Hernando Cortes was a man that was born in Medellin Spain, and was born in 1485. Hernando was always rich and was born into royalty. He was a very exciting man; at the age of 19 he joined Diego Velazquez and Nicola de Ovando on their voyages to the new world. He also conquered the Aztec civilization. His father was in the military and he followed in his father’s footsteps. Hernando lived an average life, dying at the age of 62 in 1547. Cortes being born into nobility meant that he got trained in military, horseback riding, hunting and fighting with a sword. They were also taught in the arts of history, science, religion, mathematics and being a gentleman. At the age of 14 Cortes got sent to Salamanca to study law. But shortly after he left to pursue his passion of adventures and wealth. This then led to Cortes conquering central and southern Mexico, making him the greatest Spanish conqueror in the Americas. Cortes’s success led to 300 years of Spanish dominance over these areas. In 1504 Cortes sailed to Hispaniola which is now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in the West Indies. Here he fought battles with Indians and also mixed some business in there. Velazquez, who Cortes sailed with in 1511, became the governor of Cuba. Soon after Velazquez then learned of a rich Indian empire in Mexico and he chose Cortes to lead his fleet. They were there to get gold and land. Velazquez soon became suspicious of Cortes and tried to remove him as the leader but Cortes got mad and sailed off anyway. He took all 11ships, 600 men and 20 horses with him. Along the way many Indians joined him in his journey because they did not like the Aztecs. Cortes reached Tenochtitlan in November, 1519. The Aztec leader was Montezuma and he greeted them ... ... middle of paper ... ...arch, 01 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. 2008, "Cortés, Hernán." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences., "Hernán Cortés." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, BROWN, KENDALL W., "Cortes, Hernán (1485–1547)." The Renaissance. 2008, "Cortés, Hernán." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013, "Cortés, Hernán." World Encyclopedia. 2005, and ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Cortés, Hernán." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. 2008, "Cortés, Hernán." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences., "Hernán Cortés." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, BROWN, KENDALL W., "Cortes, Hernán (1485–1547)." The Renaissance. 2008, "Cortés, Hernán." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013, "Cortés, Hernán." World Encyclopedia. 2005, and ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Cortés, Hernán." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.
From a proud Conquistador, to a castaway, a slave and trader, and then medicine man, Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to explore much of the southern coast of Texas. Cabeza was a 37 year old military veteran in 1527 when he left on the Narvaez Expedition to find gold and colonize the Gulf Coast. He was the expedition’s treasurer. Cabeza de Vaca was enslaved by Indians in 1528 when one of the rafts the crew made crashed on present day Galveston island, he then escaped in 1530 and joined/was enslaved by another tribe called the Charrucos until his escape with 3 other survivors in 1534. He then walked to Mexico City. Cabeza survived this ordeal because of the incredible patience he had, his skills of diplomacy and goodwill, and his amazing wilderness survival skills.
One question posed by the authors is “How did Columbus’s relationship with the Spanish crown change over time, and why?” In simple terms, Columbus’s relationship with the
In this biographical paper, I will be exploring the history of Juan Cortina, a man who is a hero or bandit depending on who you ask, his historical significance, and then exploring what we know of Juan and what we can deduce about his personality.
Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain." In Sources of Making of the West, by Katarine J. Lualdi, 269-273. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
Spanish 10th essay Ponce De Leon Don Juan Ponce de Leon "To bad he had to kick the bucket!" Don Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish conqueror and explorer. He was born around 1460 in San Tervas de Campos, Spain. Ponce de Leon lived in an age of great discovery and excitement. Ponce de Leon is well known, claiming and naming what is now Florida, the discovery of Puerto Rico, and his never-ending search for the old time classic, the Fountain of Youth! On November 19, 1493 Ponce de Leon was one of the first Europeans to see the small island of Borinquen, the Indian name for Puerto Rico.
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.
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.
From the foothills of Barcelona in Spain, a man came to be. Full of strength, honor, wisdom, and courage, this man was named Hernan Cortes. He, as the Spaniards would say, was a god among men. Legend says he had cat-like reflexes, and also had the mind filled with strategies. He may not have been the tallest person in the crowd, but he had the most will to achieve greatness. He is one of Spain's most influential, if not the most, conquistadors.
Bartolomé de Las Casas was born in 1484 AD in Seville and died in 1566 in Madrid. In the ending of the 15th century and the beginning of 16th, he came to America and become a “protector of Indian”. In 1542, most based on his effort, Spain has passed the New Law, which prohibit slaving Indians (Foner, p. 7). In 1552, he published the book A Short Account of the Destruction of The Indies.
Cortés came not to the New World to conquer by force, but by manipulation. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, in the "Conquest of New Spain," describes how Cortés and his soldiers manipulated the Aztec people and their king Montezuma from the time they traveled from Iztapalaopa to the time when Montezuma took Cortés to the top of the great Cue and showed him the whole of Mexico and its countryside, and the three causeways which led into Mexico. Castillo's purpose for recording the mission was to keep an account of the wealth of Montezuma and Mexico, the traditions, and the economic potential that could benefit Cortés' upcoming conquest. However, through these recordings, we are able to see and understand Cortés' strategy in making Mexico "New Spain." He came as a wolf in a sheep's clothing and manipulated Montezuma through his apparent innocence.
Webster Garrett, Erin. "Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes." Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
For my research topic, I have chosen to explore the life and accomplishment of the great Spaniard conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. There is a lot about the well-known explorer to research and report on. De Leon was one of the most remembered and accomplished of the conquistadors to ever set sail. Ponce himself has left his mark on the world and I am going to dive into his life’s journey. Ponce’s early life starts in Santervás de Campos in the now northern part of Valladolid, a Spanish province. Experts are not quite sure the exact year he was born but they estimate that de Leon was born in 1474. The identity of his parents is still unknown, but he appears to have been a member of a distinguished and influential noble family. His relatives
He was born in 1471 in Trujillo, Spain 1499 Cortes is sent away to get a higher education. Historians believe he studied Latin and Law.1504 Cortes decided to sail to Cuba then to Haiti
Rock, D. (1987). Argentina, 1516-1987: From Spanish Colonization to Alphonsín. Berkley: University of California Press.
He stayed there for two years, and when he returned to Mexico he found that he had been removed from power. He traveled to Spain to plead with the king, however, he was never appointed the governor. The king did allow him to return to Mexico, where he discovered Baja California and did more exploring (Szalay). When Cortés reached his mid 50's he returned to Spain where he fought for power after being almost entirely neglected. He finally was allowed to fight with the Emperor in the fight against Algiers. It ended badly for the Spanish, and Cortés almost drowned. He returned to Spain, and after being neglected still, he decided to travel back to Mexico (Nanney). He never made it to Mexico, before he could set sail, on December 2, 1547, Hernan Cortés died of pleurisy. He did leave behind a will though, in which he provides for his children, requests to be buried at the Hospital de Jesus Nazareno in Mexico City, and he also left money for a missionary training school as well as a nunnery in Coyoacan (“Hernán