Hernán Cortés

Religion played a key role in their downfall because it correlates highly with the act of human sacrifice. No other people practiced human sacrifice on such a scale, or with such variety and pomp. Ritual killing permeated them and their predecessors. Thousands of people were decapitated, stoned, drowned, burned, crushed to death or cut open to have their living hearts removed as part and parcel of religious festivals.We can see this from numerous factors such as the sculptures of their gods on their temple. A significant one would be, the Large sculpture of the dismembered corpse of the Moon goddess, which stood in front of the Aztecs ' Great Temple in today 's Mexico City. Each severed limb is shown as a Divine, wearing a God mask. Many Aztec sculptures and illustrations depicted the shattered or sacrificed bodies of the gods. In their defence, the Aztecs thought they were feeding the sun so that it would not stay stationary. The arrival of the conquistadors also coincided with the religious connotation of the prophecy of Quetzacoatl’s possible comeback and so it is without a doubt that Hernan Cortes used this to his benefit. This idea is supported by Montezuma’s translated speech, “Of what avail is resistance,when the gods have declared themselves against us? Yet I…

Latin America is an area on the map that is denoted as the countries that speak Spanish and Portuguese within the Americas. This area encloses 20 states starting from the border of North America to the end of South America. This region was first known as the home of a group of people who had one of the most advanced civilizations, the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans. This was before the arrival of the Europeans during the end of the 15th and peak of the 16th centuries. There were many vital events…

The New World had many encounters, but two remarkable interactions with natives and explorers are that of Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortes. Christopher Columbus was on orders from the King of Spain to travel a new route to find India and introduce them to a new religion. In 1492, Columbus reached what he thought was India; however, he was mistaken so now it is known as the West Indies because of this belief. At the beginning of the 16th century, Cortes set sail for Meso-America also for…

and his men were housed in Moctezuma 's palace, where they soon set to work seizing whatever gold objects they found and melting them into transportable bars. Although he was treated as an honored guest during the first week of looting, Cortés sought additional protection for his outnumbered force by forbidding Moctezuma to leave the palace, essentially placing the emperor under house arrest. Moctezuma, who was in the custody of the armed Spanish party and still wracked with confusion over how…

Unit 1 Vocab Exchange & Interactions (WXT,ENV) Corn - One of the many crops from the Americas that was brought over to Europe through the Columbian Exchange as a result of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World. Horses - A form of transportation and livestock from Europe that brought itself to the Americas via the Columbian Exchange. Horses heavily aided in the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and Incas. However, the Aztecs and Incas would later utilize horses for transportation and…

In the passage “India”, Richard Rodriguez argues that rather than being an act of conquest, the Indian/European interaction as not always uniformly violent or exploitative; instead [he argues], it was a complex series of profit and transformative exchanges. Both the Indian and European cultures made visible advancements by coming to the new world. The Europeans had begun global trading network, and therefore, trading with other cultures became easier. Rodriquez argues that the Indian people…

The advancement of Aztecan society is known as one of the most magnificent developments in history. In the words of the column, “Aztec Culture and Society,” this group’s rise to power is one of the most remarkable. Originating from a land classified as Aztlan— or better translated as the White Land (History.com Staff, 2009)— the Aztecs began as a simple system of peoples. Historians believe they were possibly nomadic, traveling from the northern valleys. Their conditions were explicitly scarce.…

natives, and thus escape their sad fate. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, is inherently a travel narrative, but is also a metaphor for one, just like Montaigne’s Of Cannibals. In the film, Inez voices her opinion at her husband 's trial, saying, “In Spain I had many servants, and I paid them. lt is only fair to give them money here as well... even if they are Indians” (Aguirre, the Wrath of God). The men in the court summarily dismiss her saying, “We understand your confusion, my child. You are…

During the thirteenth and the sixteenth century, the colonization and conquering of empires lead to contact between different cultures. In Sundiata by D.T. Niane and The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz women in the Mali, Aztec, and Spanish Empires were treated as objects. While there might be some differences in these empire’s customs, there are more similarities than differences that show how women were seen as objects and inferior to men, as women do not decide who they marry and have no…

Fall of Aztec Empire For many years now, historians have pondered upon the many reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire. There have been many factors that played into the fall of the Empire, such as the diseases plaguing the population, the Spaniard’s technological advantages, religious rivalries, alliances, and the list goes on. But to focus on two of the major contributors, this essay will focus on the effects of European diseases on Mexico, and the impact alliances between the Spaniards…