Why Europe Conquered The Americas And Not The Other Way Around

Why Europe Could Conquer The Americas There is a reason behind why Latin America speaks Spanish and not their native tongue. It is a well-known fact that the Castilians conquered Latin America. The question is why was it not the other way around. Why didn 't the Aztecs, Mayans, or Incas conquer Europe? The reason the Europeans conquered the New World lies in their combat training and the possibility of becoming wealthy. A major reason why the Spaniards could defeat the natives was in their technique and discipline. The Castilians were much more organized than their Aztec counterpart. The soldiers fought in unison and never gave a second thought on what they were engaging in (Hanson 207). To strengthen their effectiveness, they fired in group volleys (Hanson 207). Their leaders, Hernán Cortés the most prominent, did not just pray together, but met with each other (Hanson 207). They argued and discussed tactical solutions to defeat their opponent. Soldiers were even allowed to give input. Aztecs, on the other hand, were never trained for the intense battles that the Spaniards started. When two warring states fought each other in Mesoamerica, they initiated a “flower war” (Hanson 194). These “wars” had few casualties and focused more on capturing and stunning the opponent. Familiarity between an Aztec soldier and the leader Montezuma, was unheard of (Hanson 207). The Spaniard 's way of fighting was definitely a huge advantage towards their win. Another reason why the Castilians ventured to Mexico was because of the precious material known as gold. If a man owned gold in Spain, his social standing could be launched to the next level. Gold could make a man noble in Spain (Hanson 201). Gold would insure that the bankrupt Spanish nobles could keep up with the bustling economies through out Europe (Hanson 201). The Spaniards
Courval 2 could now fund their armies to keep the invading Turks out of Castile (Hanson 201). Imagine all the fame and glory that would

Cited: Hanson, Victor Davis. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power. New York: Anchor, 2002. Print.