Es's First Battle With The Indians example essay topic

Conquest of Mexico In 1519 Hern " an Cort " es led a couple hundred other Spaniards inland to the impressive Empire of the Mexica ruled by the Great Montezuma. Many historians today tell how quickly and almost effortlessly these Spaniards conquered the Empire. They paint an image of ignorant, helpless Indians practically giving up their land out of fear of this group because certainly the Spaniards must be gods since they have powerful weapons and strange animals. We know neither Cort " es nor any of his men were gods, of course, but what was it that allowed Cort " es to prevail over the inhabitants of the land?

The First Expeditions To begin, in 1517 Francisco Hern " and ez de C'ordo va, Bernal D'i az del Castillo, and some other gentlemen embarked on a journey to explore new lands in hopes of seeking employment since they had yet to find it in their new home of Cuba. In need of additional provisions, the governor of Cuba, Diego Vel', loaned the group supplies and a boat with the agreement that they return with Indians to be used as slaves. At Cape Caroche of the Yucatan Peninsula, C'ordo va's men first encountered a group of Indians who at first appeared friendly and welcoming only to draw those who disembarked along the road to their village where they then ambushed the explorers. In that battle, fifty soldiers died and the captain and the remaining men all suffered many wounds. The explorers continued to receive this type of reception from the Indians they encountered at every stop along the coast of the peninsula. Nearly die ing of thirst for want of fresh water, C'ordo va and his men tried again and again to safely land and gain casks of fresh water.

At Champoton they encountered fresh water. Yet again they met with hostile, warring Indians. Only one man escaped without harm, but the Indians captured him. Once the Indians retreated, C'ordo va and his men quickly filled the casks with fresh water and returned to their ship. In light of the fact that the voyage proved to be somewhat of a disaster and all the men were either ill or wounded, they decided to return at once to Havana. (D'i az) Once in Havana, C'ordo va sent a report to Governor Vel' word of their return.

In addition to reporting about the warring natives, C'ordo va described the discovery of heavily populated lands where the people lived in masonry houses, wore cotton garments, cultivated maize fields, and-most important of all-possessed gold. (D'i az) Governor Vel' decided to send another fleet and named a kinsman, Juan de Grijalva, as Captain General of the four ships. Finding additional men for the journey proved uncomplicated. Word spread quickly about the attainable riches to be had in the new land; so 240 men were quickly put together for the mission. (D'i az) Using C'ordo va and his crew's experience in Champoton, Grijalva approached the land carefully anchoring the ships one league from shore. The Indians, puffed-up from their previous victory over the Spaniards, waited on shore for the party to land.

Supplying themselves with crossbows and guns, a portion of the soldiers embarked toward shore. The Indians volleyed arrows with such constancy, more than half the men were wounded prior to landing. However, upon landing, the Spaniards were able to drive the Indians back to the swamps because of their use of good swordplay, the crossbows, and the guns. (D'i az) The Indians stayed to the swamps and Grijalva and his men advanced to the town. There they found masonry buildings used to make sacrifices to their idols. They explored the surroundings for three days but found nothing of value to take.

They returned to their ships and traveled along to Rio de Tabasco. (D'i az) At Rio de Tabasco they stumbled on a strait. Being too shallow to allow the ships' passage, a party embarked on their small boats to investigate. In the woods along the strait, the men could hear the locals preparing stockades and barriers in preparation for a fight with the visitors. However, upon encountering a group of about thirty Indians in their canoes, Grijalva (through interpreters) indicated they wanted only to talk.

(D'i az) Through the interpreters, Grijalva expressed to the Indians that they had journeyed from distant lands and were subjects of the Emperor Don Carlos and they, too, should become servants of the same. Incredulous, the Indians replied that they already had their own chief and, since the Spaniards had only just arrived they knew nothing of them so would not bow down to this new chief. They also informed Grijalva and his men, that they had 24 thousand warriors from neighboring provinces standing at the ready should Grijalva decided to attack. The next day, peace was negotiated and gifts were exchanged. Grijalva's party gifted beads of Jadeite that were precious to the Indians.

