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{{Short description|Spanish conquistador}}
{{One source|date=June 2021}}
'''Alonso Hernández Puertocarrero''' (before 1495–1523) was a Spanish conquistador who was part of [[Hernán Cortés |Hernán Cortés's]] [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|expedition of conquest]] of what is today [[Mexico]].
'''Alonso Hernández Puertocarrero''' (before 1495–1523) was a [[Spain|Spanish]] conquistador. He joined [[Hernán Cortés]]' expedition, for which Cortes bought him a grey mare. Also, Cortes awarded him [[La Malinche]] as a slave, after the [[Potonchan#Battle of Contla|Battle of Cintla]] but Cortés later took La Malinche for himself after discovering she could speak [[Nahuatl]] along with [[Chontal Maya language |Chontal Mayan]] thus making her indispensable as a translator and a cultural interpreter. Hernández was elected ''alcayde'' (mayor) along with, [[Francisco de Montejo]], of [[Veracruz (city)|Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz]] in an attempt to legalize Cortés conquest which had not received approval from the Spanish Crown. Later, Hernandez received the daughter of [[Totonac]] Chief Cuesco as a gift and baptized as Dona Francisca.<ref name=Diaz>Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0140441239}}</ref>{{rp|50–51,82,102,121,125}}


== Biography ==
Cortés sent de Montejo and Hernandez as [[proctor]]s to [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|King Charles]] of Spain in 1519 to report on the expedition.<ref name=Diaz/>{{rp|127–128}}

=== Conquest of Mexico ===
According to [[Bernal Díaz del Castillo|Bernal Diaz del Castillo]], Puertocarrero was one of only 14 Spanish horseman in the [[Battle of Centla]], the first military engagement of the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest of Mexico]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The true history of the conquest of New Spain|url=https://archive.org/details/truehistoryofcon0000diaz|last=Díaz del Castillo|first=Bernal|last2=Burke|first2=Janet|last3=Humphrey|first3=Ted|date=2012|publisher=Hackett Pub. Co|isbn=978-1-60384-290-7|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|pages=41}}</ref>

Soon after arriving on the eastern shore of Mexico with a gift of a grey mare from Cortés, Hernández was elected ''[[Qaid|alcayde]]'' along with [[Francisco de Montejo]] of [[Veracruz (city)|Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz]].

After the [[Potonchan#Battle of Centla|Battle of Centla]] at [[Potonchán]], Cortés awarded Hernandez with [[La Malinche|Malinche]] for use as a [[slave]] who was one of 20 slave girls given to the Spaniards as part of a peace treaty with the defeated city. However, Cortés later took Malinche back for himself after discovering she could speak [[Nahuatl]] along with [[Chontal Maya language|Chontal Mayan]] thus making her indispensable as a translator and as a cultural interpreter. Later, Hernandez received the daughter of [[Totonac]] Chief Cuesco as a gift and baptized her Doña Francisca.<ref name=Diaz>Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0140441239}}</ref>{{rp|50–51,82,102,121,125}}

Cortés also sent Hernandez, along with de Montejo, back to Spain to provide [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|King Charles]] with details of the expedition.<ref name=Diaz/>{{rp|127–128}}

=== Emissary to the court ===
In 1519. Puertocarrero was sent from the newly formed colony of [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]] together with [[Francisco de Montejo]] and [[Antón de Alaminos|Anton de Alaminos]] to Spain in order to present the king with his share of gold from the Cortés's expedition, as well to defend Cortes before the [[Council of the Indies|Council of Indies]] from the accussations levied by [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar|Diego Velasquez]], governor of Cuba, who has declared Cortes and his men as rebels and outlaws for defying his orders. The emisaries defended themselves from the accusations proclaiming their obedience to the supreme justice of the king, as well as pointing out that they have fitted out the expedition to Mexico at their own expense, while the governor Velasquez had sold them everything they needed at the extreme price. To bolster their legal arguments with some bribe, they have brought rich gifts, among them two massive hand-mills, one made of gold and the other of silver, the golden one worth some 3,800 ''castellanos''<ref>Spanish golden coins weighing 1/30 of a pound.</ref> (about 126 pounds of gold). As Velasquez was asking for them to be punished with death, and they were asking to be rewarded for their efforts in expanding the Spanish Empire (and bringing gold and silver), the Council of Indies decided to postpone both punishment and reward until proper investigation. That was precisely the outcome that Cortes was hoping for. During his visit to the Spanish court, Puertocarrero was questioned by [[Peter Martyr d'Anghiera]], a member of the [[Council of the Indies|Council of Indies]], together with [[Francisco de Montejo]] and [[Antón de Alaminos|Anton de Alaminos]] about the conquest of Mexico. He is mentioned by name in the Martyr's history [[Decades of the New World|De orbo novo]] (published in 1521) as the primary source for information on the early part of [[Hernán Cortés |Hernán Cortés's]] expedition (conquest of [[Cozumel]] and [[Potonchán|Potonchan]] and [[battle od Centla]]), which form The Fourth Decade of the book.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|title=De Orbe Novo, The Eight Decades of New World|title-link=О новом свету|last=Martyr D' Anghera|first=Peter|publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons|year=1912|location=New York|pages=27|translator-last=MacNutt|translator-first=Francis Augustus|author-link=Пјетро Мартире де Ангијера|volume=2}}</ref>

