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

Three major themes are seen in this struggle. One of them is the incredible advantage that the Spaniards technology gave them over the Aztecs. A second major theme is the greed that fueled the conquests in the New World. The last major theme was the effect of the political divisions and rivalries within Montezuma’s Central American Kingdom. As this historical event progressed each one of these themes began to intertwine until they became an almost unstoppable force.

The reformation forced the church to respond or disintegrate into oblivion in the wake of the reformation. The Catholic Church's response to the reformation was the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent set a clear dividing line between the two factions of Christianity by clearly defining the Catholic Doctrines. Protestantism varied greatly from Catholicism with regards to its doctrines, the way Protestantism spread, and the way that... ... middle of paper ... ...ambitions. The people that Catholicism were the majority of the Catholic clergy, (for obvious reasons), traditionalist, and superstitious people.

It all started with the Spanish conquest against the Aztec Empire in 1518. Hernan Cortes, a Spanish explorer, and 600 of his soldiers set sail for Mexico, where he hoped to find great riches and land he could claim for Spain. They invaded Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire and were surprisingly, warmly and graciously welcomed with open arms by the Aztecs and their leader, Montezuma II. The Spanish were treated like royalty because the Aztecs believed they were gods. The Aztecs were completely unaware that the Spanish were there to steal riches because the Aztec Empire was at the peak of its rich and glorious culture.

Yet, they worshiped these gods in very violent ways through human sacrifice. Some civilizations killed younger children and some killed adults, ripping out their hearts and cutting off their heads. Life in Latin America before the Europeans arrived insinuated a paradox because they had an organized leadership and were spiritual, yet they caused mayhem through violence and war. Works Cited The Inca: The Great Inca Rebellion The Maya: Engineering an Empire The Aztec: Documentary: The Aztec Empire In Search of History The Olmec: Secrets of the Ancient Olmecs (Full Documentary) on You tube

Two of the biggest and greatest civilization in the Americas were the Aztecs and Incas. These two civilization were both said to be conquered by the Spanish, but it wasn’t just the Spanish who conquered them. These two civilizations both fell from a combination of a weak government, lack of technology, new disease introduced by the invaders, and not being prepared for the invaders. For many centuries the Aztec civilization revolved around a ideological, social, and political system in which expansion was the cornerstone. Expansion was the cornerstone of their whole civilization, because their religion requested that a large number of human sacrifices where to be made to the gods.

He may not have been the tallest person in the crowd, but he had the most will to achieve greatness. He is one of Spain's most influential, if not the most, conquistadors. 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.

The Spanish inquisition was fuelled by the people's worst traits: fear, greed, and intolerance, the greed for power and increased financial gain. What started off as a noble cause turned into a bloody nightmare, where great sins were committed in the name of God, the church used as a scapegoat in this horrible incident. Unnecessary fear struck into the citizens' mind, people unjustly persecuted because of their belief or of others accusations and the control that the state had over the people were all evident during that time.

The Reformation spurred a wave of political devolution throughout Europe in the early 1500s, the most obvious example being that of the Holy Roman Empire. Although the nobility of the Holy Roman Empire had managed to keep hold of its power throughout a time of political unification, the Reformati... ... middle of paper ... ...h century historian, claims these strict, hardworking philosophies of puritanical Protestantism laid the foundations of the capitalist society we have today. In conclusion, the Reformation brought about a wave of political devolution counteracting the surge of political centralization sweeping through post-Medieval Europe. The new religious sects which formed in the first half of the sixteenth century continued to separate themselves from the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church, effecting not only the spiritual lives of the laity, but the social institutions of Europe for years to come. The war these religions will create will be a major part of European history in the years to come, with the conflict between Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinist, and other protestants defining the political landscape of Western Europe well into the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Broken Spears is a book written by Miguel Leon-Portilla that gives accounts of the fall of the Aztec Empire to the Spanish in the early 16th century. The book is much different from others written about the defeat of the empire because it was written from the vantage point of the Aztecs rather then the Spanish. Portilla describes in-depth many different reasons why the Spanish were successful in the defeat of such a strong Empire. Portilla starts out by giving a thorough background of the culture and religious beliefs. The reader can draw many theories on how this carried over to the Aztecs way of thinking and fighting.

The consequence of the Conquest by the Europeans was that the Aztec and Inca Civilizations were basically wiped out. The story of the Spanish conquest over the native people of the Americas began in 1492; the Spaniards came from Europe to the Americas in hope of gaining wealth and increasing their social status. The Spaniards who were in the Americas were supposed to be spreading the word of Christianity, but often found the lure of gold and money, which affected the Aztecs and Inca Empires. The Spanish, due to their inferior weapons and bold war tactics, eventually captured both the Incas and Aztecs Empires. The Aztecs landed in Mesoamerica around the start of the thirteenth century.