Xicomecoatl facts for kids

Xicomecoatl
Quick facts for kids A painting of Xicomecoatl from 1698
Nationality	Totonac
Other names	Chicomácatl
Occupation	Ruler of Cempoala
Era	Early 16th century

Xicomecoatl (also known as Chicomácatl) was an important leader of the city of Cempoala. He was also called "Cacique Gordo" by the Spanish (which means "Fat Chief"). At that time, Cempoala was under the control of the powerful Aztec Empire.

Xicomecoatl is famous for forming an alliance with the Spanish captain Hernán Cortés on July 15, 1519. This made him one of the first native leaders to join forces with the Spaniards during their conquest of the Aztec Empire.

As the ruler of Cempoala, Xicomecoatl was a very important person. Cempoala was a major city, sometimes called "the capital of the Totonac empire," because it had a lot of influence over other Totonac towns.

Who was Xicomecoatl?

Several plants described in an old book. Chicomácatl is the last one on this page (left to right).

The Spanish writer Bernal Díaz del Castillo described the ruler of Cempoala as "Fat Chief" in his book Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España (True History of the Conquest of New Spain). This was because of his large size. The Spaniards said he was very big and probably tall.

Historians often call him Xicomecoatl. However, no one is completely sure if this was his real name. Another name used for him is Chicomácatl. The oldest record of this name comes from a historian named Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl. This name might come from a plant used for medicine, which is described in an old book called Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Little Book of the Medicinal Herbs of the Indians).

How did Xicomecoatl ally with Spain?

Before the Europeans arrived, the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II (also known as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin) had taken control of Cempoala. He forced the people of Cempoala to pay large amounts of goods to him.

Meeting Hernán Cortés

Xicomecoatl met Cortés on July 15, 1519. When Xicomecoatl heard about strange foreign men arriving by sea and heading towards the capital, he sent 12 messengers. These messengers were to welcome the new people to Cempoala.

The messengers told the Spaniards that they wanted to make sure "no Mexicans would enter, since they do much damage to their people."

The Spaniards accepted the offer. The next day, they went to Cempoala, guided by the messengers. They sent half of the messengers back to tell Xicomecoatl they were coming in peace. This was the first time the Spaniards entered land within the Aztec Empire's borders.

When they first arrived, the Spaniards were amazed by Cempoala's size. It was the first large city they had seen on their journey. Cortés and some of his soldiers called the city after Seville in Spain. Others called it "Villa-viciosa" (Busy-town).

Hernán Cortés enters Zempoala and is received by the Cacique Gordo by Juan González and Miguel González, 1698

Xicomecoatl and Cortés finally met in Cempoala's main square, outside the palace. They hugged as a sign of friendship. Xicomecoatl offered them a large place to stay in the city. He gave them food, like cornbread and "plums" (which might have been prickly pear fruit). They exchanged gifts, including jewelry, clothes, and gold.

According to Díaz del Castillo, Xicomecoatl complained about Moctezuma. He said his people used to live in peace before Moctezuma forced them to pay tributes. He claimed Moctezuma took almost all their gold and jewelry. Xicomecoatl said they were too afraid to resist, fearing Moctezuma would kill them. Other leaders said that all the lands around belonged to Moctezuma. Even if they had their own rulers, they were all under Moctezuma's control. Cortés said he understood and would help.

Xicomecoatl supposedly told Cortés about Moctezuma's friends and enemies. He described Tenochtitlan and its location. He also said that the Republic of Tlaxcallan was the Aztec Empire's biggest enemy. He suggested that Cortés could make an alliance with Tlaxcallan and other places if he wanted to defeat Moctezuma. However, Díaz del Castillo wrote that the idea of rebelling against Moctezuma came much later.

The court of Cempoala, where Cortés and Xicomecoatl first met.

This meeting started an alliance between the Spanish and Cempoala. It became a very important moment in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Xicomecoatl saw the alliance as a chance for his city to be free from Aztec rule. Some historians think that Cempoala was not as oppressed as Xicomecoatl claimed. They suggest he might have said this to gain more allies and strength. Some even think the alliance was for religious reasons, but this is less likely.

The Alliance Grows

Hernán Cortés

Xicomecoatl was very friendly to the Spaniards. The morning after their meeting, he gave them 400 workers, called tlamemehs. These workers helped the Europeans with any tasks they needed. The Spaniards were very surprised by this help.

