Amadís de Gaula
The knight-hero of a Spanish romance of chivalry, full of giants and enchantments, in the version of Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo made between 1492 and 1504. Bernal Díaz compared his first sight of the lake cities to its enchanted scenes.
The Road into Mexico
Bernal Díaz del Castillo, True History of the Conquest of New Spain, chapters 87–88 (fair copy 1568): the first sight of the lake cities, Iztapalapa, and the meeting with Moctezuma on the causeway · written in Guatemala, finished in a fair copy in 1568 (describes November 7–8, 1519)
y otro dia por la mañana llegamos a la calçada ancha y vamos Camino de Estapalapa, y desque vimos tantas çibdades y villas pobladas En el agua, y en tierra firme, otras grandes poblazones, y aquella Calçada tan derecha, y por nivel como yva a mexᶜᵒ nos quedamos admirados y deziamos que paresçia a las cosas de encantamiento que Cuentan En el libro de amadis, por las grandes torres, y Cues, y edifiçios, que tenian dentro En el agua, y todos de Calicanto, y avn algunos de nros soldados dezian, que si aquello que vian, si hera entre sueños, y no es de maravillar, que yo lo escriva aqui desta manera porque ay mucho que ponderar En ello que no se Como lo cuente, ver Cosas nunca oydas, ni vistas, ni avn soñadas Como viamos,
The next morning we reached the broad causeway and went on toward Iztapalapa. We saw so many cities and towns standing in the water, more large towns on the shore, and that causeway running so straight and level toward Mexico. We were amazed, and we said it was like the enchanted things they tell of in the book of Amadis, because of the tall towers, cues, and buildings standing in the water, all of stone and mortar. Some of our soldiers even wondered aloud if it was all a dream. It is no wonder that I write it down this way. There is so much here to ponder that I hardly know how to put it into words: seeing things never heard of, never seen, and never even dreamed, as we saw them.