The Lash, from False Weavers
“Among our men, those who were most encumbered with clothing, gold and jewels were the first to die, and those who were saved carried the least and forged fearlessly ahead. So those who died, died rich, and their gold killed them”
– Lopez de Gomara, Contemporary Chronicler of Cortes, referring to Cortes’ escape from Tenochtitlan, in which his men stuffed their clothes with gold before attempting to leave the besieged city.