HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



267 



glafs balls, and fuch like trifling wares, for gold, which 

 they anxioufly fought, and the provifions they required. 



When they arrived at that little ifland, which they 

 called St. Juan de Ulua (b), little more than a mile diftant 

 from the ftiore of Chalchiuhcuecan ; the Mexican go- 

 vernors of thofe coafls, confounded at the fight of veflfels 

 fo large, and men of fo flrange an afpect and figure, con- 

 fulted together what they fliould do on the occafion, and 

 determined to repair in perfon to the court to give intel- 

 ligence to the king of fo extraordinary an occurrence. 

 But in order to convey to him a more perfect idea of the 

 particulars, they caufed the veflels, artillery, arms, drefs, 

 and appearance of the new people to be reprefented 

 in fome meafure by their painters ; after which, they 

 fet off without farther delay to the court, to relate what 

 had arrived upon the coaft, prefenting to the king, along 

 with the paintings, fome little balls of glafs, which they 

 had got from the Spaniards. Montezuma was extremely 

 difturbed on hearing their account ; but, to avoid any 

 rafli ftep in an affair of fuch confequence and alarm, he 

 held a council with Cacamatzin, king of Acolhuacan, his 

 nephew, Cuitlahuatzin, lord of Iztapalapan, his brother, 

 and other twelve perfonages, his ordinary counfellors. 

 After a long conference they concluded unanimoufly, that 

 he who had landed upon that ftiore, with fo great an 

 army, could be no other perfon than Jguetzalcoatl, the 

 god of air, who had for many years been expected in that 



country ; 



(6) They gave to this ifland the name of S. Juan ; becaufe they arrived there 

 on the day of S. Precurfor, and becaufe this was the name of the commander. 

 They called it Ulua alfo, becaufe they found there two human victims recently 

 facrificed, and upon demanding, by means of figns, the reafon of fuch barbarity, 

 the Indians pointing towards the country of the weft, anfwered Acolhua, Acolhua % 

 meaning to be underftpod, that they did it by order of the Mexicans ; as ail the 

 inhabitants of the Mexican vale were called Acolhuas by the people at a diftance 

 from the capital. On this little ifland there is at prefent a good fortrefs to defend 

 the entry into the port of Vera Cruz. 



