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Show 224 nooK v. "---..---' s~ cT. VJII. Rebellion of the 1\J i x tcc~s ;md z~pote• C • .l$. SvcT. IX. ,onten between the Hucxotzincas und Cbolul: im. 11 I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. of the city which was moil: di!bnt from the temple, and cfpocial~y the Tlatclolc'os, having perceived no lightning, were perfuaded that the burning was caufed by enemies come uncxpcCl::edly into the city, upon which they immediately rofe in arms to defend it, and ran in troops towards the temple. Montezuma being fufpicious that it was a tu<;n: pretence of the Tlatelolcos to raife a fcdirion, as he was always diffident of them, was fo provok d at their difturbance, that he deprived them of all the public offices which they hdd, and even forbade their appearance at court, neither protell:u tions of their innocence, nor prayers with which they implored the royal mercy, having futiicient weight to make him alter his refolution; but as foon as the firft heat of his pafiion was over, they were reinll:ated in their employments and his favour. In the mean while the Mixtecas and Zapotecns rebelled againll: the crown. The principal leaders of the rebellion, in which all the lords of each nation had engaged, were Cetecpat/, lord of Coaixtlahuacan, and Mocbut:"Cocbitl, lord of Tzot~ollan. Firft of all they treacheroufly murdered all the ML:xit:ans in the garrifons of Huayjacac and other places. As foon as .1\IIontezuma had information of the rebellion, he fent a large army againll: them, compofcd of Mexicans, Tezcucans, and Tepanecas, under· the command of prince Cuitlah1:1ac, his btother and fucce[or in the crown. The rebels were totally defeated, a great many of them taken prifoners with their chiefs, and their cities facked. The army returnctl to Mexico lo;~ded with ij1oils, the prifoners were facrificed, and the il:ate of Tzotzollan was given to Cozcaquauhtli, the brother of N:1huixochitl, for his fidelity to the crown, preferring the duti~s of a fubjcCl: to the ties of blood; but Cetecpatl was not facrificcd, as he hnd not ye::t di1covere,d all his accomplices in the rebellion, :1nd the tle!lgns of the rebels. Some little time after this expedition, a difpute and quarrel arofe between the Huexotzincas and the Cholubns theit· friends and neighbours, which as it was left to be decided by arms, occaiioned a pitched battle to be fought. The Cholubns being more verfed in the forms of religion, in commerce, and the arts than fkillcd in the fcience of war wer foon de- ' featcd, and forced to retreat to their city, where their enemies purfued them, killed fome of thdr people, and burned Come of their houfes. The Huexotzincas had hardly ·gajned the vicl:ory when they found caufe to repent 1-I I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. repent it, on account of the cha{l:ifement which they apprehended would foll~w it; that they might prevent this, they fent two refped:able perfons to kmg Montezuma, whofe names were To!impanecatl, and Tz.oncoztli who were to juil:ify them, and lay the biame on the Cholulans. Thef; ambafiadors, either with a dcfign to magnify the courage of their citizens, or fi·om fome other motive, exaggerated the 11aughter made of the Cholulans to fuch a degr.ce~ that the king believed they were aU cut to pi~o:ces , or t~at th: few whole ltvcs had been faved had abandoned the city. On .heanng tlus account Montezuma was extremely afRiCl:ed, and dreaded the revenge of the god ~elzalcoatl, whofe fancl:uary, which was one of the moll: celebrated and moll: honoured of all that land, he conceived to have been profaned by the Huexzotzincas. Having confulted, therefore, with the two allied kings, he fent Come perfons fro1n his court to Cholula, to gain j ufi: j nformation of this tranfaCl::ion ; and having found it very different from the reprefentation given by the Huexotzincas, he was fG CI~raged at their deceit to him, that he fuddenly difpatched an army, w1th orders to his general, to puni01 them feverely if they did not make a fuitable apology and fubmiffion. The Huexotzincas, forefeeing .the frorm which was likely to pour upon them, went out in· order of battle to meet the Mexican i btlt the Mexican general advanced towards them tG explain his commiifion in the following words : " Our lord ~' Montezuma, who has his court in the middle of the water, Neza" hualpilli, who commands upon the borders of the lake, and Toto «~ quihtiatzi who reigns at the foot of the mountains, have ordered us " to tell you, that having learned from yout' ambaffadors that you have " ruined Cholula and killed its inhabitants, they feel the utmoft af" fliCtio~1, an<.l are under an obligation to revenge the violent outrage " which has been ~fferc~d to the venerable fanctuary of ~elzalcoatl." The Huexot~incas protell:ed that the account given by their ambaif.'tdors was extravagant and falfe, and that a body of men fo refpeCl::able as the citizens of Huexotzinco, could not be the authors of it, and declared themielves ready to fatisfy all the three kings by punifhment of the guilty. Upon which having fummoned their ambaffadors, and cnt off their ars ·and noft:s, that beiJ)g the puni(hment dell:ined for thofe who told falfehoods pernicious to the fl:ate, they delivered them up to the general. Thus they efcap~d the c=vils· of war, which otherwiie would have been inevitable. VoL. I. G g The 225 B...O.._O_K__ _V_. |