FESTIVITIES AT THE COURT OF GUATIMOZIN--THE NEW HYMENEAL
VOW.
~Heaven gave to Adam one, and so proclaimed
Her full equality to man. He who
Can ask for more, knows not the worth of one,
And so deserves not any--~
The imperial court of Tenochtitlan was now again the radiant centre of
attraction to the confederated and tributary nations of Anahuac. The
terror of Guatimozin's arm was even more dreaded than that of Montezuma.
He was a mighty man of valor, of that impetuous courage, and that bold
directness of action, which executes at a blow the purposes and plans,
which, with common minds, would require time and deliberation. He was at
the same time of a generous magnanimous disposition, open, frank,
unsuspecting, and won the affectionate regard, as well as the prompt
unquestioning obedience of his people. He had too much good sense, and
too wise a regard to the dignity of those who should attend upon the
person of majesty, to require of his nobles, the officers of his court
and household, those humiliating attentions which were exacted by
Montezuma. He saw that the only effect of such exactions was to weaken
and effeminate the character of some of his greatest chieftains,
reducing them from proud and powerful friends to fawning cringing
slaves. They were no longer shrouded in the sombre _nequen_, as they
entered the royal presence, nor did they go barefoot, with their eyes
cast down to the earth, when they bore the monarch in his luxurious
palanquin. Arrayed in all their costly finery, with golden or silver
sandals, and with a bold, manly, cheerful bearing, as if they gloried in
the precious treasure which it was their privilege, more than their
duty, to protect and to care for, the imperial palanquin seemed rather
their trophy than their burden, which they were far more ready to bear,
than their master was to occupy. He was too active and stirring a
spirit, to submit often to such a luxurious conveyance. He was ever in
the midst of his chiefs, consulting and acting for the public good. He
freely discussed with them the great measures of defence, which he put
in progress, and evinced the remarkable and rare good sense, to adopt
wise and politic suggestions, however humble the source from which they
emanated, and to change his opinion at once when it was shown to be
wrong. He superintended, in person, the repairing and enlarging of the
fortifications, and the improvement of the tactics and discipline of the
army. By a frugal expenditure of the vast revenues of the crown, and a
careful preservation of the treasures left by his predecessors, he
accumulated an amount more than equal to the exigencies of a long and
wasting struggle with all the combined foes of the realm.
Meanwhile, the gay saloons of the palace of Montezuma were gayer than
they had ever been. For a brief season, the clouds that had so long hung
over the fate of the lovely Tecuichpo seemed to be dissipated. The skies
were all bright above her, and every thing around her wore a cheerful
and promising aspect. Attracted by her resplendent beauty, the
unaffected ease and graciousness of her manners, and the queenly
magnificence of her court, the youth, beauty, wit, talent and chivalry
of the nation, gathered about her, and made her life a perpetual
gala-day, rivalling in brilliancy and effect the best days of the gayest
courts in Europe.
Conspicuous among the gay multitude that flitted about the court, was
Nahuitla, Prince of Tlacopan, a young chief of the Tepanecs. He was just
ripening into manhood, of an uncommonly lithe and agile frame,
exceedingly fair and graceful, and gifted with unusual powers of
intellect. He was one of the rarest geniuses of the age, and astonished
and amused the court with the variety and beauty of his poems, and other
works of taste. Nor did his intellectual accomplishments exceed his
heroism and loyalty. Guatimozin had not an abler or more devoted
chieftain in all his realm. It was he who fought side by side with the
Emperor in all his after conflicts, endured with him the horrors of the
wasting siege and painful captivity which followed, and finally shared
his cruel and shameful martyrdom, at the hands of the then
terror-stricken and cowardly Cortez, declaring with his last breath,
that he desired no better or more glorious lot, than to die by the side
of his lord.
Nahuitla, like all good knights and brave soldiers, to say nothing of
true poets, had a heart warmly susceptible of tender impressions, and
could not resist the bright eyes and witching smiles, that illuminated
the saloons and gardens of the imperial palace. Promiscuous flirtation
was less hazardous in Tenochtitlan than in most of the capitals of
Christendom. The wealthy nobles being allowed to marry as many wives as
they could support, the young prince could win the affections of all the
bright daughters of the valley, without at all apprehending a suit for
breach of promise, or a conspiracy against his own life, or that of his
favorite, by some disappointed rival. How many conquests he made in one
brief campaign, does not appear in the chronicles of the day. Atlacan, a
princess of Tezcuco, was his first trophy. She was very fair and highly
gifted, resembling in many points of person and character, the guardian
genius of the young Empress, the talented Karee.
