68 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



the fquare with large ftones ; but the befiegers made ufe 

 of them to fill up the ditches. 



In the entry which was made on the twenty-fixth, 

 two large ditches were taken, which had been recently 

 dug by the Mexicans. Alvarado in his quarter was dai- 

 ly advancing farther into the city, and on the twenty- 

 feventh pufhed fo far, taking feveral ditches and in- 

 trenchments, that he came at laft to occupy two towers 

 neighbouring to the palace where king Quauhtemotzin 

 refided ; but he could proceed no farther on account of 

 the great difficulty he found from other ditches, and the 

 gallant refiftance of the enemy, who obliged him to re- 

 treat, charging furioufly upon his rear-guard. Cortes 

 having obferved an extraordinary fmoke which arofe 

 from thofe towers, made by way of fignal, and fufpe&ing 

 that which had actually happened, entered as ufual into 

 the city, and employed the whole day in repairing every 

 bad ftep. He wanted but one canal and one intrench- 

 ment to come at the fquare of the market ; he determin- 

 ed to pufti on until he got there, which at laft he efFe£t- 

 ed ; and then, for the firfh time after the commencement 

 of the fiege, his troops met with thofe of Alvarado, to 

 the inexpreffible fatisfa&ion of both. Cortes entered 

 with fome cavalry into the fquare, and found innumera- 

 ble people there, lodged in the porticos, the houfes of 

 that diftricl: not being fufficient to contain them. He 

 mounted the temple, from whence he obferved the city, 

 and perceived, that of the eight parts of which it confift- 

 ed, only one remained to be taken. He ordered his 

 people to fet fire to the lofty and beautiful towers of 

 that temple, where, as in the greater temple of Te- 

 nochtitlan, the idol of the god of war was adored. The 

 Mexican populace, on feeing the great flame which arofe 



from 



