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because while they were fighting they shouted "Get out!" at them. Others said it was to liberate
Moctezuma, for they fought saying, "Free our god and King if you don't want to die!" Still others said it was to steal the gold, silver, and jewels that the Spaniards had, because they heard the Indians say, "Here you shall leave the gold that you have taken!" Again, some said it was to keep the Tlaxcalans and other mortal enemies out of the Aztec lands. Finally, many believed that taking their idols as gods, they had given themselves to the devil.
63:
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rebellion, which they later carried out; others, believe that went to watch them perform this famous and praised dance, and seeing how rich they were and wanting the gold the
Indians were wearing, he covered each of the entrances with ten or twelve Spaniards and went inside with more than fifty , and without remorse and lacking any Christian piety, they brutally stabbed and killed the Indians, and took what they were wearing.
359:
with precious stones, pearls, necklaces, belts, bracelets, many jewels of gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl, wearing very rich feathers on their heads. They performed a dance called the mazeualiztli, which is called that because it is a holiday from work . . . . They laid mats in the patio of the temple and played drums on them. They danced in circles, holding hands, to the music of the singers, to which they responded.
388:, supplanting the still-captive Moctezuma. Cortes ordered Moctezuma to try and quell the Aztec rebellion so that the Spaniards might safely depart the city. The strategy backfired badly, and in the ensuing mayhem Moctezuma was killed and Cortes instead resorted to an attempt to stealthily depart under cover of darkness and a rainstorm, but they were detected and what followed became known as
365:
danced in the temples, they perform very different from those who danced the netoteliztli, in voice, movement of the body, head, arms, and feet, by which they manifested their concepts of good and evil. The
Spaniards called this dance, an areito, a word they brought from the islands of Cuba and Santo Domingo.
245:
The
Spanish version of the incident contains several differing possible motives, while the Aztec version says the Spaniards were enticed into action by the gold the Aztecs were wearing, prompting an Aztec rebellion against the orders of Moctezuma. While differing so on Alvarado's specific motive, all
364:
The songs were sacred, and not profane, and were sung to praise the god honored in the festival, to induce him to provide water and grain, health, and victory, or to thank him for healthy children and other things. And those who knew the language and these ceremonial rites said that when the people
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Any of these things would have been enough to cause the rebellion, not to mention all of them together. But the principal one was that a few days after Cortes left to confront Narváez, it became time for a festival the
Mexicas wanted to celebrate in their traditional way. . . . They begged Pedro de
346:
Cortes wanted to entirely understand the cause of the
Indians' rebellion. He interrogated them altogether. Some said it was caused by the message sent by Narváez, others because the people wanted to toss the Spaniards out of the Aztec city , which had been planned as soon as the ships had arrived,
370:
While the Mexica gentlemen were dancing in the temple yard of
Vitcilopuchtli , Pedro de Alvarado went there. Whether on his own opinion or in an agreement decided by everyone, I don't know, but some say he had been warned that the Indian nobles of the city had assembled to plot the mutiny and the
323:
Then a roar was heard, screams, people wailed, as they beat their palms against their lips. Quickly the captains assembled, as if planned in advance, and carried their spears and shields. Then the battle began. attacked them with arrows and even javelins, including small javelins used for hunting
301:
Some tried to escape, but the
Spaniards murdered them at the gates while they laughed. Others climbed the walls, but they could not save themselves. Others entered the communal house, where they were safe for a while. Others lay down among the victims and pretended to be dead. But if they stood up
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More than 600 gentlemen and several lords gathered in the yard of the largest temple; some said there were more than a thousand there. They made a lot of noise with their drums, shells, bugles, and hendidos, which sounded like a loud whistle. Preparing their festival, they were naked, but covered
295:
They struck others in the shoulders and tore their arms from their bodies. They struck some in the thighs and some in the calves. They slashed others in the abdomen and their entrails fell to the earth. There were some who even ran in vain, but their bowels spilled as they ran; they seemed to get
249:
The Aztecs were already antagonistic towards the
