Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547

Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano was born around 1485 in Medellin, Extremadura, Castile to Capt. Martin Cortés de Monroy and Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino. He was described as “ruthless, haughty, mischievous, and quarrelsome” by his secretary, Francisco López de Gómara, and hated living a provincial life. When he sailed for the Yucatán coast from Cuba, he had eleven ships, 508 soldiers, around 100 sailors, and 16 horses. He landed in Tabasco in March of 1519, made allies with several local tribes, and founded the state of Veracruz. He made sure that his men could not defect and go back to Cuba or Spain by sinking his own ships. He used both conquest and tribal allies to eventually conquer the Aztec empire and their capital city of Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) in 1521. After several attempts to undermine his achievements, he eventually retired to his Spanish estate, though he was miserable there. When the Spanish king finally allowed him to return to Mexico, he never made it. He died on December 2, 1547, at Castilleja de la Cuesta, near Seville, at the age of 62.