Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History

Book

Open Original Text

 me to erect
a cross on the summit of this temple; and, in the chapel, where stand
your Huitzilopochtli and Tetzcatlipuca, give us a small space that I may
place there the image of the holy Virgin; then you will see what terror
will seize these idols by which you have been so long deluded."[63]

Motecusuma knew what the image of the Virgin Mary was, yet he was very
much displeased with Cortes' offer, and replied, in presence of two
papas, whose anger was not less conspicuous, "Malinche, could I have
conjectured that you would have used such reviling language as you have
just done, I would certainly not have shown you my gods. In our eyes
these are good divinities: they preserve our lives, give us nourishment,
water, and good harvests, healthy and growing weather, and victory
whenever we pray to them for it. Therefore we offer up our prayers to
them, and make them sacrifices. I earnestly beg of you not to say
another word to insult the profound veneration in which we hold these
gods."

As soon as Cortes heard these words and perceived the great excitement
under which they were pronounced, he said nothing in return, but merely
remarked to the monarch with a cheerful smile: "It is time for us both
to depart hence." To which Motecusuma answered, that he would not detain
him any longer, but he himself was now obliged to stay some time to
atone to his gods by prayer and sacrifice for having committed
_gratlatlacol_, by allowing us to ascend the great temple, and thereby
occasioning the affronts which we had offered them.

"If that is the case," returned Cortes, "I beg your pardon, great
monarch." Upon this we descended the 114 steps, which very much
distressed many of our soldiers, who were suffering from swellings in
their groins.[64] The following is all I can communicate with respect to
the size or circumference of this temple; but previously reckon upon the
reader's kind indulgence, if I should make any misstatement; for at the
time when all these things were going on, I was thinking of anything but
writing a book, but rather how best to fulfil my duty as a soldier, and
to act up to the commands of our general Cortes. However, if I remember
rightly, this temple occupied a space of ground on which we should erect
six of the largest buildings, as they are commonly found in our
country.[65] The whole building ran up in rather a pyramidical form, on
the summit of which was the small tower with the idols. From the middle
of the temple up to the platform there were five landings, after the
manner of barbacans, but without any breastworks. A perfect idea of the
form of this temple may be gained from the pictures which are in the
possession of several of the Conquistadores, (I have one myself,) which
every one must have seen by this time. The following is what I learnt
respecting the building of this temple. Every inhabitant had contributed
his mite of gold, silver, pearls and precious stones thereto. These
gifts were then buried in the foundations, and the ground sprinkled with
the blood of a number of prisoners of war, and strewed with the seeds of
every plant growing in the country. This was done in order that the gods
might grant the country conquest, riches, and abundant harvests. The
reader will here naturally ask the question: how we got to know that its
foundations were thus filled with gold, pearls, silver, precious stones,
seeds, and sprinkled with human blood, as this building had stood there
for the space of one thousand years? To this I answer, that subsequent
to the conquest of this large and strongly fortified city, we found it
to be a positive fact; for when new buildings were being erected on the
place where this temple stood, a great part of the space was fixed upon
for the new church dedicated to our patron Saint Santiago, and the
workmen, on digging up the old foundations to give more stability to
the new ones, found a quantity of gold, silver, pearls, chalchihuis
stones, and other valuable things. A similar discovery was made by a
citizen of Mexico, to whom also a portion of this space had been
allotted for building-ground, but the treasure was claimed for his
majesty; and parties went so far as to commence a lawsuit about it, I
cannot however now recollect how it terminated. Besides all this, the
accounts of the caziques and grandees of Mexico, and even of
Quauhtemoctzin himself, who was alive at that time, all correspond with
my statement. Lastly, it is also mentioned in the books and paintings
which contain the history of the country.[66]

With respect to the extensive and splendid courtyards belonging to this
temple I have said sufficient above. I cannot, however, pass by in
silence a kind of small tower standing in its immediate vicinity,
likewise containing idols. I should term it a temple of hell; for at one
of its doors stood an open-mouthed dragon armed with huge teeth,
resembling a dragon of the infernal regions, the devourer of souls.
There also stood near this same door other figures resembling devils and
serpents, and not far from this an altar encrusted with blood grown
black, and some that had recently been spilt. In a building adjoining
this we perceived a quantity of dishes and basins, of various shapes.
These were filled with water and served to cook the flesh in of the
unfortunate beings who had been sacrificed; which flesh was eaten by the
papas. Near to the altar were lying several daggers, and wooden blocks
similar to those used by our butchers for hacking meat on. At a pretty
good distance from this house of horrors were piles of wood, and a large
reservoir of water, which was filled and emptied at stated times, and
received its supply through pipes underground from the aqueduct of
Chapultepec. I could find no better name for this dwelling than the
house of satan!

I will now introduce my reader into another temple, in which the
grandees of Mexico were buried. The doors of which were of a different
form, and the idols were of a totally different nature, but the blood
and stench were the same.

Next to this temple was another in which human skulls and bones were
piled up, though both apart; their numbers were endless. This place had
also its appropriate idols; and in all these temples, we found priests
clad in long black mantles, with hoods shaped like those worn by the
Dominican friars and choristers; their ears were pierced and the hair of
their head was long and stuck together with coagulated blood. Lastly, I
have to mention another temple at no great distance from this place of
skulls, containing another species of idol, who were said to be the
protectors of the marriage rights of the men, to whom likewise those
abominable human sacrifices were made. Round about this large courtyard
stood a great number of small houses in which the papas dwelt, who were
appointed over the ceremonies of the idol-worship. Near to the chief
temple we also saw an exceedingly large basin or pond, filled with the
purest water, which was solely adapted fo

Previous Next