Malintzin's Choices: Mexico And The Spanish Conquest
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.
Book Review Of The Broken Spears By Miguel Leon-Portilla
588 Words | 3 PagesThroughout history, the conquest of Mexico has been told in the perspective of the Spanish and their triumphs. It was not until 1962 a Mexican anthropologist named Miguel Leon-Portilla published his book The Broken Spears: An Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico. He described in his book the indigenous account of the conquest of Mexico. The Broken Spears contains surviving codices written in Nahuatl (Aztec) language that survived the Spanish destruction. The book starts off discussing some bad omens that foretold the destruction of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
Summary Of Matthew Restall's Seven Myths Of The Spanish Conquest
910 Words | 4 PagesMatthew Restall’s book Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest takes a look at the history of the conquest of the New World, while at the same time, attempting to decipher through certain myths that have gained historical ground over time. He looks at what parts of these myths have some truth to them and what parts of them seem purely fabricated. While going through these myths, Restall starts from the beginning from the reader’s point of view. He does this in order to give the reader ideas of what the myths are, and where they come from. Restall then pushes aside what countless historians used to think to be true for hundreds or years, and shares a new, deeper look at some of the myths.
Spanish Conquistadors Research Paper
537 Words | 3 PagesIn the late 1400's, conquistadors started their first voyages to the “New World”. They sought gold, resources, and to convert any indigenous peoples they came across. The Spanish, the conquistadors were heroes for spreading Catholicism and returning new resources. Yet, from the point of view of the natives and Bartholome de Las Casas, they were villains. The conquistadors massacred the natives; enslaving those who escaped.
Cortez's Campaign Against Aztec Empire
1604 Words | 7 PagesIn his campaign against the Aztec Empire, Cortez relied upon the other local indigenous tribes for assistance. Why did they ally themselves to Cortez and how did they help him secure ultimate victory? In Cortez’s venture to seize Mexico from the Aztec powers he was given he allied with other indigenous tribes, such as the Tlaxcalan's. It can be seen that perhaps the ally was more of mutual want for the destruction of the Aztecs as a mutual enemy rather then the want to benefit one another but the result shows us that this ally between the indigenous and the Spanish Hernan Cortez resulted in both the siege of Mexico and downfall of the Aztecs which may not have happened without this alignment.
The Broken Spears Essay
648 Words | 3 PagesThe Broken Spears by Miguel Leon Portilla portrays many themes about the spanish conquest in the account of the Aztecs. However, The Seven Myth of the Spanish Conquest by Matthew Restall conveys themes harmonize with The Broken Spears concepts. In The Broken Spear the spaniards were perceived as barbaric by the Aztecs and vise versa. When the spaniards attacked during the fiesta of Toxcatl they performed a lot of bloodshed and barbaric actions.
Compare And Contrast Inca And Aztecs
1807 Words | 8 PagesThe 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.
Aztec Empire Turning Points
1036 Words | 5 PagesCortés sent a letter explaining the Aztecs civilization, their merchants, way of life, and gave King Charles V updates on their attack. “In regard to the domestic appointments of Moctezuma, and the wonderful grandeur and state that he maintains, there is so much to be told, that I assure your Highness I know not where to begin my relation.” (Cortes Letter) Upon their arrival Montezuma (The Aztec leader) greeted them with gifts and gold, but unfortunately Cortés took this as a strategy to weaken the empire and took him hostage. The Spanish were outnumbered but did receive reinforcements over time.
