Cortes would await his arrival, as he would come
almost immediately. It was indeed not long before this prince made his
appearance in such splendour and magnificence as we had not yet seen in
any of the Mexican chiefs. He was seated in a beautiful sedan, which was
decorated with silver, green feathers, and branches made of gold, from
which hung quantities of precious stones. This sedan was supported on
the shoulders of eight distinguished personages, who, we were assured,
were likewise caziques over townships.

When the procession had arrived in front of Cortes' quarters, they
assisted the prince out of the sedan, and swept clean every inch of
ground before him, and then introduced him into the presence of our
commander. After the usual compliments, Cacamatzin addressed Cortes as
follows: "Malinche! I and these chiefs are come here to wait upon you,
and to provide all those things for you and your companions which you
may require, and to conduct you to the quarters we have prepared for you
in our city. All this is done at the command of our monarch, the
powerful Motecusuma."

When we contemplated the splendour and majesty of these caziques, and
particularly of the nephew of Motecusuma, we could not help remarking to
each other, if these appear in so much splendour what must not the power
and majesty of the mighty Motecusuma himself be![45]

When Cacamatzin had done speaking, Cortes embraced him, and said many
fine things to this prince and the great personages around him, and
presented the former with three pieces of polished stone, of a pearly
hue, containing various figures in different colours;[46] and the other
chiefs with blue glass beads. He then again thanked him for the
attentions which Motecusuma had thus far shown him, and inquired what
day he should be able to thank Motecusuma in person?

This conference being ended, we continued our march; we were accompanied
by the caziques who had come out to meet us and their numerous suite,
with all the inhabitants of the surrounding neighbourhood, so that we
could scarcely move along for the vast crowds of people.

The next morning we reached the broad high road of Iztapalapan, whence
we for the first time beheld the numbers of towns and villages built in
the lake, and the still greater number of large townships on the
mainland, with the level causeway which ran in a straight line into
Mexico. Our astonishment was indeed raised to the highest pitch, and we
could n