WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 15 1 



Chapter XVII 



How Fernando Cortes, Marques del Valle, after Learning of 

 That Powerful Kingdom, Marched into It and Conquered It ; and 

 of the Chief Events Which Took Place in the Siege of the City of 

 Mexico. 



423. After the omens above described and many others had taken 

 place, as represented in the Mexican annals by their figures and paint- 

 ings, the coast Indians brought him all that the Spaniards had given 

 them and paintings in their native characters and figures, of the ships, 

 and of the sort of people they were. Thereupon Motezuma was com- 

 pletely bafifled and thought over the matter; he assembled the mem- 

 bers of his council for consultation on what could be done to fore- 

 stall such people. Accordingly he gave orders for great caution to 

 be observed along the coast, with sentinels posted as lookouts. But 

 God our Lord had so ordained it in His Divine Providence, so that 

 the light of His Holy Gospel might come in upon that blind nation, 

 and thus drive out the darkness of heathendom and with it, the enemy 

 of the human race, who had had such powerful hold on them, making 

 them carry out such cruel and revolting human sacrifices as took place. 



424. (In margin: And Dr. Juan de Solorzano, "De Jure India- 

 rum," lib. C. V, N. 29, and all through the chapter, exalts this valiant 

 captain and tells how, when he had been sent by Diego Velasquez, 

 Governor of Cuba, on November i8, 15 18, with 11 ships and 500 

 soldiers, he surpassed the most renowned captains in the world by 

 his courage in conquering completely those countries.) At the be- 

 ginning of the year 15 18, Marques Fernando Cortes arrived with 

 his fleet and his men on the coast, and there courageously and with 

 the favor of Heaven (although to worldly eyes it seemed overbold), 

 he ordered his ships burned up, so that his men should lose that hope 

 and should realize that, with God's help, they must rely on their own 

 right arms and conquer or die. At this time Motezuma sent ambas- 

 sadors to him, having heard that he was the great lord Quetzalcoatl, 

 a prince whom they expected from their traditions or false prophe- 

 cies to come from the East, and they bade him welcome ; the ambas- 

 sadors' message was made known through the interpreter Marina. 

 Motezuma offered to be his servant, for he had had word that his 

 lord Topilzin was about to come. Cortes received the embassy with 

 great dignity and affection ; and if it had not been that the Indians 

 gained the impression that the Spaniards were undisciplined, all those 

 tribes would have received the Gospel immediately in perfect peace, 

 for they were tired of the cruel rites and sacrifices which the Devil 