In return, they received gifts of gold and jewels. These gifts were not of great value because the gold was of poor quality, but the Indians did inform Grijalva that "further on, in the direction of the sunset, there was plenty of gold, and they said 'Colua, Colua, M', M'". (D'i az pg. 22 3) After trading more of the green beads for gold, Grijalva's party returned at once to the anchored ships; preparing to set sail immediately due to a northerly gale. (D'i az) Keeping on course, the ships encountered a strange episode when they arrived at the mouth of a great river.

A great number of Indians lined the shores and each carried a lance with a colorful banner attached. They waved and beckoned to the passing ships as if welcoming the convoy. Once landing, Grijalva learned that the Great Montezuma of Mexico heard of both C'ordo va's and Grijalva's confrontations at Champoton and was amazed that even though greatly outnumbered, they were able to wound and kill so many Indians. Montezuma was aware of his ancestors' prophecy that one day "men with beards would come from the direction of the sunrise and would rule over them" (D'i az pg. 24 2). He was also aware of Grijalva's journey along the coast, so therefore sent a governor, three chiefs, and many of their household to greet and barter with these foreigners, maybe in hopes of remaining peaceful.

Grijalva's expedition remained for six days and traded beads for "more than 16 thousand dollars worth of jewelry of low grade gold, worked into various forms". (D'i az pg. 25 2) Journeying little more and encountering fewer opportunities for trading beads for gold, Grijalva returned to Cuba. Governor Vel' was very pleased with Grijalva's mission. In addition to the gold from the first voyage, the governor received a total of 20 thousand dollars. (D'i az) The Aztecs In the second expedition, the explorers first hear of "M',"Montezuma", and "gold". But was Governor Diego Vel's desire for gold the only instigation for trekking inland?

What was "M' "? Who was "Montezuma"? What could Spain gain by going there? To answer some of these questions, we need to learn a little of the history of the Aztecs, known as the Mexica. (D'i az) The Aztecs arrived in northwestern Mexico around the middle of the second century.

The history of the people traveled the ages through a series of oral histories and some written poems. Devastated by warring tribes, the Aztecs trekked through Mexico eventually arriving at the fringes of Lake Texcoco where they observed a long-awaited sign from the gods, first given to them five centuries before, letting them know to stop there. Here in the middle of the lake they built the city of Tenochtitl " an, the modern-day Mexico City. (Helly, Courgeon) Roughly 500,000 people eventually inhabited Tenochtitl " an, a well-developed city.

Located at the center of the city, the palace of Montezuma contained the imperial suites, the high courts, both civil and criminal, the special tribunal where high-ranking officials were tried, the war council, the treasury, and rooms that were used as a prison. And like the tradition that continues today, the center square also housed the market place, which served the people of Tenochtitl " an. A sacrificial society, the Aztecs built within the city center several pyramid-shaped temples dedicated to various gods where they would sacrifice humans in barbaric ceremonies. Add to this the military academies, seminaries, and other large buildings; Tenochtitl " an was a metropolis. (Helly, Courgeon) Montezuma II's empire consisted of city-states.

The three most powerful of these formed a Triple Alliance headed by Montezuma. He wished to unify all by warring with the surrounding peoples that lead to a civilization always at war. Once captured, the cities were forced to pay tribute to Montezuma leading to more unrest throughout the land. This unrest laid the foundation for the Aztecs' demise as Cort " es rallied Montezuma's enemies. (Helly, Courgeon) The Cort " es Expedition When Governor Diego Vel' heard of the great discoveries made by Grijalva's expedition, he knew he wanted more of what New Spain had to offer, mainly riches. He decided to sponsor another expedition to the lands west.

This time, however, instead of appointing a fellow kinsman as Captain General (as most of his relatives had desired), Vel' appointed a Spanish gentleman by the name of Hernando Cort " es. Thus begins a series of silver-tongued strategies Cort " es uses to his benefits. You see, Cort " es received this appointment from forming an alliance with two of Vel's favorite appointees: the Governor's Secretary, Andr " es de Duero, and His Majesty's accountant, Amador de Lares. In return, Cort " es promised them a portion of the spoils he was to receive from his expedition. (D'i az) The journey did not begin well.

Many of Vel's family member rebelled against Cort " es being named Captain General and they worked on him to revoke the appointment. Cort " es was made aware of this and to lessen the Governor's distrust, stayed with him constantly and reminded him often of the riches Cort " es would soon bestow upon him. Before a rebellion could begin, Cort " es ordered all the provisions and all 350 soldiers to board the vessels. After much ceremony and grand announcements of their going to discover new lands to be settled in His Majesty's name, they departed for Trinidad the next morning after hearing Mass.

