WRATH OF CORTÉS
The shadow of Hernán Cortés looms long and large over present-day Mexico. Within a few short years of landing in the country in 1519, he and his comrades would be responsible for the destruction of the Aztec peoples and their culture. The 15th century Spanish conquistadors’ brutal conquest has been described by historians such as Norman Naimark as genocide and its effects are still hotly debated, even some 500 years later. Looking into the events surrounding the Spanish invasion raises the question, what kind of a man was Cortés? Contemporary paintings and illustrations portray him very much as the typical conquistador, with his neatly trimmed beard and steely gaze. Yet history reveals him as a man with an almost uncontrollable ambition matched by an even deadlier determination. The story of Cortés’ conquest of Mexico is the story of a man who would let no one and nothing stand in his way.
“Hernán Cortés was Spanish, born in 1485,” author and host of Matt Breen begins. “His family was of noble blood but they were poor, known as ‘hidalgos’. These people were very common in Spain, there was lots of nobility but very few people with money.” It’s possible it was this upbringing, born into a family who were of noble blood but who had lost the riches they once had, which was the driving force behind the young man’s relentless ambition. “They wanted him to be a lawyer,” Breen continues. “As a teenager he trained but it wasn’t for him, so instead he took a ship and went to the New World looking for money and position.” Making his way to Hispaniola in the West Indies, Cortés worked as a farmer and notary until in 1511 he seized the chance he had been looking for. Joining an expedition led by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, Cortés assisted in the invasion of Cuba. The word ‘invasion’ conjures up images of hordes of men with vast amounts of weaponry, but as Breen reminds us: “This wasn’t thousands of people, it was a few hundred conquistadors trying to take the island.” Nonetheless, the Spaniards were successful and Cortés’ role in the conquest earned him land, power
