Name: Fernando Cortez de Monroy and Pizarro Altamirano (Hernan Cortez)

Years of life: approximately 1485 - approximately 1547

State: Spain

Field of activity: Traveler

Greatest Achievement: He was one of the first conquistadors. Under his leadership, Spain conquered Mexico

Latin America is a long-suffering continent. The local residents were unlucky in the sense that as soon as the Europeans discovered American lands, a stream of conquerors immediately poured in, and not with the most rosy intentions. The Spaniards and Portuguese made special efforts in the southern part of the continent. Thanks to them, all of Central and South America speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and also professes Catholicism, and the population can be considered educated, comparable to the European one.

But behind this seemingly peaceful façade hid an ugly truth - the destruction of indigenous peoples, the eradication of culture, local language, traditions and customs. These lands have seen many conquerors over several centuries, but only a few names remain in history. Not only thanks to his discoveries of uncharted lands, but also to his exorbitant and often unjustified cruelty towards local tribes, who, as a result of the barbaric actions of the conquerors, disappeared from the face of the earth. One of these illustrious names is the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. Who was this proud Spaniard? More on this below.

Biography

It is very difficult to accurately indicate Hernan’s date of birth - for some personal reasons, he preferred not to dwell on this topic. Most of the information can be gleaned from the notes of Hernan’s biographer, his spiritual father Francisco de Gomar. It is known that he was born in 1485 in Spain. Cortes was the only son of Martin Cortes de Monroy and Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino - both parents came from ancient respected families, the so-called Hidalgos. “They had little wealth, but a lot of honor,” this is how de Gomara described the Cortes family.

The father's fortune was indeed modest, which, however, did not prevent him from sending his son at the age of 14 to study in Salamanca, in western Spain. Gomara described the teenager as ruthless, arrogant, disobedient and quarrelsome (all these qualities would later be felt by the local American tribes). Studying at the university did not attract the young man. In those years, the fame of Christopher Columbus was just booming, about the long voyages he made and about the discoveries of new lands. Hernan was inspired and also wanted to serve his homeland. He went to the east coast port of Valencia with the idea of serving in the Italian Wars, but changed his mind and put his dream on hold for almost a year. Obviously, the southern ports of Spain, with ships full of wealth from India, proved more attractive. He finally sailed to the island of Hispaniola (now Santo Domingo) in 1504. He wanted independence and wealth.

In Hispaniola he became a farmer and a notary in the city council; During the first six years, Hernan tried to make a fortune for himself, but could not - he had more debts than income. In addition, the long-awaited dream of American lands had to be postponed due to the fact that he contracted syphilis and missed the expedition of Diego de Nicueza and Alonso de Ojeda, who went to the South American mainland in 1509. By 1511, he had recovered and, together with Diego Velazquez, set off to conquer Cuba. There Velazquez was appointed governor, and Cortes official treasurer. Cortés received repartimiento (land and Indian slaves) and the first house in the new capital of Santiago. He also became the first mayor of the capital and Velazquez's close associate (also because he married his sister Catalina to his advantage).

Cortes was twice elected alcalde (mayor) of the city of Santiago. He set himself up as God's true representative on these lands. Therefore, it was to Cortes that Velazquez turned when, after the progress of Juan de Grijalba in establishing a colony on the mainland became known, it was decided to send him help. In October 1518, an agreement was signed appointing Cortes captain of the new expedition. But for this it was necessary to collect the required number of ships and finances. His abilities as an orator brought him six ships and 300 men in less than a month. Velazquez's reaction was predictable, his jealousy was awakened, and he decided to transfer leadership of the expedition to other hands. Cortés, however, hastily put to sea to pick up more people and ships in other Cuban ports.

Expedition to Mexico. Discovery of Hernán Cortés

When Cortés finally sailed for the shores of Yucatan on February 18, 1519, he had 11 ships, 508 soldiers, about 100 sailors, and 16 horses. In March 1519, he landed in the city of Tabasco (now a state in Mexico), where he stayed for some time to obtain information from the local Indians. Cortés also received gifts from them, including about 20 women, one of whom, Marina (Malinche), became his concubine and translator and bore him a son, Martin.