(D'i az) In Cuba, while Cort " es continued to enlist more soldiers in Trinidad, trouble was brewing. With Cort " es away from Vel's ear, Cort " es's enemies convinced the Governor that Cort " es was actually rebelling against him and needed to be taken out of the expedition and jailed. Vel' finally relented and proclaimed the recession of Cort " es's appointment. Messengers were sent to the mayor of Trinidad to stop Cort " es from embarking on his journey. Cort " es learned what was afoot and through many speeches to all the soldiers and settlers at Trinidad, won the people over to his side and avoided arrest. Cort " es, as was his manner, responded to Vel' with a letter professing loyalty to His Honor and noting only a desire to serve God and His Majesty.

As the letters were sent to Vel' in Santiago de Cuba, Cort " es, all his men, and eleven ships headed for Havana and a few days later Cozumel where he picked up more men and horses. On the 10th of February 1519, after hearing Mass, they set sail along the southern coast with nine ships and a company of gentlemen and soldiers. (D'i az) Farther along at a stop at Campeche, Cort " es was favored once again. In their peaceable encounters with the local Indians, it was learned that some Spaniards had been captured and kept as slaves by some chiefs in a not too distant village. Cort " es immediately sent a ransom for the men. One of the men, having an Indian wife and three children did not wish to leave, but the other readily came to Cort " es.

This man, Jer " on imo Aguilar, after spending eight years living with the Indians learned their language and customs, so he then became Cort " es's principal translator for the entire expedition. The quality of the translator could mean the difference between triumph and defeat for Cort " es. Again, God was good and blessed Cort " es with a qualified interpreter. (D'i az) The Battle of Tabasco March 12, 1519, the fleet arrives at Tabasco. The land is swarming with Indians. In addition to those in the mangrove thickets, more than 12,000 warriors assembled in the town and prepared to make war on Cort " es.

Using Aguilar as a translator, Cort " es tried to talk his way into a peaceable entry to the shore. This only angered the Indians. Seeing that negotiations were not going to be successful, Cort " es now had to rely on his military prowess to gain access to land. (D'i az) With a remembrance from the Grijalva expedition, one of the men mentioned he believed there to be a path that led from the shore to the town. Cort " es decided that the next morning after mass, he would send one hundred soldiers armed with crossbows, muskets, and three cannons to journey along the path and attack the town from the one side while he and the rest of the men attacked from the other. The next morning when the Indians saw they were on the move, a great many of them boarded their canoes with the intent to prevent them from going ashore.

When Cort " es saw how bad things looked, he once again tried to manipulate them into peaceable talks saying he only wished to land so that they may take water and talk to them about their God and their King. The Indians responded with a flurry of arrows. Cort " es's first battle with the Indians had begun. (D'i az) With terrific swordplay the Spaniards were able to push the Indians back into the town from the shore. Here, they met up with Captain Alonzo's team who also were pushing back the Indians they met along the path.

The Indians fought valiantly with their arrows, fire-hardened darts, and lances and caused many injuries. However, once Cort " es had taken possession of a great court with chambers and large halls plus three idol houses where the Indians had carried all the goods they possessed, he ordered his men not to pursue the Indians any farther. At that point Cort " es marked a Ceiba tree with his sword to designate that this town was now a possession of His Majesty the King. In honor of the following day being Nuestra Se~nora de Marzo, they named the new town Santa Mar " ia de la Victoria. (D'i az) This was not to be the end of fighting with the Tobascans. Again and again the Indians attacked the Cort " es camp, but to no avail.

Each time Cort " es's men were ready and were able to fight them off. Finally, after capturing some captains and other Indians who could be trusted messengers, Cort " es used his oratory skills to triumph over the Indians. Through the interpreter Aguilar, he spoke to them with flattering words and again told them he wished only peace with them. Thirty Indian chieftains returned to the camp and with them brought gifts of food and gold. (D'i az) However, these presents were nothing in comparison with the twenty women that were given to Cort " es. Most importantly, one named Malin al.

