In 1485, Hernán Cortés was born in Medellín, Spain to a family of lesser nobility. Cortés was sent to study Latin under an uncle-in-law at the age of 14. Hoping Cortés would pursue a legal career, his parents were much disappointed when Cortés returned to Medellín after only two years of study due to being tired of studying. During this time, news of the discoveries of Christopher Columbus in the New World had begun spreading all over Spain.
Cortés planned to sail to the Americas with a distant relative, Nicolás de Ovando, the newly appointed Governor of Hispaniola, but an injury prevented him from going. Cortés finally left Spain in 1504 to the island of Santo Domingo, or Hispaniola when he became a colonist. There Cortés served as a notary
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At the last minute, Velázquez changed his mind, but Cortés ignored it. Cortés landed in Mayan territory on the Yucatan Peninsula. He claimed all the land for the Spanish Crown in 1519. Cortés overtook Veracruz and placed himself directly under the control of King Charles I of Spain in order to eliminate any ideas of retreat from the governor of Cuba.
In Veracruz, Cortés met some of the messengers of the Aztecs and asked them to arrange a meeting with Moctezuma, the ruler of the Aztec Empire. Moctezuma repeatedly denied but Cortés was determined. He left hundreds of men in Veracruz and marched to Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztec Empire, in mid August 1519 with only 600 soldiers, 15 horsemen, 15 cannons, and hundreds of indigenous carriers and warriors. On the way, he made alliances with some of the indigenous people.
In October 1519, Cortés marched to Cholula, the second largest city in Mexico, and massacred thousands of unarmed people gathered at the central plaza and partially burned the city. When he arrived in Tenochtitlán in November 8, they were peacefully welcomed by Moctezuma II. Moctezuma had let Cortés and his men into the city in hopes of knowing their weakness to crush them later. He game them gold and lavish gifts which excited their ambitions to raid than placating them. When Velázquez sent another expedition to oppose Cortés, Cortés left Tenochtitlán to confront the forces and
Cortés went to Tenochtitlan in mid-August 1519, along with 600 soldiers, 15 horsemen, 15 cannons, and hundreds of indigenous carriers and warriors. On the way to Tenochtitlan, Cortés made alliances with indigenous peoples such as the Totonacs of Cempoala and the Nahuas of Tlaxcala. The Otomis initially, and then the Tlaxcalans fought the Spanish a series of three battles from 2 Sept. to 5 Sept. 1519, After Cortés continued to release prisoners with messages of peace, Xicotencatl the Elder, and Maxixcatzin, persuaded the Tlaxcalan warleader, Xicotencatl the Younger, that it would be better to ally with the newcomers than to kill them. On November 8, 1519, they were peacefully received by Moctezuma
After the discovery of the new world, by Christopher Columbus, rapidly the Europeans navigate from their countries to the new world in search of gold and precious rocks that have a value for their kings or queens. Hernan Cortes, born in Medellin, Spain, was a conquistador mainly best known as the conquistador that found Tenochtitlan, which is now call Mexico City. During the conquista Bernal del Castillo and Hernán Cortés describe the struggles and other issues that they had to find the city Tenochtitlan through writing it on a book. Tenochtitlan, at that point, had amazing building structure and an extensive market. The Aztec or Mexica had, when found by Cortez, an extensive knowledge of Astronomy, time, and including Mathematics. After Cortes’s entrance to Tenochtitlan the king, Moctezuma, believe that Spaniards were part of their culture or history, as the same as Toltecs.
Hernan Cortes was born at Medellin in Spain in the year 1485 and eventually became one of the great Governors of Mexico City. It all started in 1518 when the Governor of Cuba (Diego Velazquez) placed him in charge of an expedition to explore Mexico for colonization. In February, 1519, Cortes was about to set sail when Velazquez changed his mind at tried to replace him; however Cortes in an act of mutiny pushed forward anyway. In March of 1519, Cortes claimed the land for the Spanish Crown (Charles V). Because of this great victory and the gold that Cortes sent back to Spain, he was named Governor and Captain General of Mexico in 1523.
