The Aztec capital was constructed of huge pyramids along with buildings and a fresh water supply. Trading continued heavily and many treasures ended up in Tenochtitlán, which fascinated Europe.
Meanwhile, back in Europe, a man by the name of Hernando Cortés became a soldier and was determined to gain fame and fortune. After fourteen years of military service, Cortés was shipped out as a commander of an armada with one purpose only: conquer Mexico. There had been earlier expeditions to Mexico which had failed and members were taken captive. But there were also some indications that there was gold in Mexico. Cortés was dreaming about the wealth he could obtain if this was true. He was determined to conquer Mexico.
Cortés arrived in Mexico when he was 34 years old. He was greeted in Vera Cruz by Cuetlaxteca, which were local Aztec Indians, sent by their leader, Montezuma. He was given a gift of silver and gold jewelry along with a mirror, a chain and other valuable items. Cortés was very happy until they started to make sacrifices in front of him. This made him very angry as he thought they were sick and disgusting. One of the Indians offered him blood and Cortés got very upset and pierced the Indian with his sword. Seeing this, the other Indians ran away in distress.
According to the letter that Cortés had sent to King Charles I of Spain, he thought the people were really strange with all their piercings and curious clothes. Cortés and his Conquistadores had never seen anything like these people and he didn't like anything about them. He describes in the letter how the Indians would sacrifice women and children to their gods by cutting them open and burning the heart and insides. They had seen very little of what the whole land was like and they wanted to see more. During Cortés' three days he was there, he had been watching and planning to take over.
ANGIE CRUZ APRIL 1, 2003 CHICANO STUDIES The Conquest of Mexico by Cortes Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec God of creation and brother hood. ... On the day Ce Acatl - the day of the reed - Cortes had arrived in Mexico. ... This was how Cortes achieved the Conquest of Mexico. So now that the Empire was conquered, Mexico was fee o be settled by the Europeans and History took its course. ... A History of Mexico. ...
The conquest of Mexico in the early 16th Century is clearly one of the crucial events in world history. The history of the conquest of Mexico is not written exclusively by the winners, but it is a progressive compilation of views from both the Spanish and Native Mexicans. The history of the Spanish conquest of Mexico is presented to the world only from the Spanish point of view because they were the record keepers. However, the book Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico by Stuart B. ... Schwartz starts out with an introduction about how the Europeans expande...
Undoubtedly the most glorified and heroically portrayed of these figures of the European conquest of the New World were the conquistadores, the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. ... Under the rule of Itzcoatl, and for eighty years afterwards, the Aztecs proceeded to subjugate the remainder of the Valley of Mexico and then further beyond--from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf coast in the east and from central Mexico in the north to present-day Guatemala in the south. ... Cortes later participated in the conquest of Cuba with Diego Velazquez, the future governo...
With the intent of conquest and exploration, Cortes and the conquistadors landed at Veracruz on Good Friday of 1519. ... Some myths say that upon landing in the Gulf of Mexico Cortes burned the remaining ships. ... With these new men underfoot of Cortes' rule, there were often battles of conquest, such as the Massacre at Cholula. ... November 8, 1519 Cortes, along with his men and Aztec allies, reached the Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico. ... With these new recruits under his wing, Cortes' men returned to Tenochtitlan to continue with the conquest. ...
Cortes and his followers had only landed in Mexico in April 1519. ... The campaign waged by Cortes was so successful that all ensuing campaigns were modelled upon the Aztec conquest. The question posed is how was the conquest of Mexico achieved in such a small space of time? ... Cortes himself appears to exercise the use of Mexican politics expertly. ... Religion certainly played a major part in the Conquest of Mexico. ...
The factors can help understand and explain the conquest of Mexico. ... All together these reasons allowed Cortes to have the upper hand in the conquest of the new world. ... The Spanish brought smallpox to Mexico, which caused great suffering to the Aztecs. ... Dona Marina greatly helped Cortes in his conquest of the Mexican Empire. ... Cortes had Tlaxcalans backing him up for the re-conquest of Tenochtitlan, as well as other Indians allies. ...
When it comes to the tales of the Conquest of Mexico, there are two different accounts of what actually happened. ... Cortes went to see what the cause of the alleged rebellion was. ... Cortes and his other captain's rode ahead of the warriors to escape all of the fighting. Some of the warriors managed to make it out alive and meet up with Cortes. ... Finally Cortes and the couple of men that survived made it to safety far away from where they were first attacked. 2 3 The Mexica version of La Noche Triste portrayed the Spanish as fleeing Mexico by night. ...
What was seemingly impossible was achieved by Cortes and later Pizzaro. ... Likewise, Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru which was a process that extended over some 35 years would have been impossible without the active military support of the rival Indian clans. The Native American peoples were almost always complicit in the process of conquest. ... Cortes conquest of Mexico in 1519 illustrates the role disease played in the European domination of the Americas. ... After a seventy-five day siege, Tenochtitlan again fell to Cortes. ...
One case where the idea of perceptions of religion played a significant role is in that of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Through looking at accounts of the conquest by both the Spanish and Nahua people, the perception of the native religion by both the Spanish conquistadors and the native Nahua people themselves, had a negative effect on the position and in the portrayal of the Nahua during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. ... Cortes and the Spaniards used this aspect of the native religion to their advantage. ... By declaring them gods, though they inadvertently subjugated themselves to ...
Even though they had conquered the Mexican world, the Aztecs were not prepared to face the Spanish in February 1519 with the arrival of Herman Cortes. ... The Conquest of the Aztecs and the Rise of New Spain In 1519, a conquistador named Hernan Cortes landed in present-day Mexico with eleven ships, six hundred men, sixteen horses, and a few light cannons. Cortes founded the city of Veracruz and continued inland. ... Cortes named his newly acquired land New Spain. In 1528, Cortes established an audencia, or royal court. ...
