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History of Mexico, being a popular history of the Mexican people from the earliest primitive civilization to the present time

Hubert Howe Bancroft · 1914 · Scanned text

161,964 words · about 11 h 21 min to read

Period artwork: Interior of the Bodleian Library, 1845
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About this book

Language
English
Published
1914
Length
161,964 words · about 11 h 21 min
Sections
57 reader sections
Text
Scanned text, read from page scans by OCR; may contain errors
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Public domain · PD-US by publication date

 

Contents (57)
  1. Front matter about 1 min
  2. Preface about 2 min
  3. Part I— Aboriginal under 1 min
  4. PART II— THE SPANISH CONQUEST XIV Outline op Spanish History , 133 under 1 min
  5. Part Iii— Viceregal Or Colonial Period under 1 min
  6. PART IV— THE REVOLUTION XXIX Outline op European History at the Close of the under 1 min
  7. PART V— UNITED STATES OF MEXICO XL Agustin de Iturbide 376 under 1 min
  8. Part Vi— The Growth And Condition Of The Republic under 1 min
  9. Part I— Aboriginal Chapter I Geogeaphy, Climate, And Race about 8 min
  10. Chapter II. The Toltec And Chichimec Periods about 14 min
  11. Chapter III. The Aztecs about 11 min
  12. Chapter IV. •mythology And Tradition about 16 min
  13. Chapter V. Government, Royalty, And Royal Palaces about 19 min
  14. CHAPTER VI. NOBLES MiT) SLAVES about 9 min
  15. Chapter VII. Land Tenure, Taxation, And Laws about 6 min
  16. Chapter VIII. Industries, And Commerce about 10 min
  17. Chapter IX. Food, Feasts, Amusements, And Dress about 16 min
  18. Chapter X about 17 min
  19. Chapter XII. Antiquities about 6 min
  20. Chapter XIII. Cities, Dwellings, And Temples about 12 min
  21. CHAPTER XIV. OUTLINE OF SPAinSH HISTORY about 4 min
  22. Chapter XV. Emily Discoveries And Conquests about 10 min
  23. Chapter XVI. The Hero Of The Conquest about 5 min
  24. Chapter XVII. The Expedition about 9 min
  25. Chapter XVIII. The Campaigns In Tlasgala And Cholula about 15 min
  26. Chapter XIX. The Spaniauds Enter The Capital about 9 min
  27. Chapter XX. La Noche Tristk about 25 min
  28. Chapter XXII. The Last Days Of Hernan Cort^is about 7 min
  29. Chapter XXIII. Audiencias And Viceroyalty about 8 min
  30. Chapter XXIV. Spanish Cruelties And The New Laws about 7 min
  31. Chapter XXV. The Conquest Of Yucatan about 9 min
  32. Chapter XXVI. The Sack Of Vera Cruz about 12 min
  33. Chapter XXVII. Flood, Famine, And Riot about 14 min
  34. Chapter XXVIII. Society During The Viceregal Period about 13 min
  35. Chapter XXIX. Outline Op European History At The Close Of The Viceregal Period about 11 min
  36. CHAPTER XXX. CAUSES OF DISAFFECTION m MEXICO about 14 min
  37. Chapter XXXI. Opening Of The War Of Independence about 9 min
  38. Chapter XXXII. Fall Of Guanajuato about 13 min
  39. Chapter XXXIII. Hidalgo's March Toward Mexico about 13 min
  40. Chapter XXXIV. Progress Of The Revolution about 17 min
  41. Chapter XXXV. Capture And Death Of Hidalgo about 11 min
  42. Chapter XXXVI. Morelos And His Campmons about 10 min
  43. Chapter XXXVII. Further Progress Of The War about 15 min
  44. Chapter Xxxviii. Downfall And Death Of Morelos about 10 min
  45. Chapter XXXIX Close Of The Revolutionary War about 13 min
  46. Chapter XL. Agustin De Iturbide about 17 min
  47. Chapter XLI. Dethronement And Death Of Iturbide about 27 min
  48. Chapter XLIII. Foreign And Domestic Affairs about 12 min
  49. Chapter XLIV. Politics And The Pastry Wah about 17 min
  50. CHAPTER XLV. MISRULE AED OVERTHROW OP SANTA Al^A about 20 min
  51. Chapter XLVII. The Dictatorship And The Struggle For Liberty about 16 min
  52. Chapter XLVIII. Foreign Intervention about 15 min
  53. Chapter XLIX. The Emperor Maximilian about 15 min
  54. Chapter L. Downfall Of The Empire about 17 min
  55. Chapter LI about 24 min
  56. Chapter LII about 25 min
  57. Chapter LIII about 45 min

