The following is the account of Francisco de Aguilar who was there that night:

"After night fell, about 10 o'clock, a terrifying mob of women appeared carrying torches and flaming braziers. They came for their husbands and relatives who lay dead in the porticos. And they came for Montezuma, too. And as the women recognised their men (which we could see by the great amount of light from the rooftop where we kept watch) they threw themselves upon them with great sorrow and grief, and raised such a wailing and crying that it filled one with fear. I was on guard duty then and I said to my companion: 'Have you not seen the hell and flood of tears over there? For if you have not seen it, you may witness it from here.' In truth, in all the war and in all the terrors I went through, I was never so afraid as I was when I heard that awful lamentation ... ."