by hail and frosts, and 
 
 TERMINATION OF AQUEDUCT. 
 
 great scarcity ensued. The energetic viceroy, the Count 
 de Galve, sought to alleviate the wants of the poor by 
 purchasing corn, but they construed this act as one of 
 oppression (having in mind the doings of another viceroy 
 in a previous time of famine), and attacked the palace, 
 setting fire to it, and destroying it and the public buildings 
 
Pirates and Privateers. 395 
 
 containing the valuable records of events since the con- 
 quest. The authorities retaliated by hanging the leaders 
 of the mob, and depriving the lower clas'ses of their favorite 
 beverage, the pulque. It was estimated that property to 
 the amount of at least three millions of dollars was de- 
 stroyed in the conflagration. 
 
 [A. D. 1694.] The year 1693 was one of plenty, but 
 was followed by another of scarcity, and by a plague that 
 destroyed thousands, while in 1695 an earthquake caused 
 the inhabitants of the city of Mexico to shake with dread. 
 Another expedition was fitted out in this last year for the 
 complete expulsion of the French from Hispaniola, in 
 which the English and Spanish, acting in unison, were per- 
 fectly successful. Pirates and privateers multiplied so fast 
 that the sailors of Spain were in danger in whatever waters 
 they sailed. Especially did the foreign freebooters covet 
 the treasure-laden galleons that made annual voyages in 
 fleets to Spain. The French at one time, in the year 1696, 
 lay in wait near Havana to intercept the fleet of that year 
 when it should pass on its way from Vera Cruz to the 
 mother country. They were disappointed, however, for the 
 Spanish authorities, getting notice of this enemy in ambush, 
 delayed the fleet from spring till autumn. The French, 
 thinking their coveted prize must have escaped them, sailed 
 for Europe, where they later learned, to their great 
 chagrin, that the galleons had arrived safely in Cadiz, and 
 the duties alone on their cargoes amounted to nearly half a 
 million dollars. 
 
 In the year 1696 another owner of an illustrious name 
 was appointed viceroy of Mexico, Don Jose Sarmiento Val- 
 laderes, Count of Montezimia. He was not a descendant 
 of the great Indian king, but acquired his title by marriage 
 with the fourth grand-daughter of the Aztec emperor, the 
 third Countess of Montezuma. 
 
396 Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1697.] In the January following the arrival of 
 the Count of Montezuma a richly-freighted galleon arrived 
 in the port of Acapulco from the Philippine islands laden 
 with rare and curious stulfs from the Orient. Merchants 
 and traders flocked here from all parts of Mexico, and even 
 from Peru, to buy the Chinese merchandise. The mer- 
 chants from the rich viceroyalty of Peru expended over 
 $2,000,000 at the fair subsequently held, in which the rich 
 cargo was sold. Earthquakes disturbed the peace of the 
 people at this time, and threatened famine reduced their 
 supplies of corn, but the viceroy judiciously ministered to 
 the people's wants, and abundant crops soon followed. 
 
 There were two things in Mexico that kept the people in 
 a constant state of fear, these were the volcano Popocata- 
 petl and the Inquisition. The earth was shaken by an 
 eruption of the former, though unattended by loss of life, 
 and a worthy gentleman was burned at the stake by the 
 latter. 
 
 The seventeenth century ended uneventfully and left the 
 principal powers of Europe apparently at peace with each 
 other, and the viceroyalty of Mexico still firmly attached 
 to the mother country. 
 
 [A. D. 1700.] By the death of Charles 11. the Spanish 
 crown passed to the Bourbons of France, a prince of that 
 house being proclaimed king, with the title of Philip V. 
 In the ten years of war that followed, during which the 
 king was engaged in expelling the Austrians and English 
 from his territory, Mexico remained firm in her allegiance. 
 One viceroy succeeded another, and no notable events 
 occurred except the occasional attacks of privateers upon 
 the treasure-fleets for some time after the opening of the 
 centurv. 
 
 The year 171 1 was long remembered by a fall of snow, 
 the first ever seen at the capital, and in the same year oc- 
 
Mexico very Prosperous. 397 
 
 curred an earthquake so strong that the bells in the 
 churches were set ringing, and which lasted for half an 
 hour. Frequent meteorological phenomena disturbed 
 Mexico during the decade ending in 1720, including 
 disastrous hurricanes, and Popocatapetl added an eruption 
 to his already long catalogue. 
 
 In 1 7 19 war was declared between France and Spain, 
 and Pensacola, in Florida, was captured by the French. In 
 1720 the church of the Profesa, still standing in Mexico, 
 was dedicated. The attention of the government was 
 directed to the north, to Texas, California, and New 
 Mexico, where the colonies sent out by it were meeting 
 with varying success. 
 
 [A. D. 1722.] This year was signalized by the arrival 
 in Mexico of a creak viceroy — one born in America — all 
 the others had been natives of Spain, with little love for 
 the country they were called upon to govern. The 
 Marquis of Casa Fuerte labored diligently to purify the 
 corrupt court of Mexico and to promote the welfare of his 
 subjects. It was during his reign that Philip IV. abdi- 
 cated in favor of his son, Ferdinand, and later resumed the 
 throne vacated by his death. He dispatched colonies to 
 the northward, and among other places founded San 
 Antonio, Texas, to-day belonging to the United States. 
 Commerce increased, and the galleons to and from New 
 Spain were more richly laden than ever, one of these coming 
 from China, in 1731, landed a cargo of oriental products 
 so rich that the duties to government alone amounted to 
 above one hundred and seventy thousand dollars. This 
 viceroy, who had the interests of his country ever at heart, 
 died in 1734, leaving a large part of his wealth to benevo- 
 lent objects. 
 
 [A. D. 1 741.] Peace reigned in Mexico, but in other 
 Spanish colonies war was desolating their coasts. Genera] 
 
39^ 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Oglethorpe was at this time making his unsuccessful attack 
 upon Saint Augustine, Florida, and the English admiral, 
 Vernon, took Porto Bello and the forts of Cartagena. 
 
 In 1736 there visited Mexico a terrible epidemic, called 
 Matlazahiiatl, which carried off many thousands of the in- 
 habitants, and it was at this time, and with the motive of 
 
 VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE. 
 
 obtaining divine succor, that the Virgin of Guadalupe was 
 declared the patron saint of the country. Mention has 
 already been made of this saint, and a slight sketch of her 
 first appearance in Mexico may not be uninteresting. 
 
The Patron Saint of Mexico. 399 
 
 THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE. 
 
 It was in the year 1531, during tlie residence in Mexico 
 of that rude iconoclast, Zumarraga, on the 9th day of 
 December, that a poor Indian might liave been seen trudg- 
 ing over the hill of Tepeyacac on his way to early mass. 
 As this man of humble birth, Juan Diego by name, 
 approached the brow of the hill, he heard his name called 
 in a low, sweet voice. Looking up he saw a wonderful 
 apparition, no less than a beautiful lady in the centre of a 
 white and shining cloud, and surrounded by a rainbow. A 
 voice issued from this wondrous vision commanding him 
 to go to the Bishop of Mexico and tell him that she, the 
 apparition, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, desired him to 
 build on that spot a chapel in her honor. The trembling 
 Indian obeyed, but the bishop refused credence to his 
 story without a sign, and he returned dejected to the hill. 
 A second time the Virgin appeared, and upon his request 
 for a sign commanded him to go to the the top of the hill 
 and fill his blanket with the flowers he should find there. 
 Though wondering that it should be possible to discover 
 flowers in a perfectly desert spot, where never yet grew 
 anything but cactus and prickly-pear, Juan Diego went to 
 the spot indicated, where he found a bed of lovely flowers, 
 fragrant and wet with dew. " Carry these to the bishop," 
 said the Virgin, "and tell him my commands." 
 
 When the wondering Indian prostrated himself at the 
 feet of the bishop, lo ! another miracle was wrought, for the 
 flowers had disappeared, and in their place was seen a most 
 beautiful image of the Holy Lady. The prelate was struck 
 with astonishment at this great miracle, and reverently bear- 
 ing the coarse blanket into his oratory gave thanks to God 
 for so striking a manifestation of His power. 
 
 This is the story, in brief, as related by the early priests ; 
 and it has been the means of bringing into the church many 
 
400 Mexico. 
 
 a wandering Indian, who would otherwise have rejected the 
 preaching of those holy men. It touched their national 
 pride, to be told that this miracle was wrought for their 
 benefit, and that the apparition appeared to one of the 
 lowest of their race. Contributions for the building of the 
 chapel poured in from every quarter, and there now stands 
 upon the site of the hermitage, erected in 1532, upon the 
 spot where the Virgin appeared, a magnificent structure 
 dedicated to the most adorable Virgin of Guadalupe. Do 
 you not give full credence to this story ? Then enter the 
 grand interior of that church, built in memory of this event, 
 and walk down the nave and stand before the high altar. 
 There you will see, securely framed in crystal glass, and 
 once surrounded by a golden frame, that famous picture of 
 the Virgin, stamped by supernatural agency upon the 
 coarse tih7ia of Juan Diego, in December, 1531 ! Pro- 
 cessions in her honor visit that church to-day, and her 
 shrine, the chapel on the hill, is the goal of many a weary 
 pilgrim. The spring of chalybeate water, and full of virtues, 
 that gushed forth from the rock on which the blessed 
 Virgin stamped her foot, still flows, and is the resort of 
 thousands. 
 
 [A. D. 1743.] Returning to our chronology, we shall 
 find that the Spaniards met with a great loss in the year 
 1743, in the capture, by the English admiral, Anson, of the 
 East Indian galleon containing a cargo worth two millions 
 of dollars ! It was laden chiefly with silver, and was on its 
 way to the East Indies to purchase those Oriental fabrics 
 which found such quick sales in the marts of Mexico, when 
 the English buccaneer pounced upon it from his hidmg- 
 place near Acapulco. 
 
 [A. D. 1746.] Under the viceroy who came into power 
 this year, the Count of Revilla Gigedo, the royal revenues 
 were largely increased, mines cf silver and gold continued 
 
The Volcano of Jorullo. ' 401 
 
 to be discovered, and even at this early period, during his 
 viceroyalty, the average annual yield was over $11,000,000. 
 During his term of office, nine years, there was coinedj in 
 the national mint, silver to the amount of over one hundred 
 and fourteen millions of dollars. The city of Mexico was 
 now very populous and the people wealthy, though the 
 taxes were excessive and fell heavily upon the Indians and 
 laboring classes. 
 
 [A. D. 1750.] In 1749 the crops were blighted by 
 frosts, and a partial famine ensued the following year, 
 corn becoming so scarce in the provinces of Zacatecas 
 and Guanajuato that it sold at sixty dollars per hundred 
 pounds. 
 
 Between 1750 and 1760 great veins of silver were discov- 
 ered and vast quantities of the precious ore extracted from 
 the bowels of the earth. 
 
 The year 1759 was perhaps the most notable of this 
 epoch, as that, in which occurred a terrestrial convulsion 
 without a parallel in history. In the state of Michoacan, 
 once the ancient kingdom of the Tarascos, an immense 
 volcano burst forth in a single night, on the 29th of Sep- 
 tember. The plain of Malpais was once covered with fertile 
 sugar-cane and indigo plantations, but in June, 1759, hollow 
 rumblings began to be heard, followed by flames and 
 earthquakes. In September came the terrible eruptions, 
 when six great volcanic cones were thrown up, the smallest 
 of which was 300 feet and the largest 1,500 ! In this man- 
 ner and at this time was formed the active volcano of Jo- 
 rullo, which exists to-day, and covers the site of those fertile 
 plains where agriculture once flourished. 
 
 [A. D. 1 76 1.] The capture of Havana by the Eng- 
 lish threw New Spain into consternation, although the 
 expected attack upon Vera Cruz was not made. Soldiers, 
 gathered for the defence of the coast, fell victims to fever ; 
 
402 Mexico. 
 
 and two years later, the small-pox carried off ten thousand 
 people in the capital alone. 
 
 In 1765 the visitador, Galvez, placed a tax upon the pro- 
 ducers and manufacturers of tobacco, which existed for 
 nearly a century, until 1856. 
 
 [A. D. 1767.] It was during the visit of this royal inspect- 
 or that the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico. Silently, 
 and with great precautions against their escape, all the Jesu- 
 its of New Spain were surrounded by the Spanish troops 
 and collected in Vera Cruz, whence they were sent to 
 Europe. This was in the month of June ; three months 
 before, by the orders of the same monarch, Charles III. of 
 Spain, a similar outrage had been perpetrated in the mother 
 country. The members of this intelligent, though 
 perhaps dangerous, order, were totally expelled from the 
 dominions of the King of Spain. Untold suffering resulted, 
 as many perished of fever in Vera Cruz, during their pas- 
 sage across the ocean, and in the countries in which they 
 were landed. Among these so unceremoniously driven from 
 Mexico were men since famous in literature, most notable 
 of whom stands the learned Clavigero, who wrote the best 
 history of early Mexico extant, and whose writings, not- 
 withstanding the indignities to which he was subjected, are 
 entirely free from the coloring of jealousy or prejudice. 
 
 The raids of the English induced the government to 
 appropriate large sums for the coast defences, and several 
 millions were expended in this way during a short period 
 following. 
 
 HOW A POOR :muleteer became count of regla. 
 
 [A. D. 1770 to 1780.] Mines of gold and silver now 
 yielded fabulous returns. The fleet that left Mexico for 
 Spain in 1773 carried over $26,000,000 in precious metals; 
 while that of the year following was laden with a cargo 
 
Mexico a Century Ago. 403 
 
 equally rich. In seven years, between 177 1 and 1779, the 
 mines of Mexico yielded over one hundred and twenty-seveii 
 million dollars in gold and silver — chiefly silver. One 
 great miner alone, in the course of eight years, presented 
 for taxation four thousand seven hundred bars of silver. 
 All this vast amount of silver paid a fifth of its value to 
 the king. The " royal fifth " continued to be exacted up 
 to the time of the revolution. 
 
 By this single abstract from the history of Mexico at that 
 period we may see that, while the British colonies in 
 America were struggling for independence, the Spanish 
 colonists of America were delving in the mines to furnish 
 the mother country with money to carry on her w^ars. 
 While our forefathers were fighting to free our country 
 from tyranny the Mexicans were riveting yet more strongly 
 the golden chains that bound them, to their oppressor ! 
 
 The great mines of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and Pachuca 
 were industriously worked at this period, and, in fact, have 
 continued to be ever since. Men made fortunes in a very 
 short time ; companies of men amassed millions, and there 
 seemed, indeed, no end to the amount of treasure the earth 
 was now yielding up. 
 
 At this period flourished a remarkable man named Peter 
 Terreros, who, in 1750, conceived the idea of draining an 
 abandoned mine and reopening it. He commenced life as 
 a poor muleteer. He worked at his project twelve years — 
 until 1762. At the end of that time he had only just 
 reached the main shaft ; but even then he had cleared half 
 a million of dollars yearly, and had laid up an amount 
 equal to 500,000 pounds weight of solid silver! But his 
 good fortune had just commenced; he drew from that 
 abandoned mine an amount of precious metal well-nigh 
 fabulous. He could not devise ways enough to spend his 
 money. He built two large ships-of-the-line and gave 
 
404 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 them to his king, and promised his sovereign that if he 
 would only visit him in Mexico he should everywhere tread 
 only upon silver — that he would pave the road from the 
 coast to the mines with solid silver bars ! 
 
 When this man's children were baptized the entire pro- 
 cession, as it passed from his house to the church, walked 
 all the way upon glistening silver bars ! What wonder that, 
 in those corrupt times, this man, possessed of fabulous 
 wealth, should have been created Count of Regla ! Yet 
 all his great possessions have long since vanished — swept 
 away in the revolution — and his descendants were reduced 
 to beggary. 
 
 In the year 1778 there died another famous miner, 
 named La Bord, who accumulated a fortune of fifty million 
 dollars, and who spent upon a single church more than 
 half a million. 
 
 No one can estimate what would have been the result if 
 these mines had been uninterruptedly worked, nor the 
 benefit to Spain if Mexico had been retained in her posses- 
 sion to the present time. 
 
 [A. D. 1785.] The Spanish government became alarmed 
 about this time at the persistence of the then reigning vice- 
 roy, Galvez, in fortifying and embellishing the Castle of 
 Chapultepec. Up to that time above one hundred thou- 
 sand dollars had been expended upon it, and it was then 
 the strongest citadel in the interior of Mexico. But their 
 fears were allayed upon the death of the viceroy, and the 
 beautiful castle was not dismantled until a date long subse- 
 quent. 
 
 [A. D. 1788,] In December of this year the King of 
 Spain, Charles III., departed this life, and was succeeded 
 on the throne by the weak and dissolute Charles IV. In 
 the year following there entered the capital as viceroy one 
 of the most remarkable who had filled the ofiice, Don Juan 
 
The Count of Revilla Gigedo. 405 
 
 Vincente Pacheco, second Count of Revilla Gigedo. He 
 found the capital swarming with robbers and assassins, 
 whom he soon brought to justice ; the streets obstructed 
 by filth and ditches, which he soon cleansed ; and the poor 
 oppressed, whom he soon relieved. He started a botanical 
 garden, which exists to-day in a state of abandonment ; 
 built roads, established a postal service with other cities 
 and the frontier, and promoted expeditions to the north- 
 ward, especially along the coast of California. 
 
 He never trusted entirely to the supervision of his 
 officers, but himself personally inspected the improvements 
 he was constantly promoting. On one occasion he aroused 
 his inspector of streets from his sleep at midnight, and 
 commanded him to immediately repair some trifling irregu- 
 larity in the pavement. On another, as he was w^alking 
 through a by-street, he found himself brought abruptly to a 
 halt by an obstruction of beggarly dwellings. Sending at 
 once for the street commissioner he commanded him to 
 extend the street through to the limits of the city. " Before 
 morning," he commanded, "you will finish this road so 
 that I may drive through it on my way to early mass." It 
 was then sunset ; but, stimulated by fear of the con- 
 sequences in case of non-fulfilment, the commissioner 
 summoned a host of Indians, tore down the filthy abodes 
 of misery, and, as the viceregal coach appeared next 
 morning, a way was opened through which it drove. 
 
 In 1790 they discovered, buried in the great plaza, that 
 historic memento of barbarism, the great Aztec sacrificial 
 stone, which now adorns the court of the National Museum. 
 The energetic viceroy returned to Spain, leaving behind 
 him a memory that yet lives in the hearts of the people of 
 of Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1796.] In this year war was declared against 
 England by Spain, with results (as we shall shortly see) 
 indirectly fatal to the security of her colonial possessions. 
 
4-06 Mexico. 
 
 In 1797 the foundations were laid for the magnificent 
 building, still standing in Mexico, known as the Mineria^ 
 or school of mines. It was finished in 1814 at a total cost 
 of a million and a half of dollars. 
 
 As a consequence of the war with England the seas were 
 filled with English cruisers, and the vast exports of bullion 
 to Spain were in a great measure prevented. By means of 
 this money retained in the country Mexico began to feel 
 the impulse of quickened trade, her internal commerce was 
 attended to, looms were erected, factories built, and it soon 
 became apparent that she w^as less dependent upon the 
 mother country than her people had generally believed. 
 
 [A. D. 1800.] In fostering trade and developing internal 
 resources the viceroy had been working in opposition to 
 the plan which Spain had pursued for nearly three centuries. 
 As the nineteenth century opened it brought with it the 
 dawn cf a new life. Thrown upon their own resources, the 
 people found that they needed the support of no other 
 country in the world. In a word, they found that they had 
 within themselves all the elements of an independent 
 nation ! This was at first only dimly apparent to a few ; 
 the masses did not recognize it ; they had been too long 
 accustomed to do their thinking by proxy. But with the 
 opening of the century might have been heard, by an 
 observant ear, the first mutterings of that great storm that 
 was so soon to sweep over Mexico and deluge her soil 
 with blood ! 
 
 The year that closed the eighteenth century brought 
 with it an earthquake so terrible that the inhabitants of the 
 Mexican valley were filled with terror, and long re- 
 membered this visitation, which they called the "earth- 
 quake of Saint John cf God." 
 
 In 1803 a new viceroy, Don Jose Iturrigaray, was sent 
 out from Spain. He was active and energetic, but avari- 
 
Humboldt Arrives in Mexico. 
 
 407 
 
 cious. He personally inspected the great mines of Guana- 
 juato, and caused to be completed the great work known 
 
 FACADE OF CASA DE LAS MONJAS. 
 
 as the " king's bridge " on the chief highway between Vera 
 Cruz and the capital, and now known as the Puente 
 Nacional. 
 
408 Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1803.] In the same year there arrived in Mexico, 
 by way of the Pacific, coming up from South America, one 
 whose name will survive that of all the viceroys of New 
 Spain. The illustrious Humboldt set foot on Mexican soil 
 in March, 1803, and spent a year in an examination of 
 Mexico's resources and her historic monuments. His 
 work, a " Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain," 
 caused an awakened interest in that country, and first 
 pointed out to the Spaniards themselves the exceeding 
 richness of the territory they were about to lose forever. 
 
 [A. D. 1808.] When, in 1808, Napoleon forced the cor- 
 rupt Charles IV. to abdicate, and his equally despicable son 
 to relinquish all claims to the Spanish throne in favor of 
 Joseph Bonaparte, the French usurper was better received 
 in Spain than in Mexico. The Spanish-born residents of 
 Mexico were, as a rule, in favor of Bonaparte as against 
 the Spanish Bourbons ; but the Creoles, the natives, were 
 to a man faithful in their allegiance to the son of Charles 
 IV., the Prince of Asturias, known as Ferdinand VII. 
 They burned the proclamations sent out by Joseph, and 
 arrested and sent prisoner to Spain the viceroy, Iturrigaray, 
 for manifesting a tendency to recognize the Bonapartes. 
 As yet, it seems, the inhabitants of Mexico had no thought 
 of disloyalty to their sovereign ; but they were perplexed 
 to know who their sovereign was. Charles IV. had abdi- 
 cated in favor of his son and then reclaimed the throne, 
 while the mighty Napoleon had stepped in and wrested it 
 from both, placing the crown upon his brother's brow. 
 Proclamations and demands for treasure came pouring in 
 from Spain, coming from the French king, from the 
 deposed Ferdinand, and from the Junta, that assumed to 
 rule in the name of the people. It was in the midst of 
 this perplexing condition of affairs that people began to 
 inquire as to the necessity of their being governed by 
 Spain at all. 
 
THE PERIOD OF INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE GREAT REVOLUTION. 
 
