e different
trades we taught them 390

CHAP. CCX. Of other advantages which arose from our glorious
conquests 393

CHAP. CCXI. The deliberations which took place at Valladolid in the
year 1550, in the royal council of the Indies, respecting the
distribution of Indians in perpetuity 398

CHAP. CCXII. Of various remarks which were made respecting my
history, which the reader will be pleased to hear 401

CHAP. CCXIII. Of the planets and signs in the heavens which
prognosticated our arrival in New Spain; how these were interpreted
by the Mexicans; and of other matters 406

NOTES 411

[Transcriber's Note: Footnote 54 was missing from the original text and
has, therefore, been inserted at the appropriate place.

The following errata have been corrected in the text.]

ERRATA.

P. 141, _l._ 32, _for_ then, _read_ there.
165, 19, _for_ Guanaca, _read_ Guaxaca.
199, 15, _for_ with, _read_ and.
345, 38, _omit_ to be.
354, 22, _for_ forgot, _read_ forget.
366, 6, _for_ enbonpoint, _read_ embonpoint.

CONQUEST

OF

MEXICO AND NEW SPAIN.

CHAPTER CXXXVII.

_How the whole of us marched towards Tezcuco, and what happened to
us on our way there._

When Cortes found himself so well provided again with muskets, powder,
crossbows, and horses, and observed how impatient the whole of us,
officers as well as soldiers, were to commence the siege of the great
city of Mexico, he desired the caziques of Tlascalla to furnish him with
10,000 of their troops to join us in the campaign of Tezcuco, as this
was one of the largest towns of New Spain, and next in importance to
Mexico. The elder Xicotencatl (now called Don Lorenzo de Vargas) assured
him that not only the 10,000, but many more troops were at his service,
and that the brave cazique Chichimeclatecl, our particular friend, would
himself march out at their head. Cortes returned him the most sincere
thanks, and, after having reviewed the whole of his troops, whose exact
number[1] I have forgotten, we commenced our march on the fourth day
after Christmas of the year 1520.

The first night we quartered in