Considering now that he shoulde passe through _Taxcallon_ to goe to _Mexico_, being _Taxcallon_ a greate & strong Citie, and warlike people, he dispatched four _Zeampoallanezes_ to the Lordes and Captaynes of that Citie, on the behalfe of _Zempoallan_ and his owne, offering vnto them his friendship and fauour, giuing them to vnderstande, that those few Christians woulde come vnto their Citie to serue thë, desiring thë to accept the same, thinking assuredly that those of _Taxcallon_ would haue done with him as the _Zempoallanezes_ had done, which were both good and faithful, who had always vsed trouth with him, euë so he thought that now he moughte credite them, for they had enformed him, that the _Tlaxcaltecas_ were their friendes, and so would be his, considering that they were vtter enimies to _Mutezuma_, and willingly would goe with him to the siege of _Mexico_, with desire of libertie, and to reuenge olde iniuries and griefes, whiche they had susteyned many yeares before of the people of _Culhua_. _Cortez_ refreshed himselfe in _Zaclotan_ fiue dayes, where is a fresh riuer and quiet folke, pulling downe the Idolles, and placed a remembrance of Christ crucifyed, as he hadde done in all the Townes that he had passed.
He toke his leaue of _Olintlec_, leauing him wel pleased, & went to a town two leagues frö thëce along y^e riuer side, whereof was Lorde _Iztacmixtlitan_, one of the Gentlemen who had giuen him the slaues and collers of golde.
This towne standeth in a playne grounde of two leagues compasse, which is replenished with so many houses as doth séeme to touche one an other, in that way that our army passed--and the towne it selfe doth contayne fiue thousande householdes, standing on a hill, and on the one side thereof is the Lordes house with a strong forte, being the beste yet séene in those parties, walled with good stone with barbucan and déepe ditche. There _Cortes_ rested himselfe thrée dayes, abiding the foure messengers whiche he sent from _Zacloton_, to knowe the answere that should be brought.
The first encounter that Cortez had _with the men of Tlaxcallan_.
_Cortes_ seyng the long tarying of the messengers he departed from _Zaclotan_ without any intelligence from _Tlaxcallan_. Our cäp had not marched much after their departure from that place, but they came to a great circuite of stone made without lyme or morter, being of a fadom and a half high, and twentie foote brode with loupe holes, to shoote at: that wall crossed ouer all the valley from one mountayne to another, and but one onely entraunce or gate, in the whiche the one wall doubled against the other, and the way there was fourtie paces brode, in such sort, that it was an euill and perilous passage, if any had bene there to defend it. _Cortes_ demaunded the cause of that circuite, and who had buylte it, _Iztacmixtlitan_ that wente to beare him company, tolde him that it was but a deuision from their countrey and _Tlaxcallan_, and that their antecessors had made the same to disturbe the entrance of the _Tlaxcaltecas_ in time of warre, who came to robbe and murther them, bycause of the friendship betwixte them and _Mutezuma_, whose vassals they were.