 [1810 to 182 1.] The first decisive blow for freedom 
 was struck in the month of September, 18 10. Don Miguel 
 Hidalgo, ciira, or parish priest, of the little town of 
 Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato, was the one who first 
 applied the firebrand to the combustible material that the 
 past ten years had been accumulating. He was a well- 
 educated man, a graduate of Saint Nicholas College in 
 Valladolid, and had received sacred orders in Mexico in 
 1779. He was born in 1753, and was a man of great 
 capacity, and well-instructed in agriculture and the in- 
 dustrial arts. He cultivated the vine and the mulberry in 
 order to encourage his people in these labors, established 
 small industries for their benefit, and by his labors for 
 their good had entirely won their love and affection. This, 
 in brief, was the man who placed himself at the head of 
 the Mexican movement in 18 10. 
 
 At the break of day, on the 15th of September, the 
 patriot priest committed himself entirely to the cause of 
 the people, and gave the watchword of Independence / It is 
 known in history as the " Cry of Dolores." Thousands 
 rallied about his banner ; from mountains, from valleys. 
 
4IO Mexico. 
 
 from the seclusion of forest retreats, as well as from the 
 midst of populous /iacie?idas, the Indians and Creoles 
 poured forth to join him. The day of vengeance had 
 at last arrived ! Three centuries of oppression had be- 
 queathed to them its hatred of their foreign masters. The 
 desire to avenge their wrongs, so long suppressed, now 
 burst forth in uncontrollable iwry. 
 
 They marched upon the noble city of Guanajuato, twenty 
 thousand strong, armed only with sticks and staves, and 
 with here and there a musket, but all animated with the 
 same desire for the blood of their oppressors. Their war- 
 cry was ''''Death to the Guachupines .f'' By this name they 
 designated the Spaniards, the hated enslavers of their race. 
 The Spaniards were attacked in the city of Guanajuato, 
 and their stronghold fell before the savage fury of the 
 Indians. For three days the insurgents rioted in murder 
 and robbery. Their chief could not restrain them. 
 
 Then the warrior-priest set his forces in motion for the 
 capital, for Mexico itself, and entered the valley in the last 
 days of October with an army of near one hundred thou- 
 sand men. Hidalgo met a. Spanish army about twenty 
 miles from the capital, attacked them with resistless fury 
 and defeated them. When within fifteen miles of Mexico 
 he halted, and, after a few days, commenced a retreat. 
 There is little doubt that Hidalgo and his savage horde 
 could have swept the valley and conquered the city had he 
 but advanced instead of sounding a retreat. His prestige 
 thenceforward was gone. The viceroy, Venagas, de- 
 spatched General Calleja with an army of ten thousand 
 men and a train of artillery in pursuit. He overtook them 
 and gave batde, and though the Indians fought with unsur- 
 passed bravery, the disciplined body of regular troops pre- 
 vailed over the untrained masses. The Spanish troops 
 were commanded by a fiend, Calleja marched upon 
 
Defeat and Death of Hidalgo. 411 
 
 Guanajuato, took it, and not only put the defenders to the 
 sword, but murdered in cold blood fourteen thousand de- 
 fenceless men, women, and children. The streets ran 
 blood, and even the fountains were choked with the life- 
 current of these innocent victims. 
 
 Thus mournfully opened the first chapter of Mexican 
 independence. 
 
 [A. D. 181 1.] Rallying his scattered forces Hidalgo 
 awaited his foe again near Guadalajara. Near the bridge of 
 Calderon, on the 17th of January, 181 1, the decisive battle 
 was fought. The patriot chief had nearly 80,000 men under 
 his command, but they were unskilled in warfare and very 
 poorly armed. Hidalgo and his men at first prevailed, but 
 superior disciiDline again showed its superiority over dis- 
 organized masses, and the battle was turned into a massacre. 
 Hidalgo and other leaders, with a few thousand of his follow- 
 ers, escaped ; it was their intention to reach the United 
 States, and with a portion of the rich treasure obtained in 
 the sacking of Guanajuato, purchase munitions of war and 
 return to renew the struggle. But they were captured, 
 through the treachery of a man named Elizondo, tried by 
 court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. 
 
 The names of the leaders of this great uprising, names 
 cherished by native Mexicans to-day, were Hidalgo, Allende, 
 Aldama, and Jimenez. With the execution of these brave 
 men ended the first great popular uprising, o.n the first day 
 of August, 181 1. Their heads were cut off, carried to 
 Guanajuato, and placed upon the four corners of the Castle 
 of Grenaditas, where they had obtained their first victory 
 over the Spanish defenders. 
 
 The first martyrs to liberty had fallen, but the friends of 
 the cause were undismayed. They were scattered in every 
 direction, fugitives from justice, but only waiting a leader 
 and opportunity. 
 
412 Mexico. 
 
 A. D, 1812. The remainder of the year 181 1 passed 
 quietly, but early in 1812, after penetrating to within twelve 
 miles of the capital, the insurgents retired to the town of 
 Cuautla, where they were besieged by the royal army. 
 Morelos, who had assumed the leadership, made vacant 
 by the death of Hidalgo, was a man of similar qualifications 
 to the first, and educated in the same seminary of learning, 
 in Valladolid. He was born in the year 1765, of humble 
 parentage, and, though studiously inclined, could not 
 gratify his thirst for knowledge till late in life. At Cuautla 
 (now known as Cuautla Morelos) the patriots were besieged 
 for sixty days, until, when on the verge of starvation, they 
 effected a retreat. By rapid marching Morelos reached 
 Orizaba, which he took, then Oaxaca, far in the south, and 
 then marched upon and captured the important city of 
 Acapulco, on the west coast. 
 
 [A. D. 18 13.] In November, in the town of Chilpant- 
 zingo (in the present state of Guerrero) was assembled the 
 first National Congress of Mexico, composed mainly of 
 distinguished men, such as the historian Bustamente, and 
 the patriot Ignacio Rayon, who had kept alive the spark 
 of revolution after the death of Hidalgo. 
 
 THE FIRST DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 
 
 was made on the i6th of November, 18 13, by which the 
 Mexican people gave voice to their feelings, and declared 
 their resolve to dissolve their connections with the throne 
 of Spain. ^Slavery was declared abolished, as also im- 
 prisonment for debt, and the holding of monopolies. All 
 men were declared _/r<?^ and equal h&iore the law. 
 
 In the same month of November there appeared upon 
 the scene a personage who subsequently filled an important 
 place in Mexican history, Colonel Aiigiistin Iturbide. He 
 was then loyal to the king, and at the head of a large force 
 
Death of Morelos ; Rise of Iturbide. 413 
 
 he encountered Morelos, and defeated him in Valladolid. 
 Morelos was subsequently captured through treachery, 
 sent to Mexico for trial, and shot. Indomitable to the last, 
 he expressed himself contented to die, since he had 
 founded and left behind him the beginning of an inde- 
 pendent government. He knelt before his executioners, 
 saying, " Lord, if I have done well, thou knowest it ; if ill, 
 to Thy infinite mercy I commend my soul." Then the 
 volley was fired, and this great and generous soul passed 
 from earth. 
 
 [A. D. 18 1 4.] Persecuted on all sides, driven from post 
 to post, the first Mexican Congress yet found time to 
 draft a constitution for the Mexican people, dated from 
 the forest of Apantzingo, October 22, 18 14. It was a year 
 before the death of Morelos, which sad event occurred 
 December 22, 1815. Calleja, that man of execrable 
 memory, occupied the viceregal chair from 1813 to 181 6, 
 and lost no opportunity for the murder of the patriots. 
 
 Other chiefs, acting in unison with Morelos, deserve our 
 notice, though space prevents more than mention of their 
 names. These were Guerrero, Alvarez, Bravo, Victoria, 
 Osorno, Mier y Teran, Rayon, and Matamoros, the latter of 
 whom was shot in August, 18 14. The names of all these 
 men, most of whom fell martyrs to the cause, have been 
 kept in remembrance by a grateful people. States, prov- 
 inces, and towns are called by their names, in this coun- 
 try for which they fought so desperately to free from 
 oppression. 
 
 Examples of individual bravery and magnanimity might 
 be cited that would fill pages with the chronicles of their 
 daring deeds. Let one suffice : The generous Bravo took 
 the town of Palmar by storm, capturing three hundred 
 prisoners. These he immediately offered to the viceroy in 
 exchange for one man, his father. The offer was rejected, 
 
414 Mexico, 
 
 and Don Leonardo Bravo was led but to death at once. 
 The son, learning of this, at once ordered all the prisoners 
 to be liberated, saying, " I wish to put it out of my power to 
 avenge my parent's death, lest in the first moments of grief 
 the temptation should prove irresistible." 
 
 Can you find in the history of any people an example of 
 greater magnanimity than that ? There were heroes in 
 those days ! Our fathers fought no more fiercely in the 
 American Revolution, nor prolonged the struggle with less 
 encouragement, than these fathers of Mexican independ- 
 ence. 
 
 Soon after the death of Morelos Congress was dis- 
 banded, and the people no longer had a central point upon 
 which to focus their gaze. But its principles lived ! It 
 had done its work in teaching the masses the first lesson of 
 freedom ! 
 
 From the year 18 16, through 1820, Juan de Apodaca, 
 Count of Venadito, represented the royal power in New 
 Spain. His mild rule was admirably adapted to the 
 conciliation of the dissatisfied Indians and Creoles. 
 
 In 18 1 7 the disbanded rebels received new encourage- 
 ment from an unexpected source. There was in Spain a 
 guerilla chief named Xavier Mina, who had fought against 
 the Bonapartes, and who, having failed in exciting a revo- 
 lution, fled to Mexico with many adherents. Landing on 
 the coast with three hundred and fifty men, he successively 
 defeated different parties sent against him, and on one 
 occasion took a fortified hacienda, with a booty of one 
 hundred and forty thousand dollars. Not meeting with the 
 aid he had anticipated from the Independents, he was at 
 last driven to bay in the central part of the state of Guana- 
 juato, where, overwhelmed by the numerous forces sent 
 against him, he fell, bravely fighting to the last. Thus 
 terminated the short, though glorious, career of this 
 
Guerrero the Patriot. 417 
 
 champion of Mexican independence, in a little over six 
 months from the time of his landing. 
 
 There was now but one rebel chief in the field. The 
 viceroy considered the rebellion crushed. But this one 
 leader, alone, after all the others had been captured, or 
 availed themselves of the pardon offered by the viceroy, 
 maintained alive the sacred fire of liberty and independ- 
 ence. Don Vicente Gicerrero — a name that should ever be 
 sacred to Mexicans — retreated with his followers to the 
 fastnesses of the mountains, where he protected the mem- 
 bers of the persecuted Junta, or Congress, and whence 
 he made frequent sallies upon the enemy. Born of humble 
 parentage, in 1782, his youth was passed (as was that of 
 the great Morelos) in the occupation of a muleteer. In 
 18 10 he cast his lot with the revolutionists, and soon 
 became famous for his valor, for his clemency to the 
 vanquished, and his activity in the campaigns. Resisting 
 every bribe held out to him by the Spaniards, he retired to 
 the mountains of the south. The year 18 19 was the most 
 fortunate of any for the patriots, for in it they had 
 triumphed in twenty actions with the Spanish troops. 
 
 [A. D. 1820.] In the year 1820 Colonel Augustin 
 Iturbide, who had been appointed commander of the 
 troops of the west, surprised the whole country by declar- 
 ing himself in favor of the independence of Mexico. It 
 was the defection of this energetic military chief, and the 
 self-denial of the brave Guerrero, that gave the favorable 
 turn to affairs at this critical period of Mexico's history, 
 and brought to a conclusion a war that had raged during 
 ten years, and had drenched with blood the soil of New 
 Spain. This remarkable man was born in the city of 
 Valladolid (now Morelia, in honor of Morelos) in the year 
 1783. From his youth he had been in the royal service, 
 and since the year 1808 had thrown all his influence 
 
41 8 Mexico. 
 
 against the cause of his native land. He was celebrated 
 for his bravery, his activity, and skill in strategy. On the 
 i6th of November, 1820, he marched forth from Mexico 
 with 5000 men in pursuit of Guerrero, hidden in the sierras 
 of the south. His acute intelligence informed him how 
 events were tending, and he saw that eventually Mexico 
 must gain her freedom. He resolved to cast his fortunes 
 with the party of the future^ rather than with that of the 
 past. 
 
 In January, 1821, instead of engaging with the patriot 
 chief, Guerrero, in deadly conflict, he invited him to an 
 amicable meeting. 
 
 [A. D. 182 1.] On the 24th of February of the same year 
 he proclaimed the celebrated "Plan of Iguala" — so 
 named from the town in which it was first conceived — the 
 principles of which were. Union, civil and religious liberty. 
 He joined forces with Guerrero, that great chief granting 
 him the supreme command, and their combined armies 
 marched upon the capital. The skilfully-constructed 
 proclamation, which, while it assured every man his liberty, 
 and declared independence of Spain and all other nations, 
 still professed a conditional loyalty to the mother country, 
 was calculated to stir every heart. The whole country re- 
 sponded, and men rose everywhere to swell the ranks 
 of the " Army of the Three Guarantees " — Religion, 
 Union, and Independence. 
 
 They entered the capital in triumph and without blood- 
 shed, on the 27th of September, 182 1, sixteen thousand 
 strong, amidst universal rejoicing, and beneath the tri- 
 colored banner, symbolizing the three important principles 
 of the proclamation — Union, Religion, and Independ- 
 ence ! 
 
Iturbide^ E7nperor of Mexico. 419 
 
 While preparing to enter the capital, Iturbide learned 
 that another viceroy had been sent by Spain, Don Juan 
 O'Donoju, the sixty-fourth royal representative, and the 
 last. As only the fortress of San Juan de Ulua remained 
 in Spanish possession, the viceroy was compelled to recog- 
 nize, provisionally, the Plan of Iguala, and the virtual 
 independence of Mexico. A provisional government was 
 formed, and a regency appointed, consisting of Iturbide, 
 O'Donoju, Don Manuel de la Barcena, Isidro Yanez, and 
 Velasquez de Leon. 
 
 The Mexican Empire now extended from Texas to 
 Guatemala, and included the Californias and New Mexico. 
 It is said that, with the exception of China and Russia, it 
 was then the most extensive in the world. 
 
 [A. D. 1822.] Another Congress was assembled in 
 February ; but it seems that the people were not yet ready 
 for a republican form of government. On the night of the 
 i8th of March, 1822, a sergeant of a regiment collected a 
 disorderly mob, and proclaimed Iturbide emperor^ and on 
 the 2ist of June he was solemnly crowned in the cathedral 
 taking the title of Augustin I. His arbitrary conduct 
 soon ahenated the people, and by dissolving the Congress 
 and instituting another more in accord with his despotic 
 views, he brought upon himself the enmity of his old com- 
 panions-in-arms. It is at this period that we first hear of 
 Santa Anna, who was such a conspicuous character in the 
 subsequent war with the United States, and who was then 
 Governor of Vera Cruz. He at once declared against the 
 emperor, and issued 2, pronwicianiiento — or declaration — 
 in favor of a Republic. All the old revolutionary chiefs 
 joined with him, and Iturbide, seeing how useless it would 
 be to resist, at once offered his abdication. He was 
 
420 Mexico. 
 
 allowed to leave the country, being provided with a vessel 
 to Italy, and allowed an annuity of twenty-five thousand 
 dollars in consideration of his distinguished services. 
 
 This was in March ; his reign had been brief, lasting 
 only nine months. In July of the following year the 
 exiled emperor imprudently ventured to return to Mexico, 
 but had hardly set foot on his native soil when he was 
 arrested, hastily tried, and sentenced to be shot. Thus 
 fell another martyr to Mexican independence, one who 
 had done more than any other man towards the final 
 severance from despotic Spain. Thus miserably perished 
 the first Mexican emperor since the great Guatemotzin. 
 
 Congress was hastily assembled upon the expulsion of 
 Iturbide, and placed the government in the hands of an 
 executive power, composed of Generals Bravo, Victoria, 
 and Negretti. In October, 1824, a Federal constitution 
 was adopted, which was mainly modelled after that of the 
 United States, though it declared the Roman Catholic re- 
 ligion to be that of the Republic, and forbade the exercise 
 of anv other. 
 
Mexico still Struggling. 421 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 MEXICO STILL STRUGGLING. 
 
 [A. D. 1825.] The first President of Mexico was 
 General Guadalupe Victoria, a staunch old patriot, an un- 
 compromising enemy to Spain. He had early joined the 
 'revolutionists, making his headquarters among the moun- 
 tains of Vera Cruz, whence he sallied with his guerillas to 
 attack the Spanish supply trains on their way from coast to 
 capital. Finally, he became so annoying, that a large 
 force was concentrated upon his little band. Deserted by 
 all his men, he fled to the fastnesses of the hills, taking 
 only his sword and a little food. For thirty months this 
 incorruptible patriot wandered in the forests, and when an 
 Indian finally found him and guided him to a village, with. 
 the welcome news that his party had triumphed, he was 
 worn to a skeleton, and covered with hair like a beast. He 
 was the idol of the people, a stern defender of and believer 
 in a Republic, and he was the first to resent Iturbide's 
 usurpation of power. But the Mexicans were not yet pre- 
 pared for a Republic ; they had been too long accustomed 
 to look abroad for a ruler ; they had been too long ruled to 
 be able at once to take the reins of government into their 
 own hands. Without sufficient education to recognize the 
 abilities of the statesman, they instinctively looked to a 
 military leader to guide them. From that period of Mexi- 
 can history to the present, military prestige has been neces- 
 sary to success in Mexican politics ! 
 
 Though freed from the tyranny of Spain, Mexico soon 
 
422 Mexico. 
 
 became embroiled in domestic quarrels that threatened the 
 overthrow of the government her people had fought so hard 
 to elevate. Three parties at first contended for power: 
 the'Bourbonists in favor of a constitutional monarchy, with 
 Ferdinand, the King of Spain, at its head ; the Republi- 
 cans, in favor of a federal republic; and another party 
 desiring a monarchy with a native emperor, or a central 
 government ruled over by a dictator. This was the origin 
 of their quarrels ; and in later years (even up to a very 
 recent period) we shall see that the troubles of Mexico were 
 nearly all owing to the efforts made by unscrupulous mili- 
 tary chieftains to attain to supreme control. 
 
 The fortress of San Juan de Ulua, which had held out 
 until this time, was surrendered by the Spaniards in 
 November, 1825. In December, 1827, the law of ex- 
 pulsion was passed against the Spaniards, and symptoms of 
 discontent were beginning to be manifested by leaders of 
 insurgent bands throughout the country. 
 
 [A. D. 1828.] The principal event of the last year of 
 Victoria's presidency was the terrible revolt known as the 
 prommciamiento of the Acordada. Don Manuel Pedraza 
 was declared by a majority of the members of Congress to 
 be the next president ; but this did not satisfy the Creole, or 
 native, party, which was in favor of Guerrero. Santa Anna 
 " pronounced " against him, and marched upon the capital 
 with his troops. A mob secured control of the city, and 
 robbery and murder was carried on for days unchecked, 
 the fury of the rebels being principally directed upon the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 The party of Guerrero triumphed, and in January, 1829, 
 Congress declared him elected president. During this 
 year, 1828, the independence of Mexico was recognized by 
 the United States, and a treaty of peace and commerce 
 was contracted with England. This same year, also, an 
 
Death of the Great Guerrero. 425 
 
 event occurred which may be said to have been the 
 beginning of that bloody war that subsequently broke out 
 between the United States and Mexico. Three hundred 
 families, under the leadership of Austin, settled in Texas, 
 then a territory of Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1829.] A law was passed suppressing African 
 slavery in 1829, under Guerrero, though in a certain sense 
 the Indians have continued, under a system oi peonage, the 
 slaves of the great landed proprietors to the present day. 
 
 In July of 1829 a Spanish squadron from Havana landed 
 troops at Tampico, with the hope of being able to excite 
 their old subjects to arms and recover the country for 
 Spain. But they were defeated in. battle by Santa Anna in 
 September, and re-embarked for Havana, with such 
 Spaniards as had been expelled from the country. ■ The 
 vice-president, Bustamente, being in command of a force at 
 Jalapa, intrigued with Santa Anna for the possession of 
 supreme power, and " pronounced " against the president, 
 Guerrero. At the head of troops, Guerrero left the capital 
 to punish the traitor ; but his star had commenced its 
 downward journey to the horizon. Bustamente entered 
 the capital in triumph, and Guerrero, after a succession of 
 reverses, was taken prisoner, and condemned to be shot for 
 taking up arms against the government, of which he had 
 been recognized as the legitimate head. It was thus that 
 distracted Mexico rewarded her heroes ! This war-worn 
 patriot, who had given the best years of his life for his 
 country, was foully murdered by the representatives of the 
 government, in the persons of the villain, Bustamente, and 
 the arch-traitor, Santa Anna ! 
 
 Bustamente did not remain long in power, for the fickle 
 Santa Anna, who had his eyes constantly on the presi- 
 dential, or dictatorial, chair, issued a pronunciamiento 
 against him, and in favor of the banished Paredes, who 
 
426 Mexico. 
 
 was recalled, in 1832, to serve out the few months of his 
 unexpired term. 
 
 [A. D. 1833.] Santa Anna retired to his estate, near 
 Vera Cruz, but was soon called from his retirement to 
 occupy the long-coveted position of chief ruler, placing 
 himself at the head of a so-called liberal party. 
 
 This remarkable Mexican was born at Jalapa in 1798, 
 had passed nearly all his life in the 
 army, and was at this time one of the 
 foremost in intrigue as well as indom- 
 itable in conflict. Complications en- 
 sued with the church, which we will 
 not pause to narrate here, and Santa 
 Anna, after betraying his desire to as- 
 sume dictatorial powers, again retired 
 to his estate in Vera Cruz. He was a 
 keen politician and student of events, 
 and he left it to his vice-presidents, the 
 
 SANTA ANNA. ^ ' 
 
 celebrated Farias and Barragan, to bear 
 the odium of certain unpopular acts. 
 
 [A. D. 1835.] "^^^ cloud of war began to settle over 
 the territory of Texas, where the first fighting between 
 American colonists and Mexicans occurred in October, 
 1835. In December, San Antonio was taken by the 
 Texan general, Houston, and it was to avenge the loss of 
 his troops that Santa Anna gathered over 7000 men and 
 marched for the late scene of conflict. The massacre of 
 the Alamo followed, by which an entire garrison was put 
 to the sword by the order of Santa Anna, who deserves 
 execration for this event alone, had he no other terrible 
 sins to answer for at the bar of God. He later murdered 
 in cold blood a body of Texans who had surrendered 
 to him in good faith, and added another blot to those which 
 alreadv tarnished his fame as a soldier. Defeat soon 
 
Events ifi Texas. 427 
 
 followed, and he was captured in April, 1836, with the 
 greater portion of his men. The Americans did not 
 retaliate upon him for his atrocities, but set him at liberty 
 in the following year, when, after visiting the President of 
 the United States, he returned to Mexico. 
 
