Unraveling the Facts of the Conquest of Mexico Have you ever been in a situation where there were two sides to the story? Did it make you question who was telling the truth? Well this is exactly what happens when you read The Broken Spears by Miguel León Portilla and The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz. These two accounts reveal information about the conquest of Mexico from two different perspectives. The Broken Spears gives the perspective of the Aztecs, whereas The Conquest of New Spain gives the perspective of the Spanish told by Bernal Díaz. There are many differences in these two accounts specifically in the destruction of Cholula, the treatment of Motecuhzoma by the Spanish, and La Noche Triste the retreat of the Spanish from Tenochtitlan. …show more content…
Both Broken Spears and The Conquest of New Spain agree that the Spanish tried to leave on a dark rainy night (León-Portilla 84; Díaz 298). However, there is a discrepancy on how far they made it before the Aztecs found out and who saw them leaving. In Broken Spears it is said that the Spanish had just made it past three canals and were getting ready to cross the fourth when a woman discovered them and cried out to the Aztec warriors (León-Portilla 84-85). The Conquest of New Spain recalls that the Spanish were just crossing the first bridge when the Aztecs discovered them and began yelling and charging towards them (Díaz 298). Both sources agree that the attack that occurred filled the canal with dead bodies of Indians, Spaniards, horses, gold, and gifts that the Spanish were trying to take with them (León-Portilla 87; Díaz 299). When the Spanish escaped, the Aztecs took everything out that was left in the canal. They took out all the dead bodies, weapons, and gold that the Spanish left behind (León-Portilla 89). The survivors of the Spanish and allies retreated to a mountain near Tlacopan and eventually went to Tlaxcala (León-Portilla 84). The Conquest of New Spain says that the surviving Spanish and allies first took refuge in the square at Tacuba but had to keep moving because they were followed by Mexicans (Díaz 300). According to Díaz, “within a matter of days, in the battle of Mexico and on the bridges and causeways, and all the engagements, including that of Otumba and those on the road, more than eight hundred and sixty soldiers were killed and sacrificed, and seventy-two more, together with five Spanish women – all belonging to Narvaez’ company – at the town of Tuxtepec, also a thousand Tlascalans (Díaz
Cortes quickly learned that several Spaniards had been murdered by Aztec warriors just off the coast of Mexico, at this point in time, he decided to kidnap Moctezuma the Second and to hold him as a hostage in his own palace, indirectly ruling Tenochtitlan. Meanwhile, Velasquez sent another expedition, led by Panfilo de Narvaez to confront Cortes, which would arrive off the coast of Mexico in April 1520 with over one thousand men. Cortes left approximately two hundred men in Tenochtitlan, whilst he and his army travelled across Mexico to confront
A Tlaxcalan prince, Xicotencatl the Younger, came up with a clever plan. The Tlaxcalans would supposedly welcome the Spanish but would send their Otomí allies to attack them. Two of the Cempoalan emissaries were allowed to escape and report to Cortes. For two weeks, the Spanish made little headway. They remained camped out on a hilltop.
Beginning in the February of 1519, the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire had many chapters that led to the eventual conquering and colonization of Mexico. Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who claimed Mexico for Spain faced several threats which he overcame along the way. The most notable among these being the defeat of Pánfilo de Narváez at the Battle of Cempoala. Commissioned by Cuban Governor Velázquez, Narváez was also a Spanish conquistador, who was sent to kill or capture Cortés. Hernán Cortés’ defeat of the Cuban forces was a very significant victory, because it aided in the defeat of Tenochtitlan, and the eventual conquering of Mexico.
As far as inconsistencies, the way this book was wrote, they are expected based on whether the research was done from the Texans, Mexicans, or the observer standpoint. It also seems difficult to separate the myth from the truth at times. The primary sources used are found in the Texas State Library in Austin, Benson Latin American Collection and the Baker Center for American History at the University of Texas in Austin, the DRT Library in San Antonio and many more.
While reading Kathryn Walbert’s essay on primary sources I learned many important things. The first thing I learned was that primary sources are anything created for the purpose of studying that was created in historical times. The second thing I learned is that primary sources are important to read about because they are very important keys to what life was like in the past. This is very important because it gives you an in depth understanding of how life was and gives you more information on what you are trying to study. The third thing that I learned was that simply because something is made now from the historical time period doesn’t make that item a primary source.
The same hostilities were found in New Mexico, Naranjo a priest led a revolt against the Spanish colonists. The natives secretly planned an attack against the Spanish, to their misfortune the secret of their attack was out and impulsively carried out an attack. Spanish priests, women and children were killed, the governor was their next target but he escaped with his life. Under the orders of Naranjo the natives burned the Spanish churches and everything that pertained to Christianity, even seizing cultivated lands of the Spanish back as their own. The natives were tired of the Spanish rule over them and sought to drive out the inhabitants and their faith to restore their religion and way of life once more.
