The Aztec Empire: The Spanish Conquest Of Spain

Words: 1063

Pages: 5

Open Document

Spanish Conquest

The Aztec empire fell to the Spanish army in August 13, 1521. It took the Spanish three years attempting to defeat the Aztec empire, it started in February 1519. In the fourteenth century Spain was facing multiple challenges in religion and power, they were strongly devoted to Christianity converting many Muslims and Jews; or otherwise being expelled. The rulers of Spain, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, driven by a desire of wealth, land, and to spread Christianity were convinced by Christopher Columbus to fund a voyage from the Atlantic to Asia. Columbus thought that sailing west of Spain would be a closer way to reaching Asia. Columbus set sail and reached the Bahamas, he thought he had landed in India. Columbus died believing he had been exploring Asia. Immediately after learning they had discovered the new land the Spanish was ready to conquer and explore it. The age of exploration began, the Spanish had technology, luck, and disease to facilitate the …show more content…
Many factors facilitated Spain the conquest among the factors was the right timing and luck. Spaniard’s had advanced weapons that the indigenous did not have, such as firearms, gunpowder, cannons, steel swords, and horses. The Spaniards also took advantage of the internal conflict Mexico was having among the civilizations. All the cities surrounding Tenochtitlan hated the Aztecs because they had to pay tribute to the Aztecs, and later cooperated with the Spaniards to invade Tenochtitlan. By the time Spaniards began to attack the Aztecs, the Aztecs were plagued with smallpox brought to them by the Spaniards. Indigenous were not advanced in medicine so had no way to alleviate or heal smallpox, the plague killed many indigenous and weakened the Aztecs. All the factors combined gave the Spaniards the ease of domination over a weak and less advanced

Pros And Cons Of Hernan Cortes

Following the success of Columbus’ expeditions in the early 16th century, an archetypal Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, set out to explore the coast of Mexico, but instead encountered and conquered the Aztec Empire, consequently earning political success and control of the Aztecs, ultimately leading to consolidation of Spanish control in the entire Mexican region. An exponential increase in the exploration of the Americas’, in an effort to spread Christianity, and conquer new territories…

Words 2064 - Pages 9

Spanish Conquest Research Paper

The Spanish conquest in 1519 was one of the most brutal conquests in the 15th century, led by Hernán Cortés, a conquistador for the Spanish empire. The Spanish conquest lasted only about 3 years, but in those 3 years over 20 million native Aztecs were killed by disease and over 200,000 were mercilessly slaughtered in the battle of Tenochtitlan. All for the quest of gold, and wealth and to expand the Spanish empire. The Spanish conquest all started with the goal of finding gold and expanding the Spanish…

Words 785 - Pages 4

15th Century Americans In The 19th Century

riches, contributing to other paths of global exploration and conquest. The 15th century was also the time where the New World was discovered by the continental Europeans. The Spanish wanted to find natural resouces and went on well funded expeditions. Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the New World and made four trips in 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502, where he got to discover and claim the Caribbean Islands for Spain. Columbus settled bases along the Central and South American…

Words 683 - Pages 3

Essay on Victors and Vanquished

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…

Words 1401 - Pages 6

How Did Spain's Search For Gold And Its Effect On The Aztecs

and Its Effects on the Aztecs Can you imagine a world where Spanish wasn’t one of the most common languages being spoken? If Spain hadn’t fought as hard as they did for gold than that could’ve been the case. The Spanish went to Mesoamerica in search of gold and their greediness lead to violence which eventually caused the end of the Aztec Empire. Overtime, they gained many advantages over the Aztecs which allowed them to take control of the empire. Not only were the Aztecs naive in how they didn’t…

Words 964 - Pages 4

How Did Genocide Affect Central America

deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. Genocide is a strong word and one not used lightly. It is a word that can describe only some events. It is also a word that defines the Spanish Conquest exactly. These conquests started in 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in Central America with the new discovery of transatlantic technology. Christopher Colombus’s initial goal was to land in China to find alternate trading routes to bypass the…

Words 1748 - Pages 7

Chapter 2 Essay

The Europeans have been coming to the Americas since the late 1400s. As time passed, the big nations in the European continent ended up colonizing the Americas. The big nations that included France, England, Portugal, Spain, and the French decided the Americas were useful for more than just colonization; they were useful for resources and new ideas. There were trade between the Natives and Europeans that caused big epidemic problems, colonization that led to new races, different economical ideas…

Words 1190 - Pages 5

Aztec Empire Research Paper

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…

Words 961 - Pages 4

Hernan Cortes Research Paper

Hernan Cortés is a Spanish conquistador who led an expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century. He is often debated and some people say that Cortes should be charged for his crimes against humanity because of his role in the conquest. It is important to see it from his point of view so you can consider the context of his actions within the norms and values of his time. In the 16th century, the concept of human rights and international law did not really exist. Instead, the ongoing…

Words 911 - Pages 4

Hernan Cortes Influence On American Conquest

One woman changed the course of Mexico, she was an alliance to Hernan Cortes, his translator, and mistress, with her assistance Cortes, was able to overthrow the Aztec Empire. Her name was Malintzin Tenepal, a young indigenous girl who was a tribute offer to Cortes and his military in 1519. She was able to alter the course of Mexico past and present by aiding Cortes in his journey of conquer-ship by translating multiple languages. She was introduced to Christianity and soon after changed her name…

Words 498 - Pages 2