 Texas was now lost to Mexico, mainly through her own 
 folly in maintaining civil strife within her borders. Santa 
 Anna returned in disgrace to Vera Cruz, where for a while 
 he hid his hateful presence from the people ; but in 1838, 
 during a political revolt, he placed himself at the head of 
 an army, crushed the rebellion, and shot the leader, the 
 brave Mexia. 
 
 [A. D. 1838.] In the winter of that year Mexico was 
 threatened from abroad, a French fleet appearing at Vera 
 Cruz to demand satisfaction for the ill-treatment of subjects 
 of that nation, and the payment of long-standing claims. 
 In repelling an attack made on the city by the invaders, 
 Santa Anna, bravely fighting, lost a leg. This circum- 
 stance at once raised him to the place of hero in the esti- 
 mation of the people, and his popularity knew no bounds. 
 The French soon captured the city and castle, and only 
 withdrew from Mexican shores when they had enforced 
 their claims. 
 
 Bustamente was again president during this period, 
 which was one of the stormiest in the history of the infant 
 Republic. Revolts appeared in every portion of the 
 country, the most serious of which was that of Yucatan, 
 which province for a while maintained her independence, 
 and even treated with Texas for aid. 
 
 [A. D. 1840.] Pronunciamentos were now the order of 
 the hour. In July, 1840, the capital itself became the 
 scene of conflict between different parties, the rebels even 
 shelling the city, and involving in the destruction of their 
 dwellings unarmed citizens and innocent women and 
 
428 Mexico. 
 
 children. Death and destruction stalked hand in hand 
 over the bloody plains of Anahuac. 
 
 " A war Jit f 07' Cain to be the leader of — 
 An abhorred^ a cursed^ a fraternal ■war?'' 
 
 With what grim satisfaction must the Indian and the 
 Spaniard have witnessed this fratricidal conflict upon the 
 soil that had alternately belonged to their respective an- 
 cestors ! 
 
 The revolutionary spirit had so affected the military 
 class that the intervals of peace scarcely endured for a 
 month, or even for a week. In 1841 these pronuncia- 
 7?iientos culminated in a great revolution, which again 
 placed the wily Santa Anna in the executive chair at the 
 head of a powerful central government. This coup d'etat 
 was known as the "Plan of Tacubaya." Bustamente 
 retired from power and left the country. 
 
 [A. D. 1843.] In place of Congress there was assembled 
 a "Junta of notables," who created a central constitution 
 under the name of the " Bases of Organization." Santa 
 Anna, though not always visible at the head of govern- 
 ment, was invested with dictatorial powers. An interval of 
 domestic peace revived in him the desire of reconquering 
 Texas, but owing to quarrels about the amount of money 
 necessary to be appropriated, a decision was never reached. 
 
 In November, 1844, General V 2irQ^des profiounced 2ig2inst 
 Santa Anna and his government, and in this revolt so 
 great a number of rebels joined that the unfortunate 
 usurper was defeated at Puebla and made prisoner. He 
 was confined in the Castle of Perote under charge of trea- 
 son, but finally escaped, under a general amnesty for politi- 
 cal offenders, and departed from Mexico on the 29th of 
 May, 1845, ^^^ Havana in Cuba. 
 
 Freed from this turbulent man, this seditious conspirator 
 
Causes of War with the United States. 429 
 
 against the public peace, the country should have enjoyed 
 a short period of tranquillity ; but this was not to be. The 
 seeds of disturbance had been deeply sown, the legiti- 
 mate harvest was to follow. 
 
 In 182 1 the Mexican government had granted to a 
 citizen of the United States, Moses Austin, permission to 
 colonize a portion of Texas, and in 1824 foreigners gener- 
 ally were invited into that State by laws specially enacted 
 for the purpose. This immigrant element was the cause of 
 great jealousy on the part of native citizens, and in 1830 
 military posts were established all over the territory by the 
 Mexicans, greatly to the annoyance of the industrious, 
 prosperous citizens. They took no part in the partisan 
 revolutions which so constantly agitated the central portion 
 of the Republic, but in 1832, jealous of the centralization 
 of Mexican power as against the rights of States, rose in 
 arms against the scattered Mexican garrisons. In common 
 with other Mexican States, in 1835, they resisted the 
 despotic overthrow of the Federal constitution of 1824 by 
 the centralists of the capital. More fortunate than their 
 sister States, they succeeded in maintaining their position. 
 Mexican hold on the territory of Texas was finally loosened, 
 at San Jacinto, in April, 1836, and, though it subsequently 
 made feeble efforts to regain its lost domain, it never suc- 
 ceeded. For seven years Texas maintained herself in a 
 position of independence, recognized by the United States 
 and other powers, until, finally, she was admitted by our 
 Republic into the great sisterhood of States. 
 
 The details of her gallant struggle for freedom belong 
 more particularly to the history of our own country. We 
 have to do now only with the events that led up to the final 
 outbreak of war between Mexico and the United States. 
 We have not far to seek for the causes. An ill-governed 
 province of Mexico declares, and maintains itself, inde- 
 
430 Mexico. 
 
 pendent, desires annexation to the United States, and 
 is finally admitted ; not in haste, but after due deliberation. 
 The Mexican minister at Washington declares it " an act of 
 aggression, the most unjust to be found in the annals of 
 history," demands his passports, and leaves the country. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Mexico, the wise and liberal Herrera 
 (during whose administration these events occurred) is 
 ejected from power by the rebel General Paredes, who is 
 for war to the knife. Thus ends the year 1845. 
 
War with the United States. 431 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 [A. D. 1846.] "We believe," says that gifted writer 
 on ancient and modern Mexico, Brantz Mayer, " that our 
 nation and its rulers earnestly desired honorable peace, 
 though they did not shun the alternative of war. It was 
 impossible to permit a conterminous neighbor who owed us 
 large sums of money, and was hostile to the newly-adopted 
 State, to select unopposed her mode and moment of attack. 
 Mexico would neither resign her pretensions upon Texas, 
 negotiate, receive our minister of war, nor remain at peace. 
 She would neither declare war, nor cultivate friendship, 
 and the result was, that when the armies approached each 
 other, but little time was lost in resorting to the cannon 
 and the sword." 
 
 In January, 1846, General Zachary Taylor (who became, 
 subsequently. President of the United States) was ordered 
 to move with his men to the mouth of the Rio Grande, 
 where he commenced fortifications opposite the Mexican 
 city of Matamoros. 
 
 The first decided act of hostility was a skirmish with 
 rancheros, and on the 24th of April Colonel Thornton, with 
 sixty-three dragoons, fell into an ambuscade and was 
 obliged to surrender, after his little band had lost sixteen 
 killed and wounded. Palo Alto was the point at which the 
 first actual engagement between the rival forces took place, 
 between Point Isabel, General Taylor's base of supplies, 
 and Matamoros. The Mexicans, 6,000 strong, under 
 
432 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 General Arista, opposed the passage of the Americans, 
 about 2,300 in number. After a stubborn fight the former 
 withdrew, with a loss of about one hundred. This was on 
 the 8th of May ; on the ninth the fighting was renewed at 
 the ravine of Resaca de la Palma^ three miles north of 
 
 Matamoros. After but a short engagement, though the 
 Mexicans outnumbered the Americans three to one, the 
 latter were routed and retreated across the Rio Grande. 
 Our garrison at the fort — since called Fort Brown, in 
 honor of its commander, who was slain at that time — was 
 
The Attack on Montej^ey. 433 
 
 relieved, and on the i8th of May General Taylor crossed 
 the Rio Grande and occupied Matamoros. He had now, 
 indeed, crossed the Rubicon. There was no retreating, to 
 advance was perilous, for the invaded country (disorgan- 
 ized as it was) was hurrying troops to the rescue of its 
 northern provinces. He had been instructed to act with 
 caution, to commit no act of aggression, but to protect 
 Texas effectually from invasion. Sprea'ding his army along 
 the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande, General Taylor 
 leisurely advanced from this extended base of operations, 
 at the same time setting every energy in motion to recruit 
 forces, and to arm, equip, and provision an army sufficient 
 for defence. By September he had advanced as far as the 
 neighborhood of Monterey, the capital of the State of New 
 Leon. This was the key to the northern provinces. In 
 this important fastness the Mexican General, Ampudia, 
 had collected an army of 10,000 men, and awaited attack, 
 expecting to annihilate the bold invaders. The city of 
 Monterey is the oldest in the northern portion of Mexico, 
 having been founded in 1590. Lying in the centre of 
 a fertile plateau, 1,600 feet above the sea, surrounded with 
 groves and gardens, it is a well-built city of stone, with 
 large and handsome public buildings. 
 
 The American army appeared before this strongly fortified 
 place 6,500 strong, and on the 21st of September com- 
 menced the assault. On the 22d a commanding position, 
 called the Bishop's Palace, was carried by storm by 
 General Worth, and the next day the city was taken. 
 From house to house and from street to street, our brave 
 soldiers fought their way, carrying on a deadly, hand-to- 
 hand conflict with the enemy, who assailed them also from 
 housetops and terraces, until the great central square was 
 reached, and Monterey was theirs ! Owing to the small 
 numbers of the attacking party, General Ampudia was 
 
434 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 allowed to capitulate with conditions that permitted him to 
 withdraw his forces intact. The first great battle had now 
 been fought; seven thousand Americans, without heavy 
 guns, had defeated nearly ten thousand Mexicans in their 
 own chosen stronghold, and defended by forty pieces of 
 artillery. 
 
 "MONTEREY." 
 
 " We were not many, — we who stood 
 
 Before the iron sleet that day ; 
 Yet many a gallant spirit would 
 Give half his years if but he could 
 
 Have been with us at Monterey. 
 
 Now here, now there, the shot it hailed 
 
 In deadly drifts of fiery spray. 
 Yet not a single soldier quailed 
 * When wounded comrades round them wailed 
 Their dying shout at Monterey. 
 
 And on, still on, our column kept, 
 
 Through v/alls of flame its withering way ; 
 Where fell the dead the living stept, 
 Still charging on the guns which swept 
 The slippery streets of Monterey. 
 
 The foe himself recoiled aghast, 
 
 When, striking where he strongest lay. 
 We swooped his flanking batteries past. 
 And, braving full their murderous blast, 
 Stormed home the towers of Monterey. 
 
 Our banners on those turrets wave, 
 
 And there our evening bugles play ; 
 Where orange-boughs above their grave 
 Keep green the memory of the brave 
 
 Who fought and fell at Monterey. 
 
 We are not many, — we who pressed 
 
 Beside the brave who fell that day; 
 But who of us has not confessed 
 He'd rather share their warrior rest 
 
 Than not have been at Monterey ? " 
 

Conquest of California. 437 
 
 The note of alarm was sounded throughout the United 
 States at the first tidings of bloodshed on the Rio Grande. 
 Congress, then in session, immediately voted ten millions 
 of dollars to carry on the war, and ordered the raising 
 of fifty thousand volunteers. The whole country, especi- 
 ally the Southern States, quickly responded, and soon 
 regiments and battalions were hurrying forward to the 
 scene of conflict. Owing to the alniost incredible exertions 
 of the veteran General Wool, three large bodies of troops 
 were soon in motion towards the southwest. An Army 
 OF THE West was placed under the command of the brave 
 Indian fighter, Kearney, to march westward upon New 
 Mexico and then cross to California. The Army of the 
 Centre, under General Wool, w^as to invade the more 
 northern provinces, and then finally join, the Army of 
 Occupation, under General Taylor. 
 
 The brave Kearney, with 1,600 men, left Fort Leaven- 
 worth, on the Missouri, the 30th of June, and, after a severe 
 march of nearly nine hundred miles, captured Santa Fe, 
 capital of New Mexico, without a blow being struck in de- 
 fence. Possession was thus obtained, and has ever since 
 been held, of those northern territories of Mexico which 
 have since yielded us such vast stores of gold and silver. 
 After organizing a new government, Kearney pushed on, 
 through the almost trackless wilderness, for California. 
 Meanwhile, in that far-distant province of Mexico, the 
 drama of independent war had been enacted with vigon 
 On the 14th of June the few Americans who had straggled 
 into that country banded together and took Sonora, and 
 on the 25th they were joined by the intrepid Fremont, who 
 was doing topographical work for government m that terri- 
 tory, July 5, raising an independent flag, the patriots de- 
 clared their independence of Mexico. On July 8 Com- 
 mander Montgomery of the American navy took possession 
 
43 8 Mexico., 
 
 of San Francisco, and on August 13th Fremont and Stock- 
 ton captured Los Angeles. . The first news of actual war 
 between Mexico and the United 'States reached this iso- 
 lated band of Americans on the 7th of July, when they also 
 learned that Commodore Sloat had raised our flag at 
 Monterey. 
 
 Kearney, with his small band of troopers, entered Cali- 
 fornia in December, worn and wasted by their long and 
 fatiguing march. They were soon attacked by the native 
 Calif ornian cavalry, and he lost twenty or thirty men at a 
 place called San Pascual ; but they succeeded in reaching 
 the American camp by the middle of the month. 
 
 By the last of December, 1846, the American party, 
 after enduring privations and trials of great magnitude, had 
 obtained possession of the greater portion of Upper Cali- 
 fornia, and by the middle of January, 1847, ^^^ subjugated 
 this valuable Mexican province, which, a year or two later, 
 opened to the world its subterranean treasure of gold. 
 
 The Navajo Indians, who threatened an outbreak, were 
 quelled by a force of Missourians under Colonel Doniphan, 
 who subsequently marched southward into the State of 
 Chihuahua, where, after several engagements, he entered 
 the capital, the large and substantial city of the same name. 
 Then, after a rest of several weeks, he set his troop in 
 motion for the headquarters of General Taylor, which he 
 reached in the spring of 1847, having accomplished a toil- 
 some journey of over five hundred miles, and traversed 
 nearly all the frontier states of Mexico. 
 , In the latter months of 1846 an expedition was planned 
 ^% the War Department of the United States that was 
 destined to strike at the very heart of the Mexican nation. 
 Under General Scott (whose valuable services are too well- 
 known to need recapitulation here) proceedings went 
 actively forward for an invasion of Mexico by the port of 
 
Santa Anjta to the Rescue. 439 
 
 Vera Cruz, whence it was determined to march direct upon 
 the capital. Our squadrons were already blockading the 
 eastern and western ports, our armies (as we have already 
 seen) had successfully invaded the northern states and 
 provinces. The fatal blow was to be aimed at the central 
 power of the Republic. 
 
 Our forces were in great strength in the valley of the 
 Rio Grande, under such able generals as Taylor, Butler, 
 Quitman, Worth, Patterson, and Pillow, but the demands 
 of General Scott, which withdrew the greatest number to a 
 different region, weakened General Taylor's command at a 
 moment most critical. Though successively beaten at 
 every point of attack, the Mexicans had promptly rallied 
 after each encounter. Fresh hordes were pouring down 
 upon the little American army, now so reduced by the 
 levies of the imperious Scott as to be compelled to assume 
 only the defensive. By the end of December a force 
 of twenty thousand men had assembled at San Luis Potosi, 
 south of Monterey, and the centre of one of the richest 
 mining regions of the country, under the command of 
 General Santa Anna. 
 
 This irrepressible revolutionist, whom we have seen 
 suffer defeat after defeat, and finally exiled to Cuba, had 
 returned to his native land under peculiar circumstances. 
 Believing that his presence in Mexico would aid the form- 
 ing of a speedy peace, the Government of the United States 
 had given orders to the blockading squadron off Vera Cruz 
 to permit the returning exile to land in peace. He had no 
 sooner done so than he issued a manifesto, proclaiming to 
 the people that he had radically changed his views, and no 
 longer believed in a central government, to the exclusion 
 of the outside states, and recommended the adoption of 
 the liberal constitution of 1824. When he arrived at 
 the capital, on the 15th of September, the people hailed 
 
440 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 him with frantic demonstrations of joy. Tliere was, indeed, 
 no man to whom they could turn to deliver them from the 
 northern invaders as to Santa Anna. They thought they 
 saw in him their savior and their liberator. With charac- 
 teristic energy, he immediately commenced organizing the 
 bands of recruits that poured in upon him from every 
 quarter. The people, for a short time, seemed united, but 
 their rulers were not ; they still 
 thirsted for power, they were di- 
 vided into bitter factions. While 
 the enemy was pounding at their 
 gates these foolish demagogues 
 wasted precious time in quarrelling 
 
 TABLE-LAND OF MEXICO. 
 
 over a vanishing power ! At last the hero of many pro- 
 nwiciamentos posted off towards the field of action, to 
 the north. He reached San Luis Potosi, and organized 
 an army of twenty thousand men. But his efforts were 
 for a while paralyzed by the quarrels of the foolish factions ; 
 he merely stood at bay. At last, however, his observant 
 eye noted the decimated ranks of his opponent, and he 
 resolved upon action. 
 
Battle of Bttena Vista. 441 
 
 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 [A. D. 1847.] About ninety miles southwest of Monte- 
 rey is the Uttle hamlet of Buena Vista, now famous for the 
 important and decisive battle fought there between the 
 forces of General Taylor and Santa Anna. Becoming- 
 aware that a movement of importance was about to be 
 made against him by the enemy, General Taylor withdrew 
 his forces to a strong natural position in the pass of Angos- 
 tura. On the 2 2d of February his pickets were driven in 
 and skirmishing ensued. On the 23d an attack was made 
 in force, and a most desperate and sanguinary battle 
 followed. The command of General Taylor was scant five 
 thousand strong, while the force of Santa Anna was full 
 four times that number. But numerical superiority on the 
 part of the enemy was balanced by the strength of the 
 American position — a small plateau surrounded by almost 
 inaccessible hills, and further defended by impassable 
 ravines and barrancas. Santa Anna's large army, by 
 being obliged to concentrate in the gorge, could not make 
 available one half its strength, and as it poured through the 
 narrow defiles its ranks were swept by the murderous fire 
 of artillery. Desperate efforts were made by the Mexicans 
 to break the American line of defence ; again and again 
 they valiantly charged up to the guns. But all in vain. 
 The wisdom and sagacity of the leader that had chosen 
 this strong natural position, and the valor of his soldiers, 
 were more than a match for the fiercest charges of the 
 furious foe. Once they almost succeeded in turning our 
 flank, but at the appearance of the brave Taylor himself at 
 the opportune moment, the advance was checked and our 
 flying troops halted. Night fell upon the scene of conflict 
 with the bloody struggle still going on ; but under cover of 
 its darkness the Mexicans effected a retreat. The field 
 
442 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 was covered with the slain, the Americans losing 750 men 
 and the Mexicans about 2,000. 
 
 With the remains of his shattered army the unfortunate 
 Santa Anna retreated to San Luis Potosi ; but though de- 
 feated he was not dispirited, and by his pompous bulletins 
 he almost made the Mexicans believe that they had won 
 and the Americans had lost. This was, as yet, the most 
 decisive battle of the war ; it forever crushed the power of 
 Mexico in the northern provinces. 
 
 But though our gallant soldiers had gained a mighty 
 victory they were not permitted to advance and occupy the 
 
 country, but were compelled to 
 remain idle, while the forces of 
 Scott were marching on to final 
 triumph. Santa Anna reached 
 San Luis Potosi with but half 
 his army remaining, and this force 
 in a thoroughly demoralized con- 
 dition. He had no time for rest, 
 for the enemy was already at 
 Vera Cruz, and he must turn 
 upon a new army of the dreaded 
 North Americans. He dispatched 
 a portion of his troops in that 
 direction, and hastened to the capital. There all was 
 strife. For a month the idiotic men in power had been 
 wasting their energies and the energies of the nation in 
 senseless contentions. Santa Anna calmed the tumults, 
 and impressed the combatants with the necessity of 
 rousing themselves to meet a foreign foe. Unprincipled 
 and unscrupulous as was this man, Santa Anna, he was 
 unquestionably the animating spirit of the defence. The 
 troubles in the capital had arisen from acts of the Furos, 
 or the advanced party, in trying to induce the church 
 
 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
Strife of Parties in Mexico. 443 
 
 to part with a portion of its large revenue in aid of the 
 defenders of the nation. True to its principles, it had 
 refused, and its adherents had precipitated the capital 
 into the midst of civil strife. 
 
 We will not confuse the memory with the names of am- 
 bitious men who were temporarily in power at this period, 
 since none of them attained to more than local celebrity. 
 Six changes occurred in the executive alone during the year 
 1847. It is a wonder that the people knew on which side 
 they were fighting. Few, in reality, did know ; and many 
 welcomed the coming of the North Americans as a relief 
 from the perils of civil war. 
 
444 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIL 
 
 THE MARCH UPON THE CAPITAL, 
 
 [A. D. 1847.] From a fleet of one hundred and sixty- 
 three transports, on the 9th of March, General Scott landed 
 his army of twelve thousand men, just below the historic 
 city of Vera Cruz. On the i8th he summoned the city to 
 surrender, having placed his batteries in position, and upon 
 its refusal opened upon it a heavy cannonade from shore 
 and from the ships in the harbor. For eight days the 
 heroic defenders of Vera Cruz withstood the siege, but at 
 last the terrific fire of shot and shell compelled them 
 to capitulate. Scott and his army marched in and took 
 possession, on the 26th of March. Six thousand shot and 
 shell had been thrown into the devoted cit}^, many build- 
 ings were destroyed, and one thousand lives were lost. 
 The famous fortress of San Juan d# Ulua, built on the 
 island where the Spaniards first landed in 15 17, fell with 
 the city. 
 
 It is a pestilential spot, this city of Vera Cruz, where 
 fevers rage and hurricanes blow fiercely half the year. The 
 yellow fever, the dreaded vo7?iito, carries off its thousand 
 victims yearly. General Scott did not care to remain long 
 in such a plague-stricken locality, and, owing to the com- 
 pleteness of his magnificent preparations, he was enabled 
 soon to leave the coast and march towards the highlands. 
 Three centuries and a quarter before, Hernando Cortez had 
 commenced his march towards the Aztec capital, an 
 invader, like these Americans, but bent upon murder and 
 
The March upon the Capital. 
 
 445 
 
 pillage, while these sought only justice and reparation for 
 deep offences. 
 
