message to Montezuma.
He brought together the lords of Cholula in the temple of Quetzalcóatl, under the pretext of saying his good-byes and thanking them for their services. Malinalli and Aguilar served as translators for the three thousand men who came there. Once they were inside, the doors were closed. Cortés, on his horse, spoke powerfully, his voice like thunder, like the earth when it quakes. His figure, magnified by the height of his horse, was imposing.
During the Middle Ages, only noblemen rode horses, and for that reason, Cortés, a plebeian, liked to give orders on his horse. It made him into a superior being, physically and socially speaking. Cortés chastised the Cholultecans for wanting to murder him, when he had arrived in Cholula as a peacemaker and the only thing he had done since that day was to warn them against the error of worshipping false idols, of committing acts of sodomy, and of performing human sacrifices. Malinalli, when translating, tried to be true to his words, and so that everyone heard her, she raised her voice as much as possible. She spoke in the name of Malinche, a nickname they had given Cortés, since he always had her by his side. Malinche in some way meant the master of Malinalli.
âMalinche is very upset. He wants to know if perhaps you want to sneak behind our backs, do as the slithery, the stormy, and the deceitful. If you want to lay on us your shields, your clubs, when all Malinche did was come in peace? When all his words attempted to do was to speak to you of that which would expand your hearts? He, who brings the word of our Lord, never expected you to be plotting his murder. He, who sees and knows all, cannot ignore that in the outskirts of Cholula there are Mexica warriors ready to attack.â
The chiefs confessed to all, but justified their actions by saying they were only obeying orders from Montezuma. Cortés then mentioned the laws of the Spanish realm, where treason was punishable by death, and therefore the lords of Cholula deserved death. Malinalli had not yet finished translating these last words when the discharge of a harquebus signaled the beginning of the slaughter. For over two hours the Spaniards stabbed, beat, and murdered all the Indians who were gathered there. Malinalli ran to a corner to hide and with eyes filled with horror watched Cortés and his soldiers sever arms, ears, and heads. The sound of the metal ripping through muscle and bone, the screams, the wailing, terrorized her heart. The beautiful huipil that she was wearing was soon splattered with blood. Blood soaked the feathered crests, the clothes, and the mantles of the Cholultecans. It gathered in pools. Mortar and shotgun fire tore to pieces the terrorized multitude. No one could escape, no one could scale the walls. Defenseless, they were all murdered.
When all the men gathered there had been killed, the doors to the courtyard were opened and Malinalli fled in terror. The five thousand Tlaxcaltecans and the more than four hundred Cempoalans allied with Cortés pillaged and plundered the city. Malinalli dodged them and ran until she reached the river, horrified by the hatred with which they slaughtered men, women, and children. The temple of Huitzilopochtli, the god who represented Mexica dominion, was set on fire. The frenzy of murder, plunder, and blood lasted for two days, until Cortés reestablished order. A total of six thousand Cholultecans perished. Cortés ordered the few priests who survived to wash the floors and walls, to rid the temples of idols and in their place to install crosses and images of the Virgin Mary.
According to Cortés, this horror was a good thing, so that all of the Indians could see and realize that their idols were false and deceitful, that they could not protect them adequately because instead of being gods, they were demons. For Cortés, the conquest was a struggle of good against evil, of the true god against false gods, of
He brought together the lords of Cholula in the temple of Quetzalcóatl, under the pretext of saying his good-byes and thanking them for their services. Malinalli and Aguilar served as translators for the three thousand men who came there. Once they were inside, the doors were closed. Cortés, on his horse, spoke powerfully, his voice like thunder, like the earth when it quakes. His figure, magnified by the height of his horse, was imposing.
During the Middle Ages, only noblemen rode horses, and for that reason, Cortés, a plebeian, liked to give orders on his horse. It made him into a superior being, physically and socially speaking. Cortés chastised the Cholultecans for wanting to murder him, when he had arrived in Cholula as a peacemaker and the only thing he had done since that day was to warn them against the error of worshipping false idols, of committing acts of sodomy, and of performing human sacrifices. Malinalli, when translating, tried to be true to his words, and so that everyone heard her, she raised her voice as much as possible. She spoke in the name of Malinche, a nickname they had given Cortés, since he always had her by his side. Malinche in some way meant the master of Malinalli.
âMalinche is very upset. He wants to know if perhaps you want to sneak behind our backs, do as the slithery, the stormy, and the deceitful. If you want to lay on us your shields, your clubs, when all Malinche did was come in peace? When all his words attempted to do was to speak to you of that which would expand your hearts? He, who brings the word of our Lord, never expected you to be plotting his murder. He, who sees and knows all, cannot ignore that in the outskirts of Cholula there are Mexica warriors ready to attack.â
The chiefs confessed to all, but justified their actions by saying they were only obeying orders from Montezuma. Cortés then mentioned the laws of the Spanish realm, where treason was punishable by death, and therefore the lords of Cholula deserved death. Malinalli had not yet finished translating these last words when the discharge of a harquebus signaled the beginning of the slaughter. For over two hours the Spaniards stabbed, beat, and murdered all the Indians who were gathered there. Malinalli ran to a corner to hide and with eyes filled with horror watched Cortés and his soldiers sever arms, ears, and heads. The sound of the metal ripping through muscle and bone, the screams, the wailing, terrorized her heart. The beautiful huipil that she was wearing was soon splattered with blood. Blood soaked the feathered crests, the clothes, and the mantles of the Cholultecans. It gathered in pools. Mortar and shotgun fire tore to pieces the terrorized multitude. No one could escape, no one could scale the walls. Defenseless, they were all murdered.
When all the men gathered there had been killed, the doors to the courtyard were opened and Malinalli fled in terror. The five thousand Tlaxcaltecans and the more than four hundred Cempoalans allied with Cortés pillaged and plundered the city. Malinalli dodged them and ran until she reached the river, horrified by the hatred with which they slaughtered men, women, and children. The temple of Huitzilopochtli, the god who represented Mexica dominion, was set on fire. The frenzy of murder, plunder, and blood lasted for two days, until Cortés reestablished order. A total of six thousand Cholultecans perished. Cortés ordered the few priests who survived to wash the floors and walls, to rid the temples of idols and in their place to install crosses and images of the Virgin Mary.
According to Cortés, this horror was a good thing, so that all of the Indians could see and realize that their idols were false and deceitful, that they could not protect them adequately because instead of being gods, they were demons. For Cortés, the conquest was a struggle of good against evil, of the true god against false gods, of
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