Gave the secret life a year of writing. Salvador Dali

In the huge flow of tourists who annually replenish the already multimillion-strong Mexico City, which is already suffocating from overpopulation, there are probably Spaniards. Like other curious foreigners, they are sure to want to visit the center of a giant metropolis. And then, very possibly, many of them stop near the majestic monument with the inscription: "In memory of Cuautemoc and those warriors who heroically fought for the freedom of their country." Reading these lines for any Spaniard is not a problem, since the inscription is made on their mother tongue. But how many people understand who exactly and for what kind of heroic struggle this monument was erected?

Meanwhile, the hint here, one might say, is with you. To find it, a Spanish tourist just needs to open: his wallet. After all, there, among the Mexican pesos, of course, native pesetas are prepared for the way back. And among them, most likely, the smallest banknote - 1000 pesetas (1992), on the front side of which you can see a portrait of a man. This man - Hernando Cortes - not only knew Cuautemoca, he treacherously deceived him and executed him after torture.

The paradoxes of history! The executioner and his victim are equally immortalized; one - in the monument, the other - in the state symbols! But who were these people? What events connect them? And how right is the memory of them?

In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to go back to a time when there was neither the country of Mexico nor modern city Mexico City, nor peaceful guests from distant Spain: However, the Spaniards have already been here. But not tourists.

The year was 1519. For a long time Christopher Columbus was no longer alive, but the path he paved remained. Using it, America was flooded with more and more detachments of Spanish adventurers who aspired here with the sole purpose of enrichment. But for this it was necessary to conquer the settled Indian tribes earth. Therefore, the aliens were called conquistadors (from the Spanish word conquistador - conqueror). Among others, hungry for wealth, was a native of a poor noble family, Hernando Cortes. As one of his contemporary put it, "He had little money, but he had a lot of debts." The 34-year-old Spaniard was obviously quite an experienced conquistador. He was in the New World from the age of 19, and at 26 he took part in the capture and colonization of Cuba. However, the main events in his life, as it turned out, were yet to come.

Taking over a new country

In 1519, on behalf of the governor of Cuba, Cortes led a sea campaign to conquer a new country with a highly developed culture, adjacent to the southwestern coast Gulf of Mexico. The Spaniards learned about the existence of the country of the Aztecs only in the previous year (thanks to the expedition of Juan Grijalva), but the fame of its gold managed to reach Spain. Why, then, was Cortes put at the head of this promising expedition? Why was Juan Grijalva, who was loved by soldiers, not allowed to consolidate the success of the discoverer of new lands? Why did a poor hidalgo take his place? And, finally, why would this quick success of Cortes in recruiting soldiers not please, but, on the contrary, so alarmed the governor that he gave a written order to detain the fleet and arrest Cortes?

Whatever it was, but very soon Cortes showed that he did not intend to miss his chance to get rich. To begin with, contrary to the command, he nevertheless went to sea (February 10, 1519), writing, however, at the same time to the governor that ": remains his obedient servant." Then, on the way to the mainland, he destroyed a temple revered by the Maya Indian people on the small island of Cozumel off the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. After that, rounding this peninsula, he approached the southern coast of the Gulf of Campeche. Here, on the territory of the modern southeastern state of Mexico - Tabasco, the first serious battle with the Indians took place.

It should be said that the detachment of Cortes, which included 508 people (not counting more than a hundred sailors), was armed with firearms, incl. several guns. But no less effective "weapon", as the far-sighted Cortez expected, was the 16 horses he took with him. The Aztecs courageously resisted even cannons, but when a small cavalry detachment of the Spaniards went into action, they faltered and began to flee in panic. One can imagine their horror, given that the Indians, who had never seen horses before, perceived the horse and rider as a single whole.

After the first victory, the flotilla of Cortes (consisting of nine ships) moved somewhat along the coast to the northwest. Having landed again on the coast near 19o S. sh., the Spaniards began to prepare for a campaign deep into the mainland. And here, once again, Cortes showed his organizational skills. First of all, in order to ensure the rear, the city of Veracruz was built (approximately where the Mexican port of the same name is now located). Further, it was necessary to take care of replenishing their small army, since it became obvious that, despite the advantage of the Spaniards in armament, there were not enough soldiers to conquer a populous country. What does Cortes do, deprived of the hope of any help from outside? It embodies the well-known principle of "divide and conquer". By promises, bribery and threats from the leaders of the tribes enslaved by the Aztecs, he gets tens of thousands of warriors and porters at his disposal. He does not stand on ceremony especially with his compatriots. When discord began among the Spaniards and some of the commanders began to demand a return back to Cuba, Cortes threatened to destroy the entire fleet. Having thus suppressed the indecision of the soldiers, in order to strengthen his troops, he removes cannons from the ships and mobilizes several dozen sailors to participate in the campaign.

Now, finally, it was possible to begin to implement the main goal of the whole event. The army of Cortes moved west, into the interior of the mainland. Were they waiting there? Did the inhabitants of the powerful Central American country - the state of the Aztecs, guess about the trouble approaching them? Most likely, they were waiting and, most likely, guessed. After all, when in 1518 the Spaniards from the expedition of Juan Grijalva landed on the western coast of the Gulf of Campeche, there were envoys paramount chief Aztec Montezuma (more correctly Montecuhsoma Shokoyotsin). They wanted to know where and why the aliens were going. And those during the negotiations made it clear that they were looking for gold. In response, they were shown to the west, while repeatedly repeating the word "mexica". Hence the idea of ​​​​the existence of a country called Mexico (by the way, Mexico - English pronunciation of this word, and the Spanish - "Mexico" - is familiar to us by the name of the capital of present-day Mexico, the city of Mexico City). Meanwhile, the word "Mexico" came from the name of the Aztec god of war, who, according to various sources, was called either Mechitli, or Mexitla, or maybe Mexitli. Who knows, perhaps with the word "Mexico" the Spaniards tried to warn about the militancy of the Aztecs? Indeed, the Aztecs were excellent warriors, otherwise they would not have been able to collect tribute from a vast territory equal to about a quarter of modern Mexico. But if this is so, i.e., the Aztecs were excellent fighters who knew about the approach of foreigners, then how to explain what happened next? ..

Montezuma's mistake...

At first, the supreme leader Montezuma tried in every possible way to pay off the Spaniards, if only they would abandon their campaign against his capital, the city of Tenochtitlan. But the more he gave the conquistadors gold and jewelry, the more they inflamed the desire to reach the source of these riches. Ultimately, due to the indecision and with the connivance of the emperor, on November 8, 1519, the Spaniards, accustomed to bloody skirmishes and the resistance of the local population even in the usual attempt to get off the ship to land, entered the capital of the Aztec empire: without a fight.

Moreover, Montezuma himself met uninvited guests at the gates of the city. If the emperor were aware of who he was actually accepting, he would hardly have risked appearing in all his splendor. His clothes, including shoes, were studded with precious stones. They, together with gold, shone on the canopy, which towered over the supreme ruler. Montezuma took a few steps towards Cortes, and his companions spread expensive fabrics in front of him so that the emperor's foot would not touch the ground. The ruler who effectively appeared before the Spaniards fully corresponded to the capital, which literally shocked the Europeans with its beauty, well-being and magnificence of buildings. The conquistadors were given huge house where they are located.

Why was such an honor given to those who came clearly not with peaceful intentions? The fact is that Montezuma believed in the divine origin of the aliens, which was associated with the legend of the god Quetzalcoatl, common among the Aztecs. This god, who was allegedly expelled from their country, going overseas, promised to return to restore justice and order. But the most important thing was that Quetzalcoatl was portrayed exactly as the uninvited aliens were - white-skinned and with a long beard. This is why the Aztecs weren't sure if the Spanish soldiers were human or gods.

However, pretty quickly everything fell into place. The "divine" guests really began to put things in order, however, in their understanding. To begin with, they searched the room in which they were, and discovered a cache with a rich treasure of precious stones and gold. This, perhaps, finally sealed the fate of the Aztecs. But Cortez was well aware that four hundred of his soldiers were powerless against the 300,000 inhabitants of Tenochtitlan. Decisive action was needed. And the treacherous Spaniard undertook them. Together with a group of his officers, he appeared at the palace to Montezuma and, by threats rather than persuasion, forced the ruler to move to live in the house where the Spanish detachment was located. Then Cortes forced Montezuma to hand over some of the Aztec commanders, whom he immediately burned at the stake. He put Montezuma himself in shackles and, on his behalf, arbitrarily began to rule the country. The very first "state" orders of Cortes clarify to us the reasons for his future perpetuation in his homeland. Having forced the Aztec leaders to swear allegiance to the Spanish king, the conquistador demanded tribute in gold. It was here that the wealth of the Aztecs was discovered. Suffice it to say that the conquerors sorted out Montezuma's gold for three days. At the same time, they were not at all interested in the artistic value of the tribute. Only weight mattered, and therefore, for convenience when dividing the booty, the precious metal, including art products, was cold-bloodedly melted down into ingots.

This is how the Aztec civilization was destroyed.

It was then, obviously, that the name of the future monetary unit of Mexico was born - the peso, which literally means "weight" in Spanish. Indeed, in the occupied territories in America, the Spaniards also divided silver ingots into equal pieces - "pesos", using them as money. From the 16th to the 18th centuries in Mexico, a huge number of so-called "ship" pesos were issued, roughly processed coins of irregular shape, which served in Europe as raw materials for the production of full-fledged coins. By the way, the name of the monetary unit of Spain - peseta also comes from peso ("weight, piece"). The peseta was a Spanish coin minted with early XVIII century (5.1 g of silver) and was equal to 1/4 peso.

The division of booty took place, of course, according to the rules of Cortes. This meant that one fifth was allocated to the king, and the other to the organizer and inspirer of all the victories of the Spaniards, i.e., Cortes himself. In addition, the great conqueror was supposed to compensate for the costs that he incurred in equipping the expedition. There were other items of expenditure, only after taking into account which, finally, the rest of the participants in the events described received the right to part of the loot. Ultimately, as you might guess, Cortes appropriated most of the treasures of Montezuma.

