Miguel Leon-PortiHa, ed., The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico (Boston: Beacon Press,
1962), 80-81.
Motecuhzoma said to La Malinche: “Please ask the god to hear me. It is almost time to celebrate the fiesta of Toxcatl. It will last for only ten days, and we beg his permission to hold it. We merely burn some incense and dance our dances. There will be a little noise because of the music, but that is all.”
The Captain said: “Very well, tell him they may hold it.” Then he left the city to meet another force of Spaniards who were marching in this direction. Pedro de Alvarado, called The Sun, was in command during his absence.
When the day of the fiesta arrived, Motecuhzoma said to The Sun: “Please hear me, my lord. We beg your permission to begin the fiesta of our god.”
The Sun replied: “Let it begin. We shall be here to watch it.”
The Aztec captains then called for their elder brothers, who were given this order: “You must celebrate the fiesta as grandly as possible.”
The elder brothers replied: “We will dance with all our might.”
Then Tecatzin, the chief of the armory, said: “Please remind the lord that he is here, not in Cholula. You know how they trapped the Cholultecas in their patio! They have already caused us enough trouble. We should hide our weapons close at hand!”
But Motecuhzoma said: “Are we at war with them? I tell you, we can trust them.”
Tecatzin said: “Very well.”
Then the songs and dances began. A young captain wearing a lip plug guided the dancers; he was Cuatlazol, from Tolnahuac.
But the songs had hardly begun when the Christians came out of the palace. They entered the patio and stationed four guards at each entrance. Then they attacked the captain who was guiding the dance. One of the Spaniards struck the idol in the face, and others attacked the three men who were playing the drums. After that there was a general slaughter until the patio was heaped with corpses.
A priest from the Place of the Canefields cried out in a loud voice: “Mexicanos! Who said we are not at war? Who said we could trust them?”
The Mexicans could only fight back with sticks of wood; they were cut to pieces by the swords. Finally the Spaniards retired to the palace where they were lodged.
World History
