Adventures
In 1518 Cortéz persuaded Velázquez, who had since become governor, to make him commander of an expedition to Mexico. It was still only recently been discovered by Europeans and was rumored to be very wealthy. Shortly before Cortéz set sail, Velázquez, grew suspicious of his motives, and cancelled his commission. Cortéz ignored Velázquez, however, and set out anyway. On his arrival he established a settlement in a place now known as Veracruz, and made local allies with the Aztecs.