The Mexicans drew a long breath after the departure of the enemy. It is
true their emperor was ignominiously slain, covered with the contempt
and scorn of his own subjects. His two sons, whom Cortés carried with
him as prisoners, perished in the flight. The streets ran with blood and
were strewn with corpses. The beautiful city was defaced, the causeways
shattered, the bridges destroyed, and many of the houses burnt down. But
it was freed from the odius presence of the stranger, who they imagined
would never return. In fact the Aztecs conceived him and his army to be
absolutely annihilated. They set about restoring their tumbled down gods
to their places, and contemplated appeasing Huitzilopochtli for the
indignity with which he had been treated, by a new course of sacrifices.
Cuitlahuatzin, brother of Montezuma, was elected emperor. He had fought
valiantly in the struggle, and shown heroic courage in driving Cortés
from the capital, which it was his determination to enforce. He began
the slow task of gathering the army together, and bringing order out of
confusion, but a few days only after the great battle, he was attacked
by small-pox. This disease, never before known among the Aztecs, was one
of the misfortunes bequeathed to them by the Spaniards. A negro, who had
just come up with Cortés, on his return from Vera Cruz, one of his
recruits belonging to Narvaez, had the malady, and died of it, spreading
contagion in the capital.
Cuahtemoc succeeded, the thirteenth and last king. He was of a different
stock, the sons of Axayacatl all being destroyed, of the family of the
friendly kings of the little neighboring state of Tlaltelolco. He
embraced with enthusiasm the cause of his country, and attacked
vigorously the work of restoration. He was but little more than twenty
years old.
The tranquillity of the capital was but brief. In less than a week
rumors came that the terrible white warrior was not killed, but alive,
strong and determined as ever. Many of the Aztecs conceived him to be
immortal, and it is scarcely to be wondered at. Cortés had gathered
together the little remnant of his army, who crept along a winding route
north of the city absolutely ignorant of their way, and what they might
encounter. When light came, so that they were observed, stones and
arrows were aimed at them by chance natives from above. For several days
and nights they slowly advanced, living on the few ears of maize they
found; for all provision was carried off from the deserted villages they
passed through by the inhabitants as soon as they saw them approach.
Cortés was always brave, cheerful, and even encouraging in these dark
days. In this toilsome march seven days were passed, and then they came
upon the strange pyramid of the sun and moon, at San Juan Teotihuacan,
supposed to be the work of the earliest dwellers upon Anahuac, older
than the Toltecs. These they make no mention of in their narrative, and
we may well suppose they scarcely noticed them, for a sight more
impressive and awe-inspiring soon after met their eyes, as they turned
the crest of a ridge they had been climbing,--a full-fledged army
stretched out before them, filling up the valley of Otumba, and giving
it the appearance of being covered with snow, for the warriors were
dressed in white cotton mail.
Cuitlahua had lost no time. As soon as he heard of the survival of the
invader's army, he wasted not a moment. No puerile fear, no fatalistic
paralysis restrained his understanding. Ably seconded by the warriors of
the army, now roused to the importance of the occasion, he gathered a
noble army. Every chief took the field with his whole force, and in a
wonderfully short space of time a large army was collected and marched
against the fugitives, having learned their course among the mountains.
[Illustration: PYRAMID AT TEOTIHUACAN]
The Spaniards were but a handful, and the few Tlaxcallans who were with
them increased the force but little. Gathering themselves together, they
dashed directly into the midst of the Aztec army, on their horses, with
the intention of cutting themselves a path through the ranks. Flight,
and not conquest, was their only thought. They were soon surrounded, but
defended themselves desperately. Several hours had passed, when the
chief of the army was seen advancing on a litter, richly dressed, with
plumes upon his head, a mantle of feather-work, and the banner of
Tenochtitlan floating from his shoulders. Around him, to protect his
sacred person, were a body of young warriors, richly dressed. It was a
shining mark, and Cortés sprang towards it on his charger. Coming down
upon the prince, and overturning his bearers, he struck him through with
his lance and threw him to the ground. One of his men sprang from the
saddle, seized the banner, and gave it to Cortés quick as a flash. It
was all over in a moment. A panic ensued. The whole Mexican army fled in
confusion, convinced that they fought against odds too great, human
skill against the power of the immortals.
