A sword claimed to be that of Hernan Cortes, used during the Conquest of Mexico, currently sits in the Real Armeria de Madrid (royal armory) in Madrid, Spain. It is a rapier, meaning it is a long, slender sword with a decorative, protected hilt.
While many famous swords are made of the legendary Toledo steel, there is speculation the Cortes sword is from the German competitor, Solingen steel, based on a “Wolf mark” that may link it to Solingen.
Both Toledo and Solingen had superior steel recipes and stellar reputations for craftsmanship.
If this sword were used during the Conquest of Mexico, it’s hard to imagine the tragedy it inflicted on the people of Mexico. This one sword could be responsible for the deaths of many Indigenous people and considered one of the cruelest relics of the colonization of the Americas. This sword would have been wielded against the Chontal Maya at the Battle of Cintla as Cortes led the cavalry. It would have been present at the Cholula Massacre where Cortes and his men hacked away at unarmed nobles and porters. And it would certainly have been present at the battles in Tlaxcala and the horrors of Tenochtitlan.
Perhaps that’s why the Real Armeria doesn’t publicize this artefact. I was not able to find any supporting information on the provenance of this sword and it is not on public display.
