Sunday, August 18, 2013

Bernal Diaz Digest: Before Marching To Tlaxcala: August 1519

The broad outline of Diaz's depiction of the Cortes trek inland provides a wealth of detail on it's own, in addition to the passages where he breaks his narrative to report on concurrent or related stories. These related stories, despite the frequent pleas of Diaz that he is no great speaker or writer, act as building blocks rather than tangents, generating tension and emotional pathos along the way, without seeming to enlarge his greater narrative. An outline is helpful since, he himself says, he will tell a story later on, or, just as often, jumps out of chronology, picking up an earlier story to provide more context of whatever happens to be coming next. But the effect of jumping around in time, adds greatly to both the tension and the emotional appeal, compelling the reader forward. If only to find out 'what happened next'.

In outline form, then, first, was the survey group sent inland, headed by Pedro de Alvarado, in chapter xliv of Diaz. He found empty towns, with fresh human sacrifices, bodies hacked apart. Food was gathered in those places, however and brought back. Some of the loyalists to Velazquez were released from their shackles then, too. The group decided on venturing inland to Quiahuiztlan and camped on the shore nearest there. Some locals arrived that were recognized as those that had called them lopes lucios, and whose friendship was renewed. They brought food as well and advised the Spaniards to stop in Cempoala on their way to Quiahuiztlan.

The meeting and discussion with 'the fat cacique' from Cempoala is what fills chapter xlv. It is here Diaz has him tell of the regional control of Montezuma and their desire to be free from his domination. Cortes also says he wants to establish his headquarters in Quiahuiztlan, a fortress perched high on a rock. The next day, when chapter xlvi is begun, the westward troops arrived in Quiahuiztlan. What happened there continues into chapter xlvii, including the capture and release of the Mexica tax collectors and the spread of this news.

Then, in chapter xlviii, Diaz inserts the beginning of the building of La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, with stones and streets and buildings being built. Here also, came word that more messengers from Montezuma had come to offer gold gifts and promises of friendship. Cortes accepts them and when they leave tells his new friends, those called lopes lucios, not to worry. They tell themselves, Diaz reports, that Cortes must be a teule, since Motecuhzoma sends him gifts. The next chapter, xlix, the fat cacique tells them of the oppression on the locals by the forces of Montezuma. Cortes decides to send one of their group, Heredia, with the misfigured face, with a gun, to that place. He was ordered to go near the town, Cingapacinga, shooting the gun, an escopeta, with scouts sent ahead to warn that the teules were coming to smite them. He did this and the locals were elated. Cortes announces they will go the next day and take care of the Culua, the Mexica harassing the locals.

The chapter L of Diaz gives the story of loyalists to Velazquez expressing their desire not to go on this sidetrip to Cingapacinga and to return to Cuba.

Returning to the main narrative in chapter li, Diaz recounts the resolution Cortes made between Cempoalans and Cingapacingans. There is an attempt at marriages, at religious conversion, imposing the sense of Spanish morality, the destruction of idols. The locals crying, complained to their gods that these foreign teules were to blame and they could not defend them for fear of further attacks by the Mexica. Some attacked the Spaniards, who quickly laid hands on the fat cacique and the other chieftains there and so, the attackers withdrew.

After destroying one of these places with idols, in chapter lii, there is more talk about religion and some description of local priests. Marriages, a new church, and religious conversions with the 'brides' were completed there in Cingapacinga. Then, the Spaniards returned to their new town Vera Cruz.

In Veracruz, the next chapter liii, news was received from Cuba and Castile that the king had given permission for trade and the settling of the new lands, promoting Velazquez to the position of adelantando of Cuba. The party loyalists of Velazquez were overjoyed, but this got everyone talking and thinking about the future and their positions in it. This, led to the creation of the new town, says Diaz, and the drafting of the 'First' letter. That letter is explained again in chapter liv, some instruction for the representatives regarding that letter to the crown is given and the date of it's departure is listed.

The end of chapter liv and both lv and lvi talk about the representatives and letter sent to the king. They, avoiding Velazquez, but spreading word thru Cuba about the exploits of Cortes, and then, the state of things, they found, in Castile, at court and conflicts with the Bishop of Burgos are told.

Chapters lvii - lx detail the story of scuttling their ships in order to prevent rebellion among, or the return of, the Velazquez loyalists who no longer wanted to follow Cortes.

All this Diaz tells us, happened before the group turned again, to march inland, to Tlaxcala in chapter lxi.
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Digested from Bernal Díaz de Castillo: The True History of the Conquest of New Spain translated with an introduction and notes by Janet Burke and Ted Humphrey, Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Co, Inc. 2012

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