The Spaniards followed up the flying army, killing right and left, and
then returned to the battle-field to gather up booty from the rich
costumes of the dead and wounded left upon the field. This was the
famous battle of Otumba, one of the most extraordinary in history,
fought on the 8th of July, 1520. This encounter at Otumba is regarded by
Baudelier as grossly exaggerated. He reduces the number of the attacking
army to a much smaller proportion, but does credit to the bravery of
Cortés and his men. He considers the episode, the fall of the
standard-bearer deciding the fight, as completely in accordance with
Indian modes of warfare.
Whatever remained to tell the melancholy tale came back to the capital.
The inhabitants were filled with their old terror, but Cuahtemoc
retained his courage, and only made more vigorous exertions than
before, seeing that his work was not only to restore the capital, but to
prepare the country for another conflict. He collected great stores of
corn in the warehouses, fortified all the places he considered exposed
to attack, shattered the calzadas, or causeways, and got ready a large
fleet of canoas. He worked with all diligence, for he was kept well
informed of the proceedings of the enemy, and knew that Cortés had
arrived safe within the boundaries of Tlaxcalla. And, indeed, before the
end of the year the renewed attack began.
The distance from Otumba to Tlaxcalla was short, and the Spaniards were
not further interrupted. The returned Tlaxcallans were received at home
with great honors, and in spite of the disasters of the Spaniards, they
remained faithful to the stranger. Cortés reposed among them, recovering
from his own wounds, and giving his companions time to rest and refresh
themselves. Meanwhile, he was forming new projects and drawing closer
the bond of friendship with his hosts. The wise old Maxixcatzin, his
first friend and constant supporter, died at that time, but the other
Tlaxcallans continued their favor.
By December, only six months from his return to Tlaxcalla, Cortés had
succeeded in making a new army of respectable proportion. Ixtlilxochitl
now ruled undisturbed over the whole of Texcuco, after the death of his
brothers, who had resisted the cause of the invaders. He was the
fourteenth and last monarch of his country, of which he was the greatest
enemy, fatal to it as well as to his own race and family. From the
beginning a prudent ally of Cortés, after the retreat of the Spanish
army to Texcuco, he sent him renewed offers of aid, and raised a large
troop of soldiers for the invading army. Without them and other
indigenous bands Cortés would have been badly off. Thus increased, his
new army reached the reputed number of two hundred thousand men. With
these he came to Texcuco, by two days' march, halting at a little
village at the base of Iztaccíhuatl, the companion volcano of
Popocatepetl, which, stretched like a corpse in its shroud of
everlasting snow, bears the name of the White Woman. The Spanish army
entered Texcuco on the last day of the year, December 31, 1520, and here
was conducted to the palace of Nezahualpilli, a building spacious enough
to accommodate all the Spaniards. The town, as on his first entrance at
Tenochtitlan, was deserted, and Cortés learned that whole families were
leaving in boats and by the mountain paths. A weaker heart might have
sunk at the repetition of such intimations of dislike, but the Spanish
conqueror's heart was inflexible. Ixtlilxochitl received him with all
cordiality, and presented to him the body of fifty thousand men he had
raised, a substantial gift, which was in itself encouraging.
It was a great advantage to Cortés to have Texcuco for his
head-quarters. He had caused to be made in Tlaxcalla thirteen
brigantines for crossing the lake. These were put together after his
arrival and launched upon the water, through a little stream which had
to be enlarged by the work of thousands of Indians, which led from the
gardens of Nezahualcoyotl to the lake. These brigantines, constructed
in part of the timbers of his own ships which he had left scuttled at
Vera Cruz, supplemented by quantities of native canoas, made a
respectable fleet. During these preparations Cortés was bringing the
whole neighborhood into his control, either by conquest or negotiation.
As we have seen, the Mexicans were by no means beloved by the smaller
powers. It was not until the latter part of May, 1521, that the regular
siege of the city of Mexico began. The first division of the army was
given to the formidable Pedro de Alvarado, called by the Mexicans
Tonatiah, which means the sun, or all powerful. The second division was
assigned to Christobal de Olid, and the third to Gonzalo de Sandoval.
