_How we all, including Narvaez's troops, hasten to Mexico by forced
marches._
On receiving the intelligence that Mexico was in rebellion, and Alvarado
besieged in his quarters, the plan of forming settlements in Panuco and
Guacasualco was for the present abandoned, and Leon and Ordas were again
ordered to join the main body.
Cortes soon found that Narvaez's troops were very unwilling to join us
in the Mexican campaign; but he desired them, in a most kind manner, to
forget the old enmity which had existed between Narvaez and himself, and
assured them that their only way to wealth and eminence was to join us
in this campaign; by so doing they would enter into a country where they
would be able to render services unto God and the emperor; and this,
too, was an opportunity which perhaps would not so readily present
itself again. In short, he told them so many fine things, that they one
and all agreed to accompany us: if, however, they had had any idea of
Mexico's vast power, not one of them would have been so ready to join
us.
We now broke up our quarters, and marched forward with all expedition.
In Tlascalla, we were informed that the Mexicans had continued their
hostilities against Alvarado as long as Motecusuma and his generals
believed we were at war with Narvaez. They had killed seven of our men
and burned down a portion of our quarters there, and had not stayed
hostilities until they heard of the recent victory we had gained: they
still, however, refused to supply Alvarado with either water or food.
This information was received in Tlascalla the moment we arrived there.
Cortes now reviewed the whole of his troops, which amounted to 1300 men,
96 horses, 80 crossbow-men, and a like number of musketeers. This body
of troops Cortes considered sufficiently strong to venture fearlessly
into Mexico with, particularly as the caziques of Tlascalla had
furnished us with 2000 of their warriors.
We now continued our march with the same briskness until we came to
Tezcuco. It was in this large town we began to discover the ill-feeling
that was abroad against us. Not the slightest mark of respect was shown
us here, nor did any of the chiefs call upon us. It was on St. John's
day, in the month of June of the year 1520, we, for the second time,
entered the city of Mexico. No cazique, none of the principal officers,
none of our Mexican friends made their appearance, and the houses were
deserted. It was not until we had arrived in front of our quarters that
Motecusuma came out into the courtyard to welcome Cortes, and
congratulate him on his victory over Narvaez. Our general, however, was
flushed with the recent victory, and would not listen to him, so that
the monarch returned pensive and sad to his apartments.
We soldiers again took possession of our old quarters, and Narvaez's men
were provided with similar ones. Alvarado's men and ours, who had just
arrived, now began to relate what had taken place during this interval
of separation. The former related how they had been attacked by the
Mexicans, and the terrible resistance they had been forced to make. Then
we followed, and related how we had defeated Narvaez's troops, and taken
him prisoner.
The next thing Cortes did was to inquire into the real cause of the
insurrection of the Mexicans. Several soldiers, who were displeased
with Alvarado, affirmed that Motecusuma had evinced excessive grief on
account of these troubles, and they were quite confident that not a
single one of the men under Alvarado would have been spared alive if
Motecusuma had been in secret understanding with his subjects; on the
contrary, he continually strove to quiet them, and to put down the
insurrection. Alvarado, on his part, represented all this to our general
in a very different light. According to his assurances, the Mexicans had
risen up in arms to liberate their monarch, and to take revenge upon us,
by the express command of their god Huitzilopochtli, for our having
erected a cross and the image of the holy Virgin on his temple. Several
Mexicans, he added, had tried to remove the holy image from the altar on
which it is raised, but they had not been able to do so. Even the
inhabitants themselves had looked upon this circumstance as a great
wonder, and had mentioned it to Motecusuma, who then issued orders that
it should not be touched. It was, however, not true, continued Alvarado,
that Narvaez had sent word to the monarch he was coming to release him
from his confinement, and lead us all away in chains: on the contrary,
after Motecusuma found that though we were in possession of a sufficient
number of vessels, but made no preparation for embarking, he well
foresaw we never intended to leave the country again, but that more of
us would continually arrive, and that we should return to Mexico
accompanied by Narvaez's troops.
