BRIEF REIGN OF CUITLAHUA--EXPULSION OF THE
SPANIARDS--GUATIMOZIN CHOSEN EMPEROR--HIS MARRIAGE
WITH TECUICUPO.
~Grief follows grief. The crowned head
So late the nation's hope, is laid
Low in the dust.~
* * * * *
~Defeat and triumph, tears and smiles,
Life, death, true glory and the depths of shame,
The funeral pall and the pure bridal robe,
In close proximity--~
The sacred dust restored to its native earth, and the last hallowed
rites performed over the sepulchre of the departed, the thoughts of the
people were immediately turned to the succession. All eyes were fixed on
Cuitlahua, the noble brother of Montezuma, whose intrepid spirit, and
deadly hatred of the intruding Spaniards, accorded with the now
universal sentiment of the nation. He was elected, without a dissenting
voice, by the grand council of the nobles. Accepting, with alacrity, the
post of responsibility and danger, he was immediately inaugurated and
crowned, with all the gorgeous rites, and imposing ceremonies which a
pagan priesthood delight to throw around every important event, in which
their holy influence is necessarily involved.
During the progress of these mournful and exciting events, the rigors of
the siege had not been materially relaxed, though all active hostilities
had been suspended. They were now to be renewed with tenfold energy,
under the lead of their warlike monarch, who had often led the armies of
Anahuac to victory, and who had never known defeat.
When the Castilian general was informed that the heroic Cuitlahua had
been placed on the throne of Montezuma, and was about to take the field
in person, he perceived the necessity of adopting prompt and decided
measures. The retreat had already been resolved on. It was now to be put
in execution, and that, without delay. As it was the custom of the
Aztec, to suspend all hostilities during the night, Cortez determined to
avail himself of that season to make his escape. Accordingly, every
thing being made ready for the departure, and the city being hushed in a
seemingly profound repose, the gates were thrown open, and the little
army, with its long train of Indian allies, sallied stealthily forth,
not to the stirring notes of drum or trumpet, but with hushed breath and
a cautious tread, ill accordant with the haughty bearing, and vaunting
air, with which they had hitherto attempted to lord it over the proud
metropolis of Anahuac.
But, though quiet, the sagacious and determined Aztec was wide awake. He
had anticipated this stealthy movement of his pent up foe, and resolved
that he should not thus escape the snare into which his own audacious
insolence had drawn him. The last files of the retreating army had not
yet passed out from their entrenchments, when a long loud blast from the
horn of the great Teocalli, stirred the city to its utmost borders,
calling out the mighty host, who had slept upon their arms, eager for
the summons which should bring them once more to an engagement with
their foe.
Confident as the Spaniard was in the overwhelming power of his cavalry
and artillery, he preferred rather to make good his retreat, while he
could, than to show his prowess in these perilous circumstances. The
hoarse distant murmurs which fell upon their ears at every street as
they passed, indicated too plainly the mustering of a mighty host, which
soon came rushing in upon them from all quarters, like the swelling
surges of a stormy sea, each higher and more terrible than that which
preceded. They fell upon the flying foe with the ferocity of tigers,
about to be disappointed of their prey. From every lane and alley, and
from the roof of every house, they pelted them with ceaseless vollies of
stones. They grappled with them, man to man, reckless of life or limb,
so that they could maim or destroy an enemy.
Alvarado, with a portion of the cavalry, brought up the rear of the
retreating army, in order to repel, with an occasional charge upon the
enemy's ranks, those furious onsets which might have overwhelmed the
small body of Spanish infantry, or the unmailed and lightly armed
Tlascalan allies. The cavalier and his horse, encased in armor of proof,
could better cope with the weapons and missiles of their assailants,
while they often turned upon them, with a fierce and irresistible
charge, trampling hundreds in the dust, and mowing down whole ranks on
this side and that, with their trenchant broadswords.
In this manner the fugitives defiled through the great southern avenue,
and came out upon the grand causeway, by which they had twice entered
the city. Here they were met by new and fresh squadrons of the enemy,
thronging the sides of the dike in their light canoes, and showering
down arrows thick as hail upon the advancing column. Sometimes keeping
upon the causeway, they would grapple each with his man, and drag him
off into the water, to be picked up by those in the canoes, and hurried
off to a terrible and certain fate, on the great altar of their War-god.
Their numbers increased every moment, till the lake was literally alive
with them.