These three were all his trusty companions, who had shown themselves
from the first as daring, as enduring, as invincible as himself. Only in
the characteristics of superior forethought, judgment, and tact did
Cortés exceed them. To himself he reserved the conduct of the
brigantines upon the lake.
The whole campaign against Mexico lasted eight months, while the siege
proper was maintained for eighty days. The Spaniards attacked time and
again with their artillery, and slew thousands of Mexicans. They
penetrated even to the heart of the capital but were driven back. Cortés
himself, and all his captains, ran several times great risk of being
slain or taken prisoners. The native allies could not be, or were not,
restrained from plundering and burning houses and killing men, women,
and children.
Upon the lake the brigantines besides assisting the land attack,
mastered and sank the canoes of the enemy in great numbers. The temples
were burned; the new images of the gods, put in place since the first
sack of the teocalli, were thrown down and hustled into the lake; whole
streets were demolished, and with their ruins the canals were filled up.
Cortés made various propositions of peace to Cuahtemoc, but the brave
young monarch, in spite of the hunger which reigned in the besieged
city, the multitude of corpses heaped in the streets, although he saw
before him the inevitable ruin of his kingdom, was unwilling to
surrender until the supreme moment came when further resistance was
impossible. On the 13th of August, 1521, Cuahtemoc was concealed in a
_piragua_, or boat, leaving the attack, in order to command elsewhere.
His presence there was suspected and the boat followed. Just as the
pursuers were aiming their cross-bows, a young warrior, fully armed,
rose and said, "I am Cuahtemoc, lead me to your chief." On landing, he
was escorted to the presence of Cortés, who was stationed on an _azotca_
where he could survey the combat. Marina was by his side as interpreter.
Cuahtemoc approached with a calm bearing and firm step, a noble,
well-proportioned youth, it is said, with a complexion fair for one of
his race. Without waiting to be addressed he said: "I have done my best
to defend my people. Deal with me as you will," and touching the dagger
in Cortés' belt, he added, "Despatch me at once, I beseech you."
The wife of the captive king was now sent for; she was one of the
daughters of Montezuma, and of wonderful beauty it is said. The captive
pair were treated with kindness, rest and refreshment offered to them.
It was the hour of vespers when the Aztec monarch surrendered. This was
the end of the contest. During that night a tremendous tempest burst on
the fallen city of Tenochtitlan. Thunder and lightning shook the
shattered teocallis and levelled them to the ground. The elements
finished what the Conquistadores had begun,--the ancient city of the
Aztecs was in ruins.
After the surrender of Tenochtitlan, Cortés withdrew to Coyoacán, still
a picturesque old town in the suburbs of the modern city. There he
remained while the capital was rebuilt. It is said that he gave a
banquet to his captains in honor of the victory they had achieved, an
occasion made genial by some good wine which opportunely arrived just
then at Vera Cruz. The house he occupied with Marina, is still to be
seen on the northern side of the plaza of the little town. Over the
doorway are carved the arms of the conqueror, much obscured by repeated
coats of whitewash. In the church-yard is a stone cross set up on a
little mound, said to have been placed there by Cortés himself. His
first labor was to cleanse the city and dispose of the dead, then to
clear away the ruins in order to erect new buildings. The Spaniards were
greatly disappointed not to find vast treasures belonging to the Aztec
crown, which they were convinced were somewhere concealed. To his
everlasting dishonor Cortés allowed Cuahtemoc to be tortured by putting
his feet in boiling oil, in order that he might reveal where such
treasure was to be found. The king of Tlacopan was tortured also for the
same object, but with no result. Both victims were of opinion that the
precious objects so coveted by the Spaniards, if they existed at all,
must have been thrown into the lake, but the Spaniards explored in vain
the bottom of the shallow expanse and found nothing. If such treasures
were there, there they still remain.
