Alicia myles 1 - Aztec Gold Read Free Page B

have the Aztecs on one side, living in a city of gold, with more jewels and precious gems than any other race on the continent. The Spanish conquistadors on the other, who seemed to hold the ideal of riches and wealth above even their own lives. Everything soon fell apart. Following the terrible massacre of thousands of Aztec nobles at the Patio of the Gods near the main temple, which triggered a rebellion, Cortés and his men saw that the game was up. They escaped during what later became known as the Noche Triste , fleeing across the Tlacopan causeway while their rearguard was massacred by Aztec warriors. The gold they stole weighed so much it actually killed half the Spaniards, drowning them in the mud of the river. Now, the time gap between the murder of the nobles and the Spaniards’ escape was about two months. What do you suppose the Aztecs were doing during that time?”
    “Sharpening their swords?”
    “Maybe. But they were also safeguarding their valuables as any nation would. For instance, remember all the Romanian gold that was sent to Russia during the First World War? Every nation wants to protect their assets and the Aztecs were no different. And of course, this is where the stories differ and we get the thoughts and opinions of a thousand treasure hunters from the last five hundred years. Where did all that wealth go?”
    “You’re saying they transported it out of there?”
    “It certainly didn’t stay in Tenochtitlan. Cortés returned soon after he fled, now with reinforcements from Cuba, and laid siege, cutting off supplies and subduing the Aztecs allies. He ended up destroying the city. On 13 August 1521 the city fell and the Aztec empire disappeared, crushed. Cortés claimed it for Spain and renamed it Mexico City. He governed it for three years.”
    “No mention of the gold,” Alicia said. “The golden city, the jewels.”
    “No mention.” Crouch smiled.
    “So what did happen to it?” Laid Back Lex chomped at the bit.
    “And what exactly did it consist of?” Alicia wondered.
    “The mystery begins with the night of the first massacre at the Patio of the Gods,” Crouch said, taking time to drink from a bottle of water before continuing. “Now, how about we continue this over dinner?”
    Alicia coughed. “I thought the directive was that we had to fend for ourselves? I sure hope you have a microwave.”
    Crouch smiled. “For this first night I’m sure I could knock together a pretty mean chili.”
    Alicia looked genuinely impressed. “Wow, I hope I can do that by the time I’m fifty.”
    Soon, with steaming bowls of chili laid out before them and glasses of red wine and bottles of beer positioned around the table like strategically placed chess pieces, Crouch continued his story.
    “With so many nobles murdered and such utter brutality shown for the locals, the Aztecs must have started to panic. Who was this crazed beast their leader had invited to live among them? Their king was a mere captive in his own palace. What could they do?”
    “Elect a new king?” Alicia ventured.
    “Exactly. Enter Cuauhtémoc, the new king. Following his order and under his guidance it is believed that the Aztecs hatched a great plan. Through the nights following the massacre, with the Spaniards beaten back and under siege inside their compound, surrounded by warriors, Tenochtitlan’s main horde of gold was systematically stripped away, its jewels packed into crates. It was a great undertaking, so much so that seven entire caravans were filled—”
    “And Cortés never noticed?” Russo’s eyes widened skeptically.
    “They left the surface gold where it was,” Crouch said. “Which was all the Spaniards had ever seen and quite plentiful. It was the far more spectacular vaults they emptied.”
    “Seven caravans worth?” Lex whistled. “That’s a shit-ton of money, man.”
    “Treasure,” Crouch corrected him. “There’s a very significant difference between the two. It’s what separates