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Thank you. It's February 3, 1519, in Havana, Cuba.

It's a chilly morning, and Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez is dockside, overseeing preparations

for his upcoming expedition.

Fresh horses, water, and boxes of dried meat are loaded on board Cortez's 11 ships.

In a few days' time, this fleet will depart for the West

in search of gold and treasure in a land yet to be fully explored by Europeans, Mexico.

Cortez's productive morning is interrupted, though, when two messengers arrive with an

official decree from the Spanish governor of Cuba. The messengers hand Cortez a letter from the

governor, and it's not good news. Cortez has not made himself popular with the local aristocracy

during his time in Cuba, so the governor is canceling Cortez's

expedition to Mexico. Cortez is stunned. Everything he's worked so hard for is about to slip away,

but he refuses to accept defeat. Ignoring the governor's orders, Cortez tells his crew to work

even harder because they'll be leaving sooner than expected.

Officially, it's an act of insubordination, but Cortez is confident that no one will stop him.

Even the governor's messengers see things his way.

Swayed by the promise of great riches, they decide not to take Cortez into custody, but to join his expedition instead.

And while it's true that Cortez's crew will become very rich on this voyage,

none of them yet know that this is a one-way trip.

...