Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

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Mexico, relate. Being now on a more refpe&able footing than
—formerly, they fent an embafly to the petty king of
Colhuacan, requefting him to fend them one of his
daughters, that Ihe might be confecrated the mother
of their protecting god. The unfufpeCting prince
readily complied with their defire.—The unfortunate
princefs was conduced in great triumph to Mexico 5
but no fooner was (he arrived, than fhe was facrificed
in a (hocking manner 5 and, to add to the horror of
the deed, the body was flayed, and one of the braved
young men of the nation drefled in her (kin. Her fa¬
ther, ignorant of this dreadful tranfadtion, was invited
by the Mexicans to be prefent at the apotheofis of his
daughter, and went to fee the folemnity, and to wor-
Ihip the new divinity. He was led into the fanCluary,
where the young man flood clothed in the bloody (kin
of his daughter ; but the darknefs of the place prevent¬
ed him from feeing what was before him. They gave
him a cenfer in his hand, and fome copal to begin his
xvorfliip •, but having difcovered by the flame of the co¬
pal the horrible fpeftacle, he ran out in a diftradled
manner, calling upon his people to revenge the injury ;
but this they were not able to do at that time nor ever
after.
In the year 1352 the Mexican government was
changed from an ariftocracy to a monarchy. At firfl
they were governed by 20 lords, of whom one had
an authority fuperior to the reft. This naturally fug-
gefted the idea of monarchy *, and to this change they
were alfo induced by the contemptible ftate in which
their nation (till continued, thinking that the royal
dignity would confer upon it a degree of fplendour
which otherwife it could not enjoy j and that by
20 having one leader, they would be better able to op-
A-cam*pit- pofe their enemies. Proceeding, therefore, to eleCl
zin the firlt a king, the choice fell upon Acamapitzin, a man of
great eftimation among them, and defcended from
Opochtli, a noble Aztecan, and a princefs of the royal
family of Colhuacan. As he was yet a bachelor, they
attempted to negociate a marriage, firft with the daugh¬
ter of the lord of Tacuba, and then of the king of Az-
capozalco : but thefe propofals being rejefted with dif-
dain, they applied to Acolmiztli lord of Coatlichan,.
and a defcendant of one of the three Acolhuan princes ;
who complied with their requeft, and the nuptials were
celebrated with great rejoicings.
In the mean time, the Tlatelolcos, the natural ri¬
vals of the Mexicans^ refolved not to be behind them
in any thing which had the lead appearance of aug¬
menting the glory of their ftate. They likewife,
therefore, chofe a king 5 but not thinking proper to
choofe him from among themfelves, they applied to
the king of the Tepanecas, who readily fent them
his fon *, and he was crowned firft king of Tlatelolco
in 1353. In this the Tlatelolcos feem to have had
a defign of humbling their rivals, as well as render¬
ing themfelves more refpedlable ; and therefore it is
probable, that they had reprefented the Mexicans as
wanting in that refpeift due to the Trepanecan mo¬
narch, as having eledled a king without his leave,
though at the fame time they were tributaries to
him. The confequence of this was, that he took a
refolution to double their tribute. Hitherto they
had paid only a certain number of fifh and water-
fowl ) but now they were ordered to bring alfo feve-
Mexicc.
king of
Mexico.
2T
The Tlate¬
lolcos alfo
choofe a
king.
21
Mexicans
©ppreffed.
ral thoufands of fir and willow plants to be fet in the l
roads and gardens of Azcapozalco, and to tranfport v
to the court a great floating garden, which produced
vegetables of every kind known in Anahuac. This
being accomplifhed with great difficulty, the king com¬
manded them next year to bring him another garden,
with a duck and fwan in it both fitting upon eggs ^but
fo, that on their arrival at Azcapozalco the brood might
be ready to hatch. This was alfo done ; and the prince
had the fatisfa&ion of feeing the young birds come out of
the eggs. The third year they were ordered to bring
a live flag along with a garden. This was more dif¬
ficult than any of the former talks ; beeaufe they were
obliged, in order to hunt the flag, to go to the moun¬
tains of the continent, where they -were in danger of
falling into the hands of their enemies; however, this
alfo was accompliftied, and the defire of the king grati¬
fied.
In this manner the Mexicans were oppreffed for no
lefs than 50 years. They freed themfelves, however,
from all their difficulties by vigorous exertions, abfurdly
afdribing to the proteftion of that malevolent being
whom they xvorffiippcd the glory of every deliverance.
Acamapitzin governed this city, which at that time
comprehended the whole of his dominions, for 37 years
in peace. His queen being barren, he married another
Avife, but Avithout abandoning the firfl: ; and thefe tAVo,
inftead of being rivals to one another, lived together in
the utmoft harmony ; the firfl: Avife taking upon herfelf
the charge of educating Huitzilihuitl, the fon of the
fecond. He had, befides, feveral children by other
Avomen, and one named llxcoatl, who afterAvards proved
one of the. bed and mod renowned kings who fat on the
throne of Mexico. He is faid alfo to have conquered
four coafiderable cities j but Clavigero thinks he muft
in this only have been an auxiliary, it being very im¬
probable, that while he could fcarce maintain his oAA'n
territories, he ffiould think of foreign conquefts.
Acamapitzin died in 1389, greatly lamented by
the Mexicans, and his death Avas followed by an in¬
terregnum of four months. As the deceafed mo¬
narch had formerly refigned his authority into the
hands of his nobles, it Avas neceflary that a neAV elec¬
tion ffiould take place •, and Avhen this was done, the
choice fell upon Huitzilihuitl, the fon of Acama¬
pitzin. As he Avas ftill unmarried, it was refolved, HuitzPi-
if poffible, to procure him an honourable and advan-huitl the
tageous match. With this vieAV, a deputation of fecond king,
nobility was fent to the king of Azcapozalco, re¬
quefting, in very humble terms, an alliance Avith one
of his daughters. The expreffions made ufe of by
thefe ambafladors are faid by our author to have
been particularly elegant in the Mexican language :
but it is difficult to underftand hoAV a fpeech made
among a people ignorant of the art of writing could
be particularly recorded at the interval of fome hun¬
dreds of years after. They are as folloAV : “We be-
feech you, Avith the moft profound refpeft, to take
compaifion on our mafter and your fervant Huilzili-
huitl, confined among the thick ruffies of the lake.-—
He is without a Avife, and AATe without a queen.—
Vouchfafe, Sir, to part Avith one of your jeAvels or
moft precious feathers. Give us one of your daughters,
Avho may come to reign over us in a country Avhich be¬
longs to you/’
This