She was obviously of superior birth and intelligence. Her father, an Aztec chief, had died early and in order for her brother to usurp her succession to chief, her mother sold her into slavery. Cort " es quickly realized her capabilities to translate Mexican into the language of the Tabasco, which Aguilar could then translate into Spanish. After meeting the Spaniards, she adopted the Christian faith and was baptized and given the name Marina. (Morris pg. 382 FN 11) Cort " es spoke to the chiefs about his God and his King and asked the Indians to stop their human sacrifices, to give up their idols, and pray to the Virgin Mary. They accepted his will and built an altar to place upon it an image of Mary.

The chiefs all thanked him for this and declared themselves subjects of their Emperor Don Carlos. These were the first subjects in New Spain to render submission to His Majesty. (D'i az) The Journey Inland With a peaceful coexistence with the Indians of Tabasco, Cort " es begins plans to journey inland to the famous land of Montezuma and the Mexicans. Montezuma himself was also curious about these new men who valiantly defeated the Tobascans.

Montezuma sent some ambassadors to visit Cort " es in Santa Mar " ia de la Victoria bearing enormous gifts of fine gold, silver, and cloth. His message was that he wished to welcome them and that he desired to see their emperor, but Cort " es and his men should not come to Tenochtitl " an. Cort " es was not satisfied with this form of welcome and thus sent the ambassadors back with a message that he wished an interview with Montezuma. Again Montezuma refused. Deciding it moot to send yet another message with the ambassadors, Cort " es allowed them to return to Tenochtitl " an alone. (D'i az) Shortly thereafter, some foreign Indians came to the camp speaking a language that none of the translators were familiar with.

Do~na Marina asked if any of them spoke Nahuatl. Two of them did. Through discussions with these two, she discovered they and their people are enemies of Montezuma because of the constant warring and the tribute Montezuma requires them to pay. Cort " es is pleased to hear this. His strategy now is to befriend Montezuma's enemies and to create one large army with which to possess Tenochtitl " an and all it had to offer. (D'i az) His idea to befriend the Indians in the towns leading to Mexico was a good one; however, the Indians themselves weren't quite so trusting.

For each village they approached Cort " es, through Aguilar and Do~na Marina, would beg acceptance as brothers in peace and to have the opportunity to teach the inhabitants about their religion and their emperor. The Indians were none impressed nor persuaded, so each time a battle would ensue. Even though Cort " es and his men, plus Indians they'd befriended, were st ill outnumbered anywhere from one to twelve, victory was attained each time due in part mostly to the skillful swordplay of Cort " es's men. (D'i az) The toughest battle proved to be with the final town located just outside of Tenochtitl " an.

Although they were bitter enemies of Montezuma, the chiefs of Tlaxcala trusted neither Cort " es nor his message of peace. They were certain this was trickery created by Montezuma himself. In between violent battles, messages were sent back and forth between the Caciques (chiefs) of Tlaxcala and Cort " es; Cort " es professing peace and the Caciques doubting this profession. (D'i az) The final battle before attaining peace was the morning of September 5, 1519. Four hundred men, most of them wounded from previous days of fighting, joined ranks to face crowds of Indians in the fields and plains just outside the town. With a hail of stones and arrows, the Indians advanced like a hailstorm upon the Cort " es group.

Warriors wielding broadswords and's landed upon the group wounding many. But again, with artful swordplay the Spaniards were able to push back the Tlaxcalans. One thing saved their lives that day. Egotism and dissension between the chiefs of the allying forces generated confusion and dispiritedness within their ranks. Very soon, allying forces withdrew from the battle not wanting to assist in a victory for the other Caciques. So although Cort " es's men suffered many wounds, it was a victory not won of their own accord.

(D'i az) The next day the Caciqlanceues came bearing gifts of gold, jewels, cloth, and food in tribute of peace. Again Cort " es told them he never wanted war, but now that the Caciques had conceded they must stop sacrificing humans (with all tribes conquered, the first imposition was that the Indians must stop all human sacrifices) and hear about the true God. Eventually, the Caciques accepted the new religion and formed an alliance with Cort " es forever giving up their practice of human sacrifice. (D'i az) Montezuma Captured The great party marched towards Mexico. Arriving at the great causeway leading to the city, Cort " es and his men looked on in awe.

