Work overview

Text 83 of 137

CHAPTER LXXXII.

The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Vol 1 (of 2) Written by Himself Containing a True and Full Account of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · 2010

Contents

Text 83 of 137

  1. 01Front matter
  2. 02CHAPTER I.
  3. 03CHAPTER II.
  4. 04CHAPTER III.
  5. 05CHAPTER IV.
  6. 06CHAPTER V.
  7. 07CHAPTER VI.
  8. 08CHAPTER VII.
  9. 09CHAPTER VIII.
  10. 10CHAPTER IX.
  11. 11CHAPTER X.
  12. 12CHAPTER XI.
  13. 13CHAPTER XII.
  14. 14CHAPTER XIII.
  15. 15CHAPTER XIV.
  16. 16CHAPTER XV.
  17. 17CHAPTER XVI.
  18. 18CHAPTER XVII.
  19. 19CHAPTER XVIII.
  20. 20CHAPTER XIX.
  21. 21CHAPTER XX.
  22. 22CHAPTER XXI.
  23. 23CHAPTER XXII.
  24. 24CHAPTER XXIII.
  25. 25CHAPTER XXIV.
  26. 26CHAPTER XXV.
  27. 27CHAPTER XXVI.
  28. 28CHAPTER XXVII.
  29. 29CHAPTER XXVIII.
  30. 30CHAPTER XXIX.
  31. 31CHAPTER XXX.
  32. 32CHAPTER XXXI.
  33. 33CHAPTER XXXII.
  34. 34CHAPTER XXXIII.
  35. 35CHAPTER XXXIV.
  36. 36CHAPTER XXXV.
  37. 37CHAPTER XXXVI.
  38. 38CHAPTER XXXVII.
  39. 39CHAPTER XXXVIII.
  40. 40CHAPTER XXXIX.
  41. 41CHAPTER XL.
  42. 42CHAPTER XLI.
  43. 43CHAPTER XLII.
  44. 44CHAPTER XLIII.
  45. 45CHAPTER XLIV.
  46. 46CHAPTER XLV.
  47. 47CHAPTER XLVI.
  48. 48CHAPTER XLVII.
  49. 49CHAPTER XLVIII.
  50. 50CHAPTER XLIX.
  51. 51CHAPTER L.
  52. 52CHAPTER LI.
  53. 53CHAPTER LII.
  54. 54CHAPTER LIII.
  55. 55CHAPTER LIV.
  56. 56CHAPTER LV.
  57. 57CHAPTER LVI.
  58. 58CHAPTER LVII.
  59. 59CHAPTER LVIII.
  60. 60CHAPTER LIX.
  61. 61CHAPTER LX.
  62. 62CHAPTER LXI.
  63. 63CHAPTER LXII.
  64. 64CHAPTER LXIII.
  65. 65CHAPTER LXIV.
  66. 66CHAPTER LXV.
  67. 67CHAPTER LXVI.
  68. 68CHAPTER LXVII.
  69. 69CHAPTER LXVIII.
  70. 70CHAPTER LXIX.
  71. 71CHAPTER LXX.
  72. 72CHAPTER LXXI.
  73. 73CHAPTER LXXII.
  74. 74CHAPTER LXXIII.
  75. 75CHAPTER LXXIV.
  76. 76CHAPTER LXXV.
  77. 77CHAPTER LXXVI.
  78. 78CHAPTER LXXVII.
  79. 79CHAPTER LXXVIII.
  80. 80CHAPTER LXXIX.
  81. 81CHAPTER LXXX.
  82. 82CHAPTER LXXXI.
  83. 83CHAPTER LXXXII.
  84. 84CHAPTER LXXXIII.
  85. 85CHAPTER LXXXIV.
  86. 86CHAPTER LXXXV.
  87. 87CHAPTER LXXXVI.
  88. 88CHAPTER LXXXVII.
  89. 89CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
  90. 90CHAPTER LXXXIX.
  91. 91CHAPTER XC.
  92. 92CHAPTER XCI.
  93. 93CHAPTER XCII.
  94. 94CHAPTER XCIII.
  95. 95CHAPTER XCIV.
  96. 96CHAPTER XCV.
  97. 97CHAPTER XCVI.
  98. 98CHAPTER XCVII.
  99. 99CHAPTER XCVIII.
  100. 100CHAPTER XCIX.
  101. 101CHAPTER C.
  102. 102CHAPTER CI.
  103. 103CHAPTER CII.
  104. 104CHAPTER CIII.
  105. 105CHAPTER CIV.
  106. 106CHAPTER CV.
  107. 107CHAPTER CVI.
  108. 108CHAPTER CVII.
  109. 109CHAPTER CVIII.
  110. 110CHAPTER CIX.
  111. 111CHAPTER CX.
  112. 112CHAPTER CXI.
  113. 113CHAPTER CXII.
  114. 114CHAPTER CXIII.
  115. 115CHAPTER CXIV.
  116. 116CHAPTER CXV.
  117. 117CHAPTER CXVI.
  118. 118CHAPTER CXVII.
  119. 119CHAPTER CXVIII.
  120. 120CHAPTER CXIX.
  121. 121CHAPTER CXX.
  122. 122CHAPTER CXXI.
  123. 123CHAPTER CXXII.
  124. 124CHAPTER CXXIII.
  125. 125CHAPTER CXXIV.
  126. 126CHAPTER CXXV.
  127. 127CHAPTER CXXVI.
  128. 128CHAPTER CXXVII.
  129. 129CHAPTER CXXVIII.
  130. 130CHAPTER CXXIX.
  131. 131CHAPTER CXXX.
  132. 132CHAPTER CXXXI.
  133. 133CHAPTER CXXXII.
  134. 134CHAPTER CXXXIII.
  135. 135CHAPTER CXXXIV.
  136. 136CHAPTER CXXXV.
  137. 137CHAPTER CXXXVI.
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Text 83 of 137

CHAPTER LXXXII.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · about 5 minutes

Original source ↗

CHAPTER LXXXII.

