curiosity. "Did they come," he asked, "from the great Malinche; had they come by sea or land; did they speak the truth in all they said?" The Spaniards promptly replied that they came by land from the invincible captain, who, though no god, had come to show the Indians the way to paradise, and that they never deviated a hair's breadth from the truth. Then they drew the picture of a mighty ship and a gigantic horse, which greatly excited the wonder of their hosts. The chief declared that he desired nothing better than the alliance of such friends; they should tell their chief that he could have fifty thousand warriors if he would come to make war on the enemies of Guatemala, the Soconuscans. He then dismissed the messengers with such numerous gifts of cacao, maize, cotton goods, and gold jewelry that five thousand slaves were needed to carry them.

Instead of making war upon the Soconuscans, as he was invited to do, Cortés seems to have sent some settlers into their country and established friendly relations with them. If he was seeking a casus belli with the Guatemalans, he could not have acted with greater cunning. In 1523 news came that the settlers were being harassed by the tribes from the south, especially those of Guatemala, Utatlan, and Chiapa. The opportunity had now come. An army was or

ganized under Alvarado, consisting of one hundred crossbowmen and arquebusiers, one hundred and sixty horsemen, four pieces of artillery, and a native force of twenty thousand warriors. In order that the spiritual needs of the conquered might not be forgotten, two friars and two chaplains accompanied the expedition.

Setting forth with this fine army, says Herrera, "he pacified some tribes by kindness, others by severity; while those who would not swear submission and treated contemptuously all kinds of admonition, he reduced to slavery."

When he arrived at the town of Tehuantepec, the inhabitants, remembering his former services, expressed undeviating loyalty, and gave him a hearty reception. Not so with the Soconuscans. They had already had some experience

of the Spaniards, and had decided to offer resistance to the oncoming host. At the very first battle, however, they were totally defeated; their king was killed, and the fiery Alvarado swept on towards the south. Before him went messengers, demanding the submission of the people and threatening with slavery all those found in arms. But no submission came, and the Spaniards fought their way through several towns with unpronounceable names until they came to Utatlan, the capital of the Quiché nation. It was situated near the site of the present city of Santa Cruz del Quiché. In wealth and in style of architecture it resembled the city of Mexico. There were only two approaches, one of thirty steps up a steep cliff, and the other over a narrow causeway. Within the city there were not only a tower four stories high, and a fortification one hundred and twenty feet high, but also a royal palace, said to have been "one of the most magnificent structures of Central America." It measured three hundred and seventy-six paces by seven hundred and twenty-eight. It was built of hewn stone of different colors, and contained spacious apartments for domestic purposes, together with a hall of justice, a treasury, and an armory. The bed rooms looked out upon gardens filled with flowers and fruit trees, in the midst of which were menageries and aviaries. Separated from the main palace were the apartments of the king's queens and concubines, with baths and miniature lakes. There was also a college in which were educated the princesses of the royal blood.

When Alvarado drew near to the capital, he received a cordial invitation, accompanied by splendid presents, from the council of chiefs to enter in and receive the allegiance of the people as vassals of the great lord of Spain. But as he crossed the causeway he noticed that a bridge had been cut in such a way as to weaken it, and when he entered the city, he saw no women. Believing rightly that a trap had been laid for him, he hastily marched out again into the open country, where he could use his cavalry. The chiefs now besought him to attend a banquet in the city. Alvarado

spoke them fair until he got them into his hands. Then hoping to end the war by an act that would strike terror into the hearts of all, he burned his captives alive, and ordered the city to be razed to the ground. Before this last act of the drama was enacted, the Indians, who had hoped to destroy the Spaniards in the narrow streets of the city, began to attack them with desperate valor. Alvarado, calling his artillery into requisition, mowed down their ranks until they were forced to take refuge in the surrounding ravines. The Cakchiquels, a neighboring tribe, had already made submission. The Spanish captain now called on them to furnish four thousand warriors for the destruction of the remaining Quichés. The command was obeyed, and the Quichés, finding further resistance useless, made their submission and were graciously permitted to return to their lands. The conqueror, having stripped the country of gold, and reduced his captives to slavery, marched on to the land of the Cakchiquels.

Their capital was called Patinamit or Iximché, though Alvarado calls it the city of Guatemala. The king came forth to meet him, borne in a litter, under a canopy decorated with gold, feathers, and other articles of barbaric splendor. He received the Spanish chieftain with the most bountiful hospitality, and when he saw that Alvarado was suspicious that this reception might cover treachery, he calmed his fears with the words: "Quiet thy heart, great captain, scion of the sun, and trust in my love." So the Spaniards for eight days gave themselves up to the enjoyment of a royal festival.

All this time the king was constantly whispering in the ear of his guest that it would be kind of him to make war on the Zutugils, who lived nearby and whose king was his deadly enemy. This king had his palace on the heights above a lake called Atitlan.

Nothing loath to seek new adventures, Alvarado sent messengers to the Zutugils, praying them not to do harm to his friends; but they, trusting to the strength of their