Continue:

Front matter

A, O /

-V

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Preface

This volume was written and printed, in part, in 1887 under title of "A Popular History of the Mexican People," the term "people," in the absence of an intelligent middle class as the mainstay of the body politic essential in every properly ordained republican government, applying to the upper element rather than to the lower or menial order of society.

As here presented, in clear and condensed narrative form, a complete history of this fascinating region in all its parts, from the indigenous civilization of the opaque past to the mad doings of to-day, is given, let us hope, in sufficient detail to meet the requirements of the scholar as well as of the general reader.

As to the earlier questions herein involved, although investigation has continued, no new facts not here presented have come to light since the author first began his study of the subject now some sixty years ago. Of the origin of the Indians, the occupation of Anahuac by the iN^ahua nations, and the migrations of the Aztecs nothing more is known than when Garcia summarized in his Origen de los Indios de el Nuevo Mundo, in 1729, the then existing forty and more antagonistic theories, or when Lord Kingsborough wrecked mind and fortune in the production of his nine folio volumes, or when Brasseur de Bourbourg, at the end

IV

PREFACE of twenty-five years of speculation left in manuscript and print, confessed that he could make no further progress in these insoluble questions.

All that follows, the Spanish Conquest, Viceregal Rule, the Revolution, and the development of the Republic is well-defined and open history which he who runs may read.

What is best for the peons and mixed races of low degree, whether to lift them up as Porfirio Diaz would do or kill them off as Huerta and Villa and Zapata have done and as a dozen others will do, foreign intervention assisting, time will determine. Some of them may yet be saved. Time was when it was deemed a disgrace for the offspring of European parents to be born in America; but now we see high in ofiice, military and civil, and high upon the honorrolls of literature, science, and art, lords aboriginal who boast the purity of their ancestral blood uncontaminated by any European intermixture.

