Montezuma: Warlord of the Aztecs by Peter G. Tsouras

Author:Peter G. Tsouras [Tsouras, Peter G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781574888225
Publisher: Potomac Books
Published: 2005-09-30T14:00:00+00:00

t h e ta m i n g o f m o t e c u h z o m a 67

From a vantage point on the wall Marina summoned all the Mexica noblemen in the palace and ordered them to bring food, fodder, and firewood to the compound. The first lord to offer open defiance, surprisingly, was Cacamatzin, lord of Texcoco.

This king, with a reputation as Motecuhzoma’s creature, was in fact a bold patriot. He was the first great lord to reject his uncle’s authority. The man whose elevation had been seen as the final subjugation of Acolhua independence now reasserted that independence openly. In response to the orders of both Motecuhzoma and Cortés, he replied, “If we required anything from him we should go and get it, and that there we should see what sort of man he was and what service he was obliged to render.”5

He was also mobilizing an army. Motecuhzoma attempted to persuade him to visit him. Cacamatzin’s reply was worthy of his ancestors, calling Motecuhzoma a chicken for having allowed himself to be captured, “that, when he did visit his capital, it would be to rescue it, as well as the emperor himself, and their common gods, from bondage. He should come, not with his hand in his bosom, but on his sword—to drive out the detested strangers who had brought such dishonour to their country.”6

Motecuhzoma eagerly offered a solution when Cortés asked his advice. An open move to seize such a great lord would unleash a bloody and destructive war. Better, Motecuhzoma suggested, to seize him by cunning and deception. He had many servants be-holden to him in Texcoco. In late December Cacamatzin was lured to one of his palaces at Texcoco that stood half over the water of the lake. There men hidden in canoes under the palace seized him and swiftly transported him across the lake straight into the Spanish compound. He was taken first to Motecuhzoma.

The young man’s courage had not deserted him, and he berated his uncle for his cowardice. In anger, Motecuhzoma turned him over to Cortés, who promptly clapped him in irons. The lords who had supported him, including the kings of Tlacopan, Itzquauhtzin, and his own brother, Cuitláhuac, were seized one by one and joined him in chains.

Now Cortés held all three kings of the Triple Alliance, as well as the Mexica captain-general. Minor Tlacopan had been in no position to lead. It is tempting to speculate what subsequent 68 m o n t e z u m a

course history might have taken had Cacamatzin raised the banner of open revolt and marched on Tenochtitlan. Might the Mexica have gone over to him in a rush and elected a new tlatoani?

Motecuhzoma’s decaying authority would not have survived such a shock. But Motecuhzoma’s collaboration cut off that channel of history. Instead, he seemed to accommodate himself to his situation. Cortés even allowed him to offer (nonhuman) sacrifices on the Great Temple, visit his country estates immediately outside

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.