The Invasion of Mexico America caused trouble with Mexico over land that wasn’t even rightfully theirs. Sure, if this event in history would not have happened, Arizona, including most of the west side of America, most likely wouldn’t be apart of the United States today. But for them to go over to another country uninvited, plus break it’s laws and kill their people when they were supposedly “against invasion.” Yet, that only seems to apply when it’s flipped backwards; as in they’re the ones being the invaded, rather than the invader. That just makes America a hypocritical and biased nation.
One of the most famous events in Aztec history was the battle of Tenochtitlan, in which Hernan Cortes and his army of hundreds marched all the way to the capital where he murdered the leader Moctezuma II. During this great historical battle Cortes’ men slaughtered many men, women and children just for total control over the whole city. As well as murdering the leader Moctezuma II and killing hundreds/thousands of innocent people Hernan Cortes also burned down the whole of the city at the end of the long battle to show his power, might and control. This battle is one of the most historical and important events during the Aztec era because it helped shape the way the Aztecs lived in such ways as religion/beliefs and the what they did from
The 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.
Battle of Tenochtitlan – Fall of the Aztec Empire The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the historical Battle of Tenochtitlan and apply critical reasoning and battle analysis techniques to assess the utilization of intelligence assets and provide alternate outcomes. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1519, the mighty Aztec Empire was at the height of its power. From their capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztec controlled much of what is now known as Mexico and Central America, ruling an estimated 15 million people. The Aztec palaces were as vast and sophisticated as any of those in Europe and their temples rivaled the Egyptian pyramids.
The Spanish retreated from Tenochtitlan, by fighting their way out, away from the angry mobs. The Spaniards took shelter with the Tlaxacan where they devised a plan to finally to conquer the Aztecs once and for all. The Spaniards, Tlaxacan, and other allied tribes all returned to Tenochtitlan with reinforcements and a siege. After eighty days of bloody battles Cuauhtémoc surrendered to the Spaniards, and that was the end of the Aztec
The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico, by Miguel León-Portilla is a singular account of the conquest of the Aztecs in the early 16th century, from the Indigenous perspective. As J. Jorge Klor De Alva writes in the “Forward”: “victors ordinarily write history” (p.xi), and the Spanish point of view, based on the conquistadors’ account of their encounter with the natives of South America is generally the common understanding of the conquest. León-Portilla recounts the conquest in a chronological order, which allows greater clarity for the non-specialist reader. The Broken Spears is split into sixteen chapters, each preceded by an “Introduction”, which summarize the chapter’s contents, the sources used, and any discrepancies
ThoughtCo states that the Aztecs had weak cloth and leather armour that didn’t offer much protection, but the Spanish had durable iron armour and sharp iron swords (2021). Because of this, the Aztecs were only able to kill a few of the Spaniards, but the Spanish were able to slaughter many of the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan. An image in The Florentine Codex shows that the Aztecs fought with sharp obsidian edged clubs, this source also shows that the Aztecs were limited to obsidian (1577). The Florentine Codex is reliable primary source because it was created by a Spanish holy man who studied the Aztecs and wrote a book about the Aztecs. This source was created to preserve accurate history and knowledge of the Aztecs for future
Defeat struck the Aztec Empire in 1521 when Hernan Cortes and his army invaded and conquered Tenochtitlan, bringing the end of the great civilization. Could the Aztecs have done something before, something that could have changed the way the Empire had come to an end? Geography helped in a major way, surrounding the Aztecs with protection from Mt.Popocatepetl and Mt.Iztaccihuatl . The weapons and war strategies that the Aztecs used were very well planned and could have defeated the Spanish. Even so, Montezuma, the emperor of the Aztecs, had to ruin the victory.
Using war equipment that the Aztec had never seen before and different battle techniques, Cortes and his men were able to quickly and effectively conquer Tenochtitlan. During battle against the Aztecs, animals from Spain that served in many battles called horses (about twelve), as well as swords and crossbows (a much more advanced version of the Aztec war club and spear-thrower) were labelled as advanced technology as they were quicker, deadlier, and consequently more efficient. These many advantages against the Aztecs and their traditional weapons; and therefore the Spaniards won many battles alongside their allies, and succeeded greatly by using guns that were far more powerful than the Aztecs' weapons. Unfair as it is, this gave the Spanish explorer a supremacy in conquering one of the most elaborate European cities at the time. “The Aztecs were unable to rebel against the Spaniards because most of them were sick or dead from smallpox.