The city was grand and amazing. Montezuma himself (with his entourage) was coming along the causeway in his litter to meet this great warrior he had heard so much about. With only great ceremony of affection, Montezuma welcomed Cort " es and his men to his palace. (D'i az) Cort " es and Montezuma became very close friends in a short amount of time. It had been rumored that because of Cort " es's great success in battles that he and his men were gods, but now Montezuma was sure they were only men. Because of this, he had a great respect for Cort " es.

Cort " es reciprocated the respect in Montezuma's ability to govern such a remarkable city. (D'i az) Cort " es's men were not so enthralled. They wanted action. They wanted Cort " es to capture Montezuma and take possession of his lands and its riches. In a feat unattainable without the cleverness of his translator Do~na Marina, Cort " es convinced Montezuma that he must go with Cort " es to his housing just outside the palace and be his prisoner. With Cort " es's finesse with words, he convinced Montezuma that he did this only to make his men happy because if Montezuma did not go with him then Cort " es's men would surely kill him.

In what must have been the strangest jailing situation in history, Montezuma was "incarcerated" within Cort " es's quarters, yet still able to hold court and keep council. (D'i az) Montezuma's family was not pleased with the situation and insisted that the people must rise up against these intruders and kill them all. However, Montezuma refused to have skirmishes within his city. He denied them authorization to fight.

Taking council with Cort " es, Montezuma warned him what his nephews wanted done and told him that they must leave this land before the people revolt. It was not too much longer before the priests quoted the gods saying that Cort " es and his soldiers must be sacrificed. Montezuma warned Cort " es to escape the city quickly. In order to do so, Cort " es and his men would need to leave by boat.

Montezuma ordered craftsmen to hew out timber from the trees near the lake shore for three days while Montezuma kept the priests on hold. (D'i az) Many people wonder why Montezuma was so passive in allowing Cort " es to keep him "prisoner". It did not look well to all the people within the metropolis for their leader to be so submissive to these strangers. Montezuma believed it was predestined that the Spaniards were to rule over Mexico, so there was no use in resisting: "I wish you to know, Se~nor Malin che and Se~no res Captains and soldiers, that I am indebted to your great King, and I bear him good will both for being such a great Prince and for having sent to such distant lands to make inquiries about me; and the thought that most impresses me is that he must be the one who is to rule over us, as our ancestors have told us, and as even our gods have given us to understand in the answers we have received from them". (D'i az pg. 247 4) Escape From Mexico The priests kept saying the god Huichilobos demanded that all of the Spaniards must be killed without delay, but Montezuma resisted. Now, as it were, some of Montezuma's nephews were leaders of the towns that made up this huge Venetian style city.

They realized the current climate created the perfect opportunity to overthrow Montezuma and become the emperor over all. (D'i az) Inflamed by the priests and Montezuma's nephew Cuitlahuac, the people revolted. Cort " es and his captains positioned their soldiers throughout the city in an effort to fight off the thousands of warriors that came in attack on that Midsummer's Day, 1520. The Indians fought brutally. The Spaniards suffered mightily. Each day many men from both sides were killed or wounded.

(D'i az) Cort " es saw how badly things were going. He asked one of his captains, Alvarado, to go to Montezuma to convince his people to end the war. Montezuma felt this would be futile, but attempted to appease his people. With soldiers surrounding him for protection, Montezuma mounted a rooftop and called to his people.

Only because some of his friends who were down below and were able to quiet the crowd was he able to address the crowd. He called upon the people to end the war and allow the Spaniards safe passage out of Mexico. The people were against this, and this also is when they informed him that they had accepted his nephew Cuitlahuac as their new lord. From out of nowhere stones flew and hit Montezuma in the head, arms, and legs.

And even with soldiers protecting him, the wounds proved too much. Montezuma was dead. (D'i az) War did not cease. In fact, with Montezuma dead there was to be no hope for peace.

Cort " es's forces were dwindling every day while the Mexicans were increasing. They attacked both day and night; the Spaniards could not drive them back. In an effort to escape, a message was sent to the priests that they should let Cort " es and his men go in peace within eight days and in return, Cort " es would give back all the gold Montezuma had given them. This, of course, was a ruse to put them off their guard. (D'i az) With brilliant precision, Cort " es ordered four hundred Tlaxcala Indians to build a bridge of strong planks.

