Effects Of The Conquest Of Mexico

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, once famously said, “War is never a lasting solution for any problem”. Every single country has had some sort of conflict with another country, and often the solution is war. However, many do not realize that most wars (including the Mexican-American War) permanently damage the diplomatic relations of countries. Because of the damage of the Mexican-American War, it is unlikely that the bond between America and Mexico will ever be the same. The events leading up to the war began when Mexico won its independence from Spain, and in an effort to increase the population of the country, Mexican leaders welcomed American settlers to colonize the Mexican territory of Texas. However, conflict arose

In chapter one Conquerors and Victims: The Image of America Forms (1500-1800) Gonzalez talks about the impact upon the arrival of the Europeans to America. This arrival was categorized as “the greatest and most important event in the history of human kind”. Spain and England were two countries that had a big impact on our modern world and transplanted their cultures around the territories they took over. Both countries created their empires in which they established on their identities and viewpoint of their language and social customs. Upon their arrival the native population was outnumbered, many of which live around Mexico’s Valley and others populate the Central Andes region and Rio Grande.

After the people of Mexico freed themselves from Spanish control, they faced difficulties trying to officially establish themselves as a country. Despite their independence, Mexico had to also live with the aftermath of Spanish colonialism. Part of the aftermath included socio-political issues amongst the Mexican people. In an effort to establish themselves as a nation, they first had to free themselves from a Spanish ideology, for Mexico truly was not free after their independence. The socio-political predicaments contribute to the evolution of modern day Mexico.

Before Europeans landed in the Americas, Native Americans lived within various complex societies across modern day North and South America. Two of the greatest empires that existed at the time were the Aztecs located in modern central Mexico or at the time it was called Mesoamerica and the Incas located in modern Peru, these societies were unique because they were ruled by kings, nobles and warriors whereas most North American Natives were ruled by chiefdoms. North American Native’s religion consisted of animist quality- a belief that the natural world had spiritual powers. They applied this belief to everyday life- praying to be exempt from disease, good crops, and plenty of food. Some societies amongst many North American Natives were matriarchal for example in the Iroquois society power and possessions were passed down through the female line of authority. Most women were gatherers and watched over the towns and men hunted for food for their families, maize agriculture was popular amongst the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes Natives. The Native Americans traded extensively before the Europeans arrived, for example there were annual trade fairs between the Navajos, Apaches and the Pueblos. In 1521, Hernan Cortes arrived in Mesoamerica and quickly overcame the Aztecs, not only by force but also disease. Europeans unknowingly brought many diseases, such as smallpox, influenza and measles, that the Native Americans were never exposed to and it was one of the biggest killers of the Natives. At first, Europeans forced Native Americans to be slaves and work on their plantations but soon they were replaced with the African slave.

II. Thesis Statement: Mexico is an interesting country, with many different and people and customs, as well as major problems.

The Native Americans once thrived on the rich land of the Americas, and they built a long-lasting civilization with the help of nature, gods, and organized roles within the tribes. However, the thriving population plummeted after their encounter with diseases and forced labor brought upon them by the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadores. Although at first the conquistadores mistreatment of Native Americans seem shallow and unethical, their conquest of the Americas only partially reflects the claims of the English Black Legends..

The Mexican war was a conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. This war had gone by various names such as Mexican War, Spanish Guerra de 1847, or Guerra de Estados Unidos a Mexico. At this point in history, there were multiple people connected such as James Polk, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass. Additional parties that were involved included the northeasterners, Santa Anna and the Mexican Government, and the modern-day Mexican people. This battle brought a numerous amount of casualties and left a cascade of broken tides. There were over 10,000 people dead and over 3,000 people who had been wounded. The Mexican American war left behind memories of the redeeming qualities between the United States and Mexico due to a large number of territories and people that Mexico lost to America.

The Spanish Conquest impacted the Aztec society’s beliefs and way of life. The Aztec empire was a wealthy and a well-organized society. It was an empire that people from Europe had never seen before. There are many mixed feelings about the impact of the Spaniards in the new world. Some experts view it as negative and others believed there were many positive results of this conquest. Regardless if we agree whether the conquest was positive or negative, there is no doubt that the Spanish conquest was the beginning of the end for the Aztec empire. An empire that had their own set of beliefs filled with exotic mythology and legends.

