Location of Aztec Gold

[piegrande]

@airborne: >> 1x 25 ton stone from Stonehenge is average 13 x 7 x 4 feet <times> 2 (for 50 ton stone) = 26 x 14 x 8. 50 tons per stone is roughly 1.1% of 4600 tons. so I multiplied that org. dimensions by 100 and came to 1300 x 700 x 400 or a better estimation would be roughly 1100 x 450 x 300. A solid piece of gold, the size of the USS Nimitz.

Sorry, but if a 25 ton rock is 13 X 7 X 4 feet, then a 50 ton rock is 26 X 7 X 4. 26 X 14 X 8 is 8 times as heavy as 13 X 7 X 4, not twice as heavy. Thus, the latter rock would weight 200 tons, not 50 tons.

I do not know what sort of rocks they have in Stonehenge, but I live in a quarry town here in Mexico. And, the travertine marble here has a specific gravity of around 2.5, which means a cubic foot weighs more or less 150 pounds. So, that weight of the 13 X 7 X 4 feet rock is right on. Good job on that. And, I conclude our rocks weigh about what Stonehenge rocks do. Interesting.

The specific gravity of gold is around 19.3, I believe, which means a cubic foot of gold is around 1200 pounds, not 150 pounds.

I was not smart enough to figure out the US gold production over the last 40 years from the URL you linked, but I can see 4600 tons might be right. So, I am not bothering to figure it out for myself, and am taking your word for that. Gold is usually listed in mt, that is, metric tons, but because I am lazy I am going to use US tons, around 10% lighter to make my life easy, and you did not state differently.

4600 tons X 2000 would be 9,200,000 pounds. A cubic foot of gold weighs around 1,200 pounds, I believe.

9,200,000 / 1200 = 7,626 cubic feet.

My house here in rural Mexico is 2,850 square feet, and the inside walls are 9 feet high. That is 25,650 (edited cubic feet, so 4600 tons of gold would only fill around 30% of my house which is not all that large.

That is, it would be around 32 inches deep if evenly distributed on the floor of my house.

I am sure it would destroy the floors, of course, with that floor supporting 1.6 tons per square feet. (4600 / 2850)

Wiki says Nimitz class carriers have a displacement of 100,000 long tons. I don't think the Nimitz would move very well if you plunked 4,600 tons on it. But, truthfully, I don't know.

I do not intend this as any sort of personal attack, airborne. Just pointing out the correct math.

Piegrande,

I went around the world in 1983 on the USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 (Nimitz Class Carrier). 93,000 Tons and 1097 feet long. a wartime compliment of over 100 aircraft, 6000 crew, and a maximum of about 4 million gallons of fuel (it carries a combination of jet fuel and diesel for other ships in her Carrier Group). The carrier itself needs no fuel as it is powered by two nuclear reactors.

The 100 aircraft alone weigh approximately 1700 tons. 540 tons of people, 7300 tons of diesel, 6500 tons of JP5 (estimating a 50/50 state). That comes out to over 16,000 tons of the basics. That doesn't include fresh water storage, food, tools and equipment, personal items for 6000 people, electronic equipment, bombs, missiles, ammunition, etc, etc, etc.

................ and completely loaded up, it only has a draft of 37 feet. In the worst of seas (North Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope), it rides like a 1955 Cadillac down a smooth road. I used to love watching our escort ships play submarine through 70-80 foot waves while we just coasted along. HAHAHA

Mike

Wow, that is a cool posting. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for your service!

 

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[gollum]

Thanks Piegrande. The Navy was only the start. I spent six years in the Navy, then did another 6 1/2 in the Army (and two more as a Reserve Infantry Drill Sergeant). A glutton for punishment.

Mike

 

[piegrande]

In reference to the posting of concrete stuff in Utah, to make Portland cement type stuff requires a very high heat for the limestone.

