Chapter Twenty Four: THE JADE STEPS

The Jade Steps

Chapter Twenty Four:  The Jade Steps

When the food arrived, turkeys and maize cakes in great abundance, Malinali ate quickly.  She had no time for conversation with Bernal, eager to talk about the wonders of the palace.  She cast a knowing glance at Cortez and fled from the room.  She returned within the hour, Cortez inviting her to join the group of officers with whom he was conferring.  Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I heard no talk around this palace or out on the plaza of any trap.  I overheard talk between guards, nobles, priests, and common people.  They all talk of you using the word teotl (tay-ottle), which means wonder, awesome, terrifying power.  They talk of how the strangers are men from another more powerful world, men they have never seen before.  Montezuma, it seems, can talk of nothing else.  There is no anger in what I heard, only teotl."

The men started to express their relief and appreciation to her when there was a commotion.  Several jaguar warriors had entered, followed by a procession of grandly cloaked and feathered nobles, perhaps as many as a hundred.  In their center was Montezuma.

A number of the nobles were carrying a golden chair even more elaborate than the throne chair of Axayacatl’s.  It was placed next to the latter.  Cortez had come into the middle of the room to receive Montezuma, who then took Cortez by the hand to the thrones and each sat down.  Servants poured into the room and began distributing gifts, gold and silver jewelry and three loads of feather-embroidered cloaks to the officers, two loads of feather-embroidered cloaks to each of the Spanish soldiers.

The enormous hallroom was filled with Mesheeka and Spaniards, who assembled silently at a respectful distance and strained to hear Montezuma and Cortez speak.  Cortez had Malinali kneel between and behind the two of them.

"Malinche," Montezuma began, "since the days of my ancestors we Mesheeka have known we are not natives to this land, but came from far to the north.  A great king brought us here to Tenochtitlan, where we settled while he returned to our original home.  Many years later he came back and wanted to lead us on to another land, but we refused, having married local women, raising children, and building this city.  So he left us, and went across the Great Ocean towards the rising sun.

"And so it is that we have known that his descendants would come back from the rising sun to conquer this land and make us their maceualli (massy-wally), vassal.  As you have come from across the Great Ocean and the rising sun, we believe you are these descendants, and that your king is our natural lord, especially because you say he has known of us for a long time.

"We further believe you are these descendants sent to rule us because of your seeming impossible victories in battles of so few against so many at Pontochan and Tlaxcala.

"Therefore, be assured, Malinche, we will obey you as our lord in place of your king, and in this there shall be no betrayal whatever.  All that we own is yours.  Thus, now that you are in your own country and in your own house, rest now from the hardships of your journey and battles.  You must, though, know this:  You must believe only what you see here with your own eyes, for I know that those of Cempoala and Tlaxcala have spoken much evil of me.  They are my enemies who rebelled against me and said bad things about me to gain favor with you.  Now I return to where I live, while here you will be provided with all you and your men require.  Here you shall receive no hurt, for you are in your own land and in your own house."

Malinali translated these words she could not believe she was hearing as calmly and directly as possible.  She made every effort to remain expressionless and saw Cortez was as well.  At the end of Montezuma’s speech, Cortez bowed his head with a humble smile.

"Great Lord Montezuma, ruler of all Mesheeka," he began.  "Your gracious hospitality overwhelms us for we do not know how to repay for your favors.  It is true that we have come from the other side of the Great Ocean where the sun rises, and that we are the servants of  His Majesty King Don Carlos of Spain.  It is at His Majesty Don Carlos’ command that we are here, for, knowing what a great and noble ruler you are, he asked that we come and beg you and your people to be Christians so that your souls may be saved as are ours.

"At the appropriate time, I hope to inform you of the One True God and his promise of salvation.  But for now, I ask that you have confidence in us, Lord Montezuma, and fear nothing, for we love you greatly.  Today our hearts are well satisfied, for we have all wished for a long time to see you face to face, to hear you speak in person, and for this we are grateful."

The two stood and clasped each other’s hands.  Cortez bowed to Montezuma, who then departed with his retinue, the nobles carrying away his throne chair.  Cortez sat back down in his golden seat and stared at Malinali who remained kneeling beside him.  She could see that his thoughts were moving so fast he could not speak.

"Who is this ‘great king’ he spoke of?" he finally asked her.  "Is it this Meskeetli or that Tenoch our friend in Tlaxcala, King Xicotencatl, told us about?[1]  It wasn’t their Quetzacoatl god he was talking about – or was he?  According to you, he never said the name of any king or god."

