In the 16th century a spate of European explorers pursued gold and glory across the so-called New World. Among them was Hernán Cortés, a fame-seeking descendant of Spanish warriors who became a soldier on Diego Velazquez’s expedition to Cuba. His ambition ever rising, Cortés set his sights on a conquest he could call his own — the great capital city of the Aztec Empire, Tenochtitlan.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices