Cortes' routes to and from Mexico.
(Itinerary of the Conquest, Cortes, 1971)
While Cortes was in Cuba, he received word that he would be leading an expedition into Mexico. According to Bernal Diaz (1956), "As soon as Hernando Cortes had been appointed General he began to search for... every kind of warlike stores he could get together, and all sorts of things for barter and other things necessary for the expedition." During this time, however, it began to seem that Diego Velazquez would change his mind about appointing Cortes as the leader of the expedition. Because of this, Cortes ended up leaving in the night before anyone could tell him not to. He set sail with 350 soldiers and 100 sailors. He also picked up another 200 soldiers from a previous expedition on the way to the starting point. The date he set sail is somewhat arguable. Gomara (1964) says that the day they set sail was February 18, 1519. Bernal Diaz (1956) said that they left on February 10th, 1519. This date is reflected in other resources as well so it seems that Gomara was mixed up. On the first night a storm came up and blew some of the ships off course. In face, one of the ships lost its rudder and the Flagship, with Cortes on it, changed their course and went and helped the stranded men. They got the ship fixed the next day and a few days later they had landed in Cozumel (Gomara, 1964).
As they landed they came into contact with the Indians who lived there. The Indians brought them gifts of gold and foot and clothing. Cortes, in an act of friendship, had each Indian identify which item or article of clothing was theirs and gave it back to them. According to Gomara (1964) this was an act that filled them with joy and astonishment. It was also the beginning of a friendship between Cortes and the natives. Once Cortes saw that he had their trust and friendship, he cast down their idols in their temples and replaced them with crosses. Through his first interpreter, an unreliable man named Melchorejo, Cortes told the indians that he desired to give them a better law and a better God than those they had, and they replied, very good (Gomara, 1964). From these Indians they learned of other Spaniards in the area. It turned out that there were two and they had been taken prisoner by Mayans and had eventually become part of their community. One of these men, named Jeronimo de Aguilar, came and joined Cortes and his expedition (Diaz, 1956). Aguilar became invaluable due to his ability to speak the Mayan tongue and Spanish. He was a much more reliable translator. He told Cortes of the other man who had refused to come with him because he had gotten his face pierced and tattooed in the style of the Mayans and had married a woman and had children. With Aquilar they were able to speak to all of the tribes on the Yucatan and they ended up befriending them and turning many to Christianity.
Cortes and his company left the peninsula and traveled farther inland towards Mexico and Moctezuma, who he had heard of from the other Indian tribes as being the most powerful king in Mesoamerica (Moctezuma is also called Montezuma, Muteczuma, and Moteczuma, among others). As they traveled they met many more tribes, many of which were hostile. Cortes was able to defeat them fairly easily and with no casualties, and afterwards he would go to their city and take over (Gomara, 1964). Because of his apparent immortality and the fairness of his skin, he was thought to be a god by the Indians. Word spread of his godlike status and soon many Indians were coming and giving him treasure and tribute as he passed through their cities. In this way, he conquered as he went and spread christianity to the peoples he passed.
As he travelled, Cortes began to notice that the language was changing. Aquilar no longer understood what the Indians were saying. They were in fact, speaking the language of the Basin people. Luckily, when Cortes was with the Tobasco peoples, he came across a woman that was known as Marina (she was also called la Malinche). Marina could speak both Nahuatl (the language of the Basin) and Mayan. Because of this, Cortes was able to have Aguilar translate Spanish into Mayan and Marina would translate Mayan into Nahuatl (Gomara, 1964). After this, according to Aguilar himself, he and Marina went everywhere with Cortes, even if the situation seemed dangerous, so important were they to the mission (de Fuentes,1963).
While they were with the Tobascans, an ambassador from Moctezuma came to see them. The man's name was Teudilli and with him came nearly four thousand unarmed nobles. Cortes greeted him kindly and after informing Teudilli that he wished to meet Moctezuma on behalf of the King of Spain, Don Carlos. Teudilli said he would have to return to his King to see what was to be done. Cortes then famously asked Teudilli if his King had Gold, to which Teudilli answered yes. According to Gomara (1964) Cortes then said, "Send me some of it, because I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold." Teudilli brought with painters in order to capture the Spaniards and their tools to show Moctezuma. They were particularly interested in the horses, having never seen them before (Diaz, 1956). Before he left, Cortes put on a show of military might. He had his men spar with their swords and fired the muskets and canons (Gomara, 1964). After this display, Moctezuma's ambassadors left with a promise to return with an answer. When Teudilli returned he tried to get Cortes to leave by saying that he, Moctezuma, was too ill to make the journey out to where Cortes was and that it would be much to tedious and laborious for Cortes to travel all the way inland to see Moctezuma. He did however express his want to become friends with Cortes and his King and promised him anything he wanted, as long as Cortes didn't come to Tenochtitlan (which the Spaniards simply called Mexico) (Gomara, 1964). Cortes, however, insisted on coming to Mexico and meeting Moctezuma. Teudilli left, somewhat dismayed and the rest of his Indians left with him.
Cortes continued on to the town of Cempoala. He had met some emissaries from this town earlier and had desired to meet their chief (Gomara, 1964). Cortes had learned from them that they were not a friend of Moctezuma and remained independent from him through shear force of arms (Gomara, 1964). Cortes and his men stayed in Cempoala for two weeks and at the end of the second week Cortes went to speak to the leader. From him, Cortes learned of the Tlaxcalans and the Totonacs and other enemies of the Mexican empire. He would later use these people to his advantage. He was told by the leader of the Cempoalans that if he were to align himself with them they could defeat Moctezuma.
Cortes returned to his camp, which was located in Quiahuitzlan, where he met five Mexica tax collectors. He convinced the Cempoalans to capture them, which they did, thinking that they had the godlike Spaniards to protect them. The Indians wanted to sacrifice the tax collectors but Cortes would not let them. That night, Cortes had his men release two of the men and bring them before him. He told the two of them that they were free to return to Moctezuma. Before the left he gave them a message, saying that he considered Moctezuma as a friend and desired to serve him in every way (Gomara, 1964). The next day Cortes secretly released the rest of the tax collectors and set out towards Mexico. He left the Cempoalans thinking that he was on their side and against Moctezuma while sending Moctezuma a message saying that he was at his service. Cortes had given himself two ways of conquering Mexico and now simply had to wait to see which one played out. From he set out on his march inland, destroying his ships to prevent any of his men from turning back.