The country was put under military rule, although the Mexican chiefs
were allowed to retain their titles and nominal authority. Cortés
assumed the titles of Governor, Captain General, and Chief-Justice, in
all of which he was later confirmed by the King of Spain. He had next to
make sure of the subjugation of the other tribes of Anahuac. He
organized expeditions and embassies to all the peoples thereabouts, and
among others to Michoacan, where, as we have seen, was a kingdom of
strength and power, which had never surrendered to the Aztecs. Tangaxoan
II., when he heard of the conquest of Mexico, awaited his own turn with
terror. Cortés at first sent a peaceful ambassador, led by a soldier
named Montaño, who returned after some dangers with a detailed account
of the wonders of Calzonzi--the name given this monarch by the
Spaniards. Shortly afterwards Christobal de Olid was sent out with
seventy horses and two hundred foot soldiers; this force was sufficient
to subjugate the monarch and make him swear allegiance to the King of
Spain. Afterwards Calzonzi came to Mexico on a visit to Cortés; he
beheld with amazement the ruins of the great city which he had never
seen in the days of its splendor. The destruction of his hereditary
rival gave him much to reflect upon, and hastened his willingness to
accept the religion of the Conquistadores. In his ancient capital of
Tzintzuntzan there is a pathetic picture, crude and of course not
ancient, which depicts the Tarascan king accepting the cross.
During the rule of Cortés, Tangaxoan lived peacefully, enjoying the
nominal control of his vast kingdom. In the course of three years,
Cortés greatly extended the dominion of Castile in New Spain, as it was
then called; for all his conquests were of course referred to his
sovereign, Charles V. of Spain, to whom from time to time he sent
presents of gold, specimens of the wealth of the new possessions. His
power extended as far as Honduras, where Christobal de Olid was put in
power. At a safe distance from his chief, Olid conceived the foolish
idea of asserting his personal control, and made himself king of the
colony. Olid lost his life in this attempt; and Cortés determined to go
himself to Honduras. It was on this expedition that, without knowing it,
he passed close to the ruins of the serpent city, Nachan, now Palenque.
But, as we have seen, Cortés was more in the way of making ruins on his
own account, than of regarding the mighty ones wrought by time; and had
he known of the existence of the city, it is doubtful whether he would
have stopped to cut away the massive growth in which it was concealed.
In Izancapac, a Tabascan town, Cortés suddenly ordered the death of the
three royal captives of Anahuac, whom he had brought thus far with him,
perhaps for this purpose. On the charge of a conspiracy to restore the
Aztec rule, they were hung upon a ceyba tree,--Cuahtemoc, and the kings
of Tacuba and Texcuco,--all denying any thought of conspiracy.
This was the sad end of the life of Cuahtemoc, the last of the Aztec
kings. The rest of the native chiefs died off gradually, so that in a
few years, all the old governments of the country were obliterated. Few
of the other states discovered by the Spaniards made resistance, and
none of them any thing like that of the Mexican. Remains of various
uncivilized tribes retreated to the sierras or the deserts of the north,
where they continued for generations in perpetual war with the white
race.
During the remainder of his life, Cortés made several voyages to Spain
to defend his interests and arrange his affairs. In Mexico he employed
the greater part of his time and fortune in the discovery of new lands
in the neighborhood of Jalisco and the western coast. Finally,
considering himself neglected and overlooked, he returned to Spain to
make one more attempt at recognition at court. He was but coldly
received by his sovereign. His time had gone by. The wonders of Peru had
eclipsed the glory of the Mexican Conquest. He was taken ill, perhaps as
much of disappointment as disease, and withdrew to Seville; afterwards
to a small town in that neighborhood, Castilleja de la Cuesta, where he
died on the 2d of December, 1547. His body was carried thence in great
state and buried in the chapel of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia. But
Cortés had ordered in his will that his bones should be brought in ten
years time from his death to Mexico, and this wish was fulfilled, and
the remains were interred at Texcuco. On the 2d of July, 1794, the bones
of the great Conquistador were placed in a marble sepulchre which had
been prepared for them in the church of Jesu-Nazareno, which he had
founded himself. Even then they did not rest, for in the first years of
the revolution, so great was the popular hatred of everything Spanish,
safety required that they should be hidden; they were secretly removed,
by the orders of the heirs of Cortés, and by last advices, they are now
at rest in Italy, in the vaults of the Dukes of Monteleone, his
descendants.
XVIII.
DOÑA MARINA.
