Comparing Christopher Columbus And Cortes Letters To Charles V

Many works of literature, especially from the Spanish between the 15th and 16th centuries, give great insight into the colonization of the Americas. With the ongoing colonization of the new world, many different viewpoints quickly arose, with many notable figures holding different and similar views. Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes are great examples of this idea, who exhibit their ideas via their “First Letter” and “Letters to Charles V” (respectively). Comparing the two arguments, Columbus’ argument is very similar to that of Cortes, with Cortes affirming the ideas presented by Columbus. As seen through the letters written by both Columbus and Cortes, the arguments of Columbus align greatly with those of Cortes, with both Cortes and

From Cortes’ letters to Charles V, Cortes’ argument greatly supports and reinforces Columbus’ arguments in regards to supporting colonization, as seen by the religious desires to spread Christianity to the New World that both Columbus and Cortes hold. This is firstly seen through Columbus’ accounts of the island of Espanola, where Columbus not only describes the geography and opportunities the land holds, but also the traits of the indigenous people and their beliefs. In his description, Columbus states: “They do not hold any creed nor are they idolaters; only they all believe that power and good are in the heavens and are very firmly convinced that I, with these ships and men, came from the heavens... This belief is not the result of ignorance, for they are, on the contrary, of a very acute intelligence.” (Columbus, “The First Letter”, 2-3). From this quote, Columbus shows how the Spaniards were viewed as “divine” by the indigenous people, who saw the Spaniards as those who “came from the

These letters show how high in reality the Spaniards prioritized the conversion of the natives, doing what they could in their writing to persuade their leaders of their intent, portraying themselves as the saviors of a “lost” people, that in turn initially welcomed the Spanish. The similarities of objectives between both Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes have now been displayed, with both expeditionaries sharing very common goals, and holding the same ideologies when colonizing the Americas. As seen by Columbus’ “First Letter” and Cortes’ “Letters to Charles V”, both authors continue to demonstrate their shared goals, colonizing the Americas to expand Christianity through the use of colonization, whilst also expanding the economy of Spain with these new territories. Likewise, the broader goals implicated by both Columbus and Cortes give light to the deeper, more selfish intentions of each explorer, with each explorer following through with the continued colonization not only in the name of Spain, but also for their personal