Cortes, La Malinche and the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

Good Digital History Source. Contains

• Council of Castille, Requerimiento to be read to the Indians, 1510 (PDF)
• Cortés, Letter to King Charles I of Spain, 1521, excerpts -
• Indian accounts of the Spanish conquest in Mexico, 1500s (PDF) -
• Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies , 1542, excerpts (PDF)
• Spanish illustrations of the Indians, 1500s - Aztec juggler - Feather-working scenes - Burning of "idols"

analysis of the portrayal of Cortes over time

How to analyze the narratives of conquest. A good example using selections from the True History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492-1580), a foot soldier in the army of Hernán Cortés that conquered the Aztec empire in the period 1519 to 1522.

The second letter is the most informative of the letters about the course of conquest.

Good informational video. Horrible pronunciation of Tenochtitlan and some Spanish names. Useful background information about the Adelantado.

Good analysis of the role of La Malinche as translator. "What is the language of conquest?"

Overview of the primary sources of information on La Malinche by historian Nancy Fitch

Interesting article from the Economist (Dec 2014). Gives a good overview of the Spanish invasion of Mexico. Definitely not a romanticized view.

Note La Malinche in right center of the panel, is she directing events? Where is Cortes?