cortes
What made men like Hernando Cortes tick? An estate owner by trade, he decided to seek out and secure riches beyond his wildest dreams—he would bring the emperor of a vast realm to his knees, and wrest his treasure from him. It all sounds like the actions found in a heroic myth.
This, though, is exactly what Cortes ended up doing! With a band of 500 would-be soldiers, armed with swords, crude muskets, and a handful of cannon, he sailed from Hispaniola in search of Aztec gold. It is interesting to note that, on his way to plunder and perhaps murder, he named his landing place in Mexico the True Cross. We must wonder at this mix of greed and devotion.
Cortes was shrewd, and might have made a great statesman. He found and allied with a tribe hostile to the bellicose Aztecs. After slaughtering the Tlascalans (allies of the Aztecs), Cortes moved toward Mexico City. Montezuma himself greeted Cortes and welcomed him and his company.
Imagine this small band of Spaniards entering the capital city of the Aztecs: the causeways and bridges lined with people; the streets thronged with the curious; rooftops full of onlookers; thousands of people staring at the newcomers. Diaz was impressed with the scene and said he remembered it as if it were yesterday. Could the bold Cortes succeed in his scheme? Or would war-like Montezuma slaughter them and offer their hearts to satiate his war god’s blood lust?
Diaz describes what they found hidden behind a wall in their chambers. Their carpenter removed some large stones and Cortes entered a secret room. There it was, the object of all their hopes and dreams…Montezuma’s treasure! Diaz said: “…I felt certain that there could not be a store like it in the whole world.”
The Spaniards, though, were not fools. They had received numerous warnings about what their fate would be once they entered Mexico City. To get out would be difficult. All the Aztecs need do was remove a bridge or two and the Europeans would be trapped. Timing, then, was of the essence.
During their stay, the Spaniards remained on alert and ever-armed. As the days passed, they noticed that the Aztecs had cooled in their affection; a diminished subservience on the part of the natives worried Diaz. A council was held: should Cortes strike preemptively, or await Montezuma’s pleasure? Fearing for their lives, the adventurers decided to act, and “prayed God to direct events in the interests of His holy service….”
Cortes, of course, was successful. He and his men hacked their way out of Mexico City, miraculously making their way to the mainland. Although they suffered heavily, the bravery and determination of Cortes and his men overcame the thousands of Aztecs thirsting for their blood. Again, when we stop to think about what they had done, we must marvel at their audacity, their daring, and their achievements. True, perhaps we should not glorify the actions of these conquistadors; in today’s world, such things as they did are reviled at. Yet, men like Diaz could look back from old age and know that they had accomplished things of which most people would never even dream. The image of several hundred Spaniards fighting their way through the dark Aztec night; surrounded and cut off from the mainland; thousands of fierce warriors attacking them; having to bridge open water; pushing their way across the causeways; this, I say is the image of heroism. And Cortes, their leader, deserves to be recognized as such.