At his first encounter with the Tezcucan princess, Nahuitla was deeply
impressed with a peculiar expression of thoughtfulness, shading a
brilliantly beautiful countenance, and imposing a kind of constrained
awe upon the stranger. This shadow gradually disappeared upon a further
acquaintance, till the whole face and person were so lighted up with the
fire of her genius and wit, that it seemed as if invested with a
supernatural halo. Their intercourse was a perfect tournament of wit,
and their brilliant sallies and sparkling repartees, were the theme of
universal admiration.
The princess Atlacan was always attended by a very prudent, watchful,
anxious chaperone, of a fair exterior, and pleasing manners, who had
passed the meridian of life, and begun to wane into the cool of its
evening. She had also a brother, Maxtli, considerably older than
herself, who, from a two-fold motive, seemed to delight in disappointing
her expectations, and thwarting her plans. He was a cold, mercenary,
selfish man, who sought only his own aggrandizement. The princess was a
special favorite of her father, who was a prince of the highest rank,
and nearly related to the reigning king of Tezcuco. She had already
received many substantial proofs of parental partiality, which her
avaricious brother would fain have claimed for himself. Her brilliant
qualities and growing influence made her an object of jealousy, as
seeming to stand in the way of his own preferment. He had used every
exertion to dispose of her in marriage to some of her numerous suitors,
and had particularly advocated the cause of a wealthy young merchant of
Cholula, who rejoiced in the euphonous name of Xitentloxiltlitl, from
whom Maxtli had received large presents of gold and jewels.
Atlacan despised the merchant, who fondly imagined that his gold could
purchase any jewel in the realm. She would not listen to his proposals.
It was not pride of family, for in Anahuac, under the Aztec dynasty, the
merchant was a man of note, scarcely inferior to the proudest noble. But
the merchant was _only_ a merchant, a man of one idea, and that was
gold, without refinement, without sentiment, without heart, like the
majority of the same class of mere money mongers all the world over.
Maxtli was enraged by his sister's refusal of this alliance, which, if
it had been consummated, he would have made subservient to his own
interests. He determined, from mere revenge, to throw obstacles in the
way of her alliance with the gifted prince of Tlacopan. The annoyances
he invented, and the frequent prudential interposition of her cautious
chaperone, who was in the pay of Maxtli, made her position rather a
difficult one, and often put her disposition to the severest test. It
chanced, one lovely evening, that the lovers had stolen a march upon
both their tormentors, and found, in the royal gardens, a few moments of
that unwatched uninterrupted conference, which only those in the same
delicate relation, at the same period of life, know how to appreciate.
Their absence from the saloons was soon noticed. The duenna was severely
censured, and sent in pursuit of the fugitive. Karee, who was in the
secret of the escape, led her a long and wearisome chase, through the
numberless halls and corridors of that immense pile, and finally left
her, at the furthest extremity of the building, to find her way back as
she could. Then, returning to Maxtli, who could scarce restrain his rage
that they had so long eluded him--
"My lord," said she, "can you tell me where I shall find your sister? I
have a message for her, which I can only deliver to her personally."
"I know not," he replied angrily, "but she is probably flirting
somewhere with that fool fop, the royal bard of Tlacopan. But from whom
does your message come?"
"That can only be made known to herself. I saw her some time since, in
the garden, leaning upon the arm of this same royal bard, the only young
prince in Anahuac worthy of such a jewel."
The prince bit his lip with vexation, and Karee ran off toward the
garden. In a few moments, the poor old chaperone came blustering along,
out of breath and out of humor.
"Fie upon the giddy girls of this generation," she exclaimed, "they know
nothing of propriety. I wonder what would have been thought of such
actions when _I_ was young!"
"Hasten to the garden," said Maxtli, impatiently, "your hopeful pupil is
there, and that rhyming fop is with her."
He might as well have sent her to the labyrinth of Lemnos or Crete.
Covering an immense area, and traversed in every direction by serpentine
walks, shaded lanes, and magnificent avenues, one might have wandered up
and down there a week, without finding one who wished to elude pursuit.
She obeyed his directions, however, and was soon lost in mazes more
intricate and perplexing than those of the palace.
