Chapter 37
East Along the Southern Coast to the Coixca, 17-8 K
(W & S Mexico, From the Rio Ameca to the Rio Grande, 1385-6)
It was the perfect time of year to traverse this area. In the summer, it would have been both too hot and too wet. In the late spring, the rains began and continued through the late fall. But it was now winter, and although some of the rivers were still high, we were able to cross them with our pontoon bridge. The terrain was fairly open, mostly shrubs, rather than trees, except in the mountains where there were pine and fir trees. The people were few and widely scattered along the first part of the trek, generally along the river valleys. They offered no resistance, and many joined us willingly and guided us to their neighbors, unaware that we already had maps of the area. Eventually, we came to a fair-sized town in the hills called Cuautitlan. Unaware of our cannon, it thought itself invulnerable. It wasn’t. On a river not far from the coast, we encountered sizable town called Cihuatlan, which offered no resistance. It was large enough to warrant a governor and garrison. This required establishing a communication link back to Ihuatzio and, if possible, back up the coast to Jalisco where the Foxes were set up. It would require a yam network, but not a lot of men. I left this charge to the governor and took the Cihuatlan army along with me. I kept up a link with the garrison by setting up further yam stations as I went along.
At the ideal spot for the first such station, just some ninety li from Cihuatlan, was a town called Tzalahua. It was on the coast at the eastern end of a small bay. East of it was a long narrow lagoon separated from the shore by a long thin strip of land. The town exploited both the sea and the lagoon. It did not choose to resist us and readily accepted a governor (it was too large for a mere yam station) and a garrison. They did not have much of an army, but I took it with me anyway. The bay looked like it would make a good seaport, although this spot was not particularly convenient to any of the population centers. There were a few more towns inland, especially along a good-sized river farther east, but we met no further resistance, and I only left a governor and garrison at two of them, Coquimatlan, in the hills along the river, and Coahuayana, near the coast on another river. The rivers had been named for these two towns by the mappers.
The next major river also had a town on it for which it had been named. Oddly, the town, Coalcoman, was far inland, well into the hills. The mappers had decided to map some of the river valleys along the coast and had gone far up this one. It was a pleasant valley, dotted with smaller towns and villages, but the upper reaches of it were cooler and drier, much more comfortable. The head of the town remembered the mappers as being mere curiosities when they passed through; he never suspected that an army of conquest would follow in their wake. I tried to mollify him, assuring him it was more amalgamation than conquest, but he was no fool. The town had something of a real army, so I had to take them along and leave a governor and garrison. The leader was distressed at the small size of the garrison, but I pointed out that reinforcements could be sent for swiftly, if needed.
The rest of the way to the Mexcala River, the towns were too small to leave a governor and no resistance at all was encountered. This was fortunate, since it was spring by the time I arrived at the river and elements of the Snakes and Pigeons were already waiting for me on the far side. They had thrown a pontoon bridge across to speed me over the large river and were worried that they would have to remove it before I arrived if the rain continued swelling the river. An intermittent rain two days before had yielded to a steady downpour the day we arrived at the river, and I lost no time getting everyone across. The Ordu had set up camp about a day’s ride east of the river on the higher ground at a town called Xiutla, which they had already taken without a struggle. I could just imagine the look on the faces of the townsfolk when they found themselves surrounded by two tumen. Especially since the tumen were the tall, fierce Snakes and the deformed headed Pigeons. The Ordu had also taken the liberty of visiting all the towns and villages within a day’s ride and accepting their surrender. Since Xiutla was the most centrally located town in this area, I gave it a governor and a garrison. I made it a large garrison, about five hundred men, since they would have to keep an eye on several towns as well as keep open the lines of communication to both the west and the north along the Mexcala.
