Chapter Sixteen: Xicotencatl – Young and Old

Malinali was stunned that Cortez was speaking this way to the Tlaxcalan elders. She knew how close the Spaniards were to giving up, how they feared another attack. But… but… the Tlaxcalans did not know this. They must have believed what she told the prisoners she had set free! Yet how did Cortez learn of this? She had not told him what she had done. It must be that Cortez was a genio with people as Bernal said.

For Cortez’s words had the desired effect on the Tlaxcalan chiefs. They bowed deeply, swore that Young Xicotencatl would come, said that all Tlaxcala will rejoice when the Malinche and his men will be at their capital, and left looking relieved and satisfied.

Even more relieved and satisfied were the Spaniards. With turkeys, maize cakes, cherries and other food in abundance, plus the promise of no more attacks, the camp was full of laughter – and no grumbling, not even from de Grado. Cortez was pleased, and made sure everyone saw he was – but he also made sure the patrols and scouts continued, day and night, to search for danger. He had no trust in this Young Xicotencatl.

The next day his fever returned. Lying in his bed, he heard a horse galloping through the camp to stop at his hut. A scout, one he hoped did not bring bad news. “Captain, a procession is coming – but not from Tlaxcala! They look like Mesheeka nobles!” Dressing quickly, he sent for Malinali and Mamexi. They informed him that it was indeed a Mesheeka delegation, evidently having come from the direction of Izta Quimaxtitlan, as there were a number of Xocotlans with them.

There were five nobles, dressed in costly cotton robes embroidered with feathers, gold pectorals and arm bands, and large feather headdresses. “Malinche!” they called out. “The Great Lord Montezuma sends you his greetings, and rejoices at your victories over the traitorous Tlaxcalans. The whole world of the Mesheeka has heard of your victories. The Great Montezuma ordered that we come here with these presents from him in gratitude.”

Mesheeka slaves proceeded to spread hundreds of gold and jeweled ornaments on mats in front of Cortez, twenty loads of fine cotton cloth, and dozens of featherwork pieces.

“The Great Montezuma wishes you to know,” the nobles announced, “that it is his pleasure to give his loyalty and pay tribute to your Lord Don Carlos, who must be a mighty King to have such men as you. You are only to say how much tribute is necessary each year, in gold, silver, cloth, feathers, and jade, and it will be paid. The Great Montezuma asks in return that, while he is delighted you are now so near to Tenochtitlan, you not attempt to come to his city. The road from here is very bad and dangerous, and there is not now enough food in the city to feed you all. The Great Montezuma wishes the best for you and does not want you to suffer.”

The nobles continued. “The Great Montezuma also wishes to warn you against the Tlaxcalans. They are traitors and cannot be trusted, as you have seen in their treacherous attacks upon you. If you trust them, if you go to their city, they will kill you.”

Under his breath, Cortez said something in that language the priests used which Malinali did not understand: “Omne regnum in se ipsum divisum desolabitur.”[1] Then he smiled broadly, took off his plumed red hat to sweep it in front of him with a short bow, and had Malinali tell them:

“I accept these gifts and kind offers from Lord Montezuma in the name of His Majesty King Don Carlos of Spain. The goodwill and friendship shown by Lord Montezuma are deeply appreciated by us all. I also thank Lord Montezuma for his concern for us regarding the people of Tlaxcala. It is true that they have attacked us three times after we asked for peace with them. This is why I ask that you, five great Mesheeka chiefs, accompany us to the Tlaxcala capital so that you may see for yourselves how the war between us and the Tlaxcalans shall end.”

Before the startled Mesheeka could reply, Cortez quickly ordered that every courtesy be shown to them and every effort be made to make them comfortable in the camp. He turned to Malinali. “Doña Marina, I am feeling very ill once more and I must retire. These Mesheeka must not see me so. Please see that they are made welcome as best we can.” He turned to go into his hut then stopped. “There is something else. For Montezuma to know so much, he must have spies among us. Try to find who they are.”

He turned again but never made it to his hut. A scout came galloping into the camp. “My Captain,” he called as his horse came to a halt in front of Cortez, “another procession has arrived – this one from Tlaxcala!”

* * * * *

It was the Young Xicotencatl, with over fifty of his sub-chiefs and officers. They all wore cloaks of maguey fiber one side of which was colored white, the other side red. Their leader was tall, almost as tall as Cortez, with broad shoulders and heavily muscled arms. His face was coarse and deeply scarred with pockmarks. Ignoring the Mesheeka nobles standing to the side in shock, he stepped forward without hesitation to stand in front of Cortez.

He did not bow, he did not grovel, he did not kiss the earth. He was expressionless. His eyes examined Cortez, then Malinali, then back to Cortez, looking him fearlessly in the eye. “Malinche…” He pronounced Cortez’s title as a salute, as one warrior to another. Cortez nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Malinche, I come to you today to ask for your forgiveness at the request of my father, ruler of all Tlaxcala. I ask your forgiveness for taking up arms against you. Yet please know this about the people of Tlaxcala. We are free because we fight for our freedom. We have never obeyed anybody and value our liberty above all things. We prefer to suffer much hardship, such as no salt or cotton clothes, than accept the yoke of the Mesheeka and the commands of Montezuma.”