Meanwhile, while the military leader successfully swindled his comrades-in-arms, news of his successes and untold wealth reached the governor of Cuba. Undoubtedly envious of the impudent disobedient, he sent a large squadron of 18 ships and about 1,500 soldiers in order to capture Cortes and his detachment "dead or alive". Upon learning of the arrival of such an expedition in Veracruz, Cortes did not wait for her arrival in the capital he had conquered. He picked up the most reliable men and set out with a small detachment against the vastly outnumbered enemy. Using once again a proven weapon of bribery, and in addition, defiantly flaunting gold jewelry specially worn by his soldiers, Cortes brought confusion and confusion into the ranks of the enemy. Then he unexpectedly attacked him and soon became convinced that the trick was a success - the soldiers of the opposite side fought reluctantly and went over to the side of Cortes in droves (after all, his soldiers were so rich!). So, thanks to the inexhaustible resourcefulness and cunning of Cortes, he won another (now over his compatriots) victory. By the way, a few days later this sophisticated hypocrite not only returned the weapons and valuables taken from them to the captive Spaniards, but also presented them with gifts, and also made generous promises, trying to win them over. As usual, Cortez was very prudent, for the imminent events showed that he was in dire need of allies.

In May 1520, the Aztecs, who came to their senses after the visit of the "white gods", raised an uprising against the invaders. The Spanish fortifications were destroyed, and the capital's garrison was under siege. But thanks to a premeditated replenishment of his army, the total number of which reached approximately 1,500 people (including warriors of tribes hostile to the Aztecs), Cortes entered Tenochtitlan this time without much difficulty. However, very soon the uprising flared up with renewed vigor. That's when the Spaniards had a chance to really feel the warlike spirit of the Aztecs. The fierce attacks of the Indians weakened the forces of the conquistadors every day. Attempts by the latter to achieve at least a truce were not successful. Among the Spaniards, hunger, despondency and strife began. Constantly true to himself, Cortes tried to use the imprisoned Montezuma, demanding that he call on his fellow citizens to stop the assault, and allowed the Spaniards to leave the city. But it was too late. Offended by the unseemly deeds of their emperor, the Aztecs threw stones and arrows at him. Three days later Montezuma died from his wounds.

In July, the situation deteriorated so much that the Spaniards decided to secretly flee the city at night. The results of the retreat were more than deplorable. On this "night of sorrow", as the participants in the events who left us written testimonies called it, about 900 Spaniards and even more of their Indian allies died. In addition, almost all firearms and most of the horses were lost. Yes, and the captured jewelry, too, for the most part disappeared. It seemed that luck had betrayed the Spaniards.

And what about Cortez? He did not even think about abandoning his plans. For a whole year, the conquistador gathered new forces, relying on the Indians, who were at enmity with the Aztecs and were afraid of their revenge for complicity with foreign invaders. At the same time, Cortes intercepted Spanish ships well equipped for military operations off the coast, which the Cuban governor, who did not know anything about the fate of his first expedition, continued to send. In the summer of the next year, 1521, having replenished the detachment with people and equipment, having at its disposal 10 thousand Indian allies, Cortes launched a new offensive against Tenochtitlan. The defense of the capital was led by Cuautemoc, a new, young paramount leader. It was he who went down in history as the leader of the armed struggle of the Aztecs against the Spanish conquerors, who showed personal heroism and outstanding military abilities. But, let us note, he was opposed by a clearly outstanding military leader, who, moreover, did not stop in choosing means to achieve his goal.

Having taken the city in a ring, Cortes forbade the surrounding tribes to send part of the crop in the form of an accepted tribute to the Aztecs. At the same time, using tried and tested tactics, he allowed them to plunder the Aztec villages and himself shared the booty with the enemies of the Aztecs. By this, Cortes ensured that the number of his allies was growing, while the forces of the Aztecs were gradually decreasing. By the end of the siege, the townspeople lived on the roots and bark of trees. In addition, the Spaniards destroyed the city's water supply, and the population of Tenochtitlan suffered severely not only from hunger, but also from thirst. The last days of the existence of the great capital were approaching. After more than three months of siege, in August 1521, Tenochtitlan fell. Hundreds of thousands of its defenders died - almost the entire male population of not only the city, but also the surrounding area. The city itself was put on fire. Cold cruelty, hypocrisy and treachery were once again shown by Cortes when the captured Cuautemoc, to whom the conquistador personally guaranteed complete safety, was tortured. Ultimately, in 1525, the last supreme ruler of the Aztecs was executed. The surviving Indians were effectively turned into slaves, who were soon forced to work on the newly organized Spanish estates. Thus the Aztec civilization was destroyed.

What is the reason for the victories?

What is the reason for the victories of the Spaniards over the superior forces of the Aztecs? Of course, the best weapons of the conquerors, the organization of the troops, and the disunity of the Indians played their role. But there was another significant "superiority" - in deceit and cruelty. An eyewitness testifies: “Entering the village, they did not leave anyone alive, both old and young were subjected to this fate. Christians bet on who of them would cut a person in two with one blow of the sword, or cut off his head, or open his insides. Some were wrapped in dry straw, tied to the body, and then, burning the straw, they were burned.Others were cut off both hands, and these hands were hung from the body, saying to these Indians: "Go with these letters, spread the news among the fugitives who have taken refuge in the forests. "And since sometimes at the same time - few, and rarely, and for a just reason - the Indians killed one of the Christians, the latter agreed among themselves that for one Christian who was killed by the Indians, the Christians should kill a hundred Indians."

However, all this was of secondary importance from the point of view of representatives of "civilized" Europe. The main thing is that the Spanish crown received new lands, having enriched itself at the expense of the peoples inhabiting them. After all, it is no coincidence that in 1522 the Spanish king appointed Cortes governor and captain-general of the areas he conquered, called none other than New Spain. I would like to note the following: Cortes, contrary to some statements, never discovered Mexico, and to be precise, he did not even conquer it. He conquered (read, plundered and destroyed) the Aztec empire located in what is now Mexico, incorporating it into the more powerful and larger Spanish empire. As the current Mexico City (in 1535-1821 the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain) was founded on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, so the state of Mexico arose on the ruins of the defeated Aztec empire. The time will come, and in turn the Spanish empire will disappear. Mexico will get rid of her dominion and achieve independence. But this will happen only after 300 years, on September 16, 1821. In the meantime, the successful conquistador Hernando Cortes prudently takes care of strengthening his positions and is looking for new adventures...

The King of Spain, of course, did not mind the flow of new wealth from his possessions in the New World. And Cortes, who had the power of the governor, was well aware of this. That is why he equips detachments of conquistadors who go to all sides of New Spain and continue to seek more and more new sources of enrichment with the same obsession. Gangs under the command of Gonzalo Sandoval, Cristoval Olida and Juan Alvarez-Chico reach the shores Pacific Ocean. They pillage and kill the coastal population for almost 1000 km (between 96o and 104o W). The gang of Pedro Alvarado in the winter of 1523 devastates the entire region of the isthmus of Tehuantepec, and at the beginning of the next year penetrates into the territory of present-day Guatemala. It is interesting to note that the conquistadors constantly used the tactics of their boss, Cortes. So, P. Alvarado, playing on the hostility of the inhabitants of mountainous regions and low-lying areas, destroyed some with the help of others.

The governor of New Spain himself does not rest on his laurels at all and is also active. In 1523, Cortes heads northeast from the defeated Tenochtitlan. Here, in the basin of the small Panuco River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, where mainly the Aztecs lived, he builds a fortress and leaves a strong garrison. In the autumn of 1524, having heard about the gold and silver allegedly held by the Indians who lived on the territory of modern Honduras, he undertook another expedition. Choosing the shortest route, Cortes headed first along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and then through the forest thickets south of the Yucatan Peninsula. The more than 500-kilometer campaign took place in incredibly difficult conditions, and only in the spring of 1525 did the greatly depleted detachment reach the coast of the Gulf of Honduras. Cortes, who fell ill with malaria, was barely alive and therefore returned to Mexico City only in the summer of 1526.

During the Honduran campaign, many denunciations rained down on Cortes from his envious people in Spain. In addition, a rumor spread about the death of the governor and his people. Therefore, when Cortes returned to Mexico City, there was already a new viceroy. In 1527, he sent Cortes home, where he received an audience with the king. He was graciously received, his former sins were forgiven and, moreover, he was awarded estates, given the title of Marquis, but: the right to govern the country he conquered was not returned.

Despite the loss of his high post, the active Cortes returned to Mexico in the same year and organized a number of new expeditions. Their purpose, in essence, differs little from all previous ones. So, for example, in 1527 he equipped three ships in the Pacific Ocean, which received the task "to go to the Moluccas or to China in order to find out a direct way to their homeland: spices." In 1535, believing in rumors, he personally led an expedition on three ships to the southeast coast of the California Peninsula in search of pearls. But now, obvious failures are haunting Cortes. He continues to lose ships and people without getting the usual profits. Having fallen ill in California from the heat and deprivation, he refuses to return to Mexico City, fearing "ridicule and mockery due to the ineffectiveness of the expedition." In the end, he was forced to leave the new colony, but resigning himself to the lack of expected results was not in his rules. He was already over 50 when he returned to the shores of California. This was the last and, obviously, not the most successful expedition of the famous conqueror of the Spanish colonies and servant of his own greed...

After conquering the Aztec empire...

Despite a number of setbacks that Hernando Cortes suffered after conquering the Aztec empire, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was much more fortunate than many of his contemporaries-conquistadors. After incredible adventures and decades of constant risk own life, in 1540 he returned alive to Spain. His organizational experience is appreciated, and next year the restless conquistador again risks his life, commanding a squadron in a military campaign against Algeria ... Obviously, fate took him under its protection until the very end. Hernando Cortes died, being a very wealthy man, in his homeland, in 1547.

Contemporaries considered Cortes a dandy and a spender, but noted his pleasant appearance, fine manners and ability to win over people. He was undoubtedly a courageous man, had extraordinary abilities as a diplomat and military leader. He, like other conquistadors, was characterized by impudence and cruelty, combined with religiosity and a huge thirst for profit, treachery and contempt for cultural property other peoples. Considering the time and place of the events described above, perhaps it was precisely these character traits that allowed Cortes to achieve what he wanted (wealth), becoming, moreover, a national hero. It is no coincidence that his remains were transported to Mexico City and buried at the site of the first meeting with Montezuma. It is not without reason that cities, a bay and a bank (shoal) are named after Cortes. No wonder his image, as already noted, is imprinted on the banknotes of Spain.

