Julio Cortázar

The Mighty Corn It is fascinating to understand how a tiny seed enabled our ancestors to build massive empires and sustain themselves for thousands of years. Going back to the indigenous people during the pre-Columbian era, all the way down to the conquest of Cortez, it is clear to see how corn made possible the development of societies, cultures, and beliefs. Even today, the domestication of corn plays a major role in the way our society operates, especially in the latino communities. People…

The Aztecs, as they are known, were a group of people who originated as a nomadic tribe in northern Mexico. Although the origins of the Aztecs are uncertain, they "are believed to begun as a northern tribe of hunter-gatherers whose name came from that of their homeland, Aztlan (“White Land”)." The Aztecs were also known as the Tenochca derived from their capital city, Tenochtitlan, and the Mexica. The Aztec empire was built in 1428 under leader Itzcoatl, forming a three-way alliance with the…

Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador and explorer that traveled from Spain to the New World when he was only 19. In the New World, he commanded just 600 soldiers and was able to conquer the Aztec empire who commanded tens of thousands of men. He was able to perform this astonishing feat by using strategy, ruthlessness, cunning, and an extreme amount of luck. After his conquest in the New World, Cortes became the governor of New Spain. After seven years of being the governor he was appointed…

In Song of the Hummingbird, the book describes the story of an indigenous woman named Huitzitzilin who explains her story to a Spanish monk. The Spanish monk finds her story to be fascinating because it is not what he was taught back in Spain. He sympathizes with her and begins to see the conquest through her perspective. She details the events that her people endured at the hands of Cortes and his Spanish conquerors. The text is organized by chapters as Huitzitzilin reiterates her story to…

When the Columbus and the Spanish started to arrive to the new world, many myths of what happened during those times of conquest were made. Myths do not have to only be made up stories but could also be stories that hold some truth to them. Conquistadors Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortez and explores Christopher Columbus both came to believe they were perceived as gods by Natives. Many of this conclusions were made up by miscommunication and also self-benefits, mainly for titles and riches. In…

Throughout history, many European countries formed colonies in the Americas. The most well-known countries were, Spain, England, and France, who all claimed land and worked to serve the mother country. However, they encountered many problems such as; a lack of knowledge of the land, unknown food sources, and, the Native Americans. The two books, A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn, and, A Patriot’s History of the United States, by Larry Schweikart, discussed different view…

The Aztecs were a powerful and highly advanced civilization that ruled the majority of present day Mexico in the 15th century. At their peak, they established a very organized society which revolved majorly around religion. Aqueducts were constructed, agriculture was cultivated, and their empire seemed to be constantly growing. Astrology was, arguably, one of the more important and fundamental achievements of the Aztec civilization. The development of the calendar became an important part of…

According to Zinn, in traditional history textbooks, Columbus is portrayed as a heroic figure who discovered the New World and spread religion to the people already living there. While it might mention that he was not perfect and did some things that he should not have done, it simply brushes over these aspects and pushes forward things such as “what a great sailor he was”, etc. The way it is written makes what he did seem like an exciting adventure that should be celebrated on Columbus Day, yet…

In his book “Daily Life of the Aztecs: People of the Sun and Earth,” David Carrasco successfully explained the life of the Aztecs, so the reader could better comprehend what the Aztecs went through. Carrasco effectively accomplished reliving the Aztecs life in 282 pages which was constructed of a preface, a chronology of Central Mexico, nine chapters, notes, glossary, selected bibliography, and an index. The “Daily Life of the Aztecs: People of the Sun and Earth,” was published in 1998 by The…

The Spanish invasion of Mesoamerica in the sixteenth century has been one of their most renowned victories. However, with a review of Restall’s work, as well as a closer look into the help that the Spanish had, reveals that the success of the Spanish was not merely their own. The Spaniards’ and natives’ common political goals, the natives’ army strength, knowledge of the land and the sharing of battle strategies and resources made the native allies a key asset to the conquest. The success of the…