Soon after, Cortés decided to go to the city of Quiahuiztlan. This city is in modern-day Veracruz. Some say Cortés planned to go there before Cempoala, but stayed in Cempoala for 15 days. Others say they went to Quiahuiztlan the day after getting the workers from Cempoala. Either way, Cortés left Cempoala for Quiahuiztlan.

Cortés was worried about Quiahuiztlan at first because of its strong defenses. But when they arrived, the city seemed empty. After a while, 15 noblemen came out to meet Cortés. They explained that most people had run away when they heard about the Spaniards. They would not return until they knew who the Spaniards were. The noblemen then apologized for not welcoming them sooner and held a large welcoming ceremony. Cortés explained that they served Carlos I of Spain. He gave gifts and jewelry to the people, who in return gave them food.

Xicomecoatl decided to follow Cortés to Quiahuiztlan without telling him. Cortés heard about Xicomecoatl's arrival during the welcoming ceremony. Xicomecoatl arrived shortly after, with many other leaders from Cempoala. He continued to complain about Moctezuma, and the leaders of Quiahuiztlan joined in. It is said that Xicomecoatl was so angry he began to cry while speaking. Cortés tried to calm everyone, promising to protect them.

The city of Quiahuiztlan.

While the Spaniards and Totonacs were talking, news came that Moctezuma's tribute collectors had arrived in Quiahuiztlan. The local leaders reacted with fear. Cortés was confused by their extreme reaction. Some accounts say there were 20 collectors, others say five. They were escorted by people from other Totonac towns. The local leaders were so scared they trembled. They quickly left Cortés and went to the collectors with their most valuable items. Xicomecoatl and other rulers were called to an important meeting. The collectors threatened them with Moctezuma's forces. They said Moctezuma would not accept the Spaniards without his permission. They demanded 20 people, men and women, by the next morning as punishment for letting the Spaniards in. Cortés asked Malinche to explain the situation. Once he understood, he told Xicomecoatl and the other rulers that Moctezuma would not be upset because he was "friends with Moctezuma."

Later, Cortés showed his loyalty to Xicomecoatl and the Totonacs. He ordered the arrest of the collectors to show Moctezuma that such behavior would not be allowed. Xicomecoatl was worried that Moctezuma would attack the city if they did this. But Cortés convinced him, and the arrests were made. All five collectors were arrested and brought to Cempoala.

When the prisoners arrived, Xicomecoatl and others suggested they be put to death. But Cortés said this was not necessary. He would imprison them himself. The prisoners were put in a room used as a cell. After the arrests, Cortés told the people of Cempoala, Quiahuiztlan, and over 30 other Totonac cities to stop paying tributes to Moctezuma. He told them to start a rebellion against him. Some Cempoala leaders were still worried that Moctezuma would kill them all, but Cortés insisted nothing would happen.

The mission seemed successful, but Cortés had other plans. He secretly went to the cell of two of the prisoners. Cortés told them he would help them escape if they obeyed his orders. They agreed. He ordered them to go back to Tenochtitlan and tell Moctezuma that the Spaniards were not enemies. He wanted them to say the Spaniards were loyal and wanted to be allies. The prisoners agreed, and Cortés helped them escape. The next day, Xicomecoatl noticed two prisoners were missing and was upset. Cortés pretended to be angry too, to avoid suspicion. Xicomecoatl then suggested putting the remaining prisoners to death. Cortés stopped him again, suggesting they be imprisoned on the Spanish ships instead. He argued they did not deserve to die because they were just following orders. They agreed, and the prisoners were chained and sent to the ships. Again, the prisoners were gone the next day. The Cempoala leaders told Cortés that Moctezuma would now discover the plan. Cortés kept saying nothing would happen.

News of the arrests spread across the empire. Many Totonacs began to believe the Spaniards were gods, though Xicomecoatl did not seem to believe this. The arrests started a huge alliance between the Spanish and over 30 Totonac towns. These towns rose up against Moctezuma. Cortés had made his first allies for the war. However, problems would soon appear between Spain and Cempoala.

Rising Tensions

The Tizapancinca Problem

Soon after the arrests, Xicomecoatl asked Cortés for help with a "great emergency." He told Cortés about a nearby town called Tizapancinca. He claimed it was a dangerous town with Aztec soldiers planning against Cortés and his men. He also said they had caused many problems for Cempoala, raiding the city multiple times. He asked Cortés to do something about it.

