Hernan Cortes: The Conquest Of The Aztecs

Throughout the centuries on Earth, Great Empires expanding mass amounts of territory have arose, and crumbled in the forms of the Persian Empire, Roman Empire, Han Dynasty, Mongolian Empire, and the Aztec Empire only to falter to the test of time. All great Empires are formed by having a distinctive advantage over their neighbours whether it be in military tactics, or technologies that allowed them to exploit the weaknesses of their rivals. The Mexica was a religious and militaristic society, causing their warriors to be extremely skilled in combat, allowing them to vigorously expand, and subjugate kingdoms in the Mexico Valley, with their constant need of captives for sacrifice, and allowing them to sustain their warrior class system. The

Hernan Cortes, would drop subtle, and obvious comparisons to the Moors in his writing too slowly vilify the Mexica whether it be “Moorish Draperies”, “Moorish Fashion” and depicting certain rooms as “Private Mosques”. Hernan Cortes, then depicts the sacrifices of the Aztecs, and appeals to the faith of his Emperor that as good Catholics it is their duty to interfere with these atrocities, and to convert the Mexica to Catholicism "they take large numbers of boys and girls and even of grown men and woman and tear out their heart and bowels while still alive burning them in the presence of those idols", however that was only his official justification for the conquest of the Aztec Empire as the vast riches, and leaving behind a legacy were all important factors to Hernan Cortes henceforth his reasoning to compare himself with the Romans “"The Spaniards grinned like little beasts, and patted each other with delight. When they entered the hall of treasures". The effects of the difference in culture, and psychology between the Aztec, and the Spaniards is on full display when they are in combat between each other. The Spaniards seemed to work as a cohesive

The Aztec’s culture revolved around the need for sacrifices to replenish the universe, causing resentment from the other indigenous tribes, and building an unsustainable warrior class. The Spaniards, and the Aztecs opposing views led to conflict, and even though the Spaniards didn’t have the numerical advantage the different fighting styles gave them the advantage, while also, having had recruited other indigenous tribes in the area aiding in the destruction of the Aztec Empire. The differences in the culture, and psychological views is what created the conflict that would bring upon the demise of the Aztec Empire, however Smallpox, and other diseases are what weakened the Aztec Empire internally by diminishing their workforce, warrior class, and the deaths of their senior leaders granting the Conquistadors the ability to conquer at such a quick pace. The combinations of these issues are what led to the fall of the Aztec