Hernán Cortés and the Fall of the Aztec Empire

Hernán Cortés was born in Medellín, Extremadura, around 1485, and took part in the conquest of Cuba before being named captain of an expedition to Mexico in 1518. He defied an order revoking his command and set out from Cuba in February 1519 with some 500-600 men and 16 horses, founding the settlement of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz on the coast and, according to tradition, ordering his own ships scuttled to eliminate any possibility of retreat and bind his men firmly to the expedition. He forged a decisive strategic alliance with the Tlaxcalteca, traditional enemies of the Mexica, and relied throughout on the interpretation and mediation of Malintzin, known as La Malinche, an indigenous woman fluent in Nahuatl and Maya who quickly learned Castilian as well and became far more than a translator, acting also as a diplomatic advisor.