Juan Garrido on a Spanish Expedition (1579)

Juan Garrido on a Spanish Expedition (1579)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 2.1

Diego Durán, Depiction of a Black soldier in Hernán Cortés’s entourage, in La Historia de las Indias de Nueva España e Islas de Tierra Firme [Códice Durán] (1579)

From left to right, several knights in silver armor holding spears, a brown horse with a white mane and red saddle, held by a short Black man wearing black shoes and a gray coat holding a spear; a white man in a red coat, orange pants/stockings, and black socks doffing a red hat with a gold band; and three indigenous royal figures in white hats and robes, one of whom is holding a ceremonial necklace.


Source: A depiction of a Black soldier (possibly Juan Garrido) in Hernán Cortés’s entourage, by Diego Durán, in La Historia de las Indias de Nueva España e Islas de Tierra Firme [Códice Durán], 1579, fl. 214. (Biblioteca Nacional de España)

Discussion Questions

  1. Describe the image’s narrative. Explain what the image suggests happened immediately before, and will happen after, what is being shown.
  2. Create an inventory of the objects you see depicted in this image. What does this inventory suggest about Garrido’s allegiance in the colonial conquest?
  3. What components in this image suggest Garrido’s status, relative to the other figures?