How Many Boats Did Cortes Use on His Expedition?

Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, led an expedition in 1519 from Cuba to Mexico in search of gold, land and slaves. During his expedition, he greatly altered the political climate of Mexico and changed its demographic history forever.

The Purpose of the Expedition

The Spanish Governor of Cuba, Diego Velasquez, had heard rumors of the existence of gold and silver in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. In 1518, he commissioned Hernan Cortes to find the source of this alleged wealth, asking him to explore, trade, and search for Christian captives in Mexico.

The Expedition Force

Cortes set out on his 1519 expedition with a force of 11 ships, including approximately 100 sailors, 530 soldiers, a doctor, carpenters, at least eight women, several hundred Cuban-Indian servants, some African freedmen and slaves, a Mayan-speaking fisherman, 10 large cannons, field guns, war dogs and 16 horses.

Result of the Expedition

After landing in Mexico, Cortes and his men marched inland and discovered the vast Aztec empire. Cortes was mistaken for the light-skinned, bearded God-King of the Aztecs, putting him in a position to undermine the existing tensions within the Aztec empire and ally himself with disgruntled subjects of the empire. He and his men slaughtered several hundred Aztecs and their European diseases killed several thousand of them, making them easily conquered by the expedition.

References

• PBS: Cortes' Expedition Force
• University of Calgary: The Conquest of the Aztec Empire: Hernan Cortes
• PBS: The Fall of the Aztecs