Hernán Cortés

1485-1547

Spanish Conquistador

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who succeeded in claiming most of present-day Mexico for Spain by conquering the Aztec people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan.

Cortés was born in the region of Medellin, Spain, to parents of good social standing. Cortés was sent to the University of Salamenca at the age of 14 where, among other subjects, he studied Latin for two years. Following his studies, Cortés set out to make his way in life. His imagination ignited with the possibilities that awaited in the Indies recently discovered by Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), Cortés sailed, at age 19, to Hispaniola (present-day Santo Domingo) in 1504.

Cortés spent approximately six years as a farmer in Hispaniola, then in 1511 joined Diego Velazquez (1465?-1522), with whom he became an intimate friend, on an expedition to Cuba. When Velazquez was appointed governor of Cuba in 1511, Cortés was made clerk to the treasurer.

Velazquez made plans to send an expedition to what is now Mexico; Cortés was placed in charge of the expedition. With his experience as a leader and his position in politics, Cortés was able to quickly recruit 300 men and acquire six ships. Cortés soon became aware that Velazquez was intending to name another leader of the expedition, and in an effort to preserve his efforts he slipped away and headed along the coast of Cuba, recruiting more men. When Cortés finally left for Mexico on February 18, 1519, he was the leader of over 600 soldiers and sailors, 11 ships, 200 Indians for support, and 16 horses.

Cortés went first to Yucatan and then along the coast of Mexico, where he founded the town of Villa Rica de Veracruz. He had himself elected, by his soldiers, as captain general as well as chief justice, making himself the sole authority for the expedition. He also burned their ships, a tactic designed to raise the level of commitment in his men to the conquest of Mexico.

Cortés led his men into the interior of Mexico, relying on information from Indians with whom he had become friendly; the most significant of these were the Tlascala, who were at war with the Aztecs. With the information gathered, Cortés set out for Tenochtitlan, the island-city capital of the Aztec empire in Lake Texcoco, ruled by Montezuma II. In early November of 1519 Cortés and his men reached Lake Texcoco. Accompanied by 1,000 Tlascala Indians, they entered the city on November 8, 1519. Montezuma initially thought that Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and as a result opened the city to him. Cortés then took Montezuma hostage in an effort to conquer the entire Aztec empire with one action.

Soon thereafter, Cortés learned that an expedition, sent by Velazquez and led by Pánfilo de Narváez (1480?-1528), had left Cuba and had arrived at the coast of Mexico with the intent of relieving Cortés of his command of Tenochtitlan. Cortés left the Aztec city and, after a surprise attack and victory over Narvaez and his men, returned to Tenochtitlan. In the meantime, the Aztecs had revolted against the Spaniards that Cortés had left behind. So under cover of night on June 30, 1520, Cortés and his men left the city and found refuge with the Tlascala Indians.

Cortés reassembled his army and with Indian support marched on the Aztec capital in December of 1520. The attack on the city began in May of 1521 and by August 13 the city was in the control of the Spaniards; the Aztec empire was officially defeated. On October 15, 1522, Charles V named Cortés the governor of New Spain, or the territories in Mexico conquered by the Spanish; he rebuilt the city of Tenochtitlan. However, Cortés was only in power for a few years, and by 1526 he was removed as governor; from 1528-1530 he tried to regain his position in Mexico. He did not succeed in this effort and returned to Mexico where he retired to his estate about 30 miles (48 km) south of Mexico City (Tenochtitlan). He spent his time building a castle on his estate and leading expeditions, but he was not to acquire the position he had held before. In 1540 he returned to Spain, where he died in 1547; his body was returned to Mexico for burial.

MICHAEL T. YANCEY