At length the advancing column was brought to stand; while a cry of
despair from the van revealed the fearful position in which they stood
in the midst of their implacable foes. The bridges which intersected the
dike had been removed by order of the Emperor. They had now reached the
first opening thus made in the causeway. A sudden shout from the myriads
of Aztec warriors that hung about them on all sides, told at once their
own wild triumph, and the awfully perilous position of their enemy.
Crowded together on a narrow causeway, in ranks so close as to render
their arms and their weapons almost entirely useless--arrested in front
by a wide chasm which it was impossible to pass--their retreat cut off
in the rear, by the living masses that blocked up every avenue, and
pressed them forward upon the crowded ranks of their comrades--assailed
on both sides from the water, through the whole length of the closely
compacted column--while all these dangers were enhanced a hundred-fold
by the darkness of the night--there seemed no possibility of escape for
one of that brave host.
Cortez was with the principal part of the cavalry in the centre of the
column, so wedged in by the compacted mass of his own forces, as to be
quite unable either to advance or retreat, without trampling them under
his feet, or crowding them off the causeway. He comprehended in a moment
the perilous position he was in. But such was the utter confusion and
dismay of the whole army, and such the horrid din of clashing arms, and
the yet more horrid yells of the savage foe, that he in vain attempted
either to direct or encourage his men. His voice was drowned in the
uproar.
Sandoval, one of his bravest and most trusty officers, who led the van,
with a few other cavaliers as bold as himself, resolved to push forward
at any personal hazard, rather than stand still to perish in one
confused mass, dashed their steeds into the water, and made for the
other side of the gap. Some succeeded in effecting a landing, while
others, with their horses, perished in the attempt, or fell into the
hands of the watchful boatmen. The first movement being thus made, an
impetus was given to the moving column from behind, that drove the front
ranks, _nolens volens_, into the breach. By far the greater part sank to
rise no more, or were picked up by the Aztecs, and hurried away to a far
more terrible death. At length the breach was filled up by the bodies of
the dead, and the baggage and artillery which occupied the centre, so
that the rear had a clear passage over the fatal chasm.
A second and a third breach was yet to be passed. It was accomplished as
before, only by making a bridge of the bodies of one half, for the other
half to walk upon. Meanwhile the enemy hung upon flank and rear, with
unappeasable rage, striking down and picking up vast numbers of victims,
until, when the last breach was cleared, and a footing gained upon
terra-firma, there was scarce a remnant left of the gallant band that
entered upon that fatal causeway. The iron-hearted Cortez was so
overcome with the sight of his shattered band, and the absence of so
many brave comrades, when the morning light appeared, that he sat down
upon a rock that overlooked the scene of desolation, and gave vent to
his emotions in a flood of tears.
Had the Mexicans followed up this success by falling upon the broken
dispirited remnant of the Castilian army, they would probably have
vanquished and destroyed them to a man. They were suffered, however, to
proceed unmolested for several days, until their strength and spirits
were somewhat recruited. Then, though attacked by immensely superior
numbers, they succeeded in putting them to rout.
The new Emperor, Cuitlahua, having signalized his accession to the
throne by the almost total destruction of the formidable foe, who had
spread the terror of his arms far and wide through all the realms of
Anahuac, proceeded to fortify his capital and kingdom against another
invasion. The dikes and canals were thoroughly repaired, the walls were
strengthened and extended, the army enlarged and improved in discipline
by some of the lessons which so able a general, was not slow to learn
from the Spaniards. The immense treasures they had drawn from the
munificent Montezuma, and which, in the disasters of that melancholy
night, they had been compelled to leave behind, were all recovered and
expended in these works of defence. Their arms, too, were gathered up,
and served to improve and render more effective many of the more
primitive weapons of the Aztecs. In the midst of these wise and
patriotic efforts to guard against the probable return of the Spaniards,
Cuitlahua was seized with a loathsome disease, which in a few days
brought him to the grave, after a brief reign of four months.
This was a terrible blow to the nation. It was felt throughout all the
borders of Anahuac, as the severest frown of their gods. But partially
recovered from the shock occasioned by the death of Montezuma, they were
now beginning to feel their hopes renewed, and their courage reviving,
under the bold and decided measures, and the signal successes of their
new Emperor. He was the idol of the army. His intrepid bravery, his high
military talents, his unyielding patriotism, and deadly hatred of the
white men, had secured for him the confidence of all the wisest and best
men of the realm, so that, with one heart and one voice, they rallied
around his standard, assured that, under his energetic sway, the ancient
glory and pre-eminence of the Aztec crown would be not only ably
asserted, but effectually re-established.
His fall, like a mighty earthquake, shook the empire to its centre. For
a moment it seemed as if all was lost--hopelessly, irretrievably lost.
