Dowry for Montezuma’s Daughter (Hernando Cortés)

Credit: Library of Congress
Media type: letter-image
Museum Number:
Annotation: In this document, Hernando Cortés justifies a large dowry to Doña Isabel, the late Emperor Montezuma’s (1480?-1520) eldest daughter, when she married a nobleman of considerable standing in New Spain. Cortés recounts the importance of Montezuma’s aid to the Spanish during the conquest of Mexico. Cortés, who served as guardian for Montezuma’s daughters and as Captain General of New Spain, was a generous trustee, granting Doña Isabel lands, several ranches, and Indian labor. -from the Library of Congress
Year: 1526