Quick lime has a very much lower temperature to cook it, at one point I looked it up, and it can be used to make a stucco like material, pretty much the same as what we call mortar. I saw in an ancient mound a piece of something which looks exactly like concrete, but with my finger nail it acts like mortar/stucco.

Unless an observer was familiar with both items, it is possible to think mortar based stucco is concrete. Just saying.

The indigenous folk in my state did have the capacity to bake quick lime as used for stucco (they call it revoco here.) You can do it in an ordinary fire. In the ancient places not far from mh house is an oven, probably used for lime (cal). It takes ordinary amounts of air to the burning wood, not special air supplies as needed for cement.

 

[piegrande]

Thanks Piegrande. The Navy was only the start. I spent six years in the Navy, then did another 6 1/2 in the Army (and two more as a Reserve Infantry Drill Sergeant). A glutton for punishment.

Mike

Yes, I guess so! Heh, heh.

In the Army in the 60's, we used to joke if we got killed in combat, at least our bones would be on ground, not 12,000 feet down in the ocean.

I appreciate those who served long terms in the military. An uncle was a colonel in the Army. I have a daughter and her husband who met in the Air Force in Spain. I mean no disrespect, but I did not like the Army. Yes, it was me, more than the Army. I simply am not wired for 24 hour a day obedience. I did get my honorable discharge, though. But, I was not happy there.

 

[somehiker]

I would like to add a little, may be just hot wind and talk is cheap type imformation I heard from a oldtimer ,where I am at in Utah for the time being. Oldtimer told me of a gorge up in a Utah mountain that had a drywash with a type of concrete pathway underneath its sand and gravel.
The inferance is it may be connected to ancient Aztec habatation. I donno nore have any more imformation.

Perhaps it was similar to this one?
Deep within the mountains east of Phoenix.

It leads to an area with deep pools of water and many grinding holes in the bedrock.

Not far away,and high on a canyon wall,this as well.

Regards:SH.

 

[motell6]

Hey SH, its possible those arent grindeing holes but holes that held poles that in turn held up a large vat or mixeing pots. Its obvious the water level was much higher at 1 time,and water would be needed to mix and lay that pad. The material on the the side of the mountain could be tests to determine drying time and hardness. I would run a metal detector over those holes and pad. Obivous something was takeing place up there.?

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Gentlemen, I agree they aren't man made grinding holes, but natures.

As for cement, I once saw a square based canal coming out from under 20 ft of rock and pebble overburden in an arroyo. It looked as if it had been made yesterday, there was very little chipping or fracturing of it's surface or sides.

Later I met a gentlemean in Alamos who was a chemist in a cement manufacturing co. When I described the canal to him he grunted and said. "Cement is a weird thing, each batch that we make up has slighty different characteristics, so each has to be proven for use in building structures. For paving etc., it does not matter.

Frankly, it may have been just a slight change either here or there in chemical structure, and came out perfect. We now come out very close, but only after intensive chemical analysis.

He said "don't underestimate those older groups". Sometimes they hit the perfect combnation in local materiels.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[desertmoons]

Piegrande, for some reason the Nopal cactus concrete thing intrigues. May i ask if your informant said milk in Spanish or Nahuatl?

Perhaps milk has some other meaning.

Thanks.

 

[piegrande]

Now, I can't remember. I do know I Googled for Nopal cactus sap and found a bunch of stuff, in English. Now that I think about it, I am not clear what it said about milk, but I did find some current information on increasing strength of cement based materials, with nopal cactus sap. I hate it when my memory fails on me when I need it most.

Google for: nopal cement

and you will actually find modern scientific experiments on that usage.

Now, I must ask him, did he say milk or is that my brain messing up?

