Michoacán

Intro In 1522, the Aztecs was a Mesoamerican civilisation at the height of its power, atop its pedestal conquering neighbouring territories back and forth. A far cry from the downfall they would experience soon after. Despite the fact that they were at the height of their power, more than a few factors were already leading to the culmination of their demise even before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The ever so-popular ‘tradition’ of human sacrifice with Mesoamerican civilizations due…

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…

As conqueror of the Aztec Empire in Mexico, explorer of Guatemala and Honduras, and leader of the first expeditions to California, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés contributed significantly to the establishment of European domination in America. More particularly we see his contribution to Spanish prominence in both Central and South America. His conquests helped shape the origins and history of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Spaniards initially occupied the New World in order to…

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.…

In the narrative of western history there is no shortage of Westerners oppressing people from different cultures. There is also no shortage of white, powerful men oppressing people within their own culture. Throughout colonial western European history, society compelled individuals to fulfill their assigned role that language stereotyped them as. If they did not, Westerns would destroy them so that there was no evidence they didn’t match the stereotype. When Colonizers encounter those they call…

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…