Part I— Aboriginal

Chap. Page

I Geography, Climate, and Race 1

II The Toltec and Chichimec Periods : . . 10

ill The Aztecs 22

IV Mythology and Tradition 30

V Government, Royalty, and Royal Palaces 43

VI Nobles and Slaves 56

VII Land Tenure, Taxation, and Laws 63

VIII Industries and Commerce 68

IX Food, Feasts, Amusements, and Dress 76

X Language, Hieroglyphics, Education, and Calendar 87

XI War and Weapons 104

XII Antiquities 109

XIII Cities, Dwellings, and Temples 122

PART II— THE SPANISH CONQUEST XIV Outline op Spanish History , 133

XV Eablt Discoveries and Conquests 137

XVI The Hero op the Conquest 148

XVII The Expedition 152

XVIII The Campaigns in Tlascala and Cholula 159

XIX The Spaniards Enter the Capital 170

XX La Noche Triste 177

XXI Capture and Destruction of Mexico 185

VI

CONTENTS

Part Iii— Viceregal Or Colonial Period

Chap. Page

XXII The Last Days of Hernan Cohtes 195

XXIV Spanish Cruelties and the New Laws 209

XXV The Conquest of Yucatan 214

XXVI The Sack of Vera Cruz 224

XXVII Flood, Famine, and Riot 234

XXVIII Society during the Viceregal Period 246

PART IV— THE REVOLUTION XXIX Outline op European History at the Close of the

Viceregal Period 260

XXX Causes of Disaffection in Mexico 268

XXXI Opening of the War of Independence 278

XXXII Fall of Guanajuato 287

XXXIII Hidalgo's March toward Mexico 298

XXXIV Progress of the Revolution 309

XXXV Capture and Death of Hidalgo 324

XXXVI MORELOS AND HIS CAMPAIGNS 333

XXXVII Further Progress of the War 341

XXXVIII Downfall and Death of Morelos 356

XXXIX Close of the Revolutionary War 364

PART V— UNITED STATES OF MEXICO XL Agustin de Iturbide 376

XLI Dethronement and Death of Iturbide 388

XLII The United. States of Mexico 400

XLIII Foreign and Domestic Affairs 410

XLIV Politics and the Pastry War 420

XLV Misrule and Overthrow of Santa Anna 435

XLVI War with the United States 444

XLVII The Dictatorship and the Struggle for Liberty 451

XLVIII Foreign Intervention 466

XLIX The Emperor Maximilian 481

L Downfall of the Empire 493

CONTENTS yjj

Part Vi— The Growth And Condition Of The Republic

Chap. Page

LI Administrations of Presidents Juaeez, Lerdo, Diaz,

Gonzalez, and Diaz again 507

LII Fall of Diaz and Anakchy; Madero, Huerta, Villa,

Carranza, Zapata, and American Intervention...... 528

LIII Mexico Past and Present 550

HISTORY OF MEXICO

Part I— Aboriginal Chapter I Geogeaphy, Climate, And Race

The portion of North America which, before the date of the Spanish conquest, was the home of civilization lay between "latitudes 11° and 22°, extending from the north-west toward the south-east. On the Atlantic side it reached from the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas to Honduras, and on the Pacific from the seaboard of Michoacan to Nicaragua. Few parts of the globe embrace, within equal limits, so great a variety of temperature, soil, and vegetation. In this region, which lies entirely within the northern tropic, are found all gradations of climate between the torrid and the temperate, the difference in the products of which the soil is capable being caused by altitude, and not as elsewhere by latitude. Thus on the lowlands, for instance, of Vera Cruz, tropical fruits, as the banana and date, are cultivated; on plateaux of moderate elevation, but in the same latitude, are produced the olive, orange, and grape; and on the higher plateaux, maize, wheat, and even the hardier kinds of grain.

The variations in the climate of this country are caused by its Cordilleras, or mountain chains. The Sierra Madre enters it from the north in two principal ranges, one stretching 1 along the coast of the Pacific, and the other trending toward the Atlantic, though they again unite before reaching the isthmus of Tehuantepec. Between latitudes 18° 40' and 20° 30', the eastern branch of the Sierra opens out into a table-land, with an area of about 15,000 square miles, and an altitude of from 6,000 to 8,000 feet above the level of the sea.

Summit of Popocatepetl.

This broad plateau, or rather series of plateaux, is known as the tierra fria, or land of cold, while the lower valleys, between the two branches, are termed the tierra templada, or temperate region. From the surface of the upper table-land rise several ridges and isolated peaks of volcanic origin, the latter being the highest in North America; and the perpetual snow which covers their summits tempers the climate of the fertile tracts that lie at their base.

GEOORAPHy, CLIMATE, AND RACE. 3

Centrally located on this table-land, and surrounded by a wall of lofty volcanic ridges and peaks, is the valley of Mexico, or, as it was called by the natives, Anahuac, that is to say, ' country by the waters,' the name being suggested by the lakes that formed one tenth of its area. With a circuit of more than 160 miles and an elevation of about 7,500 feet, the valley of Anahuac may be taken as fairly representing the tierra fria; and, as will presently appear, its inhabitants gradually overspread the entire series of plateaux between the branches of the Sierra Madre.

Summit or Iztaccihtjatl.

This valley has a mean temperature of 62°, and a climate resembling that of southern Europe, though with a smaller rainfall. The term 'cold' can, therefore, only be applied to it by comparison with the lowlands of Mexico. The soil was in former days fertile and productive, though now presenting a bare and parched aspect, its forests being destroyed and its surface exposed to the excessive evaporation caused by a tropical sun. Oak and pine are the most prominent trees of native growth, and wheat, barley, and all European grains and fruits grow side by side with maize, the maguey, and the cactus, the three last being indigenous. From May to October, or during the hot season, rains are frequent, but seldom occur in the remaining portion of the year. For ten months

HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN PEOPLE.

out of the twelve, deciduous trees retain their leaves, and are never entirely destitute of foliage.

As we travel from the valley of Mexico toward the south, the vegetation becomes more dense, and the greater heat of the sun, as we approach nearer to the equator, causes a higher temperature at equal altitudes. The same gradations

Summit of Orizaba.

of tierra fria and tierra templada are, however, continued, blending into each other at an elevation of 5,000 to 6,000 feet.

