The Romantic Story Of The Prince Of Tezcuco
About a hundred years before the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, there
reigned over the kingdom of Tezcuco, in the valley of Mexico, a monarch
whose history is as interesting and romantic as any that can be found in
the annals of Europe. His story was preserved by his descendants, and its
principal events are as follows:
FLOATING GARDENS ON THE CHENAMPAS.
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The city of Tezcuco, the capital of the Acolhuans, stood on the eastern
borders of the lake on whose opposite side was Mexico, the Aztec capital.
About the year 1418 the Acolhuans were attacked by a kindred race, the
Tepanecs, who, after a desperate struggle, captured their city, killed
their monarch, and subjugated their kingdom. The heir to the crown, the
young Prince Nezahualcoyotl, concealed himself in the foliage of a tree
when the triumphant foe broke into the palace, and from his hiding-place
saw his father killed before his eyes. This was the opening event in a
history as full of deeds of daring and perilous escapes as that of the
"Young Chevalier of English history."
The young prince did not long remain at liberty. Soon after his flight
from the city he fell into the hands of his foes, and was brought back and
thrown into a dungeon. This led to the first romantic incident in his
career. The governor of the fortress prison was an old servant of the
royal family of Tezcuco, and aided the little captive to escape in
disguise, taking his place in the dungeon. He paid for his loyalty with
his life, but he willingly gave it in exchange for the liberty of the heir
to the throne.
The royal boy had friends in the Mexican capital. He was, in fact, closely
related to the Aztec monarch, and through his good offices he was at
length permitted to reside in that city. Afterwards he was allowed to
return to Tezcuco, where for eight years he dwelt in privacy, studying
under the teachers of his early youth, and unheeded by the party in power.
Thus the boy grew to manhood, cherishing in his soul ardent hopes of
regaining the throne of his ancestors.
A change came when the Tepanec conqueror died and his son, Maxtla,
succeeded to the throne. The new king was of a suspicious disposition, and
when Nezahualcoyotl sought his capital to render him homage on his
accession, Maxtla treated with disdain the little gift of flowers which
the young prince laid at his feet, and turned his back on him in the
presence of his chieftains. Evidently the palace was no place of safety
for the Tezcucan prince, and, warned by a friend among the courtiers, he
hastened to withdraw from the court and seek a refuge in his native city
of Tezcuco. Here the tyrant dared not proceed openly against him. His
popular manners had won him many friends, and the ancient subjects of his
family looked upon him as a coming leader who might win back for them
their lost liberty. The prince had given evidence of the possession of
talent and energy, and Maxtla, fearful of his growing popularity, resolved
to make away with him by stratagem. He accordingly invited him to an
evening's entertainment, where he had assassins ready to murder him.
Fortunately, the tutor of the prince suspected the plot, and contrived to
replace the youth by a person who strongly resembled him, and who became
the victim of the fate intended for him.
Maxtla, baffled in his murderous stratagem, now resolved to kill him
openly, and sent a party of soldiers to the city, who were instructed to
enter the palace, seize the prince, and slay him on the spot. Again the
watchfulness of his old teacher saved him. Warned of his danger, and
advised to flee, the prince refused to do so, but boldly awaited the
assassins.
When they reached the palace in which he resided, they found him playing
at ball in the court-yard. He received them courteously, showing no
suspicion of their errand, and invited them in to take some refreshment
after their journey. While they were thus engaged, he strolled carelessly
into an adjoining saloon; but the doors being open and the soldiers able
to see through both apartments, his movements gave them no concern. It was
the custom, however, when any one entered the presence of a great lord,
for the servants to throw aromatics into a burning censer. This the
prince's attendants did, and such clouds of incense arose as to hide him
from the unsuspecting soldiers. Thus obscured, he entered a secret passage
which led to a large earthen pipe, formerly employed to bring water to the
palace. In this he concealed himself until nightfall, and then made his
way into the suburbs, where he found shelter in the house of one of his
father's former vassals.
