Hernan Cortes, The Famous Explorer

Hernando Cortes was born in Medellin, Spain in about 1845.His parents sent him to school at the University of Salamanca when he was fourteen, hoping he would pursue law, but after two years, he dropped out due to his boredom studying to become a lawyer. In 1504, Cortes traveled to Cuba and purchased some property there, hoping to get rich quick, and his plan worked.

The governor, Velasquis, was afraid that Cortes would take his position and threw him in prison. Cortes had heard about the gold the Indians had and his greed overwhelmed him. He proposed a plan to the governor in which he would sail over in order to retrieve some of the gold from the Indians. The governor approved of this plan and promptly released Cortes, who began to gather the military and navigational equipment necessary, such as crossbows and star charts.

Cortes set sail for Mexico shortly afterwards with 500 men, 100 of whom were trained as sailors. When they reached Santo Domingo, a war erupted between the crew and the natives. Cortes only lost two Spanish men, but slayed nearly 800 of the Indians. This resulted in a permanent treaty with the Txlacalas, the Aztec Empire's natural enemies, and the colony of New Mexico, which Hernando Cortes founded.

Later, the Aztec people greeted Cortes and his men. The Aztecs gave them gold and silver, mistakenly believing that Cortes was one of their gods, Quetzalcoatl, who was characterized by light skin, red hair, and light eyes. Shortly after arrival, Cortes gained a sense of superiority over the tribe and decided to capture Tenoctitlan and make a colony of his own. He and his men tried to convert the Aztecs to Christianity, but the Aztecs did not understand the language, and many were killed or enslaved by the Spanish because they were thought to be disobeying God. On November 8, 1519, Cortes and his men challenged the native forces and entered Tenoctitlan, taking the Aztec leader, Montezuma, hostage. In July of 1520, the Aztecs fought back in Noche Triste and attacked Cortes and his men, throwing them out of the city. Many Spanish and Aztec lives as well as valuable Aztec artifacts when during this battle, the Spaniards were fleeing from the Aztec and a bridge collapsed beneath them.

Cortes survived this attack however, and led a final battle against the Aztecs and finally conquered Tenoctitlan on August 13, 1521, the date which is considered the day the Aztec empire fell. When he returned to Spain, he was given the title Marquis of the Oaxaca Valley.

Although the Spanish introduced many positive aspects to the Aztec way of life, such as horses, sheep, cattle, and different kinds of grains and fruits, many people argue that the Spanish did more harm than good, bringing down the Aztec Empire and brutally killing their people between war and European diseases, such as Smallpox. A large portion of the Aztec culture was destroyed in the battles the fought with the Spaniards and many people say that the Spanish had no right to destroy a whole population as well as their history.