The long funereal wail, that swelled up from every dwelling and every
heart in that devoted land, seemed like the expiring groan of a world.
But it was only for a moment. The first shock past, they found
themselves still standing, though among ruins. Their land, their
temples, their dwellings, still remained. Their wise and experienced
counsellors were all in their midst. Their host of armed men were still
at their post, unbroken, undivided, unappalled. The imperial mantle had
not fallen to the earth.
As by immediate direction from heaven, all eyes were turned to
Guatimozin. He was nephew to the last two monarchs, and though only a
young man, had distinguished himself both in the council and in the
field. He had uniformly opposed the admission of the Spaniards to the
capital. He had been prominent in all the recent attacks upon their
quarters, and had especially signalized himself in the terrible
overthrow of the disastrous night of their retreat. He had all the
coolness and intrepidity of a veteran warrior, with all the fire and
impetuosity of youth. He was about twenty-five years of age, of an
elegant commanding figure, and so terrible in war that even his
followers trembled in his presence.
The young prince felt the extreme difficulty of the crisis, but did not
shrink from the arduous and perilous post assigned him. With a prudence
and circumspection, only to have been expected from one long accustomed
to the cares and perplexities of government, he set himself to fortify
every assailable point, and to prepare for the worst that might arise,
in the event of another invasion. The works commenced during the brief
reign of Cuitlahua were carried forward to their completion. By means of
regular couriers and spies, a constant communication was kept up with
all parts of the country. The movements of the Spaniards were narrowly
watched, and their supposed designs frequently reported to the Emperor.
Nothing was omitted which a sagacious and watchful monarch could do or
devise, to make ready for a severe and protracted contest, in whatever
form it might come.
Thus established on the throne, and strengthened against a sudden
surprise, the ardent young monarch repaired to Chapoltepec, where the
bereaved household of Montezuma still remained, in sad but peaceful
seclusion, and claimed the hand of the fair Princess Tecuichpo. Her
retiring disposition would have preferred a humbler and more quiet
station. She had seen enough of the agitations and burdens of a crowned
head; enough of the gaudy emptiness of life in a palace, and longed to
hide herself in some sweet, sequestered spot, away from the noisy parade
and anxious bustle of a court, where her own home would be all her
world.
"Oh! that that crown had fallen on some other head," she exclaimed.
"Though there is not another in Anahuac so worthy to wear it, not one
who would so well sustain its ancient glory, yet I would not that _you_
should bear the heavy burden, or be exposed to that desolating storm
that is gathering over our devoted capital and throne."
"Said I not, my beloved, that I would yet lead you back in triumph to
the royal halls of your ancestors? I have come to redeem my pledge.
Shrink not from a station which no other can so well adorn. Rather, far
rather would I, if I could, retire with you to the quiet shades of
private life, and find a home in some sweet glen among the mountains,
than wear the crown and claim the homage of a world. But, my sweet
cousin, the crown _must_ be defended, the throne _must_ be sustained
against the insolent pretensions of these strangers. And _I_ must do my
part in the defence. I dare not, either as monarch or as subject,
withhold myself from this great work. If I perish, I fall in the service
of my country and her altars. And the higher the station I hold, the
greater the service I render--the heavier the burden I bear, the
brighter the honors I shall win. As well perish on the throne, as
fighting at its foot. I should be unworthy of the daughter of Montezuma,
if I held any thing too dear to sacrifice on the shrine of my country."
"Noble Guatimozin, my heart is yours--my life is devoted only to you.
Lead me where you will, so that I can share your burdens, and lighten
your cares, and not prove unworthy of such a father and such a lord. But
you forget that mine is a doomed life, that oracles and omens, signs and
presages, have all conspired against me from my birth."
"Nay, my love, it is you that forget, not I. For the very oracles and
omens that foreshadowed for you a clouded morning, promised with equal
distinctness a bright and glorious evening. The tempestuous morning is
passed. The glorious mid-day and the golden evening are yet to come."
"You are quite too fast, I fear, my brave cousin, it was only the
evening that was to have light. The sunset hour of life was to be
clear. But what, my dear Guatimozin, what do you suppose that light is
to be? and whence shall it come?"
"What _can_ it be, but to restore, in your own person and family, the
disputed pre-eminence of the Aztec dynasty, the tarnished glory of its
crown. Rely upon it, my gentle cousin, _that_ is your destiny. The timid
dove of Chapoltepec shall be transformed to the royal eagle of
Tenochtitlan."
"That cannot be. I rather fear that the deep cloud of my doom will
overshadow and darken your life. Better far that I should suffer and
perish alone."
