About this time there were certain Ships come to Vera Crux, which was a new Port-Town of this Countrey, that the Spaniards had built since their coming thither, and had Landed near upon a thousand Men; which was an Accident that had like to have spoil’d the Design of Cortesius and all his Company at Mexico, these Men being sent by James Velasquez; Governor of Cuba, expressly against Cortesius and his Men, upon pretence that they had acted not conformably to the Commission which they had receiv’d from him, and gave him no account of their proceedings; which in a great measure was true: for it must be confess’d, that Cortesius and his Men finding themselves to have fall’n upon an Adventure that was certainly rich and good, and having got such footing and interest in the Countrey already, by their Success and Victories, and chiefly by their Confederacy with so many of the Natives and People of the Countrey, revolted to them, did almost at first, by a general consent, renounce their Commission, and dependency upon Velasquez, and profess’d to act immediately from and for the King of Spain. What pretences they had for such a Resolution, seemingly at least irregular, is not so well known. Whatever they were, they proceed in it, and the whole Company (excepting onely some few, who yet went along with the rest) chuse Cortesius anew for their Commander in chief, and appoint likewise by common consent, all other Officers of Justice, both Civil and Military, among themselves: and to give the better colour at Court to their Proceedings, they send Portocorrero and Monteio, two of their Principals, into Spain, with a rich and noble Present to the Emperor, both to make report of the State of the Countrey, and to procure immediate Commission from his Majesty, to proceed; after which they advance towards Mexico, as hath been said. Velasquez, being at Cuba, and understanding their Proceedings, labor’d to intercept both their Messengers and Present, but could not; and therefore sent Pamphilius Narvaez with eleven Ships, and about nine hundred or a thousand Men to apprehend Cortesius, and oppose his Proceedings. This hapned about the time that the Differences were but newly calm’d betwixt the Spaniards and the People of Mexico; and though it oblig’d Cortesius to leave the City in a wavering and unsetled condition, yet he took such order, that Muteczuma still remain’d under the Guard of the Spaniards as before, assisted with thousands of their Friends of Tlascalla, and he himself taking the rest, and some few Spaniards along with him, with undaunted courage and resolution marches against Narvaez: and such was his good fortune, that not onely Narvaez became his Prisoner without much blood-shed, but likewise all his Men joyn’d with him in his Design, through the favour of the Chancery or supream Court of St. Domingo, and by the procurement of the Licentiat Vasquez de Ayllon, a Judge of it, who was sent with Narvaez to accommodate the Differences. With this Recruit Cortesius marches back again to Mexico; but at his coming finds things in a very bad condition; for the Citizens, gather’d together under the Command of one Quicuxtemoc, had recourse to Arms, and for three days and three Nights vex’d the Spaniards with continual Stormings, notwithstanding what-ever Commands they had to the contrary from their imprison’d King, who at last, looking out of a Window, endeavoring to appease them, was hurt with a Stone, of which he soon after died, as they say, who would not have the Spaniards thought to have murder’d him, as the Mexicans say they did, with divers other Noble-men, and some of his Children, the very Night they fled. However it were, not long after his Death, out of extream necessity, and chiefly for want of Victuals, the Spaniards were forc’d to leave the City in the night-time, and with the loss of four hundred and fifty of their Men, who were either slain or taken Prisoners at the passing of a Draw-bridge, the rest making a heavy Retreat to their Friends at Tlascalla. There is standing at this day in Mexico, upon the place where so many of them were kill’d, a certain Hermitage, which they call Los Martyres, or The Hermitage of the Martyrs, though but improperly, if upon that occasion, as one of their own Writers confesses, though he alledges no other reason.
Mexico taken by the Spaniards.
