Hernán Cortés
Landed in Mexico in 1519 with a few hundred men and, allied with the Tlaxcalans and others, took Tenochtitlan in 1521.
| Lived | 1485 – 1547 |
| Known as | Spanish conquistador |
| Birthplace or main place | Medellín |
| Places on the map | Mexico City, Seville |
MedellínSee the world of Hernán Cortés in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1400) | At death (map of 1500) |
|---|---|---|
| Medellín | Castile | Castile |
| Mexico City | Mixtec Empire | Aztec Empire |
| Seville | Castile | Castile |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1503 | The Casa de Contratación monopolises trade with the Americas | Seville |
| 1519 | Cortés enters Tenochtitlan | Mexico City |
| 1519 | Magellan's fleet sets out from Seville | Seville |
| 1521 | The Spanish take Tenochtitlan | Mexico City |
| 1535 | The Viceroyalty of New Spain is created | Mexico City |
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 – 1564 | Michelangelo | Sculptor, painter and architect |
| 1483 – 1546 | Martin Luther | Reformer |
| 1473 – 1543 | Nicolaus Copernicus | Astronomer |
| c. 1478 – 1541 | Francisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador |
| c. 1443 – 1538 | Askia Muhammad | Emperor of Songhai |
| 1494 – 1566 | Suleiman the Magnificent | Ottoman sultan |
| 1500 – 1558 | Charles V | Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain |
| 1483 – 1530 | Babur | Founder of the Mughal Empire |
| 1471 – 1529 | Krishnadevaraya | Emperor of Vijayanagara |
| 1471 – 1528 | Albrecht Dürer | Painter and printmaker |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.