In 1521‚ the Aztecs tirelessly defended their capital against Hernan Cortés‚ a Spanish conquistador‚ and his convoy of fellow Spaniards and native allies. Founded in 1345 on the shore of Lake Texcoco‚ Tenochtitlan became the capital city and religious center for the Mexica people of the Aztec empire. An Aztec eyewitness describes in detail the final days of the once powerful city as it fell to the Spaniards. When Christopher Columbus arrived to the Indies in 1492‚ he opened the gates for Spanish
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Of the three ancient civilizations; Aztec‚ Inca‚ and Mayan; the Mayan civilization is the best. With extensive and elaborate architecture‚ intellectual level‚ and achievements‚ the Mayan civilization was top notch. With so much intellectual knowledge over the others‚ the Mayans are a clear choice. First you will learn about architecture‚ next the calendar and writing‚ and finally government. The Mayans of the three civilizations‚ have the most elaborate and impressive architecture. With soaring
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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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600-1550 CE in the Americas are the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica‚ and the Inca Empire in the Andes. “The Inca Empire and its contemporary Aztec Empire grew out of political‚ economic‚ and cultural pattern that began to form around 600 CE” (Von Sivers et al. 433). The Inca and Aztec Empires are an important and valuable piece of history that represent the innovations and rapid growth from the past cultures. There are several comparisons and contrasts with the Inca and the Aztec Empires that include: societies
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The Inca were South American Indian people who ruled one of the largest and richest empires in the America’s. The Inca Empire began to expand about 1438 and occupied a vast region that centered on the capital‚ Cusco‚ in southern Peru. The Empire extended more than 2‚500 miles (4‚020 kilometers) along the western coast of South America. It included parts of Present - Day Colombia‚ Ecuador‚ Peru‚ Bolivia‚ Chile‚ and Argentina. The Inca Empire was conquered by Spanish Forces soon after their arrival
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The Conquest of the Americas: Upon realizing that the New World was not‚ in fact‚ the Far East‚ the Europeans had begun their conquest of the Americas. Several Spanish and Portuguese adventurers were on a mission to conquer the native places in the Americas. Some of the conquerors involved were on a mission to introduce Christianity to the Americas‚ while most of the people did it for the gold. With just a few hundred men‚ the Spanish were able to bring down and control the mighty Aztec and Inca
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Motives of European conquest to America- land‚ trade‚ missionary: A series of wars began between Christians and Muslims. They were fighting for control of the area of Southwest Asia called Palestine. This area contained Christian shrines and holy places. Land: each noble ruled a piece of land and hoped to rule more. Strong rulers were able to unify nearby lands. Purpose of the American colonies in eyes of Europeans- Mercantilism: mercantilism is guided by economic principles. Governments held
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Although some may consider the fall of the Nahua and Inca empires an encounter of the Spanish‚ the meeting of the two cultures was a conquest because the Spanish brutally defeated and took over the indigenous cultures with the help of many advantages. There are three major factors which contributed to the successful conquest between the Spanish and the Nahuas‚ also known as the Aztecs‚ and Incas. First‚ the Spanish leaders had experience in forming alliances with indigenous people. Second‚ the
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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 Spanish conquistadors made contact with the Inca Empire in 1526‚ at the northwestern Inca stronghold of Tumbes. The Spanish‚ in search of wealth and fame‚ were attracted to the awesome riches and supreme power of the Incas. Throughout the next few years‚ a violent and bloody effort to seize power over the Inca people ensued. The prolonged effort of conquest brought many soldiers and missionaries to the South America region. One of the soldiers who made the long journey
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