The reason for such honors was, of course, not the numerous geographical discoveries that Cortes made along the way. The main thing, as already noted, is the conquest and plunder of the next new lands annexed to the Spanish empire of the XYI century. For the same reason, another equally famous hero of his time, Francisco Pizarro, is depicted on Spanish banknotes. He conquered the state of the Incas, the creators of one of ancient civilizations South America. In this regard, it is interesting to mention an amusing fact. Later, French, Dutch and English captains robbed Spanish ships carrying Indian treasures to the metropolis. And for this, the Spaniards considered them pirates! Among them is the national hero of England Francis Drake, who for many years successfully robbed Spanish ships and Spanish cities in America, knighted for this by the Queen of England. Thanks to such exploits, the Dutch admiral Piet Hein, who in 1626 captured the entire Spanish fleet with silver, also became a national hero. But that's a completely different story...

The jungles of Central America were suffocatingly hot. Two Christian missionary monks, brothers Juan de Orbita and Bartolome de Fuensalida, and several natives made their way through the endless, uncharted forests. The crowns of trees and creepers were so dense that nothing could be seen beyond the bow. And even the sky did not open to the eyes in this thicket. The monks were at their limit. They suffered from insomnia and voracious mosquitoes. Every hundred meters they met with one or another insurmountable obstacle: a lake, a swamp with crocodiles, a river with treacherous currents, mangroves. The forest swallowed them up, and there was not a soul around. Only occasionally did flocks of shrill monkeys show up.

The suffering of the monks ended only when they reached the village of Tayasal, where the Mayan Indians lived. The monks washed, washed and dried their clothes, healed their wounds. The local qasik (leader) invited them to the main temple of the village.

What was the surprise of the holy brothers when they found among the Indian idols a statue of a horse, an animal that was not known to the indigenous population before the arrival of Europeans! It turned out that they were not pioneers! Before them, some of the inhabitants of the Old World had already managed to visit these forests.

Kasik told the monks that once, more than ninety years ago, a great leader from the north, the ruler of white people and Indians, passed through the village. His black stallion went lame and he left it as a gift to the head chief of Thayasal. So this outlandish animal entered the local pantheon.

The Spanish monks perfectly understood what kind of person they were talking about. The name of this man was outlawed in Spain, his works were forbidden to be printed, his family became impoverished and disappeared from the pages of history forever. He, the conqueror of Mexico, the founder of a huge colony, a traveler and a reformer who did a lot for the Spanish crown, was forgotten in his homeland. And the Indians whom he doomed to a slave fate, whose blood he shed in rivers, the Indians remembered him. That man was Fernando Cortes de Monroy...

The origin of Cortes is shrouded in mystery. According to the unreliable, but rooted opinion of his confessor, Padre Francisco Lopez de Gamarra, Fernando was born around 1485 in the Spanish province of Extremadura in the town of Medellin.

Fernando Cortes de Monroy Pizarro Altamirano (Spanish: Hernan Cortes)

The great conqueror did not like to talk about his ancestry. Therefore, at the suggestion of Cortes, among many historians, the opinion has taken root that his family was poor, although noble. According to contemporaries, the conquistador did not like it when his subordinates called him "Don Hernando." He believed that authority could not be inherited or received along with the title, that everything he had achieved, he owed only to himself.

Meanwhile, such an opinion about the family of the conquistador is erroneous. The Monroes were considered a noble and influential clan in Extremadura. Hernando's grandfather, Alonso, held one of the key positions of the Spanish kingdom - the position of the Supreme Master of the spiritual and knightly order of Alcantara. The father of the famous conquistador was a royal notary and often conducted the affairs of His Majesty. So on initial stage career Hernan enjoyed the support of a privileged family environment. The father was a reliable intermediary in the affairs of his son and always used his connections at the royal court, taking advantage of the favor and trust of high-ranking officials.

Cortes' childhood, however, was not cloudless. The end of the fifteenth century in Spain turned out to be difficult. Wars were fought between the Iberian states.

The Monroe family also often waged internecine wars with other clans, rebelled against royal power. Childhood impressions of these troubles remained in the boy's memory and, probably, only they can explain the subsequent conflict between the crown and Cortes.

In 1499, fourteen-year-old Hernan, having heard stories about the mysterious "paradise" islands of the Caribbean, about their no less strange inhabitants - the Indians, who valued gold less than shells, entered the University of Salamanca. He studied for two years and successfully passed the bachelor's exams. Studying was easy for him. Everyone who knew Cortes confirms that he was fluent in Latin, like all the erudite people of that time, was slightly fond of writing poetry, and was strong in jurisprudence. The latter was especially useful to him in the future: throughout his life, the great conqueror with indisputable skill maneuvered between underwater reefs. administration, manipulated legal procedures, acting as a defendant and plaintiff with equal dexterity.

However, the career of a scientist or lawyer did not attract a mobile, energetic boy. The restless teenager lacked will, perseverance and devotion to science. Sixteen-year-old Hernan preferred the fresh air to the book dust of libraries, swordsmanship to philosophy. Nor was Cortes a man humbly following the path that his parents had chosen for him. There was another reason that predetermined it life choice. In September 1501, the governor-general of the Indies (several islands in the Caribbean taken by Columbus as the threshold of the "fabulous" real India) was Nicholas de Ovando, one of his grandfather's former subordinates and friend of Father Cortes.

Therefore, in 1503, Hernando, having secured the consent of his parents, who were dissatisfied with the adventurous, from their point of view, decision of the offspring to go to the New World, sailed from Cadiz. His path lay on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti).

Severe weekdays of the new world

THE JOURNEY turned out to be full of dangers and hardships and spoke eloquently about the atmosphere of that era. The navigator and the captain of the ship did not get along with each other, the ships of the merchant flotilla competed. Each ship aspired to reach Hispaniola first. This unhealthy competition led to the fact that an unknown sailor cut the mast at night on the ship on which Cortez was sailing, as a result of which this ship became a toy of the winds in the boundless Atlantic Ocean.

The storm-beaten caravel eventually reached the Haitian coast, but far from Santo Domingo. Supplies were running out, and the crew and passengers were in danger of starving to death or becoming the prey of cannibals from neighboring islands. Still, the ship reached Santo Domingo, although much later than the rest of the ships. On April 6, 1504, Hernando disembarked at the pier of Santo Domingo, the residence of the governor-general Ovando.

On the way, Cortes plunged into the fetid atmosphere of the New World. The absence of elementary laws, immoderation of appetites, envy, slander, corruption, betrayal, deceit, the lust for power and, of course, the "gold rush" were commonplaces of colonial life. And the island itself, on which Hernando set foot, has long ceased to be that "earthly paradise" as Columbus described it. With fire and sword, the conquerors walked around the island in search of gold, enslaved or exterminated the recalcitrant Indians, who once joyfully met the discoverer of America.

The first years of the life of the Spanish colonies on the islands were difficult and bleak. crops European cultures did not take root. The cattle, brought by the governor-general, fled across the island, ruined the gardens and kitchen gardens of the Indians, since the aborigines did not know hedges. Dysentery, malaria, fever and malnutrition claimed the lives of the colonists.

However, Hernan, who was expecting fabulous mirages and faced with bitter reality, did not give up and did not go back home. He took an active part in public life Hispaniola. The constant uprisings of the indigenous population allowed him to show his military leadership qualities. Not knowing military affairs and having no experience, Cortes showed great skill in a number of operations against the Indians and earned the respect of the governor general. At the same time, he did not blindly copy the usual tactics of the Spaniards, which consisted in the total massacre of the Indians or the conversion of prisoners into slaves. Hernando willingly negotiated with rebel groups, used persuasion, sometimes pressure, so as not to resort to unnecessary bloody violence. In addition, he knew how to lead his soldiers into battle and tried to save their lives.

The appeasement policy pursued by Cortes bore fruit. The Indians stopped raising major uprisings. At the same time, references to the massacre of the native population disappeared. The authority of Cortes, earned in the course of military operations, allowed him to enter the inner circle of the governor-general. Gradually, Hernando's life in Hispaniola improved and even began to bother him.

The situation changed dramatically in 1509, when Diego Columbus, son and heir of the great navigator and longtime rival of Ovando, became governor of the western colonies. Cortés, who had entrenched himself in the previous administration, was a stranger to the environment of the new governor and did not expect anything for himself from the new owner of the island.

The new, expansionist approach of Diego Columbus, aimed at carrying out adventurous, poorly prepared operations to seize new undeveloped lands and islands, Cortes did not approve. He stayed away from many expeditions, and did the right thing. After all, these enterprises usually ended unsuccessfully - either in shipwrecks or defeats from the Indians.
Diego Velazquez

Only in 1511 did Hernan risk taking part in the conquest of Cuba. The fact is that Diego Velazquez, a man from the Columbus clan, needed an energetic assistant. Velázquez was an old-timer in the Spanish Indies. Since 1493, he did not leave Hispaniola, amassed a huge fortune and shed rivers of Indian blood. Diego Velasquez's assistant was Fernando Cortes, who cunningly asked for the role of treasurer, and not military commander. The operation was carried out successfully. The Indians, led by the cacique Hatway, were unable to drop the landing force led by Hernan into the sea, and were completely defeated ...

It took about three years so that Cuba was finally "pacified" by the Spaniards. During this time, Cortes managed to make strong friends, and then quarrel with Velasquez. Columbus' assistant in 1513 had every reason to suspect a conspiracy against his power, which, as it turned out, was led by his close comrade in arms. So Cortes found himself in the dungeon of Asuncion de Baracoa, the residence of Velasquez. The public of the island, however, revolted against such an encroachment on the honor of "Don Fernando". The conflict was resolved ... by the forced marriage of Cortes to Catalina Juarez from a once noble, but then impoverished Castilian family.

MYSTERIOUS WESTERN COUNTRY

In 1515, shortly before his death, King Ferdinand of Aragon recalled Diego Columbus to Castile. The complaints of the Spanish monks about the inhuman treatment of the Indians by this ruler and their extermination for the sake of profit, even without trying to convert them to the Christian faith, did their job. Cardinal de Cisneros, regent of Castile during the early childhood of the future emperor Charles V, entrusted the administration of the western colonies to a monastic college that knew little about the geography of the New World. So Velazquez's hands were untied. And this was very helpful, since for several years he had cherished the dream of landing on the American continent.

Cortes in Mexico
Diego Velasquez already knew from the lips of the Spanish pioneers about the existence of a highly developed Maya Indian culture on the Yucatan Peninsula and now intended to colonize their lands. To do this, he sent several expeditions in 1517-1518, which ended, however, unsuccessfully. The Maya put up a worthy resistance to the conquerors who landed on their lands. Moreover, in response to the offer of the Spaniards to trade with them, the Indians went into the impenetrable jungle, where the small detachments of the conquistadors were afraid to meddle. Traveling to the Yucatan nevertheless made it possible to find out the existence in the northwest of this peninsula of another powerful civilization, the Aztec.

