From the Paper
" When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World, they found flourishing civilizations firmly in place in the form of the Incas in Peru and the Aztecs in Mexico. Within a short time, the Spanish had destroyed these civilizations and eradicated much of their culture. In addition to the desire for conquest, gold, and plunder of all sorts, the conquistadors also saw themselves as carrying on a Holy Crusade to stamp out idolatry and to bring Christianity to these heathen peoples. The meeting between the Spaniards and the indigenous peoples of the New World was a culture clash in which the European would ultimately prevail, but elements of the indigenous cultures would survive and be adapted to the developing Christian society the conquistadors left behind. To a great degree, this was acculturation at the point of a sword, and the conquistadors..'

Abstract
This paper examines the book "Maya Conquistador" by Matthew Restall which looks at the invasion of the Yucatan peninsula from the point of view of late sixteenth to early nineteenth century writings of the "conquered" Mayan. It examines how Restall's translations of Mayan accounts as well as his examination of Spanish rule offer his reader a new way of thinking about the victory with some larger issues of colonialism and how the book provides a unique understanding of the Mayan viewpoint on their history, their rulers and their sense of identity.

From the Paper
"This compilation of firsthand Mayan notes represents another point of view by enlightening a tale of adaptation and endurance, where the Mayan perspective comes up from an individuality based on strong loyalty of class, family, as well as community by telling the Spanish colonization of the Yucatan peninsula (Reviews). Whereas, the common understanding of the Spanish Conquest was that of foreign defeaters instantly destroying native populations and taking up their culture (Reviews)."

Tags:yucatan, peninsula, conquest, foreigners, class, culture

Abstract
This paper examines the defeat of the Aztecs by the Spanish conquistadors. It considers the significance of military technology, religious beliefs and the Aztec lack of resistance to Old World diseases, with the last being the most crucial factor in the conquest.

From the Paper
"The defeat of the Aztec Empire by a couple of hundred Spanish conquistadors under Cortez is one of the most dramatic and one-sided wars of conquest in history equaled perhaps only by the contemporary..."

Tags:aztecs, conquistadors, technology, religion, disease

Abstract
This paper explores the large difference between the European/Spanish opinion on gold and wealth in general and the Incan opinion. The paper begins by explaining that in Spain, gold was something that could be acquired and made, to be spent on other objects and services. The paper then looks at the area of the Andes, where all gold was the sole property of the Sapa Inca who then distributed the wealth in the form of clothes and food according to your seniority. Also unlike in Spain, the Sapa Incaes, distributed food and clothes to the needy and old from his imperial stor.

From the Paper
"Five hundred years ago two hundred Spanish conquistadors under the command of Hernando Pizarro invaded the Incan empire from the new Spanish frontier-town of Panama. Over the next 100 years the cruel, relentless Spanish and the diseases that they brought from Europe would decimate the entire Indian population of the Andes almost destroying a way of life and a culture that had been nurtured in isolation for hundreds of years. In the process the Inca lost everything - their land, gold, status and right to practice their own religion as they were Christianize and moved to forced labour camps to mine the gold that the Spanish yearned for so much. Even today most of the Indians live in the slums of the Andean cities or in isolated communities up in the mountains. In the days of the Inca, due to strict organization on the part of the Sapa Inca (Emperor), no one would ever have starved or been left homeless. Nowadays many of the native peoples of South America live below the poverty line."

Tags:america, indian, south, wealth, jewel, royal

From the Paper
"When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World, they found a flourishing civilization firmly in place in the form of the Aztecs of Mexico. Within a short time, the Spanish had destroyed this civilization and eradicated much of its culture. In addition to the desire for conquest, gold, and similar purposes, the conquistadors were grossly offended by the idolatry of the Aztecs and by one particular religious practice, that of human sacrifice. The Aztecs are not the only civilization in the world to have practiced human sacrifice, but it is one of the better-documented cases of such a practice and one which has been much studied in the literature.


Indeed, as archaeologist Nigel Davies notes, to most people the word "Aztec" is synonymous with human sacrifice. One reason may be that unlike what can be found with similar practices in..."

Abstract
This paper explains that to understand the depth of the word "wetback" people must first understand the history of the Mexican-American people: Although their history on American soil goes far back in history to the Spanish conquistadors, the term "wetback" was born as a reference to those illegal Mexican aliens who crossed the Rio Grande around the time of World War I and World War II to find employment in agriculture. The author points out that the reason so many Americans looked down on "wetbacks" was the persistence of this illegal migration, an indictment against the law enforcement agencies of the U.S. and Mexico and, because it was impossible to know the status of every person with Mexican characteristics, soon all Mexicans were labeled "wetbacks". The paper relates that this slur now considered to be politically incorrect because Mexicans are now the fastest growing minority group in the United States of America, a part of the strength of the American economy and whether or not they are in America legally demand respect.

From the Paper
"Society labels phrases 'politically incorrect' as they try to become more sensitive to the feelings and emotions of its members. "Nigger" has changed to African-American, "chink" has changed to Asian-American, retard has changