The Age of Exploration sure has undergone a reckoning, hasn't it? Those once seen as all-conquering heroes are now examined a tad more critically. Perhaps a sword in one hand a cross in the other was not as venerating as it seemed? (We always had a problem with that cross!)

That being said, Hernan Cortes' supposed glory was always questionable. This is a man who ruthlessly destroyed the ancient Aztec Empire, laying waste to centuries of civilization. You don't need a reckoning to see the faults.

So forgive us for not kvelling too much about Diego de Ordaz, who was a captain of one of Cortes' ships. Sure, a Jewish conquistador is kinda cool on the surface, but Ordaz wasn't openly Jewish, hiding his heritage under the guise of a New Christian. (Considering how the less hidden Jews were dealt with, one can't really blame him.)

After captaining for Cortes, Ordaz spent his time searching for El Dorado in the Amazon and for pearls in what is now Venezuela. He ended up being poisoned.

That's a reckoning, we give you that.