Spaniards for being inside their city and for holding Moctezuma under house arrest. When Cortés and his men, including those who had come under Narváez, returned, the Aztecs began full-scale hostilities against the Spaniards. The Spaniards had no
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Once they had done this, they entered the Sacred Patio to kill people. They came on foot, carrying swords and wooden and metal shields. Immediately, they surrounded those who danced, then rushed to the place where the drums were played. They attacked the man who was drumming and cut off both his
271:
At this time, when everyone was enjoying the celebration, when everyone was already dancing, when everyone was already singing, when song was linked to song and the songs roared like waves, in that precise moment the
Spaniards determined to kill people. They came into the patio, armed for
289:
At that moment, they then attacked all the people, stabbing them, spearing them, wounding them with their swords. They struck some from behind, who fell instantly to the ground with their entrails hanging out . They cut off the heads of some and smashed the heads of others into little
277:
They came to close the exits, the steps, the entrances : The Gate of the Eagle in the smallest palace, The Gate of the Canestalk and the Gate of the Snake of Mirrors. And when they had closed them, no one could get out
317:
When outside , shouting began, "Captains, Mexicas, come here quickly! Come here with all arms, spears, and shields! Our captains have been murdered! Our warriors have been slain! Oh Mexica captains, have been
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Alvarado to give them his permission, so wouldn't think that they planned to kill them. Alvarado consented provided that there were no sacrifices, no people killed, and no one had weapons.
805:
521:
242:, one of their main gods.) After the festivities had started, Alvarado interrupted the celebration, killing all the warriors and noblemen who were celebrating inside the Great Temple.
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Here it is told how the Spaniards killed, they murdered the Aztecs who were celebrating the Fiesta of Huitzilopochtli in the place they called The Patio of the Gods
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And the Spaniards walked everywhere, searching the communal houses to kill those who were hiding. They ran everywhere, they searched every place.
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The blood of the warriors ran like water as they ran, forming pools, which widened, as the smell of blood and entrails fouled the air.
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accounts agree that the Aztecs were mostly unarmed and that the massacre occurred without warning or direct provocation.
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birds. They furiously hurled their javelins . It was as if a layer of yellow canes spread over the Spaniards. –
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with orders to arrest him – and Cortés was forced to leave the city to fight them. During his absence,
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214:, in which the celebration of the Feast of Toxcatl ended in a massacre of Aztec elites. While
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425:(in Spanish). MĂ©xico, D.F: Instituto Nacional de AntropologĂa e Historia. pp. 48, 108.
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642:. Translated by Pagden, Anthony (rev. ed.). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
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389:
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163:
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27:
1520 killing of unarmed Aztec elites by Spaniards during the conquest of the Aztec Empire
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their feet entangled with their own entrails. Eager to flee, they found nowhere to go.
784:
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choice but to retreat from the city, which they did on what is called the Sad Night (
707:"War Breaks Out Between Spaniards and Mexicas / LĂłpez de GĂłmara on Mexica Rebellion"
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594:[Conquest of Mexico] (in Spanish). Barcelona: Biblioteca Clásica Española.
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Cortes returned to the city in late June, by which time the Aztecs had elected
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was in Tenochtitlan, he heard about other Spaniards arriving on the coast –
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732:"Teaching and Learning: Conquest of Mexico: Guide to Digitized Sources"
235:
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arms. Then they cut off his head that it flew off, falling far away.
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The Broken Spears : the Aztec account of the conquest of Mexico
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Photographs of the mural depicting the massacre, installed at the
61:
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469:(522). México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: 40–43.
