what was the purpose of hernan cortes voyage

Question

im doing an work sheet and need help on the question about hernan cortes 

Answer 1

Hernan Cortes was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century.  Cortes was part of the generation of Spanish colonizers that began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

 

Cortes, who was born in Medellin, Castile, chose to pursue a livelihood in the New World. He began in Haiti and the Dominican Republic,  where he served as a notary of the town of Azua de Compostela. He lived there for approximately five (5) years, after which he took part in the conquest of Cuba.  In 1518, he was placed in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization.  Cortes landed in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mayan Territory) in February 1519.  In March of 1519, he formally claimed the land for the Spanish crown.  In short, he played a large role in establishing "New Spain".

 

Cortes, over the years, traveled on many voyages. Many of these expeditions he financed himself. Cortes is often cited as someone who did not listen to authority, and chose to do what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted.  He died in 1547, a wealthy but embittered man, at the age of 62 from pleurisy.

 

Worthy of note: He discovered the Baja peninsula, and explored the northwestern lands of Mexico, as well as the Pacific Coast.  The Gulf of California was originally named the "Sea of Cortes" by its discoverer Francisco de Ulloa in 1539.

 

Hope this abbreviated history of his explorations helped...