Then with one hundred and fifty soldiers to protect it, Cort " es further ordered one hundred soldiers to go and fight to keep the attention from what he and his steward, servants, and many more soldiers were doing. Before the end of night, a good amount of supplies and the majority of the gold, silver, and jewels had been removed from Mexico City. Unfortunately, not all were able to cross safely. Mexican warriors fought their way across the bridge killing many horses, Indian men and women, and servants. (D'i az) The Spaniards reached Tacuba, located just outside of Tenochtitl " an, but the Mexicans continued to pursue them. Their goal was to get to Tlaxcala, but to pass along the main road would be suicidal since they continued to be greatly outnumbered.

A scout found a secondary road and the group followed this. This led to a small fort that the Spaniards stayed in while fighting off the Mexicans. Reaching the hamlet of Otu mba, a great battle ensued. Each side fought viciously, but the Spaniards more so.

Cort " es ordered that not one single Mexican should go without wounds. Swordplay was effective and the horsemen successful. Cort " es claimed victory over the Mexicans that day of July 14, 1520. (D'i az) "Within a matter of the five days from leaving Mexico until victory declared, over 860 soldiers were killed and sacrificed, as well as seventy-two who were killed in Tustepec, together with five Spanish women, and over a thousand Tlaxcalans were slain". (D'i az pg. 321 2) As you see, conquest-still not attained at this point-never was an undemanding task. The Fall Mexicans continued to follow the Spaniards, but never did they attempt to attack.

Cort " es and his men trekked their way through the jungles settling small towns, stopping the Indians from practicing human sacrifice, and educating the Indians about Christianity. However, Cort " es was not satisfied. He wanted the metropolis of Mexico City to be his. (D'i az) On May 23, 1520, to begin the siege, one group of soldiers was sent to Chapultepec to break open the conduits, which were the only source of fresh water for Mexico City.

Following a battle, the pipes were successfully broken and from that day until the end of the war, water never again flowed. The squadron agreed to return to Tacuba to reconnoiter then advance along one of the causeways; however, when they reached the chosen causeway they were astounded by the vast number of manned canoes in the water and warriors positioned on the causeway. The battle began and the warriors allowed the Spaniards to push through, only to close ranks from behind as another squad of warriors charged from the front. After an hour of fighting, despite their many wounds, the Spaniards were able to fight a retreat back to Tacuba. (D'i az) Now, Cort " es and his troops positioned themselves upon a hill at the bank of the lake. There they were preparing launches for the war.

Cort " es believed these launches to be the key to winning the campaign by having a face-off with the Mexicans. The Mexicans, in their canoes, retreated through the canals, but not before Cort " es's speedy launches gained upon their slower canoes breaking them up and drowning many Mexicans. (Cort " es) The canals proved to be safe havens for the canoes. They were able to lie in wait as platoons advanced along the causeways, then attack from the sides never allowing the Spaniards to gain entrance to the city. Yet, on one survey, Cort " es discovered a canal large enough for the launches to pass through. This stopped the canoes from being able to progress towards the causeways.

With fewer canoes joining the battles along the causeways, the Spaniards could advance successfully to a bridge that allowed access to the principal buildings and main Plaza. The Mexicans had not protected this bridge because they believed the Spaniards would never get that far. (Cort " es) Two weeks of fighting were complete and still the Mexicans were undaunted and fought like mad dogs. To assist the Spaniards, a great number of Indians from Texcoco and Xochimilco came and fought against the Mexicans. (Cort " es) So, in an effort to decrease the number of Mexicans killed, he decided to burn the Plaza and Idol houses and some of Montezuma's prized buildings in an effort to scare the people away. This worked.

Not all citizens of the various suburbs of Mexico City wished to engage in war. Out of fear of their homes and buildings being burned down, they came to Cort " es and offered peace. Cort " es enlisted them in the battle against Cuitlahuac and the people of Tenochtitl " an. With more than 100,000 allies in Cort " es's camp, he was able to divide his troops and send them off in different directions and over some days canvassed the entire city and demolished houses and filled in the canals. (Cort " es) On the 26th of July 1520, only one quarter of the city remained in the possession of the Mexicans. Depressed by the sight of the starving women and children scouring the streets for food, Cort " es called to the opposing warriors to admit defeat and claim peace.