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755:"1922–1923 The Massacre in the Main Temple—Jean Charlot"
519:
See also the book's article under the original title,
522:
Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España
456:"Doña Isabel Moctezuma, Tecuichpotzin (1509- 1551)"
66:
Painting depicting the Massacre in the Great Temple
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806:Massacres in religious buildings and structures
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8:
619:. Translated by Fitch, Nancy. Archived from
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78:
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302:again they would see them and kill them.
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334:The Spaniards' account of the incident
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202:, was an event on 22 May 1520, in the
676:]. Barcelona: Linkgua Ediciones.
613:"LĂłpez de GĂłmara on Mexica Rebellion"
610:English version of quoted passage at
423:El Calendario Mexica y la CronografĂa
7:
831:Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
212:Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
103:Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
590:LĂłpez de GĂłmara, Francisco (1887).
463:Revista de la Universidad de MĂ©xico
262:This is part of the Aztec account:
777:painted, and preparatory sketches.
25:
258:An Aztec account of the incident
238:(an Aztec festivity in honor of
454:MartĂnez, Rodrigo (July 1994).
727:and translated by Nancy Fitch.
699:Historia general de las Indias
670:Historia general de las Indias
1:
771:Escuela Nacional Preparatoria
674:General history of the Indies
574:See also the book's article,
826:Massacres committed by Spain
234:for permission to celebrate
196:Massacre in the Great Temple
18:Massacre in the Great Temple
759:The Jean Charlot Foundation
847:
666:Lopez de GĂłmara, Francisco
493:The Conquest of New Spain
489:DĂaz del Castillo, Bernal
340:Francisco LĂłpez de GĂłmara
111:
638:Cortés, Hernán (2001) .
327:VisiĂłn de los Vencidos
230:asked deputy governor
67:
796:History of the Aztecs
773:, MĂ©xico, D.F., that
725:Bernardino de SahagĂşn
617:faculty.fullerton.edu
592:"Conquista de MĂ©jico"
536:LeĂłn Portilla, Miguel
421:Tena, Rafael (2008).
158:Tenochtitlan Massacre
65:
404:allies were killed.
394:The Night of Sorrows
152:Narvaez's Expedition
801:Massacres in Mexico
640:Letters from Mexico
499:New York: Penguin.
44: /
338:Spanish Historian
220:Pánfilo de Narváez
198:, also called the
68:
48:19.435°N 99.1314°W
821:Massacres in 1520
723:, compiled by Fr
577:The Broken Spears
232:Pedro de Alvarado
200:Alvarado Massacre
191:
190:
16:(Redirected from
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768:
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743:
738:. Archived from
721:Florentine Codex
719:Excerpts of the
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748:External links
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742:on 2009-11-08.
736:historians.org
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717:on 2004-12-15.
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762:. Retrieved
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621:the original
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240:Tezcatlipoca
208:Tenochtitlan
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184: (1521)
182:Tenochtitlan
178: (1521)
172: (1520)
166: (1520)
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142: (1519)
136: (1519)
130: (1519)
124: (1519)
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550:. pp.
210:during the
51: /
785:Categories
764:2021-11-04
711:theaha.org
605:2019-10-21
570:1089570047
546:. Boston:
408:References
402:Tlaxcaltec
400:and their
382:Cuitláhuac
39:99°07′53″W
36:19°26′06″N
696:See also
692:520793730
668:(2008) .
658:173817554
600:870465309
538:(1992) .
515:793359852
491:(2003) .
475:225987442
441:704511699
376:Aftermath
278:anywhere.
228:Moctezuma
116:Potonchan
386:Tlatoani
206:capital
134:Tlaxcala
128:Cempoala
290:pieces.
272:battle.
236:Toxcatl
140:Cholula
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170:Otumba
146:Nautla
122:Centla
672:[
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459:(PDF)
204:Aztec
688:OCLC
678:ISBN
654:OCLC
644:ISBN
596:OCLC
566:OCLC
556:ISBN
511:OCLC
501:ISBN
471:OCLC
437:OCLC
427:ISBN
224:Cuba
392:or
384:as
194:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
