Running head: HERNAN CORTES AND THE AZTECS

Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs

Armando Frausto
University of Texas at El Paso
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Hernan Cortes and the Aztec conquest has been a much-debated topic of history, with

many people under the belief that Cortes and his soldiers were saviors to the natives, and others

arguing that Cortes was detrimental to the natives in his conquest. 5 Letters of Cortes to the

Emperor: Hernan Cortes by J. Bayard Morris and The Storming of Teocalli by Cortez and His

Troops painted by Emmanuel Leutze in 1848, are the two genres that will be used to analyze

both points of view. The combination of both genres will show that indeed Hernan Cortes was

not a savior to the Aztecs; in actuality Cortez committed mass genocide of the Aztecs during his

efforts.

Genre number one, 5 Letters of Cortes to the Emperor: Hernan Cortes is a book that was

comprised of the five letters Cortes sent to Emperor Don Carlos of Spain during his conquest of

Mexico. The third letter informs the reader of how Cortes and his men were able to overtake

other Indian nations, and join forces with them on his way to take over the city of Tenochtitlan.

Cortess letter to the Emperor is quite lengthy, it covers just about one hundred and six pages.

The advantage of having so much space to write, is that Cortes had the freedom to offer as much

detail as he wanted to without any limitations. Unfortunately, because of its length, and the

amount of time it would take for someone to read the letter in its entirety, the audience is

drastically reduced to only those who are interested in what he has to say. The third letter is a

very formal letter, from its introduction it can be clearly seen that Cortes has a great amount of

respect for the reader. Additionally, the letter is written in a standard essay type format making it

easy to read, there is also one picture that is drawn by Cortes himself, that allows the reader to

have a visual image of the landscape to go along with the story being told. Genre number two

The Storming of Teocalli by Cortez and His Troops, was painted in 1848 by French painter

Emmanuel Leutze. The painting depicts a battle between Spaniards and Aztecs on the Teocalli
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tower during the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan. The Storming of Teocalli by Cortez and his

Troops does have some limitations, because it is an iconographic peace Leutze was limited to his

seven by eight-foot canvas to attempt to tell his story. However, because of its large size it can

grab peoples attention without the need of any historical knowledge, thus allowing this peace to

have a much bigger intended audience than does the first genre. The painting seems to center

around two main figures in the middle of the painting, Hernan Cortes and Aztec Chief

Cuauhtmoc fighting while there is chaos and death surrounding them. Leutze uses bright colors

for the Aztecs and dark ominous colors for the Spaniards, the viewer can make the assumption

the artist used these color schemes to create the sense of good versus evil in the minds of the

viewers. Even though one genre is typographic and the other is iconographic, both genres tell

the story of the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan although from very different perspectives.

Cortess third letter was intended to be seen by the Spanish Emperor and the royal family,

but because of the great amount of historical information it contains, the third letter is best

understood by those who study early American history. Leutzes painting captures a much

broader audience. It specifically targets art enthusiasts, art historians, and historians who study

early American history as well.

The third letter written by Hernan Cortes had different reasons why it was written the

way that it was. The primary purpose of the letter was to inform, it served as a way for Cortes to

keep the Spanish Emperor up to speed with his current progress in bringing the natives under the

command of the Spanish, and to tell of all the gold and other precious jewels and stones he had

discovered. The French painter had a more complicated set of ideas when he created The

Storming of Teocalli by Cortez and His Troops. Its main purpose was to entertain, the size of the

painting along with the bright color scheme used is evidence of that. There is also a lot moving
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pieces happening in the battle scene, from a priest praying over the bodies of the dead, to the

Spanish carrying their flag to post it on the mount of the Teocalli tower. This peace uses a lot of

eye grabbing techniques to immediately capture the attention of its audience. Its secondary

purpose, is to inform the average person who hasnt studied history, of the intense battles the

Aztecs had to endure to try and keep their way of life.

The first genre is an attempt to convince those who read it, that Cortes and his men were

incredible brave, intelligent, and kind. There are many points in the letter where Cortes talks

about his bravery, and the many ways in which he outsmarted the enemy. Six horsemen and

myself who were nearer than the others charged forward into the midst of them. They, frightened

of the horses, began to fly, and so we spurred out of the city after them (Morris. 1962. p . 160) .

At other moments in the letter Cortes goes out of his way to show was a kind and gentle person

he is, by forgiving and allowing any Indians who surrender to him to live, as long as they pledge

their allegiance to the Spanish Emperor, a ruler and chief man came in to offer themselves as

vassals of your Majesty. I received them as such and they promised me to remain in future our

faithful friends (Morris. 1962. p . 159). The painting is used to convince its audience that

Cortes and his troops werent as kind or as brave, or as kind as history makes them out to be.

Leutze paints the Spaniards in full armor while the Aztecs are wearing only loin cloths, this

makes the Aztecs seem the brave ones. In graphic detail, it depicts the Spanish killing women

and children while they have their hands up praying to the gods, it also shows the Spanish

soldiers removing jewelry from the dead Aztec soldiers that are lying on the ground.

Each genre attempt to convince their respective audience, of what they hold to be the

truth. Cortess third letter attempts to portray the Spaniards as mercenaries of peace, while

Leutze makes the Spaniards out to be ruthless murderers.

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Both genres, even in their different approaches help legitimize the issue surrounding the

Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. The fact that we have two different points of view on this

issues makes it clear that it legitimately happened, and it wasnt made up by one side or the

other. Now of course each side is going to have differences in how they decide to tell the story,

each choosing to tell it in a way that most benefits their side.

The letter to the Emperor tries to use sympathy for the Spaniards, it uses the way Aztecs

kicked the Spaniards out of their land, and it talks to the harsh conditions they were forced to live

in. Leutzes painting uses action to reach the emotions of its audience. One of the main

emotions that comes across when looking at the painting is anger; the scene depicts Spanish

soldiers attacking and killing unarmed women and children while they are praying. The painting

also reaches the viewers emotions by invoking sadness, with all the death that is depicted.

At the bottom of the image there is a priest praying over the body of a dead Aztec

warrior, this scene helps drive the message of sadness the artist intended to portray.

Cortess third letter to the Emperor does exactly what it is intended to do. It gives a first-

person account as to what happened during the Aztec conquest, a strong argument can also be

made for the accomplishments of this story since its the same story most grade school kids are

still learning up to this day. In the case of Leutzes painting, it can also be determined that he

obtained what he was out to accomplish. The painting shows the Spaniards in their true light,

and it helps the average person understand the truth because the Aztec conquest.

There really isnt much of a need for the first genre to try and establish credibility, mainly

because it is hand written by Hernan Cortes himself. He was there during the conquest so there

isnt a much more reliable source than him. As for the painting, it hangs in the Wadsworth
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Atheneum art museum in Hartford Connecticut, a painting prestigious enough to hang in a

established museum, as is the Wadsworth Atheneum has mounts of creditability.

Leutze had a much easier time reaching his intended audience because of the medium he

used. His choice of colors along with the beautifully painted scene, grabs the attention of anyone

who lays eyes on it. In contrast Cortess letter is in a less accessible format and it requires much

more effort to read and understand.

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References

Morris, J. B. (1962). 5 letters of cortes to the emperor: Hernando cortes. New York: Norton &
Company.

Leutze, E. M. (1848). The storming of the teocalli by cortez and his troops [Painting].
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford.
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