When Hernán Cortés came ashore at present day Veracruz and founded the Spanish city there on April 22, 1519, it marked the beginning of 300 years of Spanish hegemony over the region. 500 years later, our hemisphere is still living with the repercussions of that encounter. This semi-staged opera production was reconstructed and reimagined by Ensemble Caprice Music Director Matthias Maute for its premiere at the Montreal Baroque Festival in 2013. The forces include a vocal cast of seven from Mexico, Canada, the USA, and Europe; and a full Baroque orchestra of winds, brass, and strings.