Cortés sailed to another location just above Tabasco on the southeastern coast of Mexico and founded the city of Veracruz (which is now also a state), mainly to ensure that his soldiers would obey only him, thus destroying Velázquez's power. On the mainland, Cortés did what no other expedition leader had done: he trained and disciplined his army, creating a cohesive force. So that the soldiers would not even think about escaping, Hernan ordered all the ships to be burned. Now the Spaniards were left alone with the local peoples.

Cortés often went to explore the Mexican interior, sometimes relying on force, sometimes on friendship with the local Indian peoples, but always trying to keep conflict with them to a minimum. The key to Cortez's subsequent conquests lay in the political crisis in the Aztec empire. For example, the people of Tlaxcala, who were in a state of chronic war with Montezuma II, the ruler of the Mexican Aztec Empire, initially resisted Cortez, but became his most loyal ally.

Rejecting all of Montezuma's threats and entreaties to keep him away from Tenochtitlan or Mexico, the capital (restored as Mexico City after 1521), Cortés entered the city on November 8, 1519 with his small force. In accordance with the diplomatic customs of Mexico, Montezuma received him with great honor. Cortes soon decided to capture Montezuma in order to hold the country through his monarch and achieve not only political conquest, but also a change of religion. Cortez's success was obvious not only because the Spaniards shocked the Aztecs with their appearance on horseback (they had never seen these animals, so they were afraid), but also because he was ideal for the role of the local deity Quetzalcoatl, who wore a beard and had white skin, and who taught the Aztecs the wisdom of agriculture.

After the capture of Montezuma, the Spaniards were surprised to discover that the Aztecs were an incredibly rich people (the Europeans had never seen so much gold and jewelry). And the robbery began - many valuable figurines and objects were melted down into ordinary ingots. Naturally, Cortez kept most of the loot for himself. The Aztecs defended their city, Tenochtitlan, to the last. Cortes tried several times to take it, subjugating neighboring territories. So far he has not succeeded. He laid siege to the city itself, conquering it street by street until Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire. Cortes became the sole ruler of a vast territory stretching from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Later years

In 1524, his restless desire to explore and conquer led him south into the jungles of Honduras. The two difficult years he spent on this disastrous expedition damaged his health and position. Intrigues began to weave against him - the main one was Velazquez, who did not forgive Cortes for his popularity among the locals and success in the conquest.

In 1528, Cortés traveled to Spain to personally appeal to the king. He brought with him a huge amount of treasures. He was received by Charles at his court in Toledo. He also married again, this time to the Duke's daughter. But Hernan's success was short-lived. Very soon he fell out of favor with the king. Charles removed him as governor of Mexico. He returned to New Spain in 1530 to find the country in a state of anarchy.

Charges were brought against him for the murder of his first wife, Catalina (using poison). Trying to somehow regain his former position, in 1536 Cortez set off on another expedition to the shores of California in search of gold. Hernan tried to persuade the king to finance the entire peninsula, but the king rejected this offer. Cortés retired to his estate in Cuernavaca, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Mexico City. There he concentrated on building his palace and exploring the Pacific Ocean.

In 1540, Cortez returned to Spain. By then he was completely disillusioned and his life had become miserable due to the litigation. In addition, the health of the 62-year-old conquistador was undermined. In 1547, the legendary Aztec conqueror Hernán Cortés died of dysentery on an estate in Seville.

The Spanish fleet was equipped by the governor of Cuba, Diego Velazquez. At the head of the expedition, he put Hernan Cortes, a “prominent hidalgo” from Extremadura, a dandy and a spendthrift. “He had little money, but a lot of debt.” He recruited a detachment of 508 people, took with him several guns and 16 horses; he had high hopes for them, since the Mexicans had never seen these “terrible” animals and did not know livestock at all.

On February 10, 1519, nine ships of Cortes were led to the “golden country” by Anton Alaminos. On the island of Cozumel, where there was a temple revered by the Mayan people, Cortes acted as the apostle of Christianity. By his order, the pagan idols were broken, the temple was turned into a Christian temple. The first battle with the Indians took place on the southern shore of the Bay of Campeche, in the country of Tabasco. Having broken their resistance, Cortes sent three detachments into the country. Having met large military forces, they retreated with great damage. Cortes sent his entire army against the attackers.