 The Mexican nation made one more effort through her 
 indomitable president for concerted action. Santa Anna 
 frantically appealed to them to forget all domestic differ- 
 
 
 ^^HIHUAHUA 
 
 
 
 III" 'JiV' //-i V 
 
 
 
 V\0 
 
 
 ''y'-^^fej^--v^i 
 
 MAP SHOWING SEAT OF OPERATIONS. 
 
 ences and unite against a common foe. " Though chance," 
 he proclaimed, " may decree the fall of the capital of the 
 Aztec empire under the power of the proud American 
 host, yet the Nation shall not perish ! " 
 
 By the middle of April Scott had left behind him the hot 
 
44^ ' Mexico. 
 
 and unhealthy lowlands — the tierras calientes — and was 
 about entering the hills. It was where the table-lands 
 abruptly end above the hot, low plains, where a river forces 
 itself through deep chasms, where deep ravines and barran- 
 cas seam the mountains, and the road winds through a 
 narrow defile hewn out of the mountain sides, that the 
 American general found his path obstructed. The Mexicans 
 had fortified the naturally strong position of Cerro Gordo. 
 They had erected breastworks, fortified the ridges and hill- 
 tops, and planted batteries. The position was considered 
 impregnable — a deep rocky ravine protected one side, and 
 on the other was the steep and inaccessible mountain. 
 The top of Cerro Gordo bristled with cannon, which were 
 trained so that they could sweep the road, for a mile of its 
 length, with a fire before which no command could stand. 
 General Scott soon saw that a direct approach would 
 expose his army to a fatal cannonade, and so contrived to 
 flank the battery, while demonstrations were made in front 
 and on either side. The division of General Twiggs 
 stormed and carried the centre of Cerro Gordo, while the 
 brigades of Shields and Riley charged furiously upon the 
 main fort and batteries, causing the Mexicans to fly in 
 utter rout, and turned upon them the guns of their own 
 fortifications. 
 
 The loss of the enemy was not less than a thousand, 
 while ours was something over four hundred. Three thou- 
 sand prisoners, including two hundred and eighty oflicers 
 and five generals, fell into our hands, besides five thousand 
 stand of arms and forty-three pieces of artillery. The 
 whole American force amounted to eight thousand five 
 hundred. General Santa Anna escaped with great difli- 
 culty, leaving his wooden leg on the field in the hurry and 
 confusion of his departure. 
 
 Our forces immediately pushed on and occupied Jalapa 
 

 fe.. i^Mia 
 
 MEXiCAM VALLEY 
 
 OF 
 
 U.S. ABMY. 
 
 
 -)^IV'^^^/' ^/ .SAN ANTOMO 
 
 ^^ 
 
The American Army in the Valley. 449 
 
 and the Castle of Perote, where they captured a large 
 amount of arms and artillery. Pursuing their march over 
 the great plateau a portion of the army under General 
 Worth captured, on the 2 2d of May, the large and 
 important city of Puebla, a city containing, to-day, 70,000 
 inhabitants, and celebrated for the number of its churches, 
 convents, and cotton mills. 
 
 Santa Anna, the irrepressible, again gathered a small 
 army and opposed the march of Worth, but was obliged 
 to retire with loss. The Congress and the politicians 
 passed valuable time in squabbles amongst themselves, 
 instead of rallying the people as a unit to repel the 
 advancing enemy. But the courage of the nation was not 
 broken, and, unfortunate as he had been, the people still 
 looked to Santa Anna to yet lead them to victory. While 
 they were passing their time in dissensions. General Scott 
 had gradually quartered all his forces in Puebla, whence 
 he sent fruitless missions to negotiate for peace. 
 
 An army of twenty-five or thirty thousand Mexicans was 
 soon gathered in the threatened capital. As soon as it 
 was found that General Taylor would not advance farther 
 southward, the army of General Valencia, which had 
 opposed him, was withdrawn to Mexico, while from the 
 south came General Alvarez with a large body of Pinto 
 Indians. Both coasts were now in our possession, and 
 merchandise passing in and out of the country as in times 
 of peace, only a slight duty being retained by our com- 
 mander for the maintenance of the war. 
 
 [A. D. 1847.] On the 7th of August General Scott left 
 Puebla, and pushed on towards the city of Mexico with ten 
 thousand enthusiastic soldiers. They surmounted the 
 mountain barriers that hemmed the lovely valley in from 
 the world outside, and finally looked upon the city they 
 were soon to conquer. Three hundred and twenty-eight 
 
450 Mexico. 
 
 years before, also in the month of August, the army of 
 Cortez had chmbed those very hills, and had turned their 
 gloating gaze upon the Aztec capital. On the nth of 
 August the troops were concentrated in the valley, near 
 Ayotla and the ancient town of Chalco. 
 
 If you will examine the map you will not fail to observe 
 what a commanding position the American general had 
 taken. Four routes diverged from this point and led to 
 the city. The most direct was that passing the southern 
 border of Lake Tezcoco and entering the city at the gate 
 of San Lazaro. To-day a railroad traverses that same 
 great causeway, and runs past Chalco and Amecameca 
 down into the western lowlands. Another road led by the 
 way of Mexicalcingo, a portion being over the same great 
 causeway down which Cortez and his intrepid soldiers 
 marched so exultingly three centuries before. Both these 
 roads were defended by strong fortifications, the first 
 especially, which w^as commanded by the isolated hill. 
 El Penon, bristling with cannon from base to summit, and 
 swarming with soldiers. A more open, though longer 
 route, lay around Lake Tezcoco to the northward, through 
 the city of Nezahualcoyotl — Tezcoco. Here, in anticipation 
 of a movement in this direction, Santa Anna had stationed 
 Valencia with his troops from the north. 
 
 The fourth and last approach was fully as circuitous, 
 skirting the lakes of Chalco and Xochimilco and the bases 
 of the southern and western hills. It was the most rugged 
 and the least known to the American engineers, but was 
 finally chosen by General Scott, who believed it to be, in 
 the end, the most facile approach to the city. 
 
 Forts and fortified posts completely enclosed the be- 
 leaguered capital. Besides the impregnable position of 
 El Penoii there were fortifications at and near Guadalupe 
 on the north, while the different gates of the city were 
 
The Mexican Forces Concentrate. 453 
 
 amply defended. The strongest positions, after El Penon, 
 seem to have been the very ones that General Scott de- 
 signed first to march against, and these were, at the 
 hacienda of San Antonio, Churubusco, Chapultepec, and 
 Molino del Rey. On the 15th of August the army was set 
 in motion, in four divisions, commanded by Generals 
 Worth, Pillow, Quitman, and Twiggs, in the order named, 
 while General Scott took his position in the centre. The 
 Mexican, Alvarez, attacked them with his Pinto Indians, 
 but they were soon driven away, and on the i8th the 
 entire army entered the town of San Augustin, or Tlalpam, 
 at the base of the south-western hills. 
 
 Santa Anna, commanding in the centre of the circle, 
 about the circumference of which General Scott was mov- 
 ing, was able to concentrate his troops at any given point 
 with great facility. Even at this late day, it is with feelings 
 of concern that one views the situation of the American 
 army at this juncture. Surrounded on every side by 
 almost impassable hills and sedgy lakes, far distant from, 
 and with a desperate foe between it and its base of 
 supplies, with an active enemy comprising thirty thousand 
 fighting men to contend with, this little handful of ten 
 thousand men was indeed in a most perilous position. 
 The country was at last aroused and united in the common 
 endeavor to drive the hated invaders from it3 soil. Every 
 resource was now being drawn upon ; church bells were 
 cast into cannon, and the military and religious leaders 
 were using every endeavor to excite their followers to 
 fanatic zeal in behalf of their country and their religion. 
 
 Beyond the town of San Augustin was a dreary waste 
 called the Fedregal, a rugged lava field, impassable except 
 by a single mule path. Through this the army must march 
 if it would avoid the fortified positions of San Antonio 
 and Churubusco, where Santa Anna had concentrated 
 
454 Mexico. 
 
 troops sufficient to almost overwhelm the Americans by 
 their masses. The first engagement in the valley took 
 place here, at Contreras, on the 19th of August. General 
 Valencia, had, contrary to the orders of Santa Anna, left his 
 position at San Angel and Coyoacan, where he was within 
 easy supporting distance of his commander-in-chief at San 
 Antonio, and thrown up an intrenched camp. At three 
 o'clock on the morning of the 20th the brigade commanded 
 by General Persifer E. Smith advanced upon the enemy's 
 camp. By a gallant and brilliant charge they stormed the 
 intrenchments, and drove the enemy, panic-stricken, from 
 the field. This wt.s considered by General Scott one of 
 the most brilliant feats of arms ever, at that time, recorded 
 in the annals of war. The Mexican loss was seven hundred 
 killed and eight hundred prisoners, besides field-jDieces, 
 guns, standards, and ammunition. General Valencia, who 
 commanded this army of the north — considered the best 
 in the field — fled a fugitive to the hills, hiding from the 
 wrath of Santa Anna, who ordered him shot at sight. 
 
 There is little doubt that he contributed largely to the 
 American success by his disobedience of the orders of the 
 commander-in-chief, and that the gallant charge of Smith's 
 brigade relieved the penned-up invading forces from a 
 dreadful dilemma. San Antonio was soon taken, and then 
 there only remained the convent at Churubusco. Uniting 
 by different roads, the combined forces swept down upon 
 the fated fortress. It was considered one of the strongest 
 positions in the valley ; the massive Avails of an old convent 
 being pierced with loop-holes for musketry, and mounted 
 with heavy cannon. Within these walls were gathered the 
 flower of the INIexican defenders, the national guard, be- 
 sides a band of renegade Irishmen who had deserted from 
 the American ranks, and now fought, with characteristic 
 perfidy, against the soldiers of their adopted countr}\ 
 
The City Threatened. 455 
 
 These miserable wretches formed a battalion called Saint 
 Patrick's, and very smnmarily received their deserts after 
 the convent was taken. The convent was taken finally 
 after a most desperate fight, lasting nearly three hours, and 
 after the outworks had been carried at the point of the 
 bayonet, under a tremendous fire, a white flag appeared. 
 Sixteen hundred prisoners were the result of this day's 
 fighting, besides those taken at the Pkdregal. 
 
 The Mexicans had battled nobly in defence of their 
 capital, fighting individually with the fury of despair. But 
 all had been in vain ; the last defence between their city 
 and the invading army had been destroyed, their stronghold 
 lay open to direct assault. With shouts of triumph, the 
 exulting Americans pursued the flying foe to the very 
 gates of the city, a detachment of Harney's cavalry even 
 dashing up to the inner walls. 
 
 While our army was yet flushed with victory, and eager 
 to enter the undefended city, the prudent general in com- 
 mand ordered a recall. Night was coming on, and, even 
 though the enemy were panic-stricken and demoralized, 
 prudence showed that the hour had not arrived when 
 this small band of eight thousand men should enter a 
 stronghold containing two hundred thousand inhabitants. 
 After the dead had been buried, the wounded cared 
 for, and the spoils secured, the army bivouacked on the 
 plains it had so bravely won. The 21st of August came, 
 and General Scott prepared to take up positions whence 
 he could use his battering-cannon with effect against the 
 city walls. It was then that the enemy requested an 
 armistice, which our commander-in-chief, from motives 
 that must ever redound to his credit, finally granted. The 
 different divisions were quartered in Tacubaya, San Angel, 
 and Mixcoac, villages clustered about that historic city of 
 Coyoacan, whence Cortez, in that memorable siege of 
 
456 Mexico. 
 
 Mexico of 1520, conducted operations against the Aztec 
 defenders. Overtures of peace were made to the Mexi- 
 cans, which, after tlrey had gained by deUberation impor- 
 tant time in which to recuperate and reorganize, were 
 rejected. Considering tlie great disparity of forces, — 
 that the Mexicans outnumbered the Americans ten to one, 
 — it is not strange that the people of the threatened cap- 
 ital refused to treat for peace so long as defences yet 
 remained. The only unaccountable thing is, that they did 
 not have sufficient courage to unite and sweep them from 
 the face of their country. But they did not, and they 
 must forever bear the stigma of being conquered in their 
 own chosen strongholds by a mere handful of soldiers. 
 
 Santa Anna improved every moment of rest that the 
 armistice allowed him in strengthening his position, in 
 raising troops, and in arming the mob of leperos that in- 
 fested the capital. Then he sent answer that the voice of 
 his people was for war, — war to the knife ! 
 
 Scott was prepared for this, and resolved upon instant 
 action. Three important points of defence yet remained 
 to guard the city ; the strongly-fortified castle and hill of 
 Chapultepec ; the Molino del Rey^ or King's Mill — a mass- 
 ive stone building filled with troops, and defended by 
 heavy cannon ; and the Casa Mata — another building of 
 great strength filled with supplies of war. These points 
 were promptly reconnoitred, and an aggressive movement 
 made on the morning of the 8th. It was a glorious aifair, 
 that capture of Molino del Rey, and, though many a gal- 
 lant soldier fell before the cannon of the foe, the massive 
 structure was at length shattered, and the forces within it 
 driven, flying like sheep, before the bayonets of the Amer- 
 icans. The Casa ]SIata was foolishly stormed, when it 
 should have been battered to pieces by the artillery ; and 
 dreadful carnage was made amongst our troojDS as they ad- 
 
The Storming of Chapultepec. 459 
 
 vanced, time after time, to the assault. But this strong 
 work was finally blown up and destroyed, the Molino de- 
 molished, and the foe flying, panic-stricken and demoralized, 
 towards Chapultepec and the city. Eight hundred pris- 
 oners were ours, besides cannon, ammunition, and small 
 arms in such quantities as. to be superfluous. Again had 
 the Americans gained a victory against superior numbers ; 
 for on this day, in this short fight, — which was over by 
 nine o'clock in the morning, — they had whipped and 
 driven in terror before them four times their number of 
 Mexican soldiers. A little over three thousand had de- 
 feated twelve thousand in their own chosen places of 
 defence ! The American loss was one hundred and six- 
 teen killed and six hundred and sixty-five wounded. 
 
 After rendering the spots so recently bristling with can- 
 non unavailable by the enemy as places for defence, the 
 Americans retired. Eager, and borne onward by the im- 
 pulse of victory, there is little doubt that the invincible 
 battalions could have then carried the castle and hill of 
 Chapultepec, which now, of all the fortified posts in that 
 portion of the valley, alone remained. But events justified 
 General Scott in his order for a recall, and showed the 
 subtle strategy by which he discomfited his wily adversary. 
 The storming of Chapultepec was reserved for a pur- 
 pose ! The object in view was not to get into the city 
 merely, but to enter it at its weakest point, and where 
 there were fewest soldiers to defend the gates. Santa 
 Anna, seeing the fall of Chapultepec, would naturally con- 
 clude that the attack would be made upon the western 
 gates of the city, — which were nearest to Chapultepec, 
 and reached by direct roads. This, in reality, was the 
 plan of General Scott ; but, in order to divert Santa Anna's 
 attention from the real point of attack, it was necessary he 
 should be made to think otherwise. So General Twiggs 
 
460 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 was ordered to manoeuvre with his troops in front of the 
 garita, or gate, of San Antonio, up to which our cavalry 
 had so gallantly charged at the storming of Churubusco. 
 Large bodies of troops were sent in 
 that direction by daylight, 
 but recalled by night to 
 Tacubaya, where they were 
 A held in readiness for the 
 final assault upon the 
 real ob- 
 ject of at- 
 
 tack — C h a- 
 
 pul te pec. 
 
 Heavy guns 
 
 were placed 
 
 so as to com- 
 
 m a n d the 
 
 castle, and 
 
 during the 
 
 whole day of 
 
 the 1 2 th of 
 
 Sept ember 
 
 they rained 
 
 shot and 
 
 shell up o n 
 
 the devoted 
 
 garrison. At f^^ 
 
 about eight p 
 
 o'clock on ^^^^'Tr^^^- ^J^^^^^^^^' 
 
 the mornmg chapultepec. 
 
 of the 13th the great guns suddenly ceased, and the 
 
 assaulting party dashed forward. Rapidly crossing the 
 
MEXICO AT PEACE. 
 
Capture of the City. 463 
 
 interval between Molino del Rey and the hill of Cha- 
 pultepec, they placed their scaling-ladders against the 
 walls, and poured over the fortifications like a resistless 
 inundation. It was a heroic charge, for they had to clam- 
 ber up the precipitous hill in the face of a galling fire, 
 unsupported by artillery or friendly guns ; and it was hero- 
 ically resisted by the gallant old revolutionary general, 
 Bravo, and his band of cadets from the military academy. 
 A monument at the base of the steep cliffs of Chapultepec 
 records their deeds and laments their early fall ; while 
 another, back of Molino del Rey, commemorates the 
 bloody action there. Still desperately fighting, the routed 
 garrison fled along the causeways of Belen and San 
 Cosme, hotly pursued by the eager Americans. 
 
 The castle was ours. From its tower our flag soon 
 floated, above our victorious general and over the defeated 
 Bravo and a thousand prisoners. General Worth led his 
 troops at once down the road of San Cosme, while Quit- 
 man charged upon the gate of Belen. Two great aque- 
 ducts diverge from Chapultepec, the one going direct to 
 the gate of Belen, about two miles away ; the other enter- 
 ing the city at San Cosme, by an indirect course, both bound- 
 ing two sides of a triangle. Worth wisely halted at the gate 
 of San Cosme, and, planting a mortar and cannon, held 
 the position during the night until the morning of the 14th, 
 when he marched into the city as far as the Alameda. 
 Quitman penetrated the city walls under the very guns of 
 the formidable citadel, and gained and held a position 
 there all night. General Twiggs, at the southern gate, had 
 performed his part with equal gallantry and forbearance, 
 and had so diverted Santa Anna by his annoying fire 
 and feints of assault that he had completely disconcerted 
 that puzzled commander, and made it possible for Worth 
 and Quitman to capture the western gates before the 
 
464 Mexico. 
 
 Mexicans could recover from their surprise and mass their 
 troops to oppose them. The American triumph was now 
 complete. The Mexican leaders, vanquished at every 
 encounter, were now as completely demoralized as their 
 army, and at midnight they retreated with their entire band 
 of followers from the city. The next morning a brilliant 
 cavalcade escorted the victorious commander-in-chief to the 
 great central square, and the American flag was hoisted 
 above the National Palace. Upon the same spot, in the 
 same great plaza that once saw the entry of Cortez and his 
 army, the Americans halted and consummated their tri- 
 umph. The city had fallen, for the first time to an external 
 foe since it was wrested from Aztec possession by Cortez 
 and his band of Spaniards. 
 
 If permitted to indulge in comparisons, we should say 
 that the Aniericans had accomplished a task of greatei* 
 difficulty than the Spaniards. Instead of finding a people 
 wholly unacquainted with the use of fire-arms, and even 
 the sight of horses and ships, as did Cortez, they had 
 encountered an active, intelligent foe, equally well equipped 
 and versed in the science of war with themselves, and a 
 country alive throughout its length and breadth with 
 hatred of the invaders. There is no knowing what fate 
 would have befallen our army had the country been united 
 in its efforts under wise and patriotic leaders ; but the 
 same causes that contributed to the destruction of the 
 Aztec empire weakened the strength of the Mexican 
 nation, — hatred of the controlling power and universal dis- 
 trust of its leaders. The fact remains, however, that the 
 army of the United States did, in spite of every danger 
 from forced marches in the rainy season, — the sickliest 
 of the year, — in the face of a vengeful enemy swarming 
 from every hill and valley, overcome patiently every 
 obstacle, and finally plant its victorious banner upon the 
 
Siege of Puebla, 465 
 
 capitol of the nation, in the very heart of the excited 
 country. 
 
 The visitor to Mexico to-day may see a reminder of this 
 fact in the shape of a monument to our fallen heroes in 
 the American cemetery. 
 
 Perhaps a harder task than the capture of the capital 
 was the government of it, after the heads of power had 
 fled and had let loose in their flight the desperate inmates 
 of their prisons. A hideous monster lifted itself into view- 
 in a few days in the shape of a mob, which assaulted the 
 victors from roof-tops and ctmrches for the space of two 
 days. This mob was composed mainly of the filthy leperos, 
 — the vilest, most degraded wretches that ever infested 
 any portion of the earth. From the earliest days Of 
 Mexico, these abandoned villains have existed there, and 
 to-day even they prowl about the streets of the beautiful 
 city. 
 
 Martial law was proclaimed, and the city, placed under 
 the protection of American honor, was soon at peace, en- 
 joying a security of life and property that it had never felt 
 under its own chosen government. Santa Anna and his 
 generals had fled to Guadalupe, and thence, reforming 
 their army, marched upon the city of Puebla, and to the 
 attack of the scattered garrisons guarding the American 
 connections with the base of supplies at Vera Cruz. 
 
 The garrison at Puebla had been left in command of 
 Colonel Childs, with but four hundred men on duty, and 
 guarding eighteen hundred in the hospitals. For three 
 weeks they were closely besieged by the rising of the 
 masses, and by a force swelled to eight thousand troops on 
 the arrival of Santa Anna. Their condition was most 
 desperate until General Lane, fighting his way all the dis- 
 tance from Vera Cruz against fierce bands of guerillas, 
 came to his assistance. Santa Anna, marching out to 
 
466 Mexico. 
 
 meet him, was defeated on the 9th of October, and on the 
 13th the gallant garrison was relieved from danger by the 
 pursuit and dispersion of the besiegers. Mexico was yet 
 full of soldiers, which, if collected together, might have 
 been made into a formidable army ; but leaders and fol- 
 lowers were demoralized, and no successful attempt was 
 made. Bands of guerillas infested the country, — those 
 daring and desperate horsemen \vho, acting individually or 
 in small bodies, annoyed the army by suddenly swooping 
 out of their places of concealment, murdering and plunder- 
 ing without mercy, and then escaping to their strongholds. 
 These w^ere now pursued relentlessly by the Americans, 
 and their principal haunts broken up, though they for a 
 long time proved a terrible scourge to the line of 
 communication. 
 
 The most difficult matter now before the American com- 
 mander was to conclude a permanent peace. A commis- 
 sioner, Mr. Nicholas Trist, had been sent out by our gov- 
 ernment, with full powers to treat with the Mexicans for 
 honorable peace. He had made overtures to them at dif- 
 ferent times, when they might have accepted them without 
 a sacrifice of national honor ; but these they rejected. 
 
 Now we were in a position to dictate such terms as we 
 chose ; but the difficulty was, to find a government with 
 which to treat. The country was ours by right of con- 
 quest ; but the United States, as a great nation, fully alive 
 to the demands of the enlightened age in which these events 
 were transpiring, forbore from committing any act that 
 would irritate a noble though conquered people. It had 
 been the policy of the commander-in-chief to allow no act 
 of aggression to be committed ; personal property had 
 been respected ; even the supplies for the army purchased 
 and paid for. 
 
 [A.D. 18.18.] A govermnent was finally discovered with 
 
Treaty of Peace. 467 
 
 which to treat; and on the 2d of February, 1848, a treaty 
 of peace was signed at the sacred town of Guadalupe, 
 three miles from the capital, and on the 30th of May 
 finally ratified. By this treaty the United States acquired 
 the territory of Texas, New Mexico, and Upper California ; 
 the boundary lines between the two Republics were regu- 
 lated and defined ; and Mexico received, as indemnity, 
 fifteen millions of dollars, besides which the United States 
 assumed her indebtedness against American citizens, 
 amounting to over three millions more. 
 
 The American armies were withdrawn during the sum- 
 mer, and the Mexicans left to the somewhat difficult task 
 of governing themselves. 
 
