Aztec Empire The Aztecs, who referred to themselves as Mexica, were a powerful tribe of people speaking the Nahuatl language. They founded one of the biggest empires in Central America which is believed to have lasted from the 1300s to the 1500s. On Continue Reading...
Collision of Two Worlds Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes and Bernal Diaz all wrote very positive and glowing reports about the New World, which seem to have been in conflict with some of the harsh realities that they certainly encountered when th Continue Reading...
Also, these cotton capes were so valuable that a family or individual lucky enough to own twenty or more could support themselves for an entire year in the city of Tenochtitlan; these capes could also be used to barter for more expensive items like Continue Reading...
AZTECS The ancient Mexican region not only stands out as a mythological haven, but also as a culturally vibrant and technologically advanced civilization. Among the Mesoamerican civilizations, the Aztecs standout for their significant contributions Continue Reading...
Consequently, the social distinctions were not as static as their European counterparts. Religion was also a major aspect of Aztec life and it has become, perhaps, what they are best known for: The Great Temple was a place for human sacrifice. Pri Continue Reading...
New Spain, Mexico The Culture of New Spain: the Rise and Fall of Mexico The conquest of New Spain defined contemporary Mexican culture to a great degree. But that conquest has been ongoing and did not stop with the conquistadors and the implementat Continue Reading...
However, a number of large, border-zone areas did manage to maintain independence from the empire despite facing many military conflicts with such adversaries as the empire of the Tarascans in the west. 3 Economically, the Aztecs did openly encoura Continue Reading...
Men Folly The work of Restall covers a lot of ground when it comes to classic literature. One of the approaches and treatments that is common in such literature is the concept of "great men." Of course, the topic is a bit silly and under-i Continue Reading...
Aztecs and Incas In the 15th century various kinds of communities were hosted in the western part of the world. These communities had various activities such as hunting people as well as gathering, agricultural village societies along with chiefdoms Continue Reading...
This new identity provided them with both the symbolic and material means to distinguish themselves from the masses." (Rounds, 74) This strategy would prove ingenious. The result was such a greater fluidity of trade and transport of goods that thou Continue Reading...
The author points out that there were more commoners than nobles but the commoners were often at the mercy of nobles and were expected to serve them. Although this was the case, it was also true that commoners had a great deal of control over their Continue Reading...
Olmec Civilization Long before the Maya, Aztec or Toltec flourished in Central America, there lived the Olmecs, a civilization that has come to continue to intrigue and amaze the world. They were the most prevalent group in Mesoamerica and a highly Continue Reading...
The nine day festival approaching in late June is intended to honor Inti, the Sun God. The festival's importance is found not just in its explicit celebrations of the harvest, the winter solstice and the deity connected with the warmth, heat and sus Continue Reading...
Diaz del Castillo has an undoubted ideological bias in stressing how that the small band of Spanish soldiers, barely numbering in the several hundreds, could never have defeated the mighty Mexican army, but his account gives the reader pause. Diaz d Continue Reading...
Spanish Conquests of Inca and Aztec Empires The Spaniard's conquest of Inca and Aztec Empires are two of the most important chapters regarding the history of colonization in Americas. After Christopher Columbus had discovered America in 1492, he was Continue Reading...
Social ideals and ethics are secondary. As such, if it were most beneficial to the State to commit genocide while conquering another nation, that would be the course of action taken. However, again thanks to increased media coverage, the world and g Continue Reading...
A slave was similar to a paid servant. The children of the poor people could be sold as slaves, but it was usually for a determined period of time. The slaves had the right to buy their freedom. War was a very important activity, because of their c Continue Reading...
Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of America, edited by Miguel Leon-Portilla (Beacon Press, 1992). Broken Spears tells the Aztec peoples' account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Throughout history, the conquest has been told from Continue Reading...
In a culture that valued the accomplishments of its warriors in battle, the Aztecs needed a way to lift their greatest warriors up on a pedestal through a method that was understood by everyone in their society. They also needed a closely-guarded m Continue Reading...
In fact, despite the letter from Fra Motolina, the encomienda system may have been slowed down, but it was not eradicated. The actual plight of the Indian populations was not improved, and the manner in which the Spaniards continued to view the popu Continue Reading...
