The arrival of Cortés in Veracruz and reception by Moctezuma's ambassadors

What it is

This is an painting of unknown authorship, dated to the second half of the 17th century. It depicts Cortés landing at Veracruz in 1519. The image shows armored Spanish soldiers on horseback and on foot with lances and cannons on the right, sailing ships with red flags in a bay, and feathered Indigenous figures with a seated group under a canopy on the left. The painting has a text label and an inscription plaque, but the facts do not give their wording.

Why it matters

The painting was made more than a century after the landing, so it shows how later artists imagined first contact between Spaniards and the Mexica. Scenes like this often placed Cortés at the center of a meeting with Moctezuma's envoys and framed the conquest as a clash of arms.

Look closer

• Who is shown in control of the scene, and how can you tell from their position?
• Why would a painter from the 1600s choose to show armed soldiers at a meeting?
• What might the painting leave out about the Indigenous people who were present?