By: Matt Palmquist

History Colloquium:

The Conquest of Mexico

The Causeway ***November, 1519*** Cortés and the conquistadors finally

reach the great city of Tenochtitlan. On the grand causeway of the city, the Spaniards with their gleaming armor drew a grand crowd of curious indigenous people who came to watch the spectacle.

On the other side of the causeway, the great lord Montezuma awaited tentatively with his advisors as they watched the Spaniards march.

Díaz recalls that “the towers and the cues were full, and they came in canoes from all parts of the lake…since they had never seen horses or men like us before!”

(Padgen, p. 102)

(Díaz, p. 216)(Padgen, p. 85)

All the sources agree that the exchange of gifts which occurred was extraordinary.

Cortés claimed that he received “many and various treasures of gold and silver and feather work, and as many as five or six thousand cotton garments, all very rich and woven and embroidered in various ways.”

The Florentine Codex states that they decorated the causeway in preparation of the arrival of the Spaniards; “on gourd bases they set out different precious flowers…cacao flowers made into wreaths for the head…and they carried golden necklaces, necklaces with pendants, wide necklaces.”

Clearly, Montezuma was trying to impress his visitors in order to assert his power as governor of the region, and also to ensure that he was the one controlling the Spaniards.

Díaz presents an interesting, almost humorous encounter of the two Lords.

Cortés—like a Spanish Nobleman—tried to shake Montezuma’s hand and embrace him, but he was quickly reproached by Montezuma’s aides, claiming that “the great princes who stood round Montezuma grasped Cortés’ arm to prevent him, for they considered this an indignity.”

Clearly, these two cultures were very different and it was these cultural differences which may have led to the eventual fall of the city.

(Díaz, p. 218)

The Spaniards were received so courteously into the city partly because of prophecies which spoke of great gods who would come from the direction of the sunrise to conquer over the Aztec people.

When Cortés and his men arrived, Montezuma expressed these fears and it seems tried to please these gods by gifting gold, feathers, and other items to them.

The Florentine Codex explains, “You have come to settle your curiosity about your altepetl of Mexico, you have come to sit on your seat of authority, which I have kept a while for you.”

If this discourse is true, then we see a new side to the story, in which Montezuma was not trying to bribe and impress the Spanish; rather, he was afraid that these gods “from which [they] came, amidst clouds and mist” were going to take over forcefully and expel him from his throne.

Thus, it may have been in a preemptive attempt to remain in favor that he gave the throne of Tenochtitlan to Cortés so easily.

(Sahagún, p. 295)(Sahagún, p. 295)

When the Spaniards came, they were greeted marvelously by the curious Mexicans who had never encountered anything like them in their lives.

I imagine the Spaniards were equally as scared and perplexed by a society whom they considered to be inferior to theirs, but could build such marvelous cities and produce such lavish gifts.

Thus, the men are left at the gates of the city, well tended to, and excited to see what lies ahead; little do they know, that they will not be leaving the city in the same fashion they entered it.

(Sahagún, p. 295)

(Díaz, p. 218)

Bibliography

Díaz, Bernal. (1986). The Conquest of New Spain. Penguin Books: Middlesex, England , 216-219.

Padgen, Anthony. (1986). Hernan Cortés: Letters From Mexico. Yale University Press: New York, NY , 1-282.

Sahagún, Bernanino de. Florentine Codex. 295-296.n.d