Fun Facts About Hernán Cortés
- Hernán Cortés's bones were hidden in 1823 for fear they would be desecrated, and everyone thought they had left Mexico. They were rediscovered in 1946 behind a masonry wall in the Hospital de Jesús Nazareno.[3]
- Cortés's conquest began as a mutiny: Cuba's governor revoked his command at the last minute, and Cortés sailed for Mexico anyway in February 1519.[3]
- To eliminate any idea of retreat, Cortés scuttled his own ships after taking over Veracruz in 1519.[3]
- Cortés explored the Baja California peninsula in 1536, and the Gulf of California was originally named the Sea of Cortés after him.[3]
- The poet John Keats famously got Cortés wrong: his poem "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" credits "stout Cortez" with discovering the Pacific, an honor that belongs to Balboa.[3]
- When Emperor Charles V asked who he was, Cortés reportedly replied: "I am a man who has given you more provinces than your ancestors left you cities."[3]
- Hernán Cortés was alive at the same time as Akbar the Great — their lives overlapped for 5 years (1542–1547).[1][2][4][5]
- Hernán Cortés lived to about 62, from 1485 until 1547.[1][2]
Hernán Cortés, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish conquistador, military commander, explorer, captain general, and writer, best known for his expedition that led to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés had been part of the generation of Spanish explorers and conquistadors who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.[1]
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Questions About Hernán Cortés
When was Hernán Cortés born?
Hernán Cortés was born in 1485 and died in 1547.
How old was Hernán Cortés at death?
Hernán Cortés died in 1547 at about 62 years old (1485–1547).
What was Hernán Cortés known for?
Hernán Cortés was known for: Conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire. Hernán Cortés, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish conquistador, military commander, explorer, captain general, and writer, best known for his expedition that led to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés had been part of the generation of Spanish explorers and conquistadors who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Who was alive at the same time as Hernán Cortés?
Hernán Cortés's closest contemporary was Michelangelo. Their lives overlapped for 62 years.
Sources
- Hernán Cortés — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hernán Cortés (Q7326) — Wikidata
- Hernán Cortés — Wikipedia
- Akbar — Wikipedia
- Akbar the Great (Q8597) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Retrato de Hernán Cortés.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. [1], Public domain