Cortés, Hernando

[ (kawr-tez) ]


A Spanish explorer and conquistador of the sixteenth century. Cortés overthrew the Aztec rulers of Mexico and established the authority of Spain over the country. His name is also spelled Cortez.

Words Nearby Cortés, Hernando

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.