Spanish Arrival in
Mesoamerica
Arrival
Conquistadors
Aztec Accounts
Arrival
A.D. 1519
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The first city the Spanish saw was Cempoala on the
Veracruz coastal plain.
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Received by the Totonac ruler.
city with five pyramids and a round temple dedicated to
Quetzalcoatl.
walled and raised above ground level for defense and floods.
Impressed by the pottery and architecture of these “savages”
Traveled above the coastal plain and through the
volcanoes-Popcatpetl and Iztaccihuatl.
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Beneath them was the Basin of Mexico.
7700 sq km, with forested mts surrounding it.
center was a chain of five lakes.
They saw the inland city of Tenochtitlan from there.
Basin of Mexico
Volcanoes-Popcatpetl and Iztaccihuatl
Cortes
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(1485-1547), Spanish explorer and conqueror of the Aztec Empire of
Mexico.
Cortés was born in Medellín, Extremadura. He studied law at the University
of Salamanca but cut short his university career in 1501 and decided to try
his fortune in the Americas.
Cortés sailed for Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) in the spring
of 1504. In 1511 he joined Spanish soldier and administrator Diego
Velázquez in the conquest of Cuba and subsequently became alcalde
(mayor) of Santiago de Cuba.
In 1518 Cortés persuaded Velázquez, who had become governor of Cuba,
to give him the command of an expedition to Mexico. The mainland had
been discovered the year before by Spanish soldier and explorer Francisco
Fernández de Córdoba and subsequently by Juan de Grijalva, nephew of
Velázquez.
On February 19, 1519, Cortés, with a force of some 600 men, fewer than
20 horses, and 10 field pieces, set sail from Cuba.
Cortés sailed along the coast of Yucatán and in March 1519 landed in
Mexico, subjugating the town of Tabasco. From the native inhabitants of
Tabasco, Cortés learned of the Aztec Empire and its ruler, Montezuma II.
Conquistadors
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Bernal Diaz del Castillo
One of Cortes’ conquistadors.
 1495 (Spain) to 1584 (Guatemala).
 Account written in 1555, many years after the
conquest.
 Left Spain in 1514 where he went to Cuba where a
relation was governor.
 joined Hernandez de Cordova and went to Florida
where they received a hostel reception.
 Back to Cuba where he eventually joined Cortes in
1519 where they set sail from Port of Trinidad to
Veracruz.
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March Inland
Forced their way inland to Basin of Mexico
where they met with little resistance until
Tlaxcala.
 Castillo was wounded on the head and thigh and
eventually Cortes made peace and formed an
alliance with the inhabitants.
 Continued their march where they massacred
people at Itzcalpan, Tlamanalco, and
Itztapalatengo.
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Inland Route
Meeting between Cortes and Moctezuma II
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An emissary of Moctezuma II met them and
welcomed them and crossed the causeway.
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Received by Moctezuma with much pomp and
circumstance and offered them the city with little
resistance.
There they stood by them and Montezuma
approached on a litter.
Moctezuma was dressed very richly.
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covered by a rich canopy of green colored feathers
with gold and silver embroidery.
Montezuma had on sandals with soles of gold and the
upper part adorned with precious stones.
As he walked his servents swept the ground and put
cloth on it so he need not touch the dirt.
there they were shown their lodgings in the city
which were richly decorated.
Stay in Mexico City
Received after a banquet at Montezumas court
and exchanged more gifts.
 Castillo repeatedly refers to the reverence
Moctezuma paid to the “Emperor” of which he
believed Cortes to be an emissary.
 Moctezuma later says that now that he has seen
them and seen that they were “flesh and bone”
like himself and he would share his possessions
with Cortes.
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Later…
Moctezuma was kept prisoner in his palace
by the Spanish and gave up the lords of
the cities who had resisted the Spanish.
 Many native chieftans were burned to
death.
 Finally swore fealty to King of Spain
 Provided the Spanish with seven hundred
thousand dollars in gold, as well as cloth
and women.
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Death of Moctezuma II
Cortés called on Montezuma to quell the revolt.
 But the Aztec ruler was stoned while addressing
his subjects.
 He reportedly died three days later. Montezuma
was succeeded by Cuitlahuac, who died of small
pox 80 days later
 Then, Moctezumas’ nephew, Cuatemotzin,
succeeded and became the last Aztec ruler.
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Meanwhile…
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Governor of Cuba-Valasquez sent troops to see
what was going on, because Cortes was keeping
all the riches to himself.
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Troops led by Navarez
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fleet of nineteen ships and fourteen hundred soldiers
armed with cannons, guns, and horses.
Cortes left for the coast and fought with troops,
but won them over with gold.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs had risen against those left
behind and forced them away.
 They fled to Tlaxcala where they were fortified by
reinforcements from Cuba as well as Natives.
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Mexico Revolts
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Cortes hears word that Mexico has revolted in their
absence.
After several squirmishes they retreated to Tlaxcala
Here they got 4,000 soldiers from the Tlaxcalans.
more followed from other areas.
Cortes built launches with the native labor.
Unfortunately suffered many defeats.
every causeway they captured and barricaded was
recaputured and opend at night by the Mexicans.
July 15 Cortes is resupplied by Vera Cruz with weapons
from Ponce de Leon.
The “80” day siege
The siege began on May 21, 1521 and
lasted for 85 days.
 Finally ended when the Spanish captured
the northeast section of the city and
eventually conquered the remaining
Aztecs.
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Mexico Surrenders
 Cuauhtemoc,
the nephew of
Moctezuma II sets our from the city
and surrenders to Cortes sometime
around August 14, 1521.