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Home , Christopher Columbus, Juan de Grijalva, Tercio

Spanish JCC Background Guide

April 13th Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

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Table of Contents

Staff Welcoming Letters…………………..…………………………………………. 3

History……………. ……………………………………………………………...... 4-8

Current Situation ………………….…………………………………………….……. 9

What is Crisis ……….……………………………………...……………...……………... 10-11

What is Crisis ……….……………………………………...……………...……………... 12-16

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Dear Delegates,

I am happy to welcome you to the Unstoppable Ambition Spanish lado, with Hernan Cortes motto in mind “We know a sickness of the heart that only can cure.” My name is Pietra Hernandez, and I will be serving as your Chair for the duration of our session. I have been involved in Kutztown Model UN club throughout my freshmen year and into my junior year, both a delegate and as an E-board member. We hope that our KUMUNC XI Crisis Committee will allow you to get a taste of a fast-paced and intensive world of college MUN. This Two-way Crisis Committee will focus on the beginnings of the Cortes’ conquest of the Aztec World. This expedition ultimately shaped our world forever! You are to work with your delegates to explore the new land. This committee is filled with not only the typical diplomacy, an exciting , problem-solving, espionage, heated debates, and fast decision making. Ultimately, your goal is to settle the crises with your position’s best interest at heart. Staying in character is incredibly important to this crisis committee, and delegates who match their assigned persona will be favored. Unpredictable events are bound to occur as we diverge from history, but with cooperation, debate, and determination, delegates are sure to succeed. Will the find gold? Will the work of the Lord be spread to savages? How will Culhua-Mexica look like after this expedition? All up to you delegates! This is my third time chairing for KUMUNC and so I hope that you all fully embrace your parts and take your preparation seriously! I look forward to hearing some heated debate, as well as see the outcome of this expedition. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Do not hesitate! As Hernan Cortes, I your chair, leave you with this “I love to travel, but hate to arrive”.

Pietra Hernandez [email protected]. Chair

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History

Trade

For thousands of years, Europeans have relied on various items from all over the world in

order to achieve their standard of living. Europeans have been trading with “the other”

dating back to before the age of empires. Trade routes have been established,

reestablished, monopolized, broken up and monopolized again for thousands of years.

Monopolies were created on a variety of different trade routes and ports for various

substance. are one of these tremendously valuable substances traded.

The trade route passed through the Indian from the rich subcontinent and traveled through the Middle East. Europeans then purchased spices from the eastern

Mediterranean and transported them throughout . The Venetians and Greeks had a virtual monopoly on this trade, numerous European powers relied on the . This all ended in 1453 when the took Constantinople and annexed the last remnant of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Ottomans began to levy extremely heavy tariffs and taxes on all spices which were being traded with Europeans.

Discovery of the

European powers were not happy with the situation. , a nation situated

with very close proximity towards the of Africa began to undertake the task of

finding a new route to spices was the first to attempt to find another route. Portuguese

4 | Page sailors sailed south, around Africa establishing a series of Feitorias along the coast of Africa and eventually in the Indian Ocean. At last a route to spices had been found. With the ottomans thwarted and a new route to spices found, it seemed that Western Europe would once again be happy with the discoveries made, however, this was not the case.

With the establishment of Portuguese Feitorias all along the coast of Africa, the spice trade had been effectively monopolized once again, only this time, by the Portuguese.

Western Europe needed another route in order to achieve effective competition over the trade.

A man named Columbus circled around Europe proposing a somewhat outlandish idea, that one could sail west and land in India. He propositioned various nations including Portugal to finance his voyage west. The Portuguese believed that his estimates of distance were too small. It appeared that no one in Europe wanted to hire the

Italian explorer until King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who had recently undergone the

Iberian wedding (the unification of and Castile into a single kingdom) offered their support for the expedition. In 1492, sailed across the ocean blue and discovered and claimed several islands such as and in the Caribbean for the Spanish Crown. The discovery shocked and reshaped Europe.

