Lake Texcoco

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.

Cómo los de Iztapalapa habian hecho ahumadas desde unas torres de ídolos que estaban en un cerro muy alto junto á su ciudad, los de Tenuxtitan y de las otras ciudades que están en el agua conocieron que yo entraba ya por la laguna con los bergantines, y de improviso juntóse tan grande flota de canoas para nos venir á acometer y á tentar qué cosa eran los bergantines; y á lo que podimos juzgar, pasaban de quinientas canoas. E cómo yo vi que traian su derrota derecha á nosotros, yo y la gente que habiamos saltado en aquel cerro grande, nos embarcamos á mucha priesa, y mandé á los capitanes de los bergantines que en ninguna manera se moviesen, porque los de las canoas se determinasen á nos acometer, y creyesen que nosotros de temor no osábamos salir á ellos; y así, comenzaron con mucho ímpetu de encaminar su flota hácia nosotros. Pero á obra de dos tiros de ballesta reparáronse y estuvieron quedos; y cómo yo deseaba mucho que el primer reencuentro que con ellos hobiésemos fuese de mucha victoria, y se hiciese de manera que ellos cobrasen mucho temor de los bergantines, porque la llave de toda la guerra estaba en ellos, y donde ellos podian recibir mas daño, y aun nosotros tambien, era por el agua, plugo á nuestro Señor que, estándonos mirando los unos á los otros, vino un viento de la tierra muy favorable para embestir con ellos; y luego mandé á los capitanes que rompiesen por la flota de las canoas, y siguiesen tras ellos fasta los encerrar en la ciudad de Tenuxtitan; y cómo el viento era muy bueno, aunque ellos huian cuanto podian, embestimos por medio dellos, y quebramos infinitas canoas, y matamos y ahogamos muchos de los enemigos, que era la cosa del mundo mas para ver. Y en este alcance los seguimos bien tres leguas grandes, fasta los encerrar en las casas de la ciudad; é así, plugo á nuestro Señor de nos dar mayor y mejor victoria que nosotros habiamos pedido y deseado.

The people of Iztapalapa had sent up smoke signals from some idol towers on a very high hill beside their city. So the people of Tenuxtitan and of the other cities that stand in the water knew that I was now coming onto the lake with the brigantines. At once a huge fleet of canoes gathered to come and attack us and find out what sort of things the brigantines were. As far as we could judge, there were more than five hundred canoes. When I saw them heading straight for us, the men who had landed with me on that great hill and I got back on board in great haste. I ordered the captains of the brigantines not to move at all, so that the people in the canoes would make up their minds to attack, thinking we were too afraid to come out against them. And so they began to bring their fleet toward us with great force. But about two crossbow shots away they stopped and held still. I wanted very much for our first encounter with them to be a great victory, and to make them deeply afraid of the brigantines. The key to the whole war lay in the brigantines, for it was on the water that the enemy could suffer the most harm, and so could we. And it pleased our Lord that, while we were watching each other, a wind sprang up from the land, just right for charging them. At once I ordered the captains to break through the fleet of canoes and chase them until they were shut up in the city of Tenuxtitan. The wind was very good, and though they fled as fast as they could, we drove right through the middle of them. We broke countless canoes and killed and drowned many of the enemy. It was the greatest sight in the world. We chased them a good three long leagues, until we had shut them up among the houses of the city. So it pleased our Lord to give us a greater and better victory than we had asked or hoped for.