From 1450-1750, there was a time of great exploration and advancement in technology that state consolidation and expansion. Inventions like the astrolabe, compass, and lanteen sail made these expeditions possible and more accessible than ever before. There were positive and negative effects of exploration and it greatly impacted the organization of regions throughout time. As networks of communication and exchange emerged, goods and the transmission of disease increased like smallpox, new discoveries of unkown territories were made such as the New World, and cultural interactions that spread religion like the Spanish converting Mexico to Christianity were becoming more and more evident. The Columbian Exchange traded lots of commerce …show more content…
The Conquest of Mexico (doc.6) , written by Bernardino de Sahagun was meant to document the interactions between Moctezuma and Cortes. According to the source, Moctezuma greeted Cortes with flowers, necklaces, and a bow that demonstrated a sign of respect. He welcomed Cortes to their land and allowed him to govern the city of Mexico which is exactly what Cortes did. The Spanish wanted to convert everybody to Christianity and would do this harshly and destroyed lots of belief systems that were previously there. The systems the Spanish put in place were heavily abused and it subjugated the native people to slavery. This source can be contrasted with the peaceful interaction between the Nankun Man and the Muslim people (doc.1). The document is written in the point of view of Ma huan who is documenting the harmonic interaction between the Nankun Man and the Muslim people. The Nankun man and his people respected the elephant and ox and vowed to not eat the ox. He then asked the Muslim people, who did not pig , to make a pact. If the Muslim people did not eat th flesh of the ox, then the country of the Nankun Man would not eat pig. This compact respected both cultures and has not been broken which shows how cultures can come together and peacefully compromise. This is very different to the Spanish who did not consider the cultures and religions of the people of Mexico and because of that the organization of those regions have been
Having now roughly outlined the various kinds of frontiers and their modes of advance, chiefly from the point of view of the frontier itself, we may next inquire what were the influences on the East and on the Old World. A rapid enumeration of some of the more noteworthy effects is all that I have time for.
When Moctezuma met Cortes did not trust him at first. The reason being is because his looked very sketchy. But the Aztecs said to trust him. So Moctezuma trusted Cortes and passed the thrown down to him. The reason why it happened so fast they said that because there was a tail that said that one day their true leader so that’s what they thought about Cortes, he’s the one. From that point on it was fine until something happened. The Aztecs attacked Moctezuma. During the battle, Moctezuma was killed and at that very moment Cortes became the true leader and took his position. The aztecs lost that battle, they didn’t know how to react. The Aztecs became slaves for Cortes. All slaves were forced into becoming christians. Today, in spain, holds
Knowledge of circular current wind patterns made sailing long distances substantially easier and less labor intensive. The Old World began to travel farther and farther by the ocean. In this sense, it was inevitable that the Old World and the New World should collide. Columbus took advantage of this sea-ward gaze and the Spanish desire to exercise their power, acquire resources, and extend the reach of Christianity. In hindsight, Columbus' original intention to sail to India an obvious and major miscalculation but the mere action of crossing the Atlantic turned “a barrier into a bridge” (Horan). Upon Columbus' arrival, the European advantage became evident: gunpowder weaponry, use of horses for military and transportation, and iron weapons, tools, and armor.
The Columbian Exchange is the exchange of plants, animals, food, and diseases between Europe and the Americas. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus came to America, he saw plants and animals he had never seen before so he took them back with him to Europe. Columbus began the trade routes which had never been established between Europe and the Americas so his voyages initiated the interchange of plants between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, which doubled the food crop resources available to people on both sides of the Atlantic.
The letter written in 1524 by the Aztec Priests in response to the Spanish was mainly for the Aztecs people to “defend the legitimacy of their own customs and how most Aztecs did not want to renounce their own religion in favor of Catholicism.” Also, if they did listen to the Spanish king’s rule, they would be going against their own God. The Aztec Priests made sure to list numerous of examples to why they went against the Spanish who were trying to change their religious believes. For instance, in the letter the Priests stated, “you say our gods are not true gods. The new words that you put utter are what confuse us; due to them we feel foreboding. Our makers [our ancestors] who came to live on earth never uttered such words. They gave us
During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.
The social change in Europe contributed with the improvement and object discoveries as the astrolabe and the caravels, lighter and moved by triangular sails, which facilitated the maneuvers on the high seas and propitiated travel longer distances. It was possible to have an access to best routes allowing occur the expansion overseas.
The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the “god” that included a human
The Aztec people felt very strong about their beliefs in gods and superstitions. Montecuhzoma the independent ruler of the Aztec empire swayed his people to believe in the power of gods and idols and live a spiritual life. This ultimately was a turning point for the Aztecs and is where the Spanish once again gained advantage over the Aztecs. While the Aztecs were faithful to their beliefs it made them powerless an easy take down. Superstitions played a huge factor in the Aztecs first encounter with the Spanish people. In 1519 when the Aztec people saw sight of something coming from a distance in the water, they believed it was Quetzalcoatl (Leon-Portilla, 18). Quetzalcoatl was a legend to them that promised to come back. Montecuhzoma misread the situation and sent messages and gifts in hopes that it sent a gesture to welcome the gods onto their land. This was a big mistake that Motecuhzoma made by opening his arms to the Spanish people upon their first encounter together (Leon-Portilla, 63). This is just one case where the Aztec people poorly used their judgement. However, Motecuhzoma did come to realize the behavior of the Spaniards or “Gods”. When the Spaniards held the gold given by the Aztecs their greed became noticed in the eyes of the Aztecs. The Natives described them as monkeys. They soon caught on that the Spaniards were not gods and heroes and more so barbarians
the native Americans use for thousands of years and still to this day. The reason that they
The Conquest of Mexico and the conversion of the peoples of New Spain can and should be included among the histories of the world, not only because it was well done but because it was very great. . . . Long live, then, the name and memory of him [Cortés] who conquered so vast a land, converted such a multitude of men, cast down so many men, cast down so many men, cast down so many idols, and put an end to so much sacrifice and the eating of human flesh! —Francisco López de Gómara (1552)
According to the chapter's "Continuity and Change" section, what exploration was a driving force in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries?Answer
In a time when Spanish and New England colonies journeyed to explore and to colonize the New World in the 1600’s. The colonies both looked to gain more power and wealth. It is in this context that the ways of the Spanish and English colonies varied when it came to settlement and survival on the land in the New World. The difference between the Spanish and New England colonies in the New World between 1492 to 1700 differed considerably in religious beliefs, economy, and treatment of the indigenous people because of the significant change that occurred when the colonies migrated into the New World.
The Age of Exploration contains both benefits and harms to the groups of people, animals, and land that is associated. The damaging effects of the Age of Exploration were directed, for the most part, upon the people and land of the New World. With the treasure and innovation brought by Europeans in their ships were the
This week we explored the topic of exchanges throughout the world through two of Alfred Crosby's readings. When referencing Ecological Imperialism I will cite as (Crosby, 2004, page number) and when referencing The Columbian Exchange I will site as (Crosby, 2003, page number). While discussing two very different times in the Earth's history, both books provided an insight into the environmental exchanges that can occur, and I believe that Crosby did a great job explaining these exchanges with both books.