 

[somehiker]

Hey SH, its possible those arent grindeing holes but holes that held poles that in turn held up a large vat or mixeing pots. Its obvious the water level was much higher at 1 time,and water would be needed to mix and lay that pad. The material on the the side of the mountain could be tests to determine drying time and hardness. I would run a metal detector over those holes and pad. Obivous something was takeing place up there.?

motell6:

What you see here,if you can see it (some do not) ,is why I included the photo.
The fact that few can see it,and that the wall is in shadow most of the day,may indicate why it has never been previously reported.
Or...that it is nothing more than a work of nature,overlooked as such by everyone else.
I don't think it has anything to do with testing materials.
Piegrande may find it interesting as I do,which is why I bothered to hike up as far as I did,just to look the area over and to get the photo.

Regards:SH.

 

[motell6]

I can see what you are stateing, interesting location, let us know if you find any other goodies,like pottery shreds.

 

[somehiker]

Plenty of sherds of various types and ages,some of alternating layers of coloured clay.
Old overgrown ditches slanting downward along the hillside below as well.
Some ruins,including a concrete structure similar to that which Real de Tayopa described,probably used to channel water for irrigation.
A very old trail which follows the canyon and skirts a large,low mound (about 200 yds long) directly below.
That same trail also leads to other ruins,some well known and identified as Hohokam.
The mound is probably natural,but the trail and other things are definitely not.

Regards:SH.

 

[Albertaclipper]

Somehiker,

Am I over reaching by stating, to the left center of the mountain face photo, a boulder in the shape of a heart supporting two boulders that look unnatural (placed).

Cheers!

Dale

 

[somehiker]

AC:

The entire mountain range has many such hearts,in varying degrees of perfection.
The place is a natural heart factory...
Anyone who wished to include or feature a heart upon a map,or within a "treasure story" would have any number from which to choose.
They could even create one if necessary,which would be seen and recognized at the appropriate place.
If both map and treasure were genuine though,I would think "that" heart would have to match the form of "the" heart as shown on the map.
It would also be unique,rather than what is common,as rock hearts unfortunately are out there.
It would also,for security reasons IMHO,be unrecognizable until you were literally "standing on top of it" or perhaps only when tracing the perimeter on foot.
Not something seen from a well worn trail or some distance at all.

The "column" of rocks seen in my photo is interesting though,but not only because of the heart-shaped boulder, as you have also pointed out.
You,by the way are the first to have noticed and commented on the heart,despite my having posted the photo several times previously on this and other t-hunting websites.Good job.

Regards:SH.

 

[youcefkouidri1]

Did you go in the end and whats his contact details

 

[Randy Bradford]

I do think that if anyone has (or had) direct knowledge of any treasure(s) which Motecuhzoma may have still possessed at his death, it would be his family relatives.

Keep in mind, if memory serves me correctly, the next ruler of the Aztecs, Cuauhtémoc, was in fact a relative of Montezuma. It is the Spanish torture of him that gave rise to the phrase, "Put his feet to the fire."

I would like to see some research into a possible different origin to the Montezuma legends we see associated with Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas though; could there have been such an incident in which a powerful Amerindian ruler of a relatively advanced (compared to the near stone-age technology of many non-agrarian tribes) state, have marched into any (or all) of these areas to conceal a tomb of a king or a treasure, perhaps to keep it out of the hands of advancing Aztec or Olmec or Toltec conquerors rather than Spanish? Or a state verging on collapse due to severe droughts, epidemics, or attacks of barbarian neighbors, etc? Several such possibilities are available, if we don't start from the assumption that the legend MUST relate to Moctezuma of the Aztecs which the evidence and logic won't support.

Please do continue, didn't mean to derail the topic.
Oroblanco

For what it's worth, I think you're moving in the right direction, the problem is there is (in my opinion) more than one force working against the researcher here (I'll explain shortly). Keep in mind, history is by nature a mystery...doubly so when treasure is involved given the level of necessity to be secretive, deceptive, and misleading. That said, take a major even like Montezuma's death that was literally witnessed by hundreds of people, Aztec and Spaniard alike, and to this day the circumstances are deeply disputed. If an event that prominent can be murky through the lens of 600 years of storytelling, imagine how tricky it is to parse out the details of something that by nature was meant to be hidden and stay that way, coupled with the fact that the Aztecs has ovr a year to plan and execute the removal, movement, and deposit of these things. With that said, a few things to consider that in part explain much of what you talk about in broad ways:

