Colonization

In 1519, Spanish explorers, under the leadership of Hernán Cortés, set foot on what is now modern-day Mexico in search of gold and land in the Aztec Empire. Although the Spanish initially had no intentions (or orders from Cuban governor Diego Velásquez for whom they made the voyage) to colonize the Aztec Empire, they sought to communicate with the inhabitants and spread their Christian faith. However, the end of 1521 saw the mighty Aztec Empire practically cease to exist, its emperor Montezuma…

Meanwhile, the younger Montejo continued to fight the Maya that were becoming more hostile as their numbers grew. They eventually they laid siege to the Spanish barricaded in the city. The Maya were able to cut off the Spanish supply line to the coast and forced them to send for help as they barricaded themselves in the ruins of the ancient city of Chichén Itzá. Months passed, but no reinforcements came to the aid of the trapped Spaniards. Montejo the Younger attempted an all out assault…

South Africa and Australia are two of the countries that lived Aboriginal and occupied by European settlement. South Africa Aboriginals’ treatment is so different from Australia Aboriginals. Moreover, the role of these settlements and the purpose for these settlements are different, too. However, both South Africa and Australia Aboriginals had conflict with settlements and settlement brought and spread serious disease in both country. Australia was occupied by British hundreds of years ago. The…

Silver and the Global Economy During the 16th to 18th centuries silver was of vast importance to trading networks all around the world. From 1500 to 1750 Spanish America and Tokugawa Japan dominated the world production in silver. Silver was so influential that the Ming government in China required all taxes to be paid in silver. Silver had many economic and social effects because it expanded trading connections with Asia, caused inflation, and the forced labor class had a hard life in its…

The impact of hierarchy on the social structures and religion of both the Spanish and the Mexica empire before and after contact led to the Spanish conquest of the Mexica empire. Hierarchies were fundamental aspects of both the Spanish and Mexica empires, and permeated through all aspects of society, including religion. When the two groups interacted for the first time, they established a hierarchical relationship with the Spanish being superior to the Mexica. This allowed for the Spanish…

Chapter 4: Grisly Murders and the Entities in Mission San Miguel Built in 1797, Mission San Miguel served as a church to serve the needs of the local Native American population in the locality. In its history, it has experienced a fire, major change in government, a horrendous massacre and a major earthquake and managed to survive to the present. Much later, when a new government was formed in Mexico, it cracked down heavily on the Spanish Franciscan Friars and the church. The church was…

Introduction Virtudes del Indio, literally translated as Virtues of the Indian, is a letter written by bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza to King Philip IV. Palafox asks the king for legal protection of indigenous people in New Spain, and justifies this request by arguing for their virtuous nature. He recounts the abuse and poverty suffered by indigenous communities. It is believed that this letter was written around 1649, following Palafox’s return to Spain. Virtudes provides insight into how…

The European colonial period went on for centuries and its consequences can still be seen around the world. Colonialism brought with it a huge cost in human lives and arguably a jus a big loss in faith in humanity as so many wrong decisions were made. The time of cruel exploitation and inhumane living conditions for the colonised supposedly ended with the beginning of postcolonialism that sought to settle the issues that had come with world leaders’ colonial greed. However, the conception of the…

Audience: The audience for this interview includes a variety of groups of people. They consist of: the people interested in American history, the people who are enthusiasts of Frederick Jackson Turner, and the average historian. This interview is geared towards exploiting the hidden connotations of Turner’s article. Purpose of the interview: The purpose of the interview is for me and the audience to gain a better understanding of Turner’s article. It is to question why he believes what he…

As the world grew and civilizations rose, there were those who used brute force, manipulation, and raping of cultures to gain money, power, and complete control of what they so desired. First starting off with the spanish capture of mexico and then the complete takeover of the Native Americans by the new American settlers. The book that will be used to help explain everything will be Juan Gonzalez revised edition of Harvest of Empire:A History of Latinos in America. When the world was young many…