Maxtla, enraged to find that his proposed victim had twice escaped him,
grew more determined on his death, and ordered immediate and thorough
pursuit, promising to reward whoever should take him, dead or alive, with
the hand of a noble lady and an ample domain. Troops of armed men scoured
the country in every direction, searching all suspected places, and some
of them entered the cottage in which he had taken refuge. Here there was a
heap of the maguey fibres used in the manufacture of cloth, and hid
beneath this the fugitive escaped capture. But the chase soon grew so hot
that he left this place for the wooded hill country between his state and
the neighboring one of Tlascala, hoping to find safety in its thickets and
caverns.
The royal fugitive now led a wretched life, wandering from place to place,
exposed to all the inclemencies of the weather, remaining concealed by
day, and stealing out at night in search of food. His pursuers, eager to
win the enticing reward, kept up an active search, more than once coming
dangerously near to his retreat.
Very interesting stories are told of his adventures in this period of
peril. The high rewards offered did not suffice to wean from him the
attachment of the people, and more than once he owed his safety to their
loyalty. Some of them submitted to torture, and even to loss of life,
rather than betray his place of retreat to his enemies. Even many of the
soldiers were his friends, and once, when hotly pursued, he took refuge
among a small party of these, who were dancing around a large drum. To
conceal him from his enemies they placed him in the drum and continued
their dance around it.
At another time the pursuers were so close to him that he just succeeded
in turning the crest of a hill when they began to climb it on the other
side. Here he fortunately found a girl who was reaping chia, a plant
whose seeds were used in making palatable drinks. Telling her who he was
and of his great danger, he got her to cover him up with a heap of the
plants she had cut, and when the pursuers came up and asked if she had
seen him, the faithful girl coolly replied that she had, and pointed out a
path which she said he had taken.
None of the natives showed any inclination to betray him, despite the
richness of the promised rewards.
"Would you not deliver up the prince if he came in your way?" he asked of
a peasant who did not recognize him.
"Not I," was the reply.
"What! not for a fair lady's hand, and a rich domain as dowry?"
The peasant shook his head decisively and laughed in disdain.
But, in spite of the loyalty of the people, the prince was in constant
danger, and his situation, in the rough fastnesses of the hills and
forests, became very distressing.
"Leave me," he said to the faithful few who kept with him in his
wanderings and shared his sufferings. "Leave me to my fate. Why should you
throw away your lives for one whom fortune steadily persecutes?"
But they clung to his fortunes still, despite their danger and the fact
that most of the great nobles of the land had sought safety and reward by
an adhesion to the usurper.
Meanwhile, events were working in favor of the fugitive. Maxtla had shown
himself an oppressor, and his ambition and military successes had caused
much alarm in the surrounding states, where his tyranny was contrasted
with the mild rule of the former monarchs of Tezcuco. The friends of the
young prince took advantage of this feeling, and succeeded in forming a
coalition against his enemy. A day was fixed for a general rising, and on
the date appointed Nezahualcoyotl found himself at the head of an army
strong enough to face that of Maxtla and the Tepanecs.
The two armies soon met and victory rested on the banner of the young
prince, the forces of Maxtla being badly beaten. No longer a hunted
fugitive, but at the head of a victorious army, he marched in triumph to
the capital which he had left with a price on his head, his joyful
subjects crowding to the route of march to render homage to their rightful
sovereign. The Mexicans, who were angry at the tyrannic conduct of Maxtla,
readily allied themselves with the young victor, and a series of bloody
battles followed, the usurper being at length defeated under the walls of
his own capital. He was dragged from the baths, to which he had fled for
concealment, and sacrificed to the cruel gods of the Aztecs; his royal
city was razed to the ground, and its site was reserved as the great
slave-market of the surrounding nations.
Thus it was that Nezahualcoyotl came to the throne of his ancestors, where
he was to prove himself the greatest monarch of whom we have any record in
the American annals. The story of his reign is far too full of detail for
the space we can give to it, but is of such interest that we may venture
on a concise account of it, as an example of the career of the most
illustrious of the ancient American sovereigns.
