Was Hernan Cortez a villain or a hero?

He was a hero to his men and to the Mexican people of Tlaxcalla. He was brilliant and courageous. However, he was ruthless, deceptive, greedy, and selfish. He betrayed many of his Spanish friends in Cuba. He befriended emperor Moctezuma only to hold him hostage. He was a gambler, womanizer, seducer, cutthroat. read more

So when you see how influential Spain is in South America and think how Cortes started it off, no wonder the Spanish would consider him a hero. But on the other hand, he did bring demise to a great empire in what was not really a fair fight. read more

Hernando Cortes a hero for joining two worlds and conquering the most powerful civilization of America or Hernando Cortes a villain for making the Aztec Empire disappear. Hernando Cortez was an important symbol for the explorations, but killing people, ending the most powerful civilization in America and spreading diseases does not makes him a hero. read more