Aztec Heroes: Hernán Cortes And Francisco Balboa

One was a spanish conquistador who led the fall of the Aztec Empire and the other accompanied Vasco de Balboa in the crossing of the Isthmus of Panama to the pacific coast. These two men were born around the same time but accomplished two very different things. Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro heros if you will, of their time and have left a lasting impression on the Americas forever. Hernán Cortés owned land in Cuba. He heard of Spanish expeditions that had been repelled by Indians. He thought that he could accomplish something no one else has before.. In 1519, he arrived on the coast of Mexico with about 600 men, 16 horses, and a few cannons. He began to trek toward Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. A young woman of indian ethnicity named Malinche served as Cortes's translator and advisor. She told Cortes that the Aztecs had gained power by taking over other groups of people. Many conquered people looked down upon their Aztecs overlords, so Malinche aided Cortes with alliance forming. They agreed to help Cortes fight the Aztecs. The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma was terrified. He wasn't forsure if …show more content…
Pizarro was interested in Peru’s Inca empire, which was reputed to have even more riches than the Aztecs. Pizarro made it to Peru in 1532, just after the Incan ruler Atahualpa had won the throne from his brother in a bloody civil war. Atahualpa declined to become a Spanish vasal or convert to Christianity. With a reply, Pizarro, helped by Indian allies, captured him and killed thousands of Inca. The Spanish wanted a large amount of money for the king. The inca paid it, but the Spanish killed Atahualpa anyway. Despite continuing resistance, Pizarro and his followers overran the Inca heartland. Before, long Spain had added much of South America to its growing empire. Pizarro himself was killed by a rival Spanish facation a few years after he established the city of