Hernán Cortés

The Aztec and Inca civilizations in their prime were both highly developed, sophisticated and intelligent societies, but there were numerous differences in their governments, societies, and economies. Before their conquests by Cortes and Pizarro, respectively, both were very advanced and controlled large amounts of land, but there were fundamental differences in the way the empires were managed. The societies of the Aztec and Inca were similar in some ways, but differences in the ruling bodies…

While presenting a lecture on the “Danger of a Single Story” in a 2009 Ted Talk in London England, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie remarked that if a people are shown as one thing, over and over again, that is what they become. For centuries the conquest of Mexico and the fall of the Aztec empire has been a single story told through only European accounts. In The Broken Spears Miguel León-Portilla provides an account of the first arrival of European colonizers through a collection of codices authored…

because they believed it was necessary to worship their gods. Cortes writes about this when he visits an Aztec Temple: “When these [the idols] are completed they [Aztecs] make them an offering of the heart of the victim which they sacrificed to them and besmear their faces with blood.” (Hernan Cortés) In this primary source, Cortes is writing to Charles V and explaining to him his culture shock of the Aztec practices. It shows first hand how Cortes saw the Aztecs murdering people in cold blood.…

Hernan Cortés wrote a letter describing the religion of the indigenous people he conquered, he focuses on their sacrifice rituals which Allen and Schweikart highlighted in their own writings. Cortés states, “…they take many boys or girls, and even grown men and women… take out the hearts and entrails, and burn the said entrails and hearts before the…

common day Africa, an alternative perspective must always be used when viewing the aspects of historical exploration. Seeing the positive and negative outcomes that came about a dominant European exploration, this paper will examine the sources of Cortés’ view of Tenochtitlán, commentary of foreigners from a Ming Official, Olaudah Equiano on the Atlantic crossing and the Portuguese views of the Chinese, showing that despite what good exploration has brought, it has potentially also, negatively…

Aztec Empire When people think about the civilizations of Mexico, The Aztec Empire usually comes to mind. The colossal pyramids, brightly colored costumes, and courageous people who fought to resist their invasion by the Spanish are all features of the extraordinary Aztec Empire. The Aztecs came from the land of Aztlán. They abandoned Aztlán in the 12th century to seek a new location to live in. Their Sun and War god, Huitzilopochtli, instructed them to search for a certain sign that would let…

consisted of the ball being tossed and caught using the stick while running toward their team’s goal. During the fourth period or Age of Reason, people played the Mesoamerican Ballgame. This game became globally famous when Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sent a group of ballplayers to perform for Charles the fifth, but they ended up with German Christoph Weiditz. After they performed, the Europeans became fascinated with the rubber balls they used, hence the spread of the game. The game is…

The colonization of the Americas changed the world completely. A new world was found in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.. Christopher Columbus was commissioned by Spain’s monarchy to find this new route. Spain eventually conquered and settled most of South America, the Caribbean, and the American Southwest. This was the beginning of what scholars call the new world, many scholars ask themselves is the Spanish colonization of the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries a success or not? The New…

Is the world a better place because of the exploration of the New World? That is a question asked by many experts and people. The answer is yes. The world is a better place because of the exploration of John Cabot, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, Francisco Pizarro, Amerigo Vespucci, Leif Erickson , Henry Hudson, Jacques Cartier, Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, Robert de la Salle, Christopher Columbus Francisco Coronado and more. Without the exploration of these great explorers the…

The Spaniards dominated the Indians, due to several reasons. The Indians will say they were defeated by the Spaniards, because the confused Hernan Cortes for Quetzalcoatl, a redeemed god who left his people and promise he will return back on the day that coincided with the day Cortes came to the world, so they didn’t fight back. While the Spaniards will say they dominated the Indians because of their superior armament, and war tactics. A bow and arrow was no…