1.) Historical/Cultural/Folklore Diffusion: If people move from one place to another, even temporarily, what they bring in terms of history, culture, and beleif affect those around them (and they are, likely impacted by their new environment as well). It's not hard to imagine that if oral history is the primary means of conveying things, that through multiple retellings, audiences, etc. that the story shifts over time, particularly as it is passed from one mouth to another. What was someone else's history, slowly evolves into ours. Think of it like this, a man is in a bar telling a story about a mine. This man is from Texas, but he's in Arizona. People around him overhear this story, his audience hears it. Now you have multiple parties, both intended and unintended telling that story to other parties later. Things get lost in "the translation," details get skewed, and pretty soon a Texas story is told and heard by others forth, fifth, sixth hand as an Arizona story. I'm quite sure this is precisely why 15 states in the SW all have "Lost Iron Door Mine" stories (among others). The problem is, this sort of diffusion can be speculated, but never proven...though common sense and most of our personal experiences can support the likelihood of just such an event.

2.) Logistics: From a very practical standpoint, let's assume the treasure is real, let's assume 2000 men really did bring the Aztec treasury North to wherever. I for one believe it. But even from a purely logical stand-point (and abandoning the logic of what I just said about 2000 men traveling 800 miles with tons of gold), think of very practical matters. People die. They die of thirst, they die of exhaustion, they die of heat stroke, they die of accidents, they die of snake bites, they die in a variety of ways on a difficult and burdensome journey. The first few aren't a biggie...you redistribute their load over the remaining carriers. Eventually though, you reach an insurmountable situation and like it as not, some of what you are carrying must be abandoned for the sake of all who remain and the sake of their overall mission. When I hear of multiple cache sites, I absolutely embrace this idea...not because of the mythology of the Aztec, but simply because they are a slave to logistics. Apply the diffusion to this, because each time they make a deposit, they make a ripple effect in the local region as other tribes either witness their work, or are forced or asked to help, thus creating a whole string of legends throughout the SW until the treasure (what's left of it) reaches it's final destination.

3.) Totally unrelated aspects that vastly impact the outcome: Word of the Spanish occupation spread from tribe to tribe moving Northward. By the time the Spaniards really gained a foothold in the Spanish SW, Montezuma was well known not as the leader of the Aztec people, rather he was known by Pueblo tribes who had worked the IDEA of Montezuma into their cosmology. That's a well referenced point that I believe, more than anything else, has contributed to the confusion surrounding the impact of the Aztecs and their treasure in the SW. The Pueblo people have skewed their cosmology to include Montezuma (or simply replaced an old figure with a new one) but the Spanish fail to recognize that the Pueblo people don't speak of a REAL Montezuma, THE Montezuma...but interpret as such. This gives rise to things like "Montezuma's Castle." Place names are adopted from the cosmology of the local peoples but are attributed in the mind of the Spaniards to honest to goodness living breathing people and proceed to spread tales that mix with other tales of fantastic mines, golden cities, etc. Now you have a cultural, historical and folk-lore menudo that endures for centuries and vastly impacts the "flavor" of the region for the next 600 years.

I think this is the crux...any one of these things would make untangling the mystery of Montezuma's treasure a nightmare...put them all together and you have the breeding ground for confusion and uncertainty and feeds on and replicates itself from that point on without end...now further obscured by the Internet and the faded trail of reality stretching back for centuries.

Thoughts? Would love to hear what you all have to say even though this is a new reply to a very old topic...

Oro, Joe, Springfield...I invite your and everyone else's replies and thoughts...

 

[Oroblanco]

Great post Randy - well thought out arguments.

