Hernando Cortes
Hernando (ehr NAHN doh) Cortes (kawr TEHZ or kawr TAYS) (1485-1547), was a Spanish
explorer who conquered what is now central and southern Mexico. His military
triumphs led to 300 years of Spanish domination of Mexico and Central America.
Early life
Cortes, who was also known as Hernan
or Fernando, was born into a noble family in Medellin in the
province of Extremadura, Spain. He moved to Santo Domingo
in the West Indies in 1504. Cortes fought under Governor Diego Velazquez
in a Cuban expedition that began in 1511. In 1518, Velazquez selected
him to lead an expedition to the Yucatan
Peninsula of Mexico, then a center of Maya civilization. Before Cortes
could leave Cuba, Velazquez canceled the expedition, fearful
of the voyage's expense
and distrustful of Cortes's ambition. Cortes disobeyed and sailed for Yucatan
in 1519, with more than 500 men and 11 ships.
Hernando Cortes sailed from Cuba to Mexico in 1519 and
conquered the Aztec Indians there in 1521. He led an expedition to Honduras
from
1524 to 1526
and one to
Lower California in 1535. Arrival in Mexico
Conquering Mexico took more than
two years. At the start, Cortes skillfully made associations
with Indian leaders, communicating
through interpreters.
One of
these interpreters was a young Indian woman, Malintzin, also known
as Malinche. The Indians of Tabasco had given her to the Spaniards
as a peace offering.
The Spaniards called her Marina. She became an adviser to Cortes, and
she bore him
a son.
From Yucatan, Cortes sailed northward along the
coast of the Gulf of Mexico. He founded the first Spanish settlement
in Mexico,
La Villa
Rica de Vera
Cruz (modern-day Veracruz). He appointed a town council, which gave
him the title
of captain general, with authority under Spanish law to conquer Mexico.
In August 1519, Cortes marched toward Tenochtitlan
(now Mexico City), the capital of the Aztec empire. Tenochtitlan
had formed
a union
called the
Triple Alliance
with the neighboring cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan and had built
an empire. The three cities forced other Indian villages to pay
them taxes
and to
provide human sacrifices for their religious ceremonies. Many Indians
resented the Aztec
empire for its cruelty and volunteered to help Cortes defeat it.
Others joined Cortes after he defeated them in battle.
Victory over the Aztec
At first, the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II,
refused to meet with Cortes. But in November 1519, Montezuma
allowed the Spaniards to
enter Tenochtitlan.
Cortes
soon took Montezuma hostage and tried to rule the empire through
him.
Six months later, Cortes left the city to challenge
a Spanish expedition led by Panfilo de Narvaez, who had been
sent by Velazquez
to arrest
him. Cortes easily
captured Narvaez and persuaded Narvaez's troops to join him.
Meanwhile, the people of Tenochtitlan rebelled. Soon after
Cortes returned,
Montezuma was wounded and
died. The Spanish soldiers fled the city.
In December 1520,
Cortes began to organize an attack against Tenochtitlan and
its new leader, Cuauhtemoc. The city fell
on Aug. 13, 1521.
When brought before
Cortes, Cuauhtemoc asked to die. Cortes, believing Cuauhtemoc
knew where Aztec treasures were hidden, had him tortured,
but Cuauhtemoc
refused
to tell any secrets.
In 1525, Cortes had him hanged.
After the conquest
King Charles I of Spain, who
had become Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1519, appointed
Cortes governor and captain
general of the
newly conquered
territory.
Cortes received the title Marques del Valle de Oaxaca
in 1528. He managed the founding of new cities and appointed
men to
extend Spanish
rule
to all of Mexico,
which was renamed New Spain. Cortes also supported efforts
to convert Indians
to Christianity and sponsored new explorations. He led
expeditions to Honduras in 1524 and to Baja California
in northwestern
Mexico in 1535
and 1536.
Cortes returned to Spain in 1540. His last battle
was a Spanish attack on Algiers in 1541.
Taken from http://www.worldbook.com
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