The Conquest

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The Conquest

Historical Thread

In February 1519, Hernan Cortez was sent by the governor of Cuba, Diego Valesquez to explore the area occupied by the Aztecs. For some reason at the last minute, Valesquez ordered Cortez not to go. Disobeying his orders, Cortez set out with 400 soldiers, 100 sailors, and about 15 horses.
Cortez landed near Villa Rica de Vera Cruz, and upon his arrival he declared himself to be in supreme command. Soon, Cortez and his men traveled inland, were they encountered the Tlaxcalan people who then surrendered. After surrendering they joined forces with the Spaniards increasing the force to several thousand.
When Cortez arrived, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma the second greeted him with open arms, believing that he was the Aztec god Quetzacoatl, the god of civilization. Cortez also received a woman translator, named Malinche, who is the mother of the first mestizo.
When the Aztecs realized that he was not who they thought, the gave Cortez gold and jewelry in hope that this would get him to leave. Instead the Spaniards became more greedy. Cortez actually took Moctezuma the second as a hostage in order to receive a large ransom from the Aztecs.
His actions soon caught up with him, and when Velasquez found out he sent forces to arrest Cortez. Needing desperate help, Cortez asked for the help of Moctezuma. However when he went out to speak to his people, the stoned him, until a few days later he died. On June 30, 1520 Cortez fled the city, chased by Aztec warriors. About 1 year later, a battle took place, leaving behind 40, 000 dead Indians, marking the end of the Aztec empire

Created by:
* Xolotl Huascar, Feb 26, 2004 - 11:55