European colonization of the Americas

attributed to Hernan Cortes and his small army of men disregarding orders from the Spanish crown, and using violence and persuasion to bring down an empire. In the years leading up to this famous massacre, there was a long background in Mexico and South America for the Spanish soldiers and explorers led by the Conquistador Hernan Cortes. Cortes arrived in Hisponola in 1504 and after spending years there gaining influence, he travelled to Cuba where this influence increased…

description of the vast terrain, multifarious wildlife, and the diverse cultures of the early Americas. The importance of this unique piece lies within the writing’s function as a gateway providing a glimpse into the cultures of the indigenous people of the Americas as the first recorded confrontation and intermingling between the Europeans and the Native Americans. Cabeza de Vaca was one of the first few Europeans to live among the Native Americans and actually adapt to the cultures of the…

Months passed, but no reinforcements came to the aid of the trapped Spaniards. Montejo the Younger attempted an all out assault against the Maya to break their siege and lost 150 of his few remaining forces. He was forced to abandon the city of Chichén Itzá under cover of darkness in 1534. By the year 1535, Montejo was forced to withdraw his forces to Veracruz and leave the Yucatán once again completely in the control of the Maya. At this point, Francisco de Montejo 's men were exhausted…

“I love to travel, but hate to arrive.. . .” - Hernán Cortes. Hernán Cortes was a famous Spanish Conquistador who helped cause the fall of the Aztec Empire. He helped colonize mainland in Mexico. He helped expand Spain’s land in the 16th century. This was a large achievement in a time when there were many expeditions. Hernán was born in Medellin, Spain in a family with little nobility. Hernan was always interested by the numerous expeditions to the New World. When he went to Cuba he became…

through a civil war, and dying of small pox took take over the Inca Empire. He then founded the Spanish colony of Peru, ruling former Inca territories. Pizarro acquired much territory for Spain. Pizarro was illiterate and illegitimate; coming to the Americas was how he made his fortune. For Pizarro fame and fortune would have been impossible in Spain. Pizarro along with fellow conquistador Vasco Nunez del Balboa are credited for the discovery of the Pacific ocean. Pizarro did not have a good…

What were the thirteen colonies? The thirteen colonies were a large group of British colonies on the east coast of North America founded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that declared independence in 1776 and formed the united states of America. By doing this the colonies had to go through many trials like departing from Great Britain the ones that founded them, mercantilism, slavery and many more trials like all of the battles we had to fight in to get not only our independence but…

Within section 1 of chapter 3, I have chosen two people to compare and contrast. I chose Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortás because when they first discovered new land, they both acted the same way towards the natives. When Christopher Columbus sailed west in 1492, he sailed into the now known West Indies. When he arrived he met people, the Taínos, who he called indians. They were very open to the Spanish but soon soured the relationship between the two. The Taínos offended the Spanish when…

The Aztec Empire was once a powerful force in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica that fell from power during the early 16th century when the Spanish arrived and began conquering the so called New world. This conquest was hastened by their advanced technology and by the introduction of foreign disease’s that the Natives did not have resistance too. What many people don’t consider though is the possibility that the Aztec’s themselves also contributed to their downfall with their own beliefs regarding human…

The Spanish siege of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán is largely known today because of the written reports by of those who witnessed it. In 1521 the Spanish took over the capital city of Tenochtitlán, resulting in the ultimate demise of the Triple Alliance. Versions of this historical event tend to vary due to the array of perspectives involved. For instance, whereas Spanish solider Bernal Diaz wrote his personal account The conquest of New Spain, multiple Aztec informants, including Aztec…

AZTECS FINALLY FALL The person we chose for our biography profile is Hernán Cortés. We studied this person in American History and he interested us a lot so I talked to my partner and he said he liked him too. In the fall of 1518 he was to command his own trip to Mexico, but his boss canceled it. Despite his boss’s orders he went anyway. He left with more than 500 men and 11 ships. So all in all Hernán Cortés is an all around interesting person. Hernán had a winning record.…