1-153-553 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Hernan Cortes meeting the Aztec Emperor Montezuma, 1519. Cortes (1485-1547) was the Spanish conquistador who conquered Mexico and overthrew the Aztec Empire. Landing in Mexico in 1519, with a force of only some 600 men, Cortes succeeded in overthrowing the empire of the Aztecs, a civilization numbering 5 million. He was able to achieve this partly due to the natives being terrified of the Europeans' horses and firearms, neither of which they had seen before. In addition, the Aztecs believed a prophecy that they would be visited by a light-skinned bearded god, the Quetzalcoatl, who had taught them agriculture and government in the past, and whose return they were to welcome with great ceremony. Cortes was able to exploit his resemblance to the Quetzalcoatl to great effect.