Spanish colonization of the Americas

The Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early sixteenth century has been recounted by two primary documents. The True History of the Conquest of New Spain and The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico both share some similarities and differences pertaining to the author's perspective on what truly happened such as the way the Spaniards were welcomed, outlook on culture, and interpretation of the war. This paper will compare both accounts of the encounters between the…

History Books” The Spanish Conquest as we know it has been largely painted as a valiant and remarkable achievement deemed justifiable through widely-accepted perceptions of European superiority. Indeed, when taught about these expeditions, rarely are we given sources that encourage us to picture the Indigenous peoples fighting on the same side as the Spaniards; After all, the textbooks say they were the ‘bad guys’ to beat, right? Matthew Restall’s Seven Myths of The Spanish Conquest reveals…

Primary Analysis over Bartolome de Las Casas Bartolome de Las Cases is a Dominican priest who wishes to protect the Indians of the New World from the brutality afflicted on them from the Spanish. Las Cases sailed to the New World in 1502 and stayed till 1547 before returning to Spain. In this time, he saw the cruelty his nation laid upon the natives in the name of Christianity. When he came back to Spain, he took up the defense of the Indians in a series of debates from 1550-1551 and a year…

Hernando Cortés also known as Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro is an explorer and a conquistador. Cortés is infamous for eliminating the amazing empire of the Aztecs. Cortés after brutally murdering the Aztecs, he claimed their native land, Mexico, for Spain. Although can Cortés be considered a hero and a villain, but can he be both? Hernando Cortés was born in Medellín, Spain in 1485. He was born in a wealthy family, but his family wasn’t as wealthy. He attended the University of Salamanca,…

Francisco Pizzaro- (1474-1541) was a Spanish conquistador he was an obscure adventurer and barbaric cruel man. In 1532, he left Spain for the New World in the wake of early discoveries. Pizzaro, discovered and overthrew the Inca Empire of Peru. Capturing the Inca King Atahualpa, the king trying to negotiate his release for freedom with his gold. Pizarro, agreed that he would release him once the gold was delivered. Pizarro collected the ransom, and ordered for the King to be executed. In 1535…

a crime similar to treason. The Maya, Aztec, and Inca are all similar and different in a few ways. The Maya, Aztec, and Inca all have some kind of Noble class in their social structure. Additionally, the Maya, Inca and Aztec were all dominated by spanish conquistadors. The Maya and Inca were ruled by monarchy. The Maya, Aztec, and Inca are different from each other, however. These are only a few of the similarities and differences of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Firstly, the Maya, Inca, and…

Identity and Authenticity in Latin America” brought forth information in great detail, that I personally was not that informed about. Gomez-Rejon was able to identify the foods that were native to Mexico; as well as, foods that we traditionally claim as Mexican, but in reality they were imported. The vast majority of foods that I have loved and associated with Mexican cuisine where all brought over from trade when the Spanish came to concur Latin America. The Spanish not only brought fruits,…

Missionaries in New France and the Spanish Monarchy’s Requerimiento describes the interactions and intentions on how to handle the Natives. The philosophies on how both to viewed the Native’s existing culture and traditions were vastly different. The French integrated and created alliances rather than the Spanish which segregated themselves from Native’s different cultures, threatened and extracted resources. The document Requerimiento was issued by the Spanish Crown in 1513 and read to all…

The Spanish soldiers were ready to repel against Cortes because of the promise of riches (most had been shipped back to Spain). Cortes agreed that the soldiers deserved their pay and asked Spain to give it up. Cortes goal was to colonize Mexico into a powerful Spanish empire. The Aztecs were a group of Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. Aztec culture had complex mythological and religious traditions. The one that standed out the most…

their disposition and the proper method of converting them to our holy faith” (Columbus 1). After discovering the Natives, Columbus stays true to his beliefs, “It appears to me...that they’d...become Christians”(Columbus 6). After the discovery of America, Bartolome de Las Casas comes to the defense of the Natives and their religion, “...no one is forced to accept the faith of Christ...nor is he punished if he omits it” (de Las Casas 1). De Las Casas explains that forcing the Natives to become…