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Show n8 BOOK H. "--V--oJ S ~ C To XVIII. Slavery oft h• Mexicans in Colhuacan. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. lies the village and renowned fanch1ary of the Holy Virgin 'of Guadaloupe, places all fituated on the borders of the lake of Tezcuco, and near the fite of Mexico, in which they continued for twenty-two years. As foon as the Mexicans appeared in that country, they were reviewed by order of Xolotl then reigning ; who, having nothing to fear, permitted them to efl:abli!h themfelves wherever they could : but thofe in Tepeyacac finding themfelves harrafied by 'fena11cacaltz£n, a Chechemecan lord, they were forced, in 1245, to retire to Chapoltepec, a mountain fituated on the weftern border of the lake, hardly two miles diJbnt from the iite of Mexico, in the reign of N opaltzin, and not of ~inatzin, as Torquemada and Boturini ·imagine (l). The pcrfecutions which they fuftcred in this place from fome lords, ~nd particularly from the lord of Xaltocan, made them, at the end of ieventeen years, abandon it, to feek a more fecnre afylum in ./lcoco!co, which confi£\:s of a number of fmall iilands at the fouthern extremity of the bke. There for the fpace of fifty-two years they led the mo£\: miferable life; they fubfifted on fi01, and all forts of infdl:s, and the roots of the marfhes, and covered themfelves with the leaves of the amoxtli which grows plentifully in that lake, having wore out all their garments, and finding no means there of fupp1ying themfel ves with others.. Their habitations were wretched huts, made of the reeds and ru{hes which the lake produced. It would be totally incredible that for fo mahy years they were able to keep in exiil:cnce in a place fo dHadvantageous, where . they were· fo ftinted in the nece!faries of lif; , was it not verified by their hifiorians and fucceeding events. But in the midft of their mifel·ies they were free, and liberty alleviated in fome degree their diftreffes. In 1314, howev~r, i};J.vcry was . added .to their other difi:re!fes. Hiil:orians difler in opinion conc~ rnmg th1s event. Some flty, that the petty king of Colhuacan, a c1ty not far diihnt from Acocolco, not willing to fuffer the M xicans to maintain themfelves in his territories without paying him tribute, made open war upon them, and having fubdued, enilaved them. ( l) ~inatzin fuppofing to have been reigning at that time, the reign of him and his :uccdfot mull have c~mprehcndcd a fpacc of an hundred nnd fixry-onc years and upwards ; If the. chronology. of forqucmnda is adopted, who fuppofcs Quinntzin t·ci<>·nin.,. un~il the ~i 1nc at whtch the Mcxtc:~ns entered the .vale of Mexico. See our Diffcrtntions: "' Others H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. Others affirm, that . this petty king fent an embaffy to th~m, to in~ orm the~1 that havmg co~~affion for the miferable life which they led m. thofc. 10ands, he was w!lhng to grant them a better place where they m1ght l1ve more comfortably; and that the Mexicans, who wiihed for not~1in¥ more ardently~ accepted intl:antly the favour, and gladly quitted the1r d1fagreeable fituat10n; but they had fcarcely fet out when they were ~tt.acked ~y the Colhuas a~d taken prifoners. Which ever way it was, Jt IS certatn, that the Mextcans were carried ilaves to Tizapan a place belonging to the ftate of Colhuacan. ' After fome years ilavery, a war arofe between the Colhuas and Xochimilcas their neighbours, with fuch difadvantage to the former, that th.ey were worfted in every engagement. The Colhuas, being affiitl:ed Wtth thefe repeated lo!fes, w ... re forced to employ their prifoncrs whom they ordered to prepare for war; but they did not provide them with the. neceffary arms, either becaufe thefe had been exhaufted in precedmg battles, or becaufe they left them at liberty to accoutre themfelves as they chofe. The Mexicans being perfuaded that this was a favourable occafion to win the favour of their lord, refolved to excrt every efFort of their bravery. They armed themfelves with Ion()" ftout ftaves, the. points of whic? they hardened in the fire, not onl; to be ufed agamft . th~ enemy, but to affift ther:n. in leaping from. one bufh to. another 1f 1t fhould prove neceffary, as, in fat!:, they had to combat m the water. They made themfelves knives of itzli and targets or .lhields of reeds wove tog~ther. It was agreed a:nong them, that they were not to employ themfelves as .it was ufual .in making ?rifoners, but to content themfel.ves with cutting off an ear, and lcavmg the enemy without further hurt. With this difpofition they went out to battle, and while the Colhuas and Xochimilcas were en?ged, either .by land on the borders of the lake, or by water in their 1h1ps, the Mextcans rufhed furiouily on the enemy, affifted by their ftaves in the water; cut off the ears of thofe whom they encountered, and put them in a ba.fket which they carriecl for that purpofe; but when they could not effetl: this from the fi:rugglcs of the enemy, they killed them. By the affiftance of the Mexicans, the Colhuas obtained fo compll!te a vitl:ory that the Xochirnilcas not only ab~ndoned the field, but II-9 BOOK In. ~ |