ipl-logo

Relationship Between The Spanish And The Aztecs

1484 Words6 Pages

The relationship between the Spanish and the Aztecs was a correspondence that steadily declined as the Spanish conquered and destroyed the Aztec Civilization. The relationship was one that was bound to fail because of the naive nature and seclusion of the Aztecs along with the greed and barbaric attitude of the Spaniards. The Spanish ravaged through the new world and along with them the brought destruction and disease; with no remorse for the deaths they caused. The Aztecs, naive and uneducated, were overly trusting of their supposed “pale-faced gods.” The combination of these factors is what lead to a destructive association between these two incompatible groups. When God created the earth he began with the separation of light and darkness; …show more content…

They came from a strange place, arrived on strange vessels and acted in a way that was completely foreign to the people of this very simplistic culture. The Aztecs were secluded in this section of the world and had no desire to go out and explore the vast beyond, because they assumed that what they saw was all there was. They, in their simple minded way, were unable to envision the world that the Spanish came from. The culture and customs of these strangers was something so alien to them; at certain points the Aztecs reference the strange animals that Cortes and his men brought with them. Never been exposed to the exotic ways of the Spanish, the Aztecs knew nothing of the types of wars these men fought or the greed they were poisoned with. Their seclusion from these strange customs was yet another reason that the relationship between these two foes failed miserably. The Aztecs were highly unprepared for the barbarian ways of the men who were supposed to be god-like and civilized. They came as wolves dressed in sheep 's clothing, refined and polished, but with nothing but a thirst for blood and …show more content…

After a beginning of worshiping and honoring of these thought to be gods, the Aztecs moved to fear for their city and their lives. A fear that was rightly justified by the merciless killings of their people and their kings. The Spanish wiped out an entire nation with their weapons and their diseases, only further proving that the relationship between these two great people was one that was destined to fail from the first footstep on Mexican soil by the Spanish. With the overpowering greed and disregard for life, the Spaniards took over the city of Tenotchlan and never looked back, never regretting the choices they made out of gluttony. The relationship between the Aztecs and the Spanish declined rapidly over time, as the Spanish wasted no time in murdering solely for the accumulation of gold and land. The Aztecs inability to understand the ways of the Spanish and the turmoil brought on by disease were ultimately the final domino to fall in this

Show More
Related
316 Words | 2 Pages

In 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.

Read More
208 Words | 1 Pages

First of all The Spanish were discovered the Aztec empire one year before their conquest and reached it . On the other hand, some native Americans in Tabasco tried to stop Hernan Cortes but in the end they gave up . After that Hernan Cortes started to control them and The native Americans supplied the Spanish with foods and what they needed. More over there were groups of people called Totonacs and Tlaxcala’s were against us and the Aztec rule , so Hernan courts exploited them and then they became allies for the Hernan courts army. Hernan courts controlled all of the cities in Aztec empires such as the capital Tenochtitlan , also he burned his ships to stop his army from going back to spain .

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

While comparing the Aztec and Renaissance worldviews they both have similar yet different opinions.  The Aztec culture was very isolated and unaware of other cultures causing them to be placed on the self determination side of the view of human nature continuum.   Due to them being so isolated they had to make their own decisions with the help of their Aztec Gods. The culture had many different gods which made them have their own view on life which was different comparing it to other cultures around them.

Read More
1660 Words | 7 Pages

The culture of both the Aztecs and Spaniards have similarities, as many different groups of people do. A main theme that was insinuated between both accounts into the culture of the two groups was respect of authority. “When Motecuhzoma had given necklaces to each one, …” “Then he stood up to welcome Cortes; he came forward, bowed his head low …” (Broken Spears 608).

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

As Cortes and his men travelled through Mesoamerica, they heard tales of a great city in the middle of a lake where the emperor ruled out of. He knew that if he were to be able to conquer the nation he would have to start there, so the Spanish set off towards Tenochtitlan encountering civilisation after civilisation so wonderful and different from the home they came from. One of these places was Tlaxcala, in the time that Cortes was there, he struck an alliance with the Tlaxcalan’s against the Aztecs and these warriors would eventually help him sway the tides and defeat the mighty Aztecs.

