Hernan Cortes Letters from Mexico

Cortes’s Letters from Mexico constitutes a time-consuming but somewhat entertaining read concerning the aforementioned conquistador’s take on the Conquest.  Filled with stories and episodes designed to cast Cortes in a most favorable light while casting the Cuban governor and others in a most unfavorable one, Cortes’s letters apparently achieved exactly their intention, gaining him the governorship of Mexico.  Ironically, by unequivocally casting himself as Charles V’s servant, Cortes eventually lost the position he fought so valiantly for (both physically and politically).

Cortes’s letters fit the self-serving genre both the J.H. Elliot and Anthony Padgen place them in, and once again, Restall’s Seven Myths shed further light on the selfish and greedy spirit of these documents.  Cortes continually embellishes and champions his role in the Conquest while downplaying or besmirching the parts played by both his comrades and his enemies.  The governor of Cuba becomes a greedy, self-serving betrayer of Charles V while Cortes portrays himself as the King’s champion and the missionary-saint of the Catholic faith.  Even Dona Marina garners little attention despite her central historical role in the success of the conquest.   Of course, besides being private correspondence between Cortes and Charles V, these letters became  public documents upon their publication – a purposeful intention from their inception.  What better way to guarantee official acquiescence to one’s desires than to generate massive public support for one’s claims?

Perhaps Cortes’s most obvious attempt at casting events to legitimize his claim of conquest on behalf of Charles V and the Roman Catholic Church occurs in Montezuma’s alleged speech detailing how the Mexica chieftain had only been holding  his empire anticipating the arrival of a group of men from the east to whom the country actually belonged.  By Montezuma allegedly swearing allegiance to Charles V and granting Cortes whatever he wants, later conflicts become rebellions necessitating conquest.

In conclusion, Cortes strikes one as the consummate politician or FoxNews broadcaster, casting events in such a way as to portray either the office-holder or the preferred political party in the best possible light.