During the two years occupied, with varying fortunes, in the conquest of
Mexico, Cortés was always accompanied by Malintzi, who was indeed
indispensable to him as interpreter. Her tent was always near that of
the commander. His lieutenants treated her with consideration and
respect, always giving her the title of Doña.
Through his reverses, and on the terrible _Noche triste_, it is said,
that Malintzi never lost her courage. She was put in charge of some
brave Tlaxcallans, by Cortés, who could not have her with him at the
head of the fray, and their devotion brought her through the wild
confusion of flight.
The long struggle over, Cortés, as we have seen, went to live at
Coyoacán. Doña Marina was with him.
Now she is happy. Her hero rules triumphant over millions of men. She
lives in a palace, with her guards, her maids of honor, her pages, and
esquires. The long, sad days of her youth of slavery are at an end, she
has resumed her rank. She has a son, baptized under the name of Martin
Cortés, whom she tenderly loves, and with this child and his father,
now at peace with all the vast empire he has conquered for his
sovereign, she passes a tranquil, happy life.
Suddenly, to break in upon this dream, comes the news that Doña Catalina
Juarez Cortés has landed at Vera Cruz, and is approaching the capital.
Very likely Cortés had forgotten to mention his marriage to Marina.
Perhaps he had forgotten it himself. But the reader will remember Doña
Catalina, the cause of the jealousy of Velasquez in the early days of
Fernando's career. It is said that his first ardor for her cooled off
after a time, and that the marriage would never have taken place but for
the persistence of the Doña. It was not happy, and the adventurer sailed
away, without regret for the cheerless home he left behind in Cuba.
Her name was never mentioned during the long period which passed between
the landing of the Spaniards and their successful establishment in
Mexico. But the deeds of Fernando Cortés were known to all the world,
and especially sounded about in the island whence he set out. Doña
Catalina, with every right on her side, set out to join her recusant
spouse, encouraged by Diégo Velasquez, who saw with no pleasure the
continued triumphs of Cortés.
Bernal Diaz says that Cortés hated his wife, but he dared not bring down
upon himself the wrath of the Church by ignoring her, and Doña Catalina
was received on her arrival with all the honors due to the wife of the
great conqueror. She made a splendid entrance into the capital, and at
once stepped into the position of head of his household, and succeeded
to the homage of maids of honor, pages, and esquires.
Malintzi withdrew, persuaded of the necessity by the good father Olmedo,
who baptized her, trained her in the Christian faith, and now, in the
hour of trial, stood by her side.
Doña Catalina was not destined to enjoy long her new state. The air of
the lofty plateau did not suit her constitution, accustomed to the lower
atmosphere of Cuba. She died suddenly.
At Coyoacán there is a tale that Doña Catalina was drowned by her
husband, and the well is even shown to tourists into which she is
supposed to have been thrown. This legend is probably of later date than
the time of her death, but even then rumors arose that it had been a
violent one, and reports were rapidly circulated about Cortés likely to
injure his reputation and, moreover, that of the Malintzi.
At that time Cortés was thinking of a return to Spain. He was
thirty-five, still young enough to thirst for a full recognition at home
of his great deeds. While making his preparation for departure, he heard
of the insurrection of his lieutenant Olid in Honduras, who had declared
himself independent. It was necessary for him to hasten at once to
chastise his boldness. Aguilar, the interpreter, was dead, and Cortés,
who had never troubled himself to acquire the Mexican dialects, had to
send for Marina to accompany him, as interpreter only. This caused the
rumors about the death of his wife to circulate more than before.
Cortés, warned of the danger, took a decisive step to silence all such
insinuations. At Orizaba, he caused the sudden marriage of Marina with
one of his officers, Don Juan de Jaramillo.
Poor Marina was required to carry her devotion, her absolute obedience
to her chief, to the extreme point of marrying a man she scarcely knew.
She yielded. It is said that she never lived with her husband, but
withdrew at once to her birthplace, at Païnala, where her own family
still lived; that her guilty relatives threw themselves at her feet,
afraid that she would have them destroyed by the Spaniard. She forgave
them, and passed the rest of her life far away from the capital, in
obscurity. She died young, when Cortés was yet at the height of his
fame, before he had suffered the mortification of seeing himself
overlooked by the court of Spain.