Like most of these lost treasure stories, there is a basis in fact. The Spaniards demanded, and collected, a vast booty (ransom) for holding Montezuma hostage, and when forced to flee Tenochtitlan, they attempted to carry away as much as they could, and lost most (almost all, but one account) in trying to cross the many bridges. However they had not been able to carry it all, and when the capital was re-conquered over a year later, the booty had vanished. The skeptics best explanation is that all of the treasure was thrown into the lake. As far as I know no one has ever found any of the treasure thus "thrown" or what was lost during the nochte del tristans retreat.

The legends of a vast treasure being spirited away, to various locations don't <doesn't?> seem to hold up to scrutiny. The trouble is, if this happened, the Spanish were not informed about it while it was happening so could not have documented it, and the Aztecs themselves did not either. However I suspect that there is something to the legend of Montezuma's Head, which of course could be a fairy tale, yet if it is based on a real event, it is a very good fit for the treasure of the Aztecs and a great hiding place. The trouble is that the early Spanish explorers into Arizona practically planted the ideas of Montezuma and Aztecs in the mouths of the local Indians, so raising doubts about the story. Hence there are quite a few places in Arizona named for Montezuma and the Aztecs, with little or no justification other than the ruins appear to have been the work of people far more civilized than the half-wild tribes contacted by the Spanish.

On the other hand, perhaps it is not fair nor accurate to totally dismiss the idea that the Aztecs had some kind of friendly relationship with the Indians of Arizona and/or northern Sonora? The Hohokam certainly had some features of their civilization which resemble the achievements of the Aztecs, like having rather massive irrigation systems, solar calenders, and most intriguingly, ball courts of the same sort as found in the Aztec, and Mayan civilized states. Even the rubber ball used, is similar, though as far as I know only one has ever been found in Arizona. How was it that the Hohokam were playing a ball game not far different from that played by the Aztecs or Mayans? There are other bits of evidence that some kind of contact was taking place too, perhaps trade, in the form of beads, feathers, shells, turquoise.

I have to respectfully disagree on the one issue, the various stories of a lost mine with an iron door, but will explain. I think the reason there are several such stories, is that this might not have been an uncommon practice, to seal up a mine with an iron door. It would be an effective way of keeping un-invited "guests" from sneaking in and high-grading ore, always a problem with precious metal mines but especially so with very rich deposits. So they could be talking about different mines, just that it was a good way to seal up the mine by installing a stout iron door, or as in the one case, a copper door. (which may be a bronze door - won't know until someone finds it) This is just my own opinion on the iron doors, can not prove or disprove it.

Anyway thank you for the well thought out post, please do continue!
Oroblanco

 

[Springfield]

... imagine how tricky it is to parse out the details of something that by nature was meant to be hidden and stay that way, coupled with the fact that the Aztecs had over a year to plan and execute the removal, movement, and deposit of these things.

The arguments begin with the assumption that large quantities of gold, jewels, etc. were removed to a secure location to put them out of reach of returning Spanish conquerors. However, the Mexica didn't know when the bad guys were returning, nor, apparently, did they have more than a limited trade connection into today's American Southwest. Occam's razor dictates the simplest solution generally prevails. To me, that means the goods were most likely hidden somewhere closer rather than farther away from Tenochtitlan. I would speculate the goods were secreted quickly and within, say, 50 or 100 miles away, in a place they were already familiar with.

1.) Historical/Cultural/Folklore Diffusion: If people move from one place to another, even temporarily, what they bring in terms of history, culture, and beleif affect those around them (and they are, likely impacted by their new environment as well). It's not hard to imagine that if oral history is the primary means of conveying things, that through multiple retellings, audiences, etc. that the story shifts over time, particularly as it is passed from one mouth to another. What was someone else's history, slowly evolves into ours. Think of it like this, a man is in a bar telling a story about a mine. This man is from Texas, but he's in Arizona. People around him overhear this story, his audience hears it. Now you have multiple parties, both intended and unintended telling that story to other parties later. Things get lost in "the translation," details get skewed, and pretty soon a Texas story is told and heard by others forth, fifth, sixth hand as an Arizona story. I'm quite sure this is precisely why 15 states in the SW all have "Lost Iron Door Mine" stories (among others). The problem is, this sort of diffusion can be speculated, but never proven...though common sense and most of our personal experiences can support the likelihood of just such an event.

