Hernan Cortes Hero
Individuals tend to think of a “hero” as a kind person, someone who saves the entire population from a dreadful misery. Hernan Cortes, a Spanish soldier and conquistador, is a hero (in the minds of some) for acting courageously and enhancing Spain’s economy with the gold taken from the Aztecs. But as glorious as he may seem, he also killed many Mexican Natives and Aztecs and caused many unnecessary battles and disruptions for them. Aside from disease, Cortes also majorly disrupted the Aztec culture and religion by converting many to Catholicism. Depending on what facts were taken into consideration throughout his life, he could be seen as a hero, or a villain. Most historians today agree that he was a villain. Although Cortes was respected …show more content…
Using war equipment that the Aztec had never seen before and different battle techniques, Cortes and his men were able to quickly and effectively conquer Tenochtitlan. During battle against the Aztecs, animals from Spain that served in many battles called horses (about twelve), as well as swords and crossbows (a much more advanced version of the Aztec war club and spear-thrower) were labelled as advanced technology as they were quicker, deadlier, and consequently more efficient. These many advantages against the Aztecs and their traditional weapons; and therefore the Spaniards won many battles alongside their allies, and succeeded greatly by using guns that were far more powerful than the Aztecs' weapons. Unfair as it is, this gave the Spanish explorer a supremacy in conquering one of the most elaborate European cities at the time. “The Aztecs were unable to rebel against the Spaniards because most of them were sick or dead from smallpox. The Spanish were able to colonize Mexico without much resistance.” After the smallpox epidemic, the Aztecs were even more vulnerable. The Spanish exploration and conquering of Tenochtitlan was to gain power for the Spanish empire, but the city’s people were somewhat considered rebellious, and consequently, Cortes needed to conquer/kill the people first. By taking down the people of the city, Cortes was exposed to the city’s great treasures for his reward of gold; he retrieved all the gold he could, and travelled back to Spain where he was labelled a hero for his acts of
Hernan Cortes Research Paper
453 Words | 2 PagesHowever it didn’t last long. In 1523 Cortés was named governor and captain general of New Spain. In 1528, amid Spanish fears that he was becoming too powerful, he was forced to return to Spain where the king reinstated him as captain general, but not to the position of civil governor. On his return to Mexico, his powers were significantly limited and his activities monitored. Some might argue that Hernan Cortes was a villain instead of a hero because he invaded the Aztecs and took Montezuma hostage.
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259 Words | 2 PagesHernan Cortes. Spain’s savior, nightmare for the Aztecs. The man who brought gold and glory to Spain, at the cost of the destruction of a rich, thriving civilisation. Hernan Cortez was a cunning, manipulative, intelligent conquistador and he and his army single handedly took down one of the greatest civilizations of all time by forging, advanced weaponry, alliances and the Conquistador’s Formula. Some may argue that Dona Marina is most responsible because she advised and told Cortes what the enemy was planning, but she was merely a pawn in Cortes’s grand scheme of conquering the Aztecs, as Cortes was the true mastermind and defeated the Aztecs for these reasons: First Cortes and his army has more advanced weapons such as Halberds, crossbows,
How Did Hernan Cortes Overcome Well-Established Native American
643 Words | 3 Pages• Third reason was his translators Marina and Geronimo de Aguilar. Marina was a Mexican tribal girl who was given to Cortes as a gift, Geronimo de Aguilar was intelligent and well educated and picked up on much of the local dialects. First Marina translated the local languages to Geronimo, later he translated them into Spanish for Cortes. Marina proved herself to be invaluable in helping Cortes recover from confrontations with the Aztecs and other opposing tribes. She also was important in helping Cortes gain Indian allies as she could explain what Cortes could do for them and helping him in conquering the Aztecs • Fourth reason was Montezuma the local leader believed that Cortes was a god of thunder and lightning "Quetzakoatl" Which made Cortes to gain power over the local tribes.
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