pichtla,[1] so he determined to go thither and see if they would surrender peaceably upon his demand. This town was very strongly situated upon a hill where it could not be attacked by the horsemen. When the Spaniards arrived, the inhabitants, without waiting for anything, began to attack them, throwing stones on them from the heights; and, although many of our friends accompanied the alguacil mayor, they dared not attack the town, seeing its strength, nor engage their adversaries. The alguacil mayor, on seeing this, determined to take the heights of the town by assault or die, and, with the cry of "Señor Santiago!"[2] they began the ascent; and God was pleased to give them such valour that, in spite of the resistance it offered, they took it, but at the cost of many wounded. When the Indians, our friends, followed them, and the enemy recognised their defeat, there was such a slaughter by our people and a throwing of the foe from the heights, that those who were present affirmed that a small river near the town was so dyed with blood that for more than an hour they could not drink, although on account of the heat they were very much in
- ↑ Ayachapichtla; Sandoval was not disposed to attack because of his own extreme weariness, and the exhausted condition of his men and horses, but the captain Luis Marin counselled him on no account to withdraw, as upon the Chalcans, who were watching only to see which side was the stronger in order to give their alliance to the victor, the moral effect would be bad.
- ↑ Santiago (St. James) was the patron Saint of Spain, and from the times of the Moorish wars his name had been their battle cry. Bernal Diaz naively relates that this battle was fought and won by the Indians of Tlascala and Chalco, the Spaniards being more interested in capturing Indian women and collecting booty than in slaying the enemy, adding also that the cruelties of the Indians were so shocking that the Spaniards tried to save the enemy from their own allies. Bernal Diaz attacks Gomara's account of the stream being red with blood, and says that, while some wounded Mexicans did make their way down to the water, in seeking to escape, and it may have been discoloured for the length of time required to say an "Ave Maria," it is untrue that anyone suffered from thirst on that account, as the town possessed several fountains of the finest water.