On the coast of the gulf of Mexico is a broad extent of level plain and marsh, and farther inland is a gradual ascent to the interior highlands, the former, in common with the lowlands on the Pacific coast, being called the tierra caliente, or warm land. In the neighborhood of Vera Cruz are barren

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, AND RACE.

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Culture Hero — Relief in Stucco — Palenque, Chiapas.

and sandy tracts of desert land; but elsewhere tlie tierra ealiente is covered with a dense tropical growth of trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers, forming in their natural growth an almost impenetrable thicket. The cocoa-palm, cotton plant, sugarcane, vanilla, and banana are among its flora, while the fauna includes birds with every variety of plumage, and myriads of insects and reptiles. The climate is dangerous to all except natives, for the surface, covered with decayed vegetable substances, breathes forth a deadly malaria. Southern Vera Cruz and Tabasco, through which flow several large rivers, their sources being in the mountains of Guatemala, Chiapas, and Tehuantepec, exhibit the most luxuriant display of nature's prodigality. The river-banks are crowded with forest trees, and in the broad savanas there is a net-work of canals and streams, serving not only for irrigation, but for the conveyance of the many native products, which form a considerable item in the commerce of the world.

Notwithstanding the general similarity of the native American nations in form, feature, color, hair, and speech, they were widely separated in culture. On the table-lands of Mexico, Central America, and Peru lived nations which, as compared with the rest of the world, may be properly termed civilized. North and south, and all around the border, the people were savages; while in New Mexico there was a class between the two.

The civilized nations of Mexico may be called the Nahua family, the members of which were of good stature, well proportioned, rather above medium size, of a light copper color, with long, black, obliquely pointed eyes, regular white teeth, glossy black hair, thin beard, prominent cheek-bones, thick lips, large aquiline nose, and retreating forehead. A gentle expression about the mouth was blended with severity and melancholy in the upper portion of the face. They were brave and intelligent, but blood-thirsty.

The terms 'savage' and 'civilized,' as applied to races of men, are relative, and not absolute. At best they mark only broad and shifting stages in human progress; the one near the point of departure, the other approaching a distant and almost unattainable end. There are degrees in savagism as

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, AND RACE. 7

there are degrees in civilization, and though usually placed in opposition, one is but a degree of the other. The Haidah, whom we call savage, was as much superior to the Shoshone, the lowest of the natives of America, as was the Aztec to the Haidah, the European to the Aztec, and the ancient Greek to the modern European.

We all know what savages are: how, like wild animals, they depend for food and raiment on the spontaneous products of nature, migrating with the birds and the beasts, burrowing beneath the ground, hiding in caves, or throwing over themselves a shelter of bark, skins, branches, or boards, and eating or starving as food is abundant or scarce. Nevertheless, all of them have made some advancement from their original naked, helpless condition. Primeval man, the only true savage, does not exist on the globe to-day. Be the man never so low, lower almost in skill and wisdom than the brute, less active in obtaining food, less ingenious in procuring his abode, the first improvement on his houseless, comfortless condition, the first fashioning of a tool, the first attempt to cover his nakedness and wall out the wind, is the first step toward civilization. That which we call civilization is not an adjunct nor an acquirement of man, for no isolated man could by any possibility become civilized. It is rather the measure of the world's progress or progressional force, the general fund of the wealth, learning, and refinement of the nations of the earth, the storehouse of accumulated results, the essence of all that is best worth preserving from the distillations of good, not untinctured with the distillations of evil. In the brute creation this element of progress is wanting. The bird builds its nest, the bee its cell, the beaver its dam, with no more skill or care to-day than did the bird or beast or beaver a thousand years ago.

The savage nations of the Pacific states of North America may be divided into six distinct groups; namely, the Hyperboreans, living at the extreme north; the Columbians, whose lands are drained by the Columbia River; the Californians;

the New Mexicans; the wild tribes of Mexico; and the wild tribes of Central America.

The classification of man into species or races, so as to be able to designate by his organism — that is to say, form and features, size and shape of the skull, color of the skin and texture of the hair — the family to which he belongs, as well as the question of his origin, has been the subject of great diversity of opinion, from the fact that the various forms so graduate into each other that it is impossible to draw exact lines of partition.

One ethnologist divides the human family into two parts, according to the facial angle; others into three, four, five, and six parts, according to color; one makes three divisions according to hair, and others various divisions according to language. All nations may, however, be brought into one or another of the following geographical classes: American, European, African, and Asiatic; that is to say, the coppercolored Indian, the white Caucasian, the black negro, and the dark and yellow Malay and Mongolian.

