THE LAST DAYS OF CORTEZ.
The party are obliged to put into Havana for repairs.--Triumphal march
to the capital.--Reception at Tezcuco.--Enemies at work.--Serious
charges.--The commissioner.--Offers of courtesy.--The banquet.--
Unfortunate effects.--Notice for complainants.--Leon's sudden death.
--Its cause.--Aguilar's administration.--He determines to return to
Spain.--Reception of the emperor.--Marquis of the Valley.--Captain
General.--Cortez's marriage.--Envy of the queen.--He embarks for
New Spain.--Effects of displeasing a queen.--Cortez's abode.--The
contrast.--He goes to Cuarnavaca.--Devotes himself to industrial
interests.--The expeditions and failures.--Cortez heads another
party.--Arrival at Santa Cruz.--The fleet returns.--Disasters.
--Discontent.--Search for the vessels.--The colonists eat too
voraciously.--Cortez resolves to replenish his resources.--Departure
for Spain.--Neglect and disappointment.--Letter to the emperor.--
Unavailing appeal.--The will.--His bequests.--An uneasy conscience.
--Removal to Castilleja.--Cortez's death.--His funeral.--The removal
of his remains.--Solemnities.--The monument erected over his remains.
For a few days a fair wind bore the voyagers rapidly forward over a
sunny sea. They had arrived nearly within sight of the Mexican shore,
when clouds blackened the sky, and a tropical tempest came howling
fiercely upon them. The light brigantine was driven before the gale
like a bubble, and, after being tossed for several days upon the angry
deep, the voyagers found themselves near the island of Cuba, and were
compelled to enter the harbor of Havana for repairs and supplies.
It was not until the 16th of May that they were enabled again to set
sail. After a voyage of eight days, Cortez landed near St. Juan de
Ulua. Here he assumed an incognito, and proceeded on foot fifteen
miles to Medellin. His aspect was so changed by sickness and dejection
that no one recognized him. Here he made himself known, and was
immediately received with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of joy.
He now pressed forward to the capital in truly a triumphal march. The
whole country was aroused, and processions, triumphal arches,
bonfires, and music, with the ringing of bells and the roaring of
cannon, greeted him all the way. The natives vied with the Spaniards
in the cordiality of their welcome and in the splendor of their
pageants.
Arrangements were made to receive him at the capital with a triumphant
fête. He arrived at Tezcuco, on the borders of the lake, in the
evening, and there passed the night. It was now the lovely month of
June. The sun the next morning rose cloudless, and smiled upon a scene
of marvelous beauty, embellished by all the attractions of hills, and
valleys, and placid waters. The lake was alive with the decorated
boats of the natives, and the air was filled with the hum of peace and
joy. Smiles again flitted over the wan and pallid cheeks of Cortez as
the shouts of the multitude, blending with the clarion peals of the
trumpet, the chime of bells, and the thunders of artillery fell upon
his ear. He immediately repaired to the church publicly to return
thanks to God for all his mercies. He then retired to his magnificent
palace, and again assumed the responsibilities of government.
The enemies of Cortez were still indefatigable in the court of
Charles V., and they so multiplied and reiterated their charges that
the emperor deemed it expedient to order an investigation. He was
charged with withholding gold which belonged to the crown, of
secreting the treasures of Guatemozin, of defrauding the revenues by
false reports, and of surrounding himself with grandeur and power that
he might assert independence of Spain, and establish himself in
unlimited sovereignty.
A commissioner, Luis Ponce de Leon, was accordingly sent by the
emperor to assume the government of Mexico temporarily, and to bring
Cortez to trial. But a few weeks had passed after Cortez returned to
the capital before this messenger arrived. Cortez, surprised by his
sudden appearance, was greatly perplexed as to the course he should
pursue. The intelligence was communicated to him as he was performing
his devotions in the church of St. Francis. "He earnestly," says Diaz,
"prayed to the Lord to guide him as seemed best to his holy wisdom,
and, on coming out of the church, sent an express to bring him
information of all particulars."
