Hernando Cortes

A biographical narrative recounts an overseas expedition that ventures into central Mexico, following Hernando Cortes from his departure through early battles, negotiations, and alliance-building. It covers coastal landings and the founding of a settlement, the deliberate sinking of ships to bind followers to the enterprise, encounters with native religions and human sacrifices, and a large massacre at Cholula. The account describes the entrance into the capital, the capture and later death of the emperor, a popular revolt, the election and capture of a successor, and the long siege that ended in the capital's fall. The closing chapters trace the conqueror's distribution of spoils, journeys to the imperial court, fluctuating favor, and final years.