Hernando Cortes

Most thug Conquistador ever. (period)

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Bibliography

Packet from class
“A Aztec Account of he Conquest of Mexico.” Fordam University Modern History Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu (accessed may 16, 2007).
“Aztecs: Conquest.” Thinkquest. 1998. Thinkquest Team 16325. http://library .advanced.org (accessed May 17, 2007).
Bandelier, Adam F. “Hernando Cortes.” New Advent. Kevin Knight. 2007. Trinity Consulting. http://ww.newadvent.org (accessed may 16, 2007).

“Conquistadors.” PBS. Spring 2001. PBS.org. http://www.pbs.org (accessed May 20, 2007).
Guzauskyte, Evelina. “Hernan Cortes.” Columbia University. http:// www.columbia.edu (accessed may 16, 2007).
“Hernan Cortes.” Virtualogy. 2000. Virtualogy. http://virtualogy.com (accessed May 16, 2007).
"Hernan Cortes: from Second Leter to Charles V, 1520." Fordham University Modern History Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu (accessed May 16, 2007).
“Hernan Cortes arrive in Mexico.” PBS. http://www.pbs.org (accessed May 17, 2007).
“Hernando Cortes.” The Mariner’s Museum. Institute of Museum and Library Sources. http://www.mariner.org (accessed May 16, 2007).
“Moctezuma’s Greeting to Hernan Cortes.” Ramapo College. Ramapo College. http://phobos.ramapo.edu (accessed May 20, 2007).
Morris, J. Bayard. “Hernán Cortés. Five Letters of Cortés to the Emperor, 1519-1526.” Fairly Dickinson College. 1969. http://users.dickinson.edu (accessed May 15, 2007).
Pavlovic, Bryan. “Hernando Cortez.” Historical Essays. http://ntap.k12.ca.us (accessed May 19, 2007).
Pennington, Piers. The Great Explorers. New York : Facts on File, 1979.
Sambol-Tosco, Kimberly. "Cortés, Hernán." In Mancall, Peter C., and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: Three Worlds Meet, Beginnings to 1607, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com (accessed May 20, 2007).
Tuck, Jim. “Affirmative Action and Hernan Cortes.” Mexico Connect. 1996. http://www.mexconnect.com (accessed May 20, 2007).

Dona Marina/La Malinche

April 13, 1519
God truly has laid his eyes upon me today. Before me in this morning was the most striking woman who I had ever laid eyes on. After the battle at Cintla, the Tabascans swore allegiance to the Spanish and to Charles V, as well as gave our crew 20 women. Of those mistresses, there was but one who truly stood out. They called her Malinaltzin. Originally, I was to present this fine mistress to Alonzo Hernando Puertocarrero, but he was made for the palace of Charles V, and I decided I would then have her. The ways her looks and elegance work together just take my breath away. They are enough to knock the queen from her feet. His Excellency, Charles V, might have to look again to see her beauty in it’s fullness. I am so lucky to find one as beautiful as her. Praise be to God.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Return to Tenochitlan

June 5, 1520

I sit here inside this musty palace. We are barricaded in, protecting ourselves within Montezuma's palace. Alvarado, That fool! He let my city fall into open revolt?! He provoked the natives by massacring over 400 Aztecs just because he thought there was a conspiracy to over throw the city. Imbecile! I have tried to reason with them, hell, I've even displayed Montezuma to denounce this rebellion. And yet, he is struck with a heavy stone into his head. The fool won't even let us dress his wounds. I am now running out of supplies and food to hold us within the palace walls. I might take drastic action, or all is lost.

Raid on Narvaez

May 30, 1520

Last night, what a great success! Finally after many months of this servant of the Governor, the hunt has come to an end. Narvaez, a peon of the Governor was sent after me and accused me of crimes against the crown. Blasphemy! I should not be upset, for it no longer matters. I left my trusted lieutenant Alverado and I stormed his camp last night in a swift and decisive action. The fool had let himself become open and we knew where he was. I had planned a daring raid in the middle of the night to capture Narvaez and his men. Then it struck me. If they cant beat us, then I will make them join us. I drew his men onto my side with the prospect of Aztec gold. Now my forces have bolstered in size. with over 1000 men, and a hundred horses, and a huge amount of guns and weapons, I am ready to ready to Tenochitlan.

