Mexico at the time when Cortes entred, was a Citie of sixtye thousande houses. The Kings house and other noble mens houses were great, large, and beautifull, the others were small and roynish, without eyther dores or windowes: and although they were small, yet there dwelled in some of them two, thrée, yea and tenne persons, by reason whereof, the Citie was wonderfully replenished with people.
This Citie is built vpon the water, euen in the same order as Venice is. All the body of the Citie standeth in a greate large lake of water. There is thrée sortes of stréetes very broade and fayre, the one sorte are onely of water, with many bridges, an other sort of onely earth, and the thirde of earth and water, that is to saye, the one halfe earth to walke vpon, and the other halfe for boates to bring prouision of all sorts. These stréetes are kepte alwayes cleane, and the moste parte of the houses haue two dores, the one towarde the calsey, and the other towarde the water, at the whiche they take boate to goe where they list. And although this Citie is founded vppon water, yet the same water is not good to drynke, wherefore there is broughte by conduit water from a place called Chapultepec, thrée myles distant from the Citie, which springeth out of a little hill, at the foote whereof standeth two Statues or couered Images wrought in stone, with their Targettes and Launces, the one is of Mutezuma, and the other of Axaiaca his father.
The water is broughte from thence in two pypes or Canalls in greate quantitie, and when the one is foule, then all the water is conuayed into the other, til the first be made cleane. From this fountayne al the whole Citie is prouided, so that they goe selling the same water from stréete to stréete in little boates, and doe paye a certayne tribute for the same.
This Citie is deuided into two stréetes, the one was called Tlatelulco, that is to say, a litle Iland, and the other Mexico, where Mutezuma his dwelling and courte was, & is to be interpreted a spring. This stréete is the fayrest and most principall, and bycause of the Kings pallace there, the Citie was named Mexico, although the old and first name of the Citie was Tenuchtitlan, whiche doth signifie fruite out of stone, for the name is compounded of Tetl, which is, stone, and Nuchtli, which is fruite, called in Cuba, Tunas. The trée that beareth this fruite, is named Nopal, and is nothing almost but leaues of a foote broade and round, and thrée ynches thicke, some more, and some lesse, according to the growth, full of thornes whiche are venemous: the leafe is gréene, and the thorne or pricke russet. After that it is planted, it encreaseth, growing leafe vnto leafe, and the foote thereof commeth to bée as the body of a trée, and one leafe dothe not onely produce another at the poynt, but at the sides of the same leaues procéedeth other leaues: And bycause héere in Spayne is of the same trées and fruite, it néedeth no further description.
In some prouinces where water is scante, they vse to drynke the iuice of these leaues. The fruite thereof called Nuchtli, is lyke vnto fygges, and euen so hathe hys little kernels or graynes within, but they are somewhat larger, and crowned lyke vnto a Medler. There are of them of sundrye coloures, some are gréene without, and Carnationlike within, which haue a good tast. Others are yellowe, and others white, and some speckled: the best sort are the white: it is a fruite that will last long.
Some of them tasteth of peares, and other some of Grapes: it is a colde and fresh fruite, and best estéemed in the heate of Sommer. The Spanyardes doe more estéeme them than the Indians. The more the grounde is laboured where they growe, the fruite is so muche the better.
There is yet another kinde of this fruite redde, and that is nothing estéemed, although his tast is not euill, but bycause it dothe coloure and dye the eaters mouth, lippes, and apparell, yea and maketh his vryne looke like pure bloud. Many Spanyardes at their first comming into India, and eating this fruite, were in a maze, and at their wittes ende, thinking that all the bloud in their bodyes came out in vryne: yea and manye Phisitions at theyr first comming were of the same beliefe: for it hathe happened, when they haue bin sent for vnto such as haue eaten this fruite, they not knowing the cause, and beholding the vryne, by and by they ministred medicine to staunch bloud: surely a thing to laugh at, to sée the Phisitions so deceyued. Of this fruite Nuchtli and Tetl, which is a stone, is compounded Tenuchtlitan. When this Citie was begunne to bée founded, it was placed néere vnto a great stone that stoode in the middest of the lake, at the foote whereof grewe one of these Nopal trées, and therefore Mexico giueth for armes and deuise the foote of a Nopal trée springing from a stone, according to the Cities name.
Others do affirme, that this Citie hathe the name of his first founder, called Tenuch, béeyng the seconde sonne of Iztacmixcoatl, whose sonnes and descendentes did first inhabite thys lande of Ananac, called nowe newe Spayne.