Bernardino Vázquez de Tapia

Bernardino Vázquez de Tapia (Torralba de Oropesa, c. 1493 – Mexico City, 1559/1560) was a Spanish conquistador, chronicler, and regidor active in New Spain during the first half of the 16th century. He took part in the expeditions of Pedrarias Dávila, Juan de Grijalva, and Hernán Cortés, and is the author of one of the earliest autobiographical accounts of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Biography

He was born around 1493 in Torralba de Oropesa (province of Toledo), into a noble and influential family. His father was a member of the Royal Council of Castile, and a maternal uncle, Francisco Álvarez, served as an inquisitor of Castile; another uncle, a professor of theology, taught at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Salamanca, where Bernardino completed his university studies.

In 1513–1514 he departed for the Spanish West Indies as part of the expedition of Pedrarias Dávila to Castilla del Oro, where he remained for about two and a half years. He later settled in Cuba, where he participated in several military campaigns and obtained an encomienda from Diego Velázquez. In 1518 he joined the expedition of Juan de Grijalva as alférez general, exploring the coasts of the Yucatán, Tabasco, and Veracruz, and taking formal possession of newly discovered lands in the name of the Spanish Crown. In 1519 Vázquez de Tapia took part in the expedition of Hernán Cortés that led to the conquest of the Aztec Empire. He participated in the battle of Tabasco, where he played a prominent role as royal factor, and was appointed by Cortés as one of the first regidores of the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. He was also among the witnesses to the death of Moctezuma II and the events of La Noche Triste (30 June 1520). He later took part in the military campaigns of Pánuco and other expeditions in central Mexico. In reward for his services to the Crown, he received several encomiendas in Churubusco, Guerrero, and Tlapa, which yielded him more than 4,000 pesos annually.

After the conquest, Vázquez de Tapia settled permanently in Mexico City, becoming one of the earliest Spanish settlers and the first private owner of a house built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán. He was appointed regidor of the city, a position he held until 1556, and also served as factor in the first Real Hacienda of New Spain. In 1526 he came into conflict with Cortés over a financial dispute and, upon returning to Spain, was briefly imprisoned. He later became one of Cortés's main opponents, testifying against him in several legal proceedings and accusing him of embezzlement and violence against Indigenous peoples. After returning to Mexico, he continued to hold public office as regidor and encomendero. He married twice: first to Leonor Vázquez, and later to María Goñi de Peralta, with whom he had several children. In 1552 he obtained the title of alférez real. He died in Mexico City in 1559 (according to some sources, around 1560) and was buried in the main chapel of the Convent of San Francisco.

Relación de méritos y servicios del conquistador Bernardino Vázquez de Tapia

Relación de méritos y servicios del conquistador, vecino y regidor de esta gran ciudad de Tenustitlán, México is an autobiographical work drafted as a document of pruebas de méritos to support claims and privileges before the Spanish Crown. The work was conceived in the context of the controversy generated by the Leyes Nuevas promulgated in 1542, which limited the rights of encomenderos and provided for the abolition of hereditary encomiendas. In response, many conquistadors produced relaciones de méritos y servicios as legal defenses of their service to the king. Through this text, Vázquez de Tapia sought to document in detail his military actions, political appointments, properties, and services rendered to the Crown, in order to justify the retention of his privileges and benefits (encomiendas) in New Spain.

The work is structured into three main sections:

  • Personal data and genealogy: a description of his birth, family, and noble lineage in Spain.
  • Chronological narrative of events: the journey to the Indies, the expedition of Juan de Grijalva, the campaigns with Hernán Cortés, the battles, the founding of Spanish settlements, and the conquest of Tenochtitlán.
  • Inventory of services, offices, and property: a listing of public roles held, encomiendas owned, losses incurred, and genealogical and family relations.

The work also includes appendices containing Vázquez de Tapia's responses to the juicios de residencia against Cortés and Pedro de Alvarado, as well as the royal grant of a coat of arms to his descendants. The original manuscript is believed to be preserved at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, although its composition is generally dated to the period after 1542 (some scholars suggest 1544). The first printed edition was prepared by Manuel Romero de Terreros in 1939 in Mexico City, based on a manuscript copy owned by Federico Gómez de Orozco. A second critical edition was published in 1953 by Jorge Gurría Lacroix, including scholarly commentary and additional documentary material.

Although conceived for legal and personal purposes, the account contains numerous historically valuable details, including descriptions of battles, routes, locations, Indigenous populations, and urban structures not always preserved in other contemporary sources. Nevertheless, the work must be read with caution: the narrative is strongly subjective and aimed at enhancing the author's role and legitimizing personal claims. Some elements are interpreted as legendary or rhetorical devices (for example, the mention of a “white horse” appearing in battle as a miraculous sign).