Cuitlahuac

Terná esta ciudad de Iztapalapa doce ó quince mil vecinos; la cual está en la costa de una laguna salada grande, la mitad dentro en el agua y la otra mitad en la tierra firme. Tiene el señor della unas casas nuevas que aun no están acabadas, que son tan buenas como las mejores de España, digo de grandes y bien labradas, así de obra de cantería como de carpintería y suelos, y complimientos para todo género de servicio de casa, excepto mazonerías y otras cosas ricas que en España usan en las casas, y acá no las tienen. Tiene en muchos cuartos altos y bajos jardines muy frescos, de muchos arboles y flores olorosas; asimismo albercas de agua dulce muy bien labradas, con sus escaleras hasta lo fondo.

This city of Iztapalapa must have twelve or fifteen thousand households. It lies on the shore of a great salt lake, half of it in the water and half on dry land. Its lord has some new houses, not yet finished, that are as good as the best in Spain. I mean that they are large and well built, in their stonework, their carpentry and floors, and their fittings for every kind of household service. They lack only the carved ornament and other rich things that houses in Spain have. In many of the rooms, upstairs and down, there are very cool gardens, with many trees and sweet-smelling flowers. There are also pools of fresh water, very well made, with steps going down to the bottom.

Pasada esta puente, nos salió á recebir aquel señor Muteczuma con fasta docientos señores, todos descalzos y vestidos de otra librea ó manera de ropa, asimismo bien rica á su uso, y mas que la de los otros; y venian en dos procesiones, muy arrimados á las paredes de la calle, que es muy ancha y muy hermosa y derecha, que de un cabo se parece el otro, y tiene dos tercios de legua, y de la una parte y de la otra muy buenas y grandes casas, así de aposentamientos como de mezquitas; y el dicho Muteczuma venia por medio de la calle con dos señores, el uno á la mano derecha y el otro á la izquierda; de los cuales el uno era aquel señor grande que dije que me habia salido á fablar en las andas, y el otro era su hermano del dicho Muteczuma, señor de aquella ciudad de Iztapalapa, de donde yo aquel dia habia partido; todos tres vestidos de una manera, excepto el Muteczuma, que iba calzado, y los otros dos señores descalzos: cada uno le llevaba de su brazo;

When we had crossed this bridge, the lord Muteczuma himself came out to receive us, with some two hundred lords. They were all barefoot and dressed in another livery, or style of clothing, also very rich by their custom, and richer than that of the others. They came in two processions, keeping close to the walls of the street. The street is very wide, beautiful, and straight, so straight that one end can be seen from the other, though it runs for two thirds of a league. On both sides are very good, large houses, both dwellings and temples. Muteczuma came down the middle of the street with two lords, one on his right hand and the other on his left. One was the great lord who, as I said, had come out to speak to me in a litter. The other was Muteczuma's brother, lord of Iztapalapa, the city I had set out from that day. All three were dressed alike, except that Muteczuma wore shoes and the other two lords were barefoot. Each of them held him by an arm.

y como nos juntamos, yo me apeé, y le fuí á abrazar solo: é aquellos dos señores que con él iban me detuvieron con las manos para que no le tocase; y ellos y él ficieron asimismo ceremonia de besar la tierra; y hecha, mandó á aquel su hermano que venia con él que se quedase conmigo y me llevase por el brazo, y él con el otro se iba adelante de mi poquito trecho; y después de me haber él fablado, vinieron asimismo á me fablar todos los otros señores que iban en las dos procesiones, en órden uno en pos de otro, é luego se tornaban á su procesion.

When we met, I got down from my horse and went forward alone to embrace him. But the two lords with him stopped me with their hands, so that I would not touch him. Then they and he also made the ceremony of kissing the earth. When it was done, he told his brother, who was with him, to stay with me and lead me by the arm. He himself went a little way ahead of me with the other lord. When he had finished speaking with me, the other lords of the two processions came up one after another, in order, to speak to me too. Then they went back to their places.

pues desque llegamos çerca destapalapa, ver la grandeza de otros Caçiques, que nos salieron a rresçebir que fue el señor de aquel pueblo que se dezia Coadlabaca, y el señor de culuacan, que entranbos eran debdos muy çercanos del montezuma, y desque entramos en aquella çibdad dystapalapa de la manera de los palaçios donde nos aposentaron, de quan grandes y bien labrados heran, de canteria muy prima, y la madera de çedros, y de otros buenos arboles olorosos, Con grandes patios, E quartos, Cosas muy de ver, y entoldados, Con paramentos de algodon.— despues de bien visto todo aquello, fuimos a la huerta E xardin, que fue cosa muy admirable, vello y paseallo, que no me hartava de mirar la diversidad de arboles, y los olores que cada vno tenia, y andenes llenos de rrosas y flores, y muchos frutales y rrosales de la trra, y vn estanque de agua duçe y otra cosa, de ver, que podian entrar en el vergel grandes Canoas, desde la laguna, por vna abertura que tenian hecha, sin saltar en tierra, e todo muy encalado, y luzido, de muchas maneras de piedras y pinturas en ellas, que avia harto que ponderar, y de las aves de muchas diversidades y rraleas que entravan En el estanque. digo otra vez, que lo estuve mirando, que crey q̃ en el mũdo obiese otras trras desCubiertas Como estas, porq̃ en aq̃l tpo no avia peru ny memoria del. agora todo esta por el suelo perdido que no ay cosa en pie.

As we drew near Iztapalapa, what splendor we saw in the other caciques who came out to receive us! They were the lord of that town, called Coadlabaca, and the lord of Culuacan, two close relatives of Montezuma. And once inside Iztapalapa, what palaces they gave us to stay in! So large and so well made, of very fine stonework, with cedar and other good sweet-smelling woods. They had great courtyards and rooms, well worth seeing, shaded with cotton awnings. After we had seen all that, we went out to the orchard and garden, a marvel to see and to stroll through. I never had enough of looking at the many kinds of trees and noticing the scent of each one. Its walks were lined with roses and other flowers, with many fruit trees and roses of that country, and there was a freshwater pond. Another thing worth seeing: large canoes could enter the garden straight from the lake, through a channel cut for them, with no need to step ashore. Everything was whitewashed and shining, with many kinds of stone and paintings on them, which gave us plenty to think about. And then there were all the different birds that came down to the pond. I say again: I stood and gazed at it, and I thought that no other lands like these would ever be discovered in the world, for in those days no one had heard of Peru. Now all of it lies on the ground, lost; nothing is left standing.