Juan Cortez

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Character

Juan Garcia Cortez
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Appearances	[[Appearance::GTA Vice City]]
Full Name	Juan Garcia Cortez
Aliases	Colonel Cortez
Gender	Gender::Male
Place of Birth	Central America
Nationality	[[American|American]][[Nationality::American| ]]
Home	Unknown Central American Country Vice City
Family	Mercedes Cortez (daughter)
Main Affiliations	Mercedes Cortez Cortez Crew Gonzalez Ricardo Diaz Diaz' Gang Ken Rosenberg Tommy Vercetti Lance Vance Victor Vance
Vehicles	Yacht Squalo
Businesses	Drug Dealing Military Hardware
Voiced by	Robert Davi
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Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez, also known as Colonel Cortez is a character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986) and is also mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (in 1984). He is the head of the Cortez Crew and is a retired colonel from San Dominica, a fictional Central American country. He is the father of Mercedes Cortez.

He is a parody of Manuel Noriega, the military dictator of Panama and a major drug trafficker during the 1980s. He is voiced by Robert Davi, who also parodied Noriega as the antagonist of the James Bond film Licence To Kill.

Character history

Background

Juan Cortez was born in San Dominca, a fictional country presumably in Central America. During his time in his home country survived thirty coups and nine death sentences, always managing to survive and get promoted. Cortez has a disliking of the French and accuses them of hypocrisy for stealing from poor nations for centuries. Cortez had his daughter Mercedes by 1968 (assuming she were 18 in 1986) and is a widower. At some point, he became heavily involved in drug trafficking.

Vice City and Vice City Stories

Cortez began his business interests in the United States by sending Gonzalez, his right hand man, as a representative in drug deals. Gonzalez stole some of Cortez' drugs to sell for a side profit, though he is more or less forgiven by Cortez and allied drug lord Ricardo Diaz (who threatens to kill Gonzales if he does not begin to tell Diaz about Cortez' future drug deals in the city).

Cortez moved from his home country to Vice City by 1986, where he mainly lived on a large yacht. GTA Vice City's promotional website reveals that he is officially a cultural attache "encouraging trade and improving our standing" between their countries, providing him a cover for his drug operations. He tells his countrymen that while he would rather be at his vineyard celebrating with them, he is "my curse to live in luxury in the United States" because he is serving a patriotic duty. He also reveals that aside from his yacht, he has a luxury villa in Vice City that his people pay for.

Cortez moved to Vice City and established himself in the city, often throwing parties on his yacht, with the cities most prominent people attending, including Congressman Alex Shrub, drug baron Ricardo Diaz and real estate mogul Avery Carrington. He helps Ken Rosenberg to establish a drugs trade between the Liberty City based Forelli Family, represented by Tommy Vercetti, Harry and Lee, and the Vance Crime Family, represented by Lance and Victor Vance. The deal, however, is ambushed by Ricardo Diaz' men.

Tommy Vercetti later attended one of Cortez' parties and Cortez agreed to look into the ambushed drug deal, later informing Vercetti that Gonzalez had been talking about the deal and sends Vercetti to kill him. He continues to look into the ambushed deal and later confirms his suspicions that Diaz was involved, informing Vercetti. Whilst looking into the ambushed deal, Cortez has Tommy steal missile technology chips that the French government had wanted and had Tommy protect Diaz in a drug deal with the Cubans, allowing Tommy to become friends with Diaz and infiltrate his operation.

Cortez allows Tommy to work for Diaz and openly suggests that he may have been involved in the ambushed deal, but refuses to accuse him because Diaz is a 'dangerous man'. Later, however, Cortez does phone Tommy and asks him to steal a tank from soldiers moving through the town and back to the air base. Tommy steals the tank and continues to work for Diaz, eventually killing him. Cortez, however, would phone Tommy once again to request his help in fleeing Vice City, as French government agents are going to try to get their technology back. Tommy helps Cortez escape to safer waters and is given a boat to go back to shore, with Cortez asking Tommy to take care of his daughter, Mercedes. Cortez phones Tommy from an unknown location, after a major gun battle at the Vercetti Estate to ask about rumours that Mercedes was studying law, which to his relief turn out to be rumours. Cortez seems, however, to be unaware of Mercedes role in a Candy Suxxx film.

A phone conversation between Cortez and Tommy, that was deleted from the final game, states that Cortez has returned to his home country and had been involved in three revolutions, being promoted each time. The canonicity of this, however, is unknown.

Gallery

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  Juan Cortez meeting Tommy Vercetti at his party

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  Cortez and Tommy discussing Gonzalez' treachery

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  Cortez and Tommy, about to discuss the theft of French missile technology

• Juan Cortez Artwork

  Juan Cortez Artwork

• Juan Cortez Yacht

  Juan Cortez Yacht

Trivia

• Juan Cortez enjoys eating endangered species, including tapia snout, considering it a hallmark of fine living.

Mission appearances

GTA Vice City

• The Party
• Treacherous Swine (Boss)
• Mall Shootout (Boss)
• Guardian Angels (Boss)
• Sir, Yes Sir! (Boss)
• All Hands On Deck (Boss)