# The Mastering of Mexico/Chapter 5

CHAPTER V
Of reaching, San Juan de Ulua, and what Montezuma did for and against us.
Monday morning we set sail, and, keeping close to the shore, steered for San Juan de Ulua. As we sped along in the fine weather those of us who had been with Grijalva and knew the coast would point out to Cortes such places as Tonala, which we called San Antonio, and further on the great river of Coatzacoalcos, and still further the lofty, snow-crested mountains, and then those of San Martin. We showed him, too, the river Alvarado, and after we made further way the Banderas, where we had gained the sixteen thousand dollars in barter, and the Island of the Sacrifices, where we found the Indian victims, and at last, with all our fleet, we came to San Juan de Ulua a little after midday on Thursday.
Our pilot, having been there with Grijalva, remembered the harbor and brought our ships to anchor where they would be safe from northers. We had scarcely lain half an hour when Indians in two canoes made straight for our flagship, and climbing aboard asked for the tlatoan, which in their tongue ​means chief. When Donna Marina understood their question and pointed to Cortes, the Indians turned and paid him respect after the Indian fashion and bade him welcome. Their master, they said, served the great Montezuma and had sent them to learn what sort of men we were and what we came to their country to seek, and if we would tell them what need our ships had, they would provide for it.
Through our two interpreters, Donna Marina and Aguilar, Cortes thanked them for their kindness and offered them food and blue glass beads, and after they had eaten he told them we had come to get acquainted and open up trade with them, and our coming should cause them no anxiety for we had no intention of doing them injury. Upon this the Indians returned well content to shore. The next day we disembarked horses and guns, and our artilleryman. Mesa, placed our guns in most favorable position on the sand dunes. We set up an altar also, and built huts for Cortes and the officers and three hundred of the soldiers, many Indians helping, for the next day they came and with their axes dressed the wood used for the huts, adding large cloths to spread over the roofs to keep out the heat, which was already great. They also brought plums, nice and ripe, fowls and maize bread, and gold trinkets, which Cortes joyfully received and gave in turn toys, with which they were uncommonly pleased. They said ​their governing cacique would come next day and bring more food.
On Easter the governing cacique did appear. His name was Teuhtlilli, a man of large affairs, and with him was another chief. Numbers of Indians bearing presents of fowls and greens followed, but Teuhtlilli told these to stand back while he walked towards Cortes and, after the Indian custom, made him three reverential bows, which he repeated to us who stood nearest. Cortes, embracing both caciques, bade them welcome and asked them to wait a little. Meanwhile he ordered the altar to be trimmed and our men assembled for service before it. Both caciques looked on and afterwards dined with Cortes and several officers.
When the tables had been cleared, Cortes, aided by our two interpreters. Donna Marina and Aguilar, explained to the Mexicans that we were Christian subjects of the most powerful ruler on earth, who had commanded us to come to this country because he had heard of the great cacique who governed it; that for himself, Cortes wished to be their monarch's friend, and he had many things to disclose, which, when he heard, would delight him; with friendly understanding he wished to trade, too, and he wanted to know where their mighty monarch lived so that he might meet and confer with him.
To this Teuhtlilli answered with pride, "Since you ​have just arrived, it would be more fitting, before you say you wish to meet him, that you accept this present we have brought you in our monarch's name, and then tell me what you wish." Saying this he took from a chest many gold trinkets, beautifully and skilfully wrought, besides packages of white cloth made of cotton and worked with feathers, and many other things; and he also added quantities of turkeys, baked fish and fruit.
Cortes accepted all with gracious smiles and gave in return glass beads and other things we had brought from Spain. And he begged the caciques to tell their people to come and trade with us, for we had beads and other things to exchange for gold. He then had brought an arm-chair, Inlaid and carved, some twisted glass beads, a necklace of imitation pearls, a scarlet cap with a medal representing Saint George on horseback and slaying the dragon, and he told Teuhtlilli that he presented the chair to the great Montezuma so that he, Cortes, might sit in it when he visited him, and the cap was for his wear, but that all the other things were presents from our mighty king to their monarch, and that now he should tell us where and when he, Cortes, might see him. Teuhtlilli, accepting the presents, said his master was so powerful a monarch that he would be pleased to know our king, and he would carry the present to him at once and bring back answer. ​With him Teuhtlilli brought very clever painters, such as they had in Mexico, and to show the great Montezuma what we were like he commanded the painters to picture true to facts Cortes and all the chief officers, the soldiers, also, and the ships and horses. Donna Marina and Aguilar, even our two dogs, the cannon and balls—in short, everything they saw belonging to us. Alvarado and other horsemen, Cortes now advised, should tie bells to their horses and mount and gallop at full speed before the caciques. Our captain himself mounted and said, "It would be a capital thing if we could gallop across these sand dunes, but they would see that we stick in the sand. When the tide is low let us go out to the beach and gallop two by two." Alvarado led on his spirited and very swift sorrel mare, while the Mexicans looked on.