=== Death ===
According to Bernal Diaz del Castillo, he was thrown into prison by the bishop of Burgos, where he ended his days shortly after.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Díaz del Castillo |first=Bernal |url=http://archive.org/details/memoirsofconquis02diaz |title=The memoirs of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo |last2=Lockhart |first2=John Ingram |date=1844 |publisher=London : Hatchard |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez Puertocarrero, Alonso}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez Puertocarrero, Alonso}}
[[Category:Spanish conquistadors]]
[[Category:Spanish conquistadors]]
[[Category:City founders]]
[[Category:Spanish city founders]]
[[Category:People of New Spain]]
[[Category:1490s births]]
[[Category:1495 births]]
[[Category:1523 deaths]]
[[Category:1523 deaths]]
[[Category:History of the Aztecs]]
[[Category:History of the Aztecs]]

Latest revision as of 20:19, 19 November 2024

Alonso Hernández Puertocarrero (before 1495–1523) was a Spanish conquistador who was part of Hernán Cortés's expedition of conquest of what is today Mexico.

Biography

[edit]

Conquest of Mexico

[edit]

According to Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Puertocarrero was one of only 14 Spanish horseman in the Battle of Centla, the first military engagement of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.[1]

Soon after arriving on the eastern shore of Mexico with a gift of a grey mare from Cortés, Hernández was elected alcayde along with Francisco de Montejo of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz.

After the Battle of Centla at Potonchán, Cortés awarded Hernandez with Malinche for use as a slave who was one of 20 slave girls given to the Spaniards as part of a peace treaty with the defeated city. However, Cortés later took Malinche back for himself after discovering she could speak Nahuatl along with Chontal Mayan thus making her indispensable as a translator and as a cultural interpreter. Later, Hernandez received the daughter of Totonac Chief Cuesco as a gift and baptized her Doña Francisca.[2]: 50–51, 82, 102, 121, 125 

Cortés also sent Hernandez, along with de Montejo, back to Spain to provide King Charles with details of the expedition.[2]: 127–128 

Emissary to the court

[edit]

In 1519. Puertocarrero was sent from the newly formed colony of Veracruz together with Francisco de Montejo and Anton de Alaminos to Spain in order to present the king with his share of gold from the Cortés's expedition, as well to defend Cortes before the Council of Indies from the accussations levied by Diego Velasquez, governor of Cuba, who has declared Cortes and his men as rebels and outlaws for defying his orders. The emisaries defended themselves from the accusations proclaiming their obedience to the supreme justice of the king, as well as pointing out that they have fitted out the expedition to Mexico at their own expense, while the governor Velasquez had sold them everything they needed at the extreme price. To bolster their legal arguments with some bribe, they have brought rich gifts, among them two massive hand-mills, one made of gold and the other of silver, the golden one worth some 3,800 castellanos[3] (about 126 pounds of gold). As Velasquez was asking for them to be punished with death, and they were asking to be rewarded for their efforts in expanding the Spanish Empire (and bringing gold and silver), the Council of Indies decided to postpone both punishment and reward until proper investigation. That was precisely the outcome that Cortes was hoping for. During his visit to the Spanish court, Puertocarrero was questioned by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, a member of the Council of Indies, together with Francisco de Montejo and Anton de Alaminos about the conquest of Mexico. He is mentioned by name in the Martyr's history De orbo novo (published in 1521) as the primary source for information on the early part of Hernán Cortés's expedition (conquest of Cozumel and Potonchan and battle od Centla), which form The Fourth Decade of the book.[4]

Death

[edit]

According to Bernal Diaz del Castillo, he was thrown into prison by the bishop of Burgos, where he ended his days shortly after.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Díaz del Castillo, Bernal; Burke, Janet; Humphrey, Ted (2012). The true history of the conquest of New Spain. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Pub. Co. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-60384-290-7.
  2. ^ a b Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, ISBN 0140441239
  3. ^ Spanish golden coins weighing 1/30 of a pound.
  4. ^ Martyr D' Anghera, Peter (1912). De Orbe Novo, The Eight Decades of New World. Vol. 2. Translated by MacNutt, Francis Augustus. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 27.
  5. ^ Díaz del Castillo, Bernal; Lockhart, John Ingram (1844). The memoirs of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo. University of California Libraries. London : Hatchard.