_How we arrived in the town of Cholulla, and the brilliant reception
we met with._

Early one morning we broke up our quarters, and left for the town of Cholulla. We marched onward in the best order possible; for, as I have before remarked, we were always doubly on our guard wherever we suspected hostilities. The first day's march brought us to a river which flows about four miles this side of Cholulla, and we took up our night's quarters at a spot where now a stone bridge is built across the river. Here, huts and messrooms had been erected for our accommodation.

This same night ambassadors arrived from the caziques of Cholulla, all personages of the first rank, to bid us welcome in their territory. They brought us provisions, consisting of fowls and maise-bread, and announced to us that all the caziques and papas would call to give us a friendly reception, and begged we would excuse them for not having come out immediately. Cortes returned them thanks through Do�a Marina and Aguilar for the provisions and their kind intentions; we then laid ourselves down to rest, after we had posted the necessary sentinels and ordered the patrols.

With break of day we put ourselves in motion, and marched direct for the town, within a short distance of which we were met by the caziques, papas, and numbers of other Indians who had come out to welcome us. Most of them were clad in a species of cotton cloak, similar in shape to our marlotas.[33] These cloaks are also worn by the Capotecas Indians. They all appeared friendly, and well-disposed towards us. The papas carried along with them earthern censors, with which they perfumed our officers and those soldiers who stood nearest.

When the papas and other chief Indians saw the Tlascallans who had accompanied us, they begged of Do�a Marina to remind Cortes that it was not proper for their enemies to enter into the town with weapons in their hands. Cortes then ordered the officers and the whole of us to halt, and spoke to us as follows: "I am of opinion, gentlemen, that, previous to our entering into Cholulla, we should, by kind words, elicit from these papas and caziques what their real intentions are. They seem hurt that these our friends the Tlascallans should have accompanied us, and are, indeed, perfectly right in what they say; wherefore it is my intention to acquaint them, in a mild manner, with our reasons for visiting their city. You know already, from the Tlascallans, that these people are treacherous by nature; it is, therefore, most prudent we should first desire them to take an oath of allegiance to our sovereign."

He then desired Do�a Marina to call the caziques and papas around him where he sat on horseback, all of us being close at his side. Three of the principal caziques and two papas immediately appeared in Cortes' presence, and addressed him thus: "Malinche, you must not harbour any suspicion against us for not having come to Tlascalla to pay our respects to you there, and because we did not send you any provisions. We were not wanting in good wishes towards you, but Maxixcatzin, Xicotencatl, and the whole of Tlascalla are at enmity with us. They have too grossly slandered us and our great monarch, and now they no longer abide by words, but have the audacity to be upon the point of entering, all armed, into our city, under your protection. We earnestly beg you will tell them to return to their own country, or at least command them to remain outside in the fields, and not to march into our city in such a manner. The rest of you are at liberty to enter at any time, and are perfectly welcome."

As soon as our captain was informed of this their reasonable request he sent for Alvarado and Oli, and commissioned them to beg of the Tlascallans to erect themselves huts and barracks outside the town, and not to follow us there except those of them who transported our heavy guns, and our friends of Sempoalla. These officers were, at the same time, to inform them what had occasioned these orders, and the great fear in which all the caziques and papas stood of them; that they should be duly informed of the day when we commenced our march through Cholulla to Mexico; lastly, they were desired not to grieve on account of this change.

When the inhabitants of Cholulla perceived the arrangements which Cortes had made respecting the Tlascallans, they appeared more easy; upon which Cortes acquainted them that our sovereign and master, whose subjects we were, was a powerful monarch, who had under his command many great kings and caziques. We were sent by him into this country to acquaint them, in his name, that, in future, they were no longer to worship idols, make human sacrifices, eat human flesh, and were to abstain from committing unnatural crimes, and all other abominations. We had come to their town because the road to Mexico lay through it, whither we were going to hold a conference with the great Motecusuma; and we were also desirous of considering them as brothers. Cortes further said that other great caziques had already sworn obedience and submission to our sovereign, and he hoped they would follow their example.

In answer to this, they said that we really demanded too much; we had scarcely seen them before we required of them to abolish their teules, which they could not think of complying with; but as regarded doing homage to our sovereign, in so far they would yield to our wishes. They accordingly made a verbal promise of allegiance, but not with the usual formalities, in presence of a royal notary; upon this we made our entry into the city of Cholulla. The tops of the houses and streets were everywhere crowded with people to gaze upon us. And who can wonder? They had never before seen men like ourselves, nor any horses! Through this mass of people we were conducted to our quarters, consisting of several large apartments, in which all of us, with our friends of Sempoalla and the Tlascallans who transported our baggage, found plenty of room, and we were immediately supplied with abundance of good victuals.

[33] A small kind of cloak, a part of the old Moorish dress, still worn in Spain during festivals. (p. 194.)