The Indians fought with great courage and were not afraid even of cannons. Then Cortes struck from the rear with his small cavalry detachment. “The Indians had never seen horses before, and it seemed to them that horse and rider were one creature, powerful and merciless.” From Tabasco the flotilla sailed to the island of San Juan de Ulua. On April 21, the Spaniards landed on the shore of the mainland and, to secure the rear, built the city of Veracruz. Montezuma, the supreme leader of the Aztecs, tried to bribe the Spaniards so that they would abandon their campaign against his capital. But the more gold and jewelry he gave the conquistadors, the more they sought to take possession of Tenochtitlan. Montezuma acted indecisively: he ordered the leaders under his control to resist the Spaniards with weapons in their hands, and if they failed, he did not help them, and even renounced them. Finally he agreed to let the Spaniards into Tenochtitlan. The Spaniards were housed in a huge building. Searching the room, they found a walled door. Cortez ordered it to be opened and discovered a secret room with a rich treasure of precious stones and gold. But the Spaniards saw that they were locked and surrounded by enemies in a huge city, and decided to take Montezuma himself as a hostage. Montezuma was temporarily put in chains for warning. From that time on, on his behalf, Cortés began to give orders throughout the entire country without permission. He forced the Aztec leaders to swear allegiance to the Spanish king, and then demanded that they, as vassals, pay tribute in gold. Discord began among the conquerors over the division of the loot. And at this time almost all of Mexico rebelled (1520). In five days, some 900 Spaniards and 1,300 of their Indian allies died, drowned, were killed, captured, and then sacrificed.

The Spaniards were rescued by the Tlaxcalans, who feared the revenge of the Aztecs. They gave the conquerors the opportunity to recover from the defeat and allocated several thousand soldiers to help them. Relying on them, Cortez carried out punitive expeditions against the Indians.

Having replenished the detachment with people and equipment, Cortes and 10 thousand Indians friendly to him in 1521 began a new systematic attack on Tenochtitlan. He ordered the construction of large flat-bottomed ships to take possession of the lake, surround and starve out the Aztec capital. He forbade the surrounding tribes from sending part of the harvest as tribute to them and provided them with assistance when Aztec troops came for tribute. He allowed the Tlaxcalans to plunder Aztec villages. Mexico was conquered. The victors seized all the treasures collected by the Aztecs in the cities and forced the indigenous population to work on the newly organized Spanish estates. Some were enslaved, but the rest of the enslaved Indians actually became slaves. Hundreds of thousands killed or died from exhaustion and infectious diseases brought by the conquistadors - this is the terrible result of the Spanish conquest of the country.

After the fall of Mexico City, Cortez sent troops in all directions to expand the borders of New Spain, and he himself conquered the indigenous region of the Aztecs - the Panuco River basin. Upon returning to Mexico, Cortez began research activities, equipping seven expeditions. Cortez, who led the fourth (1535 - 1536), discovered the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains and 500 km of the mainland coast of the Gulf of California. The fifth (1537 - 1538) traced this coast to the north for another 500 km. The sixth (1536 - 1539), under the command of Grijalva, completed the first crossing almost along the equator. The leader of the seventh (1539 - 1540) Francisco Ulda completed the discovery of the eastern seashore of the Gulf of California.

Hernan (Fernando) Cortes is a famous person in history, one of the conquerors of the American continent, a great figure in the era of great geographical discoveries, who conquered the Aztec state (the current territory of Mexico). Answers to questions about who Cortes is and what his role was in the conquest of Mexico and the peoples of North America will be of interest to both schoolchildren and adults.

Biography of Hernán Cortez

By birth, Fernando Cortes de Monroy (1485-1547) belongs to a noble family, although impoverished. Cortes spent his childhood in Medellin (Spain), then graduated from the University of Salamanca, where he studied law.

From a young age, he had a reputation as a rake and lover of women, spending his time in carousing and drinking with a company of rich loafers. His amorous affairs and scandals infuriated the city authorities and the police, and Hernan decided to set out on long journeys in search of adventure.

In 1504, 12 years after Columbus discovered American lands, Cortez, dreaming of the treasures of the Indians, went on a sea voyage to the West Indies, where he served as secretary to the Cuban governor Velazquez, periodically making trips to American lands.

During one of his campaigns, after landing on the island of Santa Domingo in 1511, Hernan became famous for his cruelty in an effort to suppress the resistance of local residents by any means, often inhumane. After the capture of the island, Cortez received as personal property not only many lands, but also gold mines and made a good fortune for himself. He married and managed his lands using the labor of Indian slaves, but then in 1518, rumors spread around the island about the discovery of a gold-rich Aztec country on the Yucatan Peninsula.

