Bernal Diaz was a conquistador who joined Cortés on his missions of the conquest of New Spain. Hernan Cortés was the leader responsible for conquering the Aztec Empire in Tenochtitlan. Hernan was a part of an expedition funded by the king of Spain to spread Christianity and to acquire wealth from various places in the Americas (mainly island countries). Cortés heard of the rumored wealth of Mexico. Cortés and a group of men disobeyed orders to stay in Cuba, and made their way to Mexico. Upon arrival they set up camp in, present day, Veracruz and began to make allies with some of the caciques (native chiefs), who would eventually aid him in the war against the Aztecs. Even though both of these men conquered two different places, they used …show more content…
Native people in general were seen as heathens; uncivilized, savage people who practiced human sacrifice. Christianity was the only way to make uncivilized people civilized, through the belief of their God. Not thinking that these people had their own gods they prayed to, forcing a religion on someone who not only doesn’t understand you and inevitably can’t say no to, in itself is a conquering of people. Cortés and his soldiers in hopes of gaining allies to help defeat Montezuma II, went village to village spreading Christianity to create this idea of brotherhood. (Diaz, 144,191) Anyone who didn’t follow order was usually killed, for example on the march to Mexico when Cortes finds out that some of the caciques and papas were secretly betraying him he killed several of them. “Then Cortés told them that the King’s law decreed such treachery should not go unpunished, and they must die for their crime….they received a blow they will remember forever, for we killed many of them, and the promises of their false idols were of no avail.” (Diaz, 199) Cortés’ campaign was fueled by violence and false promises of brotherhood, there was never going to be a bond between Cortés and a bunch of uncivilized people. Cortés wanted power and wealth and he succeeded in doing
Cortes was known for cruelly treating natives and destroying Aztec buildings. He discovered lots of treasures on his expedition, such as chocolate. Hernan captured the Aztec capital in 1521. He also fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors. The Aztecs drove the Spanish from the city of Tenochtitlan, but Cortes returned to defeat and take back the city in 1521.
Montezuma would restructure and appoint newly held positions never before seen during this point in the Aztec governing body, as well as rid timeworn and previous positions. However, throughout fierce battle campaigns, Aztec rule began to expand at a rapid rate and thus began to dwindle shortly before the arrival of the Spanish. This was due in part to neighboring societies being overran and conquered, divided and managed into numerous subsets, ruled by shadow rulers and forced to worship the Aztec deity, Huitzilopochtli, god of sun and war. Many subsets began to rebel, such as the Thaxcalan, aiding in the future alliance and Spanish conquer of the overall Mesoamerican and specifically Aztec civilization (Youtube.com). Most contribute the fall of the Aztec empire to Spanish conquer.
In both of the written accounts by Hernan Cortes and Pedro de Cieza de Léon, a unique perceptive is given about the Aztec and Inca empires in the early 1500s. Both men describe the their seemingly first ever encounters with the indigenous people of the new world. Cortes recounts his interaction with Moctezuma and de Léon gives an impressive review of the Inca’s “well-organized” villages and provinces. Cortes’ account first tells about the sheer beauty of the Aztec empire with its streets that were, “very wide and beautiful and so straight that you can see from one end to the other. (Cortes)”
I, Marco Valencia, was a former conquistador of Hernan Cortes. Hernan Cortes was better known throughout the world as the man who defeated the Aztec Empire. As he took over the Aztec Empire and their emperor, Motecuhzoma, Cortes conquered Mexico. In the beginning, Cortes’ goal was to only find gold and other riches along the way, and bring it back to the mainland.
Eventually people began to realize it is not him, because he lacks the generosity and sincerity of Quetzalcoatl. Cortes just takes and takes and takes, and gives nothing back to the people. Eventually Cortes and the Spanish conquer the Aztecs. The history of the Aztecs is heavily incorporated in the myth of Quetzalcoatl and also had a lot to do with the events that occurred after the Spanish
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.
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
Cortes saw this in the Aztec Empire and decided to take action, and be the violence from without that made the change. Cortes managed to bring down the most powerful empire in the Mexican land at that time. "It was an amazing defeat, the conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire by some 530 Spanish adventures under the resourceful leadership of hidalgo Hernan Cortes". After the fall of the Aztec Empire, the colonization that took place shaped the world we live in now.
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.
Diego was said to be a well known jokester, “plump master of Cuba who was said to be first-in-line to conquer Mexico,” as said in the book along with being money hungry, he went on two consecutive expeditions in two years leaving no supplies or money to go to another to follow a lead on the famous dream of El Dorado. Desperately, Velazquez convinced a wealthy man by the name of, Hernan Cortes, to fund and lead the expedition with responsibilities of bringing a substantial amount of treasures to him to give to the King of Spain in return of fame and fortune. Hernan Cortes was a very “vivacious, likable, and literate; he could even pepper his speech with Latin.” However, Cortes ambitious behaviour got the best of him when he departed from Velazquez before he could arrive on the boat before departing onto their journey, for Cortes wanted to take all the credit and treasures for himself and took the boat and crew, leaving with no contact for over two months. Velazquez wants to give Cortes the benefit of the doubt decided to wait to hear word from him, however, gave up when there were rumours of Cortes and his men meeting some Native Americans whom gave them large amounts of wealthy possessions and gave them shelter and became allies; soon Cortes sent samples of the treasures to the King to receive more funds and crew members to help the mining of the silver and gold that was plentiful in those
When the king of Spain, Carlos V, found out he took control. (ibid.) He prohibited Hernán Cortés from apply
They both killed in the name of religion, and both growing empires willing to do anything to gain more power. Cortés was sent on expedition to establish trading deals with the Natives in and around the Yucatan peninsula, under order of Diego Velázquez, who was the Governor of Cuba. Velázquez soon regretted his decision and to stop Cortés from ever leaving
In the 1500’s spanish explorers called conquistadors started going out and conquering foreign lands. The conquistadors had three motives for what they did, the G's god gold and glory. They wanted gold and wealth for the lands they conquered. The conquistadors wanted to be remember for glorious things they did and they want to spread god's message and convert most people they encountered. Two of the most known conquistadors were Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortez.
One of the members of his army killed a group of Aztec nobles. Eventually all the riches that belonged to the Aztecs, now belonged to the spanish. Killing, fighting, and punishing was normal for people to do, to find riches. Kidnapping was also something a lot of people did. Remember Cortez?
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