THE AZTEC ACCOUNT OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF MEXICO 19

were so frightened and grief-stricken that they could form no judgment about these things, so
new and strange and never before seen or reported.

The Wonders and Signs Observed in Tlaxcala

Other signs appeared here in this province of Tlaxcala, a little before the arrival of the Spaniards.
The first sign was a radiance that shone in the east every morning three hours before sunrise.
This radiance was in the form of a brilliant white cloud which rose to the sky, and the people
were filled with dread and wonder, not knowing what it could be.

They also saw another marvelous sign: a whirlwind of dust that rose like a sleeve from the top of
the Matlalcueye, now called the Sierra de Tlaxcala.' This sleeve rose so high that it seemed to
touch the sky. The sign appeared many times throughout a whole year and caused the people
great dread and wonder, emotions which are contrary to their bent and to that of their nation.
They could only believe that the gods had descended from heaven, and the news flew through
the province to the smallest villages. But however this may have been, the arrival of a strange
new people was at last reported and confirmed, especially in Mexico, the head of this empire and
monarchy.

Chapter Two

First Reports of the Spaniards' Arrival

Introduction

The Cronica Mexicana by Fernando Alvarado Tezozomoc relates how Motecuhzoma consulted
various seers and magicians to learn whether the omens meant an approaching war or some other
crisis. They could not give him a satisfactory answer. However, a poor macehual (common man)
arrived shortly afterward from the Gulf coast, bringing the first word of the appearance of
"towers or small mountains floating on the waves of the sea." A later report said that the
mountains bore a strange people who "have very light skin, much lighter than ours. They all have
long beards, and their hair comes only to their ears."

Motecuhzoma was even more distressed by this news than he had been by the omens. Therefore,
he sent messengers and gifts to the strangers, believing that they might be Quetzalcoatl and other
divinities returning to Mexico, as the codices and traditions promised they would.

Motecuhzoma Questions the Magicians

Motecuhzoma summoned the chief officials of all the villages. He told them to search their
villages for magicians and to bring him any they found. The officials returned with a number of
these wizards, who were announced and then brought in to the king's presence. They knelt before
him, with one knee on the floor, and did him & greatest reverence. He asked them: "Have you
not seen strange omens in the sky or on the earth? In the caves under the earth, or in the lakes
and streams? A weeping woman, or strange men? Visions, or phantasms, or other such things?"

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But the magicians had not seen any of the omens that Motecuhzoma sought to understand, and
therefore could not advise him. He said to his petlacalcatll [head steward): "Take these villains
away, and lock them up in the Cuauhcalco prison. They shall tell me against their will." The next
day he called for his pettacalcatl and said to him: "Tell the magicians to say what they believe:
whether sickness is going to strike, or hunger, or locusts, or storms on the lake, or droughts, and
whether it will rain or not. If war is threatening Mexico, or if there will be sudden deaths, or
deaths caused by wild beasts, they are not to hide it from me. They must also tell me if they have
heard the voice of Cihuacoatl, for when something is to happen, she is the first to predict it, even
long before it takes place."

The magicians answered: "What can we say? The future has already been determined and
decreed in heaven, and Motecuhzoma will behold and suffer a great mystery which must come to
pass in his land. If our king wishes to know more about it, he will know soon enough, for it
comes swiftly. This is what we predict, since he demands that we speak, and since it must surely
take place, he can only wait for it."

The petlacalcatll returned to Motecuhzoma and told him openly what they had said, that what
was to come would come swiftly. Motecuhzoma was astonished to find that this agreed with the
prediction made by Nezahualpi king of Tezcoco.' He said to the petlacalcatl: "Question them
again about this mystery. Ask them if it will come from the sky or the earth, and from what
direction or place it will come, and when this will happen."

The petlacalcatl went back to the prison to question them, but when he entered and unlocked the
doors, he was terrified to discover that they were not there. He returned to Motecuhzoma and
said to him: "My lord, command that I be cut to pieces, or whatever else you wish: for you must
know, my lord, that when I arrived and opened the doors, no one was there. I have special guards
at the prison, trustworthy men who have served me for years, but none of them heard them
escape. I myself believe that they flew away, for they know how to make themselves invisible,
which they do every night, and can fly to the ends of the earth. This is what they must have
done."

Motecuhzoma said: "Let the villains go. Call the chiefs together, and tell them to go to the
villages where the magicians live. Tell them to kill their wives and all their children, and to
destroy their houses." He also ordered many servants to go with them to ransack the houses.
When the chiefs arrived, they killed the women by hanging them with ropes, and the children by
dashing them to pieces against the walls. Then they tore down the houses and even rooted out
their foundations.

A Macebual Arrives from the Gulf Coast

A few days later a macehual [common man] came to the city from Mictlancuauhtla. No one had
sent him, none of the officials; he came of his own accord. He went directly to the palace of
Motecuhzoma and said to him: "Our lord and king, forgive my boldness. I am from
Mictlancuauhtla. When I went to the shores of the great sea, there was a mountain range or small
mountain floating in the midst of the water, and moving here and there without touching the

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shore. My lord, we have never seen the like of this, although we guard the coast and are always
on watch."

