CHAPTER LXXXII.
_How we arrived in the town of Cholulla, and the brilliant reception
we met with._
Early one morning we broke up our quarters, and left for the town of
Cholulla. We marched onward in the best order possible; for, as I have
before remarked, we were always doubly on our guard wherever we
suspected hostilities. The first day's march brought us to a river which
flows about four miles this side of Cholulla, and we took up our night's
quarters at a spot where now a stone bridge is built across the river.
Here, huts and messrooms had been erected for our accommodation.
This same night ambassadors arrived from the caziques of Cholulla, all
personages of the first rank, to bid us welcome in their territory. They
brought us provisions, consisting of fowls and maise-bread, and
announced to us that all the caziques and papas would call to give us a
friendly reception, and begged we would excuse them for not having come
out immediately. Cortes returned them thanks through Dona Marina and
Aguilar for the provisions and their kind intentions; we then laid
ourselves down to rest, after we had posted the necessary sentinels and
ordered the patrols.
With break of day we put ourselves in motion, and marched direct for the
town, within a short distance of which we were met by the caziques,
papas, and numbers of other Indians who had come out to welcome us.
Most of them were clad in a species of cotton cloak, similar in shape to
our marlotas.[33] These cloaks are also worn by the Capotecas Indians.
They all appeared friendly, and well-disposed towards us. The papas
carried along with them earthern censors, with which they perfumed our
officers and those soldiers who stood nearest.
When the papas and other chief Indians saw the Tlascallans who had
accompanied us, they begged of Dona Marina to remind Cortes that it was
not proper for their enemies to enter into the town with weapons in
their hands. Cortes then ordered the officers and the whole of us to
halt, and spoke to us as follows: "I am of opinion, gentlemen, that,
previous to our entering into Cholulla, we should, by kind words, elicit
from these papas and caziques what their real intentions are. They seem
hurt that these our friends the Tlascallans should have accompanied us,
and are, indeed, perfectly right in what they say; wherefore it is my
intention to acquaint them, in a mild manner, with our reasons for
visiting their city. You know already, from the Tlascallans, that these
people are treacherous by nature; it is, therefore, most prudent we
should first desire them to take an oath of allegiance to our
sovereign."
He then desired Dona Marina to call the caziques and papas around him
where he sat on horseback, all of us being close at his side. Three of
the principal caziques and two papas immediately appeared in Cortes'
presence, and addressed him thus: "Malinche, you must not harbour any
suspicion against us for not having come to Tlascalla to pay our
respects to you there, and because we did not send you any provisions.
We were not wanting in good wishes towards you, but Maxixcatzin,
Xicotencatl, and the whole of Tlascalla are at enmity with us. They have
too grossly slandered us and our great monarch, and now they no longer
abide by words, but have the audacity to be upon the point of entering,
all armed, into our city, under your protection. We earnestly beg you
will tell them to return to their own country, or at least command them
to remain outside in the fields, and not to march into our city in such
a manner. The rest of you are at liberty to enter at any time, and are
perfectly welcome."
As soon as our captain was informed of this their reasonable request he
sent for Alvarado and Oli, and commissioned them to beg of the
Tlascallans to erect themselves huts and barracks outside the town, and
not to follow us there except those of them who transported our heavy
guns, and our friends of Sempoalla. These officers were, at the same
time, to inform them what had occasioned these orders, and the great
fear in which all the caziques and papas stood of them; that they should
be duly informed of the day when we commenced our march through Cholulla
to Mexico; lastly, they were desired not to grieve on account of this
change.
When the inhabitants of Cholulla perceived the arrangements which Cortes
had made respecting the Tlascallans, they appeared more easy; upon which
Cortes acquainted them that our sovereign and master, whose subjects we
were, was a powerful monarch, who had under his command many great kings
and caziques. We were sent by him into this country to acquaint them, in
his name, that, in future, they were no longer to worship idols, make
human sacrifices, eat human flesh, and were to abstain from committing
unnatural crimes, and all other abominations. We had come to their town
because the road to Mexico lay through it, whither we were going to hold
a conference with the great Motecusuma; and we were also desirous of
considering them as brothers. Cortes further said that other great
caziques had already sworn obedience and submission to our sovereign,
and he hoped they would follow their example.
In answer to this, they said that we really demanded too much; we had
scarcely seen them before we required of them to abolish their teules,
which they could not think of complying with; but as regarded doing
homage to our sovereign, in so far they would yield to our wishes. They
accordingly made a verbal promise of allegiance, but not with the usual
formalities, in presence of a royal notary; upon this we made our entry
into the city of Cholulla. The tops of the houses and streets were
everywhere crowded with people to gaze upon us. And who can wonder? They
had never before seen men like ourselves, nor any horses! Through this
mass of people we were conducted to our quarters, consisting of several
large apartments, in which all of us, with our friends of Sempoalla and
the Tlascallans who transported our baggage, found plenty of room, and
we were immediately supplied with abundance of good victuals.
[33] A small kind of cloak, a part of the old Moorish dress, still worn
in Spain during festivals. (p. 194.)