Hernando Cortez

1136 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Motives for exploration of the new world

Hernando Cortez was one of the bravest military leaders of all time.

Born in Medellin, Spain, he was a Spanish Conquistador who conquered most of Central America. He also gave Spain three-hundred years of control over Mexico. Cortez started exploring in the early 1500’s. He explored to find riches and conquered by being observant of the natives. With a small army, he conquered the Aztec Empire. Cortez went to the university in Salamanca, Spain. He attended the university to study Latin and Law. Unfortunately, Cortez completed only two years of school. He returned to his family in Medellin, Spain. However, life became boring for him. Nevertheless, Christopher Columbus inspired Cortez to explore the New World. Finally, Cortez was able to explore the New World.

Cortez sailed on a ship to Santo Domingo, Hispaniola in 1504. He received land in Hispaniola. He cultivated the land for about seven years. Finally, Cortez first adventure was in 1511. He met a rich landowner named Diego Velazquez. Velazquez led a mission to conquer Cuba. Cortez joined forces with Velazquez. This mission was a success. Velazquez became the Governor of Cuba. Cortez received land and slaves. Cortez became wealthy. He owned a large home and a thriving ranch. He had a new wife but still craved for excitement in his life. He continued to have adventure on his mind. Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba a Spanish explorer was searching for slaves. Unfortunately, the captain landed in a different place. This explorer had landed on the Yucatan Peninsula. This peninsula had cities built of stone. The native people wore bright colored clothing and appeared to be highly civilized. This was the first developed society the Spaniards had found in the New World. The captain h...

... middle of paper ...

...o search for riches in New Spain. He sent several expeditions through Northwestern Mexico, but they found nothing. These expeditions were unsuccessful. He went into debt after the expensive expeditions. Determined to continue his exploring, he decided to ask King Charles I for help. Cortez went to Spain in 1540, but the king was at war in Algiers. Cortez volunteered to serve in the war in 1541. Later, Hernando Cortez became ill. He died on December 2, 1547 in Seville, Spain. Cortez contributed a lot to the New World. He introduced Spain to Mexico. He showed his bravery and conquered the Aztec Empire. Through his cleverness and wits, he joined native and Spanish culture together. Cortez has helped to establish the Mexican culture that lives today. He was one of the most courageous leaders from Spain. In his honor, a memorial stands of Cortez in Medellin, Spain.

Show More
Related

  • Cabeza De Vaca Dbq Essay

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    From a proud Conquistador, to a castaway, a slave and trader, and then medicine man, Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to explore much of the southern coast of Texas. Cabeza was a 37 year old military veteran in 1527 when he left on the Narvaez Expedition to find gold and colonize the Gulf Coast. He was the expedition’s treasurer. Cabeza de Vaca was enslaved by Indians in 1528 when one of the rafts the crew made crashed on present day Galveston island, he then escaped in 1530 and joined/was enslaved by another tribe called the Charrucos until his escape with 3 other survivors in 1534. He then walked to Mexico City. Cabeza survived this ordeal because of the incredible patience he had, his skills of diplomacy and goodwill, and his amazing wilderness survival skills.

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes and the Governorship of Mexico

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    During his reign, Hernan Cortes spent most of his time rebuilding Mexico City. He destroyed Aztec buildings and temples, and then rebuilt Christians Churches on top of the ruins. He also brought many Europeans to Mexico. Because of this Mexico City soon became the most important city in the Americas. Cortes founded new cities and appointed men to rule over these new cities and extend Spanish rule. He instituted the encomienda land tenure system in 1524. This is a trusteeship labour system in which certain per...

    Read More

  • Gregorio Cortez: A Hero or A Rebel?

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cortez is a hero and should be respected as a hero for the reasons that he stood up the way many were scared to do so in his time. We live in a city filled with many Hispanics that could relate and argue the same that Cortez is a here to the Mexican American culture. For now Cortez’s story is only told as a folk tale but I believe one day Cortez is going to be recognized as a hero. Just give it time. Viva Gregorio Cortez!

