Yesbel Peralta Global History

903 June 14, 2014

Cortes is definitely an explorer that benefitted the ost fro his
en!ounters "ith the #$te!s% Cortes had a se!ret "eapon up his slee&e
"hi!h "as tri!'in( the #$te!s and a!tin( as if he "as a harless
explorer and he then (ained their trust% His trust "as (reatly (ained fro
the a$te! ruler, )onte$ua% *ot only did Cortes !ontrol the #$te!
!apital for a !ertain aount of tie he has also parti!ipated in other
ad&entures% +hrou(h out the years of 1,34 throu(h 1,3- Cortes also
explored the Pa!ifi! .!ean in sear!h for le(endary ri!hes of Cibola% He
led an expedition to Honduras durin( his final years of life fro 1,24 to
1,3-% Cortes then died a !ouple of years after in 1,41%
+here are ultiple !auses and effe!ts that tie ba!' into the idea that
Cortes had ore po"er than the #$te!s% .ne of the !auses is in the #$te!
le(end it "as told that there "ould be the !oin( of a "hite s'inned
(od% Cortes found his "ay to the #$te! !apital "ith the help of a nati&e
"oen, )alin!he% )onte$ua "hi!h is the #$te! ruler "el!oed
Cortes in a &ery friendly anner and "ith (reat honors% /n the pa!'et of
The Age of Exploration in the se!tion of Later Spanish Exploration
and Conquest on pa(e 10 it explains 0+he #$te! ruler, )onte$ua,
"el!oed the 1panish "ith (reat honors% 2eterined to brea' the po"er
of the #$te!s, Cortes too' )onte$ua hosta(e%3 )onte$ua did not see
anythin( harful "hen it !ae to Cortes, and sin!e it "as said in the
#$te! le(end, )onte$ua belie&ed that Cortes "as the "hite s'inned
(od naed 4uet$al!oatl% 1in!e Cortes "as deterined to brea' the
#$te! po"er he too' )onte$ua and held hi hosta(e% /n the pa!'et of
The Age of Exploration in the se!tion of Later Spanish Exploration
and Conquest on pa(e 10 it explains 05our fa!tors !ontributed to the
defeat of the #$te! 6pire% 5irst, #$te! le(end had told of the !oin( of
a "hite s'inned (od% 7hen Cortes appeared, the #$te!s "el!oed hi
be!ause they thou(ht he i(ht be their (od 4uet$al!oatl%3 +he effe!t of
)onte$ua "el!oin( Cortes to the !apital of +eno!htitlan "as sin!e
the 4uet$al!oatl people in the #$te! !apital +eno!htitlan no" had a ruler
that did not rule the for the better but for the "orse, after a "hile the
!ity "as in ruins and the #$te! !apital did not exist anyore%
+he se!ond !ause as to "hy Cortes and the 1panish had ore
po"er a(ainst the #$te!s is the spanish !arried deadly diseases and
epidei!s that spread aon( the #$te!s% /n 1,20 after Cortes "as in
po"er of +eno!htitlan and iprisoned )onte$ua he had been ad&ised
that *ar&ae$ "ho "as at the part of 8era!ru$ planned to apprehend
Cortes% *ar&ae$ "as defeated by Cortes in less than 24 hours% 7hen
headed ba!' to +eno!htitlan he reali$ed the #$te!s "ere prepared for
!obat alon( "ith Pedro de #l&arado% #s the #$te!s and Pedro planned
the ni(ht "here they "ould defeat Cortes and the 1panish, Cortes
re!ei&ed a !oin!idental surprise "here e&eryone (ot the sallpox and
easles and he battle ne&er !oen!ed% /n the "ebiste contaco
magazine.com in the entry Measles and Small Pox as an Allied Army
of the Conquistadors of America by Carlos 9u&al!aba it explains 0:ut
a natural eleent turned out to be Cortes;s
prin!ipal deadly "eapon, an eleent that "as u!h ore effe!ti&e
than his !annons, horses, and !rossbo"s%3 #$te! do!tors had no !ure for
diseases or treatent epidei!s rapidly spread throu(h the #eri!as%
+he effe!t on )onte$ua (oin( a"ay led to hi alost (ettin( defeated
but yet rose a(ain in un defeat due to the diseases that too' o&er "hi!h
a(ain, !aused hi to triuph a(ainst the #$te!s%
Cortes<s su!!ess in (ainin( po"er and bein( able to !ontrol
+eno!htitlan influen!ed other !on=uistadors to follo" his foot steps%
5ran!is!o Pi$arro and other 1panish !on=uistadors "ere one of these
people% #tahalpa, the /n!a eperor "el!oed the 1panish as (uests in
the /n!a epire% 5ollo"in( "hat Cortes did he !oen!ed a surprise
atta!' and 'idnapped the /n!a eperor, #tahalpa% # rooful of (old and
1il&er "as paid by the /n!as so their eperor "ould be released% +he
1panish then 'illed #tahalpa the follo"in( year and the /n!a 6pire
!ollapsed and =ui!'ly fell apart due to the fa!t they la!'ed a leader% /n
the pa!'et of The Age of Exploration in the se!tion of Later
Spanish Exploration and Conquest on pa(e 10 it explains 05ollo"in(
Cortes<s exaple, Pi$arro laun!hed a surprise atta!' and 'idnapped the
eperor%3 #ll the ri!hes that "ere found by the 1panish inspired and
en!oura(ed 1panish !on=uistadors to 'eep sear!hin( for (old%
+he 3rd !ause as to "hy Cortes "as su!!essful and (ained ore
po"er a(ainst the #$te!s "as all the su!!ess they rea!hed after the
!on=uests% #ll these !on=uests transfored 1pain into soethin( ore
different and uni=ue than before% 5orei(n trade and o&erseas
!oloni$ation "ere 2 ain fa!tors to "hat expanded 1pain% 1pain soon
be!ae the "orld<s "ealthiest and ost po"erful of the !ountries% +he
!on=uistadors also introdu!es toba!!o and !ho!olate to 1pain and
potatoes and !orn "ere bein( (ro"n in 1pain and this !aused the
populations to in!rease% Horses, !attle, sheep, and pi(s "ere also
introdu!ed as ne" anials to the #eri!as% 6&en thou(h t"o stron(
!i&ili$ations "ere destroyed, a lot benefitted fro the !on=uests of these
!i&ili$ations% +he out!oe !ae out &ery "ell for the !on=uistadors but
not for the ones that "ere atta!'ed% /n The Age of Exploration in the
se!tion of Later Spanish Exploration and Conquest on pa(e 11 it
explains 0+he spanish !on=uests had a a>or ipa!t on the *e" 7orld3%
and on pa(e 10 it says 0+he explorations and !on=uests of the
!on=uistadors transfored 1pain3%
/n !on!lusion there "ere ultiple !auses and effe!ts of the 1panish
explorer Hernan Cortes to set out and !on=uer the #$te! !i&ili$ation
+eno!htitlan% 1pain benefitted a lot fro this !on=uest and (ained lost of
"ealth as "ell as po"er% +he !i&ili$ations that "ere destroyed "hi!h are
both the #$te!s and the /n!as suffered throu(hout the lon( run as "ell as
"hen their !i&ili$ations "ere still inta!t% )any benefits and non benefits
"ere dis!o&ered and this definitely ar'ed a (reat point in history "hi!h
deals "ith po"er