columbus died poor and in prison because nobody was interested in his effort to find a northwest passage to india, or cared whether the earth was round or flat. they wanted gold, and the stories of el dorado told by the ignorant sailors had more influence on the people than anything columbus said or did.
"i have merely opened the gates for others to enter," he exclaimed bitterly, when he found himself thwarted in all his plans, but there is more honor accorded his memory than to any of the others who came after him, and made immense fortunes. 162
the same year that queen isabella died, a young man, but nineteen years old, named hernando cortez, sailed from spain for cuba. already there was quite a spanish settlement on the island, and when the governor offered him a large tract of land with indian slaves to cultivate it, he answered angrily:
"i came to get gold, not to till the soil like a peasant."
he expected to find untold wealth locked up in the unexplored regions of the new world, and had no patience with any of the slower methods of gaining riches. instead of working he meant to fight for what he wanted and we shall find when we know more about him that he broke his word to his king, the governor of cuba, to his wife, to his soldiers, and to every friend who served him. yet he was born a gentleman, handsome and well mannered, but a greedy love of gold rendered him brutal and treacherous to a degree.
in his company were gallant knights of chivalry, servile retainers of the king, soldiers of fortune, and bearded friars, who left behind them country, home, family, friends and sweethearts, to seek el dorado, which to them meant simply gold. when we study the history of the united states we shall be surprised to find men like them in full armor of steel, with lance, shield and helmet, mounted on prancing steeds, caparisoned in gay colors, glittering through the untracked wilderness of florida, 163 georgia, alabama, and even as far west as arizona, always in search of el dorado. and in every case their greed for gold led to such bloodshed and violence, that it makes the heart ache to think about it.
not many years after cortez landed in cuba, the governor sent for him and said:
"i have at last secured permission from the king to explore the continent lying to the west, and i desire you to take ships and soldiers and have command of the expedition."
something in cortez' manner excited the suspicion of the governor, but he said nothing until he was ready to sail. then he withdrew the commission, and ordered cortez to remain in cuba. instead of obeying he stole away in the night, and did not land until he came to the coast of mexico, close to the point from which the golden hearted had sailed. his men were afraid to venture far from shore, but he painted glowing pictures of the gold they were to find, and said:
"i hold out to you a glorious prize, but it is only to be won by incessant toil."
then holding up a black velvet standard with a red cross in the center, surrounded by flames of blue and white, he continued:
"comrades, let us follow the cross, and under this sign if we have faith, we shall conquer."
the padres with them, who had come to minister to the spiritual welfare of the cavaliers and soldiers, urged them to go forward, saying: 164
"we are in honor bound to carry the gospel to these poor, ignorant heathens, and god has given you the privilege of helping in this work."
the indians were friendly and when asked for gold, answered:
"we on the sea coast have little, but in tenochtitlan there is a rich and powerful king named montezuma, who has much gold and other treasures."
around them were parched and sandy plains, but on the march they soon came to "the land of bread," as the tlascallan country was called, and here they heard of cholula, the sacred city. when they came in sight of it they exclaimed:
"it is the promised land!" and were amazed at the splendor of the city, as well as the surrounding country, where there were fields of maize, vanilla, indigo, sugar cane, flowering cacao groves, and banana trees in profusion. the streets of cholula were filled with a concourse of priests whom cortez mistook for beggars. they were holding a religious festival in honor of quetzalcoatl, which was their name for the golden hearted, who had now become the fair god of tradition. long had they been expecting him to return to cholula, and because cortez had a fair complexion, and was accompanied by other white men they thought the golden hearted had come at last. the people lined the streets and roadways and not only wore garlands of flowers on their heads, but tossed bouquets to the soldiers, while the priests met them with 165 music and swung incense up and down the cleanly-swept streets they passed through.
"what is the will of quetzalcoatl?" they asked eagerly of cortez.
"do you come from tlapalla?" they inquired of his followers.
"no," they were answered, "but we have a disease of the heart which only gold can cure."
then the simple natives brought all the gold-dust and little trinkets they could find and gave to their visitors. cortez thanked them, but said:
"this is not enough. we must have very much more."
"then you would better ask our friend and ally, the great king, montezuma. he has immense stores of it."
"where is this great king, and this city of tenochtitlan?"
"farther to the west," they answered.
shortly after this an embassy of nobles from the court of montezuma appeared with rich presents and an invitation to cortez to visit the king. none of them had ever seen a white man before, and they did not for a moment doubt that cortez was the golden hearted, returned to claim his own, and they were very anxious to please him. touching his brass helmet one of them said timidly:
"it is very like that worn by quetzalcoatl, and i would like our king, montezuma, to see it."
