Hernán Cortés
Wikimedia CommonsHernán Cortés.
Hernán (or Hernando) Cortés was born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain. He began his life as an explorer after he joined Diego Velázquez in his voyage to the Dominican Republic.
Once their fleet reached the island, Velázquez successfully conquered it and effectively became its governor. It was then that Cortés persuaded his commander to allow him to lead a voyage of his own even further west toward Mexico.
Cortés was on a treasure hunt of sorts. He had heard that the recently discovered land where modern Mexico lies today was filled with a tremendous wealth of riches.
Wikimedia CommonsHernán Cortés
At first, he was given permission, but then Velázquez canceled the trip right before it happened because he began to grow suspicious of Cortés’ motives.
But the adventurous nature of Cortés didn’t care about what his commander had ordered and he went on his voyage anyway.
When Cortés arrived in the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán, it was believed that his coming coincided with the ancient Aztec prophecy of a white-skinned god arriving from the east.
The Aztec leader Montezuma II initially welcomed Cortés but tensions soon began to arise and Cortés took Montezuma hostage, asking him for a ransom.
An Aztec uprising ensued and they forced Cortés and the Spaniards out from their territory. But Cortés returned and overthrew the Aztec nation in 1521, securing his control over Mexico.
Cortés eventually became governor of New Spain in 1523, finally achieving the wealth and success that he had longed for at the start of his career. Perhaps his captain was right to be suspicious of the famous explorer, as his motives proved to be ones of self-indulgence, greed, and power.
After this look at famous explorers, read more about explorer Percy Fawcett’s mysterious disappearance. Then, learn about Richard Francis Burton, the explorer, poet, and spy extraordinaire.