After two unsuccessful campaigns on Mexican lands, where the powerful Aztec state was located, Velazquez decided to equip the 3rd expedition and instructed Cortes to lead it, but at the last moment he wanted to cancel his decision. However, Hernan had already gathered 670 people, 11 horses, 10 cannons for the campaign and, contrary to the decision of the governor, in February 1519 he sailed from Havana on 11 ships towards Mexico.

First trip

This campaign became a turning point in the fate and biography of Cortez. Due to the understaffing of the expedition, he began his pirate activities: he confiscated food supplies in the port of Macau, then in Trinidad he captured a Spanish merchant ship with cargo, which caused even greater rage from Velazquez.

The campaign began with Cortes sailing north and, having rounded the Yucatan, swam to the mouth of the river. Tabasco captured the Indian city. Attempts at resistance by local residents were broken by the attack of armed horsemen and fire from all guns, because the Indians had never seen horses or firearms before.

Local residents submitted to the Spanish conqueror, paid tribute and even gave 20 slaves, one of whom Malinche (or Marina) later became his mistress and translator.

In April 1519, Hernán Cortés landed in a place surrounded by swamps and jungles, where the city of Veracruz was later founded, and entered into negotiations with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, who graciously sent the Spaniards expensive gifts to pay off. However, the conquerors, seeing the gold, decided to continue their campaign.

The Legend of Quetzalcoatl

Montezuma and his leaders, having heard about the arrival of the Spanish ships and not really knowing who Cortes was, decided that it was their legendary god Quetzalcoatl, whose arrival they had been waiting for many years, who had returned.

One of the Indian gods, Quetzalcoatl, according to legend, was a white man with a beard. He allegedly arrived on a winged ship from the direction where the sun rises. By coincidence, the place where the god descended from the ship turned out to be exactly where Cortez’s camp was set up.

According to legend, Quetzalcoatl taught local residents all crafts, gave them wise and fair laws and religious views. He was considered the founder of a country in which corn and cotton fields bountifully bore fruit. Then the white god returned to where he came from.

All the Aztec legends about Quetzalcoatl predicted the coming of white-skinned conquerors who could conquer the Indian tribes and replace the local gods with their own. It was because of the ancient legend that the Aztecs believed that the prophecy had come true and their struggle would be futile.

The military council and Emperor Montezuma became disheartened and decided to negotiate with the Spanish conquistadors, appeasing them with generous gifts and showing the power of the Aztec people with a demonstration of wealth.

However, the opposite happened: it was these rich gifts and gold that whetted the appetite and greed of the Spanish conquerors. Cortes told the delegation of leaders that he was the representative of the King of Spain and would be his ambassador to the conquered lands.

Trek to the state of Tlaxcalana

Cortez's next strategic step was a hiking expedition deep into Mexico to lands that were hostile to the Aztecs, which he decided to take advantage of. The embassy of the Totonac king asked for help in the fight against the Aztecs, and Hernan decided to take advantage of this to start a war with Montezuma and his people.

Hernan Cortes led his army, which was increased by the warriors of the Totonac tribe, to their capital, Sempoala. On the advice of the leader, it was decided to go on foot to the capital of the state of Tlaxcalana, which also suffered from the oppression of the Aztecs, in order to gather an army. Due to unrest among the soldiers, he ordered all Spanish ships to be burned and the conspirators put to death.

The next campaign of Cortez and his warriors, including 1,500 Totonac Indians, began on August 16, 1519. All the local residents they met were friendly towards the Spaniards. During the transition, the army of conquistadors saw valleys and small cities with pyramids, a mountain range and snowy peaks in the distance, fields were sown with corn, aloe and cacti grew everywhere.

The Tlaxcalans initially met the Spanish army with hostility, sending an army against them armed with wooden clubs with spikes (obsidians). However, they could not resist the cannons and arquebuses of the Spaniards and surrendered after several battles. Peace was concluded, and Cortez entered the city, surrounded by a ring of snowy mountains. For the previous 50 years, the Tlaxcalans had been constantly at war with the Aztecs, so they were glad to enter into an alliance with the Spaniards to march on the Aztec state.