    Read More

  • Hernan Alonso

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is the main reason why Hernan Cortes was able to succeed. He was the man that put Tenochtitlan under siege. He gained the skill of creating from being a blacksmith. He had the entrepreneurship to start his own business in the foreign land of the Americas. In which he introduced EurAsia livestock. He had helped from Hernan Cortes to pursue this conquest without this help nothing would have been possible. This would also led to his downfall. Many believed that Cortes had too much power in the Americas. The King’s nobles and officials keep persuading the king that Cortes was getting powerful. The king started to look the other way, when Cortes needed help. Cortes had sent the king many gifts and this is how he repaid him. Cortes was betrayed by the king and keep being called away for his “crimes”. He could not protect Alonso from his enemies or Alonso from his. Alonso was a “new christian” which marked him. He had to watch his back in New Spain, because “new Christians” were barred from the Americas. His enemies saw this and took advantage. He was convicted on bogus charged. Hernan Alonso was the first person to be burn for being a heretic in the Americas. Alonso was instrumental for the success of Hernan Cortes and vice

    Read More

  • The Exploration of Hernando de Soto

    2944 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 1539 Hernando de Soto and five hundred adventurers began on a journey of exploration that would take 4 years and would travel through 10 states in the southeast United States. His goal was to discover a source of wealth, preferably gold, and around his mines establish a settlement. During his travels through La Florida he encountered numerous groups of native peoples, making friends of some and enemies of others. His expedition was not the first in La Florida; however, it was the most extensive. In its aftermath, thousands of Indians would die by disease that the Spaniards brought from the Old World. De Soto would initially be remembered as a great explorer but, would be later viewed as a destroyer of native culture. However, in truth de Soto was neither a hero or a villain but rather an adventurer.

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes: A Man On A Mission

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    His main accomplishment was the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. With about 600 men and 16 horses, Hernan Cortes landed on the Mexican coast in search of gold. From local inhabitants, he heard of a great and he had heard of a great and wealthy civilization farther inland. This civilization is what we call now the Aztec empire. He and his troops marched onward towards Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital.

    Read More

  • How Did Spain Become The Most Powerful Country In The New World

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nineteen year old Hernan Cortes first arrived in the New World in 1504. A few years later, he fought in the conquest of Cuba. In 1519, Hernan Cortes requested and received permission from the governor of Cuba to conduct his exploration of the “interior of the mainland” to “investigate rumors of the fabulously wealthy kingdom” (The American Promise 36). When Cortes landed on the Yucatan Peninsula with his exploration crew of 600 men, he luckily met a generous local chief who gifted him a young girl named Malinali. The Spaniards referred to Malinali as Marina. According to The American Promise, page 36, Marina served as a translator for the Spanish since she “ spoke several native languages, including Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica.” Montezuma, the emperor of the Mexican people, sent people bearing gifts such as food and gold to the men. This gift of gold and riches from the emperor confirmed the Spaniard’s belief that the Aztec Empire was indeed the empire from the rumors. Cortes marched towards Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Mexican Empire. Once they arrived in Tenochtitlan, Montezuma was very welcoming and provided them with more luxurious gifts. Cortes proceeded to take Montezuma hostage with the intention to use him as a puppet “through whom the Spaniards could rule the Mexican empire” (The American Promise 36). There was a calm before the storm in the form of an

    Read More

  • The Role of Religion in "The Conquest of New Spain"

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Struggles of the American Revolution

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 discovered Florida and was later met by a southern Indian tribe that would cut Leon’s triumphant moment short. A second attempt to colonize in America was led unsuccessful by Panfilo de Norvaez in 1528. Many men were lost at sea and others were among the Indian people. The first Spanish expedition in 1539 to what would later be known as Florida was an invasion that would be soon attacked twice by natives. Herman de Soto and his group of men in 1542 were defeated along with the rest of the Spanish attempts. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was another explorer in 1540 that attempted to bring back any rare goods to Spain. The army traveled through the southwest and to the Great Plains, returning empty-handed.

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes Was Responsible For The Fall Of The Aztecs

    324 Words  | 1 Pages

    The first thing he did when he got to Mexico was tricking them into trusting them by giving them gifts, he even convinced them he was a god. Because of him tricking them into thinking they were gods Moctezuma gave cortes his daughter and they used Moctezuma’s daughter as a sexual toy. Then after this his greed took over he originally wasn’t even the captain, he was more of a sub captain, but he wanted all the treasures so he overthrew the captain then he was the captain.