Cortés decided to show off European weapons. He took Xicomecoatl and other leaders to a river. He showed them how an arquebus (a type of gun) worked and said they would use it against enemies. This was to make the Spanish seem more powerful to the Totonacs. Cortés said that one soldier would kill all the Aztec soldiers in Tizapancinca. Then, the gun was fired into the air. The leaders were amazed. They told other towns that the Spaniards had a Teule (the Totonac word for Spaniards or gods) who would destroy all Aztec soldiers. This likely made the Spaniards seem even stronger to the Totonac people.

After returning to Cempoala, Cortés said he would go to Tizapancinca himself with some soldiers. He asked for workers to help carry the guns.

Two days later, Cortés marched towards Tizapancinca with 400 Spaniards and about 2,000 Totonacs. It took two days to reach the town. But when they arrived, they did not find what they expected.

According to Bernal Díaz del Castillo and other historians, as they neared the town, eight people came out crying and asking for mercy. They said, "Why do you want to kill us? We haven't done anything wrong." They explained that Xicomecoatl might have sent the Spaniards because of old conflicts between Tizapancinca and Cempoala over land. When Cortés heard this, he ordered his men to stop the Totonac soldiers who were with them. But when they found them, the Totonacs were already taking things from the town. Cortés was very angry. He called the Totonac captains and ordered them to return everything they had taken. He threatened to kill them if they did not obey. The captains apologized and returned all the stolen items. Cortés then apologized to the people of Tizapancinca for the trouble. He told them to live peacefully and returned to Cempoala. They arrived the next day. Xicomecoatl was there and offered the Spaniards food. He apologized for the problems, saying he understood he was wrong to send them to attack a peaceful town. Cortés accepted the apology, and they rested. The next morning, they returned to the city.

Francisco López de Gómara tells a different story. Gómara says that as Cortés approached Tizapancinca, many Aztec soldiers came out, thinking they would only fight the Totonacs. But when they saw the Spaniards, they ran back to their fortress. Cortés could not defeat them easily, so he entered the town by force. As the Spanish and Cempoala forces entered, Cortés ordered that no civilians be harmed. The town quickly surrendered, and the Aztecs were forced out. This made the Spanish even more respected. After their victory, Cortés went back to Villa Rica de la Vera cruz, where he celebrated.

Cortés orders for the carracks to sink. Eats with Motecuhzuma's ambassadors. by Juan González and Miguel González, 1698

Pieces of gold found at Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan.

Cortés sent gifts to the king of Spain. These included gold, shoes decorated with gold, silver, and pearls, colorful cotton clothes, feathered headdresses, and some books. The day after sending these gifts, Cortés ordered his own ships to be destroyed. This way, those who did not want to follow him to Tenochtitlan would have no other choice. Cortés then returned to Cempoala, about eight or ten days after destroying the ships.

No matter which story is correct, tensions continued to grow after Cortés returned to Cempoala.

Changing the Temples

When Cortés returned to Cempoala, some noblemen told him they did not want the Spaniards to leave. They feared what Moctezuma would do without Spanish protection. To make their alliance stronger, Cortés suggested that Spanish captains marry noblewomen from Cempoala. This would make their alliance a true brotherhood. The people agreed, and Xicomecoatl offered eight women to the Spaniards. Two of these women were related to him: one, later named Doña Catalina, was Xicomecoatl's niece. The other, later named Doña Francisca, was the daughter of Xicomecoatl's nephew.

Cortés told the Totonacs that they needed to stop their old religious practices, like sacrificing people. He said they should worship the Christian God instead. If they did, they would even get Spanish lands. However, the Totonacs refused. They argued that their gods brought happiness, health, and well-being. If they stopped their worship, a disaster worse than any sacrifice would happen.

Templo de las Chimeneas, the main temple of Cempoala.

