Cortes-- The Machiavellian Conqueror and Missionary

Hernan Cortes’ Letters from Mexico is the text of five letters written to Charles V of Spain. Cortes wrote them to state his case before Charles, as he did not have a straightforward claim to the right to settle and govern in Mexico. With excessive flattery, Cortes states that he has only Charles’ interests in mind, as he conquered Mexico only to bring glory and wealth to Charles and further his reputation as a Christian monarch by winning the souls of the Native Americans to Catholicism. Furthermore, Diego Velazquez, the Governor of Cuba who initially sent Cortes to Mexico, was a usurper not to be trusted by Charles, as he had only his selfish interests in mind.

At first glance, Letters from Mexico is an interesting firsthand account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. With its extensive length, it does seem repetitive after several hundred pages of weary battles and flowery justification for his presence in Mexico in service or a worthy monarch. Several glaring omissions make the book less useful then, for example, Bernal Diaz Del Castillo’s The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico. The most glaring omission is that of Dona Marina, mentioned only in passing a handful of times yet crucial to other accounts of the conquest. This makes Cortes only seem more self-serving, as if he was still more solely responsible for the works accomplished in the name of Charles V. Granted, the letters were written to paint Cortes in the best colors possible. Cortes not only wanted to look worthy before a monarch, but also before a general audience that included generations to come, if the end of the fifth letter is to be believed. To that goal, Cortes’ letters were successful as his name is more synonymous with the conquest than any other.

In the introduction, J.H. Elliot states that “Motecucoma was the least dangerous of the enemies who Cortes had to face, and that he had more to fear from some of his own countrymen than from the emperor of the Mexica.” To be fair, Cortes’ military prowess was the least of his assets which helped him secure his place in history. Indeed, his Machiavellian presentation of himself in comparison to his rivals seems the most crucial to his success. If Cortes is to be believed, he is a tireless crusader for Charles V, willing to risk life and limb for the abstract ideal of winning glory for his worthy and nearly faultless leader. Perhaps to this end, he frequently portrays the Native Americans in contrast with the Moors, a political and religious adversary the Spanish knew well. Furthermore, Cortes also portrays himself as a missionary, undertaking his feats as much to bring wealth to Charles V as to win converts in his name. Cortes even takes something of a vow of poverty, willing to assume debts that may or not be repaid by future gains in the name of his mission. Cortes is certainly not the selfless crusader he presents himself to be. Any admiration for his character must not revolve around such claims, or his doubtful status as the sole reason the conquest succeeded. If Cortes is to be admired at all, it is because he played the political game so ruthlessly and masterfully. His enemies at home were certainly direr of a threat than those in Mexico, though not as immediate. That he overcame them so completely with his manipulations, though perhaps only after his death, speaks volumes about his political acumen. Indeed, he might very well be a prime candidate to update Machiavelli’s classic, a dubious honor but one that takes skill nonetheless.

Letters from Mexico is an interesting primary document, certainly one that must be considered in any survey of the literature of the conquest. But it must be taken for what it is, a self-serving attempt to justify actions after the fact, rather than an accurate retelling of events that took place. In the end, the letters say more about Cortes than the history he survived, making it more of a psychological study of the writer than a history of his times.

For those interested, here is a link to Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.”