    Read More

  • How Did Hernan Cortes Influence Mexico

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cortes helped build more farms throughout the country and other necessities for making the economy better. Hernan constantly looked for ways to keeping his power, growing his country, making sure the number of assets he owned kept increasing, and he would constantly look for ways of defeating those who would try to overthrow him. Since Cortes had a spark for exploration, he sponsored many of the exploration trips that were carried out in his country. Thinking about making the economy better, he built more cities, and even promoted industrialization by starting sugar factories. He spread Christianity amongst the people. Basically, Hernan Cortes did a fine job of laying the Mexico City on top of the old Aztec Tenochtitlan. To make sure he did not let his personal wishes aside, in 1524, Cortes left to explore the world more and that led him to the jungles of Honduras.

    Read More

  • Don Juan Ponce De Leon

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    On November 19, 1493 Ponce de Leon was one of the first Europeans to see the small island of Borinquen, the Indian name for Puerto Rico. Ponce de Leon sailed to Puerto Rico in 1506 with two hundred men to the island and found out that it had rich gold deposits. He enslaved the natives, and forced them to mine gold for him. Ponce de Leon left Puerto Rico and returned again in 1508 this time he brought with him only fifty men. On this voyage his ship went through a terrible storm that caused him to run onto the rocks on two occasions. The crew was forced to throw over much of their supplies in order to keep the ship from sinking. After Ponce de Leon finally arrived in Puerto Rico he became the governor of the island. This caused him to become very wealthy, and the most powerful man on the island, who only received orders from the kind himself!

    Read More

  • Victors and Vanquished

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the principle themes in the Aztec downfall was the immense greed of the Europeans. The principle goal of every major faction in Europe was to gain power and wealth it didn’t matter from what source. Everyone from popes and kings to the lowly soldier envisioned rivers of gold and fame. Ever since they had boats Europeans have been looking for lucrative trade routes and other ways to turn a profit. The ruling monarchs of these countries contributed a great deal to this. They saw vast profits from these ventures through taxes and the customary “ Royal Fifth” which was a fifth of all profits would go straight to the King and/or Queen. Also royalty or other nobility within the country personally funded a large majority of explorations. Trading and exploration companies just helped push the trend further and made the exploitation of newly discovered lands big business. While greed was defiantly a starting point for Cortez’s expedition, it was his greed while in Central Mexico that changed the tide of history. Cortez’s first encounters with the natives in Central...

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes - Reasons for Success

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cortes was able to conquer the Aztecs for several very different reasons. In combination these reasons allowed him to have the upper hand in the conquest of Mexico. Arguably these reasons can be sorted into six different categories. The various causes for Cortes' success will be assessed in a climax pattern. To begin with the Aztecs had a harsh tribute system that was not popular among the people of Mexico. This cruel tribute system allowed Cortes to act as a liberator. Furthermore, with the Spanish brought several diseases into Mexico in witch they were immune to but the Aztecs were not. The spread of diseases such as small pox reduced the Aztec population and furthered Cortes' success unintentionally Also Marina was a tribal girl given as a gift to Cortes, she proved invaluable in translating local dialects in combination with Geronimo de Aguilar. Also an important aspect of his success was due to Montezuma's belief that Cortes was Quetzakoatl. A predominant reason for the Spanish success was due to their weaponry especially their armour and firepower. Perhaps the most important reason of all was that of Cortes' Indian allies such as the Tlaxcalans who made up the majority of his combined army. All these reasons worked together to allow Cortes, originally with 508 men to conquer the Aztec Empire of millions of people.

    Read More

  • Daily Life of the Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ultimately I believe that the clash between Cortez and the Aztecs was indeed inevitable. The Spanish like all humans suffered from a need to explore and dominate. It is human nature to wonder what lies in wait throughout the world. The Spanish were seeking to discover new lands. When they came across the overwhelmingly interesting civilization that is the Aztecs, their lust for power as well as the news of Cortez’s men being slain at Totonacs it left them no choice to but to conquer these people and claim their belongings as their own.

    Read More

More about Hernando Cortez

Open Document