Hernan Cortes | Expeditions, Biography, & Facts | Britannica
Hernán Cortés ’s journey to the heart of the Aztec Empire was a saga of staggering ambition, catastrophic failure, and eventual triumph—a story often summarized by the contrasting "Noches tristes" (Sad Nights) and "Días de gloria" ( Days of Glory ). The Rise: Ambition and Defiance HernГЎn CortГ©s. Noches tristes, dГas de gloria._...
Born in 1485 to minor nobility in Medellín, Spain, Cortés was restless and clever, eventually abandoning law studies at Salamanca for the promise of the New World. By 1519, he was an ambitious clerk and landowner in Cuba who defied the orders of Governor Diego Velázquez to lead an unauthorized expedition to Mexico. To ensure his men had no choice but to succeed, he famously scuttled his ships at Veracruz, committing his force of roughly 500 men to "survival by conquest". The Encounter: Gods and Hostages Hernan Cortes | Expeditions, Biography, & Facts |