Cartas de Relación

E69757

epistolary work historical document primary source

Cartas de Relación is a series of letters by Hernán Cortés that chronicle his conquest of the Aztec Empire and provide a key firsthand account of early Spanish colonization in the Americas.

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Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form	Occurrences
Fifth Letter of Relation	1
First Letter of Relation	1
Fourth Letter of Relation	1
Second Letter of Relation	1
Third Letter of Relation	1

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	epistolary work ⓘ historical document ⓘ primary source ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	Cartas de Relación by Hernán Cortés ⓘ surface form: Cartas de relación de la conquista de México
author	Hernán Cortés ⓘ
bias	self-justifying portrayal of Cortés ⓘ
contains	accounts of battles and alliances ⓘ descriptions of Aztec society ⓘ descriptions of Mesoamerican cities ⓘ descriptions of indigenous religions ⓘ reports on geography of New Spain ⓘ reports on natural resources ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Spain ⓘ
describesEvent	Spanish landing on the Mexican coast ⓘ fall of the Aztec Empire ⓘ founding of Veracruz ⓘ march to Tenochtitlan ⓘ meeting between Cortés and Moctezuma II ⓘ Siege of Tenochtitlan ⓘ surface form: siege of Tenochtitlan
genre	conquest narrative ⓘ travel literature ⓘ
hasTranslation	English ⓘ French ⓘ German ⓘ Italian ⓘ Portuguese ⓘ
historicalSignificance	important document of Spanish imperial expansion ⓘ key firsthand account of the conquest of Mexico ⓘ major source for early colonial Mexican history ⓘ
intendedAudience	Spanish monarchy ⓘ surface form: Spanish Crown
language	Spanish ⓘ
mainSubject	Moctezuma II ⓘ Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ Tenochtitlan ⓘ conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica ⓘ
numberOfLetters	5 ⓘ
perspective	Spanish conquistador viewpoint ⓘ
placeDescribed	Gulf Coast of Mexico ⓘ Mexico ⓘ Tenochtitlan ⓘ Tlaxcala NERFINISHED ⓘ Veracruz ⓘ
purpose	justify Cortés’s actions in New Spain ⓘ report on newly conquered territories ⓘ request royal favor and support ⓘ
timePeriodDescribed	1519–1526 ⓘ early 16th century ⓘ
usedAsSourceBy	ethnohistorians of Mesoamerica ⓘ historians of colonial Latin America ⓘ
writtenFor	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ⓘ