In 1518 Velázquez put Hernán Cortés in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization. At the last minute, due to the old quarrel between Velázquez and Cortés, he changed his mind but Cortés ignored the orders and went ahead anyway.
On the way to Tenochtitlan, Cortés made alliances with native American tribes such as the Nahuas of Tlaxcala and the Totonacs of Cempoala. By the time he arrived in Tenochtitlan the Spaniards had amassed a large army. At first, the Aztecs received Cortés' forces peacefully in Tenochtitlan where they stayed as guests of Moctezuma II. Moctezuma gave lavish gifts of gold to the Spaniards but the Spanish wanted more and Moctezuma became a prisoner in his own house. When the Aztecs realised what had happened to their ruler they rebelled in order to eject the Spaniards and their native American allies from the city. In the "La Noche Triste" the Spanish intruders suffered great losses and were forced to flee over the causeway to the mainland and back to Tlaxcala. When reinforcements arrived from Cuba, Cortés began a policy of attrition towards the island city of Tenochtitlan. Cortés prevailed and this enabled the eventual Spanish conquest of Mexico.
Grand Voyages Page 411 - Quaint Mexican customs
The Indians of Coyoacán became envious of their neighbours, the Indians of Mexico City, because they were growing in prosperity. At first they just sneered at the women when they came to their markets. Then, one day, they invited some of the Mexican dignitaries to their feast. At first they treated them well but when it was time to leave, they forced them to wear women's clothing and jeered at them in the streets as they went home. This provoked subsequent reprisals and the town of Coyoacán was eventually over run and defeated by the Mexicans.
Grand Voyages Page 413 - Montezuma's brother and the Chalco Indians
During Montezuma's reign, many Mexicans were captured after a fierce battle with the Chalco Indians. When the Chalco found out that one of their prisoners was the brother of the great Montezuma, they asked him to become their leader. He said he would answer their request from a platform, on the top of a tall tree-trunk, erected in their central square. Thinking he was going to announce his answer in the affirmative, they erected the platform for him. From the top he declared that he would rather die than betray his own people. As proof of his intention he said he was going to jump to his death, which he duly did when his speech was over.
Early Printed Books - Introduction
1493 Nuremberg Chronicle (Schedel's World History)
1572 The Wittenberg Bible
1588 Michael Eytzinger: Of Leone Belgico, eiusque topographica atque historica..
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Introduction and pages on Raleigh, Drake and Pizarro
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Florida and the French: le Moyne's pictures
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Mexico [THIS PAGE]
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