"certainly," responded cortez, "but bring it back filled with gold." and they did. no one 166 knows just why, but something made cortez suspect the gentle natives of treachery, and one morning at daybreak he fell upon them in the market place, and slew thousands of people, and then set fire to the city. his rude soldiers went up on the pyramid and threw down the statue of the golden hearted, and erected a cross in its place. history says that the aztecs had long been offering the hearts of human beings in sacrifice to the golden hearted in cholula, while in tenochtitlan they had set up an image of a terrible war god, and were worshiping that more than the gentle, inoffensive golden hearted. it was this disobedience which made montezuma fear that he was returning to take vengeance.
one morning early the king went to see the paba, who had charge of the sacred fires on the altars built by the golden hearted himself. the chamber in the temple was square, with the ceiling covered by a lattice work of shining white and yellow metal which, at the intersections, was carved to represent flowers set with jewels. all around the walls were sculptured pictures of men. as the king approached the paba said:
"the gloomy clouds hanging overhead are not darker than is the mood of quetzalcoatl, but to the poor paba the voice of the king is ever welcome."
"why should the mood of quetzalcoatl be dark? a new teocalli holds his image, and they say he is happy and that he comes from the place of sunrise with a canoe filled with blessings." 167
"do you remember, o king! that in some of the underground chambers of this temple, besides vast stores of wealth, there are prophecies to be read?"
"i remember it well," said montezuma.
"give me leave, and i will show you the writing from quetzalcoatl himself."
groping their way through the great underground cavern, but dimly lighted, the paba said:
"son of a king, is your heart strong? the writing begins here and continues around the wall."
"read it," said montezuma.
"the first is here on the north and represents the ancient king on the march. you see him in the midst of warriors who are dancing in honor of his victories. here we have the whole story of our race."
"this was before the coming of quetzalcoatl and is of the remote past," said montezuma, with a frown.
"on the southern wall, opposite," replied the paba, "is what you seek. observe the king stands on a rock, and a priest points out to him an eagle on a cactus holding a serpent in its claws. beside it the king reclines on a couch. our city has been founded."
montezuma said not a word, but turned to another panel.
"look well to this, o king! there is quetzalcoatl before an altar offering a sacrifice of fruit and flowers. his hands are free from blood!" 168
montezuma's face was deadly pale, because he knew that many orders of priests in his kingdom sacrificed human beings by cutting out their hearts, and he was afraid that the coming of the strange white men was on account of this forbidden practice.
"see! oh majesty! the fair god is departing from our beloved tenochtitlan. saddest of all days was that for us."
"show me a prophecy if you would have me believe that this was written by quetzalcoatl. i would know something of the future."
"be wise, oh my master! let the future alone; it is sown with sorrows for all you love."
"until i wrong the gods why should i fear them? have done, paba. i, too, am a priest," said montezuma, earnestly.
"i, his true servant, tell you never again to look for smile from tlapalla. i will show you from quetzalcoatl himself, that the end of your empire is at hand. every breeze from the east is filled with woe for you and yours. the writing is on the wall. look again and closely."
"i see nothing," cried the king.
"all that you have heard about the return of quetzalcoatl is true. he is coming to end the days of the aztecs forever."
"forever! it cannot be. read the next panel."
"there is no other, this is the last," answered the paba sadly. 169
montezuma turned quickly to the north wall, but found it without a single mark. here indeed was the end.
that night the aztec king could neither eat nor sleep. the prophecy was with him all the time. when the morning came he called for his canoe. from the battlements of chapultepec, the palace and tomb of his fathers, he would see the sun rise. if quetzalcoatl was angered and meant to wreak vengeance, he naturally supposed the sun, his dwelling place, would give some warning.
in all the heavens around there was not a fleck when suddenly a cloud of smoke rushed upward, and across the pathway of the sun, so that when it crept over the mountain range, it looked like a ball of blood! montezuma drew the hood over his face quickly, and his head dropped on his breast.
the paba had spoken the truth. quetzalcoatl was coming! and next evening a runner sped hotly over the causeway and up the street, stopping at the gate of the royal palace. he was taken before the king and shortly after the news went flying over tenochtitlan, that quetzalcoatl had arrived in his huge water-house with wings, and filled with thunder and lightning! for that was what the aztecs called the ships and cannon brought by cortez.
when montezuma heard of the terrible massacre in cholula, he called a council of wise old men and said: 170
"of what use is it, uncles? the gods are against us and resistance is of no avail. i mourn most for the women and children, and the old and infirm who are too feeble to fight or fly. for myself and the brave men around me, we must bare our breasts to the storm and meet it as we may."
as cortez neared tenochtitlan he was met by so many chiefs and nobles under montezuma, that it took them an hour to pass before him, and make their salutation which they did by touching the ground with the right hand and then carrying it to the forehead. the four nobles carrying montezuma on their shoulders, were preceded by three officers of state bearing gold wands in their hands to show that they came in peace. the royal palanquin, or chair, in which montezuma was seated, blazed with gold, jewels and gaudy feather-work, while the nobles carrying it were barefooted. they walked with slow measured steps and kept their eyes bent on the ground. finally the train of warriors and nobles halted, and montezuma came forward to meet cortez.