The Spaniards then decided to destroy the statues of the Aztec gods. They got their weapons and armor. Cortés gave the people of Cempoala an ultimatum: the idols must be destroyed. Xicomecoatl immediately sent his soldiers to the main square to protect the temples. The Spaniards planned to reach the main temple, which was difficult because it was tall and well-fortified. Xicomecoatl tried to convince Cortés to stop. He said he understood Cortés's intentions, but if they stopped praising their gods, everyone, including the Spaniards, would die. Cortés reacted strongly. He yelled that he had already told them to stop sacrificing people. He said they were being tricked into sacrificing for their idols. He ordered them to remove the statues themselves, or the Spaniards would do it. He also threatened to kill any soldiers who stood in their way. The soldiers of Cempoala, tired of the Spanish threats, finally said that the Spaniards were not worthy of the gods. They said the Spaniards could destroy the statues if they wanted, but it would not be with their permission. Hearing this, the Spaniards rushed into the temple. They began to destroy as many statues as they could find, throwing them down the temple stairs. Many Totonac people and priests watching closed their eyes or cried, praying for forgiveness for allowing the destruction. After a while, many soldiers came out of the temple. They prepared to shoot arrows and throw spears at the Spaniards, ready to fight. Seeing this, Cortés immediately went to Xicomecoatl. He told Xicomecoatl that if he did not order his soldiers to stop, he would kill him and everyone around him. Xicomecoatl quickly stood up and ran in front of his soldiers, ordering them not to shoot or kill the Spaniards. The soldiers obeyed and stopped their attack. After this, Cortés tried to make peace again.

Peace is Restored

Fray Bartolomé de Olmedo baptizing the eight women offered by Xicomecoatl. Miguel González, 1696 or 1715.

The next morning, Cortés ordered the broken pieces of the statues to be burned and buried "where they won't be found again." Some Totonac people began to remove other religious statues from the temple. Cortés then declared that Cempoala and Spain were now officially allies, like brothers. He said the rebellion against Moctezuma would succeed. He ordered a statue of Mary, mother of Jesus, to be placed in the main temple. He also ordered all the blood in the temples to be cleaned and a wooden cross to be built in the main square. He also ordered the temple to be turned into a Catholic church. Four priests were to work for the church, overseen by a Spanish soldier named Juan de Torres de Córdova. An altar was also to be built. The next day, Fray Bartolomé de Olmedo held a mass in the city. During the mass, the eight women Xicomecoatl had offered were baptized and given to the Spanish military captains.

This ended the conflicts between Cortés and Xicomecoatl. However, it was not the last problem Cempoala would face.

Cortés left Cempoala for Tenochtitlan a few days after peace was restored. He asked Xicomecoatl to take good care of the church and cross. He also asked for 200 workers and 50 captains to protect him on his journey to Tenochtitlan. Cortés had planned to go directly to Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma's messengers had told him not to go to Tlaxcallan. But Xicomecoatl and other leaders suggested he ignore those messengers. They said he could make an alliance with Tlaxcallan to help with the rebellion. Cortés listened to this advice and left in August 1519. The women he had offered had to stay, as the Spaniards did not want them to be in danger during battles. Over the next few months, Cortés sent Xicomecoatl gifts, like clothes and gold.

When the Spaniards arrived in Tlaxcallan, they were attacked by local groups and warriors. However, by September 23, 1519, the Spaniards and Tlaxcalans made peace. The Spaniards entered Tlaxcala that day. By September 25, the lords of Tlaxcala offered gifts and their daughters to the Spaniards, who were then baptized. The Spaniards stayed in Tlaxcala for 20 days. During this time, the Spaniards sent messengers to Xicomecoatl. They asked him to send clothes and food to Tlaxcala as gifts for the lords. This would help secure the alliance between Spain and Tlaxcala, as Xicomecoatl had suggested. He agreed and went to Tlaxcala himself. He brought the Spaniards who had stayed in Cempoala and 200 workers to carry the gifts.

Aztec Attack on the Totonacs and Spaniards

Receiving of Motecuhzuma. Mexican dances in canoes in the lake by Juan González and Miguel González, 1698.

Many Aztec regions repeatedly threatened the people of Cempoala and other Totonacs for rebelling against Moctezuma. Cortés always said everything would be fine as long as the Spaniards were there. Xicomecoatl always worried, even though he strongly supported Cortés.

On November 8, 1519, Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan. He had about 400 soldiers from Cempoala and thousands more from Tlaxcallan. He met Moctezuma II for the first time. Cortés was welcomed with great honors and a large ceremony that lasted over an hour.

Moctezuma welcomed Cortés and allowed them to stay in the city. But only six days after arriving, Cortés ordered Moctezuma to be imprisoned. Cortés claimed the arrest was because of an attack on Totonac and Spanish men. This attack happened in the province of Nautla shortly after Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan.

