9 6 ^he Expedition of H 
Vvere enured, and that he did not at all doubt they fliould 
be able to overcome the reft. Motezuma was informed of 
all by fome of his People, though moft of them ftaid 
among the Spaniards \ and as it was fufpedled that they 
were privately armed to fail upon them by Surprize, 
Cortes bid the Mexican L/ords not ftir into the Quar- 
ters of the Spaniards at Night, becaufe they never llept, 
and were wont to kill all that came among them. Not- 
withftanding this Precaution, fome Spies were employed 
to find whether that was true, and the Sentinels killed 
three or four of them, being forewarned, which proved 
fo advantageous, that the Mexicans afterwards took up 
Quarters very far from the Spaniards. 
The next Day they marched to a Town called Amaf- 
cameca in the Province of Chaleo the Lord came out to 
meet Cortes with a great Retinue ; gave him forty Wo- 
men Slaves, the Value of three thoufand Pieces of Eight 
in Gold, and Provifions for two Days ; and told him in 
Secret afterwards, in what a tyrannical Motezuma 
treated him, and all others ; Cortes comforted, encouraged, 
and gave him fome Toys, fo that they parted very good 
Friends. The Army advanced from thence to a Imaii 
Town, half of which ftoed in the Lake, and the other 
half at the Foot of an uncouth ftony Mountain. Many 
of the King’s Servants kept with the Army, fupplying 
it with all Neceffaries, and that Night they defigned to 
have murdered all the Spaniards *, but Cortes was fo 
watchful, that his Sentinels, and a fmall extraordinary 
Corps de Garde he had appointed killed twenty Men 
that were fkulking in the Quarters ; the next Morning 
before they fet out abundance of People came from 
Mexico., and many Gentlemen attending on Cacamazin^ 
Nephew to Motezuma., Lord of dSezcuco., a Youth about 
twenty-five Years of Age, who was richly clad, and car- 
ried on a Sort of Sedan upon Mens Shoulders •, and when 
he alighted, fome went before fweeping the way ; Cortes 
came out of his Tent to meet him, paying him much 
Refpedl, and treating the others very courteoufly •, twelve 
Noblemen went with him into the Tent, and Cacamazin., 
with much State and Gravity, faid, that he and thefe 
Gentlemen were come to wait on him ; adding, to ex- 
cufe his Uncle, that he came not in Perfon, becaufe he 
was indifpofed. Cortes anfwered him fully, and yet 
Cacamazin infifted that it was not fit for him to go to 
Mexico., becaufe he fufpeded there might be fome Dif- 
ficulty in his Admittance, or that it would be oppofed. 
Cortes gave him a Prefent of fuch Things as he had, 
treating him in a very courteous and loving Manner, 
but held on his way •, and it was wonderful to fee what a 
Multitude of People came out from Mexico, and the 
other Towns on the Lake to fee the Spaniards, admir- 
ing their Habit, Beards, Arms, Horfes, and the Strange- 
nefs that appeared in every particular, faying, thefe are 
truly Gods. 
Cortes warned them not to crofs the Solcjiefs Ranks, 
nor to come near the Horfes, nor to touch their Gar-‘ 
ments, which would immediately coft them their Lives, 
left growing familiar with his Soldiers they fhould fear 
them the Ids. They came to TSezcuco, which was twice 
as big as Seville, the Streets very regular, the Houfes 
beautiful, and feated in a Plain on the Salt-Lake, and 
had frefti Water in Pipes brought from the Mountain to 
every Houfe, which made it a very agreeable Habita- 
tion ; from thence they proceeded to Lavaca, which 
they called Venezuela, or Little Venice,'^' containing about 
two thoufand Floufes, all in the Water, pleafant, and 
plentifully fupplied with Fifli ; they entered it by aCaufe- 
way, t>venty Foot broad and above half a League in 
length, with good Houfes and Towers. 
I'he Lord of the Place came out to meet Cortes with 
Neceffaries •, and at his Requeft they ftaid there that 
Night •, he difeourfed Cortes in private, declaring, how 
much he wiftied to be difeharged from his Subjedlion to 
Motezuma, made grievous Complaints, adding, that if 
he and his were Gods, as they feemed to be, he ought to 
fet many great Men at Liberty, who would all be affift- 
ing to him. He comforted and affured him that the 
Great Monarch Motezuma wmuld do whatfoever he 
would ailc of him. As for the way to Mexico, that 
Lord allured him it was all good, being along a Cauf- 
ERNAN Cort es, Book I. 
way, and broader than that which had brought him thi- 
ther. 