"It _must_ be, Tecuichpo, it shall be. Have not the gods given you to
me? Have they not made me the defender of the Aztec throne? How then can
you doubt that they call _you_ to share and adorn it?"
"Oh! my lord! those terrible omens--they are but half fulfilled, and the
promised light is yet far in the distance. Could I be sure that you
would share that light with me----."
"Come then with me to the palace. It will be all light for _me_ when
_you_ are there, and sure I am that time will re-interpret those sad
omens for you, and turn them all to sunshine."
Suddenly the palace of Chapoltepec was changed from a house of mourning
to a house of feasting. The nuptial rites of the youthful Emperor with
the beautiful princess, were celebrated with great pomp. The festivities
continued through several days, and were honored by the presence of all
the nobility of the empire. The most costly entertainment was provided
for the numerous guests. The most munificent royal largesses were
bestowed upon the priests, and upon those who took a prominent part in
the grand ceremonies, and gifts of great value lavishly distributed
among all the inferior attendants. The brilliant and odoriferous
treasures of the royal gardens, and of the chinampas of the great lake
were exhausted in adorning the halls and chambers of the palace. The
refined taste, and exquisite invention of Karee was every where
apparent. The place, on the day of the nuptials, might have been taken
for the realm and palace of Flora. The very air was redolent of the
incense of flowers, which brightened the day with their bloom, and of
the odoriferous gums, whose blaze extended the reign of day far into the
realms of night.
It was a national festival, a season of universal rejoicing. The people
now believed that their days of darkness and temporary depression were
passed, and that all the power and glory of the days of Montezuma would
be restored, under those happy auspices which made his favorite daughter
a sharer of his throne. The priests sanctioned and confirmed this
belief, to the utmost of their power and influence, giving it out, with
that oracular force and dignity, which they so well knew how to assume,
that such was the true interpretation of all the singular predictions
and presages, which intimated that the life of the princess would close
with unusual splendor. In this manner, they encouraged the hopes of the
nation, confirmed its allegiance to its new Emperor, and united all its
forces in a solid phalanx of resistance to every foreign encroachment.
When these ceremonies were concluded, and the imperial pageant passed
from Chapoltepec to the capital, there was a new and still more
imposing display of the reverence and loyalty of this singular people,
and of the more than oriental magnificence with which they sustained the
splendors of royalty. The road, through the entire distance, was swept,
sprinkled, and strewed with flowers. The elite of the army, and the
nobility in the gayest costumes, formed a brilliant and numerous escort,
accompanied with flaunting banners, and every species of spirit-stirring
music then known to Aztecs. The imperial cortege, consisting of a long
array of magnificent palanquins, with their gorgeous canopies of
feather-work, all a-blaze with gold and jewels, borne on the shoulders
of princes and nobles, occupied the centre of the grand procession.
Those of the Emperor and Empress, which moved side by side, were
distinguished by the exceeding costliness and beauty of their
decorations, and by the superior height of their canopies, whose sides
and ends curved gracefully to a point in the centre, about three feet
above the cornice, which was surmounted by the imperial diadem of
Mexico. These were followed by the queen mother, and other members of
the royal household, conveyed in a style but little inferior to the
first. This cortege was immediately preceded and followed by all the
priests and prophets of the nation, in their splendid pontificals, and
bearing the showy insignia of their various orders. An immense train of
the most respectable citizens, merchants, mechanics, artizans,
husbandmen, and men of every honorable profession brought up the rear.
They were scarcely less gay and brilliant in their costume than the
escort and immediate attendants of the monarch, though somewhat less
uniform in the style of their decorations. The road, through its entire
length, was flanked by women and children, young men and maidens, in
their gala dresses, with baskets and chaplets of flowers, which they
continually showered upon the path, in front of the royal palanquins,
thus renewing, at every step of its progress, the floral carpet, whose
freshness and beauty the long escort had trampled out. Ever and anon a
shout would go up from that vast multitude, so loud and long, that its
echoes, reverberated along the mountain walls that shut in that
beautiful valley from the great world, would be heard for many a league
around. Then, from some little group of trained chanters, a song of
right loyal welcome would burst forth, accompanied with showers of
roses, and followed by a chorus from thousands of sweet voices--
Welcome! welcome! warrior, king--
Thrice welcome with the prize you bring.
Star of Montezuma's line,
O'er the empire, rise and shine!
Flower of Montezuma's race
Return, thy father's halls to grace!
Welcome, thrice welcome, mighty one!
The nation's heart shall be thy throne.