routed and expelled me from the city of Temixtitan, I took with me the son and two daughters of Montezuma, the lord of Tesaico, Cacamacin,
Succession
to the
Throne of
Texcoco his two brothers, and many other chiefs whom I held prisoners, and that all of them had been killed by the enemy (although they belonged to their own nation and some of them were their chiefs), except two brothers of Cacamacin, who by a happy chance were able to escape. When I reached the province of Tascaltecal, one of these two brothers, called Ipacsuchil,[1] otherwise called Cucascacin, whom I had already, in the name of Your Majesty and with the approval of Montezuma, appointed lord of the city of Tesaico and the province of Aculuacan, escaped, and returned to the city of Tesaico, where they had elected for chief another of his brothers called Guanacacin,[2] whom I have above mentioned. It is said that he had Cucascacin, his brother, killed in the following manner: On his arrival in Tesaico, the guards seized him and informed Guanacacin their lord, who communicated the news to the lord of Temixtitan. As soon as the latter heard that the said Cucascacin had come back, he could not believe he had escaped from us, but suspected he must have gone there in our interest to furnish us some information; so he immediately sent order to Guanacacin to kill Cucascacin, his brother. Guanacacin obeyed without delay. The younger of the brothers still remained with me, and being quite a lad, our conversation made more impression upon him, and he became a Christian, taking the name of Don Fernando.[3] When
- ↑ Cortes misses this name entirely; which is not to be wondered at. as the boy was called Ahuaxpitcatzin.
- ↑ Meaning Coanacochtzin.
- ↑ He is described, by the historian Ixtlilxochitl, as being as white as a Spaniard, tall, graceful, and of genial manners. He spoke Castilian fluently, and almost every evening after supper he spent much time in discussion with Cortes, who became very fond of him.