4. After this Conference, from which he learned many 
things that were of very great Ule to him, Cortes fet out 
better fatisfied, having refolved to hiake Boats to enter 
into Mexico, being afraid they fhould break down the 
Caufways he marched With much CircumfpeClion, fend- 
ing fome Horfemen before to difeover what paffed. At 
the Requeft of Cacamazin, he went two Leagues farther, 
to Tztacpalapa, a Town belonging to another of Motezu- 
ma\ Nephews, who came out to meet him with another 
Prince of the Royal Family, and with them came an infi- . 
nite Crowd of People. They prefented him with Women 
Slaves, Plumes of Feathers, Garments, and to the Value 
of four thoufand Pieces of Eight in Gold ; The Lord of 
Tztacpalapa made a Speech, bidding Cortes welcome, in 
the King’s Nam.e ; Cortes anfwered very difcreetly, and 
prefented him fome Toys, which were more acceptable 
for the Rarity than the Value. 
At Tztacpalapa he was well entertained in a Houfe 
that had large Courts, upper and lower Floors, and very 
delightful Gardens •, the Walls were of Stone, the Tim- 
ber-work well wrought ; there were many and fpacious 
Rooms hung with Cotton Hangings extraordinary rich 
in their way ; on one Side of it was an Orchard, with 
abundance of Fruit and Greens, the Walls were all in- 
clofed with Reeds, interv/oven, covered with odoriferous 
Flowers. There were Ponds of frefli Water, with much 
Fifli in them ; one of them was four hundred Paces 
fquare, with Steps to go down to the Water and to the 
Bottorn ; fuch Numbers of fmall Herons, wild Ducks, 
Gulls, and other Sorts of Fowls reforted to the Lakes, ' 
that they were fometimes covered. This City contained 
ten thoufand Houfes, one half in the Salt-Lake and the 
other on the Continent •, on the way from it to Mexico 
was a Spring of good Water encompaffed with tall Trees* 
Cortes attentively obferved all thefe Particulars, and 
having confidered the Grandeur of Mexico, he is reported 
to have rejoiced very much, and to have bid fome of his 
beft Friends cheer up, for they fhould foon receive the 
Reward of all their Labours. Motezuma, who ftill de- 
fired nothing more than to obftrudl Cortes from coming 
to Mexico when he was at Tztacpalapa fent fome Gen- 
tlemen to advife him to go back, reprefenting to him 
many Dangers, and offering to give him whatfoever he 
fhould demand. V uch, the Nobleman of Zempoalla, be- 
ing informed of what they had faid, told Cortes he fhould 
not give Credit to thofe Difficulties and Dangers they 
talked of, for he had been himfelf in and offered 
to condud him to the King’s Palace, over a very fine 
Caufeway. Cortes then advancing, ordered an hdian to go 
before, and make Proclamation as he went, in the. Mexican 
Language, that no Man fhould crofs the way, for if any 
did, they fhould be immediately killed, which proved 
of great Ufe, by giving them room to march notwith- 
ftanding the Crowd of the People. 
Tztacpalapa is two Leagues from Mexico, joined to 
it by a Caufway, fo broad, that eight Florfemen cart 
eafily go abreaft, and it is fo ftrait, that, were it not 
for one Angle it forms, the Gates of Mexico might be 
feen at the firft fetting out ; on the Sides of it are Mex- 
icatzingo, a Town of four thoufand Houfes, feated in 
the Water; Cuyoacan of fix thoufand Houfes on the 
Land, very beautiful and pleafant ; and Hiucilopucheo of ' 
five thoufand Houfes. In thefe three Tov/ns there were 
many Temples, and high Towers all plaiftered over 
with white Lime, which, when the Sun fhone upon 
them, at a Diftance, looked like Silver, being a great 
Ornament to thofe Places, and now are Monafteries ; 
there was in them a great Trade of Salt, but not white, 
nor agreeable to eat, efpecially to the Spaniards, yet 
good for faking of Meat ; It is made of the Surface of 
of the Earth, that is near the Lake and full of Salt- 
petre: The Lumps of it are round, and almoft of Brick 
Colour, and they yielded Motezuma a very great Reve- 
nue. The Trade ftill continues, and this Salt is carried 
into Provinces very far diftant. 
On the Caufway there were Draw-bridges, at certain 
Diftances over the Openings, through which the Water 
runs, out of one Lake into the other. TheFrefh-water 
Lake 