From the time when the different parts of the world first became known to each other, men have never ceased to wonder and try to tell where they all came from. The people of each part have a theory as to origin which they firmly believe to be true; but what is the origin of the others? Some contend that America was peopled from Europe, some from Africa, some from Asia; while others attempt to prove that Asia was settled by Americans, and Europe by Asiatics. Many believe that the Mexicans were originally Jews, descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel.

It was obvious to the Europeans when they first beheld the natives of America, that these were unlike the intellectual white-skinned races of Europe, the barbarous blacks of Africa, or any nation or people which they had hitherto encountered; yet all except the Eskimos, at the extreme north, closely resembled each other.

There is no doubt that the nations of America are of a

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, AND RAGE. 9

remote antiquity. This is proved by their traditions, their ruins, and their moral and physical uniformity. The action of a climate peculiar to America, and of natural surroundings common to all the people of the continent, could not fail to produce in time a similarity of body and mind.

Among the most advanced of these nations were the Aztecs or Nahuas of Mexico, the Mayas and Quiches of Central America, and the Peruvians of South America. These may be called the civilized nations of America, while nearly all the rest must be classed among the savage nations of the world. The Aztecs, who were also called Mexicans, lived upon the table-land, extending along the continent between the two great oceans, their territory being a portion of Anahuac.

White Marble Vase Found Near Vera Cruz.

Chapter II. The Toltec And Chichimec Periods

During the sixth and seventh centuries of the Christian era we must imagine Anahuac and the adjoining territory on the north and west gradually occupied by many Nahua

Basaltic Column — Tula.

nations of varying numbers and various degrees of civilization. Some were wild hunting tribes, powerful but rude, and the terror of their neighbors ; others lived by agriculture, settling in the fertile valleys, and retaining much of their original culture. The three most powerful nations established themselves in and around the valley of Mexico, where their capitals sooii became flourishing cities, and the people were called Toltecs, a word probably derived from toltecas, 'artificers,' but one which afterward became synonymous with all that is skilful and excellent in art. The first period of Nahua occupation was one of strife, during which the united bands became masters of the entire region south and east of the lakes.

THE TOLTEC AND CHWHIMEG PERIODS. H

Meanwhile other bands of Toltecs, from the regions toward the north, settled, after a long pilgrimage, on the banks of the river Quetzalatl, founding there a city named ToUan, on the site of the present village of Tula, about thirty miles north-west of Mexico. During the first six years of their stay, these tribes gave their attention to the building of the new city and the cultivation of the surrounding lands, all acting under the guidance of their prophet Hueman, though each tribe was. ruled by its own chieftain. But in the seventh year the chiefs convened an assembly of the leading men for the purpose of establishing a monarchy, offering to surrender their power in favor of the king whom the people might choose. It was finally decided to send, an embassy with pres-

Section of Column — Tula.

ents to the king of the Chichimecs, asking that one of their sons or near relatives be allowed to rule over them. The choice fell on the second son, whose name is unknown, but who was crowned at Tollan under the title of Chalchiuh Tlatonac, or 'shining precious stone.' After a prosperous reign of fifty-two years this monarch died, and was succeeded by his son, and he in turn by others. Of Quetzalcoatl, whose reign began in 873, mention is made elsewhere.

In the year 994 Huemac II. ascended the throne of Tollan, the city being at this date still the foremost in the empire. At first the new monarch enjoyed, in a remarkable degree, the confidence of his people, ruling with great wisdom, and attending strictly to his religious duties, and to the administration of justice. But soon he gave himself up to evil practices, indulging in the pleasures of the wine-cup, and dealing treacherously with his subjects. Thus the lords of various provinces were incited to revolt ; and now disasters in quick succession befell the empire of the Toltecs. A sorcerer named Toveyo gathered a vast crowd near Tollan, and kept them dancing to the beat of his drum until midnight, when, by reason of the darkness and their intoxication, they crowded each other over a precipice into a deep ravine, where they were turned into stone. A stone bridge was also broken by the necromancer, and thousands precipitated into the river. From one of the neighboring volcanoes poured forth a flood of glowing lava, and in its lurid light appeared frightful spectres threatening the capital.