In 1518 Hernán Cortés took command of an expedition to secure the interior of Mexico in the name of the Spanish Crown. In the letters he detailed his expedition and the land and peoples they conquered and encountered. The first letter, dated 1519, is a problematic document as it is written in the third person and was most likely not actually wire by cortez. The second and third letters are much more reliable and were published in Seville in 1522 and 1523 respectively. The culture, geography, economy and other details of the Aztec civilization, as well as Cortés and his forces’ interaction with them, are detailed in his letters which are addressed to the monarch of the sponsor of his force, Spain. In his letters Cortés also gave justification and explanation of the actions he took in Mexico.
Slide 2- the man the Spanish monarchy chose was Christopher Columbus. Columbus is known for stumbling into America while looking for Asia.
From the moment Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico and began his campaign against the Aztec empire, the people of the new world were doomed to be conquered by both technological and biological means. Smallpox, a disease that had never been experienced in America before the arrival of the Europeans devastated large scale native populations. The abandonment of the famous lost city of Machu Picchu stands as a famous example of the devastation of native populations.
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
In 1514 de Soto sailed with the new governor of modern day Panama. Six years later he was a captain who because of his part in military action against the Indians of Panama had earned the right to own Indian Sl...
When the Spaniards arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in 1519, they encountered the advanced society of the Aztecs. With Tenochititlan at its capital, the Aztec empire was vast. The Aztecs had substantial wealth from trading and extensive payments of tribute from conquered peoples. Bernal Diaz in his The Conquest of New Spain comments, "We were dazzled at the richness of the country that we passed through" (282). The Spaniards encountered a powerful, advanced people in the New World, making Cortes and his crew of approximately 600 seemingly ensured of defeat. The Aztec religion lends much to Spanish success in conquest.
Hernan Cortes had many positive and negative impacts, which are determined by the point of view. From a Native American view, there are many negative impacts. When Cortez conquered the native people of Mexico he subjected them to Spanish rule. Because of this, many people lost a lot of their native culture. A lot of the natives were then treated badly and were utilized for their labor. These actions of Cortez led to the demolition of the native way of life in Mexico.
Both times he was beaten back to the coast by Maya armies. Shortly after his expeditions, Cortes suffered the same fate during his attempt to penetrate Cozumel and Champoton. In March of 1519, after both men’s failed attempts, Cortes put together a larger expedition with the expectation of being able to set up trade with the Maya. He hoped this would help lead to the establishment of a permanent Spanish settlement. Instead, Cortes was able to defeat small groups of Maya armies during this time. After being defeated, the Maya offered Cortes objects made of gold and told stories great empires that layed further into the mainland. Overcome with ambition and visions of conquest, all focus was moved from the establishment of a permanent settlement to tracking down and finding these
Hernan Cortes, one of the most looked upon leaders of Spain, was an explorer who had claimed Mexico for Spain, back in the early 1500’s. Cortes was born in Medellin, Spain in 1485. He came from a lesser noble family. According to some reports, he studied at the University of Salamanca for some time. In search for a fortune, in 1504, Cortés left Spain for New World. He traveled to the island of Santo Domingo. After settling in the new town of Azúa, Cortés served as a notary. After gaining some experience about the government and exploration under Diego Velazquez for Cuba in 1511, Cortes decided to lead his own expedition to Mexico.
In the first part of the document, Cortés and his men spend their time at Montezuma's palaces. Seeing the extravagant wealth of the Aztec king, Cortés begins his seduction (all the while knowing that Montezuma believes that he may be the fulfillment of a prophecy). He embraced Montezuma with the greatest reverence and "told him that now his heart rejoiced at having seen such a great Prince, and that he took it as a great honour that he had come in person to meet him and had frequently shown him such favor" (World History: Castillo, 247). Cortés and his men are brought into the house of Montezuma, and all of his riches are now at their disposal to observe and share in. Montezuma tells Cortés: "Malinche you and your brethren are in your own house" (World History: Castillo, 247).
Why was Cortes with 508 soldiers able to conquer the Aztec Empire with millions of people?
To begin, in 1517 Francisco Hernández de Córdova, Bernal Díaz del Castillo, and some other gentlemen embarked on a journey to explore new lands in hopes of seeking employment since they had yet to find it in their new home of Cuba. In need of additional provisions, the governor of Cuba, Diego Velásquez, loaned the group supplies and a boat with the agreement that they return with Indians to be used as slaves.