The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne. López de Gómara Francisco
and chiefest persons did determine to goe and visite the christians and their captaine. And according to the time appointed, the Lorde of that town and other foure Lords his neyghbours came vnto Cortez with a good trayne of their vessals and seruitours, and presented vnto him, bread, turkie hennes, & fruites, with other like prouision for his host, with four hundred pieces of gold of ye value of 400. double duckets, wt other small iewels, and certaine turkie stones of small value. And twentie women slaues, to serue to make breade and dresse meate for ye whole army. He craued and beseeched Cortez to pardon his former offence. And to accept and receiue them into hys friendshippe. And in token of his obedience, hee and his fellowes dyd willinglye deliuer their bodies, landes and goods into his handes and power. Cortez did louingly receiue them, and gaue vnto them certaine trifles of his wares, whiche they estéemed much. And those Indians hearing the horses and mares ney, they maruelled at their neying, thinking that the horses could speake, & demaunded of the Christians what they sayd, (mary quoth they) these horses are sore offended with you bycause ye fought with them, & wold haue you corrected and chastened for your so doing. The simple Indiās hearing this, presented roses and Gynea Hens vnto the horses, desiring them to eate and to pardon thē.
Certaine questions that Cortez demaunded of the Cacike Tauasco
Many things passed betweene our men & the Indians: for where the Indians vnderstood thē not, their behauiour was much to laugh at. And vsing conuersation with our men, & seeing they receiued no hurte of them, they brought to the towne their wiues and children, which were no smal number. And among many matters that Cortez communed with Tauasco by the mouth of Ieronimo de Aguila his enterpreter:
The first question was: Whether there wer mynes of gold or siluer in that countrey, and from whēce they had that small quantitye that they hadde broughte vnto them?
The secōd question was: Why they denyed him their friendshippe, more than the other captaine that had bin there the yeare before?
The third was: Why they being so many in nūber, fled from them being so fewe?
The fourth was: To giue thē to vnderstād the mightie power of the king of Castill. And last of all to giue them knowledge of the faith of Iesu Christ.
As touching Sir (quoth he) the Mynes of gold and siluer in our country, we séeke for none, for we séeke not after treasure and riches, but we procure and desire a quiet life. And that golde which we haue, was founde by chaunce: for we know not what Mynes do mean. Yet notwithstanding further within the lande, whereas the sunne doth hide himselfe, ther the people do finde muche gold and are giuen to séeke the same.
And as touching the captaine that was here of late, we seeing the men and shippes to be such as we had neuer before seene, spake vnto them and demaunded what they would haue, they sayde that their comming was, to chaunge their merchandice for gold and nothyng else, wherefore we graunted to their request. But now séeing greater vessels and moe in number, wee feared least ye came to take our substance. And I knowing my selfe nothing inferiour to any of my neyghbours, would not permit any iniurie to be offered me, and that he and his subiectes did estéeme themselues the most valiant of men of warre in all these parties, and that none durste take away their goods, women, and children, to be sacrificed by force, wherevpon he thought to withstande those fewe Christians, but (quoth he) I founde my selfe deceiued, seeyng we could not kill any of your companye. And likewise the brightnesse of youre weapons dyd blynde vs, and the woundes you made were incurable.
But the noyse and lightning of your ordinance dyd more amase vs, than either thunder-clappes or tempest: and also the great spoyle that you made among vs therwith: likewise your straunge horses made vs greatly to wonder, to behold their open mouthes, wee feared to be swallowed. And then to consider their swiftnesse in running, we knew no creature could escape them. But ye first horse that fought with vs, put vs in marueylous feare, being but one, but when we espyed many, then all oure helpe was past, for we belieued that the horse and man was al one incorporate.
Hovv the Indians of Potonchan brake downe their Idols, and worshipped Christ crucified
With the relation of Tauasco, Cortez sawe that the countrey was not for Spaniardes, nor yet he toke it a thing conueniente to settle themselues where no golde nor siluer was, or other riches. And so pretended to passe forwardes to discouer westward the lande endewed with golde. But before his departure, he declared to those new conquered Indians, that the Lord in whose name he and hys company had taken that iourney was king of Spayne and Emperour of Christians, and the greatest Prince in the worlde, vnto whom many kings and Princes dyd homage and obey. And that hys rule and gouernemente in iustice proceeded from God, beeing iust, holy, peaceable, and sweete, and also the Monarchie of the vniuersall did appertaine vnto him. And for these causes he required them to yelde themselues as his subiectes. And if they would doe so, there shoulde ensue vnto them great profite, lawes and pollicie. And as touching their religion, he declared their blindnesse & greate abuses which they vsed in worshipping many Gods, and in making sacrifice vnto them with mans bloud, yea & thinking that those images and Idols, did or coulde doe good or euill vnto them, being dūbe, without life or soule, yea and ye worke of their owne hands. He certifyed them of one god maker of heauen and earth, and all creatures whom the Christians did worshippe and serue, and that all creatures ought to doe the same. In conclusion with thys doctryne they brake downe their Idols, and receyued the crosse, Cortez hauing first declared vnto them the great miseries that the son of God suffered on ye Crosse for mankynde. And in the greatest temple of Potonchan, set vp a Crosse in remēbrance of the death of Christ and celebrated the feast vpon their knees, and the multitude of Indians likewise, and departed to their meate. Cortez desired them within two dayes to come agayne to theyr diuine seruice. And that day was Palme sunday. And so they did and brought an infinite number of men women and children of other villages with them whych was straunge to behold. And there generally gaue theyr vassalship to the king of Spaine into the handes of Hernando Cortez, with protestation of perpetuall friendship with the Spanish nation. So that these were the fyrste vassals that the Emperour had in the new Spayne. And this feast and ceremony ended, our men toke shipping with the palme boughes in their handes. In this doyng Cortez deserued no lesse prayse than in his victorie, for he vsed wisedome with manhoode in all his doings: he lefte those Indians with a newe faith, and the towne frée and without hurt, he toke none for slaues, nor yet any spoyle nor exchāged his merchaundice for any thing although he aboade there twentye dayes. The towne is called in the Indian tongue Potonchan, that is to saye, a place that stincketh, and our menne named it, the victorie.
The Lord (as ye haue heard) was called Tauasco, and therefore the firste Spaniardes that came thyther, named the riuer Tauasco, but Grijalua called it after hys owne name, whose name and remembraunce will not so soone be forgotten. And truely all those that do discouer newe countreys, ought to make perpetuall their owne names. This town doth containe neare fiue and twentye thousand houses (as some say) but as euery house stādeth by himselfe like an Iland, it seemeth much bigger than it is in déede. The houses are great, made of lime stone, & bricke: others there are made of mood wal, and rafters & couered with straw or bordes. Their dwelling is in the vpper part of the house, for the greate moystnesse of the riuers and lakes, and for feare of fier, they haue theyr houses separated the one from the other. Without, the towne they haue more fairer houses than wythin for their recreation and pleasure. They are browne people, and go almost naked, and eat mans flesh sacrificed. Their weapons are bowes and arrowes, slyngs, darts, and lances. The armour wherwith they defend themselues, are Targets and skulles made of woodde or barke of trées, and some of gold very thinne. They haue also a certayne kinde of harneis made of cotten wooll wrapped aboute their stomacke.
The good entertainement that Cortez had in Saint Iohn de Vlhua
Captaine Cortez and his company beeyng embarked, sayled weastwards as nye the shoar as thei might. And this coast hauing no harbors, they founde no place where they might Anker safely with their greater vessels, vntil they arriued vpon Mandie thursday at Saint Iohn de Vlhua, whiche séemed a