After much painful deliberation, Cortez decided to receive the royal
commissioner with apparent courtesy and submission. He sent to him a
friendly message, wishing to know which of two roads he intended to
take on his approach to the capital, that he might be met and greeted
with suitable honors. The friends of Leon cautioned him to be on his
guard, for they assured him that Cortez would, if possible, secure his
assassination. Leon warily sent word that, fatigued by his voyage, he
should not immediately visit the capital, but should rest for a time.
Having dispatched this message, he immediately mounted his horse, and,
with his retinue, commenced his journey. The vigilant officers of
Cortez, however, met him at Iztapalapan. A sumptuous banquet was
prepared, and some delicious cheese-cakes were placed upon the table.
All who ate of the cheese-cakes were taken sick, and it was reported
far and wide that Cortez had attempted to poison Leon with arsenic.
There is no proof that Cortez was guilty. The circumstances alone, as
we have stated them, awakened suspicion. These suspicions were
fearfully increased by unfortunate events, to which we shall soon
allude.
Leon arrived in the city of Mexico, and in the presence of all the
civil and military officers produced his authority from the emperor,
Charles V., to assume the governorship of the colony, and to bring
Cortez to trial. The humbled and wretched conqueror kissed the
document in token of submission.
Leon now issued public notice that all who had complaints to bring
against the administration of Cortez should produce them. A host of
enemies--for all men in power must have enemies--immediately arose.
The court was flooded with accusations without number. Just as Leon
was opening the court to give a hearing to these charges, he was
seized with a sudden and a mysterious sickness. After lying in a state
of lethargy for four days, he died. In a lucid moment, he appointed an
officer named Aguilar, who had accompanied him from Castile, as his
successor. "What malignities and slanders," exclaims Diaz, "were now
circulated against Cortez by his enemies in Mexico!" The faithful
historian, however, affirms that Leon died of what is now called the
ship fever. Notwithstanding all these unfortunate appearances, it is
generally believed that Cortez was not abetting in his death.
Aguilar was a weak and infirm old man, so infirm that "he was obliged
to drink goat's milk, and to be suckled by a Castilian woman to keep
him alive." This decrepit septuagenarian could accomplish nothing, and
after a vacillating and utterly powerless administration of eight
months, during which time the influence of Cortez was continually
increasing, he died. The treasurer, Estrada, by the governor's
testament, was appointed his successor. The affairs of the colony were
now in a state of great confusion. These new governors were imbecile
men, totally incapable of command. The popular voice, in this
emergence, loudly called upon Cortez to assume the helm. Estrada,
alarmed by this, issued a decree ordering the instant expulsion of
Cortez from the city of Mexico. Cortez, thus persecuted, resolved to
return to Spain, and to plead for justice in the court of his
sovereign. At the same time, he received letters informing him of the
death of his father, and of the renewed activity of his enemies at
court.
Purchasing two ships, he stored them with a great abundance of
provisions, and by a proclamation offered a free passage to any
Spaniard who could obtain permission from the governor to return to
Spain. After a voyage of forty days he landed on the shores of his
country, at the little port of Palos, in the month of December, 1527.
Cortez immediately sent an express to his majesty, informing him of
his arrival. In much state he traveled through Seville and Guadeloupe
to Madrid, winning golden opinions all the way by his courtly manners
and his profuse liberality.
Upon his arrival at Madrid, he was received by the emperor with great
courtesy. Cortez threw himself at the feet of his majesty, enumerated
the services he had performed, and vindicated himself from the
aspersions of his enemies. The monarch seemed satisfied, ordered him
to rise, and immediately conferred upon him the title of Marquis of
the Valley, with a rich estate to support the dignity. Cortez fell
sick, and the emperor honored him with a visit in person. Many other
marks of the royal favor Cortez received, which so encouraged him that
he began to assume haughty airs, and applied to the emperor that he
might be appointed governor of New Spain. The emperor was displeased,
declined giving him the appointment, and a coldness ensued. Cortez,
however, at length regained some favor, and obtained the title of
Captain General of New Spain, with permission to fit out two ships on
voyages of discovery to the south seas. He was also entitled to
receive, as proprietor, one twelfth of the lands he should discover,
and to rule over the countries he might colonize.
