Fresh water supply

Questa gran città di Temistitan Messico è edificata dentro di questa parte del lago, che ha l'acqua salata, non cosi nel mezzo, però alla riua dell'acqua circa vn quarto di lega longe da terra ferma per il piu vicino: puo hauer questa città di Temistitan piu di due leghe, & mezza, & presso a tre poco piu, ò meno di circuito: la maggior parte di coloro, che l'hanno veduta giudica, che vi sieno meglio di sessanta mila habitatori, & piu tosto piu, che meno, entrano in essa per tre strade alte di pietra, & di terra, ciascuna larga trenta passi, ò piu: vna di queste strade vien per l'acqua piu di due leghe, fino alla città, vn'altra vna lega, & mezza. Queste due strade attrauersano il lago, & entrano per mezzo della città, & nel mezzo si vengono a congiongere insieme, in modo, che si potrebbe dire, che sono tutte vna. l'altra strada vien dalla terra ferma qualche vn quarto di lega alla città: & per questa strada vien per spatio di tre quarti di lega vna seriola, ò ruscello d'acqua alla città da terra ferma, ch'è dolce, & molto buona, & piu grossa, che il corpo d'vn'huomo, & arriua fin dentro la terra: della quale beuono tutte le genti, & nasce al piè d'vn sasso, & colle, & quiui si fa vno fonte grande, & de lì è poi stata tirata alla città.

This great city of Temistitan Mexico is built in the part of the lake that has salt water. It is not right in the middle, but near the edge of the water, about a quarter of a league from the mainland at the nearest point. The city may be more than two and a half leagues around, close to three, more or less. Most of those who have seen it think it has well over sixty thousand inhabitants, more rather than fewer. It is entered by three raised roads of stone and earth, each thirty paces wide or more. One of these roads runs over the water for more than two leagues to the city, another for a league and a half. These two cross the lake and come into the middle of the city, where they join, so that you could say they are all one road. The third road runs from the mainland to the city for about a quarter of a league. Along this road, for three-quarters of a league, a channel brings water from the mainland into the city. The water is fresh and very good, and the stream is thicker than a man's body. It reaches right into the town, and all the people drink from it. It rises at the foot of a rock and a hill, where it forms a great spring, and from there it was brought to the city.

Otro dia de mañana los dos capitanes acordaron, cómo yo les habia mandado, de ir á quitar el agua dulce que por caños entraba á la ciudad de Tenuxtitan; y el uno dellos, con veinte de caballo y ciertos ballesteros y escopeteros, fué al nacimiento de la fuente, que estaba un cuarto de legua de alli, y cortó y quebró los caños, que eran de madera y de cal y canto, y peleó reciamente con los de la ciudad, que se le defendian por la mar y por la tierra; y al fin los desbarató, y dió conclusion á lo que iba, que era quitarles el agua dulce que entraba á la ciudad, que fué muy grande ardid.

The next morning the two captains agreed, as I had ordered, to go and cut off the fresh water that flowed into the city of Tenuxtitan through pipes. One of them went to the source of the spring, a quarter of a league from there, with twenty horsemen and some crossbowmen and musketeers. He cut and broke the pipes, which were made of wood and of stone and mortar. He fought hard with the people of the city, who defended it against him from the water and from the land. In the end he routed them and did what he had gone to do, which was to cut off the fresh water that came into the city. That was a very great stroke.