When the Conquistadors first saw the Aztec capital, one of Cortéz’s lieutenants, Bernal Díaz del Castillo, was prompted to write, “When we saw so many cities and villages built in the water and other great towns on dry land and that straight and level causeway going towards Mexico, we were amazed and said that it was like the enchantments they tell of in the legend of Amadis, on account of the great towers and buildings rising from the water, and all built of masonry. And some of the soldiers even asked whether the things we saw were not a dream.”
The Conquistadors, with the help of Native American allies who were enemies of the Aztec, then proceeded to destroy everything they saw in their search for gold. As Díaz del Castillo put it, “Of all these wonders that I then beheld, today it is all overthrown and lost. Nothing is left standing.”
Source:
Stephens, John Richard. “Ignorance and Intelligence.” Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 130. Print.
Further Reading:
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca
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