Cortez was now a man of wealth and renown. His manners were highly
imposing, his conversation was rich and impressive, and his favor at
court gave him a vast influence. His income amounted to about one
hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year. There was no family in
Spain which would not have felt honored by his alliance, and when he
sought the hand of the young, beautiful, and accomplished niece of the
Duke of Bejar, his addresses were eagerly accepted. The storm-worn yet
still handsome cavalier led to the altar his blushing bride so
glittering with brilliant jewels, cut by the exquisite workmanship of
the Aztecs, as to excite the envy even of the queen of Charles V.
Cortez soon became weary of a life of idleness and luxury, and longed
again for the stirring adventures of the New World. Early in the
spring of 1530, he again embarked, with his wife and mother, for New
Spain. With his characteristic zeal for the conversion of the natives,
he took with him twelve reverend fathers of the Church. After a short
tarry at Hispaniola, he landed at Vera Cruz on the 15th of July. As
it was feared that Cortez might interfere with the government of the
country, the Queen of Spain, who was quite displeased that the wife of
Cortez wore more brilliant jewels than she possessed, had issued an
edict prohibiting Cortez from approaching within thirty miles of the
Mexican capital. He accordingly established himself at one of his
country estates, on the eastern shores of the lake. His renown gave
him vast influence. From all parts of the country crowds flocked to
greet him. With regal pomp he received his multitudinous guests, and
his princely residence exhibited all the splendors of a court. Most of
the distinguished men of the city of Mexico crossed the lake to
Tezcuco to pay homage to the conqueror of Mexico. The governor was so
annoyed by the mortifying contrast presented by his own deserted
court, that he despotically imposed a fine upon such of the natives of
the city as should be found in Tezcuco, and, affecting to apprehend a
treasonable attack from Cortez, made ostentatious preparations for the
defense of the capital.
For a long time there was an incessant and petty conflict going on
between Cortez and the jealous government of the colony. At last,
Cortez became so annoyed by indignities which his haughty spirit
keenly felt, that he withdrew still farther from the capital, to the
city of Cuarnavaca, which was situated upon the southern slope of the
Cordilleras. This was the most beautiful and opulent portion of that
wide domain which the energy of Cortez had annexed to the Spanish
crown. Here the conqueror had erected for himself a magnificent palace
in the midst of his vast estates. The ruins of the princely mansion
still remain upon an eminence which commands a wide extent of
landscape of surpassing loveliness. Cortez devoted himself with
characteristic energy to promoting the agricultural and industrial
interests of the country. Thousands of hands were guided to the
culture of hemp and flax. Sugar-mills were reared, and gold and silver
mines were worked with great success. Cortez thus became greatly
enriched, but his adventurous spirit soon grew weary of these peaceful
labors.
In the year 1532, Cortez, at a large expense, fitted out an
expedition, consisting of two ships, to explore the Pacific Ocean in
search of new lands. The ships sailed from the port of Acapulco, but,
to the bitter disappointment of Cortez, the enterprise was entirely
unsuccessful. The crew mutinied, and took possession of one of the
ships, and the other probably foundered at sea, for it was never again
heard from.
But the Marquis of the Valley, with his indomitable spirit of energy
and perseverance, fitted out another expedition of two ships. This
adventure was as disastrous as the other. The two captains quarreled,
and took occasion of a storm to separate, and did not again join
company. The southern extremity of the great peninsula of California
was, however, discovered by one of the ships. Here, at a point which
they called Santa Cruz, a large part of the ship's company were
massacred by the savages. The storm-battered ships eventually
returned, having accomplished nothing.
