Conquest of Mexico

Sources

The most authentic and reliable historical source reporting what one calls the Conquête of Mexico is the autobiographical account of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo who took part in all forwardings of Hernán the Cortes. Its chronicle is entitled Historia will verdadera conquista of Nueva España ( veracious Histoire of the conquest of News-Spain ). All the other works which report this adventure inspire by this chronicle which constitutes, with the personal letters of the Cortes, the only document drawn up by an eyewitness. The chronicle of Bernal Diaz contains moreover remarkable descriptions of the Aztec rites.

History

In 1518, a forwarding launched by the governor of Cuba Diego Velazquez discovers the existence of Mexico. This one sends Hernán the Cortes, assisted by Pedro de Alvarado and Cristobal de Oli, in recognition.

The Spaniards of Hernán the Cortes (11 vessels, 508 soldiers, 16 horses, 100 sailors, 14 guns) unload in the island of Cozumel (February 18th 1519) in Yucatan then after the catch of Tabasco to San Juan de Ulua (April 21st) and finally base Vila Rica of Vera Cruz on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico closest to the center of the Aztèque empire. In ignorance of the instructions of Diego Velasquez, the Cortes thus creates there an establishment in the name of its king, and to express its will of autonomy with regard to Cuba, it destroys its own vessels except one. It makes an agreement with the cacic totonaque one of the city close to Cempoala which refuses to deliver to the Aztèques the young people intended for the sacrifice. The Cortes promises to him its protection in exchange of its conversion to Christianity. Then the Cortes must repress a conspiracy warped by its opponents (Cermeño and Escudero are hung, banished the Diaz father) and drive out the envoy of the governor of Jamaica, Alonzo de Pineda, which tried to take advantage of the rights on the new colony of its superior, Francisco de Garay.

The August 16th, the Spaniards advance towards Tlaxcala whose cacic Maxixca and its Xicoténcatl son subject themselves after a long resistance (September 23rd). The victory gets an army of 6000 Indians turned over against the Aztec ones (Totonaques and Tlaxcaltèques). The Cortes can play of alliances with the Totonaques and the Tlaxcaltèques with the assistance of its mistress-interprets Dona Marina (Malinche), former slave sold with the Maya S, and which sees the occasion there to satisfy its ambitions.

The emperor ( tlaotoani ) Moctezuma II, to divert them road of Mexico City, their fact of carrying the treasures of Quetzalcoatl and makes understand that it is submitted to king d' Espagne and will pour tribute to him.

Diego de Ordaz makes then the rise of the Popocatépetl (5450 meters), which enables him to obtain suffers to make powder.

In November, a ambush is discovered with Cholula. More than 3000 Indians are massacred in two hours. The November 8th, the Cortes meets Moctezuma and remains five months with Tenochtitlán. It holds the emperor as an hostage, dismembers the hierarchy, reverses the idols, prohibited the human sacrifices and replaces the Aztec gods by the catholic symbolic system. Spaniards and Indians opposed to Aztec put the city at plundering. 600 000 pesos are collected, a fifth being sent to Charles Quint.

The April 23rd 1520, a fleet of 18 ships, sent by the governor of Cuba Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar with an aim of taking advantage of its rights on Mexico and control by Panfilo de Narvaez unloads with San Juan de Ulua. Including/understanding the danger, the Cortes leaves Tenochtitlán under the guard of Alvarado and walk against Narvaez which it surprises and pack with Cempoalla. The 900 soldiers of Narvaez pass then under its authority and reinforce its troops which regain Tenochtitlan.

The June 20th 1520, an insurrection bursts with Tenochtitlán, started by a massacre perpetrated by the Spaniards of Alvarado during the festival of Toxcalt. The Cortes arrives precipitately and is found encircled in the palate of Axayacatl. Moctezuma, released, is lapidated by crowd when he asks him to lower the weapons. The Spaniards are bombarded in their quarterings by ignited arrows. After having taken the sanctuary of Huitzilopochtli, they must flee by a portable bridge. They lose half of their forces while being folded up on Tlaxcala ( noche sad , June 30th July 1st). The July 8th, the runaways succeed in overcoming the immense army of cacic Cihuaca in the plain of Otampan.

In 1521, Cuitlahuac, brother and successor of Moctezuma, dies of the variola, left by the Spaniards after their departure, whereas it tried to rejoin Tlaxcalans under cover of a federation. His/her cousin Cuauhtémoc, instigator of the revolt against the Spaniards, succeeds to him. The chief tlaxcalan Xicoténcatl undertakes to desert with dead from his Maxixca father, carried by the epidemic. The Cortes makes it carry out.

The Cortes makes the seat of Tenochtitlán during 75 days (May 20th 1521). Its army is reinforced by new troops sent against him by Diego Vélasquez, governor of Cuba, by two ships of the governor of Jamaica Galay in stopover with Veracruz and of a requisitioned commercial vessel. It can align 87 riders, 818 infantrymen (including 118 arquebusiers and principal rafters), 18 pieces of artillery, and 25 000 warriors tlaxcalans having 50 000 arrows with copper point, reinforced later by the tribes close to Mexico City. Moreover, the population of Mexico City was decimated by an epidemic of variola which saves the Spaniards. The Cortes makes assemble item by item a flotilla of thirteen boats which it lays out on the Lake Texcoco which surrounds the city. It cuts the aqueduct which supplies it with water, destroys the 1500 Aztec boats, starves the city and carries out, says one, 67 000 men (more 50 000 already died of hunger or disease). The city falls the August 13rd and is destroyed on order of the Cortes. Renamed Mexico City, it is rebuilt by the Spaniards. Cuauhtémoc, which tried to flee, is captured by the captain Garcia Holguin.

The Cortes undertakes the rebuilding of Mexico City with in the center Plaza Mayor, the cathedral San Francisco, the convent of the Franciscain S and the palate of the governor to whom lead of broad arteries bordered of the stone-built houses of the aristocracy. Thirteen churches are built with the site of old the teocallis . A monumental citadel, the Matadero , defends the city with 70 guns. The governor supports colonization by distributing grounds to Spaniard couples. The pêchers, olive-trees, almond trees and orange trees are acclimatized and are neighborly with cotton, the cane with sugar, the indigo and the traditional cultures, of which the sisal plant, the corn and the cacao-tree.

In front of the complaints of Diego Vélasquez, Panfilo de Narvaez, Mgr Fonseca and other courtiers jealous, Charles Quint names a board of inquiry directed by the large chancellor of Naples to judge management of the Cortes, shown to be themselves suitable the fleet of Vélasquez and to have scuttled it, to have usurped the capacities of the governor of Cuba, put at evil its emissary, to have wasted the incomes of the conquered territories, in particular in the rebuilding of Mexico City. Defended by his/her father, gift Martin, and the duke of Bejar, the Cortes is confirmed by the commission and is named governor and large judge of the News-Spain by the royal decree of the October 15th 1522.

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