Defeat of Cholula

Montezuma, wanting to show kindness to the Spaniards, invited them to the city of Cholula, which was the religious capital of the Aztecs. In the middle of it, at the top of a huge pyramid, was the temple of the god Quetzalcoatl - a place of pilgrimage for Mexican Indians. In the city itself there were another 400 towers, at the top of which a fire was constantly burning. The Spanish army was stationed together with the Tlaxcalans in the courtyard of one of the Aztec temples.

One day, Marina told Hernan about overheard news about an impending conspiracy of the local aristocracy against foreign aliens, and the conquistador decided to get ahead of events and show the Aztecs who Cortes was. Having invited the dignitaries to visit him, he gave the order to the Spaniards to finish everyone off. Unarmed Indian aristocrats were killed, and their clothes and jewelry were divided among the conquerors.

The local population, hearing the sounds of fighting, tried to help their comrades, but in response the Spaniards rolled out cannons and began shooting at the city. Throughout the whole day, the destruction of local residents, looting and burning of houses continued, and by evening only ruins remained of the beautiful Cholule.

Capture of the Aztec capital

After 2 weeks, the conqueror of Mexico, Cortes, and his army decided to march on the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), for which they had to overcome a cold mountain pass and descend into the flowering Anaguac Valley. In the middle of it was a large lake, where the main city of the Aztecs was located, nicknamed by the Spaniards “Western Venice.” At that time, it had more than 300 thousand inhabitants, which even exceeded the population of London.

On November 8, 1519, the Spaniards approached Tenochtitlan, where local residents sitting in pirogues were waiting for them with rich gifts and goods. On a dam built of stone and sand, Montezuma was surrounded by his leaders.

The Aztec emperor was dressed in a cloak richly decorated with ornaments and jewels, his head was crowned with a headdress of emerald feathers and studded with pearls and stones. All of Montezuma's clothes and shoes sparkled in the sun from an incredible amount of gold. The leader greeted Cortez, presented him with a valuable decoration and solemnly led the Spanish army into the city, accompanied by the roar of drums and the sound of trumpets.

The Spanish conquistadors were invited to Montezuma's palace complex, built of hewn stone; on the other side of the square stood a huge pyramid consisting of 5 tiers. Having climbed 340 steps to its top, Montezuma showed Cortez his city. There were other Aztec settlements around the lake, connected by dams, canals and bridges; the total number of inhabitants reached almost 3 million people.

The city had a water supply system, which supplied fresh water from neighboring mountain peaks, but the lake itself was salty. In the square in front of the temple lay a huge monolithic stone made of red jasper, on which the Aztecs made sacrifices to their gods, and inside the tower stood a terrible stone idol, symbolizing the god of war Huitzilopochtl, who demanded human blood, decorated with skulls and natural sapphires.

For a whole week, E. Cortes pondered a plan to capture the city, and came to the conclusion that this could only be done by capturing their king, Montezuma. The lucky moment came a few days later, when the local governor killed Spanish prisoners. Cortes with an armed detachment burst into the palace and captured Montezuma, shackling him in chains and shackles, and burning the guilty governor at the stake.

The Aztec leader lost his courage and became submissive to the will of the Spanish conquerors, who even destroyed the local temple and erected a Catholic chapel on its ruins. Cortez then forced the king to give him the Aztec treasures as tribute to Cortez and Spain, and forced the local leaders to swear allegiance to the Spanish king.

Departure of Cortes for Veracruz

In May 1520, messages arrived from Veracruz about the arrival there of the Spaniards, led by Narvaez, sent by the governor of Cuba to capture E. Cortes and the wealth he had obtained. Because of this, he urgently gathered an army of 230 soldiers and went to meet the new enemy. The battle was short-lived, as a result of which Narvaez was wounded, and his warriors, lured by the promise of rich gifts, joined his army.

At this time, the Indians of Tenochtitlan rebelled and surrounded the island along with the Spaniards. They were enraged by the treacherous actions of the Spaniards, who, during an Aztec festival, attacked and killed unarmed leaders for the purpose of profit. The besieged asked Hernan for help, and he moved back with his army.

Having freely entered the city and closed the gates, Cortes united 2 troops, but immediately saw that he was surrounded by countless hordes of Indians. An assault took place, during which the Spaniards, with the help of cannons and rifles, fought off the armed Aztecs, who pulled them off their horses. The Indians immediately killed the captured warriors, sacrificing them to the god of war, which is why the entire lake turned red with blood. In response, Cortez gave the order to burn all houses in the city.