Influence Of Cortez On The Civilization Of Mexico
215 Words | 1 PagesAfter Cortez arrived on the banks of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico in 1519, the natives living there, under the powerful Aztec empire, thought they had been expecting his arrival. The native Aztecs believed that this was the day it was foretold that the god, Quetzalcoatl, would return to the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, and reclaim his throne. The Aztecs, the warrior race who had ruled Yucatan and most of Mexico since 1440, then honoured this new man and his people as gods and invited him into their city. They did not know that Hernando Cortez was not the god they thought he was, but a Spanish conquistador there to eradicate them and their civilisation. He captured their emperor, Moctezuma II, forcefully seized Tenochtitlan, and, afterwards,
The Broken Spears Summary
573 Words | 3 PagesThe author gives insight on how many ways the Spaniards used their power to assist in the downfall of the Aztecs. The reason why the Spaniards became victorious, was because the Spaniards were looked upon as if they were gods because of their outer appearance. The Aztecs broke bread and welcomed the Spaniards with gifts and parties. The Aztecs triggered their relationship with the Spaniards by holding a ritual for the arrival of the god which included a human sacrifice. The Spaniards didn’t agree with the rituals and began to despise the Aztecs.
Disaffection In The Spanish Colonies
119 Words | 1 PagesMany of the causes of disaffection which I have pointed out as existing generally throughout the Spanish Colonies, did not extend to Mexico by any means in the same degree as to the rest. Her superior population gave her importance, while her mineral treasures, and her vicinity to the Peninsula, ensured to her a constant supply of European manufactures. The very process too, by which these treasures were drawn from the bosom of the earth, gave value to the landed property of the Interior, from the intimate connexion that must always subsist between mining and agriculture; and this concurrence of favourable circumstances diffused a degree of prosperity throughout the country, which few Colonies have ever attained, none, certainly,
Conquistadors And How Has This Affect The Enduring Legacy Of The Aztecs
1465 Words | 6 PagesDid the Spanish Conquistadors misrepresent the Aztecs, and how has this affected the enduring legacy of the Aztecs? [Note of clarification]: This essay is referring to the Aztecs as the Mexicas, due to misinformed terminology popularised by the Spaniards, the name ‘Aztecs’ proved to not be appropriate or correct when referring to the people who controlled the Tenochtitlan region in 1519, when the Spanish arrived. Though the name Mexica still begs some ambiguity in context, it is more respectful when referring to the people of the ‘Aztec Empire’.
Aztlan Colonial New Mexico Analysis
504 Words | 3 PagesIn central Mexico the Spanish myth of the golden northern land stirred awareness in the legend of Aztlan. According to their own histories the Aztecs had left their homeland in 1168 and journeyed to the lakes where in 1325 where found in Tenochtitlan. By mid-1700’s the Edenic picture of the north had been forgotten in the minds of the authorities in Mexico City. Since most of the settler from the very beginning were Indians and Mestizos and had intermarried with northern natives it wasn’t surprising that eventually saw the border land as their
Relationship Between The Spanish And The Aztecs
1484 Words | 6 PagesThe relationship between the Spanish and the Aztecs was a correspondence that steadily declined as the Spanish conquered and destroyed the Aztec Civilization. The relationship was one that was bound to fail because of the naive nature and seclusion of the Aztecs along with the greed and barbaric attitude of the Spaniards. The Spanish ravaged through the new world and along with them the brought destruction and disease; with no remorse for the deaths they caused. The Aztecs, naive and uneducated, were overly trusting of their supposed “pale-faced gods.” The combination of these factors is what lead to a destructive association between these two incompatible groups.
Hernan Cortes Hero
975 Words | 4 PagesThe 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
Superstitions Of The Aztec Indian Tribe In Mexico
157 Words | 1 PagesIn Mexico by 1503, the Aztec Indian tribe had amassed many smaller tribes into a brittle collection of people and ruled the region under emperor Moctezuma II; Moctezuma II held the Indian communities together through strict subordination. The gathering of smaller tribes into a larger community with one ruling tribe, establishes the mindset in the smaller tribes that the Aztecs are the regional Hegemon. Messages from subordinate Gulf coast tribes reached the Aztec Emperor in 1519 of the Spaniards landing and described the likeness of Cortez to an Aztec’s mythological feathered serpent. The Aztec superstitions were known to the smaller Indian tribes, which foretold the feathered serpent’s return to Tenochtitlan to take back its land.
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