Essay On The Letter To The Spanish Crown By Hernan Cortes

During the age of voyage, many captains and sailors sailed to the new continents with the support from a rich merchant or a royalty benefactor. The captains of the ships would then report important features about the new continent to his sponsor through his letters. The Letters written by Christopher Columbus and the “Second Letter to The Spanish Crown” written by Hernan Cortés are the two examples of explorers who wrote letters to convey their historical discoveries. The two authors share a number of characteristics in their letters. They are trying to please their supporters and persuade them that this voyage is a great investment, but they differ significantly in the style and tone of their reports.
Christopher Columbus traveled the sea …show more content…
The king canceled off Cortés’ voyage at the last minutes because of Cortés’ differences with the governor of Cuba. However, Cortés ignored the recall and went on to his voyage to Tenochtitlan. When he arrived, Cortés burned the ship down so his men could not escape. He wrote five letters to the Spanish king and one of his letters, “Second Letter to the Spanish Crown”, explains his arrival at Tenochtitlan and the description of the city. Nevertheless, his letter is not just describing the city. Cortés’s intent of the letter was to survive from bad outcomes when he returns to Spain for ignoring the recall. However, because the king has already funded the voyage at this point, he speaks to please the king and attempts to convince the king that this was a good investment. At the beginning of his letter, Cortés starts describing how big the city is. He explains how the streets are made, how the canals are mapped out, and how the citizens have built a bridge. Cortés, unlike Columbus, focuses more onto the military and the engineering side of the new world. Cortés explains how the city could trap Cortés and his men from entering the mainland. To show his military side, Cortés explains that “as soon as [he] entered the city [he] made great haste to build four brigantines, and completed them in a very short time” (55) to show the king that he is a prepared man for any future outcome and to possibly gain a kindness from the king. After showing that he has his King’s best interests at heart, Cortés describes the city. He explains about the trading and market squares that sell new materials and supplies that would be useful for Spain. However, he does not just simply explain what the markets sell. He describes the trading and market squares, which offers new materials and supplies that could be useful for Spain. However, he does not just