Aztec Empire Research Paper

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Pages: 4

To a significant extent the fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521 was due to the individual actions of Hernán Cortés. However, without the aid of many factors from within, as well as without he would have never had successfully conquered the Aztec Empire. Hernán Cortés was born in Medellin, Spain, into a family of semi-nobility, receiving a university education before leaving Spain in search of the riches and renown that complemented those explorations of ‘new worlds’. Subsequently, after assisting in the conquest of Cuba, the movements leader and now Governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez appointed Cortés Alcalde (magistrate mayor) of Santiago a position that granted Cortés substantial wealth and power. Cortés however, was not sated, and was determined …show more content…
On the 18th of February 1519 Cortés without official Authorisation from the Spanish Government set sail for Mexico with eleven ships and over 500 men, his defiance seemed to increase his determination. Cortés manifested an unparalleled skill for adaption “when faced with a problem he developed” (Martinez in Bourn, 2005), when refused his captaincy by Velázquez, he became a revolutionary. His rebellious actions were at their zenith in April 1519, after three months of reconnoitring, Cortés returned to the coast to pioneer the first Spanish settlement of the ‘new world’, Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. The stronghold would protect from Cuban forces, but, Cortés problem was within, his greatest foe becoming mutiny. True to his “melodramatic” (White, 1971) flourishes Cortés –undisclosed to his men – ordered his fleet to be destroyed. An incredibly bold feat which rendered mutiny and desertion near impossible, imbuing his men with his “all-or-nothing” (White, 1971) attitude. After arriving in Tenochtitlan, Cortés was taken to Moctezuma, who (at least publically) “befriended Cortés” (Hassig, 1994) a stark juxtaposition to Cortés’