Apparently, the idea of ​​​​colonizing Mexico was suggested to Cortes by Velasquez. The governor himself was afraid of intrigues and did not dare to leave Hispaniola for the sake of an adventurous expedition. Its captains, who had broken their teeth on the recalcitrant Mayan tribes, did not have the authority and good fortune that were believed to accompany "Don Fernando." Velazquez, under public pressure, was forced to appoint Hernan Cortes as commander-in-chief of the expedition.

Cortes, with his expedition, violated the decree of Cardinal Cisneros, which limited the governor's possessions only to the islands of the Caribbean. Hernan's resourcefulness and legal literacy played a role in overcoming this ban. The official purpose of the expedition was to explore the island of Santa Maria de los Remedios (meaning the Yucatan Peninsula) and the island of Santa Maria de los Nieves (Central Mexico). The monastic college, completely unaware of what lands in question, innocently approved the petition of the conquistador. Thus, Cortes' hands were untied, and he gave the order to raise sails and move to the village of Villa de la Santisima Trinidad, the gathering place for the expedition members.

One by one ships from Cuba arrived in the bay of Trinidad. They brought with them food supplies, people, horses, weapons. In total, more than five hundred Spaniards gathered, two hundred Indians - slaves from the estates of Cortes. The commander also had ten bronze cannons and four falconets (light guns), from personal firearms - thirteen squeakers. Cortes attached importance to them rather as psychological weapons. Unfamiliar with gunpowder, as well as with horses, the Indians must have been frightened by these strange, "magic" devices. However, horses and firearms did not play a major role in the conquest of Mexico. It is safe to say that the Aztec empire was conquered with a sword.

Here it is necessary to mention the specifics of warfare by the Aztecs. The fact is that the traditional ideas about the war in Central America were very different from European ones. The war among the Aztecs was not fought for the extermination of the enemy, but was rather a ritual. The main goal was to capture living captives in hand-to-hand combat, which broke up into many one-on-one fights. The Europeans, on the other hand, waged a completely different war, where hand-to-hand combat was gradually replaced by means of mass destruction.

Artillery and cavalry by themselves overturned all the native principles of warfare. Therefore, both tactical organization and weapons, defensive and offensive, were at a much lower level among the Aztecs than among the Spaniards. What could an Aztec warrior in a loincloth and in the skin of a jaguar, with a club, at best equipped with an obsidian tip, do against a Spanish infantryman, clad in iron armor, armed with a sword and a long spear? In the same way, the arrows of the natives from weak, short bows did not pierce the armor of the aliens, while their crossbow bolts and bullets mowed down on the spot ...

FABULOUS TREASURES Beckoning

On February 10, 1519, the ships of Cortes set sail and set sail. The north winds swept away the flotilla of Cortes. She gathered only off the western coast of the Yucatan. The Maya Indians, with whom Cortes tried to negotiate, refused any proposals, remembering the bitter experience of dealing with ruthless conquerors.
Maya, however, at the request of the commander, gave one of the Spaniards, who later served Hernan well. Geronimo de Aguilar was a soldier from a shipwrecked pioneer ship picked up by the Indians. His excellent knowledge of the Mayan language helped Cortes in Mexico. But the conquistador himself was not going to populate the Yucatan. His target was the Aztec empire. However, he also had to face the Maya in battle.

In March 1519, Cortes landed near the border of the possessions of Montezuma, the emperor of the Aztec Nahua tribe, and the Mayan tribes. And he was immediately attacked by the natives, who were not disposed to conclude any agreements and demanded that the Spaniards immediately go back. Thirty thousand Indians attacked the tiny Spanish army. All the people of Cortes were forced to take up arms. In the end, the aliens won thanks to the horses. These unknown animals, as expected by the Spanish commander in chief, sowed fear and confusion among the Indians. They thought they were fighting the deities.

Sending embassy after embassy, ​​Cortez nevertheless achieved the location of the Tabasco ambassadors - that was the name of the city of this Mayan tribe. Demonstrating his power over fire and horses, interspersing threats with pleasantries, Hernan managed to start a dialogue. In addition to magnificent items made of gold, silver, jade, emerald, plumage wild birds, surpassing any imagination of the conquerors, the leaders of Tabasco, amazed at the lack of women in the "supreme leader of the white people", gave him twenty slaves.

Such a strange for Europeans "concern" about the fate of women was explained very simply. The Aztecs and Maya considered the Spaniards to be one of the nomadic peoples, like the uncivilized Indian tribes that often invaded their territories from the north. Through marriages, they sought to establish relationships with the newcomers, establish allied relationships, “tie” them to their territory, in order to subjugate them later.

Among the slaves was young Malinche (in baptism - Marina), a girl from the Aztec tribe, a future friend and translator of the conquistador. Now Hernan could freely communicate with the Aztecs through her and Aguilar, who also knew the Mayan language.

In April 1519, Cortés met with Montezuma's officials. The parties exchanged gifts. The conquistador expressed a desire to personally see the emperor, but was refused and ... again luxurious gifts.

But again, luck did not let the conquistador down. Two days after the departure of Montezuma's ambassadors, representatives of the Totonac tribe, suffering from the oppression of the Nahua, came to him. The ruler of Cempoala, the capital of the Totonacs, offered an alliance to Cortes. Hernando immediately realized what benefits he could derive from the centuries-old enmity between the two tribes. Relying on the support of the Indians, the Spaniards could now stay in Mexico and even make a trip to Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Nahua.

Therefore, Cortes decides to turn his camp into a city. It was named Veracruz. The founding of the city had political and military-strategic reasons. It gave strong power over people. From now on, the Spaniards were not just explorers and conquerors of Mexico, but also settlers with their own central authority, independent of the whims of the governor-general and the king.

Shortly thereafter, Hernando went to Cempoala, where the conquistador pulled off a cunning political trick. The belated embassy of Montezuma, at the instigation of Cortes, was thrown into prison by the Totonacs. Secretly at night, he ordered two captives to be brought and instructed them to convey a friendly message to their emperor. In the morning, the Totonac, still hesitant and fearful of the wrath of the Nahua, discovered the loss. From now on, they had no choice but to act as loyal allies of the conquerors.

At the beginning of the summer of 1519, Hernan received a royal letter that forced him to intensify his campaign of conquest. Charles V, the Spanish king and German emperor, informed him that all the lands, including Yucatan and Mexico, belong by right to the governor Diego Velázquez. The situation of Cortes was desperate, and he ventured to the last step - he sank ten of his ships in the roadstead of Veracruz. Later chroniclers preferred to embellish the real picture and replaced the water with fire. So was born catchphrase"burn the ships"...

Cortes left the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and moved into the depths of a huge, unexplored country, surpassing his native Spain four times in territory and ten in population. His path lay on Tlaxcala, the capital of another tribe hostile to Tenochtitlan.

... Contrary to the strategic plans of the Aztecs, Hernando with the army did not go to the valley of Mexico City by the traditional, much longer road along the valley around the volcanoes, but passed through the pass that separated Popocatepetl and Itztacquihuatl. This pass is currently called Paso de Cortés. With this maneuver, the Spaniards avoided the traps set up on their way - disguised "wolf pits" and sharp stakes.

On November 2, 1519, the aliens finally saw Tenochtitlan, the city of dreams. The conquistadors were struck by the gigantic size of the city, according to Cortes, only in the central square of which two large, by the standards of Spain, ten-thousand-strong cities would fit. Tenochtitlan had about half a million inhabitants. No less shocked the imagination of the conquerors were the wide streets, the abundance of vegetation inside the city itself, to which the gardens and flower beds on the terraces of the houses gave a cozy look. Mexico began to seem to Europeans greater, more beautiful and more developed than dilapidated medieval Europe.

The Spanish army entered Tenochtitlan unopposed. However, Cortes was well aware that a few hundred Spaniards would not stand against many hundreds of thousands of Aztecs. Therefore, it was so necessary for him to meet with Montezuma. Only he could guarantee the safety of the aliens. This meeting took place, and Montezuma, confident that the Spaniards were now securely controlled by him, often visited Cortes.
This confidence turned out to be imaginary and cost the Aztec emperor his life. It all started with the news of the Nahua uprising in Veracruz reaching Cortes. The conquistador was seized with anger, he saw a conspiracy in this uprising. Without thinking twice, he took the emperor into custody. From now on, the royal hostage was forced to guarantee Hernan's personal safety. The captivity of Montezuma lasted seven months, until Cortes decided to return to Veracruz. He was driven to this by the need to bring to the attention of Velazquez and Emperor Charles V the news of the conquest of Mexico.

Woe to the vanquished!

The ARRIVAL of Cortes in Veracruz allowed the commander to join with his army the detachments sent by the governor to capture the obstinate subordinate. However, in the absence of the commander-in-chief, Pedro de Alvarado, the head of the Spanish garrison in Tenochtitlan, lost their nerve. The massacre in the main temple of the Aztec capital in May 1520, carried out on his orders, left a dirty mark on the history of the conquest.

Six hundred unarmed Indians were killed during a religious ceremony. And this massacre was the last straw that overflowed the patience of the Aztecs. Cortes, who returned to Tenochtitlan, was no longer able to restore the confidence of the Nahua. Even the intercession of Montezuma did not help the aliens: the emperor was killed by a well-aimed throw of a compatriot's spear during another speech in favor of the bloodthirsty conquerors.

Cortes, besieged by the rebels in the palace of Montezuma, decided to break through to Veracruz. The Spaniards tried many times to find a loophole and slip out of the ring of Aztec warriors. But the problem was that Tenochtitlan was an island, and the only way out of it was through dikes that the enemy controlled.

The retreat was scheduled for the night of June 30th. Cortes hoped that the Aztecs, who traditionally fought only during the day, would freely release him from Tenochtitlan. His hopes were not destined to come true. The Aztecs did not even think of observing any rules of war in relation to the perfidious invaders. The dam breach proved almost suicidal for the Spaniards. And not the last role in the defeat suffered was played by their own greed. Many witnesses of this event, called the "Night of Sorrow", confirm that some of the soldiers of Cortes were so loaded with gold ingots that, having fallen into the water, they went to the bottom like a stone. As a result, of the thousand three hundred Spaniards who made up the detachment in Tenochtitlan, more than half were missing. Only six hundred fugitives survived the Night of Sorrow. Cortes lost all the horses, all the cannons, all the booty destined for Emperor Charles.
But in moments of mortal danger, and the most ordeals, which became for the conquistador "Night of Sorrow", he did not despair. Hernan knew how to win hopeless games, cope with setbacks and overcome adversity. He seemed to find himself inexhaustible sources energy, and his confidence was transmitted to those around him.