imagine what their feelings must have been as they looked at each other! montezuma thought he was welcoming back the gentle, kind quetzalcoatl, whom we know as the golden hearted, while cortez knew he had found more gold and riches than he ever dreamed existed anywhere.
the poor misled aztec king approached the spanish adventurer and putting an exquisitely wrought gold collar around his neck said: 171
"this was my father's palace but it belongs to you and your brethren. rest here after your fatigues and in a little while i will visit you again."
when he went out of the palace he sent slaves to wait upon them, and he gave each one new clothes, and a splendid feast. when they had finished eating, the rude soldiers searched all through the palace for hidden wealth, and finding the treasure house of the king proceeded to help themselves. when montezuma heard of it he said:
"they are welcome to the gold and silver and other articles, if they will but spare the things belonging to the gods."
in the palace grounds where they were quartered they found an aviary filled with beautiful singing birds; a menagerie full of strange animals, and snakes; ten big tanks stocked with water-fowl and fish; fountains playing everywhere, and wonderful floating gardens on the lakes, while all around them lay a city filled with temples, market places, and handsome houses.
true to his promise montezuma returned shortly and in speaking to cortez said:
"i have been expecting you for many days. the wonderful deeds attributed to you, your complexion and the quarter from whence you come show me that you are quetzalcoatl. you and your brethren shall share all things with me," and with tears in his eyes he gave them as many costly 172 presents as they could carry. the padres and soldiers were constantly asked:
"do you come from tlapalla?" while montezuma did everything he could to please cortez.
one day he went to the king's palace and after accepting the usual presents of gold and silver, montezuma offered him one of his daughters for a wife. cortez declined, and seeing that the courtyard was partly filled with his trusted men, he approached montezuma abruptly and said:
"you have treated me treacherously, and have allowed one of my officers to be killed on the sea coast."
montezuma turned very pale. no one else in his kingdom would have dared speak to him in such an insulting manner, and besides that he knew nothing of the death of the officer before. in reality the officer had been murdered while torturing the poor natives to make them give him more gold.
"i demand that you send for the chief and all the notable men in his council that i may punish him for the death of my comrade," said cortez, trying to pick a quarrel with the king.
"very well," said montezuma, kindly. "i will have them brought as you desire."
"i believe in your promise, but you must come to my quarters as hostage until the thing is done."
poor montezuma thinking it was a command of god did not dare refuse, and in a short time 173 afterward the chief and his council were brought before him. he turned them over to cortez for punishment, and they were burned to death in the public square, where montezuma could see them from his window. cortez had the poor creatures tortured to make them accuse montezuma of telling them to commit the murder, so that he would have an excuse for what he intended to do to the king. pretending to believe the confessions, he went before the king and ordered two common spanish soldiers to put him in irons. poor montezuma moaned and groaned like his heart would break, while his faithful attendants, weeping bitterly tried to put their mantles under the irons so they would not touch his flesh.
cortez now demanded that he abdicate his power, and pay tribute to spain, so he compelled the king to assemble all his chiefs, which he did saying to them:
"you are acquainted with the traditions which say that the good quetzalcoatl is to return and rule over us. that time has come and we must obey our new masters. you have been faithful vassals of mine, and i expect you to show me this last act of obedience by acknowledging the great king across the water as your lord also." the tears streamed down his face, and his haughty chiefs were very sad at heart, but they were loyal as well as brave men, and they answered: 174
"your will is our law, and if you think the king of the strangers is the ancient lord of our country we are willing to acknowledge him as such."
as soon as this was done the grasping spaniards compelled montezuma to send throughout his kingdom for all the gold, silver, precious stones and feather-work that could be found, in the name of the king of spain, but when they got it they divided it among themselves, and then quarreled fiercely over who should have the greater part.
here indeed was their fabled el dorado!
there was but one more humiliation awaiting montezuma, and that was to have his own people revile him. the spaniards had been so brutal and cruel in their dealings with the aztecs that some of them began to doubt whether they could have come from tlapalla, and whether cortez was the golden hearted. knowing this cortez induced montezuma to dress himself in his royal robes, and appear on the stone parapet of the palace where he was confined, to quiet the mob and induce them to go about their work peaceably. cortez was beginning to fear for his own safety, but the populace were not to be tricked by him. they did not believe it was montezuma before them, and hurling a stone at the royal palanquin accidentally hit the unhappy king on the forehead. the blow was not sufficient to kill him, but he took to his bed and refused to eat until he finally died. history says of him that 175 "his great heart was burst in twain by the sorrows that oppressed his high courage." certain it is that he could not live when he found that both his god and his people despised him. it has never been known what became of his body, for a terrible war followed his death.
today we call his country and city mexico.
