Seven Myths Of The Spanish Conquest Sparknotes
Matthew Restall, the author of “Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest,” outlines some of the myths associated with the Spanish conquest and how they have developed over time. One obvious theme that Restall incorporated throughout the entire book was of course myths during the Spanish Conquest, as the book title states. One thing that Restall does, that goes along with the theme of myths, is he picked seven distinct myths to specifically write about. Not only that but the myths Restall chose to write about were heavily elaborated and explained in the individual chapters. His outlined myths are as follows: the myth of exceptional men (chapter 1), the myth of the King’s Army (chapter 2), the myth of the white conquistador (chapter 3), the myth of …show more content…
One particular graphic Restall uses in chapter two is titled “Veracruz N2” in which is described as depicting, “the arrival of Cortez in Veracruz and the reception by Moctezuma’s ambassadors.” Restall uses this pictures to show how the Spanish armada was depicted in the seventeenth century. He then explains how this painting fits the myth of “the Kings army” and explains some of the inaccuracies of the painting itself. In this regard, he mentions that “Conquistadors were soldiers and nothing lese when Ilarione da Bergamo heard of the Conquest from Spaniards in Mexico in the 1760s…” Transitioning from this point, Restall explains how the myth of the Spanish Conquistadors are slowly viewed more and more as “the King’s …show more content…
Restall uses several pictures in this chapter as points of reference. One in particular that he used is titled “With a Little luck, they may revere us as gods.” He uses this comic image to emphasize part of his argument about the native desolation myth in regards to how “the Europeans perceived the native reaction to the Conquest.” He points out that this “only works because it is still such common currency in popular histories and textbooks.” However, he uses this image to argue against such common misconceptions and mentions that there “was no apotheosis no ‘belief that Spaniards are gods,’ and no resulting native
Book Review Of The Broken Spears By Miguel Leon-Portilla
588 Words | 3 PagesThroughout history, the conquest of Mexico has been told in the perspective of the Spanish and their triumphs. It was not until 1962 a Mexican anthropologist named Miguel Leon-Portilla published his book The Broken Spears: An Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico. He described in his book the indigenous account of the conquest of Mexico. The Broken Spears contains surviving codices written in Nahuatl (Aztec) language that survived the Spanish destruction. The book starts off discussing some bad omens that foretold the destruction of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
Hernan Cortés's Victors And Vanquished
1514 Words | 7 PagesMost books have either portrayed Hernán Cortés as either a brave conquistador hero who helped transform Mexico for Spanish use, or as a cruel racist who helped instill a genocide upon millions of Mexican natives. The truth, however, can be a lot less black or white. In the book Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico, we see that the moral nature of Cortés is more grey than most think. Cortés, in his conquest of Mexico, has performed good and bad deeds towards his own men and towards the Nahua people. To begin with the analysis of Cortés’s actions, we can look at the various good deeds he exhibited during his time in Mexico.
Native Americans Dbq Analysis
580 Words | 3 PagesIt raises the question of how the Spanish viewed the natives: as people standing in the way of their gold, or fascinating and interesting people with rich culture and
Spanish Conquistadors Research Paper
537 Words | 3 PagesIn the late 1400's, conquistadors started their first voyages to the “New World”. They sought gold, resources, and to convert any indigenous peoples they came across. The Spanish, the conquistadors were heroes for spreading Catholicism and returning new resources. Yet, from the point of view of the natives and Bartholome de Las Casas, they were villains. The conquistadors massacred the natives; enslaving those who escaped.
The Conquistadors: Treasure, Land, And Religion
150 Words | 1 PagesThe conquistadors had three important motives: treasure, land, and religion. Wealth and personal gain were primary incentives for the conquistadors to face the obstacles that came with spending years on a ship to face thousands of terrifying heathens. It was common knowledge at the time that America was a land of great wealth, so the opportunity to acquire vast amounts of treasure was certainly an excellent motivator. By claiming territory in Peru, the conquistadors were also able to greatly improve Spain’s economic status while also preventing other European states from conquering the area. The environment in Peru was ideal for certain cash crops, and precious metals such as gold and silver were abundant.
How Did The Americans Rationalize The Aztec Culture
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The Broken Spears Summary
573 Words | 3 PagesThe author gives insight on how many ways the Spaniards used their power to assist in the downfall of the Aztecs. The reason why the Spaniards became victorious, was because the Spaniards were looked upon as if they were gods because of their outer appearance. The Aztecs broke bread and welcomed the Spaniards with gifts and parties. The Aztecs triggered their relationship with the Spaniards by holding a ritual for the arrival of the god which included a human sacrifice. The Spaniards didn’t agree with the rituals and began to despise the Aztecs.
