CHAPTER XIX.
MONTEZUMA WELCOMES THE CONQUERORS TO TENOCHTITLAN
As the white conquerors descended by easy stages into this marvellousvalley, making frequent pauses to admire the fertility of itsfields, or the beauty of its white-walled villages nestled in greennooks, they were everywhere hailed by the people of the country asdeliverers from the harsh tyranny of Montezuma. These received theall-powerful strangers with shouts and songs of rejoicing, at the sametime showering upon them gifts of food and flowers. Thus, the marchresembled the return of a victorious army rather than one of invasionand conquest. They were also met by another of Montezuma's numerousembassies bearing, as usual, gifts of gold, jewels, and rich mantles offur or exquisite feather-work. Threats and persuasions having provedunavailing to check the progress of the conquerors, Montezuma wasreduced to bribery as a last resort. This embassy brought the offer oftwo hundred pounds of gold to Cortes, fifty to each of his captains,and an annual tribute to the Spanish king if the strangers wouldreturn whence they came.
When this offer was refused, as all others had been, and it becameclear that nothing would check the victorious advance of theChristians, the Aztec monarch shut himself up in his palace, refusedfood, and devoted himself to prayer and sacrifice. He saw his mightykingdom slipping from him, and, with a fatal superstition that forbadehim to oppose the will of the gods, he refused to make an effortfor its defence. Cuitlahuac, his warlike brother, Guatamotzin, hisimpetuous nephew, and others of the bolder spirits among his nobles,urged him to summon his armies and make at least one heroic effort tosave his tottering throne. Tlalco, the Toltec priest, who had so workedupon the king's weak nature as to become his chief adviser, said:"Leave to the gods the honor of annihilating these unbelievers in theirown good time," and the king listened to the voice of the priest.
So Montezuma prepared to send forth his last embassy to the advancingconquerors, and ordered Cacama, Prince of Tezcuco, with a nobleretinue, to meet and welcome them to Mexico. This meeting took placeamid the beautiful gardens and stately residences of the royal city ofIztapalapan, situated between the fresh waters of Lake Chalco and thesalt flood of the broad Tezcuco. Here the Spaniards were entertainedwith regal splendor, and here they passed the last night beforeentering the capital.
Never did nature assume a fairer aspect than when, on the followingmorning, the clear-voiced Spanish trumpets set the little army inmotion for the final march of their eventful progress through the landof Anahuac. A mere handful of men, cut off from all communicationwith their own race, they had traversed the breadth of a wealthy andpopulous kingdom, overcome its hostile armies, captured one afteranother of its strongholds, and were now about to make a triumphantentry into its capital city. Their record was without a parallel inthe history of the world. Thus it was with swelling hearts and a proudbearing that they stepped on the superb stone causeway spanning thewaters of the salt lake, at the distant end of which lay the queenlycity of Tenochtitlan.
This causeway was one of the noblest works of New World civilization.Constructed of huge blocks of stone, it was wide enough for tenhorsemen to ride abreast, and stretched for more than a league, in aperfectly straight line, across the lake. At several points it wascut by canals for the passage of boats, and these were crossed bydrawbridges, which, when lifted, barred all communication by land withthe city. Midway of its length stood Xoloc, a stone fort of immensestrength, flanked by towers, and giving passage through a battlementedgateway.
At this point, as the Spaniards advanced with silken banners streamingbravely out in the fresh morning air, burnished mail, and glitteringweapons, proudly prancing steeds and rumbling guns, they were met byimmense throngs of spectators, who had poured from the city to witnessthe strangest sight ever beheld in Anahuac. Not only did the astonishednatives line both sides of the causeway with dense walls of curioushumanity, but the waters of the lake were alive with thousands of theircanoes. With equal, but restrained, curiosity did the Spaniards gaze onthem; on the wonderful floating islands that, covered with a luxuriantvegetation, and even with miniature forests, appeared on both sides,gently undulating with the swell of the waves, and upon the vast extentof the stately city they were nearing.
As they approached the end of the causeway, and crossed its lastbridge, they perceived the brilliant retinue of the king advancingto meet them, and halted to receive it. The royal palanquin, platedwith burnished gold, was surrounded by a glittering throng of nobles,four of whom, barefooted, with downcast eyes and walking with slowlymeasured pace, supported it on their shoulders. Four others bore aloftthe royal canopy of brilliant featherwork, powdered with jewels andfringed with gold. It was preceded by three princes bearing goldenwands, and having robes of the most exquisite plumage thrown over theirgolden armor.
When the dazzling train had reached a convenient distance it halted,and Montezuma, descending from his litter, advanced on foot, leaningon the lords of Tezcuco and Iztapalapan. He was still shaded by thefeathered canopy, and his golden sandals touched only the rich tapestryspread down before him by attendant nobles. His thronging subjectsprostrated themselves to the ground as he passed, and no eye dared gazeon his countenance.
The king was simply clad in a broad embroidered maxtlatl, or waistsash, and the voluminous tilmatli, or Aztec cloak; but above his head,held in place by a golden fillet, nodded a panache of green plumes,such as he alone might wear.
