DETAILED MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE REMAINS OF FERNANDO CORTES, IN WHICH CRIMINALISTICS AND FORENSIC MEDICINE TECHNIQUES USUALLY RESERVED FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF CRIME VICTIMS WERE USED, CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF A VERBAL OR DESCRIPTIVE PORTRAIT OF CORTES BY A CONTEMPORARY HISTORIAN, AND COMPARED FAVORABLY WITH A LIKENESS OF THE SPANISH CONQUISTADOR AS IT APPEARS IN A FLORENTINE CODE. A POLICE ARTIST DRAWING WAS BASED ON THE CHRONICLER'S DESCRIPTION OF CORTES' PHYSICAL APPEARANCE. MINUTE EXAMINATION OF THE CRANIAL AND SKELETAL REMAINS CONFIRMED THE EXISTENCE OF THE BONY LESIONS AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF CORTES' BODY CAUSED BY THE CONGENITAL SYPHYILIS WITH WHICH HE WAS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN AFFLICTED, THE SHAPE OF THE NASAL BONES, AND THE CURVATURE OF THE LOWER LIMBS INDICATING THAT CORTES WAS BOWLEGGED. THE DESCRIPTIVE, OR VERBAL, PORTRAIT TECHNIQUES WHICH MUST BE UTILIZED BY POLICE ARTISTS TO CIRCULATE DESCRIPTIONS OF A CRIME SUSPECT IS, THUS, A RELIABLE IDENTIFICATION AID FOR POLICE INVESTIGATIONS. IN ADDITION THE TECHNIQUE CAN BE APPLIED THROUGH DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF HISTORICAL FIGURES, WHICH CAN BE PIECED TOGETHER WITH GREAT ACCURACY FOR COMPARISON WITH PICTORIAL LIKENESSES TO ACHIEVE RELIABLE COMPOSITE PORTRAITS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. --IN SPANISH. (LGR)