Hernan Cortés's Victors And Vanquished

Conquistador, written by Buddy Levy about the famous ventures of Hernan Cortes, places the reader in the 16th century, or the era c.1450-c. 1750 ce. During this time, the idea of exploration was spreading quickly, as kingdoms and empires in Europe sought to expand their territory. Portugal, with Spain following after, led the way for exploration as they headed south. Spain, however, ventured west, driven by a patriotic attitude of expanding past their borders. Levy tells the story of Hernan Cortes, originally setting sail from Spain, as he sailed from Cuba to the shores of Mexico in 1519, eager about the discovery of new lands. Cortes, as well as many other explorers during this time, was inspired by the Three G’s: God, gold, and glory. He planned to conquer the new lands for Spain, to convert the natives to Catholicism, and to obtain the riches of the land, mostly gold.

Among the explorers of North America that sought out and plundered the natives’ riches, Hernando De Soto is noted for combing over the southeast. During this journey De Soto is noted for meeting and sending Chief Tuscaloosa to his untimely death. Not only did Hernando De Soto and his crew kill Chief Tuscaloosa but they were known for conquering other natives in lust over their riches, such as gold and silver, not to mention their territory. The natives stood no chance against Hernando De Soto and his men, not only were the natives at a disadvantage technologically but the had been already injured socially and economically. Not only did Hernando bring destruction and death by way of conquest but he also brought germs, viruses and other illnesses

The Broken Spears, by Miguel Leon-Portilla, is an all-inclusive and compelling account of the Spanish conquest, told by the Aztecs also known as the conquered. Leon Portilla’s choice of events depicted in this book collides together giving the reader a broad view of the Spanish conquest. This book gives a history of emotional and spiritual human experiences, allowing the readers to comprehend, and relate to the Aztecs as they went through terror and faced their fears. This book provides an extensive amount of details concerning lack of leadership, bias and technological hardship that led to the Aztec defeat.

During his travels, Cabeza was helped by many Native tribes. The Indians helped him with directions, protection, and other hospitality’s (Doc 3). When Cabeza found his fellow Spaniards, he wanted to protect the Indians from them. This proves that the Natives trusted him, and he trusted the Natives(Doc 4). The Indians trusted him because he respected them. The Indians were a key part in Cabeza de Vaca’s survival.

Cortés was forced to retreat and rebuild his army. He spent the next 10 months conquering other Native Americans and enlisting them as allies against the Aztecs. He also received Spanish reinforcements from Cuba. Cortés invaded the Aztec Empire again in the spring of 1521. He began the siege of Tenochtitlán on May 26. His men stormed the city on August 13 and captured Cuauhtémoc. The old city was destroyed, and Cortés built the new capital of Mexico City on the ruins. He sent out expeditions to pacify the people of present-day Guatemala, Honduras, and the Pacific coast. Cortés served as governor of the new province of New Spain until

Cortes arrival in Mexico was unwelcomed by many of the inhabitants in Mexico. Cortes arrived in Mexico in 1519 which coincidentally was same time a prophecy said that the god Quetzalcoatl, who made human kind would come back to Tenochtitlan and the Aztecs thinking that the prophecy was true believed that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl and worshipped

The Aztecs were respectful, religious people, and they also conquered neighboring states/cities. The conflict and defeat of the Aztecs was not unavoidable. The Spanish used god, glory, and gold to make the Aztec empire weak. God: caused the conflict and defeat of the Aztecs, Glory: wanted fame and trust from the King and rise up to the nobility, Gold: wanted to make Spain rich, so they could buy and make expensive material and expand their empire.

Cortes: Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador that led the Spanish assault on the Aztec Empire. Many Tlaxcalans that despised the Mexica domination in the Aztec Empire willingly joined Cortes’s army. As a result, the Tlaxcalans, or former subjects of the Aztecs, fabricated more of Cortes’s army than Spaniards. Due to his large numbers, Cortes was able to quickly defeat Tenochtitlan and begin the formation of a Spanish Mesoamerican empire. ***

How was it possible for Hernan Cortes and other European explorers to overcome well-established Native American cultures with millions of people?

The fall of the Aztec Empire was due to the determination of the Spaniards. The Spaniards were destructive. They did not respect the Natives’ religions at all. They almost destroyed all of the Natives’ culture, and now we know very little about Natives. The Spaniards’ greed and obsession with power, this was their main motivation to conquer the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs’ religion is what got them into the most trouble. They sacrificed humans for their Gods, which was wrong in the Spaniards’ eyes (and mine too). They also were very superstitious .The Aztecs may have won the battle against the Spaniards if they too had advanced weaponry and battle tactics. The Aztecs and the Spaniards were vastly different people, however they had similarities. They both killed in the name of religion, and both growing empires willing to do anything to gain more power.

November 8, 1519, Hernan Cortes at Tenochtitlan and was welcomed by an Aztec Emperor, Montezuma the second. Even though Montezuma didn’t trust Cortes, he thought that Cortes might be their god Quetzalcoatl, just in a human form. Montezuma gave Hernan and his men gifts of gold because he thought by giving them gifts would keep Cortes from taking over their city, but they made Cortes want more and more.

In 1518 Hernan Cortes was in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization. At the last minute, due to an old argument between Cortes and Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, de Cuellar changed his mind and revoked Cortes’s charter. Cortes ignored the order, committed mutiny, and went on the expedition anyway in February 1519. Cortes landed in Mayan territory, and found Geronimo de Aguilar, a Spanish Franciscan priest who survived a shipwreck. de Aguilar was captured by the Maya, and was able to learn the Chontal Maya language and translated for Cortes. After claiming the land for the Spanish crown, Cortes journeyed inland. In modern-day Tabasco, they won a battle against the people. The vanquished Chontal Maya

Columbus returned home, whom is a hero from his first voyage, bringing back native Indians, mastic plants, aloe, lots of news and a sample of gold from his discoveries (Reyment n.p). Columbus had little difficulty in convincing his benefactors in Spain, King Ferdinand II, and Queen Isabella I, as it only took him about seven months to mount a second voyage.

The first European to visit Mexican territory was Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who arrived in Yucatan from Cuba with three ships and about 100 men in early 1517. Cordobars reports on his return to Cuba prompted the Spanish governor there, Diego Velasquez, to send a larger force back to Mexico under the command of Hernan Cortes. In March 1519, Cortes landed at the town of Tabasco, where he learned from the natives of the great Aztec civilization, then ruled by Moctezuma (or Montezuma) II. Defying the authority of Velasquez, Cortes founded the city of Veracruz on the southeastern Mexican coast, where he trained his army into a disciplined fighting force. Cortes and some 400 soldiers then marched into Mexico, aided by a native woman known as

One of the most famous events in Aztec history was the battle of Tenochtitlan, in which Hernan Cortes and his army of hundreds marched all the way to the capital where he murdered the leader Moctezuma II. During this great historical battle Cortes’ men slaughtered many men, women and children just for total control over the whole city.