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 sell such things in that market, as héere we vse, & al thing vnto
them néedeful to eate, and cloth for themselues, and necessaries for
building.
They haue all kinde of good policie in the Citie: there are
Goldsmithes, fetherdressers, Barbors, hotehouses, and potters, who make
as good earthen vessel, as is made in _Spayne_. The earth is fat and
fruitefull for corne, fruite, and pasture, for among the pine trées
groweth so muche grasse, that our men féede their cattell there, whiche
in _Spayne_ they can not do.
Within two leagues of that Citie standeth a rounde hill of sixe miles
of heigth, and fiue and fortie myles in compasse, and is now called
Saint Bartholmewes hill, where the snow fréeseth. In times past they
called that hill _Matealcucie_, who was their God for water. They
had also a God for wyne, who was named _Ometochtli_, for the great
dronkennesse whiche they vsed. They chiefest God was called _Camaxtlo_,
and by another name _Mixcouatl_, whose Temple stoode in the stréete
of _Ocotelulco_, in the whiche temple there was sacrifised some
yeares aboue eyghte hundred persons. In _Tlaxcallan_ they spake thrée
languages, that is to saye, _Nahualh_, whiche is the courtly spéech,
and chiefest in all the land of _Mexico_: an other is called _Otomir_,
which is most commonly vsed in the Villages: There is one onely stréete
that spake _Pinomer_, which is the grosest speache. There was also in
that Citie a common Iayle, where fellons lye in yrons, and all things
which they held for sinne, was there corrected.
[Sidenote: Correctiö.]
It chanced at that time a Townesman to steale from a Spanyard a little
golde, whereof _Cortes_ complayned to _Maxixca_, who incötinent made
such enquirie, y^t the offender was found in _Chololla_, whiche is
another Citie fyue leagues from thence: they brought the prisoner
with the golde, and deliuered him to _Cortez_, to doe with him hys
pleasure: _Cortes_ woulde not accepte him, but gaue hym thankes for his
diligence: then was he carried wyth a Cryer before hym, manifestyng
hys offence, and in the Market place vppon a skaffolde they brake
hys ioyntes with a cudgell: our men maruelled to sée suche straunge
Iustice.
The aunsvvere of the Tlaxcaltecas
_touching the leauing of their Idolles_.
[Sidenote: A godly persvvasiö.]
VVhen _Cortez_ saw that these people executed Iustice, and liued in
Religion after theyr manner, although abhominable and diuelish: and
alwayes when he desired them to leaue off from their Idolatrie and that
cruell vanitie, in killing and eating men sacrifised, considering that
none among them how holly soeuer he were, would willingly be slayne &
eaten, required them to beléeue in the most true God of the Chrystians,
who was the maker of Heauen and earth, the giuer of rayne, and creator
of all things that the earthe produceth only for the vse and profite of
mortall man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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