The Conquistadors of the Useless

The meaning of life is to find the meaning of life. Is it not? We all go through each day trying to figure out which road out the infinite amount of paths will lead us in a better direction where happiness is prominent and society is flawless. However, not every single human being is going to fit on that narrow, one-lane highway to success. Bad choices, accidents, fate, family matters, society, temptation, anger, rage, addiction, and loss of hope can all be deciding factors in opting to choose that wrong path to self-destruction. The adverse thing is, once you've traveled so far down the road, you get so discouraged that you feel like you can never turn back or make up for the "lost time."

Every artist's dream is to create something that leaves a lasting impression. The Last Conquistador follows the story of a sculptor who does exactly that. John Houser spent nearly a decade painstakingly crafted a 34-foot tall equestrian statue featuring the infamous Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate y Salazar. Following in the footsteps of his father who assisted in the carving of Mount Rushmore, Houser's fantasy of leaving his mark in one of the largest bronze equestrian statues in the world finally became a reality (Valadez). However, what an artist attempts to express and what message is truly received may not be one and the same. While the Hispanic elite of El Paso praised (and funded) the magnificent piece, the Acoma were horrified by the towering symbol of oppression and genocide looming overhead. This film not only provides a window into the conflict and controversy surrounding Houser's work, but also showcases several aspects of Texas political culture and highlights the dismissive attitude toward Native American culture that is still prevalent today.

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)

What is the meaning of life? According to Chris McCandless living free and not conforming to the natural way of life is the meaning to life, as shown in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Similar to Chris McCandless, Ralph Emerson believes that following your dreams and making your own trail is the meaning of life according to his short story “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Emerson. The purpose of man's existence is to avoid conformity and following one's own instincts and ideas.

What must have the native peoples, such as the Incas and Aztecs, thought when they saw white men arriving onto their land aboard massive ships? The Spanish conquistadores conquered many regions in the Americas for Spain. In the Spanish language, ?Conquista? means to conquer or a conquest, and ?Conquistadores? is referring to the conquerors, specifically from Spain. Latin America richness in culture and history is strongly associated with this Spanish presence (Davies 172). The Spanish conquistadores changed the Latin American people?s lives significantly, and the impact they left can still be appreciated today. Their influence has produced culturally benefitting results.

How can a couple of people thrive on a island with no water or no food, just some skills of the wilderness? In the spring spring of the year 1527 five spanish ships left the docks of seville and began their journey to the New World. The leader of this expedition was named Panfilo de Narvaez, he was a conquistador who had a dream of establishing settlements along the coast of the gulf of mexico. The five ships were pushed off course by the strong waves of the ocean. But someone named Cabeza de Vaca and a couple of other crew members made it to an island, but they weren't the only ones there. Cabeza de Vaca survived on the island because Cabeza had incredible survival skills, Cabeza had success as a healer, and Cabeza had respect for the Native Americans he met.

But, as philosopher Tom Nagel has argued, this is not the sense of “the meaning of life” people are usually interested in. Suppose an alien species created human life in order to provide them with a future food supply. Then the purpose of human life is to be food for aliens. That would be the meaning of life, if we take

The history of potatoes started in South America spreading to Europe and adopted by different cultures around the word. It grew wild at the Andes Mountains. The Native Americans began cultivating it, and it became part of their believes. The conquistadors came and took it to Europe. It did not have a great impact at the beginning but as the time pass by it gain popularity. Ireland was one of the first countries to adopt it as a main product of their which later hurt them badly later on. During the later years other countries stated adopting and making it part of their culture, since it was cheap to grow.

The diverse ways writers answer this question stems from their worldview. For the atheist Samuel Beckett, there was no meaning to life. He narrated a story of two babbling idiots who he believed were foolish to wait around for Godot. His pointless view of life manifests in the way he creates his characters: they are characters who do not go and do anything.

1540-1542 Francisco Coronado discovered two natural wonders: The Grand Canyon and enormous herds of buffalo.

Many philosophers, throughout centuries of human existence, have deciphered, or at least attempted tried to cast some light on to, our purpose. Consulting their findings could give several answers on whether we should live to maximize our pleasure, minimize our pain, avoid frustration or achieve greatness. In my own considerations, though, sorting through the tumultuous noise and clutter of the world around me for the some obscured or hidden meaning was not necessary. To me, the noise and clutter is the meaning. I do not live for what is hidden; I live for what is all around me. My experiences are not tools that assist me in find some truth. Rather, they are the truth. In other words the Good in my life is, in fact, life in its entirety.

Everyone starts out with a single purpose that God gave him or her, and one cannot alter or change it. Anyone who goes against God's plan lives a miserable life. In addition, the king preached to the boy "God has prepared a path for everyone to follow" (Coelho 31). Contrary to one's belief, God decides how your future plays out. He is the only one who has the ability to control our destiny.

In a universe so ginormous with an affluent abundance of billions of humans, ranging from billionaire toddler empresses of large corporations to elders surviving traumatizing events of the twentieth century, individuals tend to question their purpose on Earth. Unfortunately, not everyone will live to see dreams come true or will win a massive lottery prize or even extend their family’s generation. So, if not everyone changes the world in even the most minimal method, what is the point of one’s existence? Animals and plants serve a purpose contributing largely to the environment and the average person’s diet; but for humans, is there a purpose to life? If an individual is not happy nor believes they have a purpose, is the universal solution suicide?

One of the most prominent perspectives on meaning in life is that of Frankl (1959, 1984). He describes meaning in life as having found a reason for living and a feeling or experience that one’s life is of significance. In Frankl’s view, meaning in life refers to a sense of being committed to, and fulfilling, a higher purpose in life. This purposefulness provides one with a reason for living (the term purpose is often used as a synonym for meaning). It makes life more than just a survival quest, but rather an experience of one’s life as having made or being able to make a difference in the world.

In February of 1519, Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortés, landed with his fleet at Cozumel Mexico on the Yucatan coast. This devious, charming, and ruthless conquistador lead a band of just 500 European adventurers. Aztec emperor Moctezuma, the richest most powerful man in the Americas, ruler of 25 million people, has welcomed Cortés and his men in his palace. Their numbers were small, after all. How could they constitute as a threat when you have an army that is ten thousand times larger than the few hundred souls that they brought? This was a mistake that will change the fate of a continent. Though he wasn’t the first conquistador to land on these shores, he was the best armed. Cortes brought the most cutting-edge weaponry available, including canons. Having weapons like this with the addition of horses on the battlefield was a distinct physical and psychological advantage. Their key element to success in conquest, was their advanced weaponry and fine armor.