Over a course of almost a hundred years, the Aztecs were extremely powerful while controlling and deeply influencing large parts of Mesoamerica. However, such strong forces can not last forever, and that, was the case with the Aztecs. Their reign of hundreds of years came to a sudden halt after the introduction of Spanish conquistadors. The Aztec empire finally fell on account of the diseases and war that the Spanish conquistadors, such as Hernan Cortes, brought. The beginnings of the…
Variant Identities of 20th Century Latinos Oxnard, about fifty miles north of Los Angeles, is one of many in California’s expansive agricultural regions. A small town, ideally situated on a coastal plane, providing the perfect balance of soil, and moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Great conditions for the strawberry. The desirable low growing fruit is not the easiest to harvest though, requiring arduous labor under the intense Southern California sun. On any given late-spring afternoon, you’ll…
and wealthy empire in the Americas. THE INVASION OF AMERICA • The first stages included scenes of frightful violence, armed men marched across the Caribbean islands, plundering villages, slaughtering men, and raping women. • Depletion of gold on Hispaniola led to the invasion of the island of Puerto Rico and Jamaica in 1508, then Cuba in 1511 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIES • The natives of the outermost islands successfully defended their homelands until the end of 16th century, and in the arid…
scholarly journal called “the First Autopsy in The New World” written by Fidelio A. Jimenze who is medical doctor did research on the first autopsy in America. Jimenze states, “the first postmortem examination of the American Continent was performed in Hispaniola in 1533 and recorded by Fernandez de Oviedo (Jimenze, 1978).” To summarize, Oviedo was curious of a report from a bishop report that a two headed child, therefore, this is what started how an autopsy began in North America. Oviedo…
fellow-human beings – crimes that threaten to bring a collapse of civilization and to presage the end of the world.” Las Casas spoke of the diminishing supply of Indian labor created by the European thirst for wealth. For example, Natives working in a Hispaniola gold mine were labored so harshly that the population drastically plundered from 1 million to 250 within fifty years of Columbus’ arrival. In Peru, the mita system, established in Potosi, required Natives to mine silver in poor…
The American Dream is a devil in disguise. While many see the American Dream as an opportunity to a better, more fulfilling life, it misleadingly entices those who pursue it. Individuals who try to follow his/her own American Dream usually face disappointment after being misled by the false facade it presents. The United States is understand to be a place that offers space and freedom to succeed for those desperate to escape their miserably disappointing reality. However, our perceived…
Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution, while not in the United States, was waged from 1791-1804 and is one of the only successful mass slave revolts in history, making its impact on southern history significant. Possession of the island of Hispaniola was originally in the hands of the Spanish, following the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Under Spanish rule, the island became prosperous in sugar plantations as well as becoming rife with feral pigs, cattle and…
used his priesthood as a platform to preach against the injustices that were happening in the new world. In his work de Las Casas argues the negative impact that the Europeans had on the Indies. He begins his account by stating that on the island Hispaniola, “Christians entered and began the devastations…and wiped the land clean of inhabitants.” (68) A land that was once at peace, full of happy souls was now burned and brought to pieces. De las Casas continues and in detail talks about the acts…
1. How should people interpret genocide when a document introduces a statement saying, “I heard with horror that a new phase of Armenian massacres…which aimed at exterminating, root and branch, the intelligent, industrious, and progressive Armenian nation, and at transferring its property to Turkish hands?” (Armenian Massacre Memoir document). People here and there encounter historical documents reviewing genocides and wars that happened during certain time periods. Nonetheless, individuals…
At the turn of the 20th century, the United States was going through rapid growth in economy and society. This put the U.S. atop the globe, and it is considered to be one of the superpowers, if not the superpower. The U.S. has viewed its self as the world police, when situations come up in countries across the globe, they are one of the first countries to address it. With that they have influenced many countries and left an impact on them, some positive some negative. Two countries the U.S. had…