 Santa Anna, who had played the most conspicuous part 
 in the defence of his country, was again an exile, having 
 been allowed to leave the coast in April, with all his treas- 
 ure and domestic property, for Jamaica. For a while he 
 remained under a cloud ; but he soon emerged, and we 
 shall meet him again in the councils of the nation. The 
 American army had accomplished its mission, — it had 
 cornpelled a haughty and stubborn foe to submit to the 
 demands of reason. In its invasion of the country it had 
 not stooped to plunder, nor had it left behind any record 
 of barbarity. It had marched steadily forward, encounter- 
 ing disease and death unflinchingly, fighting bravely every 
 battle imposed upon it ; and from the beginning to the end 
 every battle had been a victory ! We may well take a natu- 
 ral pride in this army of our fathers, especially as we com- 
 pare it with the armies of other powers, and we may review 
 with pleasure their moderation in those repeated and over- 
 whelming successes. 
 
468 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE ERA OF REFORM. 
 
 [A. D. 1848.] For a brief period, after the withdrawal 
 of the American army, the Mexican people drew the breath 
 of peace, disturbed only by outbreaks headed by the tur- 
 bulent Paredes. The notorious guerilla, Padre Jarato, was 
 made prisoner and shot, and attempts made to destroy 
 those bands of brigands, the guerillas, that had proved so 
 troublesome to the American army, and which were now 
 murdering and despoiling their own countrymen. For 
 many years these murderous cut-throats existed in their 
 mountain fastnesses, rendering all travel in the interior 
 insecure ; and even to-day they infest portions of the 
 country, and set all law at defianceo 
 
 In June, 1848, Senor Herrera, (who had been in power 
 at the opening of the war with the United States) took pos- 
 session of the presidential chair.* For theyfrj*/ Z/;;^^ within 
 the memory of men then living, the supreme power changed 
 hands without disturbance or opposition. The administra- 
 tion of Senor Herrera was conspicuous for its tolerance 
 and its economy. The army — that fruitful source of dis- 
 turbance — was greatly reduced, arrangements were made 
 with creditors abroad, and for the faithful discharge of 
 internal affairs. 
 
 [A. D. 185 1-.] General Mariano Arista, formerly min- 
 
 " Por primera vez, se vis en Mexico que el poder supremo pasase de unas 
 manos a otras sin violencia y por el ministerio de la ley." — Compendio de 
 
 LA HiSTORiA DE MEXICO. 
 
The RevohUions Reviewed. 469 
 
 ister of war, assumed peaceful possession of power, in 
 January, 185 1, and continued the wise and economical 
 administration of his predecessor. But Mexico could not 
 long remain at peace, even with herself; she was quiet 
 merely because utterly prostrated, and in December, 1852, 
 some military officers, thirsting for power, rebelled against 
 the government. They commenced again the old system 
 of pronunciamientos ; usually begun by some man in a 
 province distant from the seat of government, and grad- 
 ually gaining such strength that when finally met by the 
 lawful forces they were beyond control. Rather than 
 plunge his country anew into the horrors of a civil war, 
 General Arista resigned his office and sailed for Europe, 
 where he died in poverty a few years later. 
 
 [A. D. 1853.] It may astonish any one except the close 
 student of Mexican history to learn the name of the man 
 next placed in power by the revolutionists, for it was no one 
 else than General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna ! Re- 
 called by the successful rebels from his exile in Cuba and 
 South America, Santa Anna hastened to the scene of con- 
 flict, sniffing from afar the smoke of battle and gloating 
 over prospective spoil with which to replenish his depleted 
 treasury. Instead of devoting himself to the establishment 
 of law and order, he commenced at once to extend in- 
 definitely the army, and to intrench himself in a position 
 of despotic power, and, in December, 1853, he issued a 
 decree which, in substance, declared \ivci\. perpetual dictator. 
 This aroused opposition all over the country, and the 
 Liberals, who were opposed to an arbitrary centralized 
 government, rose in rebellion. The most successful leaders 
 were Generals Alvarez and Comonfort, who, after repeated 
 victories, drove the arch conspirator from the capital, on 
 the ninth of August, 1855. Santa Anna secretly left the 
 city of Mexico, and a few days later embarked at Vera 
 
470 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Cruz for Havana. During several years he resided in 
 Cuba, St. Thomas, Nassau, and the United States, con- 
 stantly intriguing for a return to power in Mexico. We 
 have not yet taken a final farewell of this man, who for 
 forty years formed so conspicuous a figure in Mexican 
 politics. Alvarez and Comonfort took possession of the 
 capital^ and in October, 1855, the former was elected 
 president. He held this office but a few months, when, 
 owing to the infirmities of age, and seeing symptoms of 
 disaffection hi the Liberal party, he resigned in favor of 
 Comonfort, his minister of war. Formidable rebellions 
 soon broke out against this liberal government among the 
 officers of the great army revived by Santa Anna, and one 
 of them at the head of five thousand men took the city of 
 Puebla. Hastily assembling an army of sixteen thousand, 
 Comonfort met the rebels and routed them, in March, 
 1856, and again in October of the same year. During 
 this time he was only provisional president, but in Decem- 
 ber, 1857, he was elected constitutional president by a large 
 majority of votes. 
 
 [A. D. 1857.] The year 1857 ushered in a period of 
 Mexican history most critical^ when the life of the nation 
 hung in a balance. To understand the condition of things 
 at the beginning of this period, and the causes for sub- 
 sequent actions during the next fifteen years, we must recall 
 some of the leading events since the year 18 to, when 
 Hidalgo of Dolores raised the cry of indepenence. 
 
 The Mexican revolution as a whole, writes a learned 
 investigator, " involved three great events or proceedings : 
 I. The throwing off of the yoke of Spain, and the main- 
 tenance of an independent organic existence. II. The 
 overthrow of the ecclesiastical system at hojne, which, like 
 the pall of Egypt, overshadowed the whole land. III. The 
 construction of a new government on principles in harmony 
 
SAGRARIO, OR PARISH CHURCH, CITY Ol--" MEXICO. 
 
The Church Power in Mexico. 473 
 
 with the ' rights of man,' and the spirit of modern 
 civilization. 
 
 " The latter implied a complete reconstruction of society 
 in all the domain of government, of religious institutions, 
 and of the entire fabric of civil, social, and educational 
 life. . . . From 1824 (when the first really National 
 Congress met, and the first Constitution was published) to 
 1853, the country was rent and torn by a succession of 
 conflicts, in which the distinctive principles of the two 
 great parties were ever uppermost. The Church power 
 was wielded with indefatigable and unscrupulous energy, 
 to baffle the Republicans and stay the progress of consti- 
 tutional freedom. But its march was irresistible ! " 
 
 We may trace this determined opposition to the efforts 
 for freedom through a period of over fifty years. It began, 
 perhaps, with the excommunication of Hidalgo and 
 Morelos ; and throughout the whole long struggle, eccle- 
 siastical artillery smoked and thundered on the side of 
 oppression and against the defenders of liberty. The most 
 bitter hatred of the Church was evoked in 1846, when the 
 patriot, Gomez Farias, recommended that a loan of fourteen 
 million dollars should be asked of that body, and if refused 
 that it be raised by a sale of Church property. This was at 
 a moment when the very existence of the nation was threat- 
 ened by an external foe, and when the government was 
 completely impoverished, though the Church possessed 
 " three hundred millions of the most valuable property of 
 the nation." The request was refused, and Farias driven 
 in disgrace from power. 
 
 Thanks to this refusal of assistance to the Mexican nation 
 in time of sore need, the victories of the Americans were 
 rendered easier ; thanks to them, also, are due for the sub- 
 sequent civil strife, and the intervention of a foreign power 
 and a foreign prince ! 
 
474 Mexico. 
 
 The Mexican Church was, according to the highest 
 authorities, the most corrupt on the face of the earth at 
 that time. It was a worthy offshoot of that central force 
 of corruption and despotism ruled over and guided by the 
 Pope at Rome. So long as it seemed to be for its inter- 
 ests to do so, it supported the policy of the King of Spain 
 in his colonial possessions. It could not resist the temp- 
 tation of becoming absolute mistress of the New World, at 
 the successful revolution of Iturbide, and bent its influence 
 for the time to the cause of Mexico. But as soon as it 
 saw the tendency of the people towards religious, as well as 
 civil freedom, it became a bitter and uncompromising 
 enemy of that people towards acquiring the rights which 
 had been long denied them. From the Pope the priests had 
 long been in possession of special privileges and exemp- 
 tions. Through them, the vicegerent of Peter issued his 
 Bulls for the benefit of their dissolute flock. There were 
 " bulls " that would absolve one from every crime except 
 heresy ; bulls that would pass a sinner's soul through 
 purgatory ; bulls that would release a thief from the obli- 
 gation to return stolen goods ; and bulls to wash away 
 even the stain of murder! Rich and poor availed them- 
 selves of these opjDortunities for escaping the penalties of 
 crimes, and into the treasury of the Church flowed the 
 wealth of the entire countr}^ Added to these sources of 
 emolument, were fue?'os, or privileges, which secured to 
 the clergy a tithe of everything produced or imported into 
 the country. Evey article of necessity and luxury was 
 taxed for the support of these useless incumbents of 
 cathedrals, churches, and convents. All these, besides the 
 voluntary contributions of the faithful, and the vast estates 
 wrung from death-bed penitents, to escape the pains of 
 purgatory, swelled the accumulations of the Roman 
 Catholic Church in Mexico to an almost fabulous amount. 
 
MEXICAN PRIESTS OF THE PAST. 
 
Sketch of Juarez. 477 
 
 In 1850 it was estimated that the property then held by the 
 Church amounted to a total of from one-half to two-thirds 
 the entire wealth of the nation ! 
 
 Including the members of the various conventual estab- 
 lishments, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc., there were, in 
 1850, seven thousand ecclesiastics supported by the con- 
 tributions of the people. The cathedrals — notably those 
 of Mexico, Puebla, and Guadalajara, — were ablaze with 
 gold and jewels, the spoils of centuries of oppression of a 
 superstitious people. 
 
 Is it a wonder that these long-suffering people groaned 
 loudly under their burdens ? Is it strange that, looking at 
 this great parasite settled upon their fair land, — sapping 
 the life-blood of their nation, fattening upon the toil of 
 themselves and their children, — the Mexican people 
 should begin to inquire why it was permitted to exist ? 
 For centuries past the Church had strangled inquiry into 
 its doings. By means of fire, and torture, and the Inquisi- 
 tion, it had prevented the crushed and prostrate people 
 from asking questions. 
 
 But now, in the years 1856 and 1857, its doom was 
 sealed. It had been foreshadowed in 1846, when Gomez 
 Farias ventured to inquire why it was the Church should 
 not be made to contribute towards the preservation of a 
 nation, the downfall of which would prove its ruin. At 
 that time it became evident to close observers that a 
 champion of the oppressed had arisen. Among those 
 who eloquently advocated the passage of this measure 
 was a young lawyer, named Juarez. 
 
 Born of poor parents, in 1806, in a hill town of 
 Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, Benito Juarez lived till he was 
 twelve years of age without being able to read, write, 
 or even speak, the Spanish language. He was a true 
 Mexican, a Zapotec Indian, of unadulterated blood. The 
 
478 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 race of Indians to which he belonged, the Zapotecs, had 
 never been wholly conquered by the Spaniards ; more than 
 once have these Indios de las Sierras^ — " Indians of the 
 hills " . — marched down into the valleys, and dictated terms 
 to their rulers. It was fit that the future deliverer of 
 Mexico from the thraldom of three centuries should have 
 been born of such stock. 
 
 We have not space to dwell upon the career of this 
 remarkable man, but will note that, after having been a 
 
 PORTRAIT OF JUAREZ. 
 
 member of the city council of Oaxaca, a civil judge, 
 and Secretary of State, he was elected by the people a 
 deputy to the " General Constituent Congress," which met 
 at the capital of the Republic in December, 1846. It was 
 there he showed himself the friend of freedom and the un- 
 compromising enemy to oppression that his later acts 
 proved him to be. 
 
 In 1853, in the "Plan of Ayutla" — the announcement 
 of principles for which they fought — Generals Alvarez and 
 Comonfort sounded the death-knell of the Church. In 
 
Overthrow of Comonfort. 479 
 
 July, 1855, at great personal peril, Juarez joine the army 
 of Alvarez and marched with him to the capital. He had 
 previously met with harsh treatment, and had even been 
 imprisoned and sent into exile, by Santa Anna, whose over- 
 throw he now saw so triumphantly accomplished. 
 
 His history now becomes a part of that of his country, 
 for he was identified with every prominent political move- 
 ment -from this period until his death, in 1872. Alvarez 
 (as we have already seen) was proclaimed President of the 
 Republic in October, 1855, and ajDpointed Juarez his 
 " Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs." The 
 sweeping laws of reform instituted by this enemy to the 
 Church were sanctioned by the constituent Congress, which 
 met in February, 1856, and, after a year's deliberations, 
 adopted the famous "Constitution of 1857." The first 
 National Congress, in 18 12, had declared in their consti- 
 tution, first, that the Catholic religion only should be 
 allowed in the State, and that the press, while " free for all 
 purposes of science and political economy, was not free for 
 the discussion of religious matters." In the forty-five 
 years that had passed since then the people of Mexico had 
 learned a bitter lesson, and resolved to profit by it. The 
 representatives of the people now declared not only the 
 right of everybody to any religion he chose to adopt, but 
 to full and free discussion. The celebrated "Law of 
 Juarez " " aboUshed the whole system of class legislation, 
 suppressed the military and ecclesiastical fueros — the 
 privileged and special tribunals and charters of the army 
 and the clergy — and established, for the first time in 
 Mexico, equality of the citizens before the law.^^ 
 
 [A. D. 1858.] Comonfort was not equal to the occasion 
 this crisis in the affair of nations demanded. He turned 
 traitor to his party (the Liberals) and gave the government 
 into the hands of the Church party. On the 17th of Decern- 
 
480 Mexico. 
 
 ber, 1857, General Zuloaga, commanding a brigade in the 
 army, "pronounced" in favor of the Church ^tv^ .agai7ist 
 the Constitution. He was aided by Comonfort, who, on the 
 nth of January, 1858, was denounced and abandoned by 
 the very party he had so materially aided, and driven from 
 the country. He later repented of his treason, and re- 
 turned from Europe during the French invasion, taking 
 arms with the defenders of liberty, and was assassina4;ed by 
 the hirelings of the Church. Zuloaga, in January, pro- 
 claimed the " Plan of Tacubaya." The leading principles 
 of this " plan " were in direct opposition to those of the 
 Constitution — to those of Reform. Had the people of 
 Mexico sanctioned them they would have lost all they had 
 gained by fifty years of fighting. The dark cloud of the 
 previous century would again have settled down upon their 
 nation. 1^)1^ fueros were to be restored — "under which 
 the military and clergy are responsible only to their own 
 tribunals " — the Roman Catholic was to be the only 
 religion tolerated, and immigrants admitted only from 
 Catholic countries ; the press was to be subjected to 
 censorship ; an " irresponsible central dictatorship, sub- 
 servient solely to the church," was to be established, look- 
 ing, if possible, to 2, restoration of a monarchy. Mark these 
 principles ! for they give the key to events during the 
 subsequent foreign intervention. 
 
 By the flight of Comonfort the presidency devolved upon 
 the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Benito Juarez. 
 After trying in vain to combat the hydra-headed enemy to 
 freedom, represented by Zuloaga, Miramon and others in 
 command of the army, Juarez and the loyal members of 
 his cabinet hastened to Guanajuato, where they organized 
 the government on the basis of the Constitution of 1857. 
 
Civil War. 481 
 
 THE "war of reform. 
 
 The party of the " old regime " was not recognized out- 
 side the capital, and again we see the States arrayed 
 against a central, dictatorial power. Juarez was promptly 
 recognized as the president of the people^ and, during the 
 long years of strife that followed, he nobly sustained the 
 trust imposed upon him at their hands. The army was 
 mainly against him, the Church — with all its money and 
 influence — was against him ; but the people^ brushing from 
 their eyes the cobweb of superstition, rallied in increasing 
 numbers about the banner of reform. 
 
 At first the national guards were defeated. In March, 
 Juarez and his cabinet were captured and on the point of 
 being shot by a rebel chief ; rescued by a noble patriot 
 leader, they retreated to Colima, in great danger all the 
 way. In April Juarez embarked at Colima for Vera Cruz, 
 to reach which port he was obliged to cross the Isthmus of 
 Panama, sail for New Orleans, and thence take passage 
 for the ancient seaport, where he arrived in May. 
 
 The " Three Years' War of Reform " lasted from 1858 
 through 1 86 1. In the year i860 the people elected Juarez 
 constitutional president by an overwhelming number of 
 votes. In July, 1859, he decreed the " Laws of Reform," 
 by which the property of the Church was confiscated and 
 declared to belong to the nation. The forces on both 
 sides were incited anew to fresh conflict, and many and 
 sanguinary battles ensued. Among the heroes who aided 
 Juarez in the defence of the constitution were : Doblado, 
 Gonzalez Ortega, Santos Degollado, Zaragoza, Arteaga, 
 and many others, equally worthy of mention, but whom 
 space precludes. Against them, in the interests of the 
 Church and oppression, fought Generals Zuloaga, Miramon, 
 Osollo, Robles, Taboada, and Marquez. Death, in the 
 
482 Mexico. 
 
 field, or by the hand of the assassin or executioner, has 
 taken most of these men away. 
 
 The decisive battle between the contending parties was 
 that of Calpulalpam, December 25, i860, subsequent to 
 which the Liberal army entered and took possession of the 
 capital, followed (January 11, 1861,) by Juarez and his 
 cabinet, amid great rejoicings. 
 
 His election, and the popular endorsement of his policy, 
 had been by overwhelming majorities, and as soon as he 
 found himself within the capital he set himself at once to 
 promote the welfare of the long-suffering people. But no 
 time was allowed the harassed Republic for rest, for that 
 insane fratricidal strife had attracted the attention of the 
 outside world ; the leading powers of Europe had united 
 against poor Mexico, and their fleets were even then headed 
 towards its coasts. 
 
The French lutervention. 483 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE FRENCH INTERVENTION. 
 (1861-1867.) 
 
 [A. D. 186 1.] For full forty years had Mexico been 
 convulsed with internal feuds, and during this long period 
 she had passed through thirty-six different forms of govern- 
 ment and under seventy-three rulers. Such a series of un- 
 paralleled revolutions and changes of administration could 
 not but attract the attention of all the world. As early 
 as April, 1861, Secretary Seward, of the United States 
 government, wrote to Mr. Corwin, our minister at Mexico : 
 " For a few years past the condition of Mexico has been so 
 unsettled as to raise the question on both sides the 
 Atlantic whether the time has not come when some foreign 
 power ought, in the general interests of society, to intervene 
 to establish a protectorate, or some other form of govern- 
 ment in that country, and guarantee its continuance there." 
 
 This was a note of warning, showing that the United 
 States, though jealous of the intervention of European 
 powers, yet recognized the possibility — perhaps the 
 necessity — of such. In March, i860, the governments of 
 France, England, and Spain, under pretext that the war in 
 Mexico would be interminable, offered mediation, proposing 
 to guarantee to one party the establishment of social reforms, 
 and to the other that of conservative political principles. 
 The conservative, or Church party — which the foreign 
 powers were disposed to recognize as the de facto govern- 
 ment of Mexico, while the Mexicans themselves disavowed 
 
484 Mexico. 
 
 it — invited mediation ; but the republican president sternly 
 and steadily refused it. The popular vote sanctioned 
 his course a few months later in re-electing him consti- 
 tutional president of the Republic. 
 
 The defeat of the army of the Church was not immedi- 
 ately followed by peace, its scattered forces formed them- 
 selves into marauding bands, which robbed and murdered 
 indiscriminately. It w^as not the fault of Juarez that peace 
 was not at once restored, for, in addition to foes without, 
 he had enemies in his own party. Personal ambition, and 
 the desire of each one to carry out his various theories of 
 government, caused divisions in the Liberal ranks. " The 
 people had risen in arms against despotism ; it was necessary 
 to restore this body to their normal condition in the republic, 
 and to cause them to return to their distinct social posi- 
 tions, from which they had been forcibly driven by the 
 tumult and the necessities of the conflict. Each several 
 State considered itself as a political entity, and was ac- 
 customed during the civil war to an unlimited sovereignty. 
 "With the varied and conflicting elements of the difficult 
 situation were interwoven the pretensions of the diplo- 
 matic representatives, growing out of the different interna- 
 tional questions which had arisen in the nation during the 
 course of the civil war." 
 
 The country was entirely exhausted, it was impoverished, 
 and the government without funds. To provide these it 
 was compelled to resort to extraordinary measures, even to 
 imprison capitalists and negotiate forced loans. * In this 
 great strait it was resolved to suspend jDayment of the 
 
 -The obnoxious article in the law of 17th Jul\', 1861, is as follows: — 
 "Art. I, From the date of this law the government of the Union will re- 
 cover the coinflete pi'odnct of the federal revenues^ deducting from them only 
 the expenses of the administratio7i of collecting, aitd all payments are sus- 
 pended for tzvo years, inchtdiiig the assignments for the loan made in 
 London and for the foreign conventions.^'' 
 
 
Mexico's Desperate Measure. 485 
 
 interest on all debts, internal and foreign, for the space of 
 two years from July 17, 186 1. With the funds thus 
 obtained from their revenues, diverted temporarily to the 
 relief of the country, all armed opposition could be put down, 
 internal peace preserved, and order restored. " Tliis once 
 achieved, the leaders of the party would adhere to the 
 written constitution, and enforce obedience to law ; and in- 
 dustry, secure in its reward, wojild soon take the place of 
 idleness and crime." 
 
 This certainly would have followed ; but the struggling 
 party — represented by its congress and president — made 
 a serious blunder when it suspended the payment of its 
 foreign obligations.* Though it was argued that the sus- 
 pension was but temporary, in order to allow the exhausted 
 nation a chance to breathe, and to restore law and order, 
 Mexico's foreign creditors did not view the matter in that 
 favorable light. The ministers of France and England — 
 especially the former, who was deeply in sympathy with the 
 Church party, and detested the Liberals — immediately re- 
 sented this " outrage " against their governments. It 
 finally ended in their demanding their passports and sus- 
 pending diplomatic communication. The claims of 
 France were ridiculously small, and based upon question- 
 able transactions. Those of England were greater, but 
 founded upon claims equally unjust. Over half a million 
 was for the robbery of the English legation by the minions 
 of the very Church party that was urging intervention, and 
 a large sum for indemnity for outrages upon British sub- 
 jects by the guerillas of the Church — the "Party of the 
 Reaction," or retrograde principles. Such as they were, 
 
 * The amount of this indebtedness, in 1861, was: English Bondholders, 
 ^63,000,000; English "Convention," ^5,000,000; Spanish "Convention," 
 ^8,000,000 ; French (exaggerated) about ^10,000,000. Total about ^;86^- 
 000,000. 
 
