What is Hernán Cortés?
{{nosources|date=July 2019}} [[File:Retrato de Hernán Cortés.jpg|thumb|right|Hernán Cortés]] '''Hernán Cortés''' ([[1485]] - [[2 December]] [[1547]]) was an [[explorer]] and [[Conquistador]] from [[Spain]]. Between [[1519]] and [[1521]], he conquered the [[Aztec Empire]] of emperor [[Montezuma II]] where [[Mexico]] is today. He introduced [[vanilla]] and [[chocolate]] to [[Europe]]. == Early life == Cortes was born [[Medellín]], [[Extremadura]] province, in the [[Kingdom of Castile]] in Spain. He went to [[Salamanca University]], but dropped out at the age of 17. After two years, Cortes failed and finished schooling, returning home. This, however, was later helpful, as he knew how the [[law]] of [[Spain]] worked. Hernan's journeys started in [[1502]] when he had heard stories about the [[New World]]. He then went on a journey led by [[Nicolas de Ovando]] and [[Diego Velazquez]] to the [[West Indies]]. He turned out to be a good soldier under the orders of Velázquez. == Conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba == He went to the New World in [[1506]]. In [[1511]], he took part in the [[Conquistador|Spanish conquest]] of [[Hispaniola]] and [[Cuba]], where the [[Arawak]] people lived. In [[1513]], the Spanish built the town [[Bayamo]]. [[1514|The next year]], they built [[Trinidad]], [[Santo]] [[Espiritu]], Puerto Principe, and [[Santiago de Cuba]]. In [[1519]], Cortes set out from [[Cuba]] with a fleet of ships, 600 men, and about 20 horses. They went to Yucatán to look for [[gold]] and to get [[Mexico]] ready for [[colonization]]. They landed in [[Yucatán Peninsula]] and met Jeronimo de Aguilar, a [[priest]] who lived through a [[shipwreck]]. He knew a lot about the [[Mayan civilization|Maya]], who owned this section of land. Cortes took over Yucatán by winning a battle against the people of Tabasco. He met a woman, La Malinche, who knew the [[Maya languages|Maya]] and [[Nahuatl]] languages. She acted as his [[translator]] when he talked with Maya and Aztec people. == Conquest of Mexico == {{See also|Spanish conque