They Promised
Faithfully To Perform All That He Had Enjoined, And Thus Became The First
Native Vassals Of The Spanish Monarchy In New Spain.
On Palm Sunday, with
the assistance of the natives, we erected a cross made of a large cieba
tree, on the field where the late battle was fought, as a lasting memorial
of our victory, as this tree has the power of reproducing its bark.
The
natives attended us in our procession to adore the holy image of the cross,
and they likewise assisted us in our preparations to reimbark, our pilots
wishing to get away from this part of the coast, the anchorage being
unsafe for the ships, as the wind blew strongly on the shore. Every thing
being in readiness, and Cortes having taken leave of the natives, we all
embarked on the evening of Palm Sunday, and set sail next morning for St
Juan de Ulua. While we proceeded along the coast, such of us as had been
there before along with Grijalva, pointed out to Cortes the different
places which we recollected; saying here is la Rambla, there Tonala,
or St Antonio, there the river of Coatzacualco, the Sierra Nevada, or
Snowy Mountains, and those of St Martin, the Roca Partida, or Pierced
Rock, the rivers of Alvarado, and the Vanderas, Isla Blanca,
Isla Verda, Isla de los Sacrificios, and early in the evening of Holy
Thursday, 21st April, we arrived at the harbour of St Juan de Ulua. While
we were pointing out these places to the general, Puertocarrero came up to
him, saying: "These gentlemen seem to make an exhibition, as who should
say, here you have the Montesinos of France, here you see the great and
flourishing city of Paris, and so forth: But I say, here you have the land
of riches, and look well to your measures." Cortes perfectly understood
the meaning of his words, to which he answered: "GOD grant us good fortune
in arms like the paladin Orlando; for having such gentlemen as you under
my command, I shall know well how to bring our enterprize to a happy
conclusion."
[1] Diaz minutely enumerates and describes all the horses, mentioning who
they all belonged to. - E.
[2] According to Clavigero, II. 7. this armament, by which a great and
populous empire was subverted, consisted of eleven vessels, carrying
1O9 mariners, 508 soldiers, divided into eleven companies, ten
field-pieces, four falconets, and sixteen horses. Alaminos, who had
been pilot to Cordavo and Grijalva, was chief pilot of this
expedition. - E.
[3] On a former occasion, the chaplain of the expedition was named
Bartholome de Olmedo, but this other clergyman appears likewise to
have attended the expedition. - E.
[4] In Clavigero and other Spanish authors, this person is named de Olid,
but Diaz uniformly gives him the name in the text. - E.
[5] Diaz says that this was the expedition of Cordova; but that was in
1517, two years before. According to Clavigero, Aguilar had learnt the
Maja language, which was spoken by the inhabitants of Yucutan and
Cozumel, and became very useful to Cortes as his interpreter. - E.
[6] This river is called Chiapa by Clavigero. - E.
[7] Clavigero calls the field of battle the plain of Ceutla, where he
says there was another Indian town not far distant from Tabasco. - E.
[8] According to Clavigero, this place was named Madona della Vittoria,
which was destroyed by the English about the middle of the seventeenth
century, the inhabitants removing to Villahermosa, at a greater
distance from the coast. - E.
[9] There are no lions or tigers in America, but Europeans have loosely
given these names to other species of the same genus, such as the
felis onca, or jaguar; F. discolor or jaguarate; and F. concolor, or
puma; which last is often called the American lion, and the jaguar is
the Mexican tiger. - E.
[10] In this account of Donna Marina, the information given by Clavigero,
II. 9. is here combined with that of Bernal Diaz, and the orthography
of the Mexican names of places has been corrected throughout from the
former writer, a native of New Spain, and intimately acquainted with
its language. As the Mexicans do not pronounce the letter r, they
used to call her Malintzin, tzin being an affix of dignity; from
which she is still remembered in Mexico by the name of Malinchi. - E.
SECTION IV.
Arrival of the Armament at St Juan de Ulua, and account of Occurrences at
that Place.
As already mentioned, we arrived at the port of St Juan de Ulua on the
evening of Holy Thursday, the 21st April 1519, where we came to anchor,
Cortes hoisting the royal standard of Spain. In about half an hour after
our arrival, two large canoes or piraguas full of Mexicans were seen
coming off from the shore towards the flag-ship[1]. On coming aboard, they
inquired for the Tlatoan, or general, who was pointed out to them by
Donna Marina, who acted as interpreter on the occasion with the aid of
Aguilar. She translated the speech of the Mexicans to Aguilar in the Maja
language of Yucatan, who again translated that to Cortes in Spanish. The
reply of Cortes was translated by Aguilar to Marina in Maja, which she
again retranslated to the Mexicans in their language. The Mexicans,
approaching Cortes with much respect, said that they were sent to wait
upon him by a servant of their sovereign Montezuma, to inquire who we
were, and what was our business; and that, if we were in want of any thing,
they had orders to supply us. Cortes thanked them for their attention,
making them a present of some cut glass and other toys, and invited them
to partake of some refreshments, stating that he had come to trade with
them, and to confer with their king on affairs of the highest importance,
assuring them that no one should receive any injury, but that all should
have reason to be satisfied with his visit to their country.
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