Khurumsi, the leader of the Snakes, and Mato Anahtaka, the leader of the Pigeons, told me that they had had to fight their way along much of the length of the Mexcala. They were guided to it by the Tlalhuica, who led them to one of its tributaries named for Alahuitzlan, a town on its upper reaches. It surrendered once surrounded, but the other towns along the river almost all had to be reduced. The larger towns were all independent of each other even though the people seemed to all speak the same language. It was an odd tongue called Chontal, but they had a Tlalhuica guide who spoke the language. There were more of them to the east of the Alahuitzlan River, but they would have to wait for another day. Once on the Mexcala, the resistance was even more desperate. The towns were again not organized into any sort of nation, and often they spoke completely different languages. It had been necessary to keep an irritating number of interpreters on staff, and after messages ran the gauntlet through them, one could only hope there was a resemblance imparted. They found out eventually that someone had told the locals that we tortured to death all those we captured. I detected the hand of Tezozomoc. Finally, as they drew close to the point where the Tecapaltepec River joined the Mexcala, resistance began to fade, since my forces had already passed nearby, and the locals knew the truth. The language babble only grew worse, however.
Khurumsi and Mato Anahtaka had heard that Juchi had met fierce resistance against the Mixteca (or Tya Nuu, as they called themselves). Their land was very mountainous, and progress against them had been quite slow. They had also heard that he was continuing his campaign during the winter. Otherwise, they were quite removed from any gossip from the Eagle Ordu, or at least, they didn’t share it with me. From the morale of their men, however, I was quite sure that all were either unaware of or unconcerned with Kuyuk’s intrigues.
We got moving eastward along the coast in a broad band. The Pigeons took the steamy coast, the Snakes the cooler highlands, and I took the alternately cool and steamy middle with the Deer and all the auxiliaries. None of the towns we encountered offered much resistance. The people lived in small low houses made of wood or mud with thatch roofs, and the leaders’ houses were only marginally more impressive, perhaps surrounded by a plastered fence and painted. This was odd because it was a rather well-off area. There was extensive agriculture and trade, some game in the hills, plentiful seafood from the ocean, and gold and copper mines. They should have been able to live better than they did.
The first organized resistance we encountered was when we crossed into what turned out to be a loose confederation of a people who spoke the same language. It was called Cuitlatec and was the virtually the same language spoken by the people the Pigeons and the Snakes had encountered when they first reached the Mexcala River. The Snakes reported that they were encountering a different people on their left (north). These other people were called the Tepuztec and offered no resistance and, in fact, eventually sent us a large contingent of auxiliaries. The Cuitlatec, however, withdrew their armies before us leaving us almost empty cities. The scouts reported that they had pulled back to the far side of a flooding river some thirty miles from their western “border” and fortified the far bank at a point some fifteen miles from the river’s mouth to contest our crossing. It seemed odd that they would only fortify one small part of the river, but it was on my general path, and the country was rather wild to the north, and the river rather wide to the south, so it made some sense. I told the Snakes to ford the river far upstream and move south to get behind them and cut off their retreat. Meanwhile, I moved right for their position with the other tumen. When we arrived the next day, we set up the artillery opposite them and at night laid down our pontoon bridge.
At first light, we shelled their positions with cannon and rockets, enabling our men to start across the bridge. The barrage caused the enemy to pull out of their positions and form ranks in battle lines just beyond the cannon range. I crossed over to look at them while the men brought the cannon over. They were armed with bows, slings, and clubs, wore the usual padded cotton armor, and carried shields. The Ordu fanned out to surround them on three sides and began firing arrows into them. They advanced in a line to their bowshot range, only to see us pull away again while firing into them. Their losses beginning to mount, they again withdrew, only to find us following after them and still firing into them. They tried to take cover, but the high arrow trajectories found them easily. At last, the Snakes came up on their rear. They rushed toward them trying to fight their way out, but they pulled back out of their range, and the rest of us moved after them. Desperately, they ran toward the Snakes, but the latter remained out of their reach, while pouring withering barrages of arrows into them. Meanwhile, we kept them boxed in and cut them down from the back and flanks. This continued until they were all down. We sent in the auxiliaries to finish off any of their wounded and recover our arrows. The dead were relieved of any valuables and burned as usual. There were very many of them. We suffered only a few wounded, and a couple of the auxiliaries drowned when they fell off the bridge. The scouts reported no other activity on our front, so I split the Ordu up again, and we continued our march east.
