- Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba gave Cortes approval to explore the coast of Mexico, make contact with the natives, and do a little trading. When he learned that Cortes planned to conquer, he rescinded the approval, but Cortes had hastily sailed to escape the disapproval. He left with 11 ships and 500 men.
- Despite the legend, he did not burn his ships to give his troops no choice but to march inland. He dismantled them, keeping important parts for future ship construction and sank the rest.
- Although the firearms and horses were an advantage, the main reason he won was he had numerous Indian allies. In particular, the Tlaxcalans joined him because they hated the Aztecs. The Aztecs dominated them and forced them to provide human sacrifices. As many as 200,000 Tlaxcalan warriors aided Cortes. When he retreated after the Night of Sorrows, he found refuge in Tlaxcala.
- Just as important as those 200,000 Tlaxcalans, was one Indian woman named Malinali (called Malinche). She was a gift to Cortes by a chief. She became his mistress, but she also served as an interpreter. She gave Cortes advice and warnings of plots against him. He had a son named Martin with her.
- When he reached Tenochtitlan, he was not mistaken for a god. He and his men were mistaken as envoys of the god Quetzalcoatl, who was prophesized to return around that time in a bad mood. This is why the Aztecs treated them with kid gloves. They grudgingly allowed the Spaniards to take their gold. The enormous wealth which the men were to get 3/5 of. The brave conquistadors got stiffed with each getting less than 200 pesos. Cortes became very wealthy.
- When Cortes learned that a Spanish force had been sent to stop him, he left a small group under Alvarado in the capital and went to meet the Spaniards. He easily defeated it and coopted the troops. However, when he was gone, the poorly chosen Alvarado provoked the Aztecs by executing lots of Aztec leaders at a festival. The Aztecs had finally had enough of poor treatment and robbery and rebelled. Cortes returned to a siege.
- Cortes sent the hostage Moctezuma out onto a terrace to reason with the mob and he was pelted to death. Cortes decided to attempt a night escape from the city. This became known as the Night of Sorrows because of the heavy losses the Spaniards sustained. Many drowned attempting to flee over the causeways connecting the island capital to the countryside. Some drowned due to greed – they were loaded down with gold. Much of the gold was lost during the evacuation.
- Cortes built a fleet of small warships to reconquer the capital. This was accomplished with a lot of bloodshed. There was house-to-house fighting. During the campaign, Spanish prisoners were sacrificed with their hearts pulled out and their bodies eaten.
- After Cortes won the war, his wife Catalina showed up unexpectedly from Cuba. Cortes’ mistress Malinche made the reunion awkward. Cortes hosted a party where Catalina made critical comments about the Indian guests. Hernan was very angry. Later that night, Catalina died under mysterious circumstances.
https://www.thoughtco.com/ten-facts-about-hernan-cortes-2136576
https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/madrid/top-10-facts-about-hernando-cortes/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hernan-Cortes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Tenochtitlan#Siege_of_Tenochtitlan
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