After talking to each soldier, he again raised the morale of his warriors. In order of battle, the Spaniards, who escaped from the encirclement, began a retreat to Tlaxcala. Every day of this rearguard march was accompanied by constant Nahua attacks. The Spaniards were tormented by hunger, they were forced to eat their horses, which had recently delighted the natives.

The last battle of this campaign took place near the Allied capital. Two hundred Spaniards and two thousand Tlaxcalans opposed the one hundred thousand Nahua army. For Cortes, who was on the verge of exhaustion, with a wounded left hand and an open wound on his temple, this fight was last chance. Hernando led five or six cavalrymen and with a dashing attack put the Nahua leader to flight. With him shamefully fled and the entire army of the Aztecs.

The Spanish army entered Tlaxcala without hindrance, and then, under the escort of the allies, went to Veracruz. There the conquerors took up winter quarters and rested. Cortes also wrote and sent two letters to Emperor Charles, in which he explained his arbitrariness and independence from Velazquez, and also described new territories. In letters, Hernan suggested that the lands conquered and explored by him be called New Spain, which was favorably received by His Majesty.

Meanwhile, smallpox, brought by the conquerors, raged in Tenochtitlan. Not too dangerous for Europeans, this epidemic was completely unknown in Central America and brought death to the natives. The disease swept through all the cities of the Aztecs, and soon they no longer had enough healthy people to bury the dead. The dead numbered in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands. So smallpox became an unexpected ally of the Spaniards.

While smallpox was raging in Mexico, Cortes was preparing for a new campaign - to take Tenochtitlan. He replenished his army with reinforcements from Cuba and Hispaniola, and by the spring of 1521 his army numbered just over seven hundred Spaniards. There were eighty horses, one hundred and ten crossbows and squeakers, fifteen cannons. In addition, the conqueror mobilized from fifty to one hundred and fifty thousand allied Indians and six thousand pies needed to storm the island.

On May 30, 1521, the siege of the Nahua capital began. Three times the Spaniards broke into the city and reached the central square, but the Aztecs courageously pushed back the invaders. Negotiations led to nothing: the Nahua refused to believe in the nobility of the Spaniards and preferred to die with weapons in their hands, along with their wives and children. Realizing the impossibility of an immediate capture of Tenochtitlan, Cortes abandoned active hostilities. He blocked all dams and aqueducts and thereby interrupted the supply of the Aztecs. There was famine in the city. But even earlier, the Aztecs began to die of thirst. Deprived of fresh water, they drank the salty, worthless water of the lagoon, in which decomposing corpses floated. Fever and dysentery were reaping their terrible harvest. By the end of July, the days of Montezuma's heirs were numbered. The vise of the invaders tightened, and in the end the Aztecs controlled only the market place, which once delighted the conquistadors.

On August 13, 1521, after the capture of the last Nahua emperor Cuauhtemoc, Cortés declared victory. Tenochtitlan was left to be plundered by a ferocious Spanish soldier, obsessed with only one goal: to find the gold lost during the “Night of Sorrow”. However, the legendary treasures of Montezuma disappeared, which caused even greater fury of the Spaniards.

Aztec losses were catastrophic. Many descriptions give a figure of one hundred thousand killed, missing and dying of starvation and epidemics. The remaining two hundred thousand were taken captive and enslaved.
On October 15, 1522, Charles V signed a decree appointing Hernán Cortés as governor, commander-in-chief and supreme bailiff. So the conquistador became the sovereign master of Mexico.

HOUR OF PAYING

BUT THE TRIUMPH OF Cortes did not last long, only four years. The dissatisfaction of the authorities of the metropolis was caused by the apparent independence of the new ruler and ... his too humane, from their point of view, treatment of the Indians.

The willfulness of the governor of New Spain was manifested in the fact that he dared to promote the idea of ​​creolization, mixing the local population with the Spaniards. Marriages with the daughters of caciques, as Cortez expected, should have contributed to the reconciliation of the Indians and the Spaniards. Moreover, he declared Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, official. By his decision, teaching in schools was also conducted in Latin.

Cortés attempted to limit the exploitation of the Indians who had become slaves to the Spaniards. Hernan himself did not see anything reprehensible in the institution of slavery. It has been widespread for millennia in both Europe and Central America. Therefore, the laws of the governor were aimed only at mitigating the fate of the slaves. Hernan established a ten-hour working day, forbade the work of women, children under twelve years of age. According to the laws of Cortes, the working week of an Indian slave should not exceed sixty hours. Saved the conquistador and the system of Indian self-government.

However, Cortes did not stay long in Mexico. One after another, denunciations came to him in Spain. Cortes de “does not follow the orders of His Imperial Majesty”, “keeps huge sums of money in his hands and does not transfer to the royal auditors” (representatives of the tax service), “does not want to establish the Inquisition”, “shows himself an inveterate atheist”.

There was indeed a lot of truth in the denunciations. The power of the ruler of New Spain caused concern among the advisers of Charles V. They were afraid that Cortes would imagine himself a new Montezuma and wish to become a sovereign ruler.

The arbitrariness of Cortés, the secret contempt for the supreme power, nurtured in childhood, ignoring royal instructions made his figure too inconvenient for Charles V. That is why the great conqueror was recalled to Castile in 1528.

Charles V received the Mexican hero kindly but coldly. Despite the intercession of Father Cortes Martin de Monroy and the patronage of noble friends, he did not change his attitude towards the popular conquistador and limited himself to granting him the title of Marquis de Valle. In fact, it was an empty phrase, meaning nothing compared to the supreme power over New Spain.

Royal "favors" did not cool the ardor of Cortes. Caught in a web of intrigue, he did not give up and did not stay in Castile, but returned to Mexico. For five years, from 1530 to 1535, he managed his huge private estates, which were gradually reduced due to judgments in favor of the crown. Cortes explored the Pacific Ocean and California, built a fleet.

Fate smiled at him again when Antonio de Mendoza became viceroy of Spain. The latter obeyed valuable advice conquistador and temporarily stopped the predatory exploitation of the Indians. But the authority of Cortes, suppressing the will of Mendoza, aroused mortal envy in him. Mendoza, in the spirit of his predecessors, began to take one possession after another from the hero of Mexico. The prisons began to fill up with Hernan's associates, the "old" conquistadors. Now it was their turn to endure torture from the executioners of the Inquisition, which they themselves used on captive Indian leaders in search of gold.

Hernan felt great disappointment. What he and his comrades had won with their blood was now becoming the prey of court dudes and unscrupulous rogues. He tried to change his fate, meet the emperor again, beg his forgiveness, and return as viceroy to Spain.

But the emperor remained deaf to the petitions of the conquistador. Charles V himself was already old, tired of ruling the state, his vast empire, in which, also thanks to Cortes, "the sun never set." Hernando spent seven unsuccessful years in Spain, participated in the campaign of Charles V in Algeria, volunteered to go on the most dangerous missions ...

GOLD TABLETS

FORTUNA at the end of her life finally turned away from the Marquis de Vallee. Feeling the approach of death, he wrote a will, in which, among other things, he asked to be buried in New Spain. He also ordered to release his Indian slaves, to thank friends, servants, and confidants.
On the night of Friday, December 2, 1547, Cortes died of exhaustion.

Already in the memoirs of his contemporaries, he was presented as a legend, both the “white” and “black” sides of his character were noted. Endowed with rare charm and strong character, Cortes led his comrades-in-arms into fire and water. Possessing great courage, he entered into battles with immeasurably more numerous opponents and won victories.

There was another side to his fiery nature. Without a twinge of conscience, he betrayed the people who believed him, both subordinates and leaders. More than once he suggested one thing, but did another. More than once he had to organize a bloody massacre. When dividing the booty, he also did not differ in particular scrupulousness, too often giving rise to suspicion of deceit. It is highly doubtful that he ever felt sorry for what he had done, considering, like other Spaniards, his religion and civilization above all else. Therefore, until now, modern Mexicans do not consider it possible to forgive Cortes.

Hernan was perhaps the brightest of the galaxy of conquistadors, on the one hand, hungry for gold, treacherous and bloodthirsty conquerors, on the other hand, courageous, fearless people seeking unknown lands. He turned out to be one of the few Spaniards who, thanks to his own courage and intelligence, achieved everything that every nobleman dreamed of - wealth, fame, power. With golden letters stained with Indian blood, Cortes forever inscribed his name in the tablets of history.

Evgeny PRONIN

Let's remember another large-scale and sometimes mysterious phenomenon of distant history: The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

Early biography

Expedition to Mexico

Map of the campaign of 1519-1521.

The idea of ​​conquering Mexico belonged to Velazquez, who was also the main sponsor of the campaign. In 1518, Cortes was appointed commander, but after another quarrel, the governor of Cuba canceled this order. Cortes, nevertheless, having great eloquence, hired a team and soldiers, and sailed from Santiago de Cuba on November 18, 1518. The expedition was poorly supplied with food, so the conquistadors left Cuba on February 10, 1519. The expedition had 11 ships (one of them was commanded by Lieutenant Alvarado, Cortez's deputy).

The army of Cortés included 518 foot soldiers, 16 horsemen (several of whom shared one horse, like the same Alvarado), 13 arquebusmen, 32 crossbowmen, 110 sailors and 200 slaves - Cuban Indians and blacks, as servants and porters. Equipment included 32 horses, 10 cannons and 4 falconets. Among the officers of the Cortes detachment, the future conquerors of Central America stood out: Alonso Hernandez Portocarero (he originally got Malinche), Alonso Davila, Francisco de Montejo, Francisco de Salcedo, Juan Velasquez de Leon (a relative of the Cuban governor), Cristobal de Olid, Gonzalo de Sandoval and Pedro de Alvarado. Many of them were experienced soldiers who fought in Italy and the Antilles.

The chief helmsman was Anton de Alaminos (a member of the third expedition of Columbus and the expedition of Ponce de León, Francisco de Córdoba and Juan de Grijalva).

