The Wonders Of Tenochtitlan Analysis

"The Wonders of Tenochtitlan: City of the Aztecs" is a letter written by Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who led an expedition to the Aztec Empire and would ultimately be the cause of its demise, to his king Charles V of Spain. In this letter, Cortés vividly describes the city of Tenochtitlan, including its landscape, structure, and cultural aspects.

Cortés' letter is an example of a primary source because it consists of Cortés' personal report on what the Aztecs and their city are like, as well as his experiences with the natives. There is, however, one portion of the letter that contains a description of events that Cortés himself did not actually witness, that being human sacrifices. In his letter, Cortés states that "during the …show more content…
For instance, he uses positive imagery when describing the city, such as reporting the mountains as "rugged," its objects as "rare and wonderful," and the city itself as "great." This imagery overall sets a tone that demonstrates the great awe and admiration Cortés had for the city. Through this, it becomes apparent that Cortés' motive for writing the letter was to illustrate to the king just how magnificent the city of Tenochtitlan was. It is also for this reason; however, that Cortés could have indeed been exaggerating on his descriptions in hopes to impress his audience: the king. It is also quite notable that Cortés spends most of his time in the letter writing about the food, shops, houses and temples within the city. This indicates that these were the most important things about the Aztecs and their culture, as well as most likely the aspects that were the most different from Cortés' Spanish …show more content…
This is evident by Cortés' emphasis on the quality and plentiful quantity of food, the wide variety of items that were sold at the market, the majestic architecture of the temples, and the large sized homes for the nobles. For example, in Cortés' description of the marketplace, he states that it is "where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of life, as for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers. There are also exposed for sale wrought and unwrought stone, bricks burnt and unburnt, timber hewn and unhewn, of different sorts. There is a street for game, where every variety of birds in the country are sold, as fowls, partridges, quails, wild ducks, fly-catchers, widgeons, turtledoves, pigeons, reed-birds, parrots, sparrows, eagles, hawks, owls, and kestrels; they sell likewise the skins of some birds of prey, with their feathers, head, beak, and claws. There are also sold rabbits, hares, deer, and little dogs [i.e., the chihuahua], which are raised for eating. There is also an herb street, where may be obtained all sorts of roots and medicinal herbs that the country affords. There are apothecaries' shops, where prepared medicines, liquids, ointments, and plasters are sold; barbers' shops, where they wash and shave the head; and restaurateurs, that furnish food and