"Back to the Aztecs and dinner. The body of the sacrificed victim was then dressed up and served banquet style to the warrior who had captured him in battle. Of course the warrior's entire family enjoyed the festivities. These Aztec warriors were so fond of their enemies they tried to capture them alive rather than kill them in battle. And then they brought their enemies home for dinner.
"In a work entitled
Aztecs: Reign of Blood and Splendour
, Diego de Duran, who witnessed one such banquet said the river of blood ran down the temple steps and 'reached bottom and cooled they formed fat clots, enough to terrify anyone.' Bernardino de Sahagun, a Spanish missionary, reported , 'The celebrants flayed and dismembered the captives; they then lubricated their own naked bodies with grease and slipped into the skin ... Trailing blood and grease, the gruesomely clad men ran through the city, thus terrifying those they followed ... The second-day's rite also included a cannibal feast for each warrior's family.' Gives an entirely new meaning to, oh, never mind. No more cannibal jokes. This isn't funny.
"Regarding the numbers of those sacrificed, it is certain it was hundreds of thousands as substantiated by skeletal remains. At the dedication of the great temple of Huitzilopochtli in 1486, a procession of more than seventy thousand captives were said to have perished over the course of several days. Special buildings were constructed to store the skulls of the victims. Cortes' men counted one hundred thirty-six thousand skulls in one such building. Here's an excerpt from an account in a book I was reading,
Fingerprints of the Gods
, by Graham Hancock, 'It is recorded, for example, that Ahuitzotl, the eighth and most powerful of the Aztec royal dynasty, celebrated the dedication of the temple of Huitzilopochtli in Tenochitlan by marshalling four lines of prisoners past teams of priests who worked four days to dispatch them. On this occasion as many as 80,000 were slain during a single ceremonial rite.' Some of the women of the more fanatical Aztec warriors were said to delight in eating the penis of the sacrificed captive and drinking his blood.
"Let's get to Montezuma and Cortes. The Spaniards led by Cortes landed on the Yucatan Peninsula and in the days of the fall of 1519 moved inland closer and closer to Tenochititlan, now known as Mexico City. Montezuma of course had advance word of their impending arrival. Montezuma's initial concern was the Cortes was a god, Quetzalcoatl, who it just so happened was scheduled to return to earth soon, in fact that very year.
"It is important to understand Montezuma's mindset which explains why Cortes and his men were not immediately brought home for dinner but instead were treated as supernatural visitors. Because of Montezuma's apprehension, there were preliminary 'negotiations' between he and Cortes before they ever met. Many riches and gifts were delivered to Cortes as he and his men approached Tenochititlan.
"One recorded account of the preliminary peace offerings from Montezuma to Cortes includes a large alligator's head of gold, a large wheel of silver weighing forty marks, two birds made of green feathers with beaks, eyes and feet of gold, many jade sculptures and a plethora of emeralds. By all accounts Cortes was awestruck by the magnificence and priceless value of the gifts.
"On November 8, 1519, Montezuma and Cortes finally met. Cortez had two interpreters, Aguilar and Marina. The latter was an Indian slave given him by a Tabscan chief. Cortes hung a colored crystal necklace around Montezuma's neck. After a brief mutually respectful meeting, Cortes and his men were led to their quarters. Cortes later met Montezuma again, this time in his palace courtyard. Montezuma hung a collar of shells set in gold around Cortes' neck. Cortes' departed for his quarters where Montezuma later visited him. After Montezuma asked many questions of Cortes regarding the intentions of the Spaniards, many gifts were bestowed upon Cortes and his men.
"The next morning, November 9, Cortes paid a visit to Montezuma in his palace. The first order of business was to attempt to convert Montezuma to Christianity. Cortes gave him a fire and brimstone spiel about worshipping false idols and sacrificing humans and he better change his ways or he would burn in hell. Montezuma listened patiently and before dismissing Cortes and the Spaniards, again distributed many gifts of gold and jewels.
"There is a story that one of those gifts which Montezuma personally gave Cortes was referred to as the 'leshonah.' Right, the 'wedge.' Was this the Golden Wedge of Ophir? Quite possibly. Quite likely. The description of the object is similar. Cortes was familiar with the Hebrew word 'leshonah' and was amazed that Montezuma would use such a word.
"OK, let's explore this possibility. What happened to the Golden Wedge of Ophir? Where has it been for almost 500 years? For one reason or another, many of the riches given to Cortes never made it back to Charles V and Spain. Some of the riches were lost as the Spaniards fled shortly after the death of Montezuma.