Not long after we resumed our march, the scouts reported the approach of a large contingent of Cuitlateca: women and servants bearing gifts, but no soldiers accompanied them. Smoking Mirror and I, along with a suitable escort, went forward to meet them. They were led by a group of perhaps twenty old men, simply clad in cotton mantles, followed by a larger, more diverse, highly ornamented group of men, a very large group of young women, and finally the heavily laden gift bearers. There were no soldiers, escort troops, guards, or even weapons in the group. We waited for them on a small rise, with my escort in battle line with bows ready, just in case. When the leading elements reached me, all of them stopped and fell to the ground. I spoke to them in Nahual, and one of the elders rose up to speak. It was a crude version of Nahual, but I could make it out.
“You speak a tongue similar to that of the Coixca. But they are in the northeast, and you come from the west. Also you look nothing like them. Who is it that has defeated us? Are you the scourge from the north we have been warned of?”
“We are Mongols. Some of us are from the north and others from the west. We are only a scourge to those who resist us. Those who do not, have nothing to fear.”
“You have destroyed our armies, and we are at your mercy. What are your demands? We are prepared to fulfill them and only beg you to spare as many of our people as your gods will allow you to spare.”
“Are you elders the leaders of your people or their spokesmen? You do not look like leaders.”
“We are the high priests of our gods. They told us to come before you in their name to plead for our people. The leaders are also here just behind us.”
“Your fate is in your own hands. If you surrender to us and offer no more resistance, you will live. I will appoint a governor, and he will reside along with his garrison in your principle city. You will obey all his orders without question. After a time, should you prove worthy, you will be allowed to join us as fellow Mongols and resume authority over yourselves. Any treachery at any time will be brutally punished. Meanwhile, for resisting us you will have to fill several wagons with gifts for the Khan and what’s left of your army will have to accompany me on the rest of my campaign. Otherwise, there will be no further requirement of you except food in time of famine elsewhere in the Khanate and warriors in time of war. The alternative would be that we would kill all of you and destroy your cities. What do you choose?”
“A most generous choice. I am certain we will accept, but must confer with the others. Would that be permitted?”
“Of course, but only for a short time.”
He quickly conferred with the other priests, and then they went and spoke to the leaders. Very soon, he returned to me praising my generosity and asking for the privilege of escorting our governor to the principle city. Meanwhile, he told me that the young women were for our troop’s “amusement” and the gifts were a personal tribute to me. I replied that as this was now our new territory, we would have to set up a communications system leading to the principle city, so we would all go in that direction, and they could certainly come with us. The young women were free to amuse or not amuse the troops as they wished, and I never accepted gifts for myself, but they could put their gifts in wagons as a start toward the necessary reparations to the Khan, although his taste ran heavily toward gold. That exchange and his subsequent translation got quite a few strange looks from the leaders. Some of the women departed, but most actually chose to stay and service the troops. I supposed they had all been slaves and had nothing better to which to return. The gifts were mostly textiles, feathers, ceramics with some stones, and worked gold and silver. It filled two wagons.
We started out the next day, somewhat slowed by the procession. I sent the Snakes to make sure all the Tepuzteca were of one mind about joining us. It turned out they were. I also had the Snakes set up a yam system through the Tepuzteca land to the north and the south from their centrally located city, Otatlan. I made sure the line connected with the main Cuitlatec town, Mexcaltepec. I insisted on moving along the coast to set up the yam network over the more open land there, before turning inland to the city that was well up in the highlands. Once the yam system was connected with the north and the governor and garrison were in place, I returned to the coast with the remnant Cuitlatec army in tow. The Cuitlatec towns were fairly large and surrounded with many villages. It was a heavily populated country. We continued along the coast to the east and a wild warlike people called the Yope. The Cuitlateca assured us that the Yope would fiercely resist us and we would do well to bypass them entirely. I decided to have the Snakes finish pacifying the south side of the Mexcala River with the help of Tepuztec auxiliaries, while I went after the Yope with the rest of the force. We crossed a river named for Coyuca, a Cuitlateca town at its mouth, and were soon in what was supposed to be Yope territory.
