Hernán Cortés quit law school to travel to the New World, hoping to make his fortune. He first arrived in Hispaniola in 1504 and worked his way up in the government of Cuba. In 1519, despite being ordered not to, Cortés sailed to Mexico with 11 ships, 500 men, and horses. With the help of a translator, Doña Marina, Cortés formed alliances and marched on the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Cortés captured the Aztec emperor Montezuma and claimed Mexico for Spain, renaming Tenochtitlan as Mexico City.

1. HERNÁN
CORTÉS

3. WHEN I WAS 14, MY PARENTS SENT ME TO
SCHOOL TO STUDY LAW.
BUT THAT IS NOT MY PASSION, SO I QUIT!
I HEARD OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
DISCOVERIES OF THE NEW WORLD.
I TOO WANTED TO TRAVEL, SEE NEW
LANDS AND MAKE MY OWN FORTUNE
AND FAME.

4. MY JOURNEY
1504, THE NEW WORLD
• I first arrived on the island of Hispaniola at the city of
Santo Domingo and work as a notary.
• Over 5 years, I made a name for myself there.
1511, CONQUERING CUBA
• When Diego Velazquez conquered Cuba and became a
governor, he helped me to rise in the government, since I
travelled with him.
• I became a powerful and wealthy figure in Cuba.

5. MY JOURNEY
1519, MEXICO
•Governor Velazquez became worried that I would become too powerful and
ordered me not to sail. I disobeyed him and set sail anyway.
•My men and I landed at the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico in April of 1519,
together with 11 ships, around 500 men, some horses, and some cannon.
•I met a native woman named Dona Marina who spoke the Nahuatl language
of the Aztecs and helped me to do the translation.
•I wanted to conquer the Aztec as I heard of their gold and treasures. I want
to take their treasure for Spain.
•My request to meet with the Aztec Emperor, Montezuma II, was repeatedly
turned down. That is when I decided to march to the Aztec capital,
Tenochtitlan.

6. MY JOURNEY
• With my 500 men, we began to march to Tenochtitlan. Along the way, I made
alliances with other tribes, including the powerful Tlaxcala people.
• I then arrived at the city of Cholula, the second largest city of Mexico and a
religious center of the Aztec Empire.
• When I found out that the people at Cholula planned to kill me in my sleep, I
killed around 3,000 nobles, priests, and warriors, burning down a portion of
the city.
• We arrived at Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519 and was welcomed by the
Aztec Emperor Montezuma II. Montezuma thought that I might be the god
Quetzalcoatl in human form and gave us gifts of gold.

7. • Montezuma became my prisoner since I want all the gold.
• However, Governor Velasquez from Cuba sent another
expedition and we fought . I won!
• Without my knowledge, my men had killed King Montezuma.
• Therefore, on the night of June 30, 1520 we escaped from the
city.
• After conquering the Aztecs, I renamed the city of Tenochtitlan
to Mexico City. The city became the Spanish capital of the
territory which was called New Spain.
• I was named governor of the land by King Charles I of Spain.
MY JOURNEY

8. THE END OF MY JOURNEY
• In 1541, I participated in an unsuccessful
expedition to Algiers for the King of Spain.
• I nearly drowned when my ship sunk.
• On December 2, 1547, I died in Castilleja de
la Cuesta, Castile, Spain.