Presently the truants returned, by a different path from that which
their pursuer had taken. The princess wore in her bosom a significant
flower, which she had received and accepted from her admirer. With a
light and joyous step, he led her through the crowded saloon, and
presented her to the queen, craving her sanction to the vows they had
just plighted to each other. Gracefully placing a chaplet of white roses
and amaranths on their heads, the Empress gave them her blessing.
Guatimozin, approaching at the same instant, confirmed it with hearty
good will, and requested that the nuptials might be celebrated at an
early day, and in his own palace.
So distinguished a favor could not be refused. In the course of the next
week the solemn ceremonies were performed; with all the imposing pomp of
the Aztec ritual. A royal banquet was prepared, and the palace resounded
with joyous revelry and music.
When the officiating priest had uttered the last solemn words which
sealed the indissoluble bond, Nahuitla stood forth, and publicly avowed
his belief, that the gods designed only one woman for each man, solemnly
renounced the old doctrine of polygamy, and pledged to his young bride,
in the presence of his royal master, and the brilliant throng that had
witnessed his vows of love and constancy, an undivided heart, and an
undivided house.
Struck with surprise and admiration at this unexpected scene, and
impressed with the truth and purity of the sentiments, and the soundness
of the conclusions, which the brave prince had proclaimed, the Emperor
rose from his throne, and, with a bland but dignified and solemn air,
addressed him:--
"You are right, Nahuitla, my brave prince; I feel it in my heart, you
are right. I feel it in the claim which _your_ Empress and _mine_,
(looking affectionately at Tecuichpo,) has in the undivided empire of my
heart, and in that sacred bond of union which is so close, that it
cannot be shared by another without being broken. In the presence of
these holy men, and of these my witnessing people, I solemnly subscribe
to the same pure vow which you have uttered, pledging my whole self, in
the marriage covenant to this my chosen and beloved queen, even as she
has pledged her whole self to me. And I ordain the same, as the law of
this my realm, and binding on all my loyal subjects for ever."[D]
If the noble Guatimozin had been permitted to sway the Aztec sceptre in
peace, his name would be embalmed in the hearts of all the women of
Anahuac, and the anniversary of the nuptials of Nahuitla and Atlacan
would be celebrated, to this day, as the household jubilee of the
nation.
The conclusion of this festival--the last of the kind that was ever
celebrated in the halls of Montezuma--was a unique and magnificent
specimen of Aztec taste and luxury. At a signal from the master of
ceremonies, the royal garden was suddenly illuminated by a thousand
torches, borne by as many well trained servants in white livery. They
were so stationed as to represent, from different points of view, groups
of bright figures whirling in the mazy evolutions of a wild Indian
dance. The harmony of their movements, and the picturesque effect of
their frequent changes of position, was truly wonderful. It seemed more
like magic than any thing belonging to the ordinary denizens of earth.
By continually passing and re-passing each other, approaching and
receding, raising and depressing their torches, the bearers were enabled
to describe a great variety of fantastic figures. So well did they
perform their parts, that, to the crowd of spectators from the palace,
it was a perfect pantomime of light.
At length the dance ended, and the figures of the various groups in
light, gathering around a high altar, all of fire, seemed waiting for
some sacred rite to be performed. Presently a tall princely figure was
seen, approaching with slow and solemn pace, leading a lovely female to
the altar. The high priest joined their hands in the indissoluble bond,
and waved his wand of fire over their heads, in token of the divine
blessing; upon which the dance of the torches was instantly renewed,
accompanied with strains of the most joyous music, each group breathing
out its peculiar airs and melodies, while the whole were beautifully
blended and harmonized by the master spirit of the fete. It seemed like
the bridal of two angels of light, witnessed and celebrated by all the
stars and constellations of the celestial spheres.
The sudden extinguishment of these pantomimic stars, revealed to the
surprised revellers the presence of the dawn, before whose coming the
stars of every sphere go out, and revelry gives place to the sober
realities of life.
[D] If this incident be deemed apocryphal, by the rigid
historian, the fable is fully justified by the known state of
public sentiment among the Aztecs at this time. Sagahun,
according to a note in Prescott, states, that polygamy, though
allowed, was by no means generally practised among them; and
that the prevailing sentiment of the nation was opposed to it.
One of the very few relics of their ancient literature, which
were preserved in the general devastation of the conquest, is a
letter of advice from a father to his child, on the eve of her
marriage, in which he declares that it was the purpose of God,
in his grand design of replenishing the earth, to make the
sexes equal, and to allow only one wife to each man; and any
deviation from this arrangement, was contrary to the plainest
laws of nature.