Unsurprises and Surprises

The collected letters of Hernan Cortez addressed to Charles V came off as somewhat unremarkable.  Not to say that I was disappointed by his pleas and accounting, but that excitement was probably the last thing from the mind of Cortez doesn’t help his story telling. Bernal Diaz’s relation of his “adventures” while in the far-flung lands of the New World was much more exciting and engaging, but Diaz also had quite a bit more time to revise and create his story.  I expected to read about the horrible tribulations endured by the stalwart captain and his stalwart advocacy of Christ and Crown, along with the similarities between parts of Europe and places he saw.  In this regard though bored, I was not disappointed.  Perhaps the most titillating aspect of these letters is in fact who isn’t present.  Dona Marina, who played such a pivotal role in Diaz’s narrative, is nearly absent.  Local allies are presented in a similar way to that of Diaz, except when someone who Cortez particularly likes stands out.  A certain indigenous youth was almost afforded a paean by the good captain. Other “stand-out” parts of the letters were the sections wherein Cortez relates the pains to which he went to build upon the land or water. Diaz did not seem as concerned with Cortez with building, though this may be a function of Cortez’s role as a leader.   The environment and his attempts to control/ civilize it make the forests, swamps, and lakes as much a threat as his human enemies.

As an endnote, the endnotes/ explanatory notes were by far the most entertaining section of the book…especially the note explaining the myth of the supposed “apotheosis” of Cortez et al.  I suppose that after you spend a good deal of time studying and translating these letters, you have to develop a good sense of humor to stay sane.