A Spanish captain named Juan de Escalante, who was the main captain of Veracruz, had been killed. An Aztec general and local tribute collector named Qualpopoca killed him and several other men. Some say nine Spaniards died, while others say seven, including Escalante.

Earlier, Escalante had been ordered to protect Veracruz and the allied Totonac regions.

The battle happened because of the rebellion against Moctezuma. Qualpopoca, a tribute collector from Nautla, ordered the Totonacs of Tuxpan to pay tribute to Moctezuma. But they refused. They said Cortés had told them Moctezuma was fine with them not paying tributes. Qualpopoca was angry. He threatened to destroy their city and kill everyone if they did not obey. Escalante heard about these threats. He sent messengers to Qualpopoca, saying Moctezuma was not bothered by the lack of tributes. He said the problem could be solved peacefully. However, Qualpopoca did not listen and challenged Escalante to a battle.

According to Cortés, Escalante sent four messengers. Two died, and two disappeared. Cortés claimed Qualpopoca had killed them all and made it look like an accident.

Escalante prepared for the attack with two cannons, two guns, three crossbows, 40 Spaniards, and about 2,000 Totonacs. They found Qualpopoca and his troops taking things from a city. Escalante's force was quickly overwhelmed. Most of the Totonac soldiers he brought ran away in fear when the Aztecs started shooting arrows. This left the Spaniards mostly alone. Escalante tried to use all his gunpowder by firing guns and cannons as much as possible to scare the Aztecs. Eventually, Escalante reached Almería, where he burned down the town. However, his forces were very weak by then. He was badly wounded during the fight. He was running out of gunpowder. A horse was killed, and one of his soldiers was captured and later put to death. Escalante returned to Veracruz, where he and six wounded Spanish soldiers died soon after.

When Xicomecoatl heard about the battle, he became very worried. This was the first time he heard about the Spaniards being defeated or weakened by the Aztecs. The Totonacs began to worry about the rebellion. It seemed less likely that Cortés could keep his promises of protection. Because of this, Xicomecoatl decided to stop the Spaniards from entering Cempoala until the issue with the tribute collectors was solved. This worried the Spaniards greatly. They did not know what to do, so they sent a letter to Cortés in Tlaxcallan. Cortés received this letter on the morning of November 14. He then told Moctezuma about the incident, and Moctezuma was arrested.

Some say Cortés had planned to find an excuse to imprison Moctezuma to conquer the empire. They think he used the story of the attack on Escalante to do this. However, Cortés claimed he did not plan to arrest Moctezuma until he heard about the attack. He did intend to make Tenochtitlan part of the Spanish Empire.

After his arrest, Moctezuma said he did not know about the attack. He allowed Cortés to capture and punish Qualpopoca. About 20 days later, Qualpopoca was captured and put to death for his actions.

Qualpopoca then said that Moctezuma was innocent and had not known about or allowed the attack. After this, Qualpopoca was burned. But Moctezuma remained imprisoned, though he was given more rights and privileges over time.

Battle of Cempoala

Battle of Cempoala
Part of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
The area of Cempoala where the battle took place
Date 27 May 1520 Location Cempoala, Mexico 19°26′50.3″N 96°24′13.2″W / 19.447306°N 96.403667°W / 19.447306; -96.403667 Result Cempoala victory
Who Fought
Cempoala Spanish Empire	Governorate of Cuba
Commanders and leaders
Xicomecoatl (WIA) Hernán Cortés	Pánfilo de Narváez (WIA) (POW)
Strength
266 Spaniards 200 Chinantec warriors	Between 550 and 750 Spanish: ~80 horsemen ~80 riflemen ~10 artillery
Casualties and losses
4 Spaniards killed Many Spaniards wounded Native losses unknown	5 killed Many wounded

Xicomecoatl did not know that Cortés was having trouble with the Governorate of Cuba. Earlier that year, the governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, had ordered Cortés's arrest. Cortés had sailed to the Yucatán Peninsula without permission. In March 1520, Velázquez sent another Spanish captain, Pánfilo de Narváez, to capture Cortés. Narváez arrived with 19 ships. He had between 600 and 800 Spanish soldiers, about 1000 native people from Cuba, about 10 cannons, 80 rifles, and 80 horses. However, 50 men died before reaching Mexico due to storms, which sank six ships. Narváez arrived on April 22 and decided to go to Cempoala and set up camp there.