Makes sense, but I don't remember reading Ameridian tales relating to a quite large army of Mexica trekking through their parts of northern Mexico or the American Southwest. The same people told stories of much smaller Spanish expeditions a scant 20 years later - why not about the treasure train?

Concerning any Mexican rumors - if the Mexica were questioned by the returning Spaniards about the whereabouts of the gold, I suspect they might have pointed north and said, 'Thataway, boss'. The Ameridians used that trick to send Coronado all the way to Wichita in 1542.

2.) Logistics: From a very practical standpoint, let's assume the treasure is real, let's assume 2000 men really did bring the Aztec treasury North to wherever. I for one believe it. But even from a purely logical stand-point (and abandoning the logic of what I just said about 2000 men traveling 800 miles with tons of gold), think of very practical matters. People die. They die of thirst, they die of exhaustion, they die of heat stroke, they die of accidents, they die of snake bites, they die in a variety of ways on a difficult and burdensome journey. The first few aren't a biggie...you redistribute their load over the remaining carriers. Eventually though, you reach an insurmountable situation and like it as not, some of what you are carrying must be abandoned for the sake of all who remain and the sake of their overall mission. When I hear of multiple cache sites, I absolutely embrace this idea...not because of the mythology of the Aztec, but simply because they are a slave to logistics. Apply the diffusion to this, because each time they make a deposit, they make a ripple effect in the local region as other tribes either witness their work, or are forced or asked to help, thus creating a whole string of legends throughout the SW until the treasure (what's left of it) reaches it's final destination.

Not only did they die here and there, but 2000 hard working porters had to eat, drink and sleep along the way. The Mexica typically stole whatever supplies they needed along the way as they conquered tribes all over Mexico. I imagine they'd follow the same MO moving north toting the gold. Imagine all the bearers, support people, animals, supplies, etc. necessary for an expedition this size. Where are the widespread local tribal traditions that describe all this and support the legend?

3.) Totally unrelated aspects that vastly impact the outcome: Word of the Spanish occupation spread from tribe to tribe moving Northward. By the time the Spaniards really gained a foothold in the Spanish SW, Montezuma was well known not as the leader of the Aztec people, rather he was known by Pueblo tribes who had worked the IDEA of Montezuma into their cosmology. That's a well referenced point that I believe, more than anything else, has contributed to the confusion surrounding the impact of the Aztecs and their treasure in the SW. The Pueblo people have skewed their cosmology to include Montezuma (or simply replaced an old figure with a new one) ...

Try telling that one to the Taos community in particular, and a number of other Pueblo traditionalists in the Rio Grande basin. In fact, I had a conversation about exactly the same topic with a native anthropologist at Taos Pueblo this past summer. The 'North American Montezuma' (don't know if the original name is identical to the Mexicas' or not - may be different) was/still is revered there. Their traditions describe their Montezuma as having been descended from white people who came to the Southwest from the east and moved south to Mexico long before the time of the Spanish Conquest. That's what the Taos woman told me and I have no reason to think she doesn't have a good reason to believe it.
(Off topic: she also was of the opinion that the Mexica migrated to Mexico from Cahokia in the Mississippi Valley, through Chaco Canyon, then on south.)

I think this is the crux...any one of these things would make untangling the mystery of Montezuma's treasure a nightmare...put them all together and you have the breeding ground for confusion and uncertainty and feeds on and replicates itself from that point on without end...now further obscured by the Internet and the faded trail of reality stretching back for centuries...

