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Born in Medellín, Spain
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In 1504, Cortés left Spain to seek his fortune in New World. He traveled to the island of Santo Domingo or Hispaniola. Settling in the new town of Azúa, Cortés served as a notary for several years.
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He joined an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511
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In 1518, Cortés was to command his own expedition to Mexico, but Velázquez canceled it In a mutinous act of defiance, Cortés ignored the order, setting sail for Mexico with more than 500 men and 11 ships that year
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As a reward, King Charles I appointed him governor of New Spain in 1522.
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He traveled to Honduras in 1524 to stop a rebellion against him in the area.
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In 1536, Cortés led an expedition to the northwestern part of Mexico, in the process of exploring Baja California and Mexico's Pacific coast. This was to be his last major expedition
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Castilleja de la Cuesta, Spain