Upon this it was resolved they should put Alvarado with the whole of his
men to the sword, and liberate the monarch. The less doubt they had
entertained of Narvaez's being able to defeat us, the more sure they
made of carrying out their plan successfully. This Alvarado considered
sufficient to justify the conduct he had pursued. Cortes then wished to
know why he had fallen upon the Mexican chiefs while they were
celebrating a feast? Because, replied Alvarado, he had been assured by
two of the principal men of the town, by one of the papas, and by other
of the inhabitants, that the Mexicans intended falling upon him
immediately after the feast had ended.
But the Mexicans, interrupted Cortes, maintain that they had asked your
permission to celebrate the feast, and that you granted their request!
Alvarado could certainly not deny this, but assured him he had selected
that opportunity to punish them that it might come the more
unexpectedly, and strike the greater terror among them, and to
anticipate them in their premeditated attack upon him.
These statements were by no means satisfactory to Cortes, and he told
Alvarado, rather sharply, that he saw very little truth in all this,
but a good deal of irregularity hurtful to the Spanish cause: "For it is
very certain," added Cortes, "if the Almighty did not allow Motecusuma
to regain his liberty, it was because his idols might not construe it
into their own merit." Herewith Cortes turned his back upon him, and
desired him to say nothing further on the subject.
Besides this, Alvarado related many other things which happened during
the interval we had been absent from Mexico; one time, for instance,
when he sallied out upon the Mexicans, who were rushing forward in vast
numbers to set fire to his quarters, he ordered a cannon, heavily laden
with ball and small shot, to be fired against them; this piece, however,
did not go off until he had fought his way into the thickest of the
enemy, who were forcing him back to his quarters again: it then went off
of itself, and committed terrible havoc among the advancing foe.
Alvarado assured us, that, without this wonderful assistance, he would
certainly have been cut to pieces with all his men; as it was, he lost
only two of his soldiers, whom the Mexicans carried off alive. This and
many other circumstances were related by Alvarado: the following,
however, was told me by several of his men. At one time they were
entirely without any water to drink; they dug a well in the yard
adjoining their quarters, and behold! they found sweet water, whereas in
every other place where wells had been sunk in Mexico, nothing but salt
water was to be found. The hand of Providence was certainly often
stretched out to our aid; yet I must observe, in behalf of truth, that
there was another well in the town, which often, and, indeed, almost
always, contained fresh water.
For the rest, there were men who asserted that Alvarado merely made this
murderous attack upon the Mexicans from avaricious motives, to possess
himself of the splendid garments, the gold, and the jewels which they
wore at such festivals. This I do not believe, nor did I ever hear such
a thing mentioned at the time, although this and many other
circumstances were asserted by the bishop de las Casas, in which,
however, there is not a syllable of truth. For myself, I am convinced
that Alvarado merely struck this blow to terrify the Mexicans, and to
follow up the old saying, "He who attacks first gains the victory." The
consequences were certainly different to what he had expected, and bad
became worse.[86]
We have, however, obtained satisfactory proof that no guilt can be
imputed to Motecusuma respecting the hostilities which subsequently
burst out: on the contrary, he commanded the Mexicans not to attack
Alvarado, but they replied that they could no longer endure to see him
kept in confinement, and their countrymen murdered in the midst of
their festivities. They were determined to set him at liberty, and to
kill every teule who resisted them.
These and many other facts I learnt from credible persons who were
present with Alvarado all the time. I have now, however, to speak of the
terrible battles which we fought in this city.
[86] A formal inquiry was made into this circumstance, by order of
Charles the Fifth. The excellent Bartholomew de las Casas gave judgment,
and he pronounced the Mexicans entirely innocent of having had any
intention to massacre the troops under Alvarado, but that the latter had
massacred the Mexicans without any provocation, merely for the purpose
of striking terror among them. In pronouncing this judgment, however,
Las Casas may have been carried away by his excessive zeal for humanity
towards the Indians. Herrera (Historia de las Indias occidentales,
decade ii, b. x,) says: "The fact, however, is, that the Mexicans
intended to have murdered all the Spaniards on this occasion; for which
purpose they had concealed their arms in the buildings adjoining the
temple. This was told the Spaniards by the women, from whom they always
learnt the truth." (p. 336.)