[317] An Indian woman presented to Cortes by the cacique of Tabasco. She had readily learned to speak in Spanish, and being conversant with the language of the Mexicans, was of great value to Cortes, who made her his secretary and then his mistress.
[318] Charles V. ascended the Spanish throne in 1516.
[319] Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España. Diaz. cap. xix-xxxix.—Vide The memoirs of the conquistador. Lockhart. chap. xxx-xxxix.
[320] “The Castilian mark weighs 3557 English troy grains.”—The universal cambist. Kelly. vol. i. pp. 391, 292.
[321] Primera parte de los veinte īvn lībros rituales ī monarchia Indiana compuesto por Juan de Torquemada. En Madrid, 1723. lib. iv. cap. xvii. fol. 389, 390.
“The ducat of exchange (ducado de plata) is worth 11 reals, maravedi of old plate, or 20 reals 25¹⁵⁄₁₇ maravedis vellon.... The value of the ducat of plate in English silver coin is 4s. 6½d. [or one dollar and one cent in United States money].”—The universal cambist. Kelly. vol. i. pp. 388-392.
Diaz gives this description of the presents: “The first was a disk about the size of a carriage-wheel, representing the sun, the entire plate being of the finest gold and of the most beautiful workmanship,—a most extraordinary work of art, which, according to the account of those who weighed it, was worth more than twenty thousand pesos de oro. The second was a disk, even larger than the former, of massive silver, representing the moon, with rays and figures on it, and of great value. The third was a casque, filled with grains of pure gold as they were found in the mine, worth about three thousand pesos, which gold was of more importance to us than if it had been ten times this value, for we were now assured that there were rich gold-mines in the country. Among the other presents there were thirty golden ducks in every way resembling the living fowl, very elaborately made. Besides, there were figures of lions, tigers, dogs, and monkeys. There were also ten chains with lockets, all of gold, and of the most costly workmanship; a bow with the string and twelve arrows; two staffs like those used by justices, five palms in length; all of which were made of the purest gold. They also brought small cases containing the most beautiful green feathers, interwoven with gold and silver, and fans similarly made, and figures of all kinds of game made of gold.”
Peter Martyr, who had inspected the presents, says: “Si quid unquam honoris humana ingenia in huiuscemodi artibus sunt adepta, principatum iure merito ista consequentur. Aurum, gemmasque non admiror quidem, qua industria, quove studio superet opus materiam, stupeo. Mille figuras et facies mille prospexi quæ scribera nequeo. Quid oculos hominum sua pulchritudine aeque possit allicere meo iudicio vidi nunquam.—De Orbe Novo decades. dec. i. cap. xi.
[322] Teules, according to Diaz, meant gods or celestial beings.
[323] From Villa Rica de Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico the distance was about one hundred and seventy-five miles. By the route of the Mexican railroad the distance from the present city of Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico is two hundred and sixty-three miles.