Malinali shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.  "No name at all.  It’s like he was confusing these two legends.  Or maybe it is we who have the legends confused.  Or maybe he is confusing the legends on purpose, to fool and confuse us.  I don’t know…"

She thought for a moment, then continued.  "I was watching him carefully while listening to him.  His eyes were at peace with his mind, and so were the sounds of his words.  There is no story I have ever heard of about any Mesheeka leader going across the Great Ocean.  I think he was talking about Quetzacoatl, but out of reverence or caution wouldn’t use his name." 

By now several of Cortez’s officers had gathered around him.  "Did we hear correctly, Captain?" Gonzalo de Sandoval asked.  "That Montezuma pledged he was the vassal of Spain?"

Cortez stroked his beard.  "That is what he seemed to say.  He also seemed to say we are the descendants of a god or ancestor of theirs.  Perhaps, however, he was just being polite like kings can be.  Tomorrow, I propose to visit him and discuss – politely – this matter further.  I shall want a number of you to accompany me."

As they lay down together that night, Malinali thought Cortez would want to discuss further the puzzle of Montezuma.  But the Aztec king was the last thing on his mind.  "The morning shall be for Montezuma," he whispered.  "The night is for you."

*   *   *   *   *

That next morning, Malinali sent a messenger to the tecpan, the Palace of Montezuma to request a meeting.  He soon returned with a contingent of jaguar warriors to escort Cortez and his party.  With Cortez were Pedro de Alvarado, Velasquez de Leon, Diego de Ordaz, Gonzalo de Sandoval, and five regular soldiers – one of whom was Bernal.

Bernal couldn’t stop talking to Malinali about the soldiers’ new home.  "We never imagined such luxury!" he exclaimed.  "The enormity and number of the rooms and halls, all lined with beautiful polished wood.  Each one of us has his own matting bed, with thick furs for blankets, and a canopy!  There are hundreds of servants to prepare our food and take care of us.  We are being treated like royalty, Doña Marina!"

Yet Bernal’s description of Axayacatl’s palace did not prepare them for the Tecpan.  It was gigantic.  Not tall, only two high stories, but covering an immense area under roof.  It was built of polished alabaster, jasper, and a black stone that had veins of red and white.  The first floor was a beehive of workers like potters and featherworkers, servants, and kitchens.  Walking through it, Gonzalo de Sandoval said in wonder, "I never imagined a home so large.  It must be many thousands of square valas."[2]

The second floor was the home of Montezuma and his family.  Cortez and his party were ushered into a large open courtyard with a large gurgling stone fountain.  Montezuma appeared with a retinue of nobles to conduct Cortez by the hand into his throne room.  On a raised platform was a huge chair woven out of bundles of reeds.  "This is the seat I prefer," Montezuma said to Malinali.  For the first time, he looked her in the eye.  Until this moment, he acted as if she did not exist, always looking at Cortez while speaking, and even listening to her words translating Cortez’s replies.  It occurred to her that this was probably the first time Montezuma had ever spoken directly to a woman who was not of his close family.

Servants brought an elaborately carved wooden chair for Cortez, placing it next to his Throne of Reeds.  As they sat down, more servants entered with chairs for the nine Spanish officers and soldiers.  Malinali as before knelt between Montezuma and Cortez.

"O Lord Montezuma, Ruler of all Mesheeka," Cortez began formally.  "We thank you once again for the great kindness you have shown us.  We have come today to fulfill the purpose of our voyage here and the orders of our lord, His Majesty King Don Carlos of Spain.  That purpose, those orders, are to relate to you in person why we are of the Christian faith.

"Lord Montezuma, I beg you to listen.  There are not many gods, a god of the sun and moon and rain and earth and many other things.  There is only one god, the One True God, Who once sent His Son upon this earth to suffer and die for the sins of us all.  Of us all, Lord Montezuma, of Spaniards and Mesheeka and Tlaxcalan.  It was the One True God Who created Heaven and Earth, and Who placed upon earth the first of our race, the first man whose name was Adam, and the first woman whose name was Eve.

"Every human is the child of Adam and Eve, the First Father and the First Mother.  This means that you, Lord Montezuma, and I, Hernando Cortez, are brothers.  That all Mesheeka and all Spaniards are brothers.  That His Majesty King Don Carlos is your brother, and as your brother, he grieves for you, for without the salvation of Christ, you are doomed to burn in the flames of hell upon your death.

"For as we are all brothers in Adam, so we are sinners with this terrible fate.  But the wonderful news which your brother King Don Carlos has sent me to tell you, is that by becoming Christians, you and your Mesheeka followers may receive the salvation of Christ and eternal life.  King Don Carlos has sent me to beg you, Lord Montezuma, to abandon the evil practice of human sacrifice – the sacrifice of your brothers, your fellow man – to evil idols, and accept the salvation that Christ offers you.  This is our plea.  And in making this plea, we have now done our duty to our king."

