Chap. in. for the ReduSUm ^ N e w S p A i n. p j 
jeds. When the War was oTer, thofe Chichimecans of 
riafiala ftruck a great Terror into the Country, and 
ali ths.Culuas and Mexicans ]omtd. in Alliance with therri, 
and living long in Peace, had Leifure to build their 
Towns and fettle the Frontiers. ^ Tlafcala enjoying 
Peace, all the Province was inhabited, and Kalliuacuth, 
who was looked upon as the only Lord, divided what 
he had with his Brother 'Teyohualminqui^ and went down 
to govern his People into the Vale of Ocotectilco. 
Thefe Brothers left the Sovereignty to two Sons of 
theirs ; and one of them, though very brave, grew 
fo tyrannical in his old Age, that his Subjedts, being uh- 
eafy, confpired, and flew him and all his Friends and 
Kindred ; but two Nurfes hid two young Sons of his, 
from whom defcended Ivlaxifcatxin-, the moft faithful 
Friend of the Spaniards ; the other three Lords of 
Tlafcala were of no lefs remarkable Defcents. After the 
Death of Culhiiacutli^ the City and its Territory began 
to be governed as a Commonwealth. The Lan- 
guage was fpoken at Tlafcala^ though there was ano- 
ther which they called Otomitick^ from a Nation, which 
revolting from the Kings of Mexico, was received by the 
‘Tlafcalans as their Subjedls, and had Lands given them 
to till, on Condition that they jfhould guard the Fron- 
tiers againft the Mexicans and Culuas. Thefe were the 
barbarous Otomies, on whom the riafcalatis at firft laid 
the blame, for having taken up Arms againft Cortes. 
They are very hardy, excellent Hufbandmen, obftinate 
Idolaters, lend, favage, and hard to be brought to Chrif- 
tianity. Drunkards, and fond of living in remote Places, 
being the reverfe of thofe that fpeak the Tongue, 
who were docile and polite. Thefe Otomies were once pof- 
fefled of all that Country, and there are of them fcattered 
every where, but nothing is known of their Original ; 
becaufe they are fo barbarous, that they can give no 
account of themfelves. 
lo. Cortes being come into Tlafcala, to pleafeMzw/- 
■catzin, removed into his Quarter of the Town called 
Ocoteculco, where a Market was kept every Week. The 
four Lords that governed the Commonwealth, and other 
great Men, went thither to difcourfe Cortes, and intreat 
him to acquaint them with his Intentions, promifing to 
concur fincerely in whatfoever he fliould propofe. Cortes 
pve them to underftand that he was come to inftrucl 
them in the Chriftian Religion, to abolifli Idolatry, and 
to aftift them againft all their Enemies •, and particu- 
larly Motezuma. Maxifcatzin replied, in Defence of their 
Gods, and Cortes rejoined, ftill prefting them to re- 
nounce their Idols ; but, by the Advice of F. Bartholo- 
mew de Olniedo, and fome of his Officers, he thought fit 
not to urge the Point of Religion any farther at that time. 
They promifing not to eat any more human Flefii, yet they 
all returned to it as foon as he was out of the way. Beino- 
now fatisfied that his Friendffiip with the Tlafcalans wS 
eftablillied, he propofed his Journey to Mexico and 
though they reprefented to him the Power of Motezuma, 
the Strength of the City, the Danger he was running 
into among the Culuas, , who, they laid, were given to 
change, as alfo their Multitude , in Conclufion, to pleafe 
him, they confented to all he faid, and offered to affift 
him, if he would make War, or to bear him Company, 
if, as he faid, he only defigned to vifit Motezuma : Ac- 
cordingly they immediately began to appoint Command- 
ers, raife Men, and lay up Provifions. 
The Fame of the Alliance between the Spaniards and 
the Fkfcalans being fpread abroad, put all the Country 
into a Confternation, and efpecially Motezuma, who was 
ftill refolved to obftrutft Cortes’s coming to Mexico-, 
though, at the fame time, in order to draw him from 
F'lafcala, he propoled his removing to Chulula, where 
-he might be better entertained. The Flafcalam earneft- 
ly oppofed it, and zealouay offered fifty thoufand Men 
to attend him, becaufe the People of Chulula, after hav- 
ing been long at Peace, with them, being corrupted by 
Motezuma, had, in a Battle they had 'with the Mexicans, 
anti in which the ’T'laJ'calans led the Van, fallen in uoon 
tneir Rear, and killed many of them, fince which time 
they had been Enemies. The Flafcalans advifed Cortes 
to consider tnat the Chululans faid they did not fear 
VoL. II. Numb. yy. 