I'd love to believe the vanquished Mexica army carried tons of gold to a secret hiding place in Chicomoztoc, their ancient homeland. However, I haven't seen any definitive mention of the feat anywhere except in treasure hunting lore, and an operation that large ought to have left evidence in its wake. It seems likely to me that the gold was hidden in central Mexico.

That said, the original source of all this gold seems as yet to be unspecified. I'm more interested in the idea that the gold mine(s) that supplied the Mexica may exist in North America.

 

[gollum]

Spring,

I have to disagree with your assertion that the Aztec didn't know when the Spanish would return. On the "Noche Triste" in 1520, Cortez and his men retreated to Tlascalla, which is only about 30-40 miles from Tenochtitlan (as the crow flies). They stayed there with their loyal allies (the Tlascallans), until they regrouped and went back after Cuautemoczin. The entire time they were there, they were watched by Aztecs and their allies. So, while the Spanish were blind as to the actions of the Aztecs, the Aztecs knew hour to hour what the Spanish were up to.

The more tribes that were treated cruelly by the Spanish, began believing less and less in the Godliness of Cortez. When they stopped believing that, they turned on the Spanish, kidnapped some of their men and horribly tortured and killed them.

Randy,

Great post, but what happened to Motecusuma (per Bernal Castillo) was nothing fuzzy nor misunderstood. Every time the Spanish or Motecusuma (imprisoned) would tell the people of Tenochtitlan something, they would go to the priests, who would then pray to the War God Huitzilopochtli. On the occasion of Motecusuma acting on behalf of the Spanish asking the Aztecs to cease the fight, his loving (really) subjects restarted the attack. The arrows and rocks started to fly, and Motecusuma got hit by one arrow and three sling stones.

In the end, however, Motecusuma was prevailed upon to accompany them. Under cover of a strong division of our troops he advanced to the battlements of our quarters, and began to address the Mexicans in the most affectionate manner, desiring them to put a stop to their hostilities, for the teules were going to leave the city. The instant the Mexican generals recognized their king they ordered their men to cease firing. Four of them advanced to a spot where they could easily discourse with the monarch; and thus, with tears in their eyes, they addressed him: "Alas! great king, your own misfortune, and that of your children and your relatives, afflicts us sorely. But we dare not hide from you that we have raised one of your cousins to the throne of this country."
Here they named the new monarch. It was the king of Iztapalapan, Cuitlahuatzin, and not Quauhtemoctzin, for he did not ascend the throne until two months after. "They were forced," continued they, "to prosecute the war, for they had promised their gods to do so, and had sworn to them not to desist until every one of the teules was killed. They had daily in vain prayed to their gods Huitzilopochtli and Tetzcatlipuca to deliver him out of the enemy's power, and they would hold him in greater veneration than before; and they hoped he would pardon their present conduct."
Several of our men had covered Motecusuma with their shields while he was addressing the enemy; but as the attack was now momentarily suspended, they were not so very particular in shielding his person. Unfortunately, the hostilities immediately again commenced, and before it could be prevented he was struck by an arrow, and three stones from a sling, by which he was wounded in the arm, leg, and in his head; so that the unhappy monarch was forced to be carried back to his apartment. We were immediately going to bandage up his wounds, and begged of him to take something strengthening; but he refused everything, and, contrary to all expectation, we soon heard that he had expired. Cortes, his officers, and all of us, shed tears for this unfortunate monarch; indeed many of our men, who had been in constant attendance on him, mourned for him as if they had lost a parent. Even father Olmedo himself, who never for a moment left his side, and who, notwithstanding all his efforts, had not been able to convert him to Christianity, could not refrain from shedding tears. And no one will feel surprised at this who knew what a very kind-hearted person Motecusuma was.
He was said to have reigned seventeen years up to the day of his death. Mexico never had a better monarch; and, with regard to his personal courage, he had fought three several duels respecting some disputed territory, and had each time come off victorious.

There you have it. The death of Moctezuma/Motecusuma by an eye witness; Bernal Diaz del Castillo.

Mike

 

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