1547day.year
Hernán Cortés
(1485 - 1547)
Spanish general and explorer
Spanish general and explorer
Spanish conquistador who led the expedition resulting in the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain, Hernán Cortés sailed to the Americas in 1504 seeking fortune.
In 1519, he landed on the coast of Mexico and forged alliances with indigenous peoples discontented with Aztec rule.
Using strategic diplomacy and military force, he marched on Tenochtitlan and captured Emperor Moctezuma II.
The ensuing siege and diseases led to the collapse of the Aztec Empire in 1521.
Cortés served as governor of New Spain but faced political disputes and returned to Spain in 1541.
He died in 1547, remembered as a figure of exploration, conquest, and controversy.
1547
Hernán Cortés