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Mexico History Essay
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The factors that contributed the most to the fall of the Aztec Empire were; Aztecs mistaking Cortes for Quetzacoatl, Aztec conflict with neighbouring groups, and no cure for Smallpox. To begin, Mocetezuma confusing Cores for Quetzacoatl caused the downfall of the Aztecs. Because Moctezuma thought Cortes was Quetzacoatl he gave VOrtes a whole tour of the city and let him live in his dad’s old house. While on the tour Cortes saw the gold that the Aztecs had.
Politics itself was not a big determinant on how each person would dress. Politics and social classes go hand in hand when explaining the different clothing between people. The Aztec Empire consisted of different city-states, also known as altepetl, ruled by a king, tlatoani, and a supreme judge and administrator, cihuacoatl. The king had to come from a noble or royal family to be considered to be king and is his responsibility to rule all of the city- states for the rest of his life (Tarlton law…, 2016). Since the king is a part of the noble class, it affected the way he dressed because he wanted to show off his status.
Everything was perfectly planned out. As the calendar says, they have to sacrifice one of their own to please the Gods. The Mayan people would get together as a whole to practice their religious ceremony at the temple. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations are two ancient civilizations that were located near Central and South America. The Mayan civilization was more remarkable than the Aztecs because of their advanced knowledge.
The Aztec civilisation, led by Moctezuma II, stood as one of the most sophisticated and advanced civilisations of its era (1325 AD- 1521 AD). Armed with powerful weapons, like wooden spears and metal shields, the Aztecs faced a merciless army. When Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors entered the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, on 20 April 1519 AD, driven by their pursuit for God, gold, and glory, it would only take two years before Cortes’s small army had conquered and annihilated this powerful civilisation with Spanish military technology. The collapse of the Aztec civilisation was significantly influenced by their weak wooden weaponry, tactics of diplomacy, espionage, and sacrifice that proved no match for the superior Spanish weaponry,
Montezuma II, also known as Moctezuma or Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the 9th emperor of the Aztecs. Montezuma II was born around the year 1466. He was already becoming a successful ruler before he even became an emperor from 1502-1520. Evidence show that Montezuma II was quite a diligent, smart and hard-working ruler. He ruled an empire that had 5-6 million people.
The Mexica people of Tenochtitlan, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco and the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan’s two principal allied city-states, the Acolhaus of Texcoco and the Tepanecs of Tlacopan, formed the Aztec Triple Alliance which has also become known as the “Aztec Empire”. Henan Cortes, along with a large number of Nahuatl speaking indigenous allies, conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztec Triple Alliance under the leadership of Moctezuma II. In the series of events often referred to as “The Fall of the Aztec Empire”. Subsequently the Spanish founded the new settlement of Mexico City on the site of the ruined Aztec capital.
The Aztec people dominated the 14th through 16th century Mesoamerica. They are one of the most noted cultures recognized in history books today and they deserve as much recognition for their accomplishments and errors as much as any other civilization because their works were much the same. Their religious practices were similar to that of the ancient civilizations throughout the entire world. The magnificent capital, Tenochtitlan, displays accomplishments other cities had achieved thousands of years before the Aztecs marched through what is now Mexico. Even the fall of their empire was like that of the far away Celtic civilization and countless others.
“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.
The strong tactics of the Spanish Conquistadors, the mistakes of Montezuma, and disease lead to the defeat of the Aztec army of 200,000 men. The Spanish Conquistadors had the advantage over the Aztecs, using the allies they had and the technology they used in battle. Montezuma, the ruler of Tenochtitlan made a mistake when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, by thinking they were Gods.. The conquistadors also brought over diseases, which whipped out most of the Aztec army leading to a slight setback for the Aztecs. The Aztecs then, had no chance against the Spanish.
By doctrine the Aztec operated under centralized control, leaving the unit without guidance if a commander should go down as opposed to the flexible Spanish decentralized command and control allowing for formations to regroup and sustain fighting. The majority of interpretations of the Spanish Conquest of Aztecs claim Spanish victory due to Military Information Support Operations (MISO) by deceiving the Aztecs to believing Cortes was a god. Other individuals might claim that there was a significant technological advantage. In fact Cortes’ infantrymen supported by the cavalry and allies out maneuvered the once dominating Aztecs.
Brittanica shares that, “Cortés entered the city on November 8, 1519, with his small Spanish force and only 1,000 Tlaxcaltecs. ”Hernan now entered the Aztec capital, and prepared for war. History quotes, “Seizing his chance, Cortés took Montezuma hostage and his soldiers raided the city.” Cortez now took over Tenochtitlan, and it wasn’t a long or hard fight for the Spanish before they won. On August 13, 1521, the Aztec empire fell and Cortez won.
The Aztec Empire lasted from the year 1345 to the year 1521. During these years, the Aztec Empire was able to flourish all throughout central Mexico. Their capital was established on Teotihuacan, on top of a lake. The Aztec Empire alone was 117,501 miles squared long. The citizens of the Aztec Empire were feared all over Mexico.
Aztec Empire The Aztecs were a great Empire that lasted approximately 200 years. They entered the Valley of Mexico from North and founded their capital in the center of a lake. Their capital was called Tenochtitlan, and it was founded in 1325. In 1428 a Triple Alliance was formed with other two cities, Texcoco and Tlacopan, consolidating what we now call, the Great Aztec Empire.
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 Spanish were able to colonize Mexico without much resistance.” After the smallpox epidemic, the Aztecs were even more vulnerable. The Spanish exploration and conquering of Tenochtitlan was to gain power for the Spanish empire, but the city’s people were somewhat considered rebellious, and consequently, Cortes needed to conquer/kill the people first. By taking down the people of the city, Cortes was exposed to the city’s great treasures for his reward of gold; he retrieved all the gold he could, and travelled back to Spain where he was labelled a hero for his acts of