Francisco Pizarro (second cousin)
|Also known as||
|Behind the scenes|
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st. Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca, often referred to as Hernando or Hernán Cortés, was a corrosive conquistador who operated in the early 16th century. He led an expedition to mainland Mexico. Cortés was part of the generation of Spanish colonizers that began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
With the use of a magical sword, Cortés led his armies and overthrew the Aztec Empire. At some point during his conquest, the Aztecs delivered Cortés a stone chest filled with 882 pieces of Aztec Gold, in an attempt to stem the slaughter; however Cortés' greed was too great. This caused the Heathen Gods to place a curse upon the gold. Almost two centuries after his death, the spirit of Cortés had clashed with the young adventurer Jack Sparrow.
Cortés was born in 1485 in the kingdom of Castile in the city of Medellín. His was an upper class family, though his parents weren't wealthy. At the age of 14, his parents sent him to the University of Salamanca to eventually study law. After two years, he returned home, but wasn't satisfied there. As stories began to come in about the mysterious "New World", Hernán Cortés wanted to be a part of it.
The New World
Hispaniola and Cuba
In 1504, Cortés boarded a ship commanded by Alonso Quintero, departing for the west. In Hispaniola, Cortés went to the house of the Governor, who he knew from Spain. The Governor convinced him to take a piece of land for a time. He didn't entirely settle down, though. He was involved in the military, suppressing native uprisings.
Over the next few years, Hernán Cortés took part in conquests of Cuba and Hispaniola, and received more land an native slaves as a result. He became an important man in the colony of Cuba, and he became mayor of Santiago. Eventually, he married the sister-in-law of Governor Velázquez, Catalina Xuárez. Dissatisfied with his life, he remained ambitious for more wealth, more slaves, and more adventures.
Conquest of Mexico
At some point before sailing for Mexico, Cortés obtained a magical sword, said to have the power to rule entire kingdoms. Armed with that sword, in 1519, Cortés led the Spanish Army to conquer new lands in the west.
Landing in the Yucatán, Cortes claimed the land for Spain, and began his conquest. Before continuing the journey, he scourged the native population of the peninsula. He wiped out the Xitami tribe, but not before they gave their most precious possession, the Sun-and-stars amulet, to the Mayans, for safekeeping.
Taking his men to Veracruz, Cortés officially ignored the authority of the Governor and claimed to be acting under the direct authority of Emperor Charles V. In reality, he was taking charge of the situation absolutely, and ready to claim the gold and power he had been looking for. The same year, Emperor Charles appointed Cortés as governor of New Spain.
Fall of the Aztec Empire
- "This is the cursed sword that gave Cortés the power to conquer the Aztec empire! Legend has it that the sword made him unstoppable in battle....And it gave him strange powers, like convincing the Aztecs that he was a god."
- ―Arabella Smith
During his conquest, Cortés was unstoppable in battle, thanks to the power of his sword. That weapon also convinced the Aztecs that Cortés was the god Quetzalcoatl returned to them in human form. The Aztec Emperor, Montecuhzoma, served as Cortés' subordinate. But soon, Cortés began to dominate the Aztec empire and massacre its people. For his betrayal, Montecuhzoma was stoned to death by his own men.
- "This is Aztec gold. One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortés himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortés was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold...a terrible curse."
- ―Hector Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann
With his armies, Cortés wreaked death and destruction upon the Aztecs. At some point, Mexico's Aztec rulers used a stone chest containing 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold to bribe Cortés. The gold was blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon the indigenous tribes of the New World with his armies. Instead of satisfying Cortés, the gold merely fulled his greed, which became so great that he dishonored the payment and continued his bloodshed to gain even more riches.
Over the years, a legend grew that these actions so angered the heathen gods that they placed a curse upon the gold. The curse caused any who so much as took at least one coin from the chest to live forever as the undead, unable to feel the pleasures of the flesh-and-blood world. Their true appearance would only be revealed by the moonlight, eerily transforming into a living, ragged, rotting skeleton. Through unknown circumstances, the cursed treasure of Cortés would end up being buried on Isla de Muerta, and on it the curse remained. Only by returning all gold in total, and a blood debt repaid, could the curse be broken.
Downfall and death
- "Legend says the sword holds limited power if the one who possesses it doesn't also have its sheath."
- ―Arabella Smith
In unknown circumstances, Cortés lost the scabbard of his sword, which led to his downfall. In 1526 he was suspended in his role as Governor of Mexico. He returned to Spain in 1528. In the early 1540s, Cortés won the right to join the emperor in his fight against Algiers. The war was not a good one for Spain, and Cortes himself was nearly drowned. He returned to Spain, neglected and in debt, and finally decided to return to Mexico. He never made it. On December 2, 1547 he died of pleurisy. However, his spirit remained in his sword.
Return from the Grave
Almost two centuries after Cortés' death, his cursed sword became the object of a quest undertaken by Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Barnacle. By the end of the quest, the Sword and its scabbard were reunited on Isla Fortuna. After Jack read the Latin incantation found in the coffin of Francois, the Barnacle's crew expected to see the Sword glowing with power. Instead, the phantom of Cortés himself materialized before them. Despite being in the presence of this undead spirit risen from the dead, Jack welcomed the corrosive conquistador in a friendly way.