The expedition took the well-known route to the Yucatan coast. The first contact with the high civilization of America took place on about. Cozumel, where the Mayan principality of Ekab was at that time, the center of worship of the fertility goddess Ix-Chel. The Spaniards tried to destroy the sanctuary, horrified by the sacrificial rite. At first, an Indian slave boy served as an interpreter, from whom information was received about Jeronimo de Aguilar, a Spanish priest who was captured by the Maya and who studied their language. He became the chief interpreter of the expedition. In March 1519, Cortes formally annexed the Yucatan to the Spanish possessions (in fact, this happened only in 1535). Further, the expedition went along the coast, on March 14 the mouth of the Tabasco River was reached. The Spaniards attacked the Indian settlement, but found no gold. In Tabasco, on March 19, Cortes received gifts from local rulers: a lot of gold, and 20 women, among whom was Malinche, who became the official translator and concubine of Cortes. She was immediately baptized, the Spaniards called her "doña Marina".

In Tabasco, the Spaniards learned about great country Mexico City, lying further to the west, deep into the mainland, this is how the name "Mexico" appeared. In July 1519, the expedition of Cortes landed on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the port of Veracruz was founded, 70 km north of the modern city. By this act, Cortes transferred himself into direct submission to the king. In order not to provoke a riot, Cortes ordered the ships to be burned. Leaving the garrison, Cortes moved inland. His first allies were the people of the Totonacs, in whose capital, Cempoalu, Cortes entered. At a meeting of 30 leaders of the people, war was declared on the Aztecs. Most of Cortés' army was now made up of allied Totonac tribes. An agreement was concluded with the Totonacs, under the terms of which, after the conquest of Mexico, the Totonacs gained independence. This agreement has not yet been respected.

On August 16, 1519, the Spanish set out for Tenochtitlan. Cortes had 500 foot soldiers, 16 horsemen and about 13 thousand Totonac warriors. The conquistadors found a strong ally in Tlaxcala, an independent mountain principality, waging war with the Aztec confederation. As a sign of alliance, the leader of Tlaxcala gave Cortes his daughter Xicotencatl, whom the conqueror gave to Alvarado. Under the name of Luis de Tlaxcala, she accompanied Alvarado on all campaigns. The army of Cortes was replenished with approximately 3,000 Tlaxcalans.

Massacre in Cholula. Indian image

In October 1519, the army of Cortes reached Cholula, the second largest city-state of Central Mexico, the sacred center of the local religion. For unknown reasons, Cortes massacred the local population in the city, and partially burned the city. Later, in his messages, Cortes explained this act as retribution for a possible trap set by the Indians.

On the way to the Aztec capital, the Spaniards discovered the volcano Popocatepetl (Nahuatl "The hill that smokes"). The officer of Cortes - Diego de Ordaz decided to conquer the top of the volcano with two squires. Later, King Charles V allowed the image of the volcano to be included in the coat of arms of Ordas.

In January 1521, the siege of Tenochtitlan began, cut off from food supplies and sources of fresh water. At the same time, the city-states of the Mexico Valley allied to the Aztecs were subordinated. During this period, Cortes uncovered the plot of Villafana, who was forced to hang himself. In August 1521, the assault on the city began. On August 13, after the capture of the last tlatoani - Cuautemoca, the Aztec state fell. Until 1524, Cortes ruled Mexico alone.

Ruler of Mexico

In the messages of Cortes and the biography written from his words by Gomara, there are numerous complaints about the injustice of the king and his entourage, who allegedly underestimated Cortes. In fact, Cortés during this period desired sole power, and badly damaged relations with his companions.

In 1524, Cortes was awarded the title of captain-general of the newly formed colony New Spain of the Sea-Ocean. Together with the decree, four royal officials arrived (Royal Audiencia), called upon to arrange the administrative system, and limit the ambitions of Cortés. During this period, Cortes supervised extensive construction: on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, new town Mexico City, which became the main center of Spanish possessions in the New World. There was a big church building: according to rumors transmitted by Gomara, Cortes vowed to build 365 temples on the ruins of the pagan pyramids so that they could be used all year round. Cortes began to send his officers to conquer other peoples and states of Central America: for example, Alvarado was sent by him to Guatemala. Cortes initiated the production of cane sugar to Mexico and began to import African blacks to work on the plantations.

In 1523 the king sent Juan de Garay to conquer Northern Mexico without informing Cortez of this. As a result of a fierce struggle with Velasquez, Garay and Bishop Fonseca, Cortes won, but decided to leave Mexico City, setting off on an expedition to conquer Honduras (1524-1526). There was also a war with Cristobal de Olid, who was sent by the Cuban governor Velazquez to conquer this country. Due to the constant military danger and conspiracies that arise among his inner circle, Cortes showed more and more cruelty. In 1525, he ordered to torture and execute Kuautemoc, the last ruler of the Aztecs, and also intended to make a trip to Cuba and deal with Velazquez (he died in 1524). Such ill-conceived decisions prompted King Charles V to remove Cortés from office.

The king at that time was in Germany, busy with the war between Protestants and Catholics. Spain was ruled by Archbishop Adrian. It was to him that Juan Ponce de Leon II (the son of the discoverer of Florida) turned, who denounced the crimes of Cortes and called for his execution. Opposition grew, in 1527 Cortes was forced to leave the post of governor, and in 1528 he went to Spain to report on his activities.

Map of California in the 17th century. Territory depicted as an island

Visit to Spain and return to Mexico

Cortes in 1528 appeared before the court of the king and brilliantly justified himself. The main arguments of his opponents were based on the fact that he sent much less gold and silver from Mexico than was required when paying the royal fifth. The king honored Cortes with an audience and granted membership in the knightly order of Santiago de Compostela. In 1529, Cortes and his descendants were granted the title of Marquis of Oaxaca, which existed until 1811. Cortes was granted the right to keep 23,000 vassals in Oaxaca, but he was not reinstated in the governorship, and was not given any other in return.

In the absence of Cortes, a serious political crisis occurred in Mexico: the members of the Audiencia shared power, and the commander-in-chief, Nuño de Guzman, ruined the Indians. In 1528, an Indian delegation arrived in Spain with complaints about the colonists, and Cortes took their side! In 1530, Cortes was appointed military governor of Mexico, he had to share power with Don Antonio de Mendoza, who was appointed civil governor. Soon, Cortes was again brought to trial, accused of plotting to seize power and the murder of his first wife. The materials of the court were classified and have not been preserved, so it is not known what verdict was issued. Until 1541, Cortes lived on his estate in Cuernavaca (48 km south of Mexico City). In 1536, he undertook an expedition to California, hoping to increase the possessions of the Spanish crown, and also to find a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific (which he never found in Honduras). This campaign, despite the high costs, did not bring him wealth and power.

Sources and literature

primary sources

• Cortez, Hernan, "Letters (excerpts)"
• Hernan Cortes, letters- available as Letters from Mexico translated by Anthony Pagden (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.) ISBN 0300090943
• Francisco Lopez de Gomara, Hispania Victrix; First and Second Parts of the General History of the Indies, with the whole discovery and notable things that have happened since they were acquired until the year 1551, with the conquest of Mexico and New Spain Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1966.
• Bernal Diaz del Castillo , The Conquest of New Spain- available as The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico: 1517-1521 ISBN 030681319X
• The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. - Expanded and updated edition. - Boston: Beacon Press, 1992. - ISBN ISBN 0-807-05501-8
• History of the Conquest of Mexico, with a Preliminary View of Ancient Mexican Civilization, and the Life of the Conqueror, Hernando Cortes By William H. Prescott
• Last Will and Testament of Hernan Cortes

Secondary sources

• Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas (1993) ISBN 0671511041
• Cortes and the Downfall of the Aztec Empire by Jon Manchip White (1971) ISBN 0786702710
• History of the Conquest of Mexico. by William H. Prescott ISBN 0375758038
• The Rain God cries over Mexico by Laszlo Passuth
• Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest by Matthew Restall, Oxford University Press (2003) ISBN 0195160770
• The Conquest of America by Tzvetan Todorov (1996) ISBN 0061320951
• Hernando Cortes by Fisher, M. & Richardson K.
• Hernando Cortes Crossroads Resource Online.
• Hernando Cortes by Jacobs, W.J., New York, N.Y.: Franklin Watts, Inc. 1974.
• The World's Greatest Explorers: Hernando Cortes. Chicago, by Stein, R.C., Illinois: Chicago Press Inc. 1991.
• Myth and Reality: The Legacy of Spain in America by Jesus J. Chao. Culture/Society Opinion. February 12, 1992. The Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston
• LeonPortilla, Miguel, ed., The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Beacon Press, 1962.

In Spanish

• La Ruta de Hernan. Fernando Benítez ().
• Hernan Cortes. Inventor de Mexico. Juan Miralles Ostos ().
• Hernan Cortes. Salvador de Madariaga.
• Hernan Cortes. Jose Luis Martinez. Edición del Fondo de Cultura Economica y UNAM. (1990)
• Cortes. Christian Duverger ().
• Hernán Cortes: el conquistador de lo imposible. Bartolome Bennassar ().
• El dios de la lluvia llora sobre Mexico. Laszlo Passuth. () ISBN 84-217-1968-8
• Pasajes de la historia II: tiempo de heroes. Juan Antonio Cebrián () (Su vida se encuentra en el pasaje nº7, Hernán Cortés, simbolo de una conquista, paginas de 181 a 211).
• Compostela de Indias, su origen y fundación. Salvador Gutierrez Contreras (1949).
• Hernan Cortes. Mentalidad y propositos. Demetrio Ramos. ISBN 84-321-2787-6
• Hernan Cortes. cronica de un imposible. José Luis Olaizola ().

The discovery of the Pacific Ocean in 1513 was the second powerful impetus to the exploration of the New World after the voyage of Columbus. In search of an outlet to the South Sea, European ships bypassed the entire Atlantic coast of South America, until Magellan's expedition finally managed to find the strait. Through this narrow loophole, the ships entered the Pacific Ocean. One should not think that America was for the Europeans only a barrier on the way to India. If we recall how slowly the exploration of other regions of the planet took place, one can only marvel at the pace of exploration of the New World in the 16th century. Already in 1519, the governor of Golden Castile, Pedro Arias de Avila, founded the village of Panama on the Pacific coast, where ships were built for sailing in the South Sea.

In the same year, 1519, the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes began, which was extremely cruel from the standpoint of universal morality. But are wars different? The conquistadors, of course, behaved by no means angelic, but the same can be said about the Aztecs: what are at least the mass sacrifices so beloved by them worth! One thing is certain: the Indians did not invite the Spaniards, and it is impossible to justify the war by the desire to convert the infidels to Christianity.

