Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conqueror born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain who studied briefly at the University of Salamanca before traveling to what is now the Caribbean and Mexico. In 1519, Cortés sailed from Cuba to the coast of Mexico with 11 ships, 600 men, horses, and artillery. He founded the city of Villa Rica de la Veracruz and allied with local indigenous groups against the powerful Aztec Empire. Cortés marched into the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, where emperor Moctezuma initially welcomed him, though tensions later rose between the Spanish and Aztecs. Cortés eventually defeated the Aztec empire and claimed their territories for Spain.

1. Hernán Cortés By: Ana Manuel Cano & Sara Pérez García

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