equest he
sent for Alvarado and Oli, and commissioned them to beg of the
Tlascallans to erect themselves huts and barracks outside the town, and
not to follow us there except those of them who transported our heavy
guns, and our friends of Sempoalla. These officers were, at the same
time, to inform them what had occasioned these orders, and the great
fear in which all the caziques and papas stood of them; that they should
be duly informed of the day when we commenced our march through Cholulla
to Mexico; lastly, they were desired not to grieve on account of this
change.

When the inhabitants of Cholulla perceived the arrangements which Cortes
had made respecting the Tlascallans, they appeared more easy; upon which
Cortes acquainted them that our sovereign and master, whose subjects we
were, was a powerful monarch, who had under his command many great kings
and caziques. We were sent by him into this country to acquaint them, in
his name, that, in future, they were no longer to worship idols, make
human sacrifices, eat human flesh, and were to abstain from committing
unnatural crimes, and all other abominations. We had come to their town
because the road to Mexico lay through it, whither we were going to hold
a conference with the great Motecusuma; and we were also desirous of
considering them as brothers. Cortes further said that other great
caziques had already sworn obedience and submission to our sovereign,
and he hoped they would follow their example.

In answer to this, they said that we really demanded too much; we had
scarcely seen them before we required of them to abolish their teules,
which they could not think of complying with; but as regarded doing
homage to our sovereign, in so far they would yield to our wishes. They
accordingly made a verbal promise of allegiance, but not with the usual
formalities, in presence of a royal notary; upon this we made our entry
into the city of Cholulla. The tops of the houses and streets were
everywhere crowded with people to gaze upon us. And who can wonder? They
had never before seen men like ourselves, nor any horses! Through this
mass of people we were conducted to our quarters, consisting of several
large apartments, in which all of us, with our friends of Sempoalla and
the Tlascallans who transported our baggage, found plenty of room, and
we were immediately supplied with abundance of good victuals.

[33] A small kind of cloak, a part of the old Moorish dress, still