Hernando Cortez essays

Hernando Cortez essays Hernando Cortez was born in 1485 in Medellin, Extremadura. He studied law at the University of Salamanca but left after two years and decided to try in the Americas. Cortez went to Santo Domingo in 1504. In 1511 he became the mayor Cuba. In 1518 Cortez went to Mexico. In 1519, Cortez, with 600 men, and 20 horses, set sail from Cuba. Cortez sailed along the coast of Yucatan and in 1519 landed in Mexico, taking the town of Tabasco. Cortez learned from the natives of Tabasco of the Aztec Empire and its ruler, Montezuma II. Cortez took many of the locals prisoners, one was, Malachi. She was the interpreter, guide, and counselor for the Spanish. So the soldiers would not desert and spread the news to Cuba, Cortez destroyed his ships. Montezuma talked to Cortez to get him to stay away from the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Cortez then started to march inland. He defeated the native Tlaxcalans and then they joined sides with Cortez against the Aztecs. This proved to be a very tigh t alliance between these two people. Montezuma decided not to try and fight the Spanish, but to wait for them to come and to learn what they where there for. On November 8, 1519, Cortez entered the city. Some think that the Aztecs may have believed Cortez was a legendary god-king who was expected to return from the east. The soldiers were allowed to go through the city and take all the gold and other treasures they wanted. Cortez still believed that there would be attempts made to drive him out. So to be safe, he captured Montezuma and made him provide a ransom of gold and jewels. After a while harsh rules had made the Aztecs mad. A revolt against the Spanish started. They surrounded and attacked Cortez. Montezuma tried to stop the revolt, but he was stoned, and he died three days later. The Spanish were driven out of the city on June 30, 1520. In July, 1520, Cortez reached Tlaxcala. There he reorganized his army with some re ...