486 Mexico. 
 
 however, they had been secured by treaty, and the govern- 
 ment in power was bound to respect them. Making this 
 act of the Juarez government a pretext, Spain, France, and 
 England entered into the tripartite alliance, in London, 
 October 31, 186 1. A few months later, December 22, 
 1861, Spanish troops were landed at Vera Cruz, under 
 General Prim, and the ships of England and France were 
 on their way to the same port. 
 
 The government of the United States had been kept 
 advised of the progress of events by its ministers in Eng- 
 land and Mexico, and was not unprepared for all that 
 followed. Mr. Corwin, two weeks after the passage of the 
 law, had written Mr. Seward as follows : " Her (Mexico's) 
 late suspension, leading to the cessation of diplomatic re- 
 lations with England and France, may, perhaps, have been 
 imprudent. She could not pay her debts, however, and 
 maintain her government ; and perhaps it was as well to 
 say she would not pay for two years as to promise to pay 
 and submit herself to the mortification of constantly asking 
 further time. She is impoverished to the last degree by 
 
 forty years of civil w^ar I cannot find in 
 
 this republic any men of any party better qualified, in my 
 judgment, for the task than those in power. If they do 
 not save her, then I am quite sure she is to be the prey of 
 some foreign powers 
 
 The United States was invited by the powers (though 
 tardily) to join them in demanding redress ; but she assured 
 them that, far from having a desire to destroy the auto- 
 nomy of Mexico, she had instructed her minister there 
 to offer to negotiate a loan for her relief. This answer 
 to the allied powers (in part) is given here, that coming 
 generations may be reminded of the friendliness of our 
 government to our sister republic, and of the wisdom and 
 forbearance that guided the ship of state during the dark 
 period when civil war disturbed our own land. 
 
Friendliness of the United States. 487 
 
 " It is true, as the high contracting parties assume, that 
 the United States have, on their part, claims to urge 
 against Mexico. Upon due consideration, however, the 
 President is of opinion that it would be inexpedient to seek 
 satisfaction of their claims at this time through an act of 
 accession to the convention. Among the reasons for this 
 decision are, first, that the United States, so far as it is 
 practicable, prefer to adhere to a traditional policy, rec- 
 ommended to them by the father of their country and 
 confirmed by a happy experience, which forbids them from 
 making alliances with foreign nations ; second, Mexico 
 being a neighbor of the United States on this continent, 
 and possessing a system of government similar to our own 
 in many of its important features, the United States 
 habitually cherish a decided good-will towards that republic, 
 and a lively interest in its security, prosperity, and welfare. 
 Animated by these sentiments, the United States do not 
 feel inclined to resort to forcible remedies for their claims 
 at the present moment, when the government of Mexico is 
 deeply disturbed by factions within and war with foreign 
 nations. And, of course, the same sentiments render 
 them still more disinclined to allied war against Mexico, 
 than to war to be urged against her by themselves alone." 
 
 " The undersigned is further authorized to state to the 
 plenipotentiaries, for the information of Spain, France, and 
 Great Britain, that the United States are so earnestly anx- 
 ious for the safety and welfare of the republic of Mexico, 
 that they have already empowered their minister residing 
 there to enter into a treaty with the Mexican republic, con- 
 ceding to it some material aid and advantages, which it is 
 to be hoped may enable that republic to satisfy the just 
 claims and demands of the said sovereigns, and so avert 
 the war which these sovereigns have agreed among each 
 other to levy against Mexico." * 
 
 * "Diplomatic Correspondence, Mexican Affairs/' 1862, p. 1S9. 
 
488 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 This friendly offer could not, however, be entertained, as 
 the allied powers considered the Mexicans answerable, not 
 only for the guaranteed interest on their claims, but for the 
 repeated outrages the subjects of these joowers had received 
 at the hands of her soldiers and citizens. 
 
 Owing to the masterly diplomatic action of Senores 
 Zamacona and Doblado, a treaty was made by which the 
 English and Spanish troops returned to their ships, glad 
 to retreat from the disgraceful position into which they 
 had been forced. The French troops, however, persisted 
 in marching into the interior, the Emperor of France con- 
 sidering this a good opportunity for the establishment of 
 French dominion in Mexico, while the country was vexed 
 with distracting strifes and while the United States, like- 
 wise, were plunged into the horrors of civil war. 
 
 They occupied Orizaba without opposition, and in May 
 marched upon Puebla, where they were repulsed by Gen- 
 eral Zaragoza. 
 
 [A. D. 1862,] This victory, known in*Mexican annals 
 as the "glorious victory of the Fifth of May," was the 
 most decisive ever won by the Mexicans against a foreign 
 foe. The yearly anniversary of this day is celebrated 
 throughout the republic with great rejoicings. 
 
 The Emperor of France sent to Mexico his best troops, 
 and a year later, in May, 1863, General Forey, commander 
 of these forces, advanced upon Puebla and took it. On 
 the thirty-first of the same month they took possession of 
 the capital, the Juarez government retreating into the in- 
 terior, taking its stand, in June, in San Luis Potosi. Aug- 
 mented by the troops of the Church party, — Mexicans 
 recreant to their obligations to their country — the French 
 advanced steadily, northward and southward. Juarez, 
 with his loyal cabinet, was driven from place to place, at 
 last reaching Chihuahua, and finally taking refuge in Paso 
 del Norte, a small town on the border. 
 
Advent of Maximilian. 489 
 
 Napoleon and his battalions accomplished (perhaps) for 
 Mexico what her various rulers had never yet been able to 
 do — they aroused that spark of patriotism so long dormant 
 in many breasts, and united her people against the invaders. 
 Upon all sides might have been seen the rising of an aroused 
 and outraged population. Generals fit to command were 
 quickly found — born of the emergency — to lead these 
 patriots. We cannot name them all. The savior of the 
 south, fighting desperately in Oaxaca, was General Porfirio 
 Diaz, who later became president of the republic ; Negretti 
 and Escobedo disputed with the enemy in the north. 
 
 THE ADVENT OF MAXIMILIAN. 
 
 Upon starting out on the expedition against Mexico, 
 France expressly disclaimed any intention of interfering in 
 the internal affairs of that country. The following extract 
 from the letter of instructions from the minister of France 
 to Rear Admiral Graviere, commanding the French squad- 
 ron, will explain the assumed attitude of the powers : 
 " The allied powers do not propose to themselves, I have 
 said to you, any other object than that which is indicated 
 in the convention ; they forbid each other from interfering 
 in the internal aff^airs of the country^ and especially from 
 exercising any pressure upon the wishes of the people as to the 
 choice of their government.'^ 
 
 Notwithstanding the protestations of France, her troops 
 had no sooner shaken themselves clear of those of England 
 and Spain, than they at once marched upon the two chief 
 cities of Mexico, took them, and immediately prepared the 
 way for the imposition of a foreign ruler upon the unwilling 
 inhabitants. They occupied the city of Mexico on the loth 
 of June; on the i6th, the French general issued a decree 
 for the formation of a provisional government. A " Supe- 
 rior Junta " was elected, by the influence of the French 
 
490 Mexico. 
 
 commander-in-chief, and this Junta chose a substitute for 
 Congress under the name of the " Assembly of Notables," 
 composed of two hundred and fifteen persons. The As- 
 sembly invested the president and secretaries with extraor- 
 dinary powers, and they were solemnly installed on the 
 8th of July. In other words, the Junta elected the Assem- 
 bly, and the Assembly chose the Junta, to be the supreme 
 executive power of Mexico, — a farcical proceeding as ridi- 
 culous as it was iniquitous ! Three clauses of their 
 "Decree," issued July ii, 1863, will explain who were the 
 moving spirits, and what their motives : — 
 
 ist. "The Mexican Nation (?) adopts for its form of 
 government a limited, hereditary monarchy, with a Catholic 
 prince. 
 
 2d. The Sovereign will take the title of Emperor of 
 Mexico. 
 
 3d. The Imperial Crown of Mexico is offered to His 
 Imperial Highness, Prince Ferdinand Maximilian, Arch- 
 duke of Austria, for him and his descendants." 
 
 On the 15th of August a commission embarked at Vera 
 Cruz for Europe, empowered by the " provisional executive 
 power," or the regency, to offer the crown of Mexico 
 to Prince Maximilian. They were received by the Arch- 
 duke on the third of October, at his residence near Trieste, 
 the Castle of Miramar. Two years previously, on the 30th 
 of October, at the time the powers were drawing up the 
 tripartite treaty of alliance, a party of Mexicans residing in 
 Paris had addressed Maximilian, inviting him to the mythical 
 throne of Mexico. His reply at that time was worthy of 
 him ; it was as follows : " My co-operation in favor of the 
 work of governmental transformation, on which depends, 
 according to your convictions, the salvation of Mexico, 
 could not be determined, unless that a natio7ial manifesta- 
 tion should prove to me, in an undoubted man?ier, the desire 
 
Maximilian Leaves for Mexico. 491 
 
 of the nation to see me occupy the throne." These senti- 
 ments he expressed two years later, when the commission 
 (appointed by the Assembly of Notables, which had been 
 elected by the Jmita, which had been elected by the As- 
 sembly) approached him with their flattering offer. He 
 declined accepting it until he had heard an expression of 
 the people's voice. 
 
 [A. D. 1864.] This the regency pretended to obtain, 
 and in March, 1864, another deputation waited upon him 
 and claimed compliance with his promise. Misled by what 
 he was led to believe was a popular call to the throne, he 
 yielded his consent, and on the tenth day of April, at the 
 Castle of Miramar, accepted definitely the crown of Mexico. 
 On the same day, the treaty of Miramar was signed between 
 Maximilian and Napoleon III., by which the French Em- 
 peror pledged himself to support the new ruler until firmly 
 seated upon his throne, both with his legions and with his 
 gold. 
 
 After taking leave of his royal relatives, and after a 
 journey to Rome to receive the special blessing of the 
 Pope, Maximilian and Carlota, Emperor and Empress of 
 Mexico, set sail for the distant country they had been called 
 upon to govern across the sea. 
 
 Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, brother to the Em- 
 peror Francis Joseph, was born in 1832. Educated in the 
 company of the most accomplished personages of the 
 Austrian court, he had acquired a refinement of deportment 
 that set off well his natural endowments. He spoke 
 fluently six or seven languages, and his intellectual ac- 
 quirements were of a high order. In 1857 he was married 
 to the xTincess Maria Charlotte Amalia, daughter of Leo- 
 pold I., King of the Belgians. This Princess, Carlota, — 
 with whose sad history all the world is familiar — was at 
 the time of her marriage seventeen years of age, and pos- 
 
492 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 sessed of more accomplishments than usually adorn even 
 one of her exalted rank. Her charms of mind and person 
 are acknowledged by all, even by those most bitterly op- 
 posed to her occupation of the position in which she was 
 falsely placed. Personally, then, these young sovereigns, 
 in whose hands had been placed the destinies of the 
 Mexican people, were well qualified to win their love and 
 esteem. They arrived at Vera Cruz on the 28th of May, 
 1864, where they were received wdth apparent enthusiasm, 
 
 PORTRAIT OF MAXIMILIAN. 
 
 and then set out for the. capital, all the way treated by the 
 local authorities of towns and villages with popular demon- 
 strations of affectionate greeting. 
 
 At this late day, passing in review the acts of Maximilian, 
 we believe that he was honest, first, in believing that he 
 was called to Mexico by the popular voice ; second, in ac- 
 cepting as sincere those expressions of joy at his arrival, 
 from the people along the- route he travelled, then under 
 French control. But he saw only a superficial demonstra- 
 
The New Sovereigns in the Capital. 493 
 
 tion ; deep down in the nation's heart still strongly 
 throbbed the desire for liberty — for the people, of the 
 people, and by the people. Every grace of person and en- 
 dowment of intellect he doubtless possessed ; but he was 
 not the people's choice ; he had been imposed upon them 
 by the machinations of a heartless and intriguing priest- 
 hood, and supported by the bayonets of a foreign despot. 
 When the bayonets should be withdrawn both ruler and 
 priesthood would fall to earth. 
 
 PORTRAIT OF CARLOTA. 
 
 They arrived in the capital on the 12th of June, and 
 took up their residence in the national palace. Later on, 
 Maximilian reconstructed the Castle of Chapultepec, which 
 became their favorite retreat, and they also dwelt in Cuer- 
 navaca and Orizaba. One of his first public acts was the 
 issuing of a general amnesty to all political prisoners, in- 
 cluding those who had been "sentenced ; and he seems to 
 have been animated by a sincere desire for the restoration 
 of peace and the promotion of the welfare of his subjects. 
 It has been said that the empire under Maximilian was as 
 
494 , Mexico. 
 
 republican as the republic ; yet it was an empire, costly in 
 its maintenance and supported by foreign mercenary 
 troops, for whose services the very people they were tyran- 
 nizing over were obliged to pay ! Great improvements 
 were made in the streets of the city and in the suburbs, the 
 most important of which were, the adorning of the great 
 central square with flowers, trees, and fountains, and the 
 laying out of the great avenue known as the Grand Paseo, 
 leading to Chapultepec, which also was beautified at the 
 people's cost. Large loans were contracted in London for 
 the payment of the hireling troops and for the costly im- 
 provements ; loans which the republic of Mexico, since the 
 establishment of its independence, would be perfectly justi- 
 fied in repudiating. 
 
 It soon became apparent to the leaders of the Church 
 party that they had not, in Maximilian, the willing tool they 
 wished for the forwarding of their designs. His views 
 were more liberal than theirs ; his sympathy with the people 
 more pronounced and genuine. Perceiving that the 
 republican movement was that of the masses, he would 
 have identified himself with them ; but its loyal leaders 
 strongly rejected his overtures. He soon found himself 
 deserted and betrayed by the party that had called him to 
 jDower in Mexico, and supported only by the strength of his 
 Austrian, French, and Belgian legions. He precipitated 
 his downfall and hurried matters to a crisis in October, 
 1865, by signing what is known as the "black decree," 
 which proclaimed all persons found fighting against the 
 forces of the empire as banditti, and ordered that all such 
 should be shot as soon as captured. By this decree many 
 prominent republicans were murdered, including the brave 
 Generals, Salazar and Arteaga. The feeling engendered 
 against Maximilian by the publishing of this infamous 
 proclamation was so deep that it eventually wrought his 
 
TJie United States Protest. 495 
 
 destruction. It is claimed by his friends that he signed it 
 at the instigation of General Bazaine, commander-in-chief 
 of the French forces, after great pressure had been brought 
 to bear upon him, and that he afterwards used great exer- 
 tions to prevent executions under this act. It was neces- 
 sary to use severe measures to check the progress of the 
 guerillas, who swarmed throughout the country, and even 
 infested the mountains around the valley of Mexico. If an 
 excuse could be found in a retaliatory measure so harsh, it 
 will be found in a decree of Juarez, similar in its provisions, 
 against the imperialists, in which the death penalty is 
 frequently applied, and which was issued January 25, 
 1862. It was made contrary to the provisions of the con- 
 stitution, which especially says that no two functions shall 
 be invested in one body, as it was issued upon the sole 
 authority of Juarez himself. " While this law of January 
 25, 1862, stares the world in the face," says one of Maxi- 
 milian's defenders, " the complaint of inhumanity against 
 Maximilian comes with bad grace from the lips of the 
 Juarez party." Further, in extenuation of the offences 
 attributed to the emperor, it must be borne in mind that, 
 while the French troops (who committed the greater part 
 of these outrages against inoffensive Mexicans) were under 
 the absolute control of their commander, (according to the 
 treaty of Miramar), yet Maximilian, as the head of the 
 nation, was responsible for their deeds ! 
 
 [A. D. 1866.] While the powers of the United States 
 were engaged in crushing a gigantic rebellion at home, the 
 French troops were at liberty to supjDort the empire in 
 Mexico ; but as soon as this was quelled Secretary Seward 
 intimated to Napoleon that they must be withdraw^n. This, 
 in short, is the substance of a long diplomatic correspond- 
 ence. 
 
 And the result was that, yielding to the pressure brought 
 
496 Mexico. 
 
 to bear upon him by the United States, the Emperor of 
 France reUnquished his pet scheme of estabUshing an 
 empire in the New World, and abandoned MaximiUan to 
 his fate, withdrawing his troops in disgrace. This was 
 carried into effect in February, 1866. . 
 
 News of this deplorable decision first reached Maxi- 
 milian at his country retreat in Cuernavaca. Carlota, his 
 noble wife, immediately volunteered to proceed to France 
 to throw herself at the feet of Napoleon and implore him 
 to continue his assistance. Leaving Mexico in July she 
 arrived at Paris in August, and immediately sought an 
 interview with the emperor. Her efforts were without 
 avail, for he decidedly refused to permit another French 
 soldier to set foot in Mexico, nor would he advance 
 another franc for the support of the tottering empire. 
 Overwhelmed with despair at the appalling prospect before 
 her and her husband, Carlota left Paris and went to Rome, 
 where she soon gave evidence that her reason had been 
 shaken by the long series of trials she had undergone. 
 She was conducted to her native country, Belguim, where 
 she was confined in a castle near Brussels, and where she 
 has since remained, subject to occasional fits of insanity. 
 
 The remaining scenes of this tragedy were quickly 
 shifted, and the drama of the empire soon taken from the 
 stage. 
 
 Each succeeding day saw Maximilian deeper in debt, 
 the number of his friends decrease, and the growth of the 
 movement against him. Seeing himself abandoned on all 
 sides he resolved to abdicate the throne ; he even went so 
 far as to set out for the coast, reaching Orizaba, in October, 
 where he received news that induced him to return. 
 
 The leaders of the conservative party became alarmed ; 
 the departure of Maximilian would prove their certain ruin ; 
 the recent return from Europe of Miramon and Marquez, 
 
Jiiarez and his Cabinet. 497 
 
 two of their ablest generals, decided them to unite their 
 ranks and to resist to the last the progress of the Liberal 
 forces. Acting upon their advice and representations, he 
 returned to the capital in December. 
 
 While these events, narrated in the previous pages, had 
 been transpiring, the patriot Juarez and his loyal cabinet 
 had been the life and soul of the republican party. Through 
 his talented minister at Washington, Romero, the United 
 States government was kept informed of the true state of 
 affairs. The value to Mexico of the labors of Mr. Romero 
 cannot be overestimated. Though the direct successes of 
 the Liberal arms are attributable to other leaders in various 
 parts of the country, Juarez and his small circle of faithful 
 adherents had formed a nucleus about which gathered the 
 representatives of the people, and the central point from 
 which emanated orders for their guidance. Driven from 
 place to place by the advance of the French forces, he 
 had finally reached the frontier town of El Paso, and had 
 he retreated farther he, would have been obliged to seek 
 a refuge in the United States. Upon the withdrawal of 
 the foreign hirelings he had again returned southward, like 
 the reflex waves of the ocean, which, though driven high 
 upon the strand, return to their centre of propulsion. He 
 had now reached the city of Zacatecas, and able generals 
 were in command of his continually augmenting forces. 
 Acting with great energy, the imperialist forces marched 
 upon Zacatecas and took it, Juarez and his cabinet narrowly 
 escaping capture and retreating to San Luis Potosi. 
 
 [A. D. 1867.] The victorious army of Miramon was 
 met by the avenging army of the north (Liberal) on the ist 
 of February, 1867, and nearly annihilated; but, escaping 
 to Queretaro, the forces were organized anew and prepared 
 to resist, at that point, the onward march of the republican 
 hosts. 
 
498 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Queretaro is an ancient city, having been founded in 
 1 53 1, on the site of a still more ancient Indian town. It is 
 delightfully situated in a fertile valley, shut in by moun- 
 tains on every side, and has a temperature combining the 
 warmth of the hot country with that of the temperate 
 region, as it lies at an altitude of 6,365 feet above the sea. 
 Not only is it celebrated as the point where the empire 
 of Maximilian was finally overthrown, but as that where 
 the treaty with the United States, in 1848, was ratified by 
 the Mexican Congress. 
 
 MATIAS ROMERO. 
 
 On the 19th of February, Maximilian reached Queretaro 
 with reinforcements, received by the army and by the 
 populace with enthusiasm. With the subsequent addition 
 of another army under Marquez, the force at the command 
 of Miramon was increased to nearly nine thousand men. 
 The Liberal army has been estimated as high as thirty 
 thousand, as the whole northern country contributed its 
 quotas, and was under the command of General Escobedo, 
 a valiant patriot, who had received his schooling in the war 
 with the United States, and in various revolutions. The 
 
The Siege of Queretaro, 50 1 
 
 city was invested so closely that provisions became ex- 
 hausted, and the soldiers and citizens suffered extremelv. 
 Active preparations for defence went on, in which Maxi- 
 milian took a leading part. Finally, on the night of the 
 14th of May, a portion of the Liberal forces obtained 
 entrance into the city, through the treachery of one of 
 Miramon's officers, a Colonel Lopez, and by daylight the 
 city was in their possession. 
 
 Maximilian was captured in the outskirts of the city, at 
 the hill of bells — Cerro de las Campanas^ — Miramon was 
 wounded and captured ; and, indeed, the entire force of 
 the besieged surrendered, with but little resistance or 
 bloodshed. A court-martial was soon held for the trial of 
 the three high commanding officers, and they were sum- 
 marily condemned to death. On the nineteenth of June, 
 1867, was performed the last act of this terrible tragedy, 
 when the Emperor Maximilian and Generals Miramon and 
 Mejia were shot, by order of the court-martial and with the 
 sanction of the commanding officer, Escobedo, and Presi- 
 dent Juarez. 
 
 It has been claimed that Maximilian was tried and sen- 
 tenced contrary to the constitution of Mexico, contrary to 
 the laws of nations, and contrary to the expressed wishes 
 of the United States ; but it was considered necessary (in 
 those days, when the national existence hung trembling in 
 the balance), that a terrible example should be made, as a 
 warning to foreign powers. The martyrs to the imperialist 
 cause met their death with firmness, and Maximilian es- 
 pecially, says the Mexican historian, with the valor of a 
 gentleman and the dignity of a prince. The place where 
 occurred this lamentable event is known as the Cerro de 
 las Cainpanas, the same " hill of bells " at which Maximilian 
 gave up his sword. Three crosses mark the spot where 
 they fell, and indicate where the last Emperor of Mexico 
 met his death. 
 
