 Cortez was born in 1485 in western Spain  He first studied law then decided to move to the Americas to find wealth and fame  In 1504 he sailed for Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), moving to Cuba in 1511 where he assisted Diego Velázquez in his conquest of the island and made his reputation for courage and daring  Cortez persuaded Velazquez to make him the commander of an expedition to Mexico

 Shortly before Cortés set sail, Velázquez, who was now suspicious of his motives, cancelled his commission.  Cortés ignored Velázquez and set out.  On arrival he established a settlement (now Veracruz) and made local allies.

 The major civilization in the region was that of the Aztecs, led by Montezuma II.  Cortés headed for the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán.  It is thought that Cortés’ arrival coincided with an Aztec prophecy about a white-skinned god arriving from the east, which would explain why Montezuma welcomed Cortés and gave him lavish gifts.  However, relations quickly deteriorated and, fearing an attack, Cortés took Montezuma hostage, demanding a huge ransom from his people. Cortez was eventually driven out by the Aztecs  But in 1521 Cortez returned to Tenochtitlán, which fell after a three-month siege.

 A new settlement, Mexico City, was built on the ruins and settled with Spanish colonists, becoming the center of Spanish America.  King Charles I of Spain, who had become Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1519, appointed Cortés as governor, captain general and chief justice of the newly conquered territory

 Cortés initiated the construction of Mexico City, destroying Aztec temples and buildings and then rebuilding on the Aztec ruins  Cortés secured control over Mexico, inflicting great cruelty on the indigenous population. Western diseases such as smallpox also caused huge fatalities.

 The Spainish throne feared that Cortez was too powerful, so they took away many of his powers in Mexico  Cortez continued to explore Central American looking for a passage way to the Pacific Ocean, he never found the passage but did find and name California  Like Columbus, he died a wealthy but embittered man. He left his many mestizo and white children well cared for in his will, along with every one of their mothers.  He requested in his will that his remains eventually be buried in Mexico.