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Show 202 BOOK IV. ....-v--J 8 £ C T, XXIV. C'Oil (jUC0s of ~ ing Ahuit: r.otl, H I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. Ahuitzotl, whofe warlike genius did not permit him .to enjoy peace, . ar a inft Cozcaquauhtenanco, and obtamed a complete went agam tolw . ga t 'th an ob:ftinate refifi:ance, he treated them viCl:orv . but lavmg me Wl fi- d fi . h . , [i ·'ty Afterwards he fubdued Q!!apilollan, and pa e rom Wlt great ekvei 1 •• r..,uetzalcuitlapillan, ~large province peopled with thence to ma e war on ~ . h 1 1 . . ( ) . d 1 ll.Jy turned his arms agamft ff<.yau tta, a p ace :1. warlike nat10n s i an au . . M . h 11. of the gulf of Mexico, m whtch war ontczuma, fituate on t e coalL . h k' d- d' the fon of Axayacatl, and the fucceffor of Ahuitzotl m t e mg ~m t-ftin uiihed himfelf. A little time after, th~ Mex~cans together w~t 1 the g . Jl. the Huexotzincas m whLch war Tezcatzm, the Tezcucans, went agamu ' . bl brother of the above mentioned Montezuma, and Thltototl, a n? . e Me..xican officer, who afterwards became general of th.e arn y, gamed . w· e do not find in hiftorians either the caufe or par-great renown. · b ticulars of this war. The expedition againft the Huexotzmcas e-ing concluded, Ahuitzotl celebrated the dedic~tion of a ne~ temple called 'l'lacatecco, at which the prifoners made m the p~eceedmg wars were f.1.crificed; but the rejoicings of this feftival were dtfturbed by the burning of the temple of '!'lilian. . . . Thus this king continued in conllant wars until I ~96, 111 W~lch the war of Atlixc,o happened. The <mtry of the Mex1can army mto this vall<=y was [o unexpeCted, that the firft intimation which the ~tlixchefe nation had of'it was the fight of th~m when they _enteied. They took up arms ·immediately in their de~ence; but fin~mg they had uot forces fufficient to refift any length of ttme, they apphe~ to the Huexotzincas, their neighbours, for aff1!l:ance. When the A:tllxchefe ambaiE1dors arrived at Heuxotzinco, they found a famous captam named 'foltecatl playing at football, whofe great courage was !tilllefs re~narkable th;~n the extraordinary ftrength of his arm. As foon as he was mfo:1~ed concerning the Mexican army, he quitted play to repair with aux1har_y troops to Atlixco, and entering into the battle unarmed to {hew lus bravery, and the contempt he entertained of his enemies, he knocked down the firfr Mexican he met with his fift, and took his arms from him, with which he began to make great fiaughter. The Mexicans being (s) Tornuemadll fays, that Ahuitzotl having frequently attempted the conque!l of <l.!JCt7.al 1 • - 1 cuit\anpillall, did never yet fllccccd ; but among th e conquc ll sof t h'I S k'm g ·1 11 t 1I C clcvcnt 1 p<~intin g of Mcndo~a·s ColleCtion, this province is rc)ncfcnted. l • unable HISTORY OF ME X I C 0. ' unable to overcome the tefiftance of their enemies, abandoned the field and returned to Mexico covered with ignominy. The Huexotzincas, in reward of the fingular bravery of Toltecatl, made hiin the chief of t~eir republic. _This ftate however was afterwards fubjetl:ed to the domi- JllOn of the Mextcans whom they again provoked by fre!h infults. but as the conquered nations only bore the yoke while they could not fuake it off, whenever the Huexotzincas found thernfelves able to refift, they rebelled; and the greater part of the provinces fubdued by the Mexican arms did the ~1.1~e, which forced the Mexican army to keep in continual motion, to regam what their king occafionalJy loil: in this way. Toltecatl ac- ~epted the dignity and poil: conferted upon him ; but a year had hardl~ elapfed when he w~s confirained to abandon not only his charge ?ut hts coul'ltry. ~he pne~s and other minifi:ers of tqe temples mak. mg an abufe of the1r authonty, entered into private houfes and took away the maize and turkeys which they found in them, and commit-ted other exceifes unbecoming their dignity. Toltecatl endeavoured to put a il:op to fuch injuftice; but 'he priefts rofe in arms. The po-pulace_ fupported them; another party oppofed their violence, and a war kmdled between the two fatl:ions, which, like all other civil wars broug~t on the greate~ evils. . ~olte~atl weary of governing a peopl;. f~ unt~atl:able, or afratd of pen!hmg m the fiorm, removed from the CJty With fame other nobles, and palling the mountains arrived at Tlal-n~ analco. T?e governor of that city gave fpeedy advice of them to the kmg of Me~tco, wh~ inftantly put all the fugitives to death in punifh- ~e.nt .of their ' rebellwn, and fent their dead bodies to Hucxotzinco to mt1m1date the rebels. • 203 BOOK 1V. '--v-- . In. the year 1498, it appearing to the king of Mexico, that the na-v gat f h 1 k b Sr; cr . XXV. . J ton o t e a e was ecome difficult from the fcarcity of water he New inunda-was ~efirous of ~ncreafi~g it fi·om the fountain of Huitzilopochco wl~ich ~~n of M~xi· fupphed ~he ~OJOacane{e, and called on Tzotzomatzin, lord of Cojoa-c~ n, to give h1s orders for that purpofe. Tzotzomatzin reprefented to hJm th~t that fpt:ing was n~t confiant; that fometimes it was dry, and at o~her tunes ran m fuch abundance, that it might caufe {orne difail:er to lus court. Ahuitzotl imagining that thefe reafons were mere p retences 1 to be excufed fr_om doin~ what he was commanded, repeated his firil: order, but heanng the difficulty firil: mentioned infifted on, difrni!fcd D d .z him |