tangible form; for this they had risked life, and had acquired for him wealth and immortality. A demand was made for an exhibition before royal officials of the booty captured by the troops during the pillage, and the captives were ordered to reveal and surrender whatever treasures they knew of. But those who had secured valuable articles were by no means prepared to give them up, particularly since the leaders were justly suspected of wrongful appropriation. The brigantine crews were supposed to have had the best chance of securing spoils. Of course they denied the insinuations made, and sought to divert the outcry in another direction. The allies were the culprits, who with their immense numbers and knowledge of language and locality had penetrated into every corner and carried off the great prizes while the soldiers were fighting, leaving them the gleanings. There might still be large treasures which the Aztecs had hidden to spite their foes, as intimated more than once during the siege. When threatened, the captives revealed a certain amount, declaring that they possessed no more. As for the spoils lost during the retreat of the Spaniards, they had been swallowed by the lakes or scattered among the thousands of pursuers.[1]
When finally the royal officials gave their report, it appeared that the total gold collected from the captives and sacking parties, and smelted into bars, amounted to one hundred and thirty thousand castellanos. Besides this there were a number of pieces of too fine a workmanship to be broken up, and many jewels and pearls, besides feather-work and fabrics,[2] but
- ↑ Sahagun's native record describes the conference with the captives to have taken place on the day after the fall, in the quarter last captured. Cortés was seated in great state under a canopy, with the kings and princes on either side. Hist. Conq., 57-9. 'Huuo fama que lo (gold) mandó echar Guatemaz en la laguna quatro dias antes.' Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., 158. 'Diez dias,' corrects Herrera, dec. iii. lib. ii. cap. viii. According to Duran, it was cast into a deep sacred well, and never discovered, Hist. Ind., MS., ii. 513-14, the devil assisting to shield it, so that no Christian should enjoy the treasure. Peralta, Not. Hist., 118.
- ↑ Cortés, Cartas, 257-8. Oviedo, Gomara, and Herrera follow, and Fonseca
