To the above mentioned (messengers) Montezuma spoke, and said, “Look,
it has been said that our Lord Quetzalcoatl has arrived; go and
receive him and listen to what he may say to you with great attention;
see to it that you do not forget anything of what he may say; see
here these jewels which you are to present to him in my behalf, and
which are all the priestly ornaments that belong to him.” First a
mask wrought in a _mosaic of turquois_; this mask had wrought in
the same stones a doubled and twisted snake, the fold of which was
the beak of the nose; then the tail was parted from the head, and
the head with part of the body came over one eye so that it formed
an eyebrow, and the tail with a part of the body went over the other
eye, to form the other eyebrow. This mask was inserted on a high and
big crown full of rich feathers, long and very beautiful, so that on
placing the crown on the head, the mask was placed over the face: it
had for a (central) jewel a medallion of gold, round and wide: it
was tied with nine strings of precious stones, which, placed around
the neck, covered the shoulders and the whole breast: they carried
also a large shield bordered with precious stones with bands of gold
which went from the top to the bottom of it, and other bands of pearls
crossing over the gold bands from the top to bottom of it, and in
the spaces left by these bands, which were like the meshes of a net,
were placed zapitos (little toads) of gold. This shield had edgings
in the lower part; there was attached on the same shield a banner
which came out from the handle of the shield, made of rich feathers:
it also had a big medallion made of _mosaic-work_ which was fastened
and girded around the loins: they carried also strings of precious
stones with gold bells placed in between the stones to be tied to
the ankles: they carried also a bishop’s staff all decorated with
_turquois mosaic-work_, and the crook of it was like the head of a
snake turned around or coiled. They also carried sandals (cotaras)
such as great lords were accustomed to wear. They also carried the
ornaments or finery with which Tezcatlipoca was adorned, which was a
head-piece made of rich feathers which hung down on the back almost to
the waist, and was strewn all over with stars of gold. They carried
also ear-ornaments of gold: they had hanging from them little gold
bells and strings of little white and beautiful sea-shells. From
these strings hung a piece of leather like a plastron (peto), and it
was carried tied in such a manner that it covered the breast down to
the waist: this plastron had strewn on it and hanging from it many
little shells. They carried also a corselet of painted white cloth;
the lower border of this corselet was edged with white feathers in
three strips all around the border: they also carried a rich mantle
the cloth of which was a light blue, and embroidered all over with
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