en anyway, sooner or later, as far as that
goes.

{138}

V. The Republic of Tlascala

Cortes's progress finally brought him to a remarkable tribe, whose
friendship he succeeded in winning, and which must be added as the
fourth factor, with himself, Marina, and the horses, as the cause of
the downfall of Mexico. Curiously enough, this tribe had a sort of
republican form of government. It is usually referred to as the
Republic of Tlascala. It was an independent confederation composed of
four separate states. The government consisted of a senate, composed
of the rulers of the four states or clans of the tribe. Tlascala was
completely hemmed in by provinces of the Aztec Empire, with which it
was always in a state of constant and bitter warfare. The inhabitants
had no access to the sea, consequently they had never enjoyed the use
of salt. They had no access to the lowlands, so they were without
cotton, a fabric then universally used throughout the country. They
had no trade or commerce. They were completely shut in and eternal
vigilance was the price of their liberty. They lacked the arts, the
grace, and the refinement of the Mexicans, but they were as hardy, as
bold, as skilful in the use of arms, and as determined, as well as
cruel, as the Aztecs. Neither Montezuma nor his predecessors with the
power of millions had been able to make them acknowledge any
sovereignty but their own. They were protected by the mountain ranges
and here and there they had built high walls across the valley.
Tlascala was a large and imposing city. Cortes thus describes it:

"This city is so extensive and so well worthy of admiration, that
although I omit much that I could {139} say of it, I feel assured that
the little I shall say will be scarcely credited, for it is larger than
Granada, and much stronger, and contains as many fine houses and a much
larger population than that city did at the time of its capture; and it
is much better supplied with the products of the earth, such as corn,
and with fowls and game, fish from the rivers, various kinds of
vegetables, and other exellent articles of food. There is in this city
a market, in which every day thirty thousand people are engaged in
buying and selling, besides many other merchants who are scattered
about the city. The market contains a great variety of articles both
of food and clothing, and all kinds of shoes for the feet; jewels of
gold and silver, and precious stones