HERNAN MARTIN

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Hernan Martín is my 11th great grandfather. He was with Hernan Cortes during the conquest of Tenochtitlan, (present day Mexico City). He was there during the "noche trieste". Most of the Spanish soldiers were more than just soldiers.  My ancestor was a soldier AND one of three blacksmiths with the expedition. He was one of the three blacksmiths who first set foot on North America.

The  brigantines mentioned are depicted in the painting above.

The stuff below is, for the most part, from the book "Southwestern Colonial Ironwork" by Mark Simmons and Frank Turley where it states:

 "Late in 1519 the Spaniards, who had occupied the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan (present Mexico City), decided to build four brigantines to nagivate Lake Texoco, which sourrounded the metropolis. Corte's sent word to the costal town of Vera Cruz that two of his blacksmiths who had remained there, HERNAN MARTIN  and PEDRO HERNANDEZ, should hasten to join him. But first they were to forge two huge chains for the brigantines. This together with bellows, tools, and iron stripped from the Spanish ships, were to be carried by Indian bearers to the Aztec city. When the smiths arrived with their equipment, Cortes assigned Martin the job of making tools for the shipwrights and carpenters. Hernandez and another man, HERNANDO de AGUILAR, listed as a half smith (medio herrero, perhaps a journeyman) were set to work preparing iron fittings for the naval project." 

"Montezuma was soon made a prisoner by the invaders and placed in shackles and chains. Whether these were forged on the spot or came with the expedition from Cuba is of little consequence. What stands out is that from this point forward, colonial blacksmiths would be called upon repeatedly to make or repair irons for shackling Indian slaves and captives. In the early years, before the prcatice was prohibited, they were also asked to forge small branding irons for marking slaves. After a battle with the Aztecs at Tepeaca in 1520, Cortes had his smiths prepare irons in the form of a "g", representing the words "guerra y".... (war and). With these he branded the prisoners."

During the conquest of Mexico, the first shoeing of horses took place on the North American mainland. A supply ship arrived in Vera Cruz bearing much needed stores of iron, and Cortes directed that the 84 men of his army who were mounted should have their horses shod. Apparently enough metal was left overso that smiths could forge new lance points for the troops. Later, when Tenochtitlan had fallen and the Spanish expeditions were fanning out to explore the limits of the Aztec empire, iron was in such short supply that Cortes gathered a quantity of poor grade silver and from it had his workers make horse shoes and nails."