Read More
1807 Words | 8 Pages

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.

Read More
810 Words | 4 Pages

In 1521, Hernando Cortés, an adventurer from Spain, led an army of 508 men into the Yucatán peninsula on an exploratory expedition. During their explorations, they stumbled upon the Aztec Empire, the world’s largest city at the time. Despite the enormity of the empire, it was struggling to thrive due to a rigid political system and low technological development. The Spaniards, who were motivated by the promise of gold and wealth, were able to conquer the Aztecs by using the native people’s fear, instability, and lack of superior weapons to their advantage. When Cortés, an adventurer from Spain, arrived to the mainland with an army of 508 soldiers, they stumbled upon an empire weakened by war and an unstable political system.

Read More
2031 Words | 9 Pages

The tribes that lived closest to them mostly feared them because of their high thirst for human blood. As we have been able to learn more about the Aztecs, we have been able to learn and see how they were terrible and magnificent people at the same time. The Aztec are mostly known for being murderers to other humans, their treatment of women, and their double standard of gender. If you are able to look past these horrible

Read More
150 Words | 1 Pages

The Aztecs had a very tight way of running things. If one did not follow the rules they would be punished very severely by death. Their system was based upon sacrifices for their beloved gods, and it ran that way for many generations, until the Spanish came. Hernan Cortes, was the Spanish expedition leader, eased his way into Tenochtitlan’s throne to become emperor. He faked being a sacred god called Quetzalcoatl, so the Aztecs would be on their knees praising him and doing whatever he wished.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

The Aztec leader Montecuhzoma was a poor leader, he wasn’t concerned about the wellbeing of his people. In Broken Spears, readers will see that the Spaniards use nearby tribes to take over the Aztecs land, the Spaniards killed men, women and children. When the Aztecs hear about what the Spaniards have done they become furious and plan to retaliate but are quickly stopped by the diseases brought by the Spaniards. The Aztecs are exposed to small pox and measles but the Spaniards were unaffected by the diseases because they are well known in Europe and they are exposed to diseases

Read More
1135 Words | 5 Pages

The fall of the Aztec Empire was due to the determination of the Spaniards. The Spaniards were destructive. They did not respect the Natives’ religions at all. They almost destroyed all of the Natives’ culture, and now we know very little about Natives. The Spaniards’ greed and obsession with power, this was their main motivation to conquer the Aztec Empire.

Read More
1187 Words | 5 Pages

These differences were also smaller details under the larger ideas of barbarianism, new cultures, and the even bigger idea of inhumanity. The Spanish saw the Native Americans as slaves because they showed to be hard laborers and gave into the Spanish power. The Native Americans had a natural knack for manual tasks, so much that most Spaniards compared them to insects because both insects and Native Americans could do certain tasks that normal humans, such as high class Spaniards, could not. The Spaniards would never do such work as they believed that work was meant for slaves. When the Spanish took over the Aztec capital city, Sepúlveda remarks of how the Native Americans were “oppressed and fearful at the beginning.”

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes were both famous Spanish adventurers during the Age of Exploration. When the explorers came upon land, they encountered two different cultures. In 1492, Columbus encountered the Taino people, and in 1520, Cortes encountered the Aztecs. The two cultures that the men encountered were different in more ways than they were similar in regards to how the natives treated the men, what weapons they had and their war-like behavior, their technologically advancements, their housing and architectural structures, and even their religion.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1506 Words | 7 Pages

There was not a simple clear and distinct dichotomy between the “good” and the “bad”. As established previously, the Aztecs did not all live in perfect harmony, leading to tensions, and side-taking when Europeans arrived. A number of Indigenous peoples had a part to play in the downfall of the Aztec empire. Furthermore, the importance of gold in these relations was of great significance, and “Cortes bullied… tortured the Aztec lords… to obtain gold” (p.116). León-Portilla chooses to end on the topic of the tributes of “gold that had been lost in the Canal of the Toltecs” which the Captain expects to be returned to him.

Read More

More about Relationship Between The Spanish And The Aztecs

Related Topics

Open Document