Cortez, still undismayed, prepared for another attempt. He now,
however, resolved to take command of the ships himself. His celebrity
induced adventurers from all quarters to seek to join the expedition.
Three ships were launched upon the bay of Tehuantepec. Many men
crowded on board, with their families, to colonize the new lands which
should be discovered. More than twice as many adventurers as the ships
could carry thronged the port, eager to embark in the enterprise. In
the month of May, 1537, the squadron set sail upon the calm surface
of the Pacific, the decks being crowded with four hundred Spaniards
and three hundred slaves. About an equal number were left behind, to
be sent for as soon as the first party should be landed at the port of
their destination.
Sailing in a northwesterly direction, favorable winds drove them
rapidly across the vast Gulf of California until they arrived at Santa
Cruz, on the southern extremity of that majestic peninsula. A landing
was immediately effected, and the ships were sent back to Mexico to
bring the remaining colonists. Cortez did not take his wife with him,
but she was left in their princely mansion on the southern slope of
the Cordilleras. But disasters seemed to accumulate whenever Cortez
was not personally present. The ships were delayed by head winds and
by storms. The colonists at Santa Cruz, in consequence of this delay,
nearly perished of famine. Twenty-three died of privation and hunger.
At length, in the midst of general murmurings and despair, one of the
ships returned. It brought, however, but little relief, as the ships
which were loaded with provisions for the supply of the colonists were
still missing.
The discontent in the starving colony became so loud, that Cortez
himself took fifty soldiers and embarked in search of the missing
ships. With great care he cruised along the Mexican shore, and at last
found one stranded on the coast of Jalisco, and the other partially
wrecked upon some rocks. He, however, got them both off, repaired
them, and brought them, laden with provisions, to the half-famished
colony at Santa Cruz.
The imprudent colonists ate so voraciously that a fatal disease broke
out among them, which raged with the utmost virulence. Many died.
Cortez became weary of these scenes of woe. The expedition, in a
pecuniary point of view, had been a total failure, and it had secured
for the conqueror no additional renown. The Marchioness of the Valley,
the wife of Cortez, became so anxious at the long absence of her
husband, that she fitted out two ships to go in search of him. Ulloa,
who commanded these ships, was so fortunate as to trace Cortez to his
colony. Cortez not unwillingly yielded to the solicitations of his
wife and returned to Mexico. He was soon followed by the rest of the
wretched colonists, and thus disastrously terminated this expedition.
In these various enterprises, Cortez had expended from his private
property over three hundred thousand crowns, and had received nothing
in return. As he considered himself the servant of his sovereign, and
regarded these efforts as undertaken to promote the glory and the
opulence of Spain, he resolved to return to Castile, to replenish,
if possible, his exhausted resources from the treasury of the crown.
He had also sundry disputes with the authorities in Mexico which
he wished to refer to the arbitration of the emperor. He was a
disappointed and a melancholy man. His career had been one of violence
and of blood, and "his ill fortune," says Diaz, "is ascribed to the
curses with which he was loaded."
Taking with him his eldest son and heir, Don Martin, the child of
Donna Marina, then but eight years of age, and leaving behind him the
rest of his family, he embarked in 1540 again to return to his native
land. The emperor was absent, but Cortez was received by the court and
by the nation with the highest testimonials of respect. Courtesy was
lavished upon him, but he could obtain nothing more. For a year the
unhappy old man pleaded his cause, while daily the victim of hope
deferred. He might truly have said with Cardinal Wolsey,
"Had I but served my God with half the zeal
I served my king, he would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies."
Cortez soon found himself neglected and avoided. His importunities
became irksome. Two or three years of disappointment and gloom passed
heavily away, when, in 1544, Cortez addressed a last and a touching
letter to the emperor.
