Hernan Cortes Letter To Emperor Charles V

Many cultures have been viewed through the lenses of their conquerors, and so many records of these ancient peoples can only be exclusively viewed through these lenses. And so we must try to decipher what can be taken as factual verses bias in many written documents. In the case of Hernan Cortes, though some of this accounts are relatively unbiased, most of his writing comes with another agenda. In regards to his accounts, their accuracy is suspect. Throughout his letter to Emperor Charles V, he continuously tries to convey a sense of barbarity among the Aztec, as to justify his and his emperor’s future plans for the empire. He begins with showing his ability to master their intelligent traps, then goes on to discuss their lack of faith and portrays them as inferior. Finally, his description of their leader and palace was described in such a way that may rival Charles V and therefore act as a threat to Spain. In writing this letter, Cortes hopes to gain favor with his king, and also win support for his goals to bring back wealth to Spain. At the very beginning Cortes states his goal to, “declare the truth in the clearest manner.” Once he states this, credibility in his account decreases, as he feels he must …show more content…
In his letter he states, “No prince was ever more feared by his subjects, both in his presence and absence.” Cortes is making Moctezuma’s power known, while also showing how his reign is controlled by fear, not by his fair decisions for his people. He continues to portray Moctezuma in a powerful, yet negative light, continuously referring his power to that of Spanish nobility and royalty. From his descriptions, Cortes creates some paranoia in Emperor Charles V and depicts Moctezuma as almost undermining his authority. This context could have been used by Cortes in order to gain support to take control of the Aztec Empire and place Spain at its