18.3.1519 - 11 ships, 500 men

Hernán Cortés, 1st Marquis del Valle de Oajaca was one of the most famous Spanish conquistadors. In his most famous campaign between 1519 and 1521, he conquered the Aztec Empire and was at the birth of the Spanish colonial dominion in Central America.
The discovery of the New World gave the Spanish kingdom the opportunity to create a new colonial possessions, conquer unknown territories and spread the Catholic faith. The chance to gain gold, fame and titles drew various adventurers and impoverished nobles who had no great career in Spain.

One of them was Hernán Cortes, who did not stay long in his native Medellín and set off to the world in search of fame and fortune. From 1504 he lived on the island of Hispaniola in Haiti, where he gained combat experience on expeditions against the local Indians.

In 1511 he participated in the conquest of Cuba, where he was appointed mayor of Santiago de Cuba. He did not exactly get on well with the local governor Velazquez de Cuellar, and it is said that Cortes was not easy to get along with, so he tried to go on another expedition. He managed to convince the governor to allow him to go to the Yucatán Peninsula in 1519. This expedition was forbidden at the last moment and a warrant was issued for Cortes' arrest, but he managed to set off on 18 March 1519 with 11 ships and 500 men.

In the Yucatan he conquered the land of Tabasco, but it was also there that he learned of a more interesting goal, the Aztec empire.

On April 20, he landed near the present-day city of Veracruz and had himself elected judge and captain general by the troops, ordering the burning of the ships, except for one that had gone to report to Spain.He then went inland, where he managed to make contact with the Indian tribes who had accepted Spanish rule and joined the campaign against the hated Aztecs. He reached the capital of Tenochtitlan without a fight, where he captured the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II. whom he forced to acknowledge Spanish rule, making Cortes the de facto ruler of what is now Mexico.

His action, which he actually took despite the prohibition of his superior, brought him trouble. In 1520, Governor Velazquez de Cuellara sent a punitive expedition of 2,000 men led by Panfilo de Navaez against Cortes. Cortes manages to ambush and capture him, and the soldiers then defect to his side. During his absence, a rebellion breaks out in Tenochtitlán, and although Cortés and his troops immediately head back, they must leave Tenochtitlán after a losing battle on 2 July 1520. He suffered considerable losses of men and loot.

After replenishing his forces, Cortés attacks again, uncompromisingly blasts Tenochtitlán with cannon fire and finally wins on 13 August 1521.cIn 1522, King Charles V of Spain appointed him governor, supreme judge and commander-in-chief of New Mexico.

His success and haughty nature also made him many enemies. In Spain he was accused of abusing his powers and an inspection was sent against him. In 1528 Cortés therefore went to Spain to plead his case directly to King Charles V, who granted him the title of Marquis del Valle de Oajaca and endowed him with large tracts of land in Mexico.

In 1529, however, he was no longer confirmed as viceroy and was only appointed commander-in-chief of the army with the right to make new conquests. He undertook several expeditions to Panama and North America, but these brought him no profit, only debts. He tried to have his debts paid by the royal treasury, but without success. He was bitter and felt unappreciated, for all he had done for Spain he was run out like this. In 1540 he was admitted to Charles V, but it made no difference to his situation. He still undertook an expedition to Algeria in 1541 and before returning to Mexico he died of dysentery in Spain in 1547.

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