There are several versions of the death of the Aztec leader. According to one of them, Montezuma, wanting to save his country from the conquerors, agreed to appeal to the residents with a request to stop the fight, but for betrayal they threw stones at him, one of which mortally wounded him in the head. The Spaniards gave the deceased leader to the Indians, but where was he buried? still unknown. According to another, Montezuma was ordered to be killed and burned by Cortes himself on the night of July 2, 1520.

Escape from the trap and win

Cortez and the Spaniards had no choice but to flee from the surrounded city. At night, the conquistadors, together with their Indian allies, were able to cross the drawbridge, but were discovered and attacked by Indian warriors.

Only a small handful of conquerors managed to escape: almost 500 Spaniards and 5 thousand Tlaxcalans were killed, Cortes himself was wounded. All the wealth of the Aztecs (gold and jewelry) remained at the bottom of the lake; the cannons and many horses drowned.

Cortes then returned to Tlaxcalan, where he began preparing a new attack on Tenochtitlan. In 1521, the Aztec capital was surrounded, and it was decided to starve out the inhabitants. The Tlaxcalans were given permission to plunder the Aztec villages and collect tribute from them.

Victory of the Spanish conquerors

Mexico was gradually conquered, and the victorious Spanish army took the local population into slavery. During the struggle, hundreds of thousands of local residents died, many died from hunger and infections - these were the results of Cortez’s conquest of the Aztec country under the flag of Spain.

The defeated country was named New Spain, and Tenochtitlan was renamed Mexico City. E. Cortes began equipping several more expeditions deep into Mexico. Cortez's last campaigns were marked by the discovery of the mountains and coast of the Gulf of California.

King Charles 5th of Spain, as a reward for the conquest of Mexico, promoted Cortes to the rank of chief commander, making him viceroy. Subsequently, he was engaged in restoring order in the occupied lands and spreading Christianity there.

Smart commander and strategist

The conquest of Indian territories and the tribes themselves was carried out so successfully by Cortez due to some accompanying factors:

among his warriors and the Indians themselves, he became famous as an experienced and skillful commander, he was respected for his courage and cruelty;
He was greatly helped by the presence of cavalry and firearms;
in the fight against the Indians, he took advantage of the legend of the god Quetzalcoatl, for whom the Aztec leaders mistook him.

In order to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean, Cortes undertook a campaign in 1524 to the state of Honduras, after which his ill-wishers accused him of abuse of power. In 1526, he went to Spain, was solemnly received by the king and awarded the title of Marquis del Vale de Oaxaca, after which he returned to Mexico City in 1530 as a military commander. Cortez also equipped other expeditions to explore new American lands, during which the California Peninsula was discovered.

One of the rewards was the right to a special coat of arms of Cortez, the wishes for the production of which he would have to express independently. Hernan described his coat of arms as follows: a shield with the double-headed black eagle of Spain - on the left side, with a golden lion on a red field (in memory of strength and resourcefulness in battles), on the right - 3 crowns on a black field (in memory of the conquered leaders of Tenochtitlan), and around are the heads of 7 defeated Indian dignitaries and sovereigns of the provinces of Mexico, tied with a chain in a lock.

Last years

Returning to Spain in 1540, E. Cortes took part in the campaign of Charles the 5th, directed against Muslim pirates from Algeria. Subsequently, he asked the king several times to allow him to return to New Spain, to the lands that conquered his heart, where the best years of Cortez’s life passed, but he received refusals.

He died of dysentery in 1547 near Seville (Spain), embittered and disappointed with life, being in disgrace from power. Buried in Mexico. Judging by his will, left to his son, he began to think about whether it was really necessary to take the conquered Indians into slavery, and expressed some degree of respect for them.

The memory of the people of Spain and the whole world about who Cortes was has been preserved for several centuries. Mexicans often have a negative attitude towards him, as a cruel conqueror, especially from the descendants of the Indians. However, in the capital of Mexico, Mexico, a monument was erected to him, the Indian wife Malinche and their son Martin.

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Hernando (Hernan) Cortes (1485 - 1547)

Hernando (Hernan) Cortes

(1485 – 1547)

Friends, let us follow the cross, and if we have faith, we will overcome with this sign.

Motto on the flag of Hernando Cortez

We elected city governors, erected a pillory in the market, and built a gallows outside the city.

