To this arrogant demand, the Tlascalans returned a brave and spirited refusal, and both nations immediately prepared for war. The Mexicans were, by far, the most numerous, but they wanted the courage which their enemies derived from the feeling that they fought for life and liberty, for their homes and their country. The Tlascalans were victorious in two pitched battles, and their opponents were compelled to retire from the contest in disgrace.
With this exception, the first years of Montezuma’s reign were in every respect prosperous. But suddenly a great reverse took place; a large army of Mexicans, on an expedition to a distant country, after suffering severely from a storm, were utterly destroyed by their enemies. At the same time, a comet made its appearance, spreading the greatest consternation throughout the nation; for, according to their diviners, it portended the downfall of the empire.
While the king and his subjects were in this state of anxiety and dread, news arrived, that a number of huge vessels, bearing men speaking an unknown tongue, and clothed in glittering armor, had arrived on the coast of his empire. These strangers, who so naturally excited the admiration and awe of the natives, were no other than Cortez and his companions.
On the second of April, 1519, this bold and enterprising Spaniard entered the harbor of Saint Juan de Ulua, on the eastern coast of Mexico, with eleven small vessels, containing only about six hundred men; and of these, more than a hundred were sailors. With this small force was he about to make war upon a monarch, whose dominions were more extensive than all the kingdoms subject to the Spanish crown. On the following day he landed his troops, and having selected a suitable place for a camp, began to fortify it; in which he was zealously assisted by the unsuspecting natives. Here he was soon visited by the governors of the district. He received them with many demonstrations of respect, and informed them that he had come as ambassador from Don Carlos, of Spain, the greatest king of the East, with proposals which he could only declare to their monarch himself. He therefore demanded to be led immediately to his presence.
The governors attempted to dissuade him from visiting the capital, but at the same time laid before him a rich present of gold and silver articles, which had only the effect of increasing his desire to proceed. He therefore repeated his demand in a determined tone. Seeing among his visiters several painters, who were busily engaged in taking down, for the information of their sovereign, everything remarkable in the appearance of the strangers, he resolved to give them a specimen of his warlike power. He ordered his troops to be drawn up in battle-array, and to go through the evolutions of a mock battle. While the natives were gazing in astonishment at the spectacle, the cannon, pointed towards the thick woods which surrounded the camp, were suddenly fired, and made terrible havoc among the trees. At the dreadful sound, some fled, others fell to the ground, overcome by amazement and terror; and the painters had now to exercise their ingenuity to invent figures and symbols by which to represent the new and surprising things they had seen.
In a few days an answer was received from the emperor, refusing an audience, and commanding the Spaniards to leave the country; but, at the same time, directing that they should be supplied with all things requisite for their voyage. Notwithstanding this prohibition, Cortez resolved to proceed, and his followers eagerly joined in the determination. They first set about founding a colony on the place where they had landed, as this was one of the objects of the expedition. The whole army labored with the utmost diligence; a number of houses, or rather huts, were soon erected, and the whole strongly fortified. The infant settlement received the name of “Villa rica de la Vera Cruz;” “the rich town of the true cross.”
The next act of the troops appears deserving of mention as a display of heroic and determined courage almost without a parallel. Cortez, fearing lest, when their enthusiasm should subside, the soldiers should be seized with a desire to return, by his arguments and representations so wrought upon them, that, of their own accord, to cut off all opportunity for retreat, they dragged the vessels upon the beach, and burnt them to ashes.
They had now no choice but to proceed; and, accordingly, much to the dismay and dissatisfaction of the Indians, who did not, however, dare to oppose them by force, they set out on their march towards the capital. On their way, they passed through the territories of several caziques or chiefs, who bore with impatience the yoke of their Mexican conquerors, and were glad to free themselves from it, by transferring their allegiance to the king of Spain. Cortez eagerly accepted their services, and artfully represented that he had been deputed, by his sovereign, to redress the grievances which they had suffered at the hands of the Mexicans. These new allies afterwards proved extremely useful.
After proceeding for several days without obstruction, the Spaniards arrived at the confines of Tlascala. Knowing the implacable enmity of the inhabitants to the Mexicans, he expected that he should meet from them a friendly reception. The Tlascalans, however, were far differently disposed. Having heard that he was on his way to visit the Mexican king, they probably suspected, that, notwithstanding all his professions, he courted the friendship of a monarch whom they both hated and feared. The ambassadors whom he sent to them with proposals of alliance, they seized, and, regardless of their sacred character, prepared to sacrifice them to their gods. At the same time they collected their forces in order to prevent their unknown invaders from making good a passage by force of arms.
This, however, was the only way by which the Spaniards could hope to attain the object of their expedition. Accordingly, they entered the Tlascalan territories, prepared to fight their way through all opposition. They were immediately attacked by the troops of the enemy with great intrepidity; but courage and numbers availed little against the arms and discipline of the Spaniards, who were everywhere victorious, without the loss of a man. The horses of the invaders contributed much to their success. For a long time the horse and his rider were considered as one animal; and terrible stories were circulated of his power and ferocity. Even when they discovered their mistake, they still believed that the horse fought with his teeth, and devoured the bodies of the slain. Hence, when they had the good fortune to slay one of these terrible animals, they cut off his head and carried it in triumph as the greatest trophy of victory.