All the eyes of Europe which had been previously divided were all fixed on the

Atlantic Ocean. Over the next several years, began to colonize more islands in the

Caribbean as well as discovering more territory in modern day and Central

America.

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Mexico

In 1510, the first permanent Spanish settlement was constructed along the Gulf of

Urabá and later expanded along the Atrato River. The settlement served as inspiration for

numerous other quests to discover and claim more territory.

The first complete voyage to and from the coast of Mexico began in 1517. They

discovered and mapped a great deal of southern Mexico. Translators informed the Spanish

of a great deal of gold which could be found throughout Mayan territory. This information

led to a series of conflicts between the locals and the Spanish expedition. One conflict

cost the life of the expedition’s leader Francisco Hernández de Córdoba. While the

expedition did successfully map a great deal of southern Mexico, it effectively eviscerated

any positive relationship between future Spanish expeditions and the local populace.

The Terico

Within the , ranks of pikemen array themselves together into a hollow

square with swordsmen – typically equipped with a short sword, a buckler, and javelins

inside; the swordsmen can be interchanged with arquebusiers. The arquebusiers were

usually split up in several mobile groups called sleeves and deployed relative to the

corners, typically with one manga at each corner.

This combined-arms formation simultaneously utilizes the structure and defensive ability of its pike-armed , the range and firepower of its arquebusiers, and the ability to conduct assaults with sword-and-buckler men. In addition to its inherent ability to repulse

6 | Page and other units along its front, the long-range firepower of its arquebusiers could also be easily reorganized to the flanks, making it versatile in both offensive and defensive evolutions.

The

For roughly seven hundred years, the heretical had a foothold in Iberia. Through the combined efforts of European powers, the Muslims were stopped from spreading out of the peninsula. Their defeat led to a slow conquest of former Muslim land back into the hands of

Catholic forces. Over the next several centuries, The Reconquista occurred, province by province, Muslims were expelled from Christian land. The forces of Islam were confined to a small section of territory in southern Iberia known as .

After the Iberian Wedding, the combined forces of Aragon and Castile waged one final war in The Reconquista against Granada. It was wildly successful and resulted in the consolidation of all Spanish territory under one crown.

With the primary goal of The Reconquista successfully completed, Spain expanded the ideals of The Reconquista to the entire world. Spain would take the reins of spreading

Christendom to the world. With the colonization of the Caribbean and parts of modern-day

Columbia and , Catholicism began to spread throughout the world in a new age. A

New Reconquista has been called and all heretics must be converted for their own salvation.

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Enter Hernan Cortes

An early colonist and conqueror in Hispaniola, Cortes quickly made a name for himself

acquiring land and slaves through his conquests. He served under Diego Velázquez de

Cuéllar during the conquest of Cuba, earning reputation and securing a job as a clerk to the treasurer of the governor; he was responsible for the twenty percent cut which was to be provided to the Spanish Crown from the Cuban expedition.

After the successful conquest, Cortes was appointed the secretary for Governor Velázquez

by the governor himself. For the next several years, Cortes served as a tool of the

opposition to influence Velázquez and to potentially serve as a direct challenge to the

governor. Cortes developed his administrative, organizational, and diplomatic skills.

Relations between Cortes and Velázquez soured quickly soon after Cortes’ newfound

political influence as both an ally and a rival to the governor. The competing of

Cortes and Velázquez resulted in a very contentious state leading to conflict on several

occasions.

Geography

The climate in this newly discovered Mexican land appears to be very temperate, if not a

little hot. There is good fertile land throughout this territory. The local people appear to

have been growing a strange starchy crop which is called Maize. The fertile soil and climate

is ideal for growing cash crops such as and cotton. More information about the

of the land will be discovered as the expedition ventures further inland.

