Conquistador Hernan Cortes and Nahua ally La Malinche, historical illustration. In 1519, Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) led an expedition of several hundred soldiers to the Mexican mainland. There, along with an army of thousands hostile to their Aztec rulers, he began the conquest of Mexico with the aid of Nahua advisor and interpreter La Malinche. Moctezuma II, ruler of the Aztec Empire, welcomed Cortes as a guest, but some months later was taken hostage in his own city and died in unclear circumstances. Cortes and his army fought their way out of the city, regrouped and completed their conquest. Cortes and La Malinche had a son in around 1523. Artwork published in 1843.