Prior To Conquest of Mexico

Before Hernán Cortes and his men made their way through Mexico and eventually

conquered the Aztecs, Spain had already had a significant presence throughout the

Caribbean. Beginning with the voyage of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish crown

made itself known to the native population, and Spain solidified its power and

influence in the New World. I will describe the encounters Christopher Columbus

had with some of the natives in the Caribbean, possible problems in his

accounts, and the Spanish-ruled island of Cuba.

Caribbean Sea

Christopher Columbus is seen by many as a great leader of a voyage that

discovered the New World. This image of a great voyage leader is inaccurate

because there are many instances where he lied to his crew members as to how far

they had traveled in a day. "We sailed sixteen and a half leagues. I have decided to

log less than our true run, so that if the voyage is long the crew will not be afraid

and lose heart.” 1 Whether or not one interprets this as a sign of bad leadership or

good leadership, it is important that one questions Columbus, his motives, and his

credibility through statements like this. One of the ships in Columbus's fleet, the

Pinta (a ship Columbus was not even on), made the first discovery of land. "Then

the Pina, being faster and in the lead, sighted land an made the signal as I had

ordered. The first man to sight land was called Rodrigo de Triana.” 2 This sighting

of land was significant because it gave Columbus the opportunity to gain the support

of his fellow men and ultimately the Spanish crown. After the sighting of land,

Columbus embarked onto the island with his men to encounter and unknown group

of people.

On one of the islands that Columbus

explored, he tried to gain support for

the Spanish crown by distributing gifts

to the natives. "That was my purpose

in giving him presents and letting him

go: to make them think well of us, so

that when Your Majesties send

someone else here he may be well

received.” 3 This shows that Columbus

was not interested in helping out the

native population, but rather he wanted

to ensure a good reputation for the

Spanish crown and people who

represented or acted on behalf of the

Spanish crown.

A problem with Columbus's account comes when he attempts to, or says he attempts

to, communicate with the natives on one of the islands. He says that he

communicated with the natives by signs. "I set sail, then, at about ten o'clock with

the wind se, veering southerly, to cross to this other island. It is very large, and all

the men from San Salvador tell me by signs that there is a lot of gold, which the

people wear as bracelets and legbands, and in their ears and noses, and round their

necks.” 4 The problem with this statement is that it was impossible for Columbus to

communicate by signs because he and the natives used different signs which had

been constructed by their respective societies. Because of their limited time

together, we must question whether or not Columbus was actually able to

communicate with the natives by means of signs.

After Columbus had made his way through the Caribbean, the Spaniards made

permanent settlements, one of the most important of which was Cuba. Hernán

Cortes and his men set out from there on his journey, even though there was some

opposition from Diego Velazquez. "And when the above-mentioned fleet was ready

Your Royal Highnesses' captain Fernando Cortes left the island of Fernandina with

ten caravels and four hundred soldiers.” 5 This set the stage for the Spanish conquest

of Mexico.

Notes 1. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's

Press, 1992), p. 85.

2. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's

Press, 1992), p. 93.

3. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's

Press, 1992), p. 98.

4. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's

Press, 1992), p. 98.

5. Hernan Cortes, Letters From Mexico (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986).

p. 11.