Extension of Spanish Power

Rebuilding Of The City. Extension Of Spanish Power. The March To Honduras.
Execution Of Guatimozin Donna Marina. Modern Mexico.

"Now they are gone gone as thy setting blaze
Goes down the west, while night is pressing on,
And with them the old tale of better days,
And trophies of remembered power are gone."
Bryant.

Within a few years after the scenes we have just de scribed, the royal city of the Aztec monarchs rose from its ruins with renewed splendor; but under what different circumstances from those which attended its first establishment ! The proud-spirited nation, reduced to degrading servitude, was compelled to build and plant for the benefit of the victorious Spaniards, whose power daily increased with the multitudes flocking from the Old World to seek wealth or novelty in the sunny climes of New Spain.

The modern city of Mexico presents a very different aspect from that of the ancient capital. By the drainage of the lake, it no longer stands upon an island; and the causeys, which led to it, still used as public roads, are said to be scarcely distinguishable from the other highways.

All the surrounding tribes who did not yield implicitly to the dictates of the general, when the great city was destroyed, were promptly quelled and humbled. Confirmed in his authority by royal commission for the efforts of his enemies could avail little against the universal acclamation which followed the news of his successes Cortez continued to increase the extent of Spanish dominion, and still more effectually to crush all spirit of opposition among the miserable Mexicans. We cannot detail the terrible examples of vengeance, which followed any attempt to throw off the galling yoke. With such coadjutors as Alvarado, Sandoval, and other of his veteran officers, resistance to his supremacy proved worse than vain. The stake or the halter was the ready instrument by which the crime of rebellion was punished.

In October of 1524, Cortez, with a small force of Spaniards, and a large body of natives, undertook a long and difficult march to Honduras. His purpose was to chastise the rebellious de Olid, who had thrown off his general s authority. Although the details of the dangers, hardships, and adventures in this expedition are minute and interesting, we only refer to it as giving occasion for the destruction of the last Aztec monarch. Continually apprehensive of a new revolt, Cortez had, ever since the conquest, kept his royal prisoner a close attendant on his person. Together with his faithful vassal, the lord of Tacuba, Guatimozin was taken to accompany the party to Honduras. At Gueyacala, or Aculan, a conspiracy of the Mexicans in the train to fall upon and massacre the Spaniards, was reported to the general, and attributed to the influence of these two nobles. All participation in this plot was denied by the captives; but slight suspicion was sufficient to furnish an excuse to the unscrupulous Spaniard for ridding himself of a constant source of anxiety.

Guatimozin and the Tacuban governor were both hanged by his orders, Diaz affirms that there was but one opinion among the company, that this was "a most unjust and cruel sentence." He proceeds to say that Cortez suffered much in his conscience for this act. "He was so distracted by these thoughts that he could not rest in his bed at night, and, getting up in the dark to walk about, as a relief from his anxieties, he went into a large apartment where some of the idols were worshipped. Here he missed his way, and fell from the height of twelve feet, to the ground, receiving a desperate wound and contusions in his head. This circumstance he tried to conceal, keeping his sufferings to himself, and getting his hurts cured as well as he could."

An interesting incident occurred on this march relative to the history of the faithful interpreter Donna Marina. The course taken led the army through her native province, and it so chanced that, at a great conclave of chiefs and principal inhabitants to hold conference with the Spaniards, her mother and brother were present. The unnatural parent, who had so long before sold her daughter as a slave, thought the hour of retribution was at hand, but Marina encouraged and caressed her, making her offerings of jewels and other attractive trifles. She avowed her attachment to the Spaniards and their religion, expressing great pride and satisfaction in the son and the husband, for both of whom she stood indebted to her noble master and friend.

We must now take leave of the historical detail of Mexican chronicles, with a few remarks upon the condition of the Indians subsequent to the conquest, the changes since wrought by lapse of time, the introduction of a foreign population, and the mixture of races.

For a long period the mass of the natives were compelled to waste their lives in hopeless toil on the plantations, in the mines, or at the rising cities of their oppressors.

Cortez felt and expressed some compunctious visiting of conscience at the adoption of this general system of slavery, but fell in with it as being essential to the maintenance of Spanish power and the speedy growth of the colonies. He saw that the mental capacity of the people was far superior to that of the other North American aborigines, and felt some natural regret that their national pride should be entirely humbled, and their opportunities for civilization and improvement be so entirely cut off. A better state of things was gradually brought about, and the inhabitants of pure native descent are now spoken of as a cheerful, courteous race, busying themselves in the simpler arts of manufacture, cultivating their fields, and enjoying the equable freedom from anxiety, so congenial to the mild and delicious climate of their country.

Pulque, the intoxicating drink of the Mexicans, is productive of the evil effects that such beverages always pro duce among the Indians of America; and, in the large cities, a disgusting horde of lazaroni disfigures the public squares. In the city of Mexico, these beggars are especially numerous.

The half-breeds, who form at the present day so extensive a portion of the population, present every variety of social position. Some of Montezuma s descendants married into noble families of Spain, and their posterity arrived at great wealth and dignity. The wife of Guatimozin, after his execution, married successively no less than three Castilians of honorable family. She is everywhere spoken of as a woman of charming appearance and attractive manners. A descendant of the former emperor of the Aztecs held the office of Spanish viceroy in Mexico as late as the close of the seventeenth century.

Indian Races of North and South America

This site includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes implied .

Indian Races of North and South America, By Charles De Wolf Brownell, 1865