In the hope of appeasing the angry gods, a sacrifice of captives was ordered ; but when a young boy, chosen by lot as the first victim, was placed upon the altar, and the knife plunged into his breast, there was found no heart in his body, and his veins were without blood. The fetid odor exhaled from the corpse brought on a pestilence which caused the death of thousands. Then the Tlaloc deities appeared to Huemac, as he walked in the forest, and the monarch implored them not to deprive him of his wealth and his royal splendor. But the gods were wroth at his petition, and also at his selfishness and impenitence, and they departed from him, declaring that they would bring plagues upon the proud Toltecs for six years.

The winter of 1018 was so cold that all plants and seeds were killed by frost, and it was followed by a summer of intense heat, which parched the entire surface of the country, dried up the streams, and melted the solid rocks. The plagues began with heavy storms of rain, which lasted a hundred days, destroyed the ripening crops, flooded the streets and towns, and caused fear of a universal deluge. Furious gales followed, and toads in immense numbers covered the ground, consuming every green thing, and squatting in the dwellings of the people. The next year there was a terrible drought, which put a stop to all agricultural labor, and thousands died of starvation. The frosts of the following winter

THE TOLTEO AND GHICHIMEC PERIODS. 13

destroyed the little that the heat had spared, not even the hardy maguey surviving. And now there came upon the land great swarms of locusts and other destructive insects. Lightning and hail completed the work of devastation, and it is related that during these visitations nine tenths of the people perished.

After the plagues had ceased, Huemac abandoned his evil ways, and gave his whole attention to promoting the welfare of his people ; but he was resolved to place on the throne an illegitimate son, named Acxitl, in whose favor he was about to abdicate. The consequence was a new revolt under two leaders, who, after some negotiation, promised to support the royal cause, on condition of being raised to the highest rank, and allowed a share in the management of the kingdom. The new monarch ascended the throne in 1029, and for several years ruled wisely; but, like his father, he yielded to temptation, giving way to all manner of dissipation and riotous living. His example was followed both by the nobles and priests, and vice took possession of all classes of society. Public affairs were left to the management of the royal favorites ; crime remained unpunished ; robbery and murder were of frequent occurrence ; and for all these iniquities the king was held responsible.

In the midst of other troubles came the news that Huehuetzin, the ruler of one of the Atlantic provinces, in league with two other lords who had refused to acknowledge the power of Acxitl, was marching toward ToUan, at the head of the rebel forces. Unable to resist them, the Toltec monarch sent ambassadors with rich presents, suing for peace, and thus a truce was obtained. Meanwhile many of the nations in and around Anahuac declared their independence, and numerous Chichimec tribes took advantage of the opportunity to secure a foothold in the lake xegion.

It was evident that the gods were very angry, and to avert their wrath, a meeting was summoned at Teotihuacan, the sacred city of the Toltecs, of all the wise men, priests, and nobles. But while in the midst of their feasts and sacrifices, a demon of gigantic size, with long, bony arms and fingers, appeared, dancing in the court where the people were assembled. Whirling through the crowd in every direction, he seized upon all who came in his way and dashed them lifeless to the ground. Multitudes perished, for all were spellbound, and could not move from the spot. A second time the dread monster appeared, in a somewhat different form, and again the Toltecs fell by hundreds in his grasp. At his next appearance he took the form of a beautiful child, seated on a

Monolith from a Teotihuacak Mound.

rock, and gazing from a neighboring hill on the holy city. When the people rushed forth to observe this strange visitation, it was found that the child's head was a mass of corruption, exhaling a stench so fatal that all who approached were stricken with sudden death. Finally the demon appeared in a form not recorded, and warned the assembly that the fate of the Toltecs was sealed, that the gods would no longer listen to their petitions, and that the people could only escape annihilation by flight.