"A little over a week after that first meeting, Montezuma was taken captive by Cortes as part of his plan to capture the city. The incident began with Montezuma again giving the Spaniards gold and jewels and even offering one of his daughters to Cortes to wed. Several hours later Montezuma was in the Spanish quarters and in iron chains. One of the more incredible events in history in that this small group of men led by Cortes could kidnap this great Indian chief from his palace, while in the midst of his men and thousands of Aztecs.
"Eventually the Aztecs became fed up with the imprisonment of their chief and stormed the Spanish quarters, the palace of Axayacatl. The Spaniards were in danger of being overwhelmed and Cortes employed the assistance of Montezuma in quelling the assault by promising him the Spaniards would depart. Montezuma dressed in his royal garb and addressed his people. In his speech he told his people he was with the Spaniards of his own free will and they would soon leave. The people began to demonstrate contempt for Montezuma and bitter taunts were soon followed by a rain of stones and arrows. Montezuma was wounded several times and was severely injured by a rock that struck him on the temple. The people, shocked by their own actions, dispersed in panic. Montezuma had not only been rejected by his people, he had suffered injuries which would prove to be fatal, in part due to his own refusal to be treated for the wounds.
"In late June 1520, the Aztecs occupied the great teocalli of the god Huitzilopochtli. This was a pyramid of over a hundred and fifty feet, an elevated position overlooking the Spaniards' quarters, the palace of Axayacatl. Several buildings that contained idols and such surrounded the pyramid. The Aztecs continued to siege the palace of Axayacatl with their arrows. The Spaniards had no choice but to counterattack and several attempts to storm the pyramid were made and tremendous battles ensued. Cortes was wounded and many were killed but the Spaniards were victorious, destroyed the idols of Huitzilopochtli and burned the buildings. The Aztecs were in awe and horrified that their great temples had been obliterated.
"The skirmishes between the Aztecs and the Spaniards continued. On June 30, 1520, Montezuma died from his wounds. This was a great setback for the Spaniards. They should have kept the matter quiet one might critique. The Aztecs now had no reason to further tolerate the Spaniards.
"Cortes now had no choice but to retreat from the city. When and how remained the only question. It was decided to leave via the causeway of Tlacopan, a long route but less likely to be heavily guarded. Much of the treasures the Spaniards had acquired were left behind. The most valuable items were placed in as many chests as they could possibly take with them.
"The Spaniards built a portable bridge to lay over the canals in the causeway. To make a long story short, the bridge was a disaster and many of the Spaniards were left dead in the water, along with most of the treasure. Aztec warriors were distracted by the treasure spilling everywhere, and the Spaniards still alive managed to escape. But it was the worst defeat ever suffered by the Spanish in the New World and July 1, 1520, became known as 'noche triste' or 'the sad or melancholy night.' I won't bore you with more details of the conquest of Mexico. Of course the Spaniards later returned, defeated and subjugated the Aztecs and destroyed their great city and culture.
"This is what I think is a likely scenario. Cortes had possession of the Golden Wedge of Ophir from November 9, 1519, to July 1, 1520. It is quite likely it was lost in the water on 'noche triste.' It is said Cortes often inquired of the object upon his occasional returns to the site but nothing was ever learned by him of its recovery.
"Marina, Cortes' interpreter, mistress and mother of his son, Don Martin Cortes, was eventually given to a Castilian knight, Don Juan Xamarillo. She was wed to him and given estates in her homeland, the province of Coatzacuacco. Cortes returned to Spain in 1528. In July 1529 he was proclaimed Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca and Captain-General of New Spain. He was given vast land holdings in the province of Qaxaca and in Mexico City.
"Soon thereafter Cortes met and married a much younger noble lady, Dona Juana de Zuniga. One wedding gift he presented her with were five brilliant emeralds that had been cut into the shapes of flowers and fishes and the like by the Aztecs. It was said the jewels were so magnificent even the queen of Charles V was envious. Cortes told his new wife that these jewels were trivial compared to those lost in the tragedy of 'noche triste.' He mentioned the Golden Wedge of Ophir.
"Cortez returned to Mexico in 1530 with his wife and elderly mother. In the next ten years it is said he inquired occasionally about the Golden Wedge of Ophir and engaged several search missions in the water where it had been lost, but to no avail. In 1540 he returned to Spain. He died on December 2, 1547, at the age of sixty-three in the village of Castilleja de la Cuesta.
