Invasion of the Mesoamerican Coast

Spain’s initial colonial encounters in the Caribbean and Mesoamerica are covered in this chapter, culminating in Cortés’ invasion along the coast of the Yucatan peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico. It examines the development of institutions and strategies for Spain’s colonization of what Columbus branded “the Indies,” and examines major disagreements among Spaniards over issues of slavery, land and labor, and continued conquests, with opinion often split along the lines of the conquistadors and clergy. Initial expeditions to Mesoamerica encountered Maya cities that were unlike those that Spaniards knew from colonizing the Caribbean. These urban centers were more similar in their large populations and architectural elaboration to what the Spaniards were familiar with from the contemporaneous Islamic world and from Mediterranean antiquity, prompting the Spaniards to draw frequent comparisons with these civilizations. After seeing the potential riches of Mesoamerica, Cortés and others in his expedition opted for invasion rather than the exploration and trading they were authorized to do. This included a major battle at the Maya city of Putunchan and the establishment of the first permanent European settlements in Mesoamerica in Veracruz, where Totonacs from the city of Cempoala became Cortés’ first Native allies. Another key figure to join the expedition was Malinche, who became an indispensable translator and concubine to Cortés.