The Essential Diaz by Bernal Diaz Del Castillo

Author:Bernal Diaz Del Castillo [Castillo, Bernal Diaz Del]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781624661624
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2014-02-03T06:00:00+00:00

[LXXXVIII] The next morning, we left Iztapalapa, accompanied by those great caciques I mentioned earlier; we went forward along our causeway, which is eight paces in width and goes so straight to the city of Mexico that it seems to me it does not twist in the slightest. Although it is very broad, it was so completely crowded with people that there was not room for all of them, some of them entering Mexico, others coming out, and the Indians who were coming to see us, and we could not pass by all those many who came, and the towers and cus were filled with people as were canoes from all parts of the lake. It was not surprising, because they had never seen horses nor men like us. Seeing such wonderful things, we did not know what to say or whether what appeared before us was real. On one side, on the land, were great cities, and in the lake many more, and we saw it all filled with canoes, and on the causeway many bridges at intervals, and in front of us was the great city of Mexico; and we, we did not number even four hundred soldiers, and we remembered very well the many warnings that had been given us, that we should be careful about entering Mexico, that they were going to kill us as soon as they had us inside. Let the curious readers consider whether what I am writing here has in it much to ponder; what men have there been in the world who would have had such daring?

But let us go on. We were going along our causeway. When we arrived where another small causeway separates off and goes to Coyoacan, another city with something like towers that were their adoratorios, many chieftains and caciques came wearing very rich cloaks with a style of liveries differentiating some caciques from others, and the causeways were full of them. The great Montezuma sent those caciques ahead to receive us, so when they arrived before Cortés, they said in their language that we were very welcome, and as a sign of peace they touched the ground with their hand and kissed the earth with the same hand. There we stopped for a good while, and from there Cacamatzin, lord of Texcoco, the lord of Iztapalapa, the lord of Tacuba, and the lord of Coyoacan went forward to meet the great Montezuma, who was arriving in a rich litter accompanied by other great lords and caciques who had vassals.

When we came near Mexico, where there were other small towers, the great Montezuma stepped out of the litter, and the great caciques supported him by the arm under a wonderfully rich canopy the color of green feathers with great gold handwork, much silver, many pearls and chalchiui stones, hanging from a kind of embroidered edge; there was much to look at in it. The great Montezuma was very richly attired after his manner, and he was wearing

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