Transcript Hernan Cortes

By: Jay, Zacharie, Royal
Hernando Cortes is Spanish. He was a nobleman. He was born
in Medellin, Spain, 1485. He became a nobleman. He went to the
University of Salamanca. He wanted to become an explorer when
he was at the university because he heard of explorers going to
Asia. He returned to Medellin in 1501. His parents sent him to the
island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea (now known as Haiti
Dominican Republic ) because they wanted him to get a job. This
was in 1504. His father’s friend was there. He made slaves work
for work for Cortes. Cortes hurt the natives because they fought
for freedom. That is mean of him. Velazquez and Cortes went to
Cuba for an expedition. They arrived in 1511. Velazquez became
governor. Cortes became rich and powerful because of his slaves
that he forced to work for him. Velazquez was scared that Cortes
might try to become governor, so he arrested then set him free.
Cortes went to Yucatan to claim territories. He went to the island
of Cozumel first. He went with 600 men and 11 ships. He got
permission from Velazquez. Cortes ordered his men to treat the
Native Americans with respect. Cortes gave gifts and beads. He
traded beads for a Spanish priest named Jeronimo de Aguilar.
Cortes wanted everybody wanted everybody to be Christian.
He asked them worship the Christian god instead of their gods.
When they refused, he destroyed their god statues. On March 4th,
1519 he sailed to Yucatan. Aguilar went to a town called Tabasco.
The Tabascans would not cooperate with the Spaniards because
they already fought with other men from Cuban expeditions.
Cortes didn’t want that, so on March 25, 1519 Cortes attacked with
his men. They had guns, cannons, steel spears and horses. The
Tabascans only had primitive weapons. They believed a horse and
its rider were one creature with two heads. Cortes defeated the
Tabascans and killed a lot (thousands), and took control of the
town. He ordered the survivors every piece of gold they had. The
Tabascans didn’t have a lot so Cortes was mad. They told him
about a big empire (Aztec Empire) farter West in Mexico. Cortes
sailed West with his men. Friendly Native Americans were there
when he arrived at a town called Veracruz. They told Cortes
about Montezuma who was in control of the Aztec Empire. Cortes
said he came as a friend and that he would like to meet
Montezuma. Montezuma sent gifts , but didn’t want to meet him.
He believed that he was a white skinned god Quetzalcoatl and
according to a religious story, he would destroy him. Cortes went
West to lead an expedition toward Tenochtitlan. In August 1519,
he arrived at a city called Tlaxcala in Central Mexico. The
Tlaxcalans were enemies of the Aztecs and since they heard about
Cortes’s gifts, he was an enemy of them too, because they thought
he was an ally of the Aztecs. On September 5,1519 six thousand
Tlaxcalans attacked Cortes. The Spaniards fought well. Finally, the
Tlaxcalans chiefs decided to make peace. They were afraid the
Spaniards would destroy their city. On September 18, 1519 , they
made peace. The Tlaxcalans joined with Cortes to conquer
Tenochtitlan. They all went to Tenochtitlan in November 8, 1519.
At the center was the great temple an enormous pyramid.
Cortes came face to face with Montezuma. They presented each
other with gifts. Cortes knew that Montezuma thought he was
Quetzalcoatl, so he pretended to be him to scare Montezuma.
Montezuma said to the Aztec people to treat Cortes with respect.
Cortes didn’t plan to leave without claiming the city for Spain. He
changed his plans because Velazquez had sent soldiers to
Veracruz to arrest Cortes. Cortes went to Veracruz and overcame
and returned to Tenochtitlan. Cortes captured Montezuma and
used him to control the Aztecs. The Aztecs threw rocks at
Montezuma and killed him. The Spaniards to Tlaxcala. A lot of
them were killed. In May 1521, Cortes attacked Tenochtitlan again
and this time, he won. Cortes ruled Mexico. He found a lot of gold
but, he got it by killing thousands and by destroying the whole
Aztec Empire. In 1547, Hernan Cortes returned to Spain and died
there on December 2, 1547.
The purpose of the expedition is that he
wanted gold, he wanted to claim a lot of
territories(because he wanted power, more
land means more power), he wanted to be a
ruler and conqueror (an explorer). Cortes’s
parents, Velazquez, and his own money
financed the expedition. He was sponsored by
Spain(his parents wanted him to get a job) and
mostly, Cuba because Velazquez told him to go
to Mexico and gave him ships…
He went to the island of Hispaniola in the
Caribbean Sea in 1504 to get a job.
He went to Cuba in 1511 (for an expedition
with Velazquez).
He went to the island of Cozumel and
Yucatan (Mexico) in 1519 to claim territories.
Cortes’s results are he mistreated and mostly
killed Native Americans and spread diseases
from Europe. He killed one whole empire. He
also established a settlement and claimed new
land for Spain which gave them more power.
In conclusion, he gave Mexico to Spain.
This discovery was important because it
gave new land to the Spanish and established a
settlement. He also ruled Mexico until 1528.
Spanish now had more power exactly like
Cortes, because they had more land.
Hernan Cortes had three wives and killed one of
them with an ax because she didn’t do what she was
supposed to do!
He traded beads with Native Americans for a
Spanish priest.
Montezuma thought Cortes was a white god that
would bring him to his end.
Cortes's impact on Mexico was that he claimed land for the
Spain. He also established a settlement out of the ruins of the
Aztec Empire. He killed the Aztec. These people were the only
ones he hurt. Other Native people helped Cortes take over the
Aztec Empire. He also spread diseases to the people in Mexico.
At first, the Aztec emperor refused to meet with Cortes. He met
Cortes later. Cortes was sent jail by Velazquez and then set free.
He also fought a whole empire and their emperor (Montezuma).
When Cortes went to the island of Hispaniola and an old
friend of Cortes’s father gave him some farming land and some
slaves. In August 1519, Cortes headed toward Tenochtitlan. This
was the Aztec Empire. They had formed a union called the Triple
Alliance with the cities of Texcoco and Tlacpan. These cities
forced other native Indian villages to pay them taxes and to give
them human sacrifices for their ceremonies. Many of the native
people did not like the Aztec Empire and volunteered to help
defeat the Aztec. In November 1519, the Aztec Empire let Cortes
in Tenochtitlan. Cortes took the leader and tried to rule the
empire through him. He also attacked the Aztec Empire with the
Tlaxcalans, who were enemies of Aztecs. He also traded beads
with them at the beginning.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/i
ndexc.shtml
http://tonydunnell.suite101.com/god-glory-gold--the-motivation-of-the-spanishconquistadors-a222316