The men said they wanted peace, but refused to send their lord to treat for peace. Incensed, Cort " es threw down the gauntlet and ordered his men to attack. That day the whole of the quarter was captured and the slaughter caused by the allies was so great that the number of dead and prisoners were more than 12,000. (Cort " es) Summary Governor Diego Vel' wanted land and he wanted gold. His support of C'ordo va's expedition and later initial support for Cort " es brought him just that. Both journeys proved grueling but successful in the end.

C'ordo va and his men most likely believed they would never survive their exploration along the coast of Mexico, and in fact there were some who didn't. Deaths caused by the Indian ambushes and fierce attacks deterred the captain from ordering landings, which made it nearly impossible to obtain life-sustaining water. Just as the men's tongues were swelling closed their throats, a safe landing was made near fresh water and casks were filled with water and the men rejoiced. Knowing when to cut his losses, C'ordo va returned to Cuba and Governor Vel' with little more than a tale of Indian battles, obtainable land, and gold. Cort " es wanted prestige and Vel's desire for another expedition would bring him just that.

Vel' outfitted Cort " es with everything he needed for a successful voyage and Cort " es took leave with his lofty appointment; an appointment many thought he didn't deserve, an appointment he fundamentally lost. Yet, it was with his quick mind and silver tongue that rallied his troops and sailors to back him and pledge their loyalty to Cort " es. This ability to convince the masses proved more of a weapon throughout his trek than the cannons, muskets, and swords he carried. As D'i az del Castillo tells us from his personal witness, the entire project of conquering Mexico consisted of one battle after another with the various Indian towns and villages they encountered. In each battle, Cort " es and his men were greatly outnumbered (anywhere from 12 to 1 to 1000 to 1), but with the grace of God, good swordsmanship, and effective military tactics, Cort " es won out each time. Once victory was declared in each town Cort " es, through the invaluable assistance of his translators Jer " on imo Aguilar and Do~na Marina, claimed the town in honor of Emperor don Carlos, instructed the Indians of their religion, and forbade them to continue to offer human sacrifices to their idols.

In this, too, he was successful. After the initial skirmishes with the coastal Indians, Cort " es hoped to engage Montezuma in talks. Montezuma refused to give him audience. Deciding this, Montezuma also determined, albeit unknowingly, his grand city's fate. Not to be dissuaded Cort " es found that the Indians with whom he'd fought also were enemies of Montezuma. As Cort " es beat each town his armies continued to grow into the upper hundreds, and later to the thousands as the city of Tlaxcala was defeated.

All banded together in support of Cort " es and his principal goal of meeting with Montezuma. Montezuma himself finally welcomed Cort " es into Mexico City. Montezuma remembered through legend handed down from his ancestors that men from the land of the rising sun would one day come and rule Mexica. Because of this Montezuma offered no resistance to Cort " es and actually gifted Cort " es with his treasure of gold and jewels.

Montezuma wished for there to be only peace within his city, and ruled thusly. However, a ruling nephew in the adjoining city refused to remain passive in dealing with the Spaniards and revolted against Montezuma. Cort " es tried to get Montezuma to squelch the revolt, but to no avail. And even as Cort " es's soldiers stood guard around him, a civilian hurled a stone at Montezuma's head inflicting a fatal wound.

With much fighting Cort " es and his men took flight from Mexico City, but not without carrying off as much of the gold as was humanly possible. The remaining left for the Indians to fight over. After leaving Mexico City Cort " es set out to conquer more land for Spain and Governor Vel's till all the while desiring to obtain Mexico City. Cort " es led his men back to the shores of Lake Texcoco where they again banded with the Indians whom they'd befriended; the largest tribe being the Tlaxcalans. Through sheer might and will Cort " es, his Spaniards, and various Indians battled day after day often regaining what they had lost in the night as they retreated for rest. Cort " es had previously been adamant about only causing harm to the Indians when absolutely necessary.

The new lord refused to withdraw and admit defeat. Finally, Cort " es called for all buildings to be decimated. He had envoys at all entrances to the city by that time, and escape was impossible. July 26, 1520, after 12,000 dead, Cort " es claimed Mexico City for Spain.

Bibliography

Cort " es, Hernando. 5 Letters of Cort " es to the Emperor 1529-1526. Trans. J. Bayard Morris. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962.
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