The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to readeLópez de Gómara, Francisco
History
The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to reade
López de Gómara, Francisco
Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547; Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540; Nahuatl language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
They sel in this market venison by quarters or whole, as Does, Hares,
Connies, and Dogges, and many other beastes, which they bring vp for
the purpose, and take in huntyng. There are a great number of shoppes
that sell all kinde of orfall and tripes. It is a wonder to sée how
so much meate ready dressed coulde be spent. There is also fleshe and
fishe rosted, boyled and baked, Pies and Custardes made of diuers
sortes of egges, the great quantitie of bread is without number. Also
corne of all sortes threshed and vnthreshed. The greate store of sundry
kyndes of fruytes is maruellous which are there solde, bothe gréene and
ripe: there is one sorte as bigge as Almondes called _Cacao_, whiche
is both meate and currant money. There are diuers kind of colours
to be solde, whiche they make of Roses, floures, fruites, barkes of
trées, and other things very excellent: they sell there Honie of sundry
kindes, oyle of _Chian_, made of a séede like vnto mustarde séede, and
oynting any paynted clothe therewith, the water can not hurte it, they
also dresse therwith their meate, although they haue both butter and
larde. Theyr sundry sortes of wines shalbe declared in an other place:
it woulde be a prolixious thing to rehearse all the things that are to
be solde in that markette. There are in this fayre many Artificers, as
Packers, Barbars, Cutlers, & may others, although it was thought that
among these _Indians_ were none such. All the things recited, and many
others which I speake not of, are solde in euery market of _Mexico_,
all the sellers paye a certaine summe for theyr shops or städings
to the King, as a custome, & they to be preserued and defended from
théeues: and for that cause there goe certayne Sergeants or officers
vp & downe the market to espie out malefactours. In the middest of the
market standeth a house whiche may be séene throughout the fayre, &
there sitteth twelue auncient men for iudges to dispatch lawe matters:
their buying and selling is to chaunge one ware for another, as thus,
one giueth a hen for a bundell of _Maiz_, other giue mantels for salte,
or money whiche is _Cacao_, and this is theyr order to choppe and
chaunge: they haue measure and strike for all kynde of corne, and other
earthen measures for Hony and Wine, and if any measure be falsified,
they punish the offenders and breake their measures.
The great Temple of Mexico.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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