# The Conquest of Mexico/Volume 2/Appendix Part 2

* List of Illustrations
* Table of contents
* Appendix Part 1
* Appendix Part 2
* Notes To Volume 2
* Index 1
* Index 2
Layout 4
PART II
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
No. I.—See Vol. I., 85 ($^3$), p, 442 (note)
ADVICE OF AN AZTEC MOTHER TO HER DAUGHTER. TRANSLATED FROM SAHAGUN'S "HISTORIA DE NUEVA ESPAÑA," LIB. 6, CAP. 19
[Ihave thought it best to have this translation made in the most literal manner, that the reader may have a correct idea of the strange mixture of simplicity, approaching to childishness, and moral sublimity, which exists together in the original. It is the product of the twilight of civilisation.]
No. II.—See Vol. I., 96 ($^4$), p. 445 (note)
an english translation of a poem on the mutability of life, by nezahualcoyotl, lord of tezcuco
[This poem was fortunately rescued from the fate of too many of the Indian MSS., by the Chevalier Boturini, and formed part of ​his valuable Muséo. It was subsequently incorporated in the extensive collection of documents made by father Manuel de la Vega, in Mexico, 1792. This magnificent collection was made in obedience to an enlightened order of the Spanish Government, "that all such MSS. as could be found in New Spain, fitted to illustrate the antiquities, geography, civil, ecclesiastical, and natural history of America, should be copied and transmitted to Madrid." This order was obeyed, and the result was a collection of thirty-two volumes in folio, which, amidst much that is trivial and of little worth, contains also a mass of original materials, of inestimable value to the historian of Mexico and of the various races who occupied the country of New Spain.]
Now would I sing, since time and place Are mine,—and oh! with thee May this my song obtain the grace My purpose claims for me.
I wake these notes on song intent. But call it rather a lament. Do thou, beloved, now delight In these my flowers pure and bright, Rejoicing with thy friend; Now let us banish pain and fear, For, if our joys are measured here. Life's sadness hath its end.
And I will strike, to aid my voice. The deep, sonorous chord; Thou, dancing, in these flowers rejoice And feast Earth's mighty Lord; Seize we the glories of to-day. For mortal life fleets fast away.— In Ocblehacan, all thine own, Thy hand hath placed the noble throne, Which thou hast richly dress'd; From whence I argue that thy sway Shall be augmented day by day. In rising greatness bless'd.
Wise Oyoyotzin! prudent king! Unrivalled Prince, and great! Enjoy the fragrant flowers that spring Around thy kingly state; A day will come which shall destroy Thy present bliss,—thy present joy,—
When fate the sceptre of command Shall wrench from out thy royal hand,— Thy moon diminished rise; And, as thy pride and strength are quench'd, From thy adherents shall be wrench'd All that they love or prize.
When sorrows shall my truth attest, And this thy throne decline,— The birds of thy ancestral nest, The princes of thy line,— The mighty of thy race,—shall see The bitter ills of poverty:— And then shall memory recall Thy envied greatness, and on all Thy brilliant triumphs dwell; And as they think on by-gone years. Compared with present shame, their tears Shall to an ocean swell.
And those, who, though a royal band, Serve thee for crown, or plume, Remote from Culhuacan's land Shall find the exile's doom. Deprived of thee,—their rank forgot,— Misfortune shall o'erwhelm their lot. Then fame shall grudgingly withhold Her meed to greatness, which of old Blazons and crowns display'd; The people will retain alone Remembrance of that triple throne Which this our land obey'd.
Brave Montezuma's Indian band Was Mexico the great. And Nezahualcoyotl's hand Bless'd Culhuacan's state. Whilst Totoquil his portion drew In Acatlapan, strong and true; But no oblivion can I fear. Of good by thee accomplish'd here. Whilst high upon thy throne; That station, which, to match thy worth, Was given by the Lord of Earth, Maker of good alone!
Then, Nezahualcoyotl,—now, In what thou hast, delight;— And wreathe around thy royal brow Life's garden blossoms bright; List to my lyre and to my lay. Which aim to please thee, and obey. The pleasures, which our lives present,— Earth's sceptres, and its wealth,—are lent, Are shadows fleeting by; Appearance colours all our bliss; A truth so great, that now to this One question, make reply.
What has become of Cihuapan, Quantzintecomtzin brave, And Conahuatzin, mighty man; Where are they? In the grave! Their names remain, but they are fled. For ever number'd with the dead. Would that those now in friendship bound. We whom Love's thread encircles round. Death's cruel edge might see! Since good on earth is insecure. And all things must a change endure In dark futurity.
No. III.—See Vol. I., 113 ($^1$), p. 448 (note)
translation from ixtlixochitl's "historia chichimeca," ms., cap 64
of the extraordinary severity with which the king nezahualpilli punished the Mexican queen for her adultery and treason
When Axaiacatzin, king of Mexico, and other lords, sent their daughters to king Nezahualpilli, for him to choose one to be his queen and lawful wife, whose son might succeed to the inheritance, she who had highest claims among them, from nobility of birth and rank, was Chachiuhnenetzin, daughter of the Mexican king. But, being at that time very young, she was brought up by the monarch in a separate palace, with great pomp and numerous attendants, as became the daughter of so great a king. The number of servants attached to her household exceeded two thousand. Young as she was, she was yet exceedingly artful and vicious; so that, finding herself alone, and seeing that her people feared her, on account of her rank and importance, she began to give way to the unlimited indulgence of her lust. Whenever she saw a young man who pleased her
No. IV.—See Vol. II., 348 ($^3$)3) p. 450 (note)
translation of passagesin the Honduras letter to cortés
[I have noticed this celebrated letter, the Carta Quinta of Cortés, so particularly in the body of the work, that little remains to be said about it here. I have had these passages translated to show the reader the circumstantial and highly graphic manner of the general's narrative. The latter half of the letter is occupied with the events which occurred in Mexico, in the absence of Cortés, and after his return. It may be considered, therefore, as part of the regular series of his historical correspondence, the publication of which was begun by Archbishop Lorenzana. Should another edition of the Letters of Cortés be given to the world, this one ought, undoubtedly, to find a place in it.]
