HISTORY OF MEXICO. 267 



Whilft Nezahualpilli continued to multiply his defcend- 

 ants, enjoying great peace and tranquillity in his king- 

 dom, the death of the king of Mexico was plotted by 

 fome of his feudatory fubjefts. Techotlalla, lord of Izt- 

 apalapan, either in refentment of fome affront he had re- 

 ceived, or grown impatient of fubordination to Tizoc, 

 conceived the guilty purpofe of attempting the king's 

 life, but difcovered it to thofe only whom he thought ca- 

 pable of putting it in execution. He and Maxtlaton lord 

 of Tlachco, agreed upon the manner in which they were 

 to accomplifli the dangerous deed. Hiftorians are not of 

 one opinion on this head. Some of them relate that 

 they employed forcerelTes, who, by means of their arts, 

 took his life from him ; but this is evidently a popular fa- 

 ble. Others affirm that they adminiflered poifon to him. 

 Which ever was his mode of death, it is certain that their 

 machinations were fuccefsful. Tizoc died in the fifth 

 year of his reign, the 148 2d of the vulgar era. He was 

 a perfon of a circumfpe6i:, ferious, chara61er ; and rigor- 

 ous, like his predecefTors and fuccefTors, in punifliing de- 

 linquents. During his time the power and wealth of the 

 crown had arrived to fuch a height, that he undertook to 

 conftruft a temple to the tutelary god qf the nation, 

 which was to have furpafTed in grandeur and magnifi- 

 cence, all the temples of that country ; he had prepared 

 a vafl quantity of materials for that purpofe, and had be- 

 gun the flrufture when -death interrupted his projefls. 



The Mexicans, well knowing their king had not fallen 

 by any natural death, fought revenge before they pro- 

 ceeded to a new election. They were fo diligent in their 

 inquiries and fearch, that they foon detected the perpe- 

 trators of the a£i:, and executed fentence upon them in 

 the greater public place of the city of Mexico, in pre- 



fencc 