This Retreat of the Spaniards out of Mexico hapned to be upon the tenth of July after mid-night, in the Year 1520. which the Spaniards at Mexico call The Doleful Night. Nevertheless the undaunted Cortesius being got, though with much difficulty and trouble, by reason of the pursuit of the Mexicans for a good part of the Way, to his sure Friends of Tlascalla, neither lost his Courage, nor gave over his Resolution of yet gaining Mexico, especially the way being now laid open, and sufficient occasion given by the Death of Muteczuma, and the provocations of the Mexicans themselves, to make himself absolute and sole Lord of the Place: wherefore having sent for, and procur’d a competent Supply of fresh Soldiers from Santo Domingo, or Hispaniola, Almeria, Cuba, and other places, being in all nine hundred Foot, eight hundred Horse, and seventeen Pieces of Ordnance; he joyns himself with the Auxiliary Forces of Tlascalla, which were no less than a hundred thousand Men, Arm’d with Bowes and Arrows: and with this Army marches again towards Mexico, and Besieges it both by Land and Water, viz. with the help of thirteen Brigantines or Galliots, which he had built upon the Lake, and six thousand Canoos, or little Boats, which his Friends and Confederates had procur’d him. By which means, and by his Army on Land, in a short time he cut off all Provision from the City, and after a Siege of full three Months or more, and a most stout and obstinate resistance made by the People within, in which they are said to have lost above a hundred thousand Men, beside those which perish’d by Famine, Sickness, or otherwise, he took it by Storm upon Tuesday the thirteenth of August 1521. Sackt it first, and then burnt it to the Ground; yet afterwards he caus’d it to be Re-built again, far more Beautiful than at first it was; as in due place we shall further see. They speak not of above fifty Spaniards slain during the whole Siege, six Horses, and not many Tlascaltecans.
Cortez advanc’d to Honors.
In this manner, and with so little Charges to the Conqueror, there fell to the Crown of Spain the richest and goodliest Kingdom (one of them) of the whole World, viz. the Kingdom of Mexico, which the Conquerors presently nam’d New Spain; and in reference to which name, the Catholick King hath ever since stil’d himself in the plural number Hispaniarum Rex, or King of both Spains; and all by the Valor, Prudence, admirable Resolution, and happy Conduct of Cortez; who was at first but a private Adventurer in the American Plantations and Discoveries, though otherwise a Gentleman of a good Family in Spain, born at Medellin in the Country of Estramedura. The Emperor Charles the Fifth, who was also then King of Spain, for his great Services, endow’d him deservedly with many great and rich Territories in the Provinces of Tlascalla, Mechoacan, and other parts thereabouts, made him Marquess of the Valley, viz. of Guaxata, (which is his chief Title) a rich and flourishing Province of that Countrey, Captain General, or Commander in Chief, of all the Military Forces of New-Spain, and General Discoverer of all the Maritime parts and Coasts of America towards the South-Sea, assigning him in propriety the twelfth part of whatsoever should be discover’d, to him and his Heirs for ever; but deny’d him the Government of Mexico out of reason of State, though ’tis said, he much desir’d it.
The grand Haven Acapulco.
Among the famous Havens which lie along the South Sea, and Northern Ocean the chiefest is Acapulco before-mention’d, whither all Merchandize is sent to be transported to China, which is above two thousand Leagues distant from thence; in which Voyage they generally spend fourteen Months; four Sail, each of eight hundred Tun, appointed for this Trade; generally two of them set Sail to China in March, and returning in Summer, have no sooner drop’d their Anchors, but the other two set out from Acapulco, from whence the way by Land to Mexico, is seventy two Leagues over steep Mountains, dangerous Rocks, and several Rivers; the chiefest whereof are, first, Del Papagayo, or De las Balsas, which runs exceeding strong, which the Indians cross on bundles of Canes ty’d upon Callabashes: Next San Francisco, which though the biggest, yet hath many shallow places to wade over. The Mustichoes are no small Plagues to those that travel this way, for their Poysonous Stings are the occasions of many Ulcerated Wounds, and oft-times Death it self.
In this way lies also the Countrey del Valle, from which Ferdinand Cortesius receiv’d the Title of Earl.
The Mouth of the Haven Acapulco gapes a full League North and South, and within exceeding large, hath a nook call’d Boca Grande, where the Ships Ride safe at an Anchor: More Easterly appears a Land Inlet, (by the Spaniards call’d Puerto del Marques) secur’d against all Winds; near which is the City of San Diego, to which belongs a Fort, with six Bulwarks, lying on a Promontory; the main of the City is one large Street, consisting of fair and stately Houses, and leading directly to the Haven; the Church which is of an oblong square, hath a high Steeple in the middle.