History Daily - Conquistador Hernán Cortés Arrives In Mexico

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

March 4, 1519. Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization and its wealth. This episode originally aired in 2024. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

It's February 3, 1519 in Havana, Cuba. It's a chilly morning, and Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez is dockside, overseeing preparations for his upcoming expedition. Fresh horses, water, and boxes of dried meat are loaded on board Cortez's 11 ships. In a few days' time, this fleet will depart for the west, in search of gold and treasure in a land yet to be fully explored by Europeans, Mexico. Cortez's productive morning is interrupted, though, when two messengers arrive with an official decree from the Spanish governor of Cuba. The messengers hand Cortez a letter from the governor, and it's not good news. Cortez has not made himself popular with a local aristocracy during his time in Cuba, so the governor is canceling Cortez's expedition to Mexico.

Cortez is stunned. Everything he's worked so hard for is about to slip away, but he refuses to accept defeat. Ignoring the governor's orders, Cortez tells his crew to work even harder because they'll be leaving sooner than expected. Officially, it's an act of insubordination, but Cortez is confident that no one will stop him. Even the governor's messengers see things his way. Swayed by the promise of great riches, they decide not to take Cortez into custody, but to join his expedition instead. And while it's true that Cortez's crew will become very rich on this voyage, none of them yet know that this is a one-way true. Once they depart, they will never again return to Cuba.

After defying the governor's orders, Hernan Cortez will sail his 11 ships in over 600 crew west to explore a vast new continent. Cortez won't be the first European to set foot in Mexico, but little is known about the land, except that it's inhabited by people who worship their own gods and are rich with gold. So Cortez wants to convert the natives to Christianity and take as much gold for himself. But the expedition's success will do more than enrich Cortez and his men. It will shape the future of an entire country as Mexico will change forever when Ernan Cortez first reaches its shores on March 4, 1519. From Noisor and Airship, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily. History is made every day.

On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is March 4th, 1519. Conquistador Hernan Cortez arrives in Mexico. It's the morning of March 4, 1519, just off the coast of Mexico, a month after Spanish ships left Cuba. There's a brisk wind, and the fleet of Hernan Cortez cut swiftly through the churning waters. From the flagship, Cortez peers out, beyond the waves and spray toward the horizon, eager for his first close look at the continent he's come to exploit. The land stretching out before him is flat and thickly covered in rainforest, so Cortez doesn't see that among the dark trees are watching eyes which have spotted his approaching ships.

Warnings are already being passed along ancient roads and armies are being readied because Cortez's reputation precedes him. About a month prior, Cortez and his men first landed on Cozumel, an island 12 miles off the Mexican mainland. Cortez and his men were initially impressed by the indigenous Maya's society, their well-built houses and their giant limestone pyramid by the sea. But inside that pyramid, they found something that horrified them. A blood-stained altar chamber littered with human bones. The inhabitants of Kossamel performed human and animal sacrifices here to appease their

gods. As a devout Christian, Cortez believed it was his duty to convert the islanders to Catholicism. So he ordered the altar chamber to be scrubbed of blood and bones, then had his men remove all statues of the local gods, roll them down the pyramid steps, and smash them into pieces. As for the Maya themselves, they were told to disavow their old gods and embrace a new faith. If they refused, they would be killed. Face with little choice, the locals converted to Christianity. Cortez took this as a great victory in his crew of 600 soldiers, loitered on Cosimel for a few more weeks. While on the island, they met a Spanish friar named Heronimo, who was shipwrecked there seven

years earlier. In that time, Hieronimo had learned the local language, so Cortez recruits him as the expedition's translator. Then finally, after about a month on Cosmel, Cortez sails west with his fleet once again. Now they are nearing the Yucatan peninsula, but word of Cortez's brutality on Cozumel has reached the mainland before him, and indigenous armies are watching for his fleet's arrival. After his first sighting of the Mexican coast, Cortez leads his ships around the tip of the peninsula to the mouth of the Tabasco River. As the Spaniards come ashore, they are met by thousands of Maya warriors. The two sides eye each other warily.