Bernal Diaz. "The True History of the Conquests of New Spain"

Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of Mexico, which resulted in the establishment of Spanish rule there. He made a significant contribution to the discovery of Central America, which he crossed in search of a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Significantly expanded the geographical horizons of the Spaniards. Studied and compiled a map of the California coast. Founded the cities of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Saccatula (state of Guerrero), Colima, Panuco, Coatzacoalcos (Puerto Mexico City), Puerto Cortes.

According to the participant in the campaigns in Mexico, conquistador and historian Bernal Diaz, “Cortes had lofty plans, and in his desire to command and dominate he imitated Alexander the Great.”

Truly, this man's claims knew no bounds. He was smart, energetic, determined and cruel. Obviously, this is what allowed him to conquer the most powerful Central American country - the Aztec state.

The future conqueror was born in Medellin, a small town in the province of Extremadura. Hernando was a nobleman and was known as a dandy and a spendthrift. His parents, Captain Martin Cortes de Monroy and Donna Catalina Pizarro Altamirano, were poor but respected people. Both dreamed of a legal career for their son and sent him to the University of Salamanca. However, the young man was not diligent. After two years of study, he barely mastered the compulsory Latin and acquired some oratory skills. Seeing his son's inability for academic studies, his father allowed Hernando to enter military service, which determined his future fate.

History is silent about the reasons that pushed the young Hidalgo in 1504 to go in search of fortune to the New World. Apparently they were typical of impoverished Spanish nobles. But Cortez apparently still had some kind of fortune. It is known that he received money for his trip to Mexico, significant money at that, from a moneylender on the security of his estate. This was hardly possible in the case of severe poverty, as was the case with most beggar conquistadors. Most likely, unquenched ambition and an insatiable thirst for power played a decisive role.

However, at first the young man had to humble his temper. In Hispaniola (Haiti) he was asked to engage in farming. Despite the proud statement: “I came here to mine gold, and not to plow the land like a man,” Cortez was forced to accept a significant plot of land with the necessary number of Indian slaves for its cultivation and become a planter. At the same time, as an educated person, he performed the duties of a local notary. However, these activities did not attract the young adventurer. Therefore, in 1511 he took part in the conquest of Cuba, led by Velazquez.

Thanks to his open and cheerful disposition, Cortez quickly became close to the boss, who became the governor of Cuba. But after some time, a cooling set in due to Hernando’s refusal to marry Catalina Juarez, who belonged to a family of close friends of the viceroy. Relations became so strained that Cortez even took part in a conspiracy to remove Velazquez, was imprisoned and unsuccessfully escaped several times. After the last escape, he considered it necessary to come to Velazquez of his own free will, managed to justify himself, agreed to marry Catalina and lived a quiet and peaceful life with his family for several years.

However, this state of affairs did not suit the adventurer. When in 1518 Grijalva, sent there by Velazquez, returned from the coast of Yucatan and brought news of the rich country of the Aztecs, the governor immediately began to equip an expedition for conquest. Fearing Grijalva, who was popular among the soldiers, he appointed Cortes as the head of the expedition, but soon regretted it. The young Hidalgo showed unprecedented energy in recruiting soldiers. The headphones claimed that he was coming to conquer Mexico for himself. A frightened Velázquez sent Cortes an order for his removal. He politely advised the governor not to listen to the snitches, and when the order came to arrest and delay the fleet, Cortes replied that he was going to sea the next day.

On February 10, 1519, the rebellious conquistador took nine ships out of the port, carrying more than 500 people, 16 horses and 14 guns. The leader thirsted for power, glory and gold. But besides this, he was also guided by missionary goals. Being devout (he used to listen to mass before each battle), Cortez considered himself called to convert the Mexicans, whose land he sought to conquer, to Christianity.

The squadron landed near the mouth of Tabasco and founded Veracruz nearby. According to legend, Cortes ordered, like the Greeks at Troy, to destroy the ships so that there would be no way back. The campaign of conquest has begun.

The translator for the Spaniards was a young beautiful Indian woman who was captured in Tabasco. At baptism she was given the name Marina. She was born in Mexico, but was sold by her mother to the cacicu of Tabasco and knew the Mayan and Aztec languages well, and soon mastered Spanish. Constantly staying with Cortez, she soon gained the love and respect of both the Spaniards and the Indians. Mexicans still honor her under the name Malinche. And in those distant years, Cortes himself was most often called Malintzin by local residents, not excluding Montezuma, “the ruler of Malinche.” Unlike many of his comrades, Cortez could not marry an Indian. After all, Catalina was waiting for him in Cuba. Many years later, Marina married a Spanish nobleman.

