Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés was born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain. His father, Martín Cortés de Monroy, was a member of the minor nobility. His mother made claims of noble lineage and was descended from the Pizarro family (who would become prominent in the New World). His lineage gave him some ties to the aristocracy, but not a great amount of wealth. For Cortés, military victories would be the key to fame.

He began to study law at the University of Salamanca at the age of fourteen. Scholars argue about his exact level of education and what purpose his time in Salamanca served him. Regardless of his educational level, his knowledge of some Latin likely helped him in the New World.

At nineteen, he decided to fight in the Italy wars, but abruptly changed his plans to join Nicolás de Ovando's 1502 expedition. An injury delayed his departure. He allegedly fell from a wall after visiting a mistress, breaking his leg and missing his chance to sail with Ovando.

In 1504, he finally set sail for the New World, ending up in Hispaniola. He became a notary of Azúa until 1511, when he joined Diego Velázquez's expedition to Cuba. He joined a conspiracy against Velázquez and was arrested twice. Eventually, Velázquez dropped the charges, leaving Cortés free to settle down, earn an encomienda (a grant of a certain number of natives who would labor for the holder), and gain some money.

Although two other expeditions had gone to the Yucatan peninsula in 1517 and 1518, it would be Cortés who would gain infamy for his conquest of Mexico. By February 1519, he had reached the Yucatan and had embarked upon his journey into the mainland.

The Conquest of Mexico