The first thing the new monarch did was to proclaim a general amnesty. He
not only pardoned the rebel nobles, but raised some of them to posts of
honor and confidence. This was not only politic but just, since their
offences were mainly due to fear of the usurper. Under the circumstances
he could safely treat them with magnanimity.
He next remodelled the government of the kingdom, and framed a code of
laws which seemed so wise that it was adopted by his allies, the Aztecs
and Tlacopans. Councils of war, of finance, and of justice were
established, and also a council of state, whose members acted as the
immediate advisers of the king, and aided him in the despatch of business.
But the most remarkable of these new departments was the "council of
music," which was devoted to the encouragement of science and art, and
served as a general board of education for the country. Historical
compositions and poems were recited before it, and altogether it indicated
a degree of civilization which we would scarcely look for in any part of
ancient America. Its historians, orators, and poets became celebrated
throughout the country, the allied monarchs presided over its
deliberations, and among its chief bards was the king himself, who entered
into impartial competition with his subjects for the prizes given for the
best poems. Many of his odes were long preserved, and may perhaps still
rest in the dusty archives of Mexico or Spain.
The far-seeing monarch did not content himself with writing poetry, or
encouraging historians,--who wrote subject to the penalty that any one who
wilfully lied should be punished with death,--but he sought to develop all
the arts. Agriculture was greatly encouraged, the population rapidly
increased, new towns and cities sprang up, and the borders of the nation
were extended by successful wars. He made his capital the most stately
city of the land. Special edifices were built for his nobles, whom he
wished to reside at the court. There were more than four hundred of these
palatial mansions, but far exceeding them in magnificence was the grand
palace he built for himself. This covered a space of three thousand seven
hundred feet in length and nearly three thousand feet in width. A wall
surrounded it, enclosing an outer court which formed the great
market-place of the city, and an inner one surrounded by the council
chambers and halls of justice. There were apartments for ambassadors from
other states, and a spacious saloon in which the poets and men of science
met to study and converse. Here also were kept the public archives.
The royal apartments adjoined this inner court, and rivalled in beauty
those of Oriental lands. Alabaster or stucco of rich tints covered some of
the walls, while others were hung with tapestries of the gorgeous Indian
feather-work. Long arcades and winding pathways bordered with verdure led
to gardens where were baths and sparkling fountains shadowed by lofty
trees. Fish of various kinds stocked the basins, and in rich aviaries were
birds of glowing tropical plumage. Many birds and animals were reproduced
in gold and silver with wonderful fidelity to nature. In the inner
apartments dwelt the wives and children of the monarch, who were as
numerous as those of an Eastern sultan. Such was the famous palace, in
which were three hundred apartments, some of them fifty yards square. It
is said that two hundred thousand workmen were employed in building it. In
this splendid residence dwelt a monarch who in his youthful days had been
glad to share with wild animals a shelter in the thickets and caverns of
the mountains.
Nezahualcoyotl did not confine his love for magnificence to this palatial
residence. Beautiful villas were built in various picturesque localities
and adorned with all the requisites of pleasure and comfort. His favorite
retreat from the cares of office was built on a rounded hill about six
miles from the city. Here were terraced gardens reached by a stairway of
five hundred and twenty steps, many of them hewn in the native rock. In
the summit garden was a reservoir kept filled with water by an aqueduct
carried on masonry buttresses for several miles over hill and valley. In
its centre was a large rock, on which were carved in hieroglyphics the
principal events of each year of the king's reign.
Lower down were other reservoirs, adorned with statuary, and yielding
water to channels that ran through the gardens or to cascades that tumbled
riotously over the rocks. Here were marble porticoes and pavilions, and
baths cut in the solid rock, which the natives still show to visitors
under the title of the "Baths of Montezuma." Near the base of the hill,
amid lofty groves of cedar, rose the royal villa, with its light arcades
and airy halls, affording a delightful relief to the monarch from the
duties of the court. Relics of this villa and garden still remain to
attest their former beauty, and indicate that this Indian king lived in a
magnificence resembling that of the far-famed court of the caliph
Haroun-al-Raschid.
