Bernal Diaz was a conquistador who joined Cortés on his missions of the conquest of New Spain. Hernan Cortés was the leader responsible for conquering the Aztec Empire in Tenochtitlan. Hernan was a part of an expedition funded by the king of Spain to spread Christianity and to acquire wealth from various places in the Americas (mainly island countries). Cortés heard of the rumored wealth of Mexico. Cortés and a group of men disobeyed orders to stay in Cuba, and made their way to Mexico. Upon arrival they set up camp in, present day, Veracruz and began to make allies with some of the caciques (native chiefs), who would eventually aid him in the war against the Aztecs. Even though both of these men conquered two different places, they used …show more content…
Native people in general were seen as heathens; uncivilized, savage people who practiced human sacrifice. Christianity was the only way to make uncivilized people civilized, through the belief of their God. Not thinking that these people had their own gods they prayed to, forcing a religion on someone who not only doesn’t understand you and inevitably can’t say no to, in itself is a conquering of people. Cortés and his soldiers in hopes of gaining allies to help defeat Montezuma II, went village to village spreading Christianity to create this idea of brotherhood. (Diaz, 144,191) Anyone who didn’t follow order was usually killed, for example on the march to Mexico when Cortes finds out that some of the caciques and papas were secretly betraying him he killed several of them. “Then Cortés told them that the King’s law decreed such treachery should not go unpunished, and they must die for their crime….they received a blow they will remember forever, for we killed many of them, and the promises of their false idols were of no avail.” (Diaz, 199) Cortés’ campaign was fueled by violence and false promises of brotherhood, there was never going to be a bond between Cortés and a bunch of uncivilized people. Cortés wanted power and wealth and he succeeded in doing