But back to Mexico. Cortes skillfully used tribal strife among the Indians and the hatred of most tribes for the Aztecs: he managed to win over the Tlaxcalans, Totonacs and others. In August 1521, the Spaniards and their allied Indians took the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The city was almost completely destroyed, and Mexico City, the capital of New Spain, arose in its place.

Cortes did not stop there, but sent detachments of conquistadors to all parts of the country - to push the borders of New Spain and seek wealth. He himself moved to the northeast and captured the basin of the Panuko River. Cristobal Olid went west and opened a coastal strip with a length of about 1000 km, and in addition, he subjugated the Indian state of Tarascan (now the state of Michoacán). Gonzalo Sandoval headed southeast and reached the Pacific coast, where he founded several cities. Pedro Alvarado's hike turned out to be the furthest. At the end of 1523, his detachment reached the isthmus of Tehuantepec and, having broken the resistance of the Indians, captured huge booty. Following the hollow between the Volcanic Range and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Alvarado occupied the territory of modern Guatemala and founded the city of the same name.

Having heard that there was no less gold in Honduras than in Mexico, Cortes in 1523 equipped a sea expedition there, led by Olid. However, the main goal of the expedition was to find a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. However, after some time, rumors began to reach Cortes that Olid, having discovered huge wealth in the country, decided to rule it alone. Cortes sent another flotilla there, but the ships crashed against the rocks during a storm, and the surviving sailors were captured by Olid. Then Cortes himself went to Honduras, but for some reason through the impenetrable jungle. When, after a difficult campaign, he reached the city of Trujillo, he learned that his supporters, having organized a conspiracy against Olid, had already executed the traitor. As for the waterway from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, it could not be found here.

In 1526, Cortes returned to Mexico City, but not for long. Enemies, taking advantage of his long absence, paved the way for the removal of Cortes from the post of governor and deprivation of his rank of captain general. In addition, Charles V, who received many denunciations against Cortes, demanded his arrival in Spain, where the Aztec winner was on trial: he was accused of hiding a significant share of income from the crown. However, the conquistador managed to justify himself; moreover, the king rewarded Cortés with numerous estates and gave him the title of marquis. But he was finally removed from the administration of Mexico. Now everything was run by the Royal Audience, led by Nuno Guzman, the enemy of Cortes. Under Guzman, the enslavement of the Indians reached unprecedented proportions: they were sold in large quantities to slave traders from the Antilles, and some provinces were literally depopulated. Less than two years later, the compromised audience was dissolved. Having lost legal power, but retaining influence, Guzman undertook a campaign in the country of Jalisco. His troops devastated the area west of the province of Panuko.

And Cortes, upon returning to Mexico, took up purely peaceful affairs - the recent conqueror of the Aztecs focused on entrepreneurship. His main business was sea expeditions (although he was also engaged in agriculture). The very first, to the Moluccas, he equipped even before leaving for Spain, and instructed Alvaro Saavedra, his cousin, to lead it. In 1527, three ships left the harbor of Sacatula on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and for some time nothing was known about their fate. Then it turned out that only one ship, led by Saavedra himself, managed to cross the Pacific Ocean; the other two apparently perished in a violent storm. During the voyage, Saavedra discovered the Marshall Islands, the northwestern ledge of New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands and part of the Carolines. Twice the navigator tried to return to Mexico, but both times headwinds became an insurmountable obstacle in his path. In 1529, Saavedra died, and his team was captured by the Portuguese.

Meanwhile, Cortes, unable to find a passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the south, decided to try his luck in the north. The Europeans were sure that North America and Asia were located close enough to each other, and that the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic were connected by a strait at about a latitude of 42 °. In 1532, two ships left Acapulco under the command of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a relative of Cortes. The expedition followed the coast to the north, but, having passed the islands of Las Tres Marias, the ships separated: the first, with Mendoza at the head, continued sailing north, and a riot broke out on the second - the team refused to proceed further, and the ship went back on course. The rebels did not go far: in the bay of Puerto Vallarta they were wrecked. Almost the entire team was slaughtered by the Indians, a few were taken prisoner by Guzman's soldiers. And Hurtado's ship was gone.

In 1533, Cortes equipped the next expedition. One ship, commanded by Diego Becerra de Mendoza, went north to continue exploring the coast, and at the same time look for Hurtado and his crew. The second ship, under the command of Hernando Grijalva, moved west in search of the pearl islands that the Indians were talking about. Grijalva discovered the Revilla Gigedo archipelago, did not find any pearls and returned to Tehuantepec, where Cortes was now based and his ships were being built. Mendoza was less fortunate. A riot began on the ship, the rebels, having killed the captain, continued swimming and reached the southeastern tip of the California Peninsula, where they managed to harvest a rich crop of pearls in La Paz Bay. But most of the team died from Indian arrows. The survivors managed to get to the mainland, where the ship was captured by Guzman. But rumors about the pearly bay reached Cortes.

The next expedition (1535) he led himself. His goal was to establish a colony on the shores of La Paz Bay. Three ships set off from Tehuantepec to the north and at the same time a land detachment under the command of Cortes left. For the construction of the colony, its settlement and defense against the Indians, a sufficient number of people were required, as well as horses, equipment and guns. There were not enough ships to transport. Then they decided to carry out the crossing in several steps, while reducing the duration of shuttle flights to a minimum. The detachment of Cortes safely passed the territory occupied by Guzman, and went to the appointed place, just opposite the southern tip of California. The ships also arrived on time.

Some of the people, along with Cortes, went to the pearl bay, the rest set up camp under the command of Andres Tapia. But the ships never came for them: on the way back, the ships were swept away by a strong storm. When the only surviving ship returned to La Paz Bay, Cortes went out in search of the other two. One of them had to be flooded, the second was repaired. Meanwhile, in the desert California, which Cortes called the island of Santa Cruz (the fact that this is a peninsula became known later), the colonists were dying of hunger and disease, although food was plentiful very close - whales frolicked nearby in the sea.

Returning home, Cortes received a letter from Francisco Pizarro asking for help. Two ships under the command of Hernando Grijalva moved to Peru, carrying Pizarro soldiers, horses, cannons and provisions. One ship returned to Mexico, and the second, commanded by Grijalva, went west to the Moluccas. On the way, the captain and the people loyal to him were killed by the rebellious crew, and the ship reached the spice islands, although without Grijalva.

Cortes decided to establish a permanent connection between Mexico and Peru. The commercial route, organized by him in 1537, began on the coast of Oaxaca, then the ships made a stop in Panama, and from there went to the port of Callao near Lima. Gold, silver and copper were exported from Peru, and ropes, incense, dressed animal skins and dried fruits were carried in the opposite direction.

In 1536, Guzman was arrested. Now it was possible not to be afraid of the seizure of ships. Cortes again turned his gaze to the north: in 1537 he organized an expedition under the command of Andres Tapia, which managed to pass along the mainland coast of the Gulf of California to 29 ° N. sh. and discover Tiburon Island.

In 1539, Cortes sent another expedition to California: three ships under the command of Francisco Ulloa left Acapulco. One ship, damaged by the storm, turned back, the other two explored the entire Gulf of California to the mouth of the Colorado. Ulloa climbed a few kilometers up the river and saw mountains in the distance. Then he went along the east coast of California to La Paz Bay, thereby proving that this land is a peninsula, rounded its southern tip and went along the Pacific coast to 28 ° N. sh. Ulloa called the huge bay that juts out into the land between the mainland and California the Sea of ​​Cortez.

Biography:

1485- in the family of Martin Cortes de Monroy and Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino (both from noble, but not rich families), an addition appeared - the boy Hernan Cortes. He was born in the town of Medellin in the province of Extremadura. As a child, Hernan was often ill, he was "so fragile that many times he was on the verge of death."

1499- 14-year-old Cortes is sent to the University of Salamanca to study law. According to other sources, he studied Latin, third sources believe that he studied grammar. It is possible that he studied everything together and quite diligently. After completing his studies, Cortés planned to sail by ship to Naples to enlist in the military, but remained in Spain, where he worked as a notary's assistant.

1501- Hernan gets bored with his studies and returns home under the pretext of illness. The reason for leaving could be boredom or lack of funds.

TO At that time, his character was finally formed. According to Gomara's descriptions, Cortes was "restless, arrogant, cocky and always ready to quarrel."

1502- Cortes decides to go to Hispaniola with Nicolás de Ovando (who has become the governor of the island), but the fleet of 32 ships in Cadiz sails without him. Hernan was forced to stay behind to heal an injury he received from a wall that had fallen on him while fleeing from a married woman's home. In addition, he also contracted malaria.

1504- Finally, Cortes leaves Spain and goes to Santo Domingo (the capital of Hispaniola) with Alonso Quintero on 5 merchant ships. The governor gives him a plot of land with Indians ("repartimiento") and appoints him as a notary of the city council of Azua.

IN over the next 5-6 years, Cortes was engaged in trade and strengthened his position on the island. At this time, the expedition of Nicueza and Ojeda was sent, in which Hernan himself almost took part, but the disease again did not let him go on an adventure. It is believed that it was either an abscess under the right knee, or an inflammation of the lymph node due to syphilis.

1511- Cortes takes part in the conquest of Cuba by Diego Velasquez. 300 people were sent by the governor of the Indies, Diego Columbus (son of Christopher Columbus), who had become such two years earlier, to conquer Cuba. After a successful conquest, he is appointed secretary of the governor and is awarded the "repartimiento".

TO By that time, Cortes already owned herds of sheep, horses, other livestock, mines and good home which naturally made him a target for intrigue. He amassed a fairly substantial fortune "God knows at the cost of how many lives of the Indians," as Bartolome de Las Casas, a 16th-century Spanish chronicler, wrote. However, as a result of intrigues, Cortez is charged with various charges, and Velasquez (who by that time was a lieutenant-governor) arrests him and puts him in prison. But Cortes escaped from prison and took refuge in a church. There he hid until he was lured into a trap and, chained, exiled to the ship. But he managed to escape from the ship. At night, he got into a boat and swam to the shore, but, unable to row against the current of the river, he reached the shore by swimming. Then he goes to Juan Juarez and asks him for help to reconcile with the governor, which soon took place.

P After the expeditions of Hernandez de Cordoba (1517) and Juan de Grijalva (1518), Velasquez begins to prepare a new expedition and look for a person who will take a leading position in it. Cortes, who at that time was already alcalde (mayor) of the Cuban capital, closely followed the development of events.