him, becaufe their God etuetfalcoatl was fo pbv/erfuft 
that he would deftroy his Men with Fire from Fleavenj 
or drown them with Water : He fmiled at this, and con- 
tinned his Preparations. On the Part of the Flafcalans nine 
Sons of the Prime Men of tlie Quarter of Ocoteculco were 
appointed Commanders of the Troops that were to attend 
Cortes from thence, the other Quarters nominated thir- 
teen Commanders. The feveral 'Commanders had alfo 
their peculiar Colours, and all very gay, with Plumes 
of Feathers, after their Manner. Certain it is, that the 
Flafcalafis were very dubious of the Event of the Jour- 
ney, being apprehenfive of the Chululans, and bearing 
much Refpebt to their City, as it was a Place of great 
Devotion and reputed Sandtity among them. Cortes, by 
the Advice of the four great Wards, fent to call thofe 
that governed at Chulula to him, 
Eight Leagues from the City of Flafcala is the 
Mountain called Popocatepod, the Top whereof always 
fmoaked ; and whilft the Spaniards were at Tlafcala it 
caft out^ more Fire than ufual, to the great Aftonifti- 
ment of the Natives. James de Ordaz took a Fancy to 
fee that Wonder, for till then it was a ftrange Thing to 
the Spaniards, and the Indians affirmed that no Mortal 
had ever been upon the Top of that Mountain. Cortes, 
to fhew the Indians that the Spaniards made fmall Ac- 
count of what they thought impradicable, was well 
pleafed that Ordaz fhould go and view it : He took 
with him fome Spaniards and a few Indians for Guides, 
who ftopped at a certain Diftance ; and Orddz advancing^ 
they heard the dreadful Noife that was within, felt the 
Earth quake, and arrived at the Place to which the Fire 
and Stones caft out of the Mountains reached, the great 
Quantity of Allies choaking up the way. Thefe Things 
making fome imeafy, and being very weary with going 
up, they would willingly have turned back ; but Orfe 
telling them, it was a Shame for Spaniards, who had 
undertaken any thing not to go through, they ad- 
vanced, making their Way through the Affies, and ar- 
riving at length at the Top, through a thick Smoak^ 
they for fome time viewed the Mouth, which leemed to be 
round, and above a Quarter of a League in Compals, 
with a deep Cavity, within which the Fire rao-ed as it 
does in a Glafs-Houfe. F'rom the Eminence appeared 
the great City of Mlexico, leated in its Lake, and Towns 
about it: Not being able to make any longer Stay by rea- 
fon of the exceftive Heat, he returned the fame way he came 
for the Benefit of the Track. The Indians, being aftoniftied 
that mortal Men ffiould do fuch an Adtion, kifted their 
Garments, believing that to be one of the Mouths of 
Hell : Where fuch Lords, as were Tytants, fuffered for 
their Sins ; and afterwards went to reft. 
_ II. The Events which we have reported in this Sec^‘ 
tion are in themfelves fb great and extraordinary, that if 
their Confequences had not put them out of all (^eftion^ 
they might very eafily pafs for Things altogether incredi- 
ble. If Cortes could have exhibited to th&SpaniJh Miniftry 
a Scheme of his Expedition, and had therein laid it down 
as a thing pradlicable to haVe beat the Republic of 
Flafcala, though capable of bringing three or four hun- 
dred thoufand Men into the Field, into begging a Peace, 
and then making ufe of their whole Power againft Motezd 
ma, it would Certainly have been taken for the wildeft, moft 
romantic, and ridiculous, Propofition that was ever jferi— 
oufiy recommended to the Confideration of Perfons in^ 
trufted with the Management of public Affairs ; and 
yet it is very evident, that from the Time he firft ’heard 
of this Republic, he aftually formed fuch a Scheme, 
forefaw ail the Difficulties that would attend it, pro- 
vided for them, and by firmly perfifting in the Execu- 
tion of his own Plan brought it to bear. This plainly 
fliews us, that there is fcarce any thing infurmountable 
to a great Genius, or which may not be brought about 
if Men are obedient to a Commander, and awed with 
thofe extraordinary Abilities which conftitute what we 
call a Hero. 
There feems to be no Qiieftion made by the Spanifh 
Hiftonans, that the whole Succefs of this amazino- En- 
terprize was entirely due to the Wifdom, Fortkude, 
and fteady Refolution of this great Captain, who yet^ 