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Current Situation

In 1518, Hernan Cortes has appointed the head of the third expedition to Mexico. After spending several weeks gathering support, Velázquez and Cortes’ tumultuous relationship reached a boiling point. Shortly before the intended departure date, the charter which

Velázquez gave Cortes was revoked by the governor himself.

Hernan Cortes denied the and departed with his expedition anyway, he gathered more support, soldiers, and munitions from the Caribbean and set sail to Mexico. Following the route taken by Córdoba several years prior, the expedition sailed past the Yucatan peninsula picking up a shipwrecked man who can translate on behalf of the expedition.

The situation right now (this is where we divert from history)

Rumors of an ideal landing location for the expedition have reached the ears of Cortes and we are currently barreling towards this location. We have come to spread the Reconquista; to claim this land for Spain; to map this land; to discover new wonders, and to find gold and glory! Your destiny is calling, answer the call and carve a path through history where your actions will be forever immortalized!

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WHAT IS CRISIS?

Writing Notes

All crisis notes should be written like letters. Notes should include an opening, contextualization of your desired action, and a closing, the additional filler is recommended, though not at the cost of delivering your message. Remember, in this committee, you are your character, all of their ideas and goals are yours, use notes to get what you want.

When deciding who to write to, you are more than welcome to make up character names as long as they are in context; for example, as the leader of a particular company, you are bound to have one or several secretaries, it makes sense to write to these people, if you are a soldier, you are unlikely to have a secretary. Crisis notes vary in size and style depending on who is writing them, who you are addressing, and also what information you are sending. While creativity is greatly appreciated and definitely preferred to monotony, it is not recommended to focus entirely on creativity at the cost of delivering a clear message. A happy medium is the most ideal and will be looked on very favorably in this committee.

Example notes:

Note 1

Writing as the minister of war for [country Y]

Dear [first, last]:

My dearest secretary and friend,

Long have you been my closest ally against the tyranny of [country x], your support has been extremely beneficial and I don’t know what kind of world we would be living in

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without you. [Country Y] has always attempted to lead the charge against tyranny and injustice, today is no different. I must call upon you once again for assistance against our enemies.

I need you to call upon our conscripts. Draft [number] people for our defense force. These troops are to be trained in [place]. Upon the completion of their training, this new force will be placed in [place] until they are called upon.

I’m looking forward to hearing back from you!

Yours truly,

[my name], minister of war

Note 2

Writing as high priest of [religion x] in [country]

Dear [first, last]:

My child, the evil heretics of [religion y] have been in possession of [holy site] for too long. It’s time to do something about it. I need you to do the following:

● Announce a new crusade against the infidels ● Inform the local population of the new crusade ● Create a system which will pay for these new soldiers of [religion] with money which we have collected through years of collecting tithe ● Train these troops in [place] ● Name this [name]

Thank you my son, please notify me as soon as these troops are prepared to move out,

[my name], the high priest

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Character list

Pedro de Alvarado, the Hotheaded Sun God

Pedro has previously gone on other expeditions beforehand so he is very useful. In 1518,

Alvarado joined the Cortes expedition and soon became Cortes' most important lieutenant.

Alvarado is very much so a hot head and has difficulties agreeing with Cortes on and colonization ideas. Will they work better together this time?

Gonzalo de Sandoval, the Reliable Captain

Gonzalo de Sandoval was barely twenty years old and without military experience when he signed on with the Cortes expedition. He is loyal to the explorers and has a great ability to lead men, Cortes promoted him to captain for his abilities and loyalty. Cortes views him as his right-hand man. He possesses great skill at arms, loyalty and the ability to lead men.

Cristobal de Olid, the Warrior

When supervised, Cristobal de Olid is one of Cortes' more courageous captains. He is personally very brave and loves the thrill of carnage which can be found only in the thick of the fighting. Although not very loyal, he was a passionate fighter and wanted to gain as much land as possible.