Montezuma remained expressionless and replied with equal formality.  "O Lord Malinche, these arguments of yours have been familiar to me for some time.  I understand what you said to my ambassadors on the sandhills about the three gods and the cross, and what you have preached in the various towns through which you passed.  We have given you no answer, since we have worshipped our own gods from the beginning and know them to be good.  No doubt yours are good also, but do not trouble to tell us any more about them.

"Regarding the creation of the world, we have held the same belief for many ages, and so we are certain that you are those who our ancestors predicted would come from the direction of the sunrise.  It is for this reason that we welcome you here.  If I had asked you to cease your attempt to come to our city, it was because my subjects were afraid.  They said you shot flashes of lightning, were angry teules, gods, and other childish stories.  But now I have seen you with my own eyes, and I know you are men of flesh and blood as am I, intelligent and brave men.  Therefore I now have a far greater esteem for you than I had from the reports of my subjects."

As they heard Malinali’s translation, Cortez and his officers smiled, stood, and bowed to Montezuma in appreciation.  The Mesheeka emperor broke out into cheerful laughter.

"Malinche," he said happily, "I know these people of Tlaxcala with whom you are so friendly have told you so many terrible things about me, that I am so rich that my home is made of silver and gold and jewels, that I am a teule myself.  But you can see I am a man like you and my home is made of stone and wood.  So you must take these stories as a joke, as I take the story of your thunders and lightnings."

Cortez responded with a hearty laugh of his own.  "Yes, my Lord Montezuma, enemies always speak evil and tell lies about the people they hate, but it is clear to us that we could not hope to find a more magnificent prince than you.  We can see there is good reason that your fame should have reached our king Don Carlos."

An almost imperceptible nod of Montezuma’s head toward an attendant resulted in a number of servants to enter and present Cortez and each of his officers and soldiers two elaborate gold necklaces and two loads of richly embroidered cloaks. 

"My lord," Cortez addressed Montezuma, "the favors you do us increase day by day, and we hope you will think well of our attempt to repay you by bringing you the good news of which we told you.  But now it is the hour of your mid-day meal, and it is only appropriate that we depart."

Montezuma thanked them graciously for their visit, and on the way back to their lodgings, the Spaniards could talk of nothing but the fine breeding, the exquisite manners, the courtesy and humanity of the Great Montezuma.  They all vowed they would henceforth make every effort to show him the greatest respect.

*  *  *  *  *

"We have done our duty," Cortez said to his men as they walked back to their quarters, "considering it is the first attempt."  Before they reached Axayacatl’s palace, Malinali cast Cortez a look that told him she was embarking on an exploración, an exploration of the city.  She did not return until late in the evening, and she was in a dark mood.  Not even looking at Cortez, who was sitting at a table writing in his journal, she slipped into their bed and lay there silently.

Cortez came over to sit by her and hold her hand.  "What have you seen?" he asked gently.  She stared straight ahead without glancing up at him.  "Xochipilli" (zoh-chi-pilly) came her quiet one word answer.  Then she looked up at him.

"The Aztecs worship a god named Xochipilli, the god of love between men and boys.  The temple of this god is filled with young boys, many very young, where men come and, and…" her voice trailed off.

"We call this sinful act sodomy or pederasty," Cortez explained.  "Is your witness of this evil the cause of your distress?"

"After living in Xochipilli’s temple and being used by men more than people can count, they become ixiptlas (eee-ship-tlaz), mostly to Tlaloc, but to other gods as well."

"They become what?" Cortez asked.

"An ixiptla is someone who is food for the gods, whose heart is fed to the gods, and whose body is fed to the people.  I learned tonight that it is not just Tlaloc and Xipe and Huitzilipochtli that must be fed with the living hearts of ixiptlas, of slaves and war prisoners and Xochipilli-boys.  There are temples here in Tenochtitlan of dozens of gods, at least 60 or 70 different gods, and all of them need human blood to be kept alive in the minds of the Aztecs."

Cortez crossed himself and muttered a quick prayer. 

"There is no day of the year that is not dedicated to some god," Malinali continued.  "So every single day, dozens of ixiptlas are killed.  While their hearts are for the gods, their skins are for priests’ robes, their heads for display, their arms and legs for the nobles’ meals, and the torsos for the jaguars and other animals kept in an enclosure near the Tecpan.  The bodies of these ixiptlas are made into the favorite recipes of the nobles – but only certain ones are prepared for Montezuma himself."

