Juan Velázquez de León
Juan Velázquez de León (* late 15th century in Cuéllar , Spain ; † July 1, 1520 , Tenochtitlán ), Spanish officer and adventurer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on the third Spanish expedition to the Aztec empire in 1519 .
Living in Hispaniola and Cuba
He was the nephew of the then Spanish governor of Cuba , Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar . When his uncle and Nicolás de Ovando conquered the province of Salvatierra in Hispaniola in 1502 and Cuba in 1511, Juan accompanied him.
At the request of Bartolomé de las Casas , he is said to have tried to prevent the complete annihilation of the Indians during a Spanish massacre of the residents of the city of Counao . Later he settled near the city of Trinidad as a plantation owner, where he met Hernán Cortés in 1518. He was hired by Cortés as one of his officers and was later greatly appreciated by him.
Follower of Hernán Cortés
When Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar tried to withdraw command of the expedition from Cortés, he wrote his nephew Juan Velázquez de León a letter. In it he ordered him not to let Cortés sail under any circumstances and to deprive him of command. But Juan discussed with Cortés and decided to let him in command. It can be assumed that he violated his uncle's express orders because of financial differences with his uncle. He accompanied Cortés and took command of one of the ships.
When Cortés finally broke with Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in the new country with the establishment of Veracruz and made himself independent from him, this went too far for Juan Velázquez de León. When Cortés was elected captain general and chief judge , the dispute escalated and ended with de Leon and several other men chained by Cortés. Probably Juan Velázquez de León was convinced with gold and promises from Cortés. He was released from captivity and from now on he proved to be one of the most loyal followers of Hernán Cortés.
When Pánfilo de Narváez landed in New Spain in 1520 to depose Cortés on the orders of the governor of Cuba, de León was sent to negotiate. He was very committed to Cortés, but could not come to an agreement with Narváez. Instead, he spied on the real troop strength during the negotiations and even got Narváez to present the entire corps to him . He found that Narváez was five times superior to the force of Cortés. With gold and many promises, de Leon secretly addressed the officers of Narváez. Many of these men did not care whose command they served. When Cortés attacked the outnumbered troops of the Narváez, some officers and their men switched sides and fought for Cortés. Cortés won the battle between the two Spanish armies without significant losses. Juan Velázquez de León played a prominent role in this fight.
Death in the Noche Triste
During Corté's absence in Tenochtitlán , Pedro de Alvarado held the position. He approved the Aztec Spring Festival and then had the unarmed participants shot at. A large part of the Aztec nobility was killed. The Aztecs then revolted and besieged the Spanish positions in the capital. When Cortés heard of the uprising, he came to Alvarado's aid in forced marches. But even with the fresh troops that Narváez had brought with them, who were now fighting for Cortés, their position in Tenochtitlán could not be maintained. After heavy fighting between June 26th and July 1st, 1520 the Spaniards tried to leave the city under cover of night. But the withdrawal from the city turned into a debacle and became known as Noche Triste .
De Leon commanded the rearguard together with Pedro de Alvarado and was cut off from the main force. Although Juan Velázquez de León had the cavalry, he could not prevail against the Aztec superiority. He fell with about 200 of his men while the rest were caught. The prisoners died in the Aztec sacrificial temples . Together with seven Spaniards and eight Tlaxcalteks, Pedro de Alvarado was able to save his life.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernal Díaz del Castillo The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico p. 68
- ↑ Bernal Díaz del Castillo The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico p. 112
- ↑ Bernal Díaz del Castillo The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico p. 407
- ↑ Bernal Díaz del Castillo The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico p. 359
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Velázquez de León, Juan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish conquistador |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1500 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cuéllar |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 1, 1520 |
| Place of death | Tenochtitlan |