| 1485 | Cortes is born in Medellin, Spain. | Cortes is born in Medellin Spain to an infantry captain and his wife. |
| 1499 | Cortes studies Latin. | Cortes is sent to study Latin in Salamanca, staying with an uncle-in-law. |
| 1504 | Cortes leaves for the New World. | Cortes leaves for the island of Santa Domingo in the New World at the age of eighteen. He settles in the town of Azua. |
| 1506 | Cortes participates in the conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba. | Cortes takes part in an expedition and conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba. |
| 1511 | Cortes joins an expedition to Cuba. | Cortes joins an expedition to Cuba led by Diego Velazquez. Cortes ends up working in civil government for a short time. |
| November 18, 1518 | Cortes sets sail for Mexico. | Cortes sets sails for Mexico with 500 men and 11 ships in the hopes of discovering new land and claiming it for Spain. |
| March 4, 1519 | Cortes reaches Mexican coast. | Cortes reaches the Mexican coast and immediately claims the new land for Spain. |
| 1521 | Cortes defeats the Aztecs. | After suffering a defeat at the hands of the Aztec Empire, Cortes defeats the Aztec Empire, essentially causing the fall of the Empire. |
| August 13, 1521 | Cortes establishes Mexico City. | After defeating the Aztecs, Cortes renames the city of Tenochtitlan, calling it Mexico City. |
| 1522 | Cortes appointed governor. | Cortes is appointed governor of New Spain by King Charles I of Spain. |
| November 1, 1522 | Cortes' first wife dies. | Cortes' first wife, Catalina, dies under mysterious circumstances. |
| 1524 | Cortes travels to Honduras. | Cortes travels to Honduras to defeat a rebellion that had been formed in opposition to his rule. Back in Mexico, Cortes was removed from power. |
| 1529 | Cortes remarries. | Cortes remarries noblewoman Dona Juana de Zuniga. |
| 1536 | Cortes discovers the Baja California peninsula. | After returned to Mexico in 1530, Cortes discovers the Baja California peninsula. |
| 1541 | Cortes retires in Spain. | Cortes retires in Spain amidst an atmosphere of neglect and disdain. |
| December 2, 1547 | Cortes dies in Spain. | Cortes dies in Castilleja de la Cuesta, Spain due to a fatal case of pleurisy. |