The softness of Cortez’s voice belied the alarm in his eyes.  "What do you mean, my Lady?"

There were tears in Malinali’s eyes as she looked up at him.  It was the first time he had seen her cry.

"The youngest," she whispered.  "The bodies of the very youngest are saved for him.  The favorite meal of the Great Montezuma is a human baby child cooked with tomatoes and chili peppers."

*  *  *  *  *

Just after dawn, Cortez had Malinali send a request that he be allowed to visit the Teocalli, the Great Temple of Huitzilopochtli.   The message came that he would be met there by the Great Montezuma, who had to make preparations for his coming.

"That means Montezuma must ask the gods’ forgiveness for allowing you to defile their temple, and must purify it himself with sacrifice," Malinali explained.

Cortez and his entourage were guided to the temple through a series of large courtyards surrounded by high rock walls and paved with large smooth and polished white stones.  Bernal noted how the courtyards were so clean there was not a piece of straw or dirt to be seen.  "These courts are bigger than the Plaza of Salamanca," he told Malinali.

When they finally stood in front of the huge Teocalli, Cortez commented, "It seems higher than the Giralda, the cathedral of Seville."[3]  It was an enormous four-sided pyramid, with steep steps leading to a summit platform with two separate buildings.

At the base where they stood was a large stone disk set in the hardened earth with a grotesque figure carved in it.

"Coyolxauhqui" (coy-ol-shaow-kwee), Malinali explained.  "Huitzilopochtli’s sister, who the Aztecs say he killed and cut into pieces.  That’s why she is shown naked with her head cut off and her body dismembered.  This stone, I was told, is called ‘Huitzilopochtli’s Dining Table.’  It is where the bodies of the ixiptla sacrifices land when they are tossed from the top of the temple."

The steps were black with a thick crust of dried blood.  "Why are the steps so narrow and steep?" Cortez wondered. 

"To ensure that the bodies will bounce all the way to the bottom," was Malinali’s answer.

Six priests had emerged from the top and made their way down.  Dressed in blood-spattered black robes, their ears were cut to shreds, their hair hung knotted and uncombed to their chests, their faces an ashen gray.  Two of them approached Cortez to take him by each arm.

"They say they are here to assist you in climbing The Jade Steps," Malinali informed him.

Cortez shook them off in annoyance.  "Please tell them I am in no need of assistance, nor are any of us."  Cortez looked at her sharply.  "Why are they called The Jade Steps, Doña Marina?"

"Jade or chalchihuite has two meanings for the Mesheeka.  It means the stone itself, but since the jade stone is the most valuable thing to them, more valuable than gold or jewels, it also means ‘precious,’ or supreme value.  The steps of the Teocalli are stained with the sacred blood of all those who have died to keep the gods alive.  So they call them precious steps, The Jade Steps."  Malinali’s eyes locked into Cortez’s as she spoke her words.  

He made no response, but instead strode across the stone disk and began climbing at a measured careful pace.  Everyone else followed, Malinali, Pedro de Alvarado, Cristobal de Olid, Gonzalo de Sandoval, Diego de Ordaz, Father Bartholomew Olmedo, Bernal and three other soldiers, accompanied by the priests.

Montezuma was at the top to greet them.  "Ah, Malinche, you have climbed The Jade Steps!" he exclaimed.  "You must be tired."

Cortez humorlessly replied, "No Spaniard ever is tired."  Montezuma smiled and took him by the hand to a corner of the platform.  "This is what I never tire of – looking out from here to our magnificent city below," he said gently.

He pointed directly below to a huge square filled with thousands of people.  "That is the great market of Tlatelolco," he explained.  They could see the lake, the causeways that led to the shore, and cities along the shore with white towers.  "There is the causeway of Iztapalapa by which you arrived."  He pointed to another.  "That is the causeway to Tacuba."  He pointed to a hill off to his right.  "And there is the spring of Chapultepec from where we get our fresh water."  It was a beautifully clear day, bright sunshine, bright blue sky, bright puffy white clouds, green mountains on the distant horizon.  "Can you see why standing here brings me such joy?" Montezuma asked.   

Cortez continued to gaze out at the vista while saying to Malinali, "Did he actually say this place brings him joy? Ah, Doña Marina, I am trying so hard to be polite.  Please reply to him that yes, Lord Montezuma, the view from here is certainly magnificent."

There were two square buildings with thatch roofs on the platform.  With a sunny smile, Montezuma led Cortez past the first, which Malinali whispered was that of Tlaloc and into the second.  "This is the sacred shrine of Huitzilopochtli, without whom the sun would not rise and the heavens would fall," Montezuma announced. 

