The siting of the antique Cortes palace, a Cuernavaca’s medieval fortress?

Abstract

It has been more than 500 years after the conquest of the mexica capital by a limited number of Spaniards under of Hernan Cortés’s command and not much has been written regarding the importance of the geographic zone of the ancient Cuauhnáhuac, in Mexico City south side, a few leagues far from the capital. Through historic and current map reading (Cuevas Olascoaga 2022), and an understanding of the siege that took place in the towns near Tenochtitlan, it is easy to comprehend how the Spanish conquest was conceived over this empire, and the connection of Cuauhnáhuac with Tenochtitlan defeat. At that time Cortés discovered a city in a mountainous terrain which is described in the first Cortés contact as impregnable; protected by a prehispanic group called tlahuicas, who occupied the territory of the ancient Cuauhnáhuac. After a series of confrontations and the subsequent defeat of this town, Cortés assured his rearguard and gained the support of local groups in the last siege days, and finally the conquest of the principal capital. After the conquest, Cortés built an edifice in this territory, to a certain extent fortified due to natural barriers. In this essay, relevant criteria will be examined in order to analyze and reflect the real nature of this antique “Palacio de Cortés”. It will be analyzed whether its edification had a purpose beyond serving as a residence for sugar, animals, and other consumer goods, or if it was considered by Cortés as only a fortified edification in case of a probable self-defense, familiar, and heritage defense. Throughout this essay, key elements are itemized with the aim of allow the reader to create their own opinion to answer this intriguing question.