Alonso de Avila

Like Alvarado and Olid, Alonso de Avila had served on Juan de Grijalva's mission of exploration along the gulf coast in 1518. Avila had the reputation of being a man who could fight, but who also had a habit of speaking his mind. Alonso is known to lash out with his

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feelings. Cortes never really liked Alonso personally but would always respect his honesty.

Alonso should loyalty to Cortes and becomes slowly entrusted with gold.

Gerónimo de Aguilar

Aguilar was a Spaniard marooned in Maya lands on an earlier expedition and rescued by

Cortes' men in 1518. He is able to speak some Maya language, he becomes a vital part of communication between Montezuma's emissaries.

Bernal Diaz del Castillo

Bernal Diaz was a footsoldier who participated in the Hernandez and Grijalva expeditions

before signing on with Cortes. Loyal, hardworking, and quick to move up in ranking Castillo

learns more and more skills each time. He is a literate spaniard and journals often about his journey. His journals can easily be published to greatly influence the expedition.

Alonso Hernández Portocarrero

Like Cortes, Alonso Hernández Portocarrero was a native of Medellin: this connection served him well, as Cortes tended to favor people from his hometown. Hernandez was an early confidant of Cortes. Alonso has entrusted Cortes’ most serious and illegal conquests and errands. Although loyal to Cortes’, he always has his own interests in mind as well.

Martin Lopez

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Martin Lopez is not a soldier, but the best engineer in the entire expedition. Lopez was a shipwright who designs and builds . He is smart, intellectual, and is both trusted by and works well with Cortes, however, the other conquistadores question his importance to the inner circle.

Juan Velázquez de León

A kinsman of Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba, Velázquez de Leon's loyalty to Cortes was originally dubious, and he joined a conspiracy to oust Cortes early in the campaign. Cortes eventually forgave him and appointed him to work with the expedition's cartographer. De

Leon works well with Phelano scoping out the land for him.

Malinche

A Nahua native woman on set as a . The only woman on sight, she becomes a key asset for the expedition. She speaks Nahuatl and Maya better than any other translator on sight. The natives are more willing to speak and work with her because of her native spell.

Pietro Hernandez

An emissary from the Catedral de Toledo appointed by the archbishop to represent and spread the word of the Lord. Preaching to every conquistador on the to praise Him,

14 | Page and looking forward to meeting the savage Aztecs. Bible in hand, Pietro becomes the word of reason for Cortes’ expeditions.

Jose Phelano

Spain's most renowned map-maker Phelano knows and coordinates off the top of his head. He is ready to claim Yucatan under Spanish rule. The reason for Cortes’ successful expeditions he was able to survey the land better than any explorer on the ship.

Nicolas Texiera

Born in Lisboa, Queen Isabella 5th cousin sent him on the ship as a working crew member to report back on what the expedition was doing. Until the ship left, members only knew him as a working crew member. But failed to realize he royal-ties an ulterior mission.

Alano Longatoxtl

An Aztec native swam to the ship on the verge of landing to preemptively communicate with the newcomers on land. Unclear who he was sent by or what his exact intentions are,

Alano persuasively convinced Cortes to join his inner circle. As an Aztec native, conquistadores are untrusting of his loyalties.

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Roberto Puelo

One of Madrid’s tops blacksmith Puelo is a weapons master. Cortes’s crew looks up to him

and his technical expertise. He is skilled with trap building, weapon maintenance, and as an

advisor to commanders on weapon use.

Dr. Sandro Riviera

A top physician from , bribed by Alvarado with golden coins. Dr. Riviera was a

critical asset during the initial conquest of Cuba. Cortes’ was more than happy to have one

of his colleagues to join him and help keep conquistadores healthy.

Audro Marcella

A veteran of the , Audro was a siege expert. He also had a great deal of knowledge of the Spanish Terico and its application of the European theatre. In terms of knowledge, he is highly respected. However, in terms of rank, he has no standing.

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