Their first sight was the techcatl, the green execution stone upon which the victims were flung to break their spine and paralyze them, so that the priests – or Montezuma himself – could plunge the obsidian knife into their chests and cut out their hearts while they were still alive.  On top of the thick layers of encrusted dried blood everywhere was fresh red blood.  Sacrifices had been made just before their arrival.  The stench was overwhelming.

On either side of the shrine were two stone statues covered with turquoise and mother-of-pearl, with gold masks, belts of gold snakes, and necklaces of gold human skulls.  One of them, Malinali said, was Coatlicue, Serpent Skirt, goddess of the earth.

Behind the techcatl was a stone figure lying on its back with its head and knees raised, its hands holding a stone bowl.  It was painted in a number of colors and decorated with coral and turquoise.  Its large round mother-of-pearl eyes stared at them.  In the bowl was a human heart.  "The chacmool," Malinali said.  "The receptacle for the heart before it is burnt for the god."

It was gloomy inside the shrine itself, and it took a few minutes before their eyes adjusted to the lack of light.  They could make out two altars with a large wooden statue on each.  One was Huitzilopochtli, the other Tezcatlipoca.  Both were tall and grossly fat, and were covered with pieces of gold, pearls, and jewels stuck on with a seed-paste.  Huitzilopochtli was girdled with huge snakes of gold, and in one hand he held a bow while the other held a clutch of arrows.  Around his neck were human faces in gold, silver, and turquoise.

In front of the altar was a brazier of glowing copal resin.  Three human hearts were smoking and cooking upon the copal.  The walls and floor of the shrine were splashed and caked with blood.  The stench was worse than any slaughterhouse in Spain, remarked Gonzalo de Sandoval.

The statue of Tezcatlipoca had the face of a fanged bear with glittering eyes of mirrored glass, and his body was covered with figures in gold of little demons with snake’s tails.  As the god of hell, Malinali explained, he was in charge of Mesheeka souls.  Five human hearts smoldered in the burning copal in his brazier.

Cortez turned to Montezuma.  Malinali saw that Cortez could no longer hold himself back.  His words vibrated with controlled fury, but she translated his words as calmly as she could.

"Lord Montezuma, I cannot imagine how a prince as great and wise as your majesty can fail to understand that these idols of yours are not gods but evil monsters.  They are devils, not gods.  To worship them is to worship evil, to worship Satan.  So that I may prove this to you, I ask that you grant me permission to erect a cross on top of this temple.  Let us divide off a part of this shrine where we can place an image of Our Lady to confront your Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca.  Then you will see, by the fear your idols shall have of her, how grievously you have been deceived."

The faces of the two chief priests standing next to Montezuma contorted in rage.  Montezuma himself assumed a look of extreme anger.  "Lord Malinche," he replied, "if I had known that you were going to utter such insults in this sacred place I would never have allowed you to see my gods.  We hold them to very good, not evil, gods, not devils.  They are good, kind, just gods who give us health and rain and crops and victories over enemies.  They give us the sun, the heavens, and life itself.  So we are bound to worship them, to sacrifice to them so that we may sustain them and they can keep giving us everything good.  Therefore, I command you to say nothing more against them."

Malinali saw that Cortez had regained himself.  Smiling and bowing, he replied, "I ask your majesty’s forgiveness, for what I said was not appropriate.  I thank you for bringing us here, and now it is time for your majesty and ourselves to depart."

Montezuma’s anger had gone but he remained serious.  "This is true – but I must stay, so that I may pray and ask the gods forgiveness for the great tatacul, sin, I have committed in allowing you to come here and dishonor them."

Cortez bowed once again, said "I ask your pardon, O Lord Montezuma," walked out of the shrine, and slowly began walking down The Jade Steps.  Everyone walked down in silence.  When they reached the bottom, Cortez looked at them all.  "I swear before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost that I will destroy this temple.  I now understand why we have been led here, our purpose in being here."

He looked at Malinali.  "I swear to you, Doña Marina, before Our Lady, that the day will soon come that no one – no one – will ever again be forced to climb up these accursed Jade Steps."

[1]   See Chapter Eighteen.

[2]   A Spanish vala is about 33 inches.  One acre is 5650 square valas.  The Tecpan of Montezuma was over 30,000 square valas, a quarter-million square feet or almost six acres.

[3]   It was not.  The Giralda Cathedral of Seville was 260′ high, while the Teocalli in Tenochtitlan was 150′ high, with each of its four sides 250′ long at the base.  There were 113 steps to the temple platform on the top at an angle of 45º.