Hernan Cortes
Hero or Villain
There once was man, no a conquistador named Hernan Cortes. He was born in 1485, in Medellín, Spain. He conquered the Aztec Empire at the age of 36 and helped colonize Cuba. There are many opinions of him and who he really was. Some say he was a hero for creating a huge civilization. Others say he was a villain for destroying a huge civilization. So let’s look at the facts and decide who he really was.
Hernan Cortes was a hero to many people for various reasons. He started a new and huge civilization by conquering the Aztec Empire. He turned Mexico into New Spain, making Spain the most powerful empire in Europe. He made everyone in New Spain follow the rules and laws of Spain. He converted almost everyone
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He destroyed the Aztec civilization. As a ruthless military commander he killed many lives in the process of conquering/destroying the Aztec civilization. He brought slavery to New Spain and made the natives slaves. He was also a ruthless leader, anyone who opposed him would be killed or have a severe punishment. He manipulated the Tlaxcalans to help him destroy/conquer the Aztecs. He would mistreat the natives and be cruel to them for no reason. Also he forced the Aztec to be Christians and if they didn't convert they would be killed. He killed many people in the process of destroying/conquering the Aztecs. He also stole and took everything from the Aztecs. He brought diseases that killed many.Also he killed the Aztecs for trespassing on their land.
Let’s look back at the facts and decide if he was a hero or villain. So he conquered the Aztecs and expanded Spain, but destroyed the Aztecs. He brought Christianity, but he forced it. He made Spain rich, but took everything from the Aztecs. He shaped the world, but at the cost of many lives. WIth this information I say he was a villain because he could of been peaceful with the Aztecs and not kill them but he did. Also the lives lost are just too many and he forced a religion they didn’t want. This is my opinion on the matter and you might have a different
Admittedly, these men are responsible for much of the exploration of the America’s, but to focus on so few of the explorers ignores how reactive their actions were, and the larger narrative of the world at that time (4). For example, Columbus is praised and idolized for discovering the America’s, however it was only by luck that he arrived on those shores. Moreover, there were many other explorers at the time who could have reached the America’s if Columbus had not done so first (9). Another man who is seen as the key figure in the actual Conquest is Cortes. Cortes’ campaign in the America’s is commonly viewed as the standard to strive for, yet it is also the exception to a typical conquest (19). He is viewed as some above-it-all conquistador idol, when in all actuality he merely followed the standard protocol of the Conquest (19). This does not mean that Cortes’ actions were any less inspirational, merely that they were not uncharacteristic acts that he created (19). Both Columbus and Cortes were merely following standard procedure of the time, yet they are written about as if they were heroes of their time, bravely going and doing what none had done before. And in some sense, they were the first to discover and conquer, but it is foolish to assume that just because they were the first to be in the America’s
During his reign, Hernan Cortes spent most of his time rebuilding Mexico City. He destroyed Aztec buildings and temples, and then rebuilt Christians Churches on top of the ruins. He also brought many Europeans to Mexico. Because of this Mexico City soon became the most important city in the Americas. Cortes founded new cities and appointed men to rule over these new cities and extend Spanish rule. He instituted the encomienda land tenure system in 1524. This is a trusteeship labour system in which certain per...
He attempted this primarily through his portrayal of Montezuma’s system of governance as brutal and is people as disloyal to him. He described the apparent willingness of the peoples he encountered to abandon the Aztecs and swear allegiance to the King of Spain, “Although they were subjects of Montezuma … they had been reduced to that condition by force …and when they had obtained through me some knowledge of your Highness … they declared their desire to become vassals of your Majesty, and to form an alliance with me”(Second Letter, 38–39). Cortés justified his conquest further through his proclamation to the his king that he was acting in defense of these newly acquired vassals. Cortés wrote that Montezuma subjected the local people to violent and tyrannical repression and, “took from them their sons to be slain and offered as sacrifices to his idols”(Second Letter,
Explores in the new world came across many perils and have to overcome difficulties to survive and thrive. Explores from all different time periods have defined human civilization and society. From Christopher Columbus to Hernan Cortes, explores from all over the world have set their foot in the Americas. These are the people who defined out America would be shaped and the spheres of influence in America. These adventurers have shown up in a lot of literature for over hundreds of years and are still studied today. Two names in particular who shaped America and can be found in literature are John Smith and William Bradford. These two adventures are some of the original explorers in America and can be credited for defining American life as people
Hernan Alonso was instrumental for destroying the Aztec Empire. He is the main reason why Hernan Cortes was able to succeed. He was the man that put Tenochtitlan under siege. He gained the skill of creating from being a blacksmith. He had the entrepreneurship to start his own business in this new land. He had helped from Hernan Cortes to pursue this conquest. This would also led to his downfall. Hernan Cortes was benefit for him and not one.Alonso was a “new christian” which marked him. Hernan Alonso was the first person to be burn for being a heretic in Mexico. Alonso was instrumental for the success of Hernan Cortes and vice versa.