••••••••••• At two leagues' distance from this place, the mountains commenced. From no words of mine, nor of a more gifted man, can your Majesty form an adequate idea of the asperity and unevenness of the place which we were now ascending. He alone, who has experienced the hardships of the route, and who himself has been an eye-witness, can be fully sensible of its difficulty. It will be sufficient for me to say, in order that your Majesty may have some notion of the labour which we had to undergo, that we were twelve days before we got entirely free of it, a distance altogether of eight leagues! Sixty-eight horses died on the passage, the greater part having fallen down the precipices which abounded on every side; and the few that escaped seemed so overcome, that we thought not a single one would ever afterwards prove serviceable. More than three months elapsed before they recovered from the effects of the journey. It never ceased to rain day or night, from the time we entered the mountain until we left it; and the rock was of such a nature that the water passed away without collecting in any place in sufficient quantity to allow us to drink. Thus, in addition to the other hardships which we had to encounter, was that most pressing of all, thirst. Some of the horses suffered considerably from the want of this truly necessary article; and, but for the culinary and other vessels which we had with us, and which served to receive some of the rain, neither man nor horse could possibly have escaped. A nephew of mine had a fall upon a piece of sharp rock, and fractured his leg in three or four places; thus was our labour increased, as the men had to carry him by turns. We had now but a league to journey before we could arrive at Tenas, the place which I mentioned as belonging to the chief of Tayco; but here a formidable obstacle presented itself, in a very wide and very large river, which was swollen by the continued rains. After searching for some time, one of the most surprising fords ever heard of was discovered. Some huge jutting cliffs arrest the progress of the river, in consequence of which it extends for a considerable space around. Between these cliffs are narrow channels, through which the water rushes with an impetuosity which baffles description. From one of these rocks to another we threw large trunks of ​trees, which had been felled with much labour. Ropes of bass-weed were affixed to these trunks; and thus, though at imminent risk to our lives, we crossed the river. If anybody had become giddy in the transit, he must unavoidably have perished. Of these passes there were upwards of twenty, and we took two whole days to get clear, by this extraordinary way. ••••••••••
No. V.—See Vol. II., 372 ($^1$), p. 454 (note)
funeral obsequies of cortés
[The original of this document is in the Hospital of Jesus, at Mexico; and the following literal translation was made from a copy sent to me from that capital.]
The remains of Don Hernan Cortés (the first Marquess of the Valley of Oajaca), which lay in the monastery of St. Francis for more than fifty years since they had been ​brought from Castilleja de la Cuesta, were carried in funeral procession. It also happened that Don Pedro Cortés, Marquess of the Valley, died at the Court of Mexico, Jan. 30, 1629. The Lord Archbishop of Mexico, D. Francisco Manso de Zuñiga, and his Excellency the Viceroy, Marquess of Serralbo, agreed that the two funerals should be conducted together, paying the greatest honour to the ashes of Hernando Cortés. The place of interment was the church of St. Francis in Mexico. The procession set forth from the palace of the Marquess of the Valley. In the advance were carried the banners of the various associations: then followed the different orders of the religious fraternities, all the tribunals of Mexico, and the members of the Audience. Next came the Archbishop and the Chapter of the cathedral. Then was borne along the corpse of the Marquess Don Pedro Cortés in an open coffin, succeeded by the remains of Don Hernando Cortés, in a coffin covered with black velvet. A banner of pure white, with a crucifix, an image of the Virgin and of St. John the Evangelist, embroidered in gold, was carried on one side. On the other were the armorial bearings of the King of Spain, also worked in gold. This standard was on the right hand of the body. On the left hand was carried another banner, of black velvet, with the arms of the Marquess of the Valley embroidered upon it in gold. The standard-bearers were armed. Next came the teachers of divinity, the mourners, and a horse with sable trappings, the whole procession being conducted with the greatest order. The members of the University followed. Behind them came the Viceroy with a large escort of cavaliers; then four armed captains with their plumes, and with pikes on their shoulders. These were succeeded by four companies of soldiers with their arquebuses and some with lances. Behind them banners were trailed upon the ground, and muffled drums were struck at intervals. The coffin enclosing the remains of the Conqueror was borne by the Royal Judges, while the knights of the order of Santiago supported the body of the Marquess Don Pedro Cortés. The crowd was immense, and there were six stations where the coffins were exposed to view, and at each of these the responses were chanted by the members of the religious fraternities.
The bones of Cortés were secretly removed from the church of St. Francis, with the permission of his Excellency the Archbishop, on the 2nd of July, 1794, at eight o'clock in the evening, in the carriage of the Governor, the Marquess de Sierra Nevada, and were placed in a vault, made for the purpose, in the church of Jesus of Nazareth. The bones were deposited in a wooden coffin inclosed in one of lead, being the same in which they came from Castilleja de la Cuesta, near Seville. This was placed in another of crystal, with its crossbars and plates of silver; and the remains were shrouded in a winding-sheet of cambric, embroidered with gold, with a fringe of black lace four inches deep.