Bernal Diaz Details Capture of Moctezuma, ~c. 1520

Messages delivered to Cortes by Tlaxcalan allies, Diaz says, told of the death of the chief constable at the fort called Villa Rica on the coast. Juan de Escalante, his horse, along with six others had been killed along wth many local Totonac locals. Bernal Diaz gives us this story and makes a point to say he's doing just that, prior to explaining, how the Spaniards took Moctezuma in his own capital. But there was more.

He tells us he wants to tell the story completely, "... not to leave anything out, because it must be clearly understood." The backdrop of fear and uncertainty and urgency are made plain by our witness, and renewed every so many pages, as the larger looming context here. It is a dramatic tale, told knowing that, and knowing the hugeness of the stakes, and the credit, Diaz says, was given to God.

News of the death of their captain, and at the hands of servants of their host Moctezuma, had to be a frightful prospect for the few europeans far inland, in the capital city. Diaz, at this point in his tale, after criticizing the version told by Gomara of this moment, credits the Mexica messengers as telling Moctezuma a story of what happened at Nautla. That they were showing him the head of a Spaniard from Leon, named Argüello and his horrified response. That Moctezuma had asked these Mexica messengers bearing the head of Argüello why they did not overwhelm the few Europeans along the coast. The Mexica responded that

"... neither their spears nor arrows nor good fighting was any use to them, that they could not make them retreat, because a great tequecihuata of Castile appeared before them, and that lady frightened the Mexicans and said words to her teules that encouraged them. Then Montezuma believed that the great lady was Saint Mary, who we had told him was our advocate." [p. 223]

Our translator tells us that tequecihuata here meant 'lady' and previously, that teules meant 'lords', leaving them intact as foreign words in his english translated text. I don't mean anything more than to simply point out that these happen to be the words chosen for these, actually, very different kinds of european honorifics of extreme ends of the chivalric spectrum. And Diaz gives them local names in the mouth of Mexican messengers. It just is there to be pointed out. Again, the backdrop of fear, the worse bad news from the coast at Almeria/Nautla, then the reassurance of the aid from the Blessed Virgin Mary for these Spanish conquistadors and then a whole night in prayer begins a new chapter.

Next day, Cortes took with him a small armed contingent, including Diaz as well as the translators, Aguilar and Malintzin, sent word he was coming, and went to Moctezuma's palace. There, after 'paying the usual respects,' Cortes gave a speech to Moctezuma. He accused him of treachery after the personal kindnesses shown. He accused him of giving orders to kill a Spaniard and a horse, leaving out what he was told about the subsequent death of Escalante and the others. He accuses him of betraying Cortes' own kindnesses, of his own men serving Moctezuma's needs and being treated insolently by M's servants and aids. That he knew some aids were talking about having them killed there. "I do not want to start a war," Diaz has Cortes say,

"or destroy this city for these reasons. Everything will be forgiven if right away silently and without making any disturbance, you come with us to our lodgings; you will be served there and looked after very well, as if in your own house. But if you make a disturbance or call out, these captains of mine will immediately kill you; I brought them for no other purpose." [p. 224]

 Moctezuma replied that he had never given any such order and that 'he was not a person that could be ordered to leave' and, he didn't want to. Cortes tried to persuade him, Moctezuma gave better reasons to stay. They talked like that for some time until one of the men grew impatient and vented to Cortes the danger of the situation. Moctezuma saw his emotion and asked Malintzin what he meant. She was reassuring and told him to go with the Spaniards or he might be left for dead. That he would learn the truth if he went with them.

Moctezuma, Diaz confides, told Cortes not to insult him, to take some relatives as hostages instead. Cortes calmly tells the great king that, only he could do this, personally. That it was he that had to go with them and that's all there was left to do. They talked some more, Cortes making sure that no alarm be made to anyone by the great king. Then his litter was called, and they all left together. Moctezuma played his part perfectly and they all then went to the chambers occupied by the europeans. [pp. 225-6]
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from ch xciii -xcv in 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