Hernán Cortés

Cortés sailed to Santo Domingo from Spain in 1504 and then made his way to Cuba. He founded Veracruz and then marched inland to Tlaxcala, where he defeated and then made an alliance with the Tlaxcalans. Cortés captured the Aztec king Montezuma and held him hostage. When the Aztecs revolted, Cortés asked Montezuma to intercede to quiet them, but instead the Aztecs stoned Montezuma to death in 1520.