Culhuacan

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.