Motecuhzoma thanked him and said: "You may rest now." The man who brought this news had
no ears, for they had been cut off, and no toes, for they had also been cut off.

Motecuhzoma said to his petlacalcath "Take him to the prison, and guard him well." Then he
called for a teuctlama cazqui [priest] and appointed him his grand emissary. He said to him: "Go
to CuetlaxtIan, and tell the official in charge of the village that it is true, strange thin have
appeared on the great sea. Tell him to investigate these things himself, so as to learn what they
may signify. Tell him to do this as quickly as he can, and take the ambassador Cuitlalpitoc with
you."

When they arrived in Cuetlaxtlan, the envoys spoke with the official in charge there, a man
named Pinotl. He listened to them with great attention and then said: "My lords, rest here with
me, and send your attendants out to the shore." The attendants went out and came back in great
haste to report that it was true: they had seen two towers or small mountains floating on the
waves of the sea. The grand emissary said to Pinotl: "I wish to see these things in person, in
order to learn what they are, for I must testify to our lord as an eyewitness. I will be satisfied
with this and will report to him exactly what I see." Therefore he went out to the shore with
Cuitlalpitoc, and they saw what was floating there, beyond the edge of the water. They also saw
that seven or eight of the strangers had left it in a small boat and were fishing with hooks and
lines.

The grand emissary and Cuidalpitoc climbed up into a broad- limbed tree. From there they saw
how the strangers were catching fish and how, when they were done, they returned to the ship in
their small boat. The grand emissary said: "Come, Cuitlalpitoc." They climbed down from the
tree and went back to the village, where they took hasty leave of Pinotl. They returned as swiftly
as possible to the great city of Tenochtitlan, to report to Motecuhzoma what they had observed.

When they reached the city, they went directly to the king's palace and spoke to him with all due
reverence and humility: "Our lord and king, it is true that strange people have come to the shores
of the great sea. They were fishing from a small boat, some with rods and others with a net. They
fished until late and then they went back to their two great towers and climbed up into them.
There were about fifteen of these people, some with blue jackets, others with red, others with
black or green, and still others with jackets of a soiled color, very ugly, like our ichtilmatli. There
were also a few without jackets. On their heads they wore red kerchiefs, or bonnets of a fine
scarlet color, and some wore large round hats like small comales, which must have been
sunshades. They have very light skin, much lighter than ours, They all have long beards, and
their hair comes only to their ears."

Motecuhzoma was downcast when he heard this report, and did not speak a word.

Preparations Ordered by Motecubzoma

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After a long silence, Motecuhzoma finally spoke: "You are the chiefs of my own house and
palace and I can place more faith and credit in you than in anyone else because you have always
told me the truth. Go with the petlacalcati and bring me the man who is locked up in the jail, the
macehual who came as a messenger from the coast." They went to the jail, but when they opened
the doors, they could not find him anywhere. They hurried back to tell Motecuhzom \a, who was
even more astonished and terrified than they were. He said: "It is a natural thing, for almost
everyone is a magician. But hear what I tell you now, and if you reveal anything of what I am
about to command, will bury you under my halls, and your wives and children will be killed, and
your property seized. Your houses will be destroyed to the bottom of their foundations, until the
water seeps up, and your parents and all your kin will be put to death. Now bring me in secret
two of the best artists among the silversmiths, and two lapidaries who are skillful at working
emeralds."'

They went and returned and said to him: "Our lord, here are the craftsmen you commanded us to
bring you."Motecuhzoma said: "Tell them to enter." They entered, and he said to them: "Come
here to me, my fathers. You are to know that I have called for you to have you make certain
objects. But take care that you do not reveal this to anyone, for if you do, it will mean the ruin of
your houses to their foundations, and the loss of your goods, and death to yourselves, your wives,
your children and your kin, for all shall die. Each of you is to make two objects, and you are to
make them in my presence, here in secret in this palace."

He told one craftsman: "Make a throat-band or chain of gold, with links four fingers wide and
very thin, and let each piece and medallion bear rich emeralds in the center and at the sides, like
earrings, two by two. Then make a pair of gold bracelets, with chains of gold hanging from them.
And do this with all the haste in the world."

He ordered the other craftsman to make two great fans with rich feathers, in the center of one
side a half-moon of gold, on the other a gold sun, both well burnished so that they would shine
from far away. He also told him to make two gold armlets rich with feathers. And he ordered
each of the lapidaries to make two double bracelets-that is, for both wrists and both ankles-of
gold set with fine emeralds.

Then he ordered his petlacalcatltl to bring in secret many canutos of gold, and plumage of the
noblest sort, and many emeralds and other rich stones of the finest quality. All of this was given
to the artisans and in a few days they had finished their work. One morning, after the king had
risen, they sent a palace hunchback to the king Motecuhzoma, to beg him to come to their
workroom.

When he entered, they showed him great reverence and said: "Our lord, the work is finished.
Please inspect it." Motecuhzoma saw that the work was excellent, and he told them that all had
been done to his satisfaction and pleasure. He called for his petlacalcatl and said: "Give each of
these, my grandfathers, a portion of various rich cloths; and huipiles and skirts for my
grandmothers; and cotton, chiles, corn, squash seeds and beans, the same amount to each." And
with this the craftsmen returned to their homes contented....

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