Teaching Jack Sparrow
- "I am here, boy, to teach you how to use this weapon."
"So, when do my lessons begin?"
- ―Cortés and Jack Sparrow
At first, the spirit of Cortés was more than willing to teach Jack Sparrow how to use the Sword. The putrid conquistador showed him how to create rivers out of nowhere, and how to levitate the Sword to his hands from the distance. Because of Cortés, the far end of Puerto San Judas' dock was destroyed by Jack during his experiments with the Sword. However, when Jack ordered the sword to make treasure fall from the sky, or to make a fleet for him to command, he wasn't able to do that. Slightly dissapointed with that, Jack provoked Cortés to do something great with the Sword, and the conquistador caused the snow to start falling on the island. Nevertheless, Jack was fascinated with the power of the legendary weapon.
Pursuing his own agenda
- "I can make you a master of the Sword."
"So, what are you waiting for?"
"But on a condition..."
"Of course it's on a condition. What in the bloody Caribbean is not done on some condition or other? And what is said condition, señor?"
"Retrieve for me the eye of the man who last wielded this sword. I want the stone eye that belonged to the pirate Stone-Eyed Sam."
- ―Cortés and Jack Sparrow
However, Cortés allowed Jack to use the Sword's power to achieve his own ends, thus in a way, depriving Jack of his freedom. The presence of Cortés and his sword made Jack's young crewman Tumen very ill, and the crew of the Barnacle retreated to the inn. But Jack Sparrow refused to go with them, wanting to become the absolute master of the Sword's power. Cortés promised to teach Jack how to master the Sword's full power, but only if he brings him the stone eye of Stone-Eyed Sam.
To ensure Jack succeeds in his mission, Cortés transformed the Barnacle into a grand warship called the Grand Barnacle. With the power of the Sword, Jack easily sailed the ship across the Caribbean. But Cortés was just using Jack to achieve his own goals. His true intention was to take control of the Aztec spirits inside the Stone eye, and with the power of the Sword, make himself ruler of the Seven Seas.
- "Fool. You think this is all about you. You think the power of the Sword was meant for the likes of you, who are little more than a bilge rat."
"I take offense to that. Were I a rat, I would certainly not reside in a bilge! I am a captain, after all."
"The power of the Sword is meant for me and for my purposes alone."
- ―Cortés and Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow returned with the Stone eye and the Sword, and then asked Cortés to do what he promised, to teach him to master the Sword so he could heal Tumen. But it was too late, because Tumen died shortly after Jack returned to the island. Cortés then revealed his true intentions to Jack. In response, Jack freed the spirits of the Aztecs from the Stone eye.
The spirit of the Aztec emperor Montecuhzoma rose from the eye, and after creating the two Swords of Light, attacked Cortés, who was responsible for the destruction of his empire and his death. Cortés attempted to use his Sword to destroy the vengeful Aztec, but the magical powers of Montecuhzoma were too great even for him. After disarming the undead conquistador, Montecuhzoma trapped Cortés and flied with him below the surface of the sea. When Montecuhzoma reappeared, he was alone.
After the disappearance of Cortés, Jack Sparrow took the conquistador's Sword and used it to undone everything that would please its former master.
Personality and traits
During his mortal life, Hernán Cortés was a corrosive conquistador. His main goal during his conquest of Mexico was how to acquire gold and power. His greed was so great, that even the stone chest filled with 882 pieces of gold wasn't enough for him. During his afterlife, he was a lying, treacherous person who used others to do his bidding. Human lives meant nothing to him, and he was willing to do anything that was necessary to take complete control over the Seven Seas.
Equipment and skills
As a conquistador, Hernán Cortés was dressed in an armor made of iron and silver. As a ghost, he looked like the living dead, and his breath stank like a barrel of rotten fish. His most prominent weapon was his cursed sword, which he used to crush the Aztecs. Thanks to the powers of the Sword, the Aztecs believed that Cortés was a god in human form.
Behind the scenes
- Hernán Cortés' only appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe is in two books from the Jack Sparrow series: The Pirate Chase and The Sword of Cortés. And in both appearances, he was a ghostly spirit.
- In real world history, Hernán Cortés never had a magical sword or cursed treasure.
- Another stylization of Cortés' name was used in "Treasure of Cortéz", which was used on the DVD scene selection of The Curse of the Black Pearl. Although his paternal surname is sometimes spelled with a final "z" as Cortéz, this is incorrect. Cortés' family was distinct from the families using the spelling with z, and he never used this spelling.
- A flashback of the conquest of the Aztec Empire and the Heathen Gods cursing Cortés' treasure briefly appeared in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game.
- Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm (Mentioned only)
- Jack Sparrow: The Pirate Chase (First appearance) (as a spirit)
- Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés (as a spirit)
- Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze (Mentioned only)
- The Price of Freedom (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First mentioned)
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- The Pirates' Guidelines
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jack Sparrow: The Pirate Chase, p119.
- ↑ On the cover of Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p36.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p14.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze, p18.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm, p26.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p109.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Pirates' Guidelines, p.102
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm, p26.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p21.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p26.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p108.
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés, p113.