Kidnapping of Montezuma

January 15, 1520
I have done something that might very well tip the balance of peace in the city of Tenochtitlan. It seemed that they were slowly trying to trap us, so I made a rash and quick decision. I took their king, Montezuma, as my leverage. They know as long as I have him with me, there is nothing they can do to me without them losing their great and noble leader. As I think about it, there are many ups and downs. Many a night I have laid up and consulted Dona Marina about this problem. She agrees with me that this was the right to thing to do to secure my men and my safety. I have been here for over a year and a half and there has been no important word from Cuba. This makes me think that something not so good is going to occur that might disrupt the peace even more. Maybe this is the fact that I am supposedly a descendent of a god, or maybe it’s just dumb luck, but I feel something is going to happen.

Battle at Cintla

March 25, 1519
A battle like the one that just occurred has never been. Although there was no reason for the Spanish to lose in such a battle as this one against men wearing cloth patches, we came too close. Because of our heavy plated armor, our movement was much hampered and very slow. The cloth armor worn by those of the Tabascans was very light and allowed them to move much more freely than we were. The final surge of the cavalry really tided the battle to our side, but this ended up being way too close. After the Tabascans were scattered by the cavalry surge, it was easy to pick them off one by one. Once they were defeated, they swore allegiance to me and my amry, as well as swearing to always be good servants to King Charles V.

First Steps on New Land

November 8, 1519
The battle that followed our landing on Cozumel was a quick battle with a very primitive army force. The Caciques as they called themselves were not very well equipped for fighting. After they lost, they surrendered and offered food, gold, and maidens to my tired men. We then landed farther north on land and harbored our ships and started to move inward. We passed a tribe around 150 kilometers inland that were not friendly with the tribe that was said to carry the most gold of any other place on this new world. We set up a deal where several thousand of the natives traveled with us to Tenochtitlan. We entered Tenochtitlan on a wooden bridge, over a breach to allow water to flow, that was ten paces wide. Moctezuma greeted us on this bridge with some two hundred lords, all barefoot. They processed in columns and welcomed us into their great city.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Tenochtitlan

November 20, 1519

When we first arrived at Tenochtitlan Its scale dazed us. Its monumental temples and buildings were astonishing. I could not wait to conquer it! The city was in the center of a lake and surrounded by water only connected to the main land by several causeways. Me and my men approached on the main bridge and were met by a procession of Aztecs shielding Montezuma from us. He then came forth as I presented him with a glass necklace as a gift. After I had a small conversation with him dealing with our presence in the city he bought us into his palace. He graciously lend ed him his palace as long as we were in his city. At this point I wondered, if getting into the city was so easy then taking over the empire would be hardly difficult. I crafted a knavish plan in which i invited Montezuma to come and speak about the tax collector murders which were perpetrated against us. Astonishingly enough he came and we quickly seized him and held him hostage. Now the empire belonged to us, it was far too easy.

Tlaxcalan and the Taxcalans

September 28, 1519

On my adventure to Tenochtitlan and to meet the Aztecs "revered speaker" Montezuma I have come to the village of Taxlcalan. At first we were met with stiff resistance. After i had failed to take the gates of the city I had been beaten back. We were then ambushed by the fierce warriors. Wave after wave we defended ourselves, soon enough they agreed to peace talks. I began talking to their chiefs and the more i spoke of Europe and king Charles the more i noticed they seemed to be intrigued. I told them of my goal of gold and conquest which appealed to them. In addition to ending our fighting they became our allies and have pledged 5000 warriors to my cause. Surely this Montezuma shall fall.

Land of Tabasco

March 4, 1519

I have come to take land for the Spanish crown and here at Tabasco I have experienced my first decisive victory.when i had come across the people of Tabasco they seemed primitive. I needed this land as a foothold so that i may claim more land for Spain and more gold, for myself of course. My first action here was one of peace. I pronounced myself in front of an audience of Tabascans and gave them my reasoning and claim to the land for the King of Spain. Yet this dim-whited Indians refused! In an barbaric attempt to route me from the land they attack me and my men. But this would not be a problem since I am a skilled military commander and I swiftly put an end to their uprising. I do not want to seem full of myself but, if every Indian is like a Tabascan then all of Mexico will fall to me in due time.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

My Departure

February 18, 1519

I always knew that Velàzquez was a man who was interested in America, but I never knew to what extent. When he confronted me about the importance of this voyage, I knew immediately that he was not kidding around. Although I had to pour a lot of my own money into this expedition. As soon as I had gotten 300 men to join my cause, his jealousy got the best of him. He immediately did everything in his power to have me stopped and arrested. Some of the workers in the local harbors were kind enough to let me dock my ships there. After the entire fiasco we were ready to set sail. And on the day the expedition finally left Cuba with around 500 soldiers and 100 seamen, as well as 16 horses and enough heavy guns for one trip.