Global InformationMorzillo information
 | This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (November 2023) |
 Conquest of Mexico by Cortés, detail of Cortés and Morzillo (second half of the 17th century). | |
| Breed | Horse |
|---|---|
| Born | Jamaica |
| Died | 1525 |
| Owner | Hernán Cortés |
Morzillo is a black horse that belonged to the conquistador Hernán Cortés from 1519 to 1525, and was deified after his death by the Itza of the Tayasal region under the name of Tziminchác.
Acquired by Cortés in 1519, this elegant horse was used by him during his expedition to Mexico, notably during the siege of Mexico-Tenochtitlan (1521). Cortés then took Morzillo on the expedition to Honduras. After suffering a hoof injury, the horse was offered by Cortés to the Itza of the Tayasal region, but died shortly afterwards for lack of proper care.
After his death, Morzillo became the object of a cult among the Itza that lasted for a hundred years. They saw him as a thunder god, probably due to the use of arquebuses by the Spaniards. His statue was found in the town of Flores by two Franciscan missionaries, 95 years after the passage of Cortés. It was definitively destroyed in 1697, during Martín de Ursúa's campaign.
The cult of Tziminchác is still remembered locally.