Character Catalog

Epistolary accounts addressed to Emperor Charles V in which Cortés precisely describes the conquest of Mexico, the civilizations he encountered, and his military decisions. These letters constitute a primary historical source of the highest importance, blending political justification with exploration narrative.

Cortés founded the city of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, the first permanent European settlement on the Mexican continent. This founding act allowed him to establish an independent legal base free from the authority of the Governor of Cuba.

The capture of Tenochtitlan on August 13, 1521 is the defining act of Cortés's life, bringing an end to the Aztec Empire and opening the way for Spanish colonization of all of Mesoamerica. This event durably reshaped the history of Central America.

Cortés oversaw the construction of the new colonial capital on the rubble of the Aztec city, reusing its materials and urban layout. This symbolic and practical decision made Mexico City one of the first great metropolises of the American continent.

Cortés led a grueling overland expedition through the jungles of Central America to suppress the rebellion of Cristóbal de Olid. This arduous journey kept him away from New Spain and weakened his political authority.

Cortés personally financed and led a maritime expedition that reached the Baja California peninsula, which he initially mistook for an island. This exploration contributed to the cartography of the northeastern Pacific.

And so, Most Powerful Lord, Your Majesty may be certain that this city is the greatest and most beautiful that has ever been seen, and that the things done there are so admirable that they seem almost beyond belief.

When we saw so many cities and villages built on the water, and other great cities on dry land, and that straight and level causeway leading to Mexico, we were amazed and said it resembled the enchanted things spoken of in the book of Amadis.

You shall treat the Indians well, without wronging them or taking their possessions, so that they may live in peace and justice, and that our holy Catholic faith may be spread among them.

Moctezuma came to meet us carried on a richly adorned litter, and as soon as he descended, the great lords supported him by the arms on either side, and he walked beneath a canopy of green feathers with much gold and silver.

Birthplace of Hernán Cortés, born into a family of minor nobility (hidalgos). This poor region of Spain drove many ambitious young men to seek their fortune in the New World.

Capital of the Aztec Empire built on an island in Lake Texcoco, with an estimated population of 200,000 inhabitants, larger than most European cities of the time. Cortés conquered it in 1521 and built Mexico City on its ruins.

First Spanish settlement founded by Cortés in 1519 on the Gulf of Mexico coast, the starting point of his conquest into the interior. It was here that he scuttled his ships to cut off any retreat for his men.

Indigenous city-state enemy of the Aztecs that became Cortés's main ally after a period of fighting. This alliance was decisive in the fall of the Aztec Empire, as the Tlaxcalans provided thousands of warriors.

Island from which Cortés organized his expedition in 1519 against the wishes of Governor Diego Velázquez. The Cuban colony served as a logistical base for expeditions toward the American continent.

Town near Seville where Cortés died on December 2, 1547, far from the New Spain he had conquered. He was staying at the villa of the Duke of Medina Sidonia while awaiting his return to the Americas.

Spanish soldiers wore a combination of chainmail and plate armor with the characteristic ridge-shaped helmet, the morion. Cortés had a full suit of armor that gave him a major defensive advantage against indigenous weapons.

Forged in the renowned workshops of Toledo, these tempered steel swords were of far superior quality to the obsidian weapons of Aztec warriors. They symbolized the military power and nobility of the conquistadors.

Firearms, still rudimentary but effective, struck terror among Mesoamerican peoples who had never seen them before. The noise and smoke of the cannons helped sustain the almost supernatural image of the conquistadors.

Unknown in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans, horses terrified indigenous warriors who sometimes took them for mythical creatures. Cortés had 16 horses when he landed, a decisive military and psychological advantage.

Cortés sent Charles V extraordinary gifts collected in Mesoamerica, including the famous quetzal feather headdress attributed to Moctezuma (now in Vienna). These objects bore witness to the wealth and sophistication of the conquered civilizations.

Cortés would erect crosses and place images of the Virgin Mary in indigenous temples as soon as they were taken possession of. The conversion of populations to Christianity was officially presented as one of the main justifications for the conquest.