The Conquest of Mesoamerica: Part Two

Despite the discovery of the New World by Columbus in 1492, actual profits and opportunity for wealth seemed small to the government of Spain. And as it became clear that the purpose-to find a lucrative connection to the Orient-had yet to be fulfilled, the king's analysts and advisors reasoned that if they were not there, they were close, thanks to Columbus' discovery. So, still in search of this elusive strait to the Orient in the early 1500s, Spain enthusiastically sent expeditions to explore for that possibility to Central America, South America and up the coast of Florida. Meanwhile Cuba, conquered by Spain in 1511, had proven disappointing to the Spaniards in terms of discoveries of gold or other wealth. Diseases such as smallpox and measles-brought to Cuba with the Spaniards-were wiping out the populations of Indian slaves not previously exposed to such plagues in epidemic proportions. It would be a search for more slaves, followed by the Governor of Cuba's political ambitions-not for the strait to the Indies-that would cause Spain to stumble upon one of its most lucrative conquests- Mexico. It was during routine expeditions to the Yucatan for more slaves that Cuban Governor Diego Velazquez learned of the rumored wealth of a "lake city" in the interior of Mexico. Velazquez swiftly commissioned 34 year old Fernando Cortes to find the riches rumored to abound in the "lake city kingdom". Cortes had been brought from Spain to Cuba with Velazquez in 1511 and the governor was well aware of Cortes' abilities during that conquest campaign. Still, as the days drew near for Cortes' expedition, expenses mounted and reports of Cortes' ambitiousness and pretentious ways filtered back to Velazquez. The governor sent emissaries to remove Cortes from command. Unabashed, Cortes instead pulled anchor and set sail, stopping only once in western Cuba to gather supplies and more men, where he learned of Velazquez' sterner order canceling the expedition and the likelihood of his own arrest. In an impassioned speech to his own men, Cortes promised them glory and wealth at the end of their adventure. The fleet set sail in February of 1519, and dropped anchor near the Yucatan, where Cortes gathered information, slaves, interpreters, and then set about orchestrated alliances with key enemies of the Aztecs who would later prove key to Cortes' victory at the lake city of Tenochtitlan. The text, The Course of Mexican History, by Michael C. Meyer and William L. Sherman, provides a detailed account of the military strategies, imagination, and leadership skills during this significant campaign that truly earned Cortes the foremost place in history as the founder of Spanish civilization in Mexico.

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