Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano was born in 1485 in Medellín, a small town in Extremadura, Spain. Raised in a modest noble family, Cortés was a restless and ambitious youth. At 14, he was sent to study law at the University of Salamanca but left after two years, drawn to the allure of adventure and wealth in the New World. Inspired by tales of Christopher Columbus and the burgeoning Spanish exploration, he set sail for Hispaniola in 1504 at age 19.
Arrival in the New World
In Hispaniola, Cortés served as a notary and landowner, gaining administrative experience in the Spanish colonial system. By 1511, he joined Diego Velázquez’s expedition to conquer Cuba, where he served as a clerk and later as a municipal official in Santiago. His charm and cunning earned him favor, but his ambition often clashed with authority, foreshadowing his later defiance.
The Conquest of Mexico
In 1518, Cortés was appointed to lead an expedition to the Mexican mainland, tasked with exploring and establishing trade with the indigenous peoples. Defying Velázquez’s orders to cancel the mission, Cortés set sail in 1519 with 11 ships, about 600 men, and 16 horses. Landing on the Yucatán coast, he scuttled his ships to ensure his men’s commitment, a bold move signaling no retreat.
Cortés quickly allied with local groups, notably the Tlaxcalans, who were enemies of the Aztec Empire. Leveraging diplomacy, military prowess, and the technological advantage of firearms and horses, he advanced toward Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. In November 1519, Cortés met Emperor Moctezuma II, who initially welcomed him, possibly mistaking him for a deity linked to the god Quetzalcoatl. However, tensions escalated, and Cortés took Moctezuma hostage.
The conquest was far from straightforward. In 1520, a Spanish force sent by Velázquez to arrest Cortés sparked a rebellion in Tenochtitlán, leading to Moctezuma’s death and the Spanish retreat during the “Noche Triste” (Night of Sorrows). Undeterred, Cortés regrouped, strengthened his alliances, and besieged Tenochtitlán in 1521. Aided by smallpox, which decimated the Aztec population, and superior tactics, Cortés captured the city, effectively dismantling the Aztec Empire.
Later Life and Legacy
Appointed governor of New Spain, Cortés oversaw the region’s colonization, rebuilding Tenochtitlán as Mexico City. His administration laid the foundation for Spanish rule in Mesoamerica, but his relentless ambition led to conflicts with colonial authorities. In 1528, he returned to Spain to appeal to Emperor Charles V, who granted him the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca but limited his political power.
Cortés led further expeditions, including a costly venture to Baja California in the 1530s, but none matched the success of Mexico. He returned to Spain in 1540, where he lived out his final years, often embroiled in legal disputes over his wealth and titles. He died in 1547 in Castilleja de la Cuesta, near Seville, at age 62.
Impact and Controversy
Cortés’s conquest reshaped the Americas, enabling Spanish colonization and the spread of Christianity and European culture. However, it came at a devastating cost to indigenous civilizations. The fall of the Aztec Empire led to millions of deaths from warfare, disease, and exploitation. Cortés is often vilified as a symbol of colonial oppression, yet some view him as a daring visionary who bridged two worlds.
His legacy remains polarizing. In Mexico, he is a complex figure, with monuments to his indigenous allies like La Malinche often overshadowing his own. Cortés’s life embodies the era’s contradictions: ambition and cruelty, courage and opportunism, forever etched into the history of the New World.