5. Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés led the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, unleashing widespread slaughter and the ruthless subjugation of indigenous peoples. His relentless pursuit of gold and power brought about the collapse of a great civilization, leading to the deaths of countless Aztecs through warfare, execution, and disease. Cortés’s brutal tactics and cunning strategies forever reshaped the history of Mesoamerica.
