Tenochtitlan 1519-1521

Spanish brigantines engage Aztec canoes on the Lake Texcoco during the conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521. In the words of Hernán Cortés, "This was a notable victory and was the key to that war, because we were now masters of the lake." These brigantines were constructed by an experienced shipbuilder from Seville named Martin López who was among the Spanish conquistadors commanded by Cortés. He proved to be one of the most crucial men in the conquest, for without his shipbuilding skills the conquistadors would not be able to dominate the Lake Texcoco which surrounded the Tenochtitlan city. The importance of the said Martin López for the conquistador cause was such that after the La Noche Triste in 1520, when conquistadors were driven out of Tenochtitlan and hundreds of them died, Cortés immediately inquired whether López was one of the survivors. After he was assured that the skilled shipbuilder was still alive, he confidently replied "well, let's go, for we lack nothing," determined to continue the war and eventually return to the city from which he had just been driven out. The ships were constructed on the territory of the native allies of the Spanish at Tlaxcala. It was an incredibly difficult task for they had to not only construct the ships but also transport them over the mountains. Martin López put everything into this and according to the fellow conquistador Lázaro Guerrero, "he toiled in everything connected with their construction, all day long, and often, with the aid of candles, after dark and before dawn, working himself and directing and encouraging other workmen with the zeal of a man who comprehended the urgency of the matter." López even dammed the Zahuapan River during the dry season to form a small lake as he wanted to test whether the boats floated. Finally, the brigantines were transported in their component pieces over the mountain passes by thousands of bearers. The vessels were then reconstructed and a special canal was excavated to link Lake Texcoco to the shore where the Spanish had their shipyard. The conquistadors now had 13 brigantines accompanied by the canoes of native allies. The ships that Martin López constructed were very powerful! The Aztecs encountered them with 500 canoes filled with their finest warriors, but were overwhelmed by the mighty brigantines which just blasted and rammed their way through the enemy canoes. There was not much that the Aztecs could do in face of such mighty ships. The conquistador vessels were simply too sturdy to be affected by Aztec missile weapons, and had too much sail and oar power to be grappled for boarding. Once the Aztec lines were broken, the canoes left behind by the brigantines were attacked by the allied canoes which were following the brigantines. But not everything went so smoothly for the conquistadors. Cortés' own flagship was eventually ran aground in the shallows and boarded by the Aztecs from the canoes nearby. In panic, captain Rodríguez de Villafuerte ordered the flagship to be abandoned and was ready to leap across to another brigantine. However the shipbuilder Martin López, who was also on this ship, was determined to fight for the vessel he constructed, and rallied the crew. Fierce fighting ensued in which the Spanish conquistadors were able to repel the Aztecs on board, with López shooting one of the Aztec warriors with a crossbow. Such was the importance of this shipbuilder Martin López. The ships he constructed were able to assure the Spanish the domination of the Lake Texcoco, making sure that Tenochtitlan was besieged and isolated by both land and water. The image I posted is from the book Tenochtitlan 1519–21: Clash of Civilizations (Osprey Publishing, 2018) by Si Sheppard.

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