The contacts and skirmishes at Pontonchon and Cintla in March, were glossed over, probably minimizing the dead and wounded on the Spaniard side, while also probably greatly exaggerating the number given of 40,000 locals engaged in combat.
Reassurances gained by any local having been read the requerimiento seem quite a bit exaggerated, at least, as well. But after this, the letter continues, they turned out to have made friends with the locals, then reproving them for their wickedness by planting a cross in the beach, they then sailed away.
It was at the next point in this retelling where locals came and offered to be vassals of and serve the Spaniards. Cortes gave this announcer a shirt, a coat and a gold belt.
Right here, the narrative of this 'First Letter' turns away from encounters with the locals, and sailing, and skirmishes, and begins a different sort of story.
"After this chieftain had taken leave of us and returned much contented to his own house, we in this fleet who were of noble lineage, gentlemen and knights, zealous in the service of God and of Your Royal Highnesses, and most eager to honor the Royal Crown, extend its dominions and increase its revenues, came together and urged the aforementioned captain Fernando Cortes, saying that this land was very good and, to judge by the samples of gold which the chieftain had brought, most wealthy also, and, moreover, that the chieftain and his Indians had shown us great goodwill: for these reasons, therefore, it seemed to us not fitting to Your Majesties' service to carry out the orders which Diego Velazquez had given to Hernando Cortes, which were to trade for as much gold as possible and return with it to the island of Fernandina [Cuba] ...."
The basic thesis is thus plainly lain out. The men of noble lineage on this expedition, claim themselves as 'we', and they 'came together' and, even 'urged' the captain, that the land was good and had gold and it wouldn't be right for it all to go to Diego Velazquez, in Cuba. Instead, the letter says, they preferred a different response.
"... it seemed to all of us better that a town with a court of justice be founded and inhabited in Your Royal Highnesses' name so that in this land also You might have sovereignty as You have in Your other kingdoms and dominions. For once the land has been settled by Spaniards, in addition to increasing Your Royal Highnesses' dominions and revenues, You may be so gracious as to grant favors to us and to the settlers who come in future."
This the letter says was decided and agreed on and then given to the captain as a petition to do the right thing and stop trading with the locals, as they had been, as that, "... to a large extent would destroy the land, which would do Your Majesties much disservice."
This is the basic wedge issue against Velazquez and the basic political argument against him gaining any more sway over Caribbean settlements. Chiefly, it was thought he had squandered a bad situation for himself. Much of Hispaniola and Cuba were already deforested after waves of European profiteers and adventurers and other miscreants had come there in the neearly three decades before. Cortes and others were critical of this method of 'subsistence scavenging' and were certain they knew a better way. But had not yet developed a working example, quite yet.
They also urged their captain, the letter continues, to select alcaldes and regidores for the administration of this new town they had founded. The captain was said to then take a day away for considering these proposals. But then the next day, dramatically came back and said he would show that he served the Royal Highnesses more than anyone and therefore agreed that these proposals would indeed serve the King and Their Royal Highnesses and should be agreed to.
"Therefore, he disregarded his personal interest in continuing trading, by which he had expected to recover his investment and the great expense of fitting out the fleet with Diego Velazquez, but rather set all this aside, and was pleased and willing to do all that we requested, for it would greatly benefit the service of Your Royal Highnesses."So Cortes got busy, set up the town and appointed its leaders and then received the solemn vow which was customary. Others later disputed the timeliness of all this with most today concluding the discussions likely happened in San Juan de Ulua and the town establishing of Vera Cruz came later.
But they weren't done. According to this same letter the next day these same nobles asked Cortes for the letters that gave him control of this expedition. When they examined them they determined that Cortes was no longer in command and so they felt it best he should be elected as alcalde mayor after listing his skills and place of prominence among them.
They then decided on writing a letter and sending with it all the treasure acquired to prove their loyalty to the Royal Highnesses and also elected a representative to make their petition to the king. These were Alonso Puerto Carrero and Francisco de Montejo who sailed carrying this same letter along with instructions on pleading their case.
After all this comes the promised descriptions of the people and their rites and daily activities, some final words on the character of Diego Velazquez, and then the list of goods and precious items returned to the crown and found in the new lands.
all quotes from pp 24-8 of Hernán Cortés: Letters From Mexico, translated, edited and with a new intro by Anthony Pagden, as a Yale Nota Bene book, Yale University Press, USA 2001
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