I recently did some reseach on Hernan Cortes for a class of mine.  I read several articles on him, and I found out a few surprising historical myths relating to him and the history recorded about him.Some people believe that Cortes burned his ship upon arriving in the Yucatan Peninsula in 1519.  This great legend claimed that he burned his ships to destroy any threat of rebellion and mutiny in his men.  Historians made a big deal out of this "brave and legendary" move.  It wasn't true -- he scuttled/grounded his ships, but he never burned them (or claimed to burn them). This was greated for pro-Spanish glory, yatta yatta.Myths about Cortes that I learned:1. Burned his ships2. Had a confrontation with Charles V of Spain in which Cortes verbally expressed his displeasure at his lack of a "proper" reward from Charles V (he didn't really do that, it's a myth believed to have been popularized by Voltaire).3. Another myth says he rowed away from the port in Cuba JUST as Governor Valazquez got there, and there had a verbal spar, Cortes exclaiming "You shall not stop me!"4. Rumor that Munctezuma made glorious speeches to Cortes (which had curious biblical references for an Aztec...)They go on and on.  I just think it's interesting to learn about these myths.  When I was in highschool, I remember READING FROM MY TEXTBOOK that Cortes burned his ships.  It's funny how these legends incorporate themselves in the teaching/learning of history.I'm sure there are a number of other legends about a number of other people.  I think this subject is really interesting and I wanted to share it with you all. 🙂