HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



347 



tive of their coming, he went out to meet them, and 

 the ufual compliments having paffed between them, the 

 two princes invited him to the court of Tezcuco, to 

 which he allowed himfelf to be eafily perfuaded to go, 

 from the great fervice he hoped to gain by the prince 

 Ixtlilxochitl, whofe attachment to the Spaniards was 

 now ftrongly apparent. 



Tezcuco then, though fornewhat inferior to Mexico 

 in fplendour and magnificence, was the largeft and moft 

 populous city of the country of Anahuac : its popula- 

 tion, including the cities of Huexotla, Coatlichan, and 

 Atenco, which were fo near as to appear like its fub- 

 urbs, occupied one hundred and forty thoufand houfes : 

 to the Spaniards it feemed twice as large as Seville. 

 The grandeur of the temples and royal palaces, the 

 beauty of the flreets, the fountains and gardens, fur- 

 nilhed ample variety of fubjeft for their admiration. 

 Cortes entered into this great city accompanied by the 

 two princes and many of the Acolhuan nobility, amidft 

 an infinite concourfe of people. He was lodged with 

 all his army in the principal palace of the king, where 

 the treatment of his perfon was fuitable to the dwelling. 

 There the prince Ixtlilxochitl explained his pretended 

 right to the kingdom of Acolhuacan, and his complaints 

 againft his brother Cacamatzin and the king of Mexico 

 his uncle. Cortes promifed to put him in pofTeffion of 

 the throne, as foon as he had finiflied his negociations 

 in Mexico ; and, without flopping in that court, he 

 marched towards Iztapalapan. 



Iztapalapan was a large and beautiful city, fituated 

 towards the point of that fmall peninfula which is be- 

 tween the two lakes of Chalco to the fouth and Tez- 

 cuco to the north : from this peninfula a road led to 



the 



