Landing of Cortes--Orizaba peak--The dawn of conquest--Discovery of Yucatan--Velasquez and Grijalva--Life and character of Cortes--Cortes selected to head the expedition--Departure from Cuba--Arrival at Yucatan--The coast of Vera Cruz--Marina--Vera Cruz established--Aztec surprise at guns and horses--Montezuma--Dazzling Aztec gifts--Messages to Montezuma--Hostility of the Aztecs--Key to the situation--The Cempoallas--Father Olmedo--Religion and hypocrisy of the Christians-- March to Cempoalla--Montezuma's tax-collectors--Duplicity of Cortes-- Vacillation of Montezuma--Destruction of Totonac idols--Cortes despatches presents to the King of Spain--Cortes destroys his ships-- March towards the Aztec capital--Scenery upon line of march--The fortress of Tlascala--Brusque variations of climate--The Tlascalans-- Severe fighting--Capitulation of Tlascala--Faithful allies--Messengers from Montezuma--March to Cholula--Massacre of Cholula--The snow-capped volcanoes--First sight of Tenochtitlan. "Brightly my star, new hope supplying, Leads on the hour shall all, all repay!" Such, indeed, might have been the sentiment which inspired the breasts of Hernando Cortes and his Spaniards on that memorable Good Friday, April 21, 1519, as they first set foot upon the Mexican mainland, upon those sandy shores which in the act they christened Vera Cruz. Before them, far away beyond the sandy desert and the tree-crowned slopes, stretched a high cordillera, a curtain drawn between them and the unknown world of the interior. What lay there? Matters of grave interest and preoccupation! For beyond that far, blue maritime defence of Anahuac--they had that moment learned it--there dwelt a mighty potentate and people, steeped with savage soldier-craft, rendered more terrible by the barbaric civilisation which it upheld. Here were no gentle savages such as they had hunted in the forests of Cuba and Hispaniola; and the mail-clad, helmeted Spaniards listened at first with mixed feelings to the accounts of the friendly Indians who greeted them at the shore, feelings in which the spirit of conquest rose high and dominant. The ten caravels of Cortes are swinging at anchor in the bay, whose white-capped waters they have just passed. The Spaniards have reconnoitred the beach, and their eyes have followed the rising landscape to where, beyond the forest-clad mountains, and emerging from the clouds which girt them, a single gleaming, snowy point appeared, piercing the blue heavens like the gnomon of a mighty dial. It was Citlaltepetl, the "mountain of the star," the natives told them. It was the lofty Orizaba, the sunlight on its perpetual snow-cap bringing it to deceptive nearness.