502 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 After the capture of Queretaro, the victorious Liberal 
 army passed on towards the capital. Desperate fighting 
 had been going on in and near the Mexican valley. Gen- 
 eral Diaz, coming up from the south, had laid siege to 
 Puebla, which was defended by the imperialist General 
 Noriega. During the siege of Queretaro, when affairs 
 
 EXECUTION OF MAXIMILIAN. 
 
 appeared to be in a critical condition, Maximilian had de- 
 spatched General Marquez to Mexico for reinforcements. 
 This man, a traitor alike to his country and to his adopted 
 cause, disobeyed the command, and, instead of hastening 
 back to the succor of his beleaguered comrades, marched 
 with his command against Diaz at Puebla. After taking 
 
Trmmph of the Liberal Cause. 503 
 
 the city by storm, Diaz turned upon Marquez and com- 
 pletely defeated him, the traitor leaving his troops to their 
 fate and fleeing to the capital. There he conducted the 
 most high-handed proceedings, under pretence of prepar- 
 ing the capital for defence. The city of Mexico was soon 
 invested by the Liberal troops, the valley filled with their 
 armies, under the supreme command of General Diaz. On 
 the 20th of June, after a siege of over two months, the city 
 was attacked at all points, and sustained a terrible fire of 
 artillery for several hours. On the 21st, it was occupied 
 by General Diaz, at the head of the republican troops. 
 Vera Cruz was occupied on the 4th of July, and thus, 
 during the summer of 1867, the whole country came under 
 republican rule. 
 
 The 15th of July witnessed the entrance of Juarez and 
 h,is cabinet, those loyal patriots who had been driven from 
 the capital four years previously, and who now returned to 
 witness the triumph of the principles for which they had so 
 long contended. 
 
 In November, the body of Maximilian was delivered to 
 the Austrian admiral, Tegethoff, and was carried to Trieste, 
 in the same frigate, the " Novara," in which the unfortu- 
 nate prince and princess had sailed for Mexico, three 
 years before. 
 
504 Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 MEXICO AFTER THE EMPIRE. 
 
 Fear, even terror, possessed all those \vho had taken an 
 active part in the foreign intervention, when they saw the 
 inflexible determination the patriots had taken to sweep 
 every obstacle from their path. This terrible government 
 had not hesitated to destroy Prince Maximilian, brother of 
 the Emperor of Austria ; it had not halted for a moment 
 in its stern resolve to plant the flag of liberty in the capital 
 of the republic. 
 
 Now in power, with all its enemies within its grasp, those 
 traitors who had aided foreigners in destroying domestic 
 government had every reason to fear the most terrible 
 reprisals. But, after the fever of victory had cooled, 
 moderate measures prevailed, and though several hundred 
 of the opposition were imprisoned, but few were condemned 
 to death, and most of these eventually escaped punishment. 
 Vidaurri, the traitor governor of a northern State, was an 
 expiatory victim, while the arch-traitor of all, Marquez, 
 escaped to Havana with his ill-gotten wealth. Before the 
 end of the year 1867 the government had settled down to 
 the work of reconstruction ; it issued decrees for the pay- 
 ment of the internal debt, for the construction of railroads, 
 for the organization of public instruction, and a change in 
 the coinage at the public mints. 
 
 On the 25th of December Don Benito Juarez, in accord- 
 ance with the expressed will of the people in a majority of 
 votes for president, renewed possession of the executive. 
 
Last Effort of Santa Anna, 
 
 505 
 
 The principal event of this year, after the establishment 
 of government, was the attempt to excite rebellion by no 
 less a personage than Santa Anna. The coming of Maxi- 
 milian had found him an exile in Cuba and the island of 
 
 STREET SCENE IN MEXICO. 
 
 Saint Thomas. He at once offered his services to the 
 emperor, but, being badly received, was converted into a 
 decided enemy, and, after coming to the United States, he 
 tendered his assistance to Juarez. Rejected by the 
 
5o6 Mexico. 
 
 Liberals, he determined to organize a rebellion against the 
 government, and chartered a steamer for Yucatan, where, 
 instead of friends he found enemies ; he was seized, incar- 
 cerated in the fortress at Vera Cruz, and after trial con- 
 demned to death, which sentence was commuted by Juarez 
 to eight years of exile. He returned to Mexico in 1874, 
 under shelter of the general proclamation of amnesty, and 
 died in obscurity in 1877. 
 
 The first days of the new government were pacific, 
 but unfortunately there soon commenced contentions 
 among the Liberals themselves. The first cause of serious 
 trouble was the necessary retrenchment of the military, and 
 the disbanding and sending to their homes of the greater 
 portion of the army. The brigades of Generals Diaz and 
 Riva Palacio — who had rendered distinguished services — 
 were disbanded, and these commanders retired to their 
 homes in disgust. In the month of January, 1868, a rebel- 
 lion appeared in Yucatan, which w^as only crushed by the 
 energetic action of General Alatorre with a government 
 force of two thousand men. In the state of Sinaloa there 
 broke out a rebellion of threatening proportions, which 
 was likewise quelled by the constitutional army. 
 
 The gravest complications arose with the states of Zaca- 
 tecas and San Luis Potosi, as also of Jalisco and Queretaro. 
 In San Luis, on the 15th of December, 1869, Colonel 
 Aguirre, with a large force of regular troops, pro7iounced 
 against the government, and seized large supplies of 
 material of war. The Governor of Zacatecas and also the 
 legislature declared against the federal authorities, and be- 
 tween them there soon appeared an army of eight thousand 
 men. Rebel leaders also rose up in the states of Mexico, 
 Hidalgo and Morelia, signs of disturbance were visible in 
 Puebla, a party attacked Orizaba, another appeared at 
 Jalapa; it appeared for the time as if the country was 
 
The Presidential Election. 507 
 
 to return to the state of anarchy in which the intervention 
 had found it. But the star of the federal government was 
 in the ascendant; it successively met and defeated the 
 rebels, dispersed the rank and file and shot the leaders, 
 and within three months the disturbances were quelled, 
 and Peace folded her wings for a while above the unhappy 
 country. For the unprecedented period of seven months 
 the country was unvexed by revolutions, but continued to 
 be infested with criminals of every sort, notwithstanding 
 numerous executions by the government. Peace was pre- 
 served, not so much by the exertions of those in power as 
 by the people themselves, who were looking forward to the 
 prospective presidential election, and holding themselves 
 ready to act according to the emergency of the moment. It 
 soon became evident that Juarez would not willingly yield 
 the power he had obtained at so much risk and bloodshed, 
 and would hold himself up for re-election. He had two 
 formidable opponents in his own party — the conservative 
 party not yet presuming to reassert itself. These were : 
 Don Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, and General Porfirio 
 Diaz. 
 
 Sefior Lerdo was one of the most remarkable men 
 of the epoch in which he exerted an influence. He was 
 born in Jalapa in 1825, and educated in Mexico. A 
 lawyer by profession, he was elected, in 1855, a magistrate 
 of the Supreme Court, and in 1861 a deputy to Congress. 
 In 1863 he departed from the capital in company with 
 Juarez, a member of that immortal cabinet that for four 
 years followed the fortunes of their chief, and strove to up- 
 hold the principles of the constitution during that dark 
 period of adversity. His firm character contributed more 
 than anything else to the success of the plans of Juarez, 
 and these two formed an invincible force that eventually 
 overcame the machinations of the enemies of their country. 
 
5o8 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 He was certainly entitled to the . consideration of the 
 leaders of the Liberal party, and deserved well of the 
 people he had so nobly battled for to conserve as a nation. 
 
 There were then, the followers of Juarez — Jiiaristas ; 
 those of Lerdo — Lerdistas — who opposed the principle of 
 re-election as anti-democratic ; and a party of the opposition, 
 mainly officers of the army, who fixed .upon Porfirio Diaz, 
 and hence called themselves Forfiristas^ or " Constitution- 
 alists." 
 
 In the beginning of 1870 the principal papers of the 
 republic took sides with one party or the t)ther, and party 
 
 PORTRAIT OF LERDO DE TEJADA. 
 
 quarrels were soon commenced. In May, 1871, the first of 
 the series of proftu7icia?nientos declared itself at Tampico, 
 when the federal garrison pronounced against the consti- 
 tutional government. Troops were sent against them, and 
 a battle resulted, in which more than six hundred men 
 were either killed or wounded. The most terrible of the 
 rebellions against constitutional authority was that which 
 took place in the capital on the ist of October, in which 
 the rebels got possession of the citadel, containing arms 
 and military stores, armed nearly six hundred prisoners 
 
Jitarez re-elected. 
 
 509 
 
 liberated from the jail of Belem, and bade defiance to the 
 upholders of the laws. President Juarez was left nearly 
 alone in the palace, surrounded by a small guard, but 
 he preserved his habitual calmness and serenity, quickly 
 
 sum m o n e d 
 his faithful 
 generals, and 
 made prepa- 
 rations for 
 bringing the 
 rebels to or- 
 der. The cit- 
 adel was at- 
 tacked and 
 carried at the 
 point of the 
 bayonet, but 
 only after 
 great loss, 
 the dead and 
 wounded on 
 both sides 
 amounting to nearly 
 eight hundred men. 
 The customary execu- 
 tions of culpable lead- 
 ers followed, and peace 
 was temporarily re- 
 
 MEXICAN SAW-MILL. StOrcd. 
 
 [A. D. 1871.] On the 12th of October Juarez was de- 
 clared re-elected, obtaining a majority of votes through 
 many deputies refraining from voting. In order to show 
 that it really was what the opposition were pleased to call 
 an " electoral farce " it will only be necessary to glance at 
 
5IO Mexico. 
 
 the annexed figures. The electoral districts, according to 
 the census, contained 8,836,411 inhabitants. The total 
 number of votes cast was 12,361, of which Juarez received 
 5,837, Diaz 3,555, and Lerdo 2,874. The re-election of 
 Juarez was the signal for the discontented of the other two 
 parties, into which the Liberals were divided, to resort to 
 arms. Some had hoped that his re-election would be the 
 sign of peace, others had contended that it would be a 
 signal for civil war. "The truth is," says the historian, 
 whose narrative we are mainly following * (himself a 
 Mexican), "that the peace in Mexico will never be con- 
 solidated until they learn to respect invariably the law, and 
 so long as those who lose continue to appeal to arms." 
 Well may the disinterested spectator have concluded, with 
 those foreign leaders who united to intervene in Mexican 
 politics, that the Mexicans could not — nor would they 
 ever be able to — govern themselves. . The friend of 
 Mexico, viewing the affairs of that time at a distance, 
 may well have despaired of the political regeneration 
 of her people. More than a thousand men — without 
 regarding previous revolutions — had been killed in the 
 year 187 1, in a time of peace ; yet these headstrong leaders 
 again rushed to arms, prepared to desolate the country in 
 a prolonged fratricidal strife ! On the 8th of November 
 General Diaz issued a manifesto at his hacienda of 
 Noria — hence called the " Plan of Noria " — in which he 
 called for an "Assembly," to bring about a new order of 
 things. Outbreaks and rebellions followed close upon this 
 manifesto, and the end of 187 1 saw the country again in 
 disturbance, rebels swarming everywhere, and Diaz hiding 
 in the mountains about Mexico. In an encounter between 
 Juarez and Diaz troops, in the last days of December, 
 nearly nine hundred men were put hors de combat^ and 
 
 * Payno : " Compendio de la Historia de Mexieo." 
 
Rebellio7is against Juarez, 513 
 
 many brave officers were killed and wounded. The right 
 arm of the government at this time was General Rocha, 
 who was continually fighting the rebels, first in one part 
 of the country and then in another, making prodigious 
 marches and performing most difficult feats of arms with 
 his veteran soldiers. 
 
 The real, or pretended cause of the disaffection of the 
 people (as we have seen) was the electoral question. 
 Though the great services of Juarez were generally recog- 
 nized, yet his long continuance in power, and his continued 
 arbitrary acts, had now disgusted the people of the several 
 states. They looked upon him as a despot, many of 
 them, and regarded his retention of the presidential chair 
 as unconstitutional. The campaign against the revolution- 
 ists continued twelve or fourteen months, but by the end of 
 May, 1872, the country was nearly pacified. 
 
 [A. D. 1872.] An unexpected event brought all rev- 
 olutionary proceedings to a close, in July, by the removal 
 of the cause. On the eighteenth of that month, death sud- 
 denly visited President Juarez, and transferred this 
 incorruptible patriot to a higher court. His remains were 
 interred with great solemnity on the 23d of July, over four 
 thousand persons taking part in the funeral ceremonies. 
 
 His successor, President Lerdo (President of the Court 
 of Justice), was quietly installed, and the functions of 
 government were as regularly performed as before. No 
 radical change occurred, Senor Lerdo carrying out the 
 plans of his predecessor, appealing to the nation to observe 
 the cause of reform, and issuing a general amnesty, under 
 which those yet in rebellion came in and gave themselves 
 up, and resistance to lawful authority ceased. The com- 
 mission appointed by Congress to decide upon the matter 
 declared Lerdo to be the constitutional president, he 
 having received 10,465 votes, against 678 cast for Diaz, 
 
514 Mexico. 
 
 [A. D. 1873.] In January, 1873, the Mexican railroad, 
 connecting the city of Mexico with Vera Cruz, was 
 inaugurated. This road, now for the first time thrown 
 open to the pubhc, had been sixteen years in process 
 of construction, and was a work of such magnitude that it 
 is even now considered a marvel of engineering skill. 
 Early in the commercial history of Mexico, the necessity 
 had been felt for improved means of communication 
 between the coast and the capital. A " concession," (the 
 first) had been granted so far back as 1837 ; in 1842 
 Santa Anna declared afl additional duty of two per cent of 
 the customs for the benefit of this and other highways ; 
 in 185 1 two or three miles had been constructed; in 1857 
 the concession passed into the hands of Senor Escandon, a 
 capitalist of Mexico ; in 1864 this right was ceded to the 
 " Imperial Mexican Company," recognized by Maximilian, 
 and in 1867 (when but forty-seven miles were completed) 
 the Juarez government annulled its privileges for treating 
 with a foreign power; these were, however, restored, in 
 1858, and the work went on. The difficulties encountered 
 were almost insuperable, but, under the direction of 
 English and Mexican engineers, the mountains were 
 successfully scaled, and the capital of Mexico placed in 
 connection with its chief seaport by January i, 1873. 
 The direct line is two hundred and sixty-three miles in 
 length, and with the branch to the city of Puebla, about 
 three hundred miles. 
 
 The year 1872 was noted for the number of its assassi- 
 nations and for the abductions of prominent citizens. One 
 well-known citizen of the capital was abducted in one of 
 the streets of the city and incarcerated in a dungeon under 
 most cruel conditions. The governor acted vigorously 
 with the abductors, who were captured and shot. In 
 May, 1873, the passions of the people were excited by the 
 
The First Protestant Martyr. 515 
 
 severe treatment and expulsion of some Jesuits from the 
 country. 
 
 It was in 1874, in the month of March, that the first 
 Protestant martyr^ John L. Stephens, was murdered by 
 Roman Catholic fanatics, in the town of Ahualulco. The 
 introduction of the Bible into Mexico, and the dissemina- 
 tion of Christian ideas was the work of devout men who 
 followed in the track of the American army, in 1847. 
 Until that time the centuries of darkness had been un- 
 illumined by biblical truth. 
 
 At about the same time that Mr. Stephens was assassin- 
 ated, two commercial travellers were murdered on the 
 highway; their murderers- were caught and summarily 
 shot, while those of the Protestant minister were allowed to 
 escape, though condemned to death. The native historian 
 naively states it in the following words : " The governor 
 and authorities displayed much activity and the assassins 
 of Bartholy were apprehended and shot ; those of Stephens 
 were condemned to death ! " 
 
 The Protestant Episcopal Church, in 187 1, sent out a 
 missionary, in the person of Rev. H. C. Riley, and mission 
 work was initiated in Mexico. He was closely followed by 
 Presbyterian missionaries. Baptists, Congregationalists, 
 and Methodists. The latter sect has been, undoubtedly, 
 the most successful, and to them the field is virtually 
 conceded. In the city of Mexico they were granted a 
 portion of a vast old conventual structure, and the govern- 
 ment — notwithstanding the opposition of the Romish 
 Church — exhibited a friendliness that was encouraging. 
 Churches, chapels and mission-houses have been erected 
 and congregations formed, until at the present time there 
 are over two hundred preachers in the field, the majority 
 being native Mexicans. . They have not escaped persecu- 
 tion, and rarely a year passes that some missionary is not 
 
5i6 Mexico. 
 
 murdered. In spite of the fact that the Roman Catholics 
 are not in power, they manage to keep alive the slumbering 
 embers of fanaticism, and every few months fan it into 
 a flame that is not extinguished save with the blood of a 
 Protestant. 
 
 To the credit of the present government, it must be said 
 that it endeavors faithfully to protect the new sects it 
 encouraged to enter this wide field. The Methodists, 
 under Rev. Dr. Butler, publish an excellent Christian 
 paper, and are indefatigable in their efforts to extend the 
 gospel of truth and righteousness. 
 
 Save for the operations of guerillas, in remote and 
 unprotected districts, and a rising against federal authority 
 in Michoacan and Sinaloa — which rebellions lasted 
 nearly eighteen months — the years of 1874 and 1875 
 passed by without disturbance. An arbitrary act of the 
 government, — the expulsion from the territory of the 
 Sisters of Charity, in 1874 — again brought the religious 
 question before the press, and awoke the most bitter 
 feelings in the breasts of the people. Though the govern- 
 ment defended its action by the plea of the necessity of 
 making thorough work of the religious orders, and urged 
 tlie same objections against the Sisters of Charity as 
 against the Jesuits — namely, that they were in the service 
 of the Pope, and secretly undermining the lawful govern- 
 ment of Mexico — yet one cannot help feeling that a more 
 gentle treatment could have been found available. Dis- 
 regarding all petitions and entreaties, the authorities 
 forced above three hundred of these unfortunate Sisters to 
 leave the country, and seek asylums in other lands, in 
 January and February, 1875. This cruel edict of expulsion 
 revived anew the long-buried passions of many, and gave 
 rise to several insurrections, notably that of Michoacan. 
 
 [A. D. 1875.] The army had become by this time well- 
 
Presidency of Lerdo de Tejada. 5^7 
 
 drilled and an efficient power, chiefly owing to the in- 
 defatigable exertions of General Rocha, who had saved 
 the government from its enemies when struggling against 
 foes raised against it from its own ranks. He was now 
 denounced as designing to use this effective military 
 organization to place himself in power, and thrown into 
 prison. During his short term in prison he may have had 
 occasion to reflect upon the ingratitude of his country, and 
 to pass in review the sad endings of the lives of preceding 
 patriots, from Guerrero to Comonfort, and Mexia. 
 
 During 1875 disturbances arose on the border between 
 Mexico and the United States, and the former power ex- 
 hibited her desire to mete out justice by ordering her gen- 
 eral in command in that section (Tamaulipas) under arrest. 
 In August of the same year Chiapas, a state in the south, 
 bordering on Guatemala, was invaded by a renegade Mexi- 
 can with a force from Guatemala. Though this invasion 
 was promptly met and the force destroyed, yet it was the 
 occasion of reopening the question of territory between the 
 two republics of Mexico and Guatemala. The latter re- 
 public laid claim to Chiapas, or at the least the province of 
 Soconusco, and the question is still pending between the 
 two governments, though with every probability of being 
 settled by the retention of this territory as a portion of 
 Mexico. 
 
 The years 1874 and 1875 ^^^^ attended with a less 
 number of murders and crimes in general than any preced- 
 ing epoch, and the offenders met with more speedy and im- 
 partial punishment, yet the list of crimes is by no, means 
 small. The important events of this period were the going 
 forth of an expedition to observe the transit of Venus, and 
 the appropriation by Congress of $300,000 to properly 
 represent Mexico at the coming Centennial Exposition in 
 Philadelphia. Floods and earthquakes vexed the country 
 
5 1 8 Mexico, 
 
 during 1875 ; but the march of improvement, which had 
 commenced on the advent of the Party of Reform, con- 
 tinued its iminterrupted progress. 
 
 In December, 1874, a decree of Congress gave to Senores 
 Camacho and Mendizabel a concession for a railroad 
 to Leon. This was the initiatory movement which has re- 
 sulted in that grand enterprise, a railroad from the capital 
 of Mexico to her northern frontier, at El Paso. Already, 
 in 1873, the question of granting subsidies to railroads to 
 be built by American capitalists had been discussed in 
 Congress. The English railroad, from Vera Cruz to the 
 capital, received an annual benefaction of $560,000 ; and 
 but for this aid would never have been built, or, if built, 
 could not have been operated. A lottery was established 
 in aid of the new enterprise, called the " Lottery of the 
 Central Railroad." Roads, railways, and telegraph lines 
 continued to be built and started, until, to-day, Mexico is 
 covered with a network of wires, and dissected in every 
 portion by real and projected roads. Under the wise and 
 energetic government of Senor Lerdo, the peace of the 
 country had been preserved and commerce protected. 
 Mexico now began to assert her ancient claim to be con- 
 sidered among the great exporting nations of the world. 
 In the fiscal year ending in 1875 the exports from the port 
 of Vera Cruz amounted to $16,375,586, of which $14,000,- 
 000 were in silver ore and gold. 
 
 [A. D. 1876.] Towards the end of 1875 it became 
 apparent that the state of peace could not long continue ; 
 in fact, the year that brought to us, of the United States, 
 the hundredth anniversary of our independence, was to 
 find unhappy Mexico again plunged into civil war. The 
 inspiring genius of this unfortunate movement, which had 
 for its object the overthrow of the heads of government, 
 was General Porfirio Diaz, who, from a place of security on 
 
The Revohuion under Diaz. 
 
 5ig 
 
 the border, directed the revolutionary operations. Insti- 
 gated by him and his chiefs, rebeUions multiplied so fast that 
 the distracted government knew not in which direction to 
 send its troops. The principal of these were the insurrec- 
 tions of the Indians of Oaxaca — birthplace of Diaz — and 
 of Jalisco. From Sonora to Yucatan, the Porfiristas were 
 rising. We have seen that General Diaz retired disap- 
 
 GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 
 
 pointed to his hacienda, at the disbanding of troops, and in 
 his seclusion, it seems, he had formed his plan for a return 
 to the possession of the power he thirsted to obtain. 
 Murders, assassinations, robberies and abductions were 
 now once more rife in the country, which so recently had 
 enjoyed a short interval of peace, and it seemed as though 
 all the battles of the past fifty years would require to 
 
5 20 Mexico. 
 
 be fought over again. Space forbids even an enumeration 
 of the. pronujzciamie7ttos of this period. The train to Vera 
 Cruz was stopped, on the 19th of March, and the com- 
 mander of its escort foully murdered, while all communi- 
 cation with that seaport was for a time interrupted. 
 