Each seemed so strangely dressed to the eyes of the other. Then Cortez makes an official proclamation on behalf of the Spanish government. Speaking through the translator Hieranamo, the newcomers claim the Maya land as their own. They promise to take only what they need and assure the locals that they will be kind and peaceful new overlords. But these haughty announcements do not. win over the Maya, who aren't interested in seeding land to any invaders. So soon this tense

encounter explodes into battle. Cortez himself has no experience as a military leader, and his men are a rag-tag group of treasure-seekers and sailors. But the Spaniards have several advantages. The first is superior technology. The Maya can hurl spears and fire arrows, but they are no match for the metal armor that Europeans wear, who also have ten brass cannons on their ships, which Cortez is quick to deploy. Although the cannonballs do considerable damage to the Maya ranks, it isn't this heavy ammunition that wins the battle. Instead, it's horses.

As tough and well-trained as the Maya warriors are, they have never seen horses before and are terrified of the beasts charging at them with thunderous hooves and bared teeth. Cortez only has 16 cavalrymen, but it's enough to make the Maya turn and run. When the fighting is over, more than 800 mile lay dead,

while just two Spaniards have been killed. The local people are left terrified. To placate these dangerous invaders in the days after the battle, they bring Cortez an assortment of gifts, food, gold, and 20 women to be used as slaves. Cortez loads his men and his loot onto his ships and prepares to sail further up the coast. He feels vindicated as he departs

because such a decisive victory in battle and the subsequent submission of the locals are proof that God must be on his side. and Cortez will have plenty more opportunities to exert his might over the indigenous people of Mexico in the weeks and months to come, because his exploration and exploitation of this new world has only just begun. It's April 23, 1519, more than seven weeks after Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico. Cortez and his men have set up a new camp more than 200 miles up the coast from Tabasco. In his tent, Cortez swats away a persistent fly as he looks over a hastily drawn map of the

the area. He's deciding where to lead his men next when there's a sudden commotion in the camp outside. Cortez quickly pulls his metal breastplate over his head and marches out of the tent. A new band of locals has appeared at the treeline, and the Spanish sailors have ready their weapons to defend themselves. But Cortez realizes that this group belongs to a different indigenous civilization than the Maya. These warriors are from the great Aztec Empire, which rules this part of Mexico from coast to coast. The leader of the group is Tetwheel, an emissary from the Aztec Emperor Montezuma. He's been sent to make contact with the Europeans

and learn why they've come to these lands. In this first meeting between cultures, violence is avoided this time, but there is still a language barrier between the two peoples. The Spaniards translator Geronimo only speaks Mayan. Tetweil speaks a completely different language. Communication seems almost impossible, until one of the 20 young women

given to the Spaniards as slaves reveals she is fluent in both Aztec and Mayan languages. Her name is Malinzin, and Cortez pairs her with Geronimo to translate Spanish into Mayan and then Mayan into Aztec. This is an important development for Cortez. He's in Mexico to take gold and spread Christianity, but he knows he doesn't have the numbers to accomplish either of those goals by force alone. Instead, he plans to use his translators to try a different tactic, diplomacy.

He asks Tetreel for an audience with his leader, the Aztec emperor Montezuma. Wanting proof that the Aztecs are as rich as he's heard, Cortez gives Tetweil an armored helmet and requests to be sent back to him from Montezuma, filled with gold. The Aztecs live amongst plentiful gold and don't understand the Europeans thirst for it. They prize works of craft, like jewelry, blankets, and tapestries

more than they value the yellow rocks they find in the ground. So eight days later, Cortez gets the helmet back from Montezuma and it is filled with gold. But this isn't the only gift Montezuma has for the Europeans. He sends back dozens of glittering treasures, including a solid gold disc the size of a wagon wheel, finally honed to resemble the Aztec sun god. Cortez and his men are elated to be given such enormous wealth.