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
In 1539 Hernando de Soto and five hundred adventurers began on a journey of exploration that would take 4 years and would travel through 10 states in the southeast United States. His goal was to discover a source of wealth, preferably gold, and around his mines establish a settlement. During his travels through La Florida he encountered numerous groups of native peoples, making friends of some and enemies of others. His expedition was not the first in La Florida; however, it was the most extensive. In its aftermath, thousands of Indians would die by disease that the Spaniards brought from the Old World. De Soto would initially be remembered as a great explorer but, would be later viewed as a destroyer of native culture. However, in truth de Soto was neither a hero or a villain but rather an adventurer.
them, and little if any was given in return. The people who live among these
The Spanish defeat of the Aztecs has been extensively criticized for many years. Religion was a motive for discovery, enabled the Spanish to enter the heart of the empire, and was used as justification for torture of the natives. The centrality of religion as a force in Spanish conquest is undeniable. Virtually all of Aztec culture was destroyed and the Spanish victory has had lasting effects for both natives and Europeans up to and including the present-day.
If you look at Cortes's actions from a Eurocentric view, there were many positive impacts. One of the main impacts were that he brought civilization to Mexico. Cortes and a few other conquistadors also helped to modernize Mexico. By taking out the Aztecs, Cortes put an end to
ARGUMENT 1. Why he found good things in the new world is a key component to success in Spain
He was originally from Spain, but came to the New World seeking wealth and glory. He was among a group of explorers called “Conquistadores” who were in search of riches and land to claim in the name of King Charles of Spain. One of the first tribes he encountered were the Tabascan Indians. Even though they were outnumbered eighty to one, the Spaniards won the battle because of their superior tactics and resources, including horses and cannons, which terrified the Tabascans. After the battle, the Tabascans joined forces with Cortes. As Cortes approached Tenochtitlan, Montezuma, the chief speaker of the Aztecs, was fearful. He was consumed by his fear of the gods and increased the number of sacrifices to an all time high. He remembered the legend of Quetzelcoatl, one of the creator gods, who had been driven from Mexico by demons but was supposed to return in 1519. Montezuma sent his advisors with gifts of gold and silver to Cortes, thinking Cortes was Quetzelcoatl, but the gifts were never enough for Cortes. He decided to march on and conquer the city of Tenochtitlan. As Cortes traveled from the Gulf of Mexico to Tenochtitlan, he encountered the Totonac Indians who were tired of Aztec rule and their cruel traditions. They joined forces with Cortes against the Aztecs. Next, Cortes encountered the Tlaxcalans and after a brief but bloody battle, they too joined forces with Cortes after they realized that Cortes opposed the
Cortes helped build more farms throughout the country and other necessities for making the economy better. Hernan constantly looked for ways to keeping his power, growing his country, making sure the number of assets he owned kept increasing, and he would constantly look for ways of defeating those who would try to overthrow him. Since Cortes had a spark for exploration, he sponsored many of the exploration trips that were carried out in his country. Thinking about making the economy better, he built more cities, and even promoted industrialization by starting sugar factories. He spread Christianity amongst the people. Basically, Hernan Cortes did a fine job of laying the Mexico City on top of the old Aztec Tenochtitlan. To make sure he did not let his personal wishes aside, in 1524, Cortes left to explore the world more and that led him to the jungles of Honduras.
The downfall of the Aztec Empire was a major building block of the Spanish colonial empire in the Americas. Spain’s empire would stretch all the way into North America from the Southwest United States all the way up the Pacific Coast. The unfortunate side effect of this was the elimination of many nations of indigenous people. The three major themes shown in this conquest really give deeper look into the anatomy of this important historical event. Without context on the extent of native assistance given to Cortez in his fight with the Aztecs, a reader would be grossly uniformed. The Spanish conquest was closer to a civil war than an actual conquest. Until reading detailed personal accounts of the fighting it is difficult to judge the deadly effectiveness of the Spaniards technological superiority. Without it is difficult to imagine 500 conquistadors holding thousands of native warriors at bay. Once the greed of Cortez and greed in general of the Europeans one understands that if it wasn’t Cortez if would have just been a different man at a different time. Unfortunately fame and prosperity seem to always win over cares about fellow human beings
Cortes was able to conquer the Aztecs for several very different reasons. In combination these reasons allowed him to have the upper hand in the conquest of Mexico. Arguably these reasons can be sorted into six different categories. The various causes for Cortes' success will be assessed in a climax pattern. To begin with the Aztecs had a harsh tribute system that was not popular among the people of Mexico. This cruel tribute system allowed Cortes to act as a liberator. Furthermore, with the Spanish brought several diseases into Mexico in witch they were immune to but the Aztecs were not. The spread of diseases such as small pox reduced the Aztec population and furthered Cortes' success unintentionally Also Marina was a tribal girl given as a gift to Cortes, she proved invaluable in translating local dialects in combination with Geronimo de Aguilar. Also an important aspect of his success was due to Montezuma's belief that Cortes was Quetzakoatl. A predominant reason for the Spanish success was due to their weaponry especially their armour and firepower. Perhaps the most important reason of all was that of Cortes' Indian allies such as the Tlaxcalans who made up the majority of his combined army. All these reasons worked together to allow Cortes, originally with 508 men to conquer the Aztec Empire of millions of people.