Hernan Cortes

578 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aztec civilization introduction

Hernan Cortes conquered all of the Aztecs and created a great new city that is present day Mexico City. Cortes sailed to Cuba from Spain and then from Cuba to Mexico where he found the Aztecs. He was going Mexico to find riches, land, and power for Spain. He accomplished all three of those things. He created one of the first civilization in the New World, which in the future would become a great and grand city. Hernan Cortes was the most successful explorer because he conquered the entire Aztec population, created one of the first and most powerful civilizations in the new world, and started to blend cultures together.
Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico in the year 1519. The Aztecs were living in their outstanding city, Tenochtitlan, and their ruler Moctezuma II was in charge. Cortes caught word of this stunning city from the indigenous people Cortes and his men created alliances with. He took a few men and went to visit Tenochtitlan and Moctezuma II. When they arrived they were given gold and other riches. Cortes said that “This great city contains a large number of temples, or houses...

Show More
Related

  • Hernan Cortes Trial

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes entries Tenochtitlan

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    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

  • Tenochtitlan, The Impossible City

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    During 1325 a newly homeless Aztec tribe who were chased away by the angry ruler/father of a princess they sacrificed to the sun god, were traveling through swamps . they saw a small island with an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. This was told to be a sign of where the tribe was to create their new home. This new city was named Tenochtitlan. Soon this will become the capital of the Aztec empire. Tenochtitlan started out with only a temple to worship the war god Huitzilopochtli, and huts for the tribesmen.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Columbus And Cortes

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    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

  • Hernan Cortes Perception Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe

    2083 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many Mexicans have known and put their whole trust in Our Lady of Guadalupe for the past five hundred years. She has influenced the lives of many Mexicans in their homeland, Mexico, and also affected the lives of Mexicans abroad. Our Lady of Guadalupe has become an icon for many, she has received many honorary name such La Morenita (Spanish for the dark one), Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas (Who gave her the name) and La Virgen de Guadalupe (Direct Spanish translation of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Although these are only a few names she has been given it has shown that she has been interchangeable person in history that has helped many adapt to a certain life situation. Hdjlsfhjkdashjsdak

    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

  • Aztecs

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    They built Tenochtitlan in the year thirteen twenty five BC. They started as a small struggling village continually fighting with other Mexican city-states. Tenochtitlan acted as a place of refuge. Aztec Empire At first the Aztecs where ruled by the mightiest of the city-states in central Mexico known as Azcapotzlaco.

    Read More

  • Aztecs

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Aztecs came from Azatlan which is the mythical place of origin(Aztecs of Lost Civilization). Huizilopochtli, the god of war, told the Aztecs to leave Azatlan and wander until they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a rock and eating a snake(Los Aztecas). The Aztecs traveled many years to find the legend and finally found it while at Lake Texcoco. Lake Texcoco was ruled by the Toltecs between the 10th and 11th centuries(Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia). Since many other tribes also migrated to Lake Texcoco at the same time, the Aztecs were pushed out to the westside of the lake to a swampy area. The only piece of dry land they had was a little island surrounded by marshes. Over a long period of time they built their empire with chinapas. Chinapas were formed by piling up mud from the lake bottom to make little islands(Aztec Empire History). Tenochtitlan (currently Mexico City), which means "Place of the Cactus", became the capital in 1325 and soon there came many islands in which bridges were built to connect the mainland (Los Aztecas). They also dug canals and constructed aqueducts. There were many religious structures, and they built temples and pyramids. By 1502 the Aztec Empire expanded from Guatemala to San Luis Potosi which is in Central and Southern Mexico and extended 800 miles along a northwest-southeast axis. The Aztecs conquered many cities and all became part of the empire which was wedged between high mountains and surrounded by lakes(Aztecs of Lost Civilization/ Azetc Empire History).

    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

  • 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

  • Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's Achievements

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fact that Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was educated helped him immensely in his travels. Cabrillo knew how to build ships and was very good at it. This helped the crew make it to the New World without dying in the rough seas. According to the written text by the Mariners Museum, Cabrillo also knew how to read and write which most sailors did not know how to do at that time because of the sparse amounts of schooling they received. With that ability he could read maps and navigate his ship easier than some others. Also, Cabrillo developed a trade between the Spanish, Guatemala, and a few other places in the Americas. He helped Guatemala establish their trade routes and figure out which goods to keep and which ones to trade. Only an educated man could do that. The natives of Guatemala had a lot to thank him for. That goes along with the next point.

    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

More about Hernan Cortes

Open Document