Hernán Cortés y su relación epistolar con Carlos V: el fiel vasallo "al servicio de Su Majestad"

Abstract

Hernan Cortes, the conquistador of Mexico, conquered Mesoamerican territories between 1519 and 1525. Over the course of those years he maintained an intense epistolary exchange with the Emperor Charles V, to whom he wrote his Cartas de relacion (Letters of Relation) and many other letters and memories. In return, the emperor rewarded Cortes with vassals, titles and honors. However, as time passed, when Cortes established his home in the New Spain, the epistolary exchange, which was so fruitful at the beginning, in the end became a nuisance for Charles V because of the constant complaints of the conquistador. As a consequence, between 1530 and 1547, after the glorious years, the relationship between Cortes and the monarch became estranged and complicated. This paper analyzes some of the letters Cortes sent to the emperor, and reflects on the importance of his figure in 16th century Spain, as well as the relevance of a relationship, that of the emperor and the conquistador, that changed the face of the known world.