The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-01-25
CONQUEST OF MEXICO

OF Mexico than We do OF any OF the
European countries. or even the dis
tant lands of he orient This southern
land OF antiquity ond OF mystery pos
sesses possibilities for being made
great country, yet TO say 1t Is al
r!oSt unknown, and some OF the people
have today the same customs OF the
Toltecs of 1000 years ago, perhaps
Of 1900 years ago.
The Aztecs, who succeed the
Tolteco. founded in he year 1926 the
city OF Tonochtit!an. now the City of
Mexico. The head deity Of the A2tecs
vas frightfnl HuitziIopochiti, the
NIX chn wfr god. Many hideous idols
'nrersonating him were reared, and
t!ese people. so gentle. so refined,
10 intellectual ii so many way3,
drenched with human blood the al
tlrs OF this terrible god. In the
years Immediately precedilS the
Spanish invasion. there were not
csS than 10000 human victims butch
'red annually. There arc In he
nuschm ir the City OF Mexico today
son" 81 u,eSe aitars which recall
tir horrible iinmOiaicns, where hu-
@an being, were held upon the al
lar by the fierce Aztec priests and
their hearts we're cut from their
drinking bodies and laid before tile
hideous idol.
When ,Coftez came to Va 90 1t was
.G years after the voyage Of CoIum.
bus. Velaquez. the proud, upscrupu-
iuus and ayaricious governor .of Cuba
Wished to acquire possession O! Mevi-
rn, for it was. renuted to be n land Of
riches. Unwilling himself to face the
fcYers Of the torrid lowlands or the
frowns OF the warricrs Oh The hlgl
claims OF Mcntezuma, he dispatched
Cortez to effect the subjugation of
Lhs country and to make 1t tributary
ID tho Prince OF Castile"-or Spain
With IL boats and sos men Cortez
ct forth to make war upon a nation
whose dorninions were more extern
aiye than ai. the kin gtaaous of the
Spanish crown.
At that time the center of Mexico
y'as about where Ell Paso, Texas now
II. The tale of treachery since the
embarking Of Cortez upon that mia
son may explain In part the treach-
eTous character OF, the Mexicans Of
today. For even before he set sail
Cortez learned OF designs on his life
hJ yelasauez and in turn he 1nu-
t'nied and,betraYed Yelasquez and took
~ expedition as his own. Subse-
queltly hespassed through the blood
fest and most romantic episodes episodes and
situations and some of his terrible
deeds have no parallel in history.
Under, the sign OF the cross of
Christianity, he. set out on an ex-
peditioD OF plunder and conquest
and the propagation OF Christianity
Ii II much wonder, then, that with
tie example of this man who. so vio-
lentIy changed all their ideals and
broke their idols, the Mexicans should
he a dangerous, resentfuI, treacher-
ous people? I 5''SE' s-'.s't''1
When Cortes landed. he was receiy-
Ell cisilly by the Indians on the
const, but they begged him to go
away. He gave some military demon
strations. ipGlud!ng the use Of gun
powder, w!,iel, frightened these sim.
49, tnt Id, To-,
Cortez established the port of Vera
Cruz. "the tlTue cross" and did some
thing hitherto unknown in all history
burned his ships to show his 500
soldiers that II Was death or con
quest. 9Witl the allies made of tile
Tiascalan tribes on the coast, he
marched upon thu aGity OF Mexico
Here resided tlse' emperor of all the
Astecs, tic naughty Moptezuma, SO
Tar renown ahoye yQthGr humans that
his subjects never lided their eyes
10 gaze directly. upon him. He had
sent to Vera Cruz presents of beau
titui cotton brocades. feathers of rare
birds, gems and plates Of solid silves
and gold. This so excited the cupidi-
- of Cortez that he decided to steal
the whole empire.
On his march he suspected an am
buscnde at Chohula, and there without
the loss OF one Of ,his men, 5utchered
5000 Aztecs. and destroyed their
heaut!ful fannaaaeasol reared reared upon ai
wonderful pyramid which Is standing
today surmonnted by q cathedral
ques.
In lear and trembling. Montezuma
permitted cortez ond his 500 Span
iards and 10000 Indian allies to en-