"I had hoped," writes the world-weary old man, "that the toils of my
youth would have secured me repose in my old age. For forty years I
have lived with but little sleep, with bad food, and with weapons of
war continually at my side. I have endured all peril, and spent my
substance in exploring distant and unknown regions, that I might
spread abroad the name of my sovereign, and extend his sway over
powerful nations. This I have done without aid from home, and in
the face of those who thirsted for my blood. I am now aged, infirm,
and overwhelmed with debt." He concluded this affecting epistle by
beseeching the emperor to "order the Council of the Indies, with
the other tribunals which had cognizance of his suits, to come to a
decision, since I am too old to wander about like a vagrant, but ought
rather, during the brief remainder of my life, to remain at home and
settle my account with heaven, occupied with the concerns of my soul
rather than with my substance."
His appeal was unavailing. For three more weary years he lingered
about the court, hoping, in the midst of disappointments and
intermittent despair, to attain his ends. But at last all hope
expired, and the poor old man, with shattered health and a crushed
spirit, prepared to return to Mexico in gloom and obscurity to
die. He had proceeded as far as Seville, when, overcome by debility
and dejection, he could go no farther. It was soon apparent to all
that his last hour was at hand. The dying man, with mind still
vigorous, immediately executed his will. This long document is quite
characteristic of its author. He left nine children, five of whom were
born out of wedlock. He remembered them all affectionately in his
paternal bequests.
He founded a theological seminary at Cojuhacan, in one of the
provinces of Mexico, for the education of missionaries to preach the
Gospel among the natives. A convent of nuns he also established in the
same place, in the chapel of which he wished his remains to be
deposited. He also founded a hospital in the city of Mexico, to be
dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception.
In these solemn hours of approaching death, his conscience does not
appear to have disturbed him at all in reference to his wars of
invasion and conquest, and the enormous slaughter which they had
caused, but he was troubled in view of the _slavery_ to which they had
doomed the poor Mexicans. With dying hand he inscribes the following
remarkable lines:
"It has long been a question whether one can conscientiously
hold property in Indian slaves. Since this point has not yet
been determined, I enjoin it on my son Martin and his heirs
that they spare no pains to come to an exact knowledge of
the truth, as a matter which concerns the conscience of each
one of them no less than mine."
As the noise of the city disturbed the dying man, he was removed to
the neighboring village of Castilleja. His son, then but fifteen years
of age, watched over his venerated father, and nursed him with filial
affection. On the second day of December, fifteen hundred and
forty-seven, Cortez died, in the sixty-third year of his age. He was
buried with great pomp in the tomb of the Duke of Medina Sidonia at
Seville. A vast concourse of the inhabitants of the whole surrounding
country attended his funeral. Five years after his death, in
1562, his son Martin removed his remains to Mexico, and deposited
them, not at Cojuhacan, as Cortez had requested, but in a family vault
in the monastery at Tezcuco. Here the remains of Cortez reposed for
sixty-seven years. In 1629 the Mexican authorities decided to transfer
them to Mexico, to be deposited beneath the church of St. Francis. The
occasion was celebrated with all the accompaniments of religious and
military pomp. The bells tolled the funeral knell, and from muffled
drums and martial bands sublime requiems floated forth over the still
waters of the lake, as the mortal remains of Cortez were borne over
the long causeway, where he had displayed such superhuman energy
during the horrors of the _dismal night_.
Here the ashes of Cortez reposed undisturbed for one hundred and
sixty-five years, when the mouldering relics were again removed in
1794, and were more conspicuously enshrined in the Hospital of Our
Lady of the Conception, which Cortez had founded and endowed. A
crystal coffin, secured with bars of iron, inclosed the relics, over
which a costly and beautiful monument was reared.
THE END.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors, and to
ensure consistent spelling and punctuation in this e-text; otherwise,
every effort has been made to remain true to the original book.
2. The chapter summaries in this text were originally published as
banners in the page headers, and have been moved to beginning of the
chapter for the reader's convenience.
3. The title page in the scans used to create this e-text incorrectly
attributed authorship to Jacob Abbott; all earlier editions and the
Library of Congress catalog cite John S. C. Abbott as author.