1519 CEReputable sourceWell documented
Cortés Lands at Veracruz
On the timeline · around 1519 CE ·
What happened
In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed on the Gulf coast, founded a settlement at Veracruz, and — to prevent retreat — famously scuttled his own ships. With a few hundred men he began marching inland toward the Aztec capital.
Why it matters
Cortés's landing began the two-year campaign that would topple the Aztec Empire and open the conquest of the Americas' greatest indigenous states.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Hernán Cortés · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Age of Exploration → — Europe's conquest of the Americas begins