Compare And Contrast Spanish And Aztecs

The Spanish and Aztecs were both, very powerful and rich empires. They both were immensely successful. The Aztecs, originally known as the Mexica, was a group of people who lived in Tenochtitlan, now know as Mexico City. They believed that the gods controlled the world, and that they worshipped them by sacrificing. If the gods were not fed blood, the believed that the world would end. The Aztecs became one of the greatest cities in the world. On the other hand, the Spanish lived in the west of Europe, converting people to Catholicism. The Spanish wanted to explore, to conquer and by doing that, they could get rich. They were both powerful in their own areas. The Spanish soon were exploring and came across the Aztecs. The Spanish were seeking

According to Mexicolore.com, the Aztecs standard strategy was that it would usually start off with a barrage of arrows and slings while both sides advance. While running, the front row soldier would use their atlatl to do some damage before they meet. Once close enough, the barrage would stop, to avoid friendly fire, and the battle would begin. Those in the front row would fight for a while and rotate out of battle to rest their arms. During the battle, the Aztec would also capture some prisoners. But the Spanish had a different strategy. Their tactic was to walk in rows of men with muskets. When the first row shoots, they will drop back to reload, while the second row fires a second round of shots, and fall back to reload, followed by another row, and so on. The most preferred battlefield is a flat terrain or open ground, so there will be no obstacles in the way, when shooting. Another tactic was called the Conquistador’s Formula. According to the notes, this is when the Spanish would act peacefully in a new region, and figure out which area was the most powerful. They would then invite the leader of the most powerful group to a meeting and exchange gifts. They would then kidnap the leader and threaten to kill him, unless the followers obeyed their orders. The Spanish will then take over the land and use the people as slaves. One similarity is that their tactics both involve

This means that both groups had their own plan that benefits them in wars. The Aztecs reason for war was to capture enemies to sacrifice and to expand their territory. The Aztecs would conquer the surrounding peoples/groups to expand their territory. They would also capture lots of prisoners to later sacrifice to honour the gods, otherwise they believed the world would end. However, the Spanish reason for war was to earn gold and other minerals. Gold was valuable, because according to the notes, “in the Renaissance, it was thought that a country's wealth was depended on their supply of gold and silver. This indicates that wealthy countries could buy natural resources that it lacked. They could pay for wars to take other territories, while protecting their own”. Meaning that the Spanish wanted to be the most powerful. Saying that, this shows that the Spanish also wanted fame, when it comes to wars. Fame would make the Spanish famous. In other words, the Spanish would be known for being powerful with its resources, and for conquering territory. One similarity of their reasons for war, was that the Aztec and Spanish both wanted to conquer land, so they could be the most powerful in their areas. Another similarity is that the Aztecs and Spanish both wanted riches. The Aztecs wanted riches in a form of sacrificing people, and also asking for a tribute from the allies/conquered people, surrounding their empire to