 In a paper published in Mexico — " The Nineteenth 
 Century " — appeared on the 7th of May, 1876, the " Plan " 
 of General Diaz, dated from Palo Blanco (state of Tamau- 
 lipas), in which were denounced the President of the 
 Republic, the Congress and the recognized authorities. 
 This man found a pretext for his revolutionary acts in the 
 declaration that Lerdo did not merit a re-election. A large 
 body of the people shared in this idea, but it was more in 
 accordance with Mexican character to desire a change 
 than to appreciate stability and peace. No fault was 
 found with Seiior Lerdo, save that he had retained in 
 his cabinet the old ministers of Juarez, who had become 
 obnoxious to the people, simply from the fact that they had 
 been in office so long ! Rotation in office seems to have 
 been a fixed principle in Mexican ideas of government. 
 To state it in brief : the political and military revolutionary 
 leaders of Mexico regarded moi*e highly the benefits accru- 
 incr from an office than the office itself; and now, disre- 
 garding the fact that the country was well governed, 
 sought the overthrow of its leader that they themselves 
 might have a share in the spoils. We have seen similar 
 demagogues in power in our own country ; but the difter- 
 ence between them lies mainly in the fact that in one 
 country they appeal to arms, and in the other to the votes 
 of the people ; in Mexico many are haply slain before they 
 accomplish much harm ; in the United States they run 
 their corrupt careers to the bitter end. 
 
 Several bloody actions ensued between the government 
 and the rebel forces, in which hundreds were killed and 
 
Lerdo Leaves Mexico. 52 1 
 
 wounded. Alatorre and Escobedo were the prominent 
 generals on the Federal side, while Gonzalez, Trevino, and 
 Hernandez were conspicuous as leaders of the rebels. 
 Diaz returned to Mexico at much personal risk, and fleeing 
 to his native hills of Oaxaca, there organized an immense 
 force of the Indians of the sierras, and commenced a 
 march upon the capital. He had previously been defeated 
 in battle in New Leon, whence he had escaped to New 
 Orleans, and thence to Oaxaca, via Vera Cruz. 
 
 The popular election for president took place in July, 
 1876, in which, in every district not occupied by Porfirista 
 forces, Lerdo obtained the majority of votes. This popular 
 verdict was sanctioned in September by the electoral 
 college, after a stormy debate, declaring Senor Lerdo de 
 Tejada the constitutional- President of Mexico by a vote of 
 123 to 49. . 
 
 With a barren treasury, with a country swarming with 
 enemies, and an active foe at the very gates of the capital, 
 Senor Lerdo held no very enviable position. On the i6th 
 of November Gener^ Alatorre was defeated by Gonzalez, 
 of the Porfirista army, at Tecoac, near Puebla, and this 
 event caused the president to decide upon evacuating 
 (though perhaps temporarily) the city of Mexico. On the 
 20th he left the city, accompanied by his cabinet and some 
 influential persons, and on the 24th General Porfirio Diaz 
 entered it, at the head of his army. 
 
 The so-called constitutional army was composed mainly 
 of the Indians of the sierras (hills) of Oaxaca and Puebla, 
 half-clad and incompletely armed — the very offscourings 
 of the population — and partly of government troops who 
 had been seduced by Diaz. 
 
 At this time there were actually three presidents in Mexico, 
 each with his cabinet, and each invoking in his favor the 
 Constitution of 1857. Difficult (says the native historian) 
 
522 Mexico, 
 
 is it for the impartial chronicler, much less the youthful 
 reader, to comprehend who was in the right in this political 
 labyrinth. It does not seem difficult to the impartial 
 reader of another nation to decide. On the side of law 
 and order was Lerdo, the constitutionally elected President 
 of the Republic ; against him was the usurper, Diaz, at the 
 head of a revolutionary army ; and the former president 
 of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jose Iglesias, who was 
 vainly endeavoring to have himself recognized as supreme 
 ruler. 
 
 It does not seem possible that President Lerdo could 
 have had any intention of abandoning the trust committed 
 in him by the people. When we remember his noble 
 bearing during the trying times when in the persecuted 
 cabinet of Juarez, and his firmness in dealing with the 
 foreign invaders, we cannot but wonder at his pusillanimity 
 in deserting the capital without offering resistance to Diaz. 
 It is probable that prudence prevailed over ^ambition, and 
 that, unwilling to involve his fellow-citizens in bloodshed, 
 he retired until some peaceable solution of the question 
 might present itself. Not meeting with that reception in 
 the interior which he may have reasonably expected — 
 a reaction having set in amongst his own adherents of the 
 military class — he sadly turned his footsteps to the western 
 coast, and taking steamer at Acapulco sought refuge in 
 the United States. 
 
 We now see Diaz, who had pronouftced, not only against 
 Juarez — owing to not having been the object of military 
 preferment — but against Lerdo upon equally trivial pre- 
 text — in possession of supreme power in the capital. With 
 a large army at his disposal — for the native Mexican will 
 fight equally well under any leader, and Lerdo's most faith- 
 ful troops were now most ardent Porfiristas — Diaz soon 
 
General Diaz as President. 523 
 
 put down all opposition, and intrenched himself in an im- 
 pregnable position. 
 
 [A. D. 1877.] Previous to sallying forth from the 
 capital to meet the troops of Iglesias, at Queretaro, Diaz 
 named as second general-in-chief of the " constitutional " 
 army, and Provisional President of the Republic, Senor 
 Juan Mendez. Upon the return of Diaz from his northern 
 expedition, his minion, Mendez, issued a call for a convo- 
 cation for the election of president. The result was that 
 General Porfirio Diaz was " unanim.ously " declared " con- 
 stitutional President " of the Republic, on the second day 
 of May, 1877. 
 
 The manner of his election cannot fail to bring to mind 
 that Junta of Notables of the Church party, which ap- 
 pointed the Regency, which in turn confirmed in power the 
 aforenamed Junta, which precipitated the French interven- 
 tion. 
 
 The constant state of inquietude on the border, on both 
 sides of the Rio Grande, excited in the minds of many 
 Mexicans the fear that their neighbors of the United 
 States meditated another invasion of their territory. But, 
 notwithstanding the numerous outrages committed by 
 lawless parties of both repubhcs, and the necessity of send- 
 ing our troops across the border to punish hostile Indians 
 and cattle thieves, no serious complication resulted. 
 
 The last revolutionary chief who had vaulted into the 
 presidential chair in Mexico was not at first recognized by 
 the United States. 
 
 General Diaz at first experienced considerable difficulty in 
 reorganizing his cabinet, and it was not until the admission 
 of Matias Romero to the management of the affairs of the 
 Hacienda — or public treasury — that anything like order 
 was restored. The conservative party had not yet re- 
 
524 Mexico, 
 
 covered from its terrible defeat, but the Liberals still con- 
 tinued divided. They were now known as Porfiristas^ 
 Tuxtepecanos, and Lerdistas. The former were the intimate 
 friends of Diaz, who were now recipients of rewards for 
 their devotedness to his interests ; the second insisted upon 
 his recognizing the "plans," or pretexts, by which he had 
 placed himself in power ; the third party was composed of 
 friends of Lerdo, the only legally-elected president. After 
 a few ineffectual protests, the latter abandoned the field 
 and left the usurper in possession. 
 
 [A. D. 1878.] General Diaz, though he had attained his 
 triumph upon the " Plan of Tuxtepec," made no actual 
 changes in the form of government as pursued by his 
 predecessor. His pretext had served his purpose, and had 
 elevated him to command. Policy dictated that he should 
 govern according to the laws of the Constitution of 1857. 
 His own interests demanded that he should place himself 
 at the front of the progressive movement. He had the 
 sagacity of Santa Anna as well as the firmness of that oft- 
 elected ruler of Mexico; and there is no doubt, had 
 occasion demanded it, he would have striven as hard to re- 
 gain his position, had he been overthrown at the outset. 
 But the times had changed since the days of Santa Anna ; 
 the people had grown weary of fighting ; they cared little 
 who ruled them, so long as he appeared to rule wisely. 
 Hence it was that Diaz was not sent into exile within a 
 short period, and continued in power till the end of the 
 term for which he had elected himself. Not that there 
 were not the usual number of disturbances in distant dis- 
 tricts i not that there were not rebellions and pronuncia- 
 mientos by disaffected partisans who were neglected in the 
 distribution of ofiices ! On the contrary, many of these 
 occurred, but they were soon quelled, owing to the loyalty 
 of the army, which Diaz had completely won. The first of 
 
Insurrection Quelled. 
 
 525 
 
 these who adopted Diaz' own tactics against himself was 
 one Lomeli, in Jalisco. Then there was a serious move- 
 inent on the frontier, headed by no less a personage than 
 General Escobedo, who looked to a restoration of the 
 banished president, Lerdo. This grand 
 old warrior, a second Guerrero, was 
 made prisoner, and incarcerated finally 
 in the prison of Santiago. This seems 
 to have been the fate of nearly every 
 Mexican commander who fought upon 
 
 
 principle, and re- 
 fused to change his 
 colors with every suc- 
 cessful usurper of su- 
 preme power. 
 
 In March, 1869, 
 there was a serious 
 outbreak in the mili- 
 tary district of Tepic, 
 which the govern- 
 ment put forth great 
 exertions to subdue, 
 
 and in June, of the same year, the war steamer " Liberty " 
 pronounced against the administration of Tuxtepec. This 
 event caused for awhile terror and confusion on the coast, 
 as it was something new in the annals of pronunciamientos, 
 
 MARKET SCENE, CITY OF MEXICO. 
 
526 Mexico. 
 
 which until this time had been entirely on land. A minU- 
 terial crisis was brought about soon, by which there was 
 placed in power, as Secretary of War, General Manuel Gon- 
 zalez. This able lieutenant of Diaz had resided in retire- 
 ment on his hacienda since the battle of Tecoac, at which 
 action he was wounded. His services had not been for- 
 gotten by the president, who now rewarded him, paving the 
 way (as we shall shortly see) for his elevation to the highest 
 office in the power of the nation to bestow. 
 
 [A. D. 1879.] The rebellion of Tepic, being at that time 
 unsubdued. General Gonzalez, in December, 1879, "^^^ 
 placed in command of a numerous and well-appointed 
 army, and succeeded in bringing the inhabitants of that 
 territory to terms. He also prepared the way for the 
 peaceful progress of the election for president, which had 
 now begun to agitate the country. It happened now (as 
 had ever been the case) that a period of calm preceded 
 this important event, the people refraining from arms, and 
 holding themselves in readiness to respond to their various 
 leaders when the result of the election should be pro- 
 claimed. 
 
 As has been remarked in an early stage of Mexican inde- 
 pendence, military prestige is essential to success in Mexican 
 politics. This is no less true at present than in the early 
 years of the republic, and those who were manipulating 
 the preliminaries for General Gonzalez well understood 
 this fact. His pacification of the territory of Tepic and his 
 good standing with the army won for him half the battle. 
 Although the papers of the country were exceedingly bitter 
 in their controversies, yet there were no scenes of bloodshed 
 enacted. The president and the army were with Gonzalez, 
 and who, then, could oppose him ? 
 
 [A. D. 1880.] On the 30th of November, General Diaz 
 yielded the power he had wielded since the battle of 
 
Gonzalez, President of Mexico 527 
 
 Tecoac to his successor, the hero of that battle, and 
 General Gonzalez became ruler of Mexico. Much astonish- 
 ment has been expressed that Diaz did not secure — what 
 he undoubtedly could have done — a re-election.. But this 
 he could not have done consistently with the principles he 
 professed to believe in, for he had combated Lerdo upon 
 the basis of no re-election. He resigned the reins of 
 government into the hands of his friend, Gonzalez, with 
 good grace, more especially as he still continued de facto 
 President of Mexico. 
 
 To those who believe General Diaz capable of commit- 
 ting the great sacrifice of voluntarily giving up what it cost 
 him so much to obtain, and that pure patriotism dictated 
 his act of abdication, it will only be necessary to point out 
 a certain amendment to the constitution : — 
 
 "The president will enter upon his duties on the ist of 
 December, and will remain in office four years. He will 
 not be eligible for re-election for the period immediately* 
 succeeding, neither shall he occupy the presidency, for any 
 reason, until four years have passed Without his exercising 
 executive functions." 
 
 This is a liberal translation of " Article 78," as amended 
 in 1877. It would, perhaps, be well to remember this amend- 
 ment, made to bolster General Diaz in his position. If 
 General Diaz does not assert a claim to the presidency in 
 the coming election of 1884, then we may award him his 
 full meed of praise. At present we can only hold our 
 judgment in reserve, for he has done nothing that especi- 
 ally redounds to his credit, unless disinterested. We see, 
 in his act, merely the transfer of authority from one revo- 
 lutionary chief to another, who holds his high office as 
 a trust, until his superior officer can again become eligible 
 under the law. Upon his retirement from the presidency 
 Diaz was provided with a place in the cabinet, as " Minister 
 
528 Mexico. 
 
 of Fomento," or public works, and the next year was 
 installed as governor of the State of Oaxaca, by orders of 
 the central government. 
 
 A noteworthy event in the commercial history of Mexico 
 was the arrival in the capital of a party of nearly one 
 hundred and forty ' merchants and commercial men of 
 Chicago, in January, 1879. Their coming was hailed by 
 the Mexicans as an omen of increasing prosperity, and the 
 western capitalists were everywhere treated with that 
 courtesy and attention their exalted position merited. 
 
 A year later, in February, 1880, General Grant, ex- 
 president of the United States, concluded his extended tour 
 around the world by visiting Mexico. He was received, like 
 the business men from Chicago, with the vivas of an enthu- 
 siastic people. Processions were formed in his honor, and 
 he was lodged and fed at the cost of the municipality. His 
 visit was without political significance, although certain 
 seditious leaders of opinion in Mexico disseminated the 
 foolish report that he desired to eventually establish him- 
 self as dictator in that country. That his motives were 
 friendly towards Mexico was conclusively proven in the 
 following year, when he returned to that country em- 
 powered by some New York capitalists to secure a con- 
 cession for a railroad, w4iich, if built, will greatly benefit 
 the southern portion of Mexico. 
 
 Within the past five years vast and important changes 
 have taken place in Mexico. Through the impulse of 
 American capital and energy, she is taking immense strides 
 onward towards a glorious future of prosperity. Her mines 
 are being developed — those inexhaustible veins of silver 
 and gold, that have been worked ever since the period of 
 the conquest without yet showing signs of depletion. 
 
 Greater progress has been made in the direction of rail- 
 way construction than was ever known before. 
 
Material and Intellectual Progress. 529 
 
 We have noticed the commencement of the first impor- 
 tant railroad, and the granting of " concessions," or permis- 
 sions, to build. 
 
 Since the dates of the latter events nothing has occurred 
 to interrupt their continued advance. Capital has flowed 
 into the country from every portion of the United States, 
 chiefly from the North. Two great international lines 
 have not only availed themselves of the liberal subsidies 
 granted by the Mexican government, but have worked with 
 such energy that more than a thousand miles, all told, are 
 in actual operation. Four other railway enterprises also 
 seek ingress into Mexico, and her territory will soon be 
 covered with a network of steel that shall rival in leno;th 
 the web of wire woven across her by the lines of the 
 telegraph and telephone. All these great lines either 
 diverge from, or seek a terminal station in, the city of 
 Mexico, that ancient capital of the Aztecs, now, as then, 
 the centre of Mexican civilization and progress. 
 
 Under the fostering care of government the revenues 
 have been steadily augmented, until the last fiscal year of 
 1881-2 showed a grand total of $27,500,000, an increase 
 over the year previous of $4,500,000. 
 
 Material progress has not outstripped intellectual ad- 
 vancement, as schools, colleges, and libraries have sprung 
 up all over the land. At the secularization of the church 
 property the vast conventual buildings became the property 
 of the State, and the great libraries, containing many and 
 rare volumes, were thrown open to the public. These 
 have formed nuclei, about which have been gathered new 
 and modern books, and from which the popular mind is 
 being supplied with intellectual food. The newspapers 
 published in Mexico, according to a recent statement in a 
 leading paper, number two hundred and eighty-three, of 
 which ninety-four appear in the capital. They print, in 
 
530 Mexico. 
 
 the aggregate, 378,000 copies, with a total annual circu- 
 lation of 47,000,000 copies. The libraries of Puebla 
 and the city of Mexico are becoming models of their 
 class. Of paintings, by many famous artists, Mexico has 
 her full share, as the viceroys and the wealthy men of the 
 IDast century adorned convents and churches with many 
 gems of art. The Academy of San Carlos, in Mexico, 
 contains masterly productions, not only of Mexico's 
 talented sons, but of painters long since famous in the 
 world of art, and sculptures that have received the 
 encomiums even of such men as the great Humboldt. 
 
 The scientific world is indebted to Mexico for such illus- 
 trious nam^es as Cubas, Orozcoy Berra, Mendoza, Blazquez, 
 and Barcena, shining lights among a host of lesser lumin- 
 aries. These indefatigable w^orkers, in the National 
 Museum and in the Meteorological Observatory of the 
 Capital, are marching with the van-guard of scientific 
 observers. Only those writers ignorant of their labors, 
 and unacquainted with the language in which they publish 
 them, have the temerity to assert that Mexico has produced 
 no men of mark in the realm of thought and original 
 investigation. Their works are a standing refutation to 
 such slanderous statements, and when they shall be col- 
 lected, and translated into the leading languages of the 
 world, they will form a monument to genius that any 
 nation might well be proud of. 
 
 Mexico assuredly contains within herself every element 
 of prosperity ; she has the richest mines in the world, the 
 most varied resources of agricultural wealth, and the 
 greatest variety of soil, surface, and climate. It only re- 
 mains with her people, who now number ten millions, to 
 properly conserve and develop this vast wealth, for her to 
 take a leading position among the nations of the world. 
 
 She has now enjoyed an almost uninterrupted peace of 
 
Mexican Pledges of Peace, 
 
 531 
 
 nearly five years. Will that peace continue, and will her 
 people accept the lessons the experience of sixty years of 
 revolutions should have taught them ? Is there any assur- 
 ance that peace will continue for, even, five years more, and 
 that they will not rush to arms at the first trumpet blast of 
 any revolutionary leader ? 
 
 Their much maligned civil wars were not 
 always struggles between rival leaders, but 
 at times desperate battles for freedom, with 
 as good a cause to fight for as ever our 
 
 CANAL OF LA VIGA, CITY OF MEXICO. 
 
 fathers had in 1776. But, through a long continuance of 
 this evil, civil war, the Mexican people do not entertain that 
 horror of bloodshed that prevails in a country blessed with 
 years of peace. It has given birth to hosts of men with mill- 
 
5 32 Mexico. 
 
 tary aspirations, to men who thirst for power and military 
 fame, and who are ready to seize upon any pretext for ob- 
 taming it. We have seen this on the occasion of the last 
 successful revolution ; and though General Diaz, once firmly 
 seated, used his power temperately and wisely, and promoted 
 the arts of peace and progress, no security can be given that 
 the next J)ronundador against lawful authority will conduct 
 himself with such moderation General Diaz was a saga- 
 cious man, who saw the necessity for arraying his forces on 
 the side of progress, and who recognized the fact that his 
 country could not much longer endure the odium of the 
 world for her deeds of violence. Was it policy or patriot- 
 ism that guided him .? 
 
 If, in the coming election of 1884, he shall rise to the 
 position of a disinterested spectator, and abstain from 
 any fresh act of violence, he will receive, and merit, the 
 highest praise. If, on the contrary, he demands back from 
 his henchman, Gonzalez, the presidential chair, as a right 
 acquired by conquest, — though under pretext of a vote 
 from the people — will not his country be precipitated anew 
 into a state of anarchy and confusion ? Is it not as true 
 now as it was in years past, that : " In Mexico, more than 
 anywhere else, political parties are actuated by interest, 
 not by conviction " ? 
 
 Suffrage is only nominally universal. The poor Indian 
 has the right to vote, but rarely exercises it; and then 
 never inquires how the election returns are manipulated in 
 the interests of those who are in office, and who desire to 
 stay in. 
 
 A strong central government, arbitrary, almost despotic, 
 in its character, rules Mexico. It is not the will of the 
 people that is expressed, but the will of a few. The rail- 
 roads, telegraphs, improved methods of communication, are 
 
Mexico Marching on, 533 
 
 they actual evidences of the regeneration of Mexico, and of 
 her sincere desire for internal improvement and external 
 communication ; or, rather, the outgrowth of that central 
 system of government, which encourages all means of con- 
 nection with remote provinces, in order that it may the 
 more easily quell any incipient revolution ? It sits in- 
 trenched in its capital in the valley of Mexico, and, 
 Briareus-like, stretches out its iron claws to grasp the disaf- 
 fected throughout its territory. 
 
 Mexico has passed through terrible ordeals, and has be- 
 come in a measure purified ; yet she is still on probation 
 before the world. Not her most enthusiastic friend dare 
 assert that she is in the enjoyment of an assured peace, 
 while the elements of disturbance : unscrupulous leaders, 
 and ignorant people in the majority, still exist; and a 
 crushed, though still powerful, priesthood, is nursing its 
 wrath and gaining to itself strength for a renewal of the 
 contest between Church and State. 
 
 Upon the wisdom and forbearance of her rulers for 
 the coming decade depends Mexico's salvation. If a crisis 
 does not occur in the approaching piresidential election, the 
 friends of Mexico may well take courage and indulge in 
 the hope of a permanent peace. 
 
 Mexico, to-day, is a confederated republic of twenty- 
 seven states, one territory, and one federal district, with a 
 form of government modelled after that of the United 
 States. The press is free, and religious liberty is com- 
 plete, in theory, and no one is molested for his political 
 opinions. Commerce and labor flow on unmolested in 
 regular channels, and the internal and external obligations 
 of the country are being paid with regularity. Her position 
 to-day, except for the uncertain state of her politics, is 
 one to be envied. Every indication points towards an 
 
534 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 era of prosperity hitherto without a parallel in her history. 
 The whole world looks upon her advancement with atten- 
 tion, and the people of the United States, especially, are 
 sincerely united in the desire that she has entered upon 
 a long and uninterrupted 
 
 PERIOD OF PEACE. 
 
Young Folks' Histories, 
 
 SECOND SERIES. 
 
 AMERICA By H. Buttp:rworth. 
 
 MEXICO .By Frederick A- Ober. 
 
 NETHERLANDS By Alexander Young. 
 
 RUSSIA ...... . . .By Nathan H. Dole. 
 
 FIJ^ST SERIES. 
 
 By Ch \rlotte M. Yonge. 
 BIRF.E. ROME. 
 
 ENGLAND. GREECE. 
 
 FRANCE. GERMANY. 
 
 THE GREAT CITIES. 
 
 LONDON By W. H. Rideing. 
 
 BOSTON By H. Butterworth. 
 
 IN PREPARATION. 
 
 Edinburgh By F. H. Allen. 
 
 New York By Martha J. Lamb. 
 
 Constantinople By Nathan H. Dole. 
 
 Each one volume, 16mo. Uniform. Cloth, $1.50. 
 Fully Illustrated, 
 
 ESTES AND LAURIAT, Publishers. 
 
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