In 1519, Hernándo Cortés, a Spanish Conquistador ventured into Tenochtitlan, the capital of Aztec empire, searching for gold and glory. He set out to conquer the empire and to capture the Aztecs in order to achieve his ambitions. Moctezuma, the highly respected leader of the mighty Aztec Empire, came confronting with Hernán Cortés, the leader of a small band of professional European soldiers from a huge island that lay six day’s sail to the east. In “Malintzin’s Choices: An Indian Women in the Conquest of Mexico” and “Mexico and the Spanish Conquest”, Camilla Townsend and Ross Hassig respectively present one histories in their own interpretations of the conquest of Mexico.
In 1519 Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec empire in Tenochtitlan, the capital city and had claimed the Aztec empire, or what is now Mexico, for Spain. This scene was called the “Spanish Conquest of the Aztec empire”1. Hernan Cortés is one of the most well-known Spanish conquistadors. Cortes was fascinated about the journey of Christopher Columbus New world explorations and decided to seek fortune and adventure and so at age 19, he set sail for the New World.2 Cortes had lot of on board knowledge that the Spanish had which led to them conquering the Aztec for Spain. However, many things have challenged them to complete their desire.
Some factors that best explain the success enjoyed by the 16th century conquistadors in conquering Native American empires include riding horses, wearing helmets, advanced weaponry, intimidation, strategy, and disease. Riding horses allowed the conquistadors to move fast and carry their weapons with them, causing fear in the Natives and their defeat. The conquistadors wore helmets that helped protect their heads from the Native American retaliation; this is a very vulnerable part of the body when not protected. Advanced weapons such as guns were terrifying to the Native Americans instilling fear in them and put them at a disadvantage in fighting off the conquistadors. Conquistadors were also armed with very perfected swords that were much
Hernan Cortes was a hero that conquered the Aztec Empire. Hernan Cortes’ was an educated man. Military ran in his blood, his father was an officer in the Spanish army. He attended the University of Salamanca when he was only 14 years old. When Hernan Cortes was only 19 he joined Diego Velazquez and Nicola de Overdo on their voyages to the New World.
He received intelligence that many tribes feared and resented the ruler Montezuma. Cortes took advantage and made alliances with rival tribes and convinced them to march with him to Tenochtitlan. November 1519, Cortes and his men reached the capital city and were greeted with a procession and gifts from the Emperor. Montezuma believed Cortes to be the return of the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, who was prophesied to conquer his people and bring about peace. Other historians claim that Montezuma welcomed Cortes to the city from a position of strength and the gifts offered were a demonstration of power.
Taylan Swainston Miss Toone Language Arts 3 14 December 2022 Hernan Cortes: the Man Who Changed the World “Cortes was a leader capable of taking both utterly ruthless decisions & extravagant gambles”(Cartwright 4). Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador responsible for the attack on Tenochtitlan and the fall of the Aztec empire in the early 1500s. He used superior technology and strategies to gain victory against the Aztecs. He was an important figure in society and helped build the world to what it is now, because he had a very ambitious and destructive life, conquered much of Mexico, and wiped out a major ancient empire.
Conquistadors: A Conquistador is a leader in the Spanish conquest of the Americas. They were individuals whose weapons, organizational skills, and determination brought them remarkable success. Hernan cortes was a very important conquistador because he defeated the Aztec empire, and took over Mexico for Spain. Francisco Pizarro was an also an important conquistador because he brought over weapons, gunpowder, and horses and he discovered the Incas and then he conquered the Inca empire. Francisco Vasquez de coronado was an explorer and a conquistador who led a large voyage from Mexico to present-day Kansas.
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. Conquistador is basically a record of the last days of the Aztec civilization, as the two groups, the Aztecs and the Spaniards, clash, and the Spaniards ultimately come out on top.
The Aztec leader Montecuhzoma was a poor leader, he wasn’t concerned about the wellbeing of his people. In Broken Spears, readers will see that the Spaniards use nearby tribes to take over the Aztecs land, the Spaniards killed men, women and children. When the Aztecs hear about what the Spaniards have done they become furious and plan to retaliate but are quickly stopped by the diseases brought by the Spaniards. The Aztecs are exposed to small pox and measles but the Spaniards were unaffected by the diseases because they are well known in Europe and they are exposed to diseases
Some say Christopher Columbus was a hero because he was the explorer that discovered America. In reality, Christopher Columbus had an incredibly negative impact on the world because he enslaved the Native Americans, didn’t help the kind Natives when they got infected by diseases that the Spaniards had brought to America, and killed off most of the Native American population. The tactics he chose to use were violent and destructive by the standards back then and now. First, Columbus treated the Native Americans like uncivilized people by enslaving them and forcing them to work for him although they greeted him and his crew peacefully. ” They could make fine servants,”(document 2) he wrote in his journal,”I took them by force.
The Spanish retreated from Tenochtitlan, by fighting their way out, away from the angry mobs. The Spaniards took shelter with the Tlaxacan where they devised a plan to finally to conquer the Aztecs once and for all. The Spaniards, Tlaxacan, and other allied tribes all returned to Tenochtitlan with reinforcements and a siege. After eighty days of bloody battles Cuauhtémoc surrendered to the Spaniards, and that was the end of the Aztec
Hernan Cortes killed 5% of the aztec empire. The 90% died from smallpox and the 4% died in the attack. The spanish brought the other 5% with them to Spain as slaves. On August/13/1521 most of the Aztecs race died and Hernan Cortes was declared
Moctezuma (1466-1520), was the ninth emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520. The Aztec Empire, which Moctezuma ruled until 1520, was taken over by Guetemoc after he was killed by his own men. The fall of the Aztec Empire was caused by Hernan Cortes, a Spaniard who invaded Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Empire, in the year 1519. This letter will include reasons as to why Moctezuma is considered to be a traitor and coward by his own people for betraying them in a time when they needed a strong leader. Hernan Cortes was one of the most famous conquistadors in Spanish history.
events”(The Definition). Miguel Hidalgo can be seen as an epic hero in modern society because he has courage, has affected many people from his actions, and rose to a high position. Miguel Hidalgo showed a great deal of courage during his existence. Without his courage, he would of never been able
The Mexica people of Tenochtitlan, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco and the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan’s two principal allied city-states, the Acolhaus of Texcoco and the Tepanecs of Tlacopan, formed the Aztec Triple Alliance which has also become known as the “Aztec Empire”. Henan Cortes, along with a large number of Nahuatl speaking indigenous allies, conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztec Triple Alliance under the leadership of Moctezuma II. In the series of events often referred to as “The Fall of the Aztec Empire”. Subsequently the Spanish founded the new settlement of Mexico City on the site of the ruined Aztec capital.