Plate 4 of 'Historia de la marina real espa̱ola episodios maritimos' lithographed by J. J. Martinez and others. The print depicts the moments of the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez deliberately burning and sinking his ships in order to squash a mutiny against him by men loyal to the Governor of Cuba, Velazquez. Cortes had defied the governor in crossing to the Yucatan in the first place. After sinking the ships, Cortes would proceed to conquer the Aztec empire under Emperor Montezuma II. The description at the bottom of the print praises the exploits of Cortez, comparing him to Agathocles, the second-century B.C. tyrant of Syracuse; Timarchus, the third-century B. C. tyrant of Miletus; and Lauria, the thirteenth-century naval commander.
A complete digitized bound series can be found at the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