Narváez repeatedly claimed that Cortés was a liar and a criminal. He said Cortés would betray the people of Mexico once he got what he wanted. He also sent messages to Moctezuma, saying Cortés planned to kill him and take the empire. Many people believed Narváez and started to doubt Cortés, especially since Narváez was also Spanish. However, Xicomecoatl stayed loyal to Cortés. He said Cortés was not the kind of person who would betray an ally.

According to Díaz del Castillo and Cortés, when Pánfilo arrived, he took things from the court. He stole Cortés's gifts and took the noblewomen who had been offered to Cortés's men. Xicomecoatl tried to stop him, saying Cortés would kill him when he found out. Narváez ignored him and continued.

Cortés, who was still in Tenochtitlan, heard that Narváez was in Cempoala. He decided to return to Cempoala to defeat him. He left the troops in Tenochtitlan in charge of one of his soldiers, Pedro de Alvarado.

The battle began on the night of May 27, 1520. Cortés's force was small compared to Pánfilo's. He only had 266 Spaniards and 200 Chinantec native allies. According to Díaz, Cortés ordered his men to capture Narváez's cannons. They captured 18 cannonballs. This mission was led by a captain named Pizarro. Cortés found out Narváez was in one of the city's temples from a captured spy. So, he ordered one of his captains, Gonzalo de Sandoval, with about 40 men, to capture Narváez, and to kill him if needed. This was a dangerous task because the temple was tall and protected by other temples with soldiers.

Some people, including Gonzalo, tried to warn Narváez about Cortés coming to the city. But at first, Narváez did not believe the warnings. He thought Cortés would not go to war just because "a fat Indian" asked him to. Pánfilo's troops did not notice Cortés earlier because of the heavy rain that night. But as soon as Pánfilo's soldiers saw Cortés's troops approaching, they immediately warned Narváez.

As soon as Pánfilo heard the news, he ordered cannons to be fired at Cortés's troops. But they only had time to fire four times. Only one shot hit the troops, killing three men, according to Díaz. Cortés claimed this shot killed only two.

Pánfilo de Narváez.

Many horsemen tried to attack Pizarro's troops but failed to push them back. Six or seven horsemen were defeated.

Narváez then ordered his riflemen to fire at Pizarro's group, wounding seven men. Sandoval successfully reached the temple where Narváez was. This forced Narváez to divide his troops to fight Sandoval's soldiers. Then, the captured cannons were aimed at the temple, forcing Narváez to come down. Cortés's pikemen rushed in to fight Narváez's remaining troops.

The defeat of Pánfilo de Narváez, according to Diego Muñoz Camargo.

The battle ended after some of Pánfilo's most important soldiers were killed. These included his second-in-command and a captain. Pánfilo de Narváez was stabbed in the eye by one of Cortés's pikemen, Pedro Sánchez Farfán. He was badly wounded and captured soon after.

During the battle, Xicomecoatl was stabbed by a soldier of Narváez while trying to hide in his palace. He was found after the battle. Cortés was told about it and ordered him to be taken to his room immediately to treat his wounds. After the battle, another 1,500 Chinantec warriors arrived to support Cortés. He placed them to guard Narváez's men.

After Pánfilo was captured, he was held prisoner in Veracruz for two years. He was then sent back to Cuba. Cortés convinced Narváez's remaining troops to join him and go to Tenochtitlan.

Even though Cortés was greatly outnumbered, the battle was a success for him. But it had unexpected results. While Cortés was away, Pedro de Alvarado had ordered a massacre of civilians in Tenochtitlan. This was against Cortés's orders. This terrible event led to the Battle of La Noche Triste on June 30, 1520. Also, one of Pánfilo's men had caught smallpox before arriving in Mexico. During the battle, some of Cortés's men caught the disease. They unknowingly carried it to Tenochtitlan, causing a huge pandemic that killed millions of people.

What happened to Xicomecoatl?

Xicomecoatl survived his wounds. He continued to support Cortés after the battle. He sent more soldiers and help to Cortés after the battles of Noche Triste and Battle of Otumba. He did this when he heard about the many losses the Spaniards had suffered. His alliance became one of the most important during the war. It helped Cortés learn more about the land and about the empire's enemies he could ally with. Xicomecoatl also provided many soldiers who protected Cortés during his battles. What happened to Xicomecoatl after the conquest, or when he died, is not known.

See also

In Spanish: Xicomecóatl para niños