contributed to the defeat of the Aztecs? Though there appear to be several factors involved in the defeat of the Aztecs‚ three stood out above the others: (1) superstition‚ (2) weapons and warring tactics‚ and (3) the introduction of new diseases. Ten years prior to the arrival of the Spaniards‚ there were eight signs or omens that appeared to predict the downfall of civilization or the end of the world. Superstition‚ omens‚ magicians‚ signs‚ etc. were a major part of the Aztec religion and one can see
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Information Conveyance While most of what has happened historically is clouded by speculation and wonder‚ some events have been well-documented. The Conquest of the Americas by the Spanish was an event in which many aspects were recorded‚ which has helped historians tremendously. The Broken Spears is a historical outlook on the Spanish Conquest of the Americas that includes several different texts written by many different indigenous people. Numerous texts are written in such a way that show the
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The Aztec Account of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico Miguel León-Portilla ’s book "The Broken Spears" Introduction Other resources: • Aztec Life • Mexica Culture • Mexica Medicine • Religion of the Modern Aztlan Movement • Religion of the Mexica & Bibliography • Major Deitites of the Mexica • Minor Deitites of the Mexica • Aztec Cannibalism: An Ecological Necessity? Path of the Conquest On November 8‚ 1519‚ the Spanish conquistadors first entered the great city of Mexico
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Focus Paper #1 The Broken Spears The book The Broken Spears‚ by Miguel Leon-Portilla‚ presents an account of the Conquest of Mexico from the point of view of the some of the indigenous people who survived those events. The passages used‚ written in the native language of the victims‚ provide us a brief description of the encounters with the Spaniards that were not seen in the documented history of the conquest. Native priests and wise men had documented the welcoming of Cortes and his men as
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The Broken Spears “The Broken Spears” is a collection of many accounts of the destruction of Mexico by Cortes and the conquistadors in their invasion. The motive behind this conquest was Cortes’ desire to bring a fortune of gold‚ spices‚ and land that can be claimed‚ back to Spain. Although these desires were admirable‚ they were sought after at the expense of the Aztecs and consequently changed an entire civilization‚ due to an initial drive for power‚ control‚ land‚ and money
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at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears‚ the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs‚ but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory‚ is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance‚ the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities
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The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico Author: Miguel León-Portilla History of the Spanish defeat of Mexico and the Aztecs has always been told in the words of the Spaniards. It has often been forgotten that with only having one impression of the events that took place during this time period‚ we can never be certain of the entire story‚ or what actually took place. For this reason‚ Miguel León-Portilla took it upon himself to further explore pre-Hispanic history and gain
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The Broken Spears is a book written by Miguel Leon-Portilla that gives accounts of the fall of the Aztec Empire to the Spanish in the early 16th century. The book is much different from others written about the defeat of the empire because it was written from the vantage point of the Aztecs rather then the Spanish. Portilla describes in-depth many different reasons why the Spanish were successful in the defeat of such a strong Empire. Portilla starts out by giving a thorough background of the
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The accounts of the Spanish conquest of Mexico are often Spanish and almost always "patently self-serving" (Hassig 3). They glorify the ideals of the groups that the authors represent and emphasize the improbability of the Spanish victories. They largely ignore the Native points of view of the conquest‚ due to both a smaller number of Native accounts and due to their own motives. However‚ Hassig presents a balanced narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and considers the Native perspectives
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While reading “Broken Spears”‚ written by Miguel Leon-Portilla‚ I’ve had a small view of what Mexican culture was like back in those times. They are sort of different from America’s traditions and societies. Broken Spears is unlike others written about the loss of the empire because it was written from the point of the Aztecs and not the Spanish. As the book goes on‚ Miguel Leon-Portilla describes how the Spanish were successful in taking over the solid empire. The book really starts out by giving
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