Dismounting from his horse, and tossing his reins to a page, Cortes,attended by Sandoval and Alvarado, stepped forward to meet the monarch.As they came face to face these two gazed for a moment, in silence andwith a curious interest, at each other. Then Montezuma welcomed hisguests with a kingly courtesy, and announced that his brother, thePrince Cuitlahua, would conduct them to the quarters prepared for theirreception.
His words being translated by Marina, Cortes responded with a fewcourtly expressions of profound respect, hung about the king's neck aglistening chain of colored crystals, and the momentous interview cameto an end.
Montezuma, returning through the prostrate ranks of his people,re-entered his litter and was borne back into the city with the samestate in which he had left it. The Spaniards followed with colorsflying, drums and trumpets arousing the echoes with strains of martialmusic, and with the trampling of horses and the rumble of heavy gunssounding for the first time over the cemented pavements of Tenochtitlan.
As they marched, with heavy tread, up the principal avenue of the city,the troops gazed with undisguised amazement at the evidences of wealthand civilization surrounding them. For miles the way was lined withthe residences of nobles. They were built of a handsome red sandstone,and though generally of but one story in height, each covered a largearea. Although the flat, battlemented roofs of these buildings showedthat they were capable of being converted into so many fortresses, thismilitary character was softened by the beds of flowers and perfumedshrubbery with which most of them were covered. Often broad, terracedgardens appeared between the dwellings, and the straight lines of theirmonotonous architecture were broken, here and there, by the pyramidalbulk of some teocal, lifting its fire-crowned summit high above allother structures, the fountains and porticos of a square, or thecrossing of a canal.
The profoundest impression was, however, created by the densepopulation, who swarmed on the house-tops, in the streets and squares,and on the canals, in such numbers as the Spaniards had not believedexisted in all Anahuac. These everywhere greeted the white strangerswith cheerful smiles and acclamations, mingled with expressions ofwonder at their horses, weapons, costumes, and beards. But whenthe cavalry, infantry, and artillery had passed, the dark ranksof Tlascalan warriors, who followed, were met with the scowls andmutterings of an undying hatred. These were not lost upon Huetzin, who,proudly marching at the head of his mountaineers, returned them withinterest. Whenever he passed a temple he sincerely hoped that some dayhe might lead his fierce warriors to its destruction. When he finallycame in sight of the great teocal, where his noble father had died, andwher
e he had so nearly lost his own life, his eyes glistened with alight that boded ill to this dwelling of the gods if ever he should beallowed to have his way with it.
Opposite the western side of the temple stood a vast and commodiousrange of buildings surrounded by a stone wall. These had formed thepalace of Montezuma's father, and were now given over to the strangers,to be their place of abode so long as they should remain in the city.As they entered these quarters the king himself, surrounded by hisnobles, stood in the courtyard waiting to receive them.
After his departure, Cortes made a careful inspection of the buildings,which were found to be ample for the accommodation of the entire army,and assigned to whites and Tlascalans their respective quarters. Hethen stationed the artillery so as to command the gateways, postedsentinels, ordered that no soldier should leave the enclosure withoutpermission, and in every manner that his prudence dictated, guardedagainst attack or surprise. When this had been accomplished, the armywas allowed to partake of the bountiful meal provided for it. Laterin the day Cortes, accompanied by Marina and his captains, visitedthe palace of the king, by whom they were granted a long audience,and presented with costly gifts. At sunset the Spaniards celebratedtheir entrance into Tenochtitlan with a simultaneous discharge ofall their artillery. This awe-inspiring sound, and its thunderousreverberations, combined with the sulphurous fumes of powder, filledthe superstitious Aztecs with dismay, and convinced them that they wereindeed entertaining beings of more than mortal powers.
After this two days were passed quietly, or in the interchange ofceremonious visits; but on the night of the third Huetzin, tired ofinactivity, and disguising himself in a peasant's robe of nequen,sallied forth into the city. He had a vague hope of thus learningsomething of Tiata, which thus far he had been unable to do. Ever sincesighting the Mexican valley her image had been constantly before him,and he was strongly impressed with the belief that she was still alive.
The streets were as well filled with people as they had been on theeve of the festival of the great calendar stone. In the brilliantlylighted porticos of the squares, in which pulque, chocolatl, or coolingsherbets were sold, at the corners, before the open doorways, on thebridges, and at the landing-places of the many canals, were gatheredanimated groups discussing the arrival of the white strangers, whichstill formed the all-absorbing topic of public interest. There waslittle laughter or singing, but much earnest conversation, of whichHuetzin caught such scraps as he could while passing, for he dared notjoin himself to any group, for fear of disclosing his identity. For anhour he wandered aimlessly to and fro, shunning lighted places as muchas possible, and seeking friendly shadows. At the end of this time hesuddenly became filled with the uneasy sense of one who is secretlyobserved, and looking about him, he strove to discover if this were thecase.