The year 1520 brought problems for Cortes. In the early spring, Governor Velasquez sent troops to arrest him for defying the governor’s orders. Cuban troops under the command of Panfilo de Narvaez (ca. 1478-1528) landed on the coast of Mexico, and word quickly arrived in Tenochtitlan that more Spanish had arrived. Cortes put Lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado (ca. 1485-1541) in charge of the city (Alvarado had been on Grijalva’s first expedition to Mexico in 1518). Cortes took as many soldiers and allied warriors as he could with him to the coast.
For a long time we have known from the writing of our ancestors that neither I, not any of those who dwell in this land, are natives of it, but foreigners who came from very distant parts; and likewise we know that a chieftain of whom they were all vassals brought our people to this region. And he returned to his native land and after many years came again, by which time all those who had remained were married to native women and had built villages and raised children. And when he wished to lead them away again they would not go, not even admit him as their chief; and so he departed. And we have always held that those who descended from him would come and conquer this land and take us as their vassals. So because of the place from which you claim to come, namely from where the sun rises, and the things you tell us of the great lord or king who sent you here, we believe and are certain that
He is our natural lord, especially as you say that he has known of us for some time. So be assured that we will obey you and hold you as our lord in place of that great sovereign of whom you speak; and in this there shall be no offence or betrayal whatsoever. And in all the land that lies in my domain, you may command as you will, for you shall be obeyed; and all that we own is for you to dispose of as you choose. Thus now as you are in your own country and your own house, rest now after the hardships of your journey.
(Source: "An Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico." Modern History Sourcebook, Fordham University. Available online. URL: Http://www. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/ Aztecs1.html. Accessed May 22, 2008; and "Montezuma's Speech," from "The Fall of the Aztecs." Conquistadors. Available online. URL: Http://www. pbs. org/conquistadors/cortes/ cortes_e03.htm. Accessed June 22, 2008.)
Cortes arrived on the coast to confront Narvaez. Rather than meet with Narvaez and discuss the situation, Cortes chose to attack at night. His men ambushed Narvaez, who was surprised at how quickly Cortes defeated him. Those soldiers who survived the ambush joined forces with Cortes.
While Cortes was gone, Alvarado took advantage of his position. By now, Motecuhzoma II was a prisoner of the Spanish. The Aztecs wanted to hold the annual celebration in honor of Huitzilopochtli. The Spanish were interested in watching such a festival even though they were disgusted by Aztec human sacrifices. Representatives from Tenochtitlan went to the palace and asked if they might hold the festival. They got permission to do so.
The celebration required extensive preparations. For example, those participating needed to make a statue of Huitzilopochtli. The local women began grinding seeds. The night before the event, the Aztecs built their model of Huitzilopochtli from a paste made of the ground seeds spread over a stick frame, much like papier-mache. Artisans dressed the statue with feathers and painted its face. They added gold jewelry, turquoise, and other finery fit for their god. The young warriors prepared to dance and sing, which was one of the most important parts of the ritual.
The festival started with a parade through the main plaza. The people filled the plaza, cheering the warriors who would perform the serpent dance. The people sang and danced. That was when everything went wrong.
Alvarado ordered his men to attack the people in the plaza. The Spanish blocked the gates into the plaza, which prevented people from leaving, and they proceeded to kill as many Aztecs as they could. Alvarado justified the attack by claiming it was a way to prevent the human sacrifices he heard would occur at the ceremony. But it is more likely that he saw it as a convenient opportunity to kill a lot of warriors. The dancing warriors were not armed and could not defend themselves from the Spanish attack.
The Spanish had made a terrible mistake. Up to this point, the Aztecs had been peaceful, even when the Spanish imprisoned their tla-toani. But this unexpected act of extreme violence enraged them. Many came running with clubs and spears. A battle began, as the Aztecs attacked with all their power. They outnumbered the Spanish, who quickly retreated to the palace.
When Cortes returned to Tenochtitlan, the situation was desperate. The Spanish fought back, shooting their guns and cannon, but there were simply too many Aztecs. Cortes tried to gain Motecuhzoma Il’s help to end the fighting and bring peace to the city. Motecuhzoma II told the people to put down their weapons and give up. But by this time, the council of elders had made Motecuhzoma Il’s brother Cuitlahuac (r. 1520) the tlatoani. No one listened to Motecuhzoma II, and the fighting continued. The former tlatoani soon died in the raging battle.
Cortes realized that the Spanish needed to leave the city. Rain poured down, aiding his men in their retreat. Just before midnight on July 1, 1520, the Spanish and their Tlaxcalan and other allies tried to sneak away in the middle of the night. But they were seen by the Aztecs, who were familiar with all the roads in the city. The Spanish were caught on the causeway to Tlacopan and surrounded by Aztecs in canoes. The Aztecs let loose a
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
The Death of Motecuhzoma
There are several versions of how Motecuhzoma ii died. Here, Cortes presents his view.
Mutezuma... was asked to be taken out onto the roof of the fortress where he might speak to the captains of his people and tell them to end the fighting. . . he received a blow on his head from a stone and the injury was so serious that he died three days later.
Bernal Diaz del Castillo wrote:
[T]here was such a shower of stones and javelins that Montezuma was hit by three stones, one on the head, another on the arm, and the third on the leg....
And Fernando de Alva Cortes ixtlilxochilt, the great-great-great-great-grandson of Nezahualcoyotl, offered another version:
It is said that an Indian killed him with a stone from his sling, but the palace servants declared that the Spanish put him to death by stabbing him in the abdomen with their swords.
Still other Aztecs accounts say the spanish strangled motecuhzoma ii. today, no one knows for sure how he died.
(Source: Cortes, Hernan. Letters from Mexico. Translated and edited by Anthony Pagden. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1986; Idell, Albert, editor and translator. The Bernal Diaz Chronicles. Garden City, N. Y.: Dolphin Books, 1956; and Leon-Portilla, Miguel. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Beacon Press, 1990.)
Storm of arrows. The Spanish fired their cannons, but the Aztecs rowed their canoes in a zigzag pattern to avoid the cannon balls.
When the Spanish and their allies reached the Toltec canal, Aztecs in canoes grabbed the Spanish by the legs and pulled them into the water. They held them underwater until they drowned. Some soldiers threw themselves into the water. Between the heavy armor the Spanish wore and the gold that weighted them down, the soldiers could not swim to safety. The bodies of men and horses floated in the water.
Two-thirds of the fleeing Spanish died, along with nearly 1,000 Tlaxcalan warriors who fought with the Spanish. Cortes wept for the loss of men, horses, and treasure.
The few survivors headed for the safety of Tlaxcala. Most were wounded at least once. With enemies on all sides, the Spanish and their allies had no place to rest. They ate what maize they could scavenge and also cooked and ate the meat of their dead horses. Before they could reach Tlaxcala, though, they had to fight the Aztecs again.
On the plains of Otumba, the two armies met. In a desperate move, Cortes captured one of the Aztec generals. The Spanish were vastly outnumbered, but this bold move caused the Aztecs to retreat. The route to Tlaxcala was open, and the Spanish headed to the home of their greatest allies.
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