Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

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 Spanish and the Aztecs from different points of view. Although the events in both sources took place during a similar time period, the differences vary in the author's tone of voice, the purpose, and the circumstances from where it was told. Based on the collected findings, The True History…

In 1519, Spanish explorers, under the leadership of Hernán Cortés, set foot on what is now modern-day Mexico in search of gold and land in the Aztec Empire. Although the Spanish initially had no intentions (or orders from Cuban governor Diego Velásquez for whom they made the voyage) to colonize the Aztec Empire, they sought to communicate with the inhabitants and spread their Christian faith. However, the end of 1521 saw the mighty Aztec Empire practically cease to exist, its emperor Montezuma…

Tenochtitlán from 26 May to 13 August 1521. It narrates how the Aztec Empire commanded by Moctezuma II fell to the Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés. Despite the numerous battles between the Spaniards and the Aztecs, the Aztecs were unable to defeat Hernán Cortés and his troops. The Spaniards weapon superiority, indigenous assistance and other key factors led to the downfall of the Aztec civilization. This episode marked the first phase of the Spanish conquest in Mexico and colonization of the…

effects. Finally, in the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the hidden cost with the most toll on a society was the destruction of native cultures. While the Spanish made their way through Mexico and conquered the Aztecs, they left a trail of cultural destruction in their wake. Although it was often not forced, the Spanish attempted to replace native cultures with their own. Cortes was described to have tried to convert the natives that joined up with the Spanish to Christianity. While he did not…

Many empires have risen over history. The Empire of Mali, which was founded by Sundiata Keita, was located in West Africa. A prominent country with its location becoming an important trade location by Muslims. The Aztec Empire was founded by Mexica people who later became known as Aztecs. The Aztec Empire was enormous as they ruled most of Mesoamerica and was one of the largest cities of its time. The Spanish Empire is one of the biggest empires to exist. A very politically, economically, and…

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…

The Aztec Empire was a powerful early American civilization based on a polytheistic religion. After centuries of building and maintaining a strong empire, Spanish invaders led by Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec. The Spaniards’ reason for conquest was mainly greed and religious disparity and had thought their own actions as justified. The reasons for conquest were justifiable and benefited the Spanish as well as all neighboring civilizations. The gods promised Tenochtitlan, The Aztec capital,…

Aztec’s room! The Aztecs were a Mesopotamian society who built an ample empire in what is now central Mexico. Primitively, the Aztecs were a meandering group of hunter gatherers. In the mid-1200s C.E., the Aztecs established on the arable land of the Valley of Mexico. In 1325, the Aztecs took retreat on an island on Lake Texcoco. Here, the Aztecs built the immense city of Tenochtitlán. This city became the capital of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs then thrived from 1428 C.E. to 1519 C.E. The great…

The Conquest of Mexico and Peru were two individual but linked events that led the Spanish to conquer over territorial empires. The historical invasions of the conquests led to many changes in Latin American history, and had effects on the Spanish present day; but changes to European cultures and trading aspects back in the 16th century are insignificant. The Conquest of Mexico was basically the capture of the Aztec Empire, which was ruled by emperor Montezuma. The Conquest of Peru was the…

1492, Spanish men endured months of difficult voyages in search of three things- gold, glory, and God. In addition with arriving with the drive to conquer, they were soon enough met with mighty and diverse civilizations that made up Mesoamerica-- proving itself to be the perfect opportunity to take the wealth of these peoples, obtain territory, and maybe convert a few souls to Catholicism. However, these civilizations were very large and very strong. The courage, strength, and the will of an…