Hernán Cortes Defeat Of The Spanish Conquest

Beginning in the February of 1519, the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire had many chapters that led to the eventual conquering and colonization of Mexico. Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who claimed Mexico for Spain faced several threats which he overcame along the way. The most notable among these being the defeat of Pánfilo de Narváez at the Battle of Cempoala. Commissioned by Cuban Governor Velázquez, Narváez was also a Spanish conquistador, who was sent to kill or capture Cortés. Hernán Cortés’ defeat of the Cuban forces was a very significant victory, because it aided in the defeat of Tenochtitlan, and the eventual conquering of Mexico. This, along with a number of other reasons, is why Hernán Cortés was the most important conquistador of the Spanish Conquest. The biggest reason

Cortés and his men had just settled in Tenochtitlan when they got word of Spanish forces arriving in Veracruz and making camp in Cempoala. The expedition from Cuba consisted of approximately fourteen-hundred men on nineteen ships, whereas Cortés only had about four-hundred men, more than four times less than Narváez. Nevertheless, Cortés’ powerful leadership and strategic competence lead him to victory over the newly-arriving Spaniards. The journey from Tenochtitlan to Cempoala is over 300km in length and goes over mountains, through dense jungles, and other rough terrain. On the way, both Spaniards and native peoples joined the expedition as they passed through cities. On May 27, 1520, under the cover of a severe rainstorm, Cortés and his men invaded Narváez’s Cempoala camp, and in the confusion and darkness, they took control of the artillery and horses, gaining the advantage. There were little casualties in the fight and ended with Pánfilo de Narváez surrendering with a missing eye. Many of Narváezs’ men were, “less than anxious