Actually, it proved to be a strange campaign. The territory was very mountainous and forested. Mostly steep ravines rather than valleys cut the mountains, although there was a major river valley in the middle of their country (the mapper had appropriately named it the Yope River). Only along the coast was the going easy, and even then the heavy rains reduced our speed considerably. The few towns we encountered resisted savagely, but futilely. The one large town, a seaside fishing town called Acapulco, was almost completely destroyed by our attack. I liked its location, however, and set up a strong garrison to protect our line of communications. The coastal area was really no problem to pacify, but the nature of the backcountry made it much more difficult to subdue. Still, I had men up to the task. I sent the Pigeons and the Deer inland to stamp out all resistance. Both tumen, more than adept at forest warfare, were easily the match for the Yope. There were casualties, of course, and heavier than I would have liked, but the task was completed by the end of the rainy season, in the fall. The remnants of the Yope submitted and eventually made good Mongols.
They were an odd people. They were far more primitive than any others we had encountered in the south were. They seemed to have little use for clothing, and only dressed after marriage and then just in deerskin or leaves. They did grow some crops, but mostly relied on hunting and stealing their neighbors’ food. Even so, they were not without resources. We found gold, silver, and copper as well as some precious stones and many animal pelts. Their main deity was the same miscreant Xipe Totec (they called it Totec Tlatlauhqui) we had encountered since we were among the Huaxteca. It seemed strange to me that a marginally agricultural people would revere a spring god. They clothed their idol and their priests in red (Tlatlauhqui meant “red”) and enacted the usual flaying rites in their worship. My hostility toward their cult no doubt stiffened their resistance, and we ended up killing all their priests, but I have no regrets. We were able to send Kuyuk quite a bit of “reparations,” and I was alerted to and confirmed the presence of iron ore. I marked it carefully on my map for future reference once the area had been fully pacified long enough that we could consider exploiting its resources.
Once we had passed through the Yope, things were very confusing in the south, along and near the coast. The people were not connected politically with each other, and they spoke a bewildering array of languages all mixed in among each other. Only in the north was there some unity of language, first the Tlapaneca (somehow related to Yope), then the Coixca (not unlike Nahual), if not purpose. It did not slow us down much, since there was only spotty resistance in this area. The people were far more agricultural than the Yope and had more to lose by resisting us. Those that did resist, did so vigorously, but most yielded even before we invested them. The land was less broken and wooded here, but it was so by design, for the people had cleared and leveled their fields, constantly expanding the area under cultivation. By early spring, we had pacified the whole area south of the Mexcala River and had encountered elements of Juchi’s forces both in the east and in the north.
I learned that Juchi was well to the east of me. Having laboriously fought his way through the Mixteca or Tya Nuu (Men of the Earth), he was now dealing with the Zapoteca or Ben Zah (Cloud People). Again, a stranger from Anahuac had stirred both up to desperate resistance, but the stranger had gone on to the east. Four more Tumen, the Kestrels, Wolves, Bears, and Panthers had joined Juchi for the Ben Zah campaign. He had sent the Hawks and Turtles back home, left the Falcons among the Tya Nuu, and sent the Pheasants to replace the Antelopes in Huexotzinco.
I decided to leave the Pigeons to watch the area south of the Mexcala while I took the others and the auxiliaries and cleared the area north of the river that had not yet been pacified. This time we moved west down the river valley. First, we dealt with the rest of the Coixca, and then I finally made the acquaintance of the Chontal, who had resisted the Snakes and the Pigeons on their march to meet me. These were a mixed lot. Some of their towns were distinct and organized, while others were scattered among ravines, and still others seemed to consist of caves and huts on hillsides. They cultivated extensively, getting good crops out of what looked like marginal land. Their language was very guttural, and I never did learn it. Fortunately, they did not resist us, since our treatment of Alahuitzlan had exposed the lie of Tezozomoc’s reports about us. By late spring, I had dismissed the auxiliaries, and leaving a small group of the Snakes behind to organize and train the Chontal and the Coixca, I went to visit Cuauhnahuac as I had promised almost three years earlier.
The valley of the Tlalhuica was, indeed, very pleasant, and Cuauhnahuac was its nicest spot. Nestled among ravines, it abounded in flowers, fruit, grain, and cotton. The climate was comfortable when I was there, and they assured me it was always so. I sent the Deer back home and sent the Snakes to replace the Beavers and the Wildcats in Anahuac. I ordered the latter home also. Meanwhile, my staff and I spent a most enjoyable few weeks in Cuauhnahuac. The leader of the town again tried to offer me one of his daughters, but I insisted that my particular “tribe” only took one wife, and I already had the one. He thought it was very impractical of me, especially since I had so drastically reduced the supply of young men during my campaigns. I told him that many Mongols did take more than one wife, so he needn’t worry about the population. One of Juchi’s cousins, Timugen, finally did marry one of the man’s daughters. He was thrilled with the union.