He pointed to the Mesheeka nobles. “They hate us and call us traitors because we refuse to be enslaved by them. We refuse to be enslaved by anyone. But my father believes you do not wish to enslave us, that you come instead to help our freedom, not destroy it. So I have come to offer you my loyalty, to you, Malinche, and to your King of Spain.”

Cortez smiled broadly, had two chairs brought from his quarters and welcomed Young Xicotencatl to sit next to him. Malinali stood in front of them. “It is with the greatest pleasure that I accept your loyalty,” Cortez said. “We men of Spain admire above all others those who fight for their freedom. For many years and many generations of our fathers and ancestors, the people of Spain fought for their own freedom against a foreign invader. We called this enemy the Moors, and the Mesheeka remind me of them. The Moors came from a far-away land and tried to force the people of Spain to believe in a false god. But we never stopped fighting until they were defeated, so that today there are no Moors in Spain and His Majesty King Don Carlos rules the richest and mightiest kingdom in the world.”

“Your words,” Young Xicotencatl replied, “explain why my people and your people are to be brothers. The Mesheeka have come to our land many times with giant armies and never defeated us. How is it then that you with…” he held up his hand as if holding something… “a small handful of warriors can defeat us, and not once but three times? So we have learned that you can not be conquered. We have learned that the Totonacs told us the truth about you. We wish to be allies with people who cannot be conquered, so that we will be better protected from the Mesheeka traitors who want to steal our women and children and our liberty.”

Cortez had wine brought for them both. “Let us drink to our friendship and peace between us,” he declared. “For although we came to you in peace and you attacked us three times, that is now in the past and I pardon it. Let us drink to a peace that shall last between us, a true peace, for a false peace will give me no choice but to destroy your city and kill you and all your warriors, and this I do not want.” Cortez’s smile remained as he said these words, but his eyes were like dark ice.

They drained their cups. Young Xicotencatl had seen both the smile and the look. “Malinche,” he responded, “our peace will be firm and true. It is the decision of my father the King that this shall be so, and so shall it be. It is the King’s desire and mine that you come to our city of Tlaxcala, where it shall be your home. My father the King, all our nobles and priests, all the people of Tlaxcala will receive you with rejoicing. Until your arrival in our city, I and my men place ourselves in your safekeeping and will remain with you as your hostages.” As he looked at Cortez, his eyes were devoid of fear.

Cortez stood. With a slight bow, he said, “I accept the invitation that your King has so kindly given us. I must correspond with our city of Villa Rica that we have in the land of our Totonac brothers. As soon as the messengers return from there, we shall depart for your capital. Until then, we welcome you to our camp and to stay as our guests.” Cortez was now smiling with his eyes as well. For the first time, Young Xicotencatl smiled back.

* * * * *

Yet still Cortez could not rest. The instant Young Xicotencatl left his presence, the Mesheeka nobles rushed up to him. “Surely you do not believe these false promises,” they exclaimed. “It is all a trick by liars and deceivers. Once you are trapped in their city, they will fall upon you and destroy you.”

Cortez shrugged his shoulders. “Such tricks do not trouble me. If they should attack us again, it does not matter where or when, by day or night, in their city or in the open, it is we who shall destroy them. I am determined to go to their city to see if they are men of truth or lies.”

To this they had no reply, and Cortez finally was able to enter his hut, with Malinali following. He collapsed on his bed, shaking and sweating. She placed cool damp cloths on his head and had him drink an herbal drink her grandmother taught her to make. She would never leave his side until morning.

By then Cortez was feeling well enough to write a letter to Juan de Escalante in Villa Rica, giving an account of all that had befallen, expressing gratitude to Lord Jesus Christ for their great victories, and asking that two barrels of wine and a box of sacred wafers for Mass be brought to him immediately. He then ordered that a tall wooden cross be erected in the camp.

Six days passed. A new delegation of Mesheeka nobles arrived, with twice as much treasure as before in gold ornaments and feather-worked cotton robes. They repeated Montezuma’s plea that he not go to Tlaxcala where, they assured him, he would be robbed and killed. Cortez received the presents happily, and just as happily told them he was sure the Tlaxcalans would not attack him for they knew this would mean their death.

Two days later, the wine and wafers arrived from Villa Rica. Cortez had recovered from his fever, and ordered preparations be made for departure. A scout called out that a huge procession of Tlaxcalans was approaching. Cortez assembled his entire officer corps and mounted his horse to await them. The Tlaxcalan chiefs were carried in litters, hammocks, and on the backs of slaves, and arrived in great ceremony, with priests burning copal to ritually fumigate everyone. From the most elaborate litter stepped an elderly half-blind man who touched and kissed the ground, and bowed before Cortez: King Xicotencatl.

“Malinche,” he called out, “I and the nobles of Tlaxcala have come to personally escort you to our city, where you shall be welcomed with joy by our people.”

Cortez dismounted from his horse, stepped to the King, bowed deeply, and embraced him. “We are to be brothers, brothers in liberty,” he announced, with the Spaniards cheering his words, and the Tlaxcalans cheering Malinali’s translation. Cortez then called for Chief Mamexi and Young Xicotencatl. “The Spaniards, the Totonacs, and the Tlaxcalans are today all brothers!” Cortez shouted. With this rejoicing, the procession of them all to Tlaxcala began. Cortez welcomed the demoralized Mesheeka emissaries to join them.

[1] “Every kingdom divided against itself will be brought to desolation.” The King James Bible translation of Mark 3:25 is: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”