easily defeated the people of Champotón
in battle, and then traded successfully for
gold. In doing so, he learned of an even
mightier civilization than the Maya: that
of the Aztec in the Mexican interior.
Grijalva’s success and this new informa-
tion about even greater riches led to
orders for a third expedition—this time
headed by Hernán Cortés.Cortés Arrives in Mexico
Hernán Cortés, an ambitious young man
of noble lineage but little money, had
come to the New World in 1504, when
still in his teens. He aided Velázquez in
the conquest of Cuba, became alcalde, or
mayor, of Santiago de Cuba, and success-
fully angled to be named captain of the
third expedition to the mainland. In
February 1519 Cortés set sail from Cuba
with an expedition designed for conquest:
11 ships; about 500 European soldiers; 12
arquebuses, or muskets; 14 cannon; and
an assortment of horses and war dogs.
Native American and African servants
also accompanied the expedition.
Upon landing in Yucatán, Cortés
insisted that his men treat the NativeAmericans they encountered well, with
the aim of winning support for the con-
quest he envisioned. Good treatment did
not extend to their gods, whose idols he
smashed and replaced with crosses. He
was always ready to read Native peoples
the Requerimiento, or Requirement, a
document that informed them of
Christian doctrine and also required them
to swear immediate allegiance to both the
pope and the king of Spain. Cortés, like
many Spanish soldiers trained through
fighting Moors, combined zeal for
spreading the message of Christianity
with a passion for military conquest.
While exploring the coast, Cortés
captured the town of Tabasco in what is
now Mexico and had the good fortune to
find two interpreters. One was Jerónimo
de Aguilar, a Spanish priest who had been
shipwrecked and held captive for years by
the Native Americans, and who had
learned to speak Mayan. Another was
Malinche, a slave woman who spoke both
Mayan and Nahuatl, the language of the
Aztec or Mexica. Cortés could give mes-
sages in Spanish to Aguilar, who could
relay them to Malinche in Mayan, who
could pass them to the Aztec. Malinche
was baptized Marina and became a mis-32 ATLAS OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY
Hernán Cortés (Library of Congress)Cortés’s Route to Tenochtitlán, 1519–1520
April–May 1519Cortés makes his landfall near present-day
Veracruz.
September 23, 1519The Tlaxcalan, longtime Aztec ene-
mies, and neighboring Huexotzinco become Cortés’s allies.
Several thousand Native warriors travel with him toward
Tenochtitlán.
November 8, 1519The expedition meets Montezuma and
enters Tenochtitlán. Worried that he could be trapped there,
Cortés takes Montezuma hostage.May 1520Cuba’s governor sends Pánfilo de Narváez to take
over the expedition. Cortés retraces his route to Veracruz,
captures Narváez, and returns to Tenochtitlán.
June 1520Pedro de Alvarado, in command during Cortés’s
absence, ambushes and murders Aztec during a fiesta.
Montezuma is killed. The Aztec prepare for war.
June 30, 1520 Members of Cortés’s expedition fight their
way out of the city. Half of his men and much gold and treas-
ure are lost. He retreats to Tlaxcala.124356