Conquest of Mexico According to
Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Puertocarrero was one of only 14 Spanish horseman in the
Battle of Centla, the first military engagement of the
Spanish conquest of Mexico. Soon after arriving on the eastern shore of Mexico with a gift of a grey mare from Cortés, Hernández was elected
alcayde along with
Francisco de Montejo of
Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. After the
Battle of Centla at
Potonchán, Cortés awarded Hernandez with
Malinche for use as a
slave who was one of 20 slave girls given to the Spaniards as part of a peace treaty with the defeated city. However, Cortés later took Malinche back for himself after discovering she could speak
Nahuatl along with
Chontal Mayan thus making her indispensable as a translator and as a cultural interpreter. Later, Hernandez received the daughter of
Totonac Chief Cuesco as a gift and baptized her Doña Francisca. Cortés also sent Hernandez, along with de Montejo, back to Spain to provide
King Charles with details of the expedition. (about 126 pounds of gold). As Velasquez was asking for them to be punished with death, and they were asking to be rewarded for their efforts in expanding the Spanish Empire (and bringing gold and silver), the Council of Indies decided to postpone both punishment and reward until proper investigation. That was precisely the outcome that Cortes was hoping for. During his visit to the Spanish court, Puertocarrero was questioned by
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, a member of the
Council of Indies, together with
Francisco de Montejo and
Anton de Alaminos about the conquest of Mexico. He is mentioned by name in the Martyr's history
De orbo novo (published in 1521) as the primary source for information on the early part of
Hernán Cortés's expedition (conquest of
Cozumel and
Potonchan and
Battle of Centla), which form The Fourth Decade of the book.
Death According to Bernal Diaz del Castillo, he was thrown into prison by the bishop of Burgos, where he ended his days shortly after. ==References==