Then our gunners loaded the cannon with an unusually heavy charge of powder, so as to give volume of sound when they fired, and Cortes, making as if he would speak to the caciques, took them and a number of chieftains where they might have good view of the firing. The air was very still when the cannon went off, and the stone balls went crashing along the sand dunes and echoes repeated the din. The Indians were terribly startled and ordered their painters to paint that, too, that Montezuma might see. ​Then, again, one of our men had a helmet, partly gilt, which Teuhtlilli, who was more intelligent than his comrades, thought, when his eye fell on it, was much like one held in inheritance from their forefathers and now used to adorn the head of their idol, Huitzilopochtli in the city of Mexico. Montezuma, he said, would be uncommonly pleased ff he could see that casque. Cortes ordered it given them and said if they would send him the casque full of gold grains he would send it to our great emperor. Upon this Teuhtlilli, protesting his friendship, took leave and said he would speedily return.
This Mexican cacique was not only a statesman, he was a nimble walker, and he went in all haste to Mexico and told the monarch what he had seen and heard, and showed him the pictures which the artists had painted, and also our presents. Montezuma gazed with astonishment and listened with pleasure. But when he saw the helmet, and compared it with that on the Idol, Huitzilopochtli, he no longer doubted that we belonged to the race which, his forefathers had prophesied, should some day come and rule their country.
Six or seven days after he had left us, Teuhtlilli returned one morning with more than one hundred Indians heavily laden, and also accompanied by a Mexican cacique, who In face, form and carriage bore so strong a likeness to our commander that ​Montezuma had purposely chosen him as ambassador; for, it was said, when Teuhtlilli showed the picture representing Cortes, all the chiefs who were in Montezuma's company declared that it looked exactly like Quintalbor, and that was the name of the ambassador who now came with Teuhtlilli.
When all these people arrived and came before Cortes, they first touched the ground at his feet with the forefinger of the right hand and then raised it to the mouth, and then they incensed him and all standing about him with resin they burnt on pans of clay. Cortes received them most kindly and asked them to sit by his side. Both ambassadors then told him he was most welcome to their country, and after other courteous speeches they set out the presents they had brought, spreading them on cotton cloths laid on mats.
The first present was a round plate, about the size of a cart wheel, of the finest gold and most beautiful workmanship, representing the sun with many sorts of pictures. Those who afterwards weighed it said it was worth more than ten thousand dollars. Another round plate, even larger, was of brilliant silver in imitation of the moon, with rays and other figures on it. This also was of great value. The third present was the helmet filled with grains of pure gold, just as they had got it out of the mines, and this was worth about three thousand dollars; but ​really it was more to us than ten times that, for it told us there were rich mines in the country. Among the other things were twenty ducks of gold, looking exactly like living birds and beautifully worked, and other figures wrought In shape of lions, tigers, dogs and monkeys, ten gold chains of most splendid workmanship, twelve arrows and a bow with strings, and two staffs five palms long—such as are used by justices, all cast of purest gold. Then there were crests of gold and silver mounted with beautiful green feathers, and fans similarly wrought—in short, such a number of objects that I can not now remember all, and it is useless to try to describe them, for I do not know how to do it. There were alone thirty packages of beautiful cotton cloth of various patterns and inwrought with colored feathers.
When they had presented all this magnificence the ambassadors begged Cortes to accept it in the same friendship in which their monarch gave, and to divide the things among his teules, or gods, and men. Montezuma, they said, was much pleased with the coming of such valiant men as fame of our doings at Tabasco said we were, and he wished to see our great emperor to whom he would send a present of precious stones. But as for Cortes' coming to see him, we should dismiss the thought, for there was no need of such a journey and It would be fraught with dangers. ​With thanks for what they had brought, Cortes gave them out of our poverty a glass cup of Florentine make picturing trees and a hunting scene, a couple of holland shirts, some blue glass beads and other trifles, and begged them to go back to the great Montezuma and tell him that we had come from far-away lands, and over vast seas, solely to pay him our respects, and if we should return without doing this, our mighty king would not receive us kindly. He wished, therefore, to go to their monarch, wherever he might be, and himself receive his commands. The ambassadors answered that they would repeat this to their master, but any endeavor after an interview would be fruitless. With their followers the two then set out, while other Indians remained to bring us food from neighboring towns.