Obstacles Faced By Hernando Cortes

Spanish exploration and conquest of the New World in Latin America would be full of violence, political strife, hunger, and overall hardship, as the Spanish attempted to build a new empire. One such conquistador who experienced the hardship of trying to conquer a foreign land was Hernando Cortes. Throughout their conquest of Mexico, Cortes and his army faced many of these great obstacles. One of these was before the actual conquest even started, as Cortes had to get around his superior, Diego Velazquez. After that initial obstacle, the quest would no less difficult, as Cortes and his army continued to face hardships, with violence along the road and resistance from those proclaimed to be friends, and then again in the city of Tenochtitlan,

as they faced one of the most significant obstacles of all, Montezuma himself. The conquest can be viewed as a success overall for the Spanish, but there is no doubt that Cortes and his men had many obstacles to overcome before they could proclaim it so.
Before they could even set foot in Mexico, Cortes and his army would face one of the first of their many obstacles through the conquest. The first major obstacle was internal, and between the Spaniards in the New World, as Cortes had to defy his superior Diego Velazquez. As the governor of Cuba, Velazquez was the one with the authority to petition for and send out an expeditionary force to trade with and conquer the newly discovered lands, which he would do upon realizing the wealth of the newly discovered lands. This would be an important mission, because although Velazquez said it was for settlement, the real intention was to trade, so the choice of captain general would be very important. Cortes was eventually decided on by Velazquez, and Díaz describes Cortes as a smart choice, being a well-liked gentleman with a good encomienda and the status of stepson to Velazquez, so the governor initially supported Cortes as the captain general of the expedition, but his support would not last. Before the crew could land in Havana, Velazquez had ordered that the fleet should be held and Cortes should be sent to him as a prisoner, after hearing many negative things against Cortes, confirming his own suspicions against the man. He ordered Cortes arrested, but Cortes was able to convince those in his company to not adhere to the governor’s orders, so Cortes was able to maintain his support, and launched the expedition, in direct defiance of Velazquez. Although he was able to maintain support among the crew and still managed to set sail, this still proved to be a major first obstacle, as there were orders that he should be arrested, would no longer be captain, and his commission would be revoked, so the doubtful legality of his expedition turned out to be a first major hurdle.
Another major obstacle faced by Cortes and crew would be the journey from the sea to Tenochtitlan, as they faced native resistance, and faced the difficulty of treason and entrapment by those proclaiming to be friends.

Most of the journey was an obstacle in itself, but one of the major obstacles along the road was the violence the Spaniards faced at the hands of the Tlascalans. There were several skirmishes along the road, making it difficult to continue on, as several men and horses were wounded, but the Spanish faced a major hardship at the battle of Tehuacingo. It started with the Spanish prisoners trying to talk to the Indians who came to meet them, but upon meeting, they became so violent that the Spanish “could not endure it” and even though the Spanish charged them and forced them to retreat, there were forty thousand more warriors waiting in ambush. The party was in great danger, surrounded on all sides with little they could do, realizing that their lives were in great danger, at the hands of “this great army and their dreadful broadswords.” This battle and the prowess of the Tlascalans clearly demonstrate a major obstacle to Cortes and his men, since the warriors were obviously very skilled and had great numbers, so that the Spanish party were afraid to even break formation, and by the time the battle was over, exhausted and having to replenish their stock, they had to thank god for delivering them from the “greatest danger” they had yet faced. The Tlascalans

posed one of the greatest obstacles for Cortes and his party, because they were skilled warriors and had “come determined to leave none of us alive.” The Tlascalans obviously provided a major obstacle by providing a strong, violent threat, but Cortes and his party would overcome that obstacle through their own military prowess and a fair amount of luck, and would turn that obstacle into an advantage, because the Tlascalans would eventually prove to be powerful allies.
Other groups would not turn out to be so helpful though, as another obstacle was posed on the road to Tenochtitlan among those proclaiming to be friends.

The Cholulan people provided hospitality to Cortes and his party, but were getting ready to attack the Spanish, and had cleared out the women, children, and major supplies from their cities, while making war preparations such as lining the rooftops with rocks to throw, and refusing food to Cortes. This provided an obstacle to Cortes and his men because the Cholulans said they were allies to earn their trust, and the Spanish might not have realized the extent or logistics of their plans to attack, if it were not for reconnaissance from the Cempoalans and the old woman who warned Doña Marina about it. Even when they did learn of the plan and were able to spare themselves from attack, the Spanish were forced to act on what the Cholulans did, and chose to publicly punish them in a violent manner, to dissuade any future attempts at treason or entrapment. The Spanish were able to prevent a major battle, but the trickery of the Cholulans still proved to be a difficulty, and demonstrated that there were many hostilities throughout the country, that would continue to pose a threat as the Spanish made their way through

Mexico.
Among the internal obstacles and the native resistance, one of the most significant obstacles would be Montezuma himself. Montezuma was made out to be a powerful and cunning leader, as the Spanish would learn from other groups, and proved he could be a foe, as they found out in Cholula, when his ambassadors said their prince had told them the Spanish must not go to their city. Montezuma also provided a company meant to help the Cholulans as they prepared to attack Cortes and his party, but the Spanish would be able to come out of Cholula unscathed. The Spanish sent the message that they did not blame Montezuma for the affair at Cholula, so Montezuma decided, with counsel from his papas and the gods, that he should let them into the city, so he could kill them there. Their allies the Cempoalans and the Tlascalans were wary, knowing that Montezuma would still prove a serious threat, and he still remained an obstacle to Cortes as they journeyed to Tenochtitlan, since Montezuma repeatedly sent messengers saying their entry into Mexico was forbidden and they should turn back. Although eventually being able to enter the city, and receiving hospitably from Montezuma, he would still provide an obstacle to Cortes, in matters such as religion, since Cortes wished to promote Catholicism among the native people, and disagreed with Montezuma over their “idols” and “devils.” Montezuma would be a religious obstacle to Cortes, since he would refuse to allow Cortes to put up a cross. It is clear that as long as Montezuma retained the power and authority he did, he would remain in the way of Spanish goals for the city, and they knew they could not trust his goodwill because “from one hour to another it might change.” Even taking him as prisoner and removing him from power would not remove him as a significant obstacle, since great violence would erupt and Montezuma would not be able to stop it, and may have even made it worse, as many of the natives would see his acquiesce as a betrayal to his people, and he would be killed after asking them to stop attacking the Spanish. The violence associated with this incident would be so great, that it would just continue the obstacles Cortes faced, as the Spanish would be forced out of the city in July, and take would much time to recover, before they would be able to reenter Tenochtitlan, and continue with the conquest. Obviously, Montezuma himself, and the incidents associated with them would prove to be one of the greatest obstacles faced by Cortes during the conquest.
Undoubtedly, Cortes and his party faced many significant obstacles during the conquest of Mexico. They would start with internal conflicts with other Spaniards that may have prevented the expedition from ever starting, would continue along the road as they faced great native resistance and treason at the hands of supposed friends, and would come to face the greatest of obstacles in Montezuma himself. Clearly, the conquest of Mexico, although eventually a success for the Spanish conquerors, would be full of violence, political conflict, and other hardships, as Cortes and his army made their way through the country.