Work

Letters of relation of Hernán Cortés

Five letters from Cortés to Charles V (1519-1526) telling the conquest as he wanted the king to read it.

8 links, 8 backed by primary records

Play the story Explore connections

Also known as
Cartas de relación

Five letters from Cortés to Charles V (1519-1526) telling the conquest as he wanted the king to read it.

Connections 8

features

author

Proof 2 sources
  1. Letters of Cortés: the five letters of relation to the Emperor Charles V, volume 1 (English translation by Francis Augustus MacNutt, 1908; the Second Letter is dated 30 October 1520), G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London (scan on the Internet Archive), 1908. Primary record
    I spent from the eighth of November, 1519, to the beginning of May this present year.
    We found that over one hundred and fifty Spaniards were killed in this fight, forty-five mares and horses, and more than two thousand of the Indians who had aided the Spaniards
    I earnestly prayed him not to feel pained at this, because he would not be kept a prisoner, but would have entire liberty
    Indians had assaulted the fort on all sides, and set fire to it in many parts
    the armada and people in the port belonged to Diego Velasquez, and had come by his orders
    The Second Letter was dated from Segura de la Frontera, October 30, 1520.
  2. Letters of Cortés: the five letters of relation to the Emperor Charles V, volume 2 (English translation by Francis Augustus MacNutt, 1908; the Third Letter is dated 15 May 1522), G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London (scan on the Internet Archive), 1908. Primary record
    we were about nine hundred Spaniards, and they more than one hundred and fifty thousand men
    we had more trouble in preventing our allies from killing and inflicting tortures than we had in fighting with the Indians
    such was the slaughter done that day on water and on land
    they numbered in all more than forty thousand men; and such were the shrieks and the weeping of the women and children that there was none whose heart did not break
Page history 1 change
  1. Add 55 stories, each checked against its sourcesAlibek96e92fe6

Something wrong or missing? Tell us, with a source, or edit this page.