1518- Hernan is appointed captain-general of Velazquez's Armada. Why exactly he was appointed (when at least 3 people from the Velasquez family claimed this place) is unknown. Bernal Diaz believed that Cortes had entered into a secret revenue-sharing agreement with the secretary of the governor, Andres de Duero, and the royal accountant, Amador de Lares, and they influenced Velázquez in choosing the leader of the new expedition. The decision to appoint Cortes was made on October 23, 1518, as evidenced by the agreement signed by Velázquez and Cortes. The goals of this expedition are proclaimed research and discovery, as well as the conversion of the natives to the Christian faith and their recognition of the supremacy of the Spanish crown. There was also such an order - "not to miss anything that could serve the good of the Lord and the sovereign" - which Cortes then interpreted in his own way. Having become the captain-general, Cortez lays down his “encomienda” (a kind of dues that the Indians must work out on estates and mines) for 4,000 gold pesos and borrows the same amount from the merchants of Santiago, thereby freeing the governor Velazquez from significant costs. With the money received, Cortes buys a brigantine, two caravels and two more ships, and Velasquez acquires another brigantine and supplies for 1000 gold pesos.

T what kind of activity of Cortes irritated his envious people even more, and they did everything possible to increase Velasquez's fears. Hernan understood all this very well and on the night of November 17, 1518 gathered all his people on ships, and in the morning unexpectedly sailed away. First he went to Trinidad (a port in the south of Cuba) and meeting Grijalva there convinced him to let him use his 4 ships. They also "persuaded" a trader, Cedeño, to take part in the expedition and use his ship loaded with supplies. In Trinidad, he was joined by about two hundred more soldiers and the best captains of that time - Montejo, four Alvarado brothers (including Pedro), Gonzalo de Sandoval, Alonso Hernandez Puertocarrero and Juan Velazquez de Leon. And the completely worried Velasquez tried to stop Cortes twice, but he did not succeed - Hernan ignored all his orders.

H Finally, on February 10, 1519, Cortes sets off on an expedition to the Yucatan to the island of Cozumel on 11 ships with a displacement of seventy to a hundred tons, having in command over 500 (according to various sources - 508, 566) soldiers and about 100 sailors, as well as 200 Cubans, a few blacks and Indians, and, most importantly, 11-16 stallions and mares. The infantry was armed with bows, pikes, rapiers, 32 crossbows and 13-14 arquebuses, 10 heavy cannons and 4 light guns. Many Spanish soldiers instead of iron shells put on cotton shells, which perfectly protected from arrows. On Cozumel, he was joined by the Spaniard Aguilar, who at that time was a slave to the Indians, after he crashed there 8 years ago. He spoke the Indian language well and proved to be a good translator. Then Cortes went around the Yucatan peninsula (in the country of the Tabasks where he stopped along the way and won the battles against the natives on March 25, 1519, he was given 20 girls, among them - the future translator, lover and assistant in the conquest of their fellow tribesmen, the beautiful Malintsin - the Spaniards called its Marina) and sailed to the Mexican coast, where he founded the city of Veracruz (Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz - "The Rich City of the True Cross") near 19 about south latitude).
16 August 1519 Cortes with about 400 soldiers, 15 horses and 6 cannons marches to Tenochtitlan. Among the soldiers of Narváez, sent by Velasquez to arrest Cortes, but who later became part of the army of Cortes, there were 60 more shooters, 20 artillerymen and 80 cavalrymen. Thus, in the end, about 2,000 Spaniards took part in the conquest of Mexico.

8 On November 1519, the Spaniards enter Tenochtitlan, where they are greeted by Montezuma II.

IN"night of sorrow" from June 30 to July 1, 1520 (according to Gomar; according to Diaz, this happened on the night of June 11), Cortes was forced to flee the city, pursued by the Aztec army.

IN the first days of June 1521, Cortes again at the walls of Tenochtitlan, blocks and begins to storm it. At that decisive moment, he had at his disposal 650 infantry, 194 riflemen, 84 cavalry and Indian auxiliaries of up to 24,000 people, as well as 3 heavy cannons and 15 light field guns.

13 August 1521, after a 70-day siege, the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes declared the city of Tenochtitlan the possession of the King of Spain. He did not find the golden treasures of Montezuma; obviously, the Aztecs flooded part of their wealth in the lake or hid it elsewhere. They were never found. But still, he took possession of a small part of the treasure - according to Cortes, their value was 130,000 Castilian gold coins.

P After the capture of Tenochtitlan, Cortes spends most of his time in Coyohuacan, from where he personally directs the restoration of the capital of New Spain. In 1522-1524 the construction of Tenochtitlan progressed rapidly.

15 October 1522 Hernan Cortes receives 2 letters from the king, who officially appointed him governor and captain-general of New Spain.

D In order for the Spaniards to remain in Mexico, Cortés issued the "Decrees", according to which everyone who married in Spain or Cuba had to bring his wife here. Bachelors must also look for a wife if they do not want to lose their landed property. In addition, all owners of newly acquired land must pledge to cultivate their plot of land for eight years. Cortes himself set an example and brought his wife Dona Catalina from Cuba, who died soon after. Later, Cortes married a representative of one of the most noble aristocratic families in Spain. And Dona Marina Cortes married the Spanish hidalgo Juan Jaramillo and, as a dowry, gave her land in her homeland, near Cotsacoalco, where she lived in the future.

IN December 1522, three caravels leave Mexico for Spain with a cargo of treasure destined for the king (a royal fifth of what was obtained by the conquistadors). They did not reach Spain - the ships were attacked by a French privateer, and the contents of the holds were delivered to the King of France, Francis I.

Z In 1523, the officer of Cortes, Pedro Alvarado, entered the isthmus of Tehuantepec, devastated the entire region, capturing huge booty. In the southeast, he discovers the mountainous regions of Chiapas and Southern Guatemala, and on July 25 he founds the city of Guatemala. His teams examined coastline for another 1000 km - between the bays of Tehuantepec and Fonseca. To test the rumors about the gold of Honduras, Cortes sent Olid on five ships. Six months later, denunciations were received in Mexico City that Olid had seized the country in his personal interests. Cortes sent the 2nd flotilla there, which sank during a storm, and the surviving Spaniards, led by Francisco Las Casas, were captured by Olid, plotted and beheaded him. But Cortes, not knowing this, October 15, 1524 moved overland to Honduras. After a hard 500-kilometer campaign, the greatly depleted detachment of Cortés in the spring of 1526 reached the city of Trujillo, founded by Las Casas. Cortes returned to Mexico City only in June.

IN Subsequently, Cortes is drawn into intrigues - they are constantly trying to compromise him in the eyes of the king. He is accused of seeking separation from the Spanish crown and even of the death of his wife Catalina, which was a complete lie. In 1528, he personally went to Spain to present his case. King Charles at that time was in desperate need of money and, taking into account the former merits of Cortes, approves him as captain-general and bestows the title of Marquis del Valle de Oaxaca with the lands and cities of Oaxaca and Cuernavaca, and awards him with a large cross of the Order of St. James. Two diplomas, dated July 1529, handed over to the conqueror new tracts of land in the Oaxaca Valley and made Cortes the lord of 22 settlements and 23,000 Indian vassals. But on July 15, 1530, he was not destined to return to Veracruz as governor of New Spain. He remained captain-general until 1531. A legal battle flared up around the lands donated to him by the king, and, having reached a compromise, Cortes leaves for Cuernavaca, where for 8 years he was engaged only in the study of the Pacific Ocean.

TO Ortes equips 7 expeditions on two or three ships each. The first, led by Alvaro Saavedra, crossed the Pacific Ocean near 10 ° south latitude and discovered the northwestern ledge of New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, the Admiralty and part of the Caroline Islands. The second (1532) expedition of Diego Hurtado Mendoza explored almost 2000 km. the Pacific coast between 16 ° 50 "and 27 ° north latitude. Both ships of the third (1533-34) expedition were lost in a storm on the very first night. One ship under the command of Hernando Grijalva discovered the Revilla Gigedo archipelago; on the other, during a riot - the rebels stumbled upon the southern part of the California Peninsula, considering it an island.Cortes, who led the fourth (1535-36) expedition, discovered the mountains of the Western Sierra Madre and 500 km of the coast of the California Peninsula, where Cortes attempted to establish a settlement.In the south, he founded the city of Santa Cruz, today's La Paz.The fifth (1537-38) expedition traced the same coast to the north for another 500 km. The sixth (1536-39) under the command of Grijalva for the first time crossed the Pacific Ocean almost along the equator The leader of the seventh expedition (1539-40) Francisco Ulloa completed the discovery of the eastern shore of the Gulf of California, discovered the Colorado River, the entire western shore of the bay and the Pacific strip of California up to 33 ° north latitude, proving that this is a peninsula.

IN In 1540, Hernan Cortés finally returned to Spain with his son. A year later, they took part in the Algerian campaign of Charles V. Despite the undeniable ability in military affairs, Hernan Cortes did not play any significant role in the headquarters of the emperor. It can be seen that the military glory acquired overseas was little appreciated in the theaters of military operations of the Old World.

IN In Spain, Cortes tried to convince the king to expand the boundaries of the Spanish empire through the entire territory of the newly discovered continent, but this idea was not supported. After three years spent in vain waiting, tired and disbelieving in everything, he decided to leave his fatherland, but only reached Seville, where he fell ill with dysentery and no longer found the strength to resist the disease.

2 December 1547, at the age of 63, Cortes dies in Castillejo de la Cuesta, near Seville. He was buried in the family crypt of the Dukes of Medinasidonia. After 15 years, the remains of Cortes were transported to Mexico and buried in a Franciscan monastery in Texcoco next to the grave of his mother. The great conqueror found his final rest in Naples in 1823, in the crypt of the Dukes of Terranuova Monteleone, where his ashes remain to this day.

Description of Hernan Cortes:

E rnando Cortes in his youth was a rake, spendthrift, dandy and womanizer. With drunkenness in the company of the same idlers, scandals and secret amorous deeds, he angered the respectable burghers of Spanish cities.

M Even so, contemporaries noted his pleasant appearance, fine manners and ability to win over people. He, like other conquistadors, was characterized by impudence and cruelty, combined with religiosity and a huge thirst for profit, treachery and contempt for the cultural values ​​of other peoples.

B Bernal Diaz: "He was of good height and build, with good proportions and strong limbs ... if his face were longer, he would be more beautiful, and his eyes looked kindly, but seriously ... ".

H and on his lower lip he had a scar from a knife wound, received in one of his love affairs, but skillfully covered by a dark and sparse beard. He was also described as slender, with a high chest and good back shape. He was slightly bow-legged (due to frequent riding).