Spanish Conquistadors: The Aztec-Spanish War

At this point it seems obvious that this was a threat. The messenger reported back to the king and spoke of the power of the Spanish, along with all of the weapons. Even after hearing all that, Motechuhzoma refused to rule out the idea that they where gods. He sent prisoners from war to be "sacrificed before the Spanish because he believed these gods would want to drink their blood" (33). Obviously this disgusted the Spanish, but more importantly it built a case for Motechuhzoma to believe these people weren't gods. If he believed in his religion that the gods wanted human sacrifice, and these strangers were disgusted by it, it should have been clear that they weren't gods.

Montezuma then took Cortes inside the pyramid and showed him the gods. Cortes thought of them as the Devil’s work and asked if he could put a cross and a picture of the Holy Mary. Montezuma felt offended about what Cortes said. Following this incident, one of Montezuma’s messengers notified him that Cortes had been destroying his own ships. This was Cortes excuse to stay in Mexico, due to his lust for gold, guns, and horses. Then Montezuma was afraid that war was going to break out, and that there was a possibility that Cotes wasn’t Quetzalcoatl, the feather

The reading “An Aztec account of the Spanish Conquest” is mainly about a story when Hernan Cortes came for the first time at Tenochtitlan (nowadays Mexico City). The Aztecs believes that when Hernan Cortes arrive they believe the he was Quetzalcoatl, the main god in the Aztec culture. Cortes were friendly invite to the Aztec city as the most important guest, the Aztec people made a big party to celebrate the return of their god, but the Aztec people did not know Cortes intentions of conquer the empire. Later the Aztecs were betrayed by Hernan Cortes. Cortes’s army began to attack the city and at the end they take over the city.

While most of what has happened historically is clouded by speculation and wonder, some events have been well-documented. The Conquest of the Americas by the Spanish was an event in which many aspects were recorded, which has helped historians tremendously. The Broken Spears is a historical outlook on the Spanish Conquest of the Americas that includes several different texts written by many different indigenous people. Numerous texts are written in such a way that show the fear that the people experienced while having their towns overtaken, while other texts simply explain what was happening at the time. In Traditions and Encounters, a more factual approach is

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

Before the 15th century, the Indians in the Americas were not connected with the world and would remain that way until Columbus's exploration. In the beginning of 15th century, the Aztecs were the dominant group in Mesoamerica leaded by Montezuma, the last leader, before the Spanish conquest. In 1519, Hernan Cortez led the Spanish mission to explore and conquer the New World. This paper will compare three primary sources about this event. First, an informing letter sent from Cortez to King Charles V, the king of Spain. Second, the Broken Spears which is an Indian recollection about the conquest of Mexico. Lastly, Bernal Diaz’s (one of Cortez’s men) account was written by him to share his experience with Aztec

The Aztecs thought the strangers to be gods returning, the Spaniards who were in complete amazement of the grandeur of the city thought the Aztecs to be barbarians and wanted to convert teach them the ways of Christ and take their riches. Spain was at this time one of the greatest powers in Europe but the Aztecs were very established in their religion, social, economical and political structure. Even more reason this became such a catastrophic event when the city was levelled and the indigenous culture destroyed. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a very significant event in the colonization of America but is also known as a major historical event. The fall of the Aztec Empire was a crucial part of the formation of New Spain, which is now known as Mexico. The Nahutl (Aztec) language is spoken by millions of Nahua people who live in Central Mexico. It has been spoken in Mexico and many parts of Central America, from Toltec times to the present. The two cultures have learned to coexist, the Aztecs learned to read and write in their language and in Spanish along with learning other necessary procedure. Some of the Aztecs mingled with the new society while others kept to their own people. The indigenous people asked the Crown for fair treatment and proper representation in

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 defeat of the Native Mexicans (or Aztecs) can be believed to have verified the Spanish that they had political and social superiority over all Indigenous Americans. However, the idea of superiority is subjective and the views of both parties involved about the colonisation of New Mexico will be noted. Although the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan were conquered by Hernando Cortes and his Spanish army there is a great amount of evidence to support the idea that it was not a simple feat. In the case of Cortes’ conquest we are offered the opinion that the Spanish were justified in colonizing and dominating Mexico. In saying that, the views of the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan and other surrounding Aztec societies should be taken into consideration when assessing the validity of the previous statement.

Representation” by Michael Schreffler argues that “ . . . early modern rhetoric and iconography . . . constructed a distorted view of painting in Aztec Mexico and entangled it in the conventions of colonial historiography” (407). This essay is effective because of its thorough examination of the accounts that explain a painting made by the Aztec’s at San Juan de Ulúa on Easter Sunday of 1519.

The events that occurred between the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors have many sides and opportunities for debate. One of the most debated topics being; Who was more savage and who was more Civil? Both the Aztecs and Spanish had powerful and thriving empires. These empires displayed their dominance through their advanced technology and flourishing military. Though it may seem that the Spanish were more advanced than the Aztecs, the Aztecs and Spanish were actually quite close to being equal in technological advancements.

     The history of the Western hemisphere is full of war and conquest. One of the most significant and defining of those conquests is the downfall of the Mexica/Aztec Empire. While there are many other events to choose from, this one stands out since it was one over one of the largest empires in Central America. It is also important to look at because of the immense cultural impact it had. The story of this takeover reads like a movie script, a small band of Spaniards single handedly takes down the most powerful empire in Central America. It was an epic battle, which unfortunately led to the destruction of a magnificent culture. As in any major historical event there are many underlying themes and storylines

Well, when the two large figures of power originally met in the Aztec culture, a lot could have happened. There is a lot of controversy around this meeting. Many people have many different views based upon what they have seen and what they have read. Many documents of the time have been tossed around and many people no longer know what to think or believe. But I will share my views on the matter of the subject matter. I believe, when Cortez and the Aztec Emperor, Moctezuma met, they were both a bit on edge. Cortez was nervously in a new place he’d never traveled and having battled a small army beforehand didn’t really help him either. Moctezuma was worried himself due to the fact the god portrayed in his culture was said to return soon.

“They were the two spearheads of the two mutually strange civilizations, confronting each other for the first time after centuries of separate history.” When the Spaniard’s first set foot into the Aztec Empire in 1519, Cortés and Moctezuma’s confrontation revealed the inherent differences that existed between the two cultures. These two leaders examined each other and came to see that behind the two cultures lied centuries of separate history, and that on this day two alien planets had finally discovered each other. The Spaniard’s main advantages over the the Aztecs have been widely documented by western scholars as relating primarily to their possession of three thing: guns, germs and steel. Most historical narratives describe technologically advanced Spanish conquerors that brought with them from the “Old World” horses, steel and gunpowder, giving them an important upper hand against the Aztec warriors who bore stone-edge weapons. In addition, most scholars agree that tne of the most destructive factors were the germs that the Aztecs had never been exposed to. However, when the Spaniards came to conquer the Aztec Empire, one of the lesser known advantages that they had was the ability to understand this unfamiliar world. Unlike the Aztec king, Moctezuma, who had never seen Europeans, sailing ships, horses, steel blades, or body armor before, the Spanish conquistador, Cortés, recognized the similarities between the Aztec Empire and his own world based on his experience with

The infamous conquistador Hernán Cortés set course a couple of years ago to other lands located within the New World. His expedition led him to the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlán. The natives were rich with items of gold, silver, and much more. Cortés and his men were attacked and driven out by the Aztecs. However, not one to give up, he returned with allies and conquered the empire. The addition of the empire to Spain increased Spain’s wealth and power. Cortés agreed to an interview to answer questions about his success and thoughts at the time.