From 250 A.D. to the late 1500’s A.D., three civilizations, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas controlled Central and South America. Their decline happened for many different reasons. The Spanish conquistadors was one of the most common and deadliest, due to their advanced weapons and diseases they brought. It seems that wherever the Spanish went, bad things always happened. Innocent people were killed for no reason, cities were massacred and civilizations were destroyed.

The first major disease to find the New World was probably smallpox which broke out on Hispanola in 1518. As the Spaniards moved toward the mainland from the islands their diseases often proceeded them. One reason for this was a messenger bearing the news of the invasion to his people could carry the diseases as well as his message. With the arrival of Cortes in 1520 the smallpox virus was brought to Mexico and the Aztec nation. It has been thought that if the virus had not come when it did the Spanish invasion would not have been successful (Lunenfeld, 314). The Aztec leader of the assault against the Spanish invasion, as well as many of his followers, died after ordering the Spaniards out of Tenochtitlan. If the people would have continued with what they had started, they would not have been conquered for before August 21, 1521, the Spaniards were almost defeated. However in a siege that lasted seventy-five days the dead Aztecs from combat, starvation, and disease numbered into the 1000's (Crosby, 1972). The massive numbers of dead stunned the people so much that they were unable to react. The natives were not the only ones affected by the dead, however, for the

In the 16th century Spaniards Herman Cortes and Christopher Columbus set out on endeavoring journeys in search of new worlds. Christopher Columbus encountered, in the Caribbean islands, a group of extremely simplistic Native Americans. Herman Cortes however encountered a much more advanced Native American group in Meso America; we formally know this area to be Mexico. In my essay I will be comparing and contrasting several aspects between both of these Native American Civilizations including sophistication, technology, housing, weapons, religion and their reaction to the Spaniards. Letters written by Columbus and Cortes will be used to make these comparisons.

The Spanish conquest of Mexico drastically influenced modern day Latin America, it generated a mixture of race, countless dialects, and religious syncretism with the Catholic faith. The conquest involved three main aspects that were crucial to its success. The rise of subdued indigenous people by the Mexica. The great devastation caused by European disease to the natives. Lastly, the Spaniards ruthlessness and military superiority. Without these aspects the conquest of Mexico might have gone a different direction

The Aztec civilization during its peak was the strongest civilization in the western hemisphere. When the Spaniards first set foot in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, they could not believe that a civilization so primitive in their minds could have been so culturally developed and powerful. However, before making it to Tenochtitlan, they had discovered that all was not well in the Aztec empire. From many native Indians that had tension with the Aztecs, they learned of internal and pre-existing problems that existed. This investigation examines to what extent where those internal and pre-existing factors to blame for the downfall of the Aztec Empire. The investigation was undertaken using some of the only primary

     In 1519 Hernán Cortés led a couple hundred other Spaniards inland to the impressive Empire of the Mexica ruled by the Great Montezuma. Many historians today tell how quickly and almost effortlessly these Spaniards conquered the Empire. They paint an image of ignorant, helpless Indians practically giving up their land out of fear of this group because certainly the Spaniards must be gods since they have powerful weapons and strange animals. We know neither Cortés nor any of his men were gods, of course, but what was it that allowed Cortés to prevail over the inhabitants of the land?

The Age of Conquest demonstrated a collision of diseases of two very different worlds. In her book, Foster demonstrates that the Aztecs were already on the brink of collapsing when Spanish conquistadors captured their city through the transfer of smallpox. Her methods included the reference of scholarly articles to support her main idea of Aztec collapse. The object of analysis focused on the success of the Spanish controlling civilizations in Mexico primarily through disease. Foster argues that the Aztecs fell so easily because the natives lowered their guard thinking the conquistadors were the god Quetzalcoatl but were not aware of smallpox being the deadliest weapon the Spanish were armed with. Also, “tens of thousands of Indians, including Moctezuma’s successor, Cuitlahuac, had died from it [smallpox]” (Foster, pg. 58). Her findings conclude that the Aztecs lack of a strong army, continuous wars with neighboring civilizations and the abundance of enemies all contributed to the start of their collapse and only intensified when Cortes and his men came to conquer their lands.