Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés befriended Governor Velasquez’s sister-in-law, Catalina Xuarez Marcaida and love blossomed between the two. He married her in 1518 with the intention of acquiring her as well as Velasquez’s wealth. The marriage ended with Catalina’s mysterious death in New Mexico, in 1522.

His second marriage to Spanish nobelwoman, Dona Juana Ramirez de Arellano de Zuniga, in 1529 resulted in four offspring – son Don Martin Cortes y Zuniga and daughters Dona Maria, Dona Catalina and Dona Juana.

Upon his arrival in Seville while traveling back to Mexico in 1547, he fell ill with dysentery and died on December 2, 1547 due to pleurisy, in Castilleja de la Cuesta, at the age of 62.

Hernan Cortes de Monroy y Pizarro was born in 1485 in Medellin, western Spain, to infantry captain Martin Cortes de Monroy and Catalina Pizarro Altamirano.

At the age of 14, he was sent to the University of Salamanca to study Latin and make a career in law. However, he returned back two years later in 1501, due to lack of interest in studies.

Being adventurous, he boarded the ship commanded by Alonso Quintero heading to Hispaniola, in 1504, where he was received by Governor Nicolas de Ovando upon reaching the capital city, Santo Domingo.

He was given a small encomienda by Ovando and served as the notary of Azua de Compostela town. For the next five years, he learnt the workings of the colony and established himself in the settlement, making several allies.

In 1511, Hernán Cortés joined the expedition of Cuba under Diego Velasquez as a secretary rather than a soldier. He was recruited in the civil government and made a secretary of Velasquez, who became Governor of Cuba.

He enjoyed promotions and senior positions in Santiago—the second largest city of Cuba—becoming municipal magistrate twice. He also served as the mayor Santiago for a while.

In 1518, just before he was about to set sail for an expedition to Mexico, Velasquez canceled the commission; however, he ignored the orders and proceeded with 500 men, 11 vessels, 13 horses and some cannons.

He reached the Mayan territory on the Mexican coast in February 1519 and befriended some natives, while fighting others to conquer Mexico.

He headed towards Tabasco and won the battle against the natives, in March 1519. Soon after, he set his eyes on Tenochitilan, the Aztec capital, to overthrow its ruler, Montezuma II, and took him hostage a few months later.

Hernán Cortés was instrumental in the fall of Aztec Empire and in bringing large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of Spain..

In 1536, he set out to explore Central America in search of a gulf leading to the Pacific from the Atlantic. While he didn’t find any strait, he discovered the peninsula of Baja California.