Kuyuk finally got another message to me. I was thinking that perhaps he had had enough and would order me home, but it was not to be. I was to go immediately to the eastern extreme of the Totonac lands and there meet the Dog, Marten, and Manati Tumen. They should be there by the fall, just as the rainy season ended. Three newly formed tumen, one from the Huaxteca (the Lizards), and two from the Totonaca (the Monkeys and the Vultures) would also be in position to join me for the campaign. I was to proceed to the east and take the large peninsula of the Maya as well as the land between. Juchi would be continuing along the southern coast, so we should meet up beyond the peninsula, where the land narrowed considerably. There would be guides waiting for me among the Totonaca.
It would be a long journey to the Totonac lands, and I felt I should look in on as many governors and allies as possible along the way to make sure none of those people I had left behind were in any danger. I reluctantly left Cuauhnahuac and went north into Anahuac to look in on the people there. Tenochtitlan was most central location, so I had the governors and local leaders meet me there. Acamapichtli was my host, and he showed me around the two islands wrested from the lake to form a thriving twin city. Many of the houses were made of dressed stone, and many of the people were well dressed and ornamented as befitted those who chose the winning side in a war. There was a network of canals across the islands greatly facilitating transportation. The society was stratified, but apparently only recently so. It seemed that Acamapichtli was the first official leader the Tenocha had, and he had spread himself liberally among the daughters of the clan leaders resulting in an upper-class of parasites claiming relationship to him and thus exalted status (he was widely believed to be of Toltec lineage, although his mother was a Mexica). It seemed absurd, but was none of my business. The city was thriving, and their only complaint was the need to get drinking water from a spring near the hill called Chapultepec, where we had routed the Tepaneca ambush. I suggested that they build an aqueduct, and they just happened to have plans for one at hand. I had a feeling these people would have to be carefully watched.
There were modest ceremonial centers on both islands. That on Tenochtitlan consisted of a large square facing a modest-sized pyramid at its eastern end topped with twin temples to their main gods, Tlaloc (the rain god) and Huitzilopochtli (the war god). Oddly, the war god’s name meant “Southern Huitzilin.” It was the Nahual name for a small iridescent bird with fast-beating wings that made a humming sound like a bee—not exactly a bird one would associate with war, although it was rather aggressive. On the pyramid platform front of Tlaloc’s temple was the painted statue of a man lying on his back with his knees flexed and his upper torso lifted off the ground. There was a type of receptacle (for the hearts of sacrificial victims) at his waist, and he faced outward from the temple. We had seen such figures before, and I was told that they were of Tolteca origin and were widely used, even in the Maya lands. In front of Huitzilopochtli’s temple was a slab of black volcanic rock about two feet high and a foot and a half wide set into the floor. It seemed that sacrificial victims were stretched back over the rock in order to facilitate relieving them of their hearts. I was gratified to note that the area was clean of blood. The actual temples were of carved and painted stone and wood, each decorated with symbols and figures associated with the gods they housed. Inside were idols representing each. Huitzilopochtli was represented as a warrior with a huitzilin helmet, eagle feather shield, and holding a blue spear thrower shaped like a snake. Tlaloc was represented as a sort of water monster, part man and part fish, with goggling eyes and fangs for teeth and holding a bag of seeds and a digging stick.
On the western side of the square across from this pyramid, there was another one under construction. Acamapichtli informed me that it was for a temple to honor Tengri, the Mongol god. I tried to explain that Tengri was an abstract god that was honored but not offered sacrifices and never represented. He said that they would simply put a temple without a roof and without an idol on the pyramid. He assured me that the temple would be painted blue, like the sky. He was really quite pleased with the idea and wondered if perhaps we would send some of our priests to make sure they were properly honoring Tengri. Again, I explained that there were no priests of Tengri, and there was no cult or ritual connected with his worship. He was honored with incense and asked for wisdom and health and nothing more. Of course, I had no intention of telling him about the ongons and the rest of the Mongol pantheon. Cult among the Mongols had always been up to the individual, and I rather liked the system. I emphasized to him that priests had no place among the Mongols, since they were mere parasites who did nothing and demanded much. If he wished to keep his priests employed, he could, but we had none of our own to send him. He seemed genuinely bewildered at this and said he would have to talk to his council about it.