Many of the Toltec nobles had already abandoned their country, to seek refuge in other provinces, and this movement was constantly on the increase. Meanwhile, in the year 1060, the forces of Huehuetzin were again threatening ToUan. By

THE TOLTEG AND CHICHIMEG PEBIODS, great effort an army had been raised an:l equipped for the defence of the city, and the aged Huemac had come forth from his retirement, striving to ward off the threatened destruction. It is even related that the king's mother enrolled bands of Amazons from the women of Tollan, and placed herself at their head. Acxitl, who commanded the forces, formed his troops in two divisions, one of which, under his most able general, marched forth to meet the enemy/ while

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V

The Fainting-Stone at Teotihuacan.

the other, under the king in person, lay intrenched at Tultitlan. For three years the Toltec general, supported by the Amazon bands and a detachment under Huemac, waged a doubtful war with the Chichimecs, but was finally driven back on Tultitlan. Here a desperate stand was made, and for many days the battle raged, until the Toltecs, sorely weakened in numbers, were compelled to retreat on Tollan. After a final encounter, the remnant of their army was scattered among the mountains and the marshes of Lake Tezcuco. Otompan, Tezcuco, and Culhuacan, the other principal cities of the Toltecs, also fell before the invaders, and all of them were plundered and burned, with the exception of the last, which appears to have escaped destruction by admitting the conquerors within her gates, the inhabitants becoming their allies or vassals.

Such is the story of the rise and fall of the Toltec empire, as related in the annals of this period. According to some authorities, the population was reduced to a few thousands, most of whom abandoned the country, leaving only a few chiefs with a handful of followers in their desolate territory,

Terka-Cotta Head — Teotihtjacah.

from which even the invading hordes were compelled to withdraw. This theory cannot be accepted as the truth. Admitting that their numbers were greatly diminished by war, pestilence, and famine, it is almost certain that the majority of the people remained in Anahuac, and became subject to their conquerors. Although the records speak of a large Toltec migration in various directions, it must be remembered that the historic annals of the Nahuas deal only with the deeds and fortunes of priests, kings, and nobles, the masses being regarded as useful merely to fight and pay taxes, and altogether unworthy of a place in history. It is indeed probable that the word 'Toltec,' which was a title of distinction rather than a national name, was never applied to

THE TOLTEC AND CHICHIMEG PERIODS. 17

the common people, and that the downfall of the empire was the overthrow of a dynasty, and not the destruction of a nation.

Many years before the downfall of Tollan, a border warfare had been carried orx between the Toltecs and Chichimecs; but when the troubles of the former began, their troops were recalled from the frontier to defend the capital. Erelong the Chichimec monarchs, Acauhtzin and Xolotl, who, after the death of their father, had divided the kingdom between them, began to wonder at this sudden cessation of hostilities, and in order to ascertain its cause, sent forth spies into the territory of the Toltecs. Soon these men returned with the startling news, that for a distance of 200 leagues from the Chichimec frontier the enemy's country was deserted, and the towns abandoned and in ruins. Thereupon Xolotl summoned his vassals to Amaquemecan, the capital, told them what the spies reported, reminded them that more territory was needed for their increasing numbers, showed them how easy it would be to avenge on their fallen enemies the injuries of many years, and bade them prepare, within the space of six months, to join in an expedition against them.

It is related that no less than 3,202,000 men and women, besides children, answered his summons, and thus the expedition should be called rather a migration, for only 1,600,000 remained as the subjects of Acauhtzm.

Arriving, after frequent halts, at Tollan, Xolotl found the place deserted, its streets overgrown with vegetation, and its temples and palaces in ruins; but as the site was too important to be abandoned, some families were left there to form the nucleus of a future population. The main body then continued its journey as far as Lake Xaltocan, where the people dwelt for a long time in the caves of that region, and afterward founded the town of Xoloc, or Xolotl, which in time became a prominent city of Anahuac. Parties were now sent forth to explore the country, and on their return it was de- 2 cided that the neighborhood of Tultitlan was the best site for a capital. Xoloc was therefore left in charge of a governor, and opposite Tezcuco, on the other side of the lake, was founded in the year 1120 the town of Tenayocan,

To Xolotl succeeded a chieftain named Amacui, or Amacui Xolotl, whom we will call Xolotl II., one of his first acts being to remove the capital from Tenayocan to the foot of the mountains of Tezcuco. Calling his chiefs together, he took formal possession of the country, and soon afterward made a partition of the lands. To each lord was assigned a section of territory and a certain number of dependents, with instructions to build a town to be called after its founder, Toltec cities were to retain their original names, and orders were given that their inhabitants should not be molested by the Chichimecs. Settlements were also established on the coast, the entire extent of the lands thus appropriated being estimated at more than 200 leagues in circumference, and Xolotl II., as supreme ruler, now assumed the title of Great Lord and King of the Chichimecs.

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