Who Was Hernan Cortes?

Hernan Cortes was one of the most significant conquistadors in the history of Spain who conquered the land of Mexico for Spain with the help of his huge army of 500 soldiers in the year 1519.  He aimed to conquer the Aztec empire for Spain as well, which he believed would have huge reserves of gold.  

Finally when he spotted the Aztec empire and also the capital of the Aztec empire Tenochtitlan, the Native Americans and the emperor did not suspect any kind of peril from these foreigners.  Instead the emperor of the Aztec empire whose name was Moctezuma conjectured Cortes to be a god of the Aztecs and therefore treated him with reverence.  

Nevertheless in the year 1520, Cortes ended this misconception on part of Moctezuma by capturing him and his land and eventually Mexico city was built where the capital of the Aztec empire was once located.  This colony was referred to by the Spanish as New Spain.

Hernando (or Hernan) Cortes (1483-1547) is the best-known and most notorious of the conquistadores.
Cortes was born in Estremadura, Spain. In 1504, he went to the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo, and took part in the conquest of Cuba for Spain in 1511. The governor of Cuba then sent Cortes to explore the mainland west of the island to look for gold.
Cortes and 700 troops explored the coast of what is now the Mexican state of Yucatan in 1519. Then he led an expedition overland to Tenochtitlan, what is now Mexico City, the capital of the Aztecs.
The Aztec ruler, Montezuma (or Moctezuma), received Cortes graciously, but was taken prisoner and forced to rule Mexico as a puppet.
The Aztec people renounced Montezuma's rule and attacked the Spaniards, forcing them to withdraw from Tenochtitlan. But, despite being outnumbered, the forces of Cortes eventually defeated the Aztecs on the plains of Otumba.
Cortes claimed Mexico for Spain in 1520, finally capturing the capital a year later.
Cortes ruled Mexico until 1540, when he fell out of favor with the Spanish king. Having returned to his native land to plead his cause, Cortes died near Seville.