Tlatelolco also had a main temple to Huitzilopochtli, but more significantly, they also had a huge market. This was the size of a small town all contained within a broad open space in front of the temple. Stalls and stands were arranged in rows with areas between them like streets so that the customers could stroll by. The whole was very tidy and organized. Like goods could be found in one area. Guards patrolled the “streets” to ensure no disturbance occurred and three judges at one end of the market settled any disputes immediately. Payment was in the form of barter, the chocolatl beans or little copper pieces shaped like celts. And the variety of goods available was astounding. One could buy any sort of textile as cloth or cut into any imaginable style of clothing and dyed a startling selection of colors. One could choose from a staggering array of pottery and ceramics. There were raw materials if one wished to make one’s own cloth or ceramics. Meat, fish, and eggs were available not only raw and dressed, but also cooked and even still alive, especially birds. There were hides of every animal found anywhere within a few months’ travel; feathers of all conceivable hues and textures, worked into banners or loose. Fruit, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and grain were also available, again either cooked or raw. Oils, salt, syrups, honey, and juices could be found. Tools, rope, weapons, nets, boats, furniture, planks, beams, sticks, firewood, charcoal, torches, incense, jewelry, gold, silver, stones, paper, inks, and paints were on sale. Even medicines, salves, nawak’osis, and services such as hair cutting and bathing could be secured. Also slaves could be bought and sold. I told Acamapichtli that slavery was not encouraged among the Mongols, since they could never be trusted.
“First you take away our priests and now our slaves?” He shook his head in disbelief. “You will bring the wrath of both the gods and the nobles on me.”
“No, I do not take anything away from you. You may keep both if you like. I only recommend that you avoid being dependent on either. Your priests are demanding of too much blood that could be more valuably used elsewhere, and slaves are unreliable and ultimately dangerous.”
“We have ended the sacrifices as you demanded, and the dire predictions of the priests have not occurred. There has been no famine, no pestilence, and the sun has not fallen from the sky. But slaves are most reliable and efficient. We have never had any trouble with them. Their children are free unless they sell them. They can own slaves and property and pass them on to their children. They can even buy their own freedom. Some people even sell themselves into slavery to satisfy a debt or to escape poverty. It is not a bad fate and most accept it quite well.”
“You certainly have a different form of slavery than we encountered in the old land. Still, I think you would be better off without it. But that is up to you, not an order. If you feel it best to keep the institution, so be it.”
From the hostile or despairing faces of those for sale, I was sure I was right, but I really didn’t want to make becoming Mongols onerous for the Mexica. In any event, the market was quite diverting, and my staff and I very much enjoyed ourselves. I even bought a few things to send to Paula for herself and the children. I knew she would have really enjoyed the market. George had a wonderful time sampling all the food. It tended to be spicy like some of the Hanjen food my grandfather Peter loved, but it was a different sort of spice. It tended to stay with you longer. I noticed that they had built a causeway between the two islands and remarked on it to Acamapichtli. He said that it had been just recently completed and that they were thinking about building another one to their subject cities on the peninsula to the south. Ixtapalapa would be the logical terminus. I agreed it was a logical move, but thought it would be rather expensive and labor intensive. He reminded me that the Mexica owned slaves for such work. I wished him well on the project, only suggesting that they leave suitable openings for lake traffic. Again, he happened to have the plans ready, and indeed, there were such openings. But he told me the aqueduct was more important.
I met with the governors and rulers in Acamapichtli’s palace. It was large but not particularly ornate. The governors reported no problems in their cities, but did wonder if I shouldn’t put one of them or someone new in overall command. It seemed that there was no one to make decisions in matters involving more than one city, and there had been some confusion. I asked the governors if any of them wanted such a position, and they all admitted that they did not. Smoking Mirror also did not want the job. I finally got the second in command of the Snakes, Amantacha, a Wendat, to take the job with the title, administrator of Anahuac. Smoking Mirror assured me that the man was the best choice for the ta