He was like the celebrated caliph of the "Arabian Nights" in another way,
for it was his custom to wander about the streets, conversing with the
humblest of his people and learning their condition and needs from their
own words. Many anecdotes are told of this kind, in which it was his
delight to reward merit and relieve distress. Some of these may be read
with interest.
On one occasion he met a boy who was gathering sticks in a field for fuel,
and asked him why he did not go into the neighboring forest, where he
would find plenty of them.
"I dare not do that," said the boy. "It's the king's wood, and he would
punish me with death if I took sticks from there."
"What kind of man is your king?"
"He is a very hard man," answered the boy, "for he takes from his people
what God has given them."
The boy was right; the forest laws in Tezcuco were as severe as those of
Norman England. The king advised the boy not to heed such cruel laws but
to help himself in the forest, for there was no one who would betray him.
But the lad sturdily refused, and told his tempter that he was a traitor
who wished to bring him into trouble.
The next day the boy and his parents were sent for to come to the palace.
They obeyed with wonder and dread, and the boy was filled with terror on
seeing the king and recognizing him as the man with whom he had talked so
freely. But the good-natured monarch bade him not to fear, and thanked him
for the lesson he had given his king, praising his respect for the laws
and commending his parents for bringing up their son so wisely. He
dismissed them with liberal presents, and afterwards gave orders that any
one might gather fallen wood in the forest, if they did not interfere with
the standing timber.
Another adventure was with a poor woodman and his wife. The man, as he
stood in the marketplace with his little store, complained bitterly of his
lot, as compared with that of those who lived idly amid luxuries in the
palace. The wife bade him be careful, as he might be overheard in his
complaints. The king, looking down on the market from a latticed window,
and amusing himself with the chatter of the market people, heard the words
of the couple, and ordered them to be brought into his presence.
He asked the frightened pair what they had said, and was pleased to find
that they answered him truly. Then he bade them reflect that if he had
great wealth, he had great demands upon it; that he who had a nation to
govern could not lead an idle life; and told them "to be more cautious in
future, as walls had ears." He then dismissed them, after giving them a
quantity of cloth and a good supply of cacao,--the coin of the country.
"Go," he said; "with the little you now have, you will be rich; while,
with all my riches, I shall still be poor."
Of all the stories told of this famous monarch, there is only one not to
his credit, and of this we may speak in passing, as it bears a remarkable
resemblance to that told in the Bible of David and Uriah. He fell in love
with a beautiful maiden, who was betrothed to an old lord of his kingdom,
and to obtain her hand he bade the old man take command of a warlike
expedition against the Tlascalans. Two chiefs were bidden to keep near him
and bring him into the thick of the fight, that he might lose his life,
which the king said he had forfeited by a great crime. The old man
suspected what was meant, and said so in a farewell entertainment to his
friends. He was correct in his prophecy; like Uriah, he soon fell in
battle, and the royal lover's path was clear.
The king now secretly offered his hand and heart to the maiden, who was by
no means inconsolable for the loss of her old lover, and willingly
accepted. To prevent any suspicion of what he had done, he had the maiden
brought to his villa to witness some ceremony there. Standing on a balcony
of the palace, the king pretended to be struck with her beauty, and asked,
"Who is the lovely young woman, yonder in the garden?" Some of those
present soon learned her name and rank, which was that of a princess of
the royal house of Mexico. She was asked to enter the palace and receive
the attention due to her station, and the king was not long in publicly
declaring his love. The marriage soon after took place, in the presence of
his brother monarchs of Mexico and Tlacopan, and with great pomp and
ceremony.
Such was the one blot in the history of this famous monarch. Aside from
this act of treachery, it is remarkable to find so great and high-minded a
monarch in the early annals of the nations of Mexico, and one whose
history is so full of romantic adventure.