But despite the Aztec's generosity, Cortez doesn't get everything he wants. Montezuma refuses to meet with him. Instead, he demands that Cortez take the gold and go back to wherever he came from. This is not the answer. Cortez wanted to hear. Montezuma's golden gifts haven't satisfied him. They've only wedded his appetite. So again, Cortez demands an audience with Montezuma, and again he is

given treasure, denied a meeting, and told to leave. Acting as intermediary, Tetweil doesn't understand why Cortez won't give up until he learns the man's dedication to his cause. Cortez says he won't stop until every single Aztec, including Montezuma himself, is a devout Christian. Shortly after learning this, this, Tetuel and his men leave abruptly. They've seen enough of these European invaders and want nothing more to do with him. Frustrated in his desire to meet the emperor, Cortez fears that war is inevitable. So he decides that he must strengthen his position in Mexico. In a temporary camp, even with his advanced technology, Cortez is vulnerable to attack. What he needs is a more

permanent and defendable settlement, somewhere with a harbor, somewhere with walls. Furthering his exploration, he finds an unhappy local tribe known as the Totonics. They are heavily taxed by Montezzauma, and Cortez uses this grudge to recruit them as allies. Then, in May of 1519, the Totonics helped the Spaniards build the first permanent European settlement in Mexico, which Cortez names Veracruz. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the translator Malinzin. By now, she's far more than just an interpreter for Cortez. Malinzen has become the conquistador's mistress as well, and she will be at Cortez's side as he embarked on a devastating conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire. But before he can ever think

of claiming the famous gold of the Aztecs, Cortez will first have to face down a rebellion in his own crew, one which will only end with bloodshed and leave Cortez's fleet lying at the bottom of the ocean. It's June 1519 in Veracruz, three months after Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico. During their short time in the country, Cortez and his men, have acquired more gold than they could possibly dream of. For Cortez, it's still not enough, but some of his crew are growing impatient. They have families back in Cuba,

and they want to return to the Spanish-ruled island and spend their new wealth. They're also tired of taking orders from Cortez and risking their lives in this strange land. So rumors are growing that Cortez will soon face a mutiny. Although this voyage began when Cortez himself disobey orders, he cannot let his own men defy him, To take down the Aztec Emperor Montez will need every bit of strength at his command.

He cannot let any of his men go back to Cuba. So he executes the ringleaders of the mutiny, but to prevent any further talk of retreat, Cortez then takes a remarkable step and orders his fleet to be scuttled. The men still loyal to him start cutting lines, ditching anchors, running ships aground, and sinking others. By removing his only means of retreat, Cortez sends a message to his men and to the Asset. that the Spaniards are in Mexico for good. Then, over the next two years, Cortez will cut a swath of destruction from east of west that will result in the deaths of tens of thousands of indigenous people, including Emperor

Montezuma. The Aztecs don't only fall in battle, however. The Europeans have brought with them smallpox and other diseases which the Aztecs have no natural defense against. It will be a swift and cruel end to a once powerful civilization. From Mexico, Cortez will then continue to. to explore Central America, going as far west as California and as far south as Honduras. But these costly expeditions won't reward the conquistador with the same riches he found

when he first arrived in Mexico. Eventually, Cortez will return to Spain, where he'll die in poverty in 1547. Today, he is remembered most as a cruel conqueror, motivated by greed and racism, who nevertheless changed the face of an entire continent after he first arrived in Mexico on March 4, 1519. Next on History Daily, March 5th, 1825. One of the last Pirates of the Caribbean is hunted at sea, then captured on land. From Noisor and Airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Mohamed Shazib, sound design by Matthew Filler. Music by Lindsay Graham. This episode is written and researched by Jack O'Brien, edited by Joel Callan, managing producer Emily Burke. Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship. and Pascal Hughes for Noisor.