A lot has been written about the history of the conquest of Mexico, and of course, Cortes is the central figure in it and acts primarily as a commander and politician. However, the result of his activities was not only the territorial acquisitions of Spain and gold. Thanks to Cortez, Europeans gained a real understanding of the unknown American territory and the characteristics of its population. The consequence of the campaign was also the strengthening of the position of Spain in the New World, which received full possession of the conquered rich lands, New Spain, and the treasures of the Aztecs, and therefore great opportunities for expanding expansion through the implementation of more and more new geographical discoveries.

Many of them were carried out at first by Cortes, sending out detachments for more and more new conquests and searches for a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Thus, the Pacific coast of Mexico and Guatemala, the mountain range of Southern Guatemala, the islands of Las Tres Marias, Socorro, San Benedicto, etc. were discovered.

In 1524, Cortes, at that time the viceroy, commander-in-chief and chief judge of New Spain, himself set out on a land campaign to Honduras. Over 500 km through difficult tropical forest, swampy and swampy terrain, infested with snakes, were overcome with the greatest effort and almost cost him his life.

The conqueror tried to establish Mexican dominance in the Pacific Ocean and conduct independent trade with India. He managed to establish a naval base in Mexico and send a flotilla to Asia. But the Spanish government prevented the successful completion of this endeavor. The metropolis was afraid of the strengthening of the colony and its governor, whose authority in New Spain was extremely high. It was not without reason that in 1528, during a visit to the court of King Charles V, he was removed from the post of governor, receiving, however, the title of Marquis del Valle of Oaxaca.

Returning to New Spain with his widowed mother and second wife Juana de Zuniga (Catalina had long since died), Cortes spent some time farming with some success. This, however, could not satisfy the active nature of the former conqueror and governor.

In April 1535, Cortes equipped a new expedition. Three ships were sent to search for pearls in California in the Gulf of Las Paz, which had already been discovered by an expedition led by Ortuña Jimenez, which he had organized. Here Cortes compiled the first map of the eastern coast of the peninsula with Las Paz Bay and three offshore islands. He managed to trace the mainland coast of California to 29° N. sh., prove its peninsular character, discover about. Tiburon. The name of the peninsula also belongs to Cortez. Because of the heat, he dubbed it “Kalida forna” - “Hot oven”.

In May 1538, Cortes returned to Mexico City and soon, apparently due to the fact that his last expeditions did not bring gold and other valuables, which means his position was shaken, as well as for a number of other reasons, the once formidable conqueror together with his eldest son Martin, he left for Spain. The king received him with honors, but refused to satisfy the request for monetary compensation for the last expeditions. Very little time passed, and the hero of the Mexican campaign ceased to be noticed, and soon was completely forgotten.

Trying to rectify the situation, in 1541 Cortes managed to take part in a military campaign against Algeria, which, however, did not bring him any success. On December 2, 1547, he died in the town of Castillejo de la Cuesta near Seville. A few years later, Cortez's ashes were transported to Mexico, which became his real homeland. Several centuries later, during the Mexican Revolution, the conqueror’s grave was going to be desecrated, but followers of the hero of the Mexican campaign managed to hide his remains. There were undoubtedly reasons for this.

Unlike Quesada, Cortes did not become a national hero of the country he conquered. However, in addition to the incalculable suffering of the Indians and the destruction of their culture, Mexico also owes him some positive initiatives. Thanks to Cortez, sugar cane, hemp and flax began to be cultivated here. The viceroy sought to strengthen Mexico's position in the international arena as an independent state independent of Spain, which displeased the king and for which he ultimately paid.

A Russian translation of the description of Cortez’s campaign in Mexico, made by its participant Bernal Diaz, was published in 1924 under the title “Notes of the soldier Bernal Diaz.”

author

Hernan Cortes. Preparing an expedition to Mexico Hernando Cortez was born in 1485. From an early age, he thought about how to move to the newly discovered lands of the New World. A story has been preserved about how seventeen-year-old Hernando, a dropout student, a mischief-maker and