As the world is more thoroughly explored, social scientists seem to find that the words social and science are largely contradictory and an oxymoron. Even rational choice theory bases its conclusions upon statistics and upon a costs and benefits ana Continue Reading...
Soon after, an Aztec general murders several Spaniards from Cortez's band and prove that Cortez and his companions are frauds. Cortez takes Montezuma prisoner and compels him in surrendering the entire empire. The Aztec people choose to disobey thei Continue Reading...
" 4. Social and Political Life There is a general paucity of information about the actual societal and political structure of the Olmec. While there is not much evidence to build a comprehensive picture of the daily and social life of these people, Continue Reading...
Prior to the landing of the Spanish, the population was estimated to have been upwards of 20 million, making these Mesoamerican cultures some of the most advanced in certain areas with the ability to sustain a large population (Hamnett, 1999). The Continue Reading...
Harner quotes from Spanish sources on the witnessing of acts of human sacrifice and cannibalism, among the peoples of the Aztec culture. "Moreover every day they sacrificed before our eyes three, four, or five indians, whose hearts were offered to Continue Reading...
Four years later a vast Incan army rises up in revolt and attempt to overthrow the Spanish. It is probably this rebellion that resulted in the mass burials that were uncovered. It seems that despite the overwhelming odds, the Spanish hacked its way Continue Reading...
Native American and European Cultures Native American European Cultures It is generally thought that humans first entered the New World during the last ice age and quickly spread over what is today North and South America. When the ice age ended so Continue Reading...
European Voyages of Exploration of the 15th and 16th Centuries For several centuries following Columbus's historic discovery the North American Continent, Spain enjoyed riches from overseas that allowed it to be the most influential country in Euro Continue Reading...
Hernando Cortez The story of Hernando Cortez, who conquered the extraordinary Aztec peoples, is a story of many facets. Cortez is called the "Conqueror of Mexico." In some sense his story is indeed the story of a remarkable soldier and commander, on Continue Reading...
Treatment of Women in Mexican Culture The choices for women have, across both time and space, almost always been far more constrained than the choices of men. They have in fact all too often been reduced to a single pair of opposing choices: The pur Continue Reading...
Atahuallpa was the ruler when the conquistadors arrived. The Spanish were under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro. There were a total of 168 Europeans in this group, and they challenged an empire of 6 million people. The Indians were puzzled by t Continue Reading...
Family ties enabled him to straddle both worlds. Led his army in support of the British; remembered for atrocities his army supposedly committed and his attempts to keep tribal lands. Wampum Belt: Wampum=certain sea shells. Used for trade, but not Continue Reading...
The politics were simple. The Government and the settlers had all the power, ultimately the Natives did not, and so, the settlers and the government subjugated the Natives and forced them into treaties that only served the European settlers. Another Continue Reading...
Post Conquest/Colonialism Post Conquest and Colonialism In 1519, around 500 Spanish soldiers, called Conquistadors, marched into the Aztec Empire in what is today modern day Mexico, and within two years of their arrival that empire had been comple Continue Reading...
history of the native American Indians is a long and colorful one. The first Indians arrived on the North American continent subsequent to the end of the Ice Age approximately 15,000 years ago. These early Indians arrived from Siberia as they passed Continue Reading...
Hispanic community in the United States. Hispanic-American's have influenced many aspects of today's American culture such as art, religion, and education since the early 1600's. It will outline the influx of the Spanish explorers and the defense of Continue Reading...
American History Your Highnesses have an Other World here, by which our holy faith can be so greatly advanced and from which such great wealth can be drawn," wrote Christopher Columbus to the king and queen of Spain following his third voyage to the Continue Reading...
In its most basic sense, this treaty abolished the age-old practice of electing a king of the Romans, a reference to the Holy Roman Empire; it gave France the geographical areas of Verdun, Alsace, Metz and a portion of Strasburg; Sweden was given We Continue Reading...
In the 21st century, American, European, and Asian trans-national corporations (e.g., General Motors; Toyota; Coca Cola; IBM; Nestle, etc., build plants in Mexico and Latin America, where indigenous labor is cheaper than American labor. Meanwhile, t Continue Reading...
He understood exploration and discovery was creating a new world order, and that the old way of doing things would not work in this big new world. He understood the future implications of law and global relations, and helped create the theories that Continue Reading...