Spanish Imperialism Essay
751 Words | 4 PagesIn 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was established in order to evenly divide unclaimed lands between Portugal and Spain. This led to the Line of Demarcation, in which the non-European world was divided into two zones. Portugal had rights to the eastern hemisphere, and Spain had rights to the western hemisphere. This allowed Spain to colonize areas in the New World. Even though they had this opportunity, they were not able to colonize specific areas in North America due to competition with other European countries.
Summary Of Buddy Levy's 'Conquistador'
1181 Words | 5 PagesConquistador, written by Buddy Levy about the famous ventures of Hernan Cortes, places the reader in the 16th century, or the era c.1450-c. 1750 ce. During this time, the idea of exploration was spreading quickly, as kingdoms and empires in Europe sought to expand their territory. Portugal, with Spain following after, led the way for exploration as they headed south. Spain, however, ventured west, driven by a patriotic attitude of expanding past their borders. Levy tells the story of Hernan Cortes, originally setting sail from Spain, as he sailed from Cuba to the shores of Mexico in 1519, eager about the discovery of new lands.
Cultural Differences: Similarities Between Spanish And Native Americans
1187 Words | 5 PagesIn the 16th Century, Spain became one of the European forces to reckon with. To expand even further globally, Spanish conquistadors were sent abroad to discover lands, riches, and North America and its civilizations. When the Spanish and Native American groups met one another, they judged each other, as they were both unfamiliar with the people that stood before them. The Native American and Spanish views and opinions of one another are more similar than different because when meeting and getting to know each other, neither the Spaniards nor the Native Americans saw the other group of people as human. Both groups of people thought of one another as barbaric monsters and were confused and amazed by each other’s cultures.
Black Conquistadors Analysis
993 Words | 4 PagesWhen thinking of the Spanish Conquest, two groups often come to mind: the Spaniards and the Native Americans. The roles of each of these groups and their encounters have been so heavily studied that often the role of Africans is undermined. As Matthew Restall states in his article Black Conquistadors, the justifications for African contribution are often “inadequately substantiated if not marginalized [as the] Africans were a ubiquitous and pivotal part of the Spanish conquest campaigns in the Americas […]” (Restall 172). Early on in his article, Restall characterizes three categories of Africans present during the Conquest – mass slaves, unarmed servants of the Spanish, and armed auxillaries (Restall 175).
Spanish Conquest Rhetorical Analysis
316 Words | 2 PagesIn this week’s reading, “Spanish Conquest” by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloe Sayer discuss the subjugation, ethnocide, and struggle the indigenous population of Mexico endured during the Spanish conquest. The Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez, enslave and forced the Aztecs to believe that Christianity was the one true religion. Therefore, the indigenous people were forced to convert their faith through the Spanish missionaries to lose their indigenous roots. Later, the authors explain the many difficulties and conflicts Spanish priest underwent to teach the Christian faith to the Aztecs. The Spanish friar first taught the indigenous people Christianity in Nahuatl.
The Tempest In The Wilderness Analysis
292 Words | 2 PagesThis week we discussed ‘“The Tempest” in the Wilderness: A Tale of Two Frontiers’ by Ronald Takaki. In this article, the author discusses the differences between savagery and civilization. The main argument in this argument is shown in the form of examples of how the Indians and Irish were simply harmless at first when discovering the New World, but quickly made into monsters by the English men. I’m sure we’ve all learned in history of John Smith’s description of how the Powhatans cared for the sick and dying English men.
Analysis Of The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account Of The Conquest Of Mexico
1506 Words | 7 PagesThis power imbalance and these payments are key in the subjugation of the natives. Furthermore, the paternalism of the Spanish toward the Indigenous peoples is obvious: “Captain [Cortes] stared at him [Cuauhtemoc]…then patted him on the head” (p.117). Post-conquest, and still today, “difficult relations” between the descendants of the Indigenous peoples and the “others” (p.117) still exist. The European view of the natives “as idolatrous savages” or, on the contrary, as “models of natural virtue” (p.175) demonstrate the versatile and often contradictory views held. Similarly, the Aztecs at times saw the Spaniards as gods, and other times as gold-hungry savages who “fingered it like monkeys” (p.51).
Aztlan Colonial New Mexico Analysis
504 Words | 3 Pages“Aztlan, Cibola and Frontier New Spain” is a chapter in Between the Conquests written by John R. Chavez. In this chapter Chavez states how Chicano and other indigenous American ancestors had migrated and how the migration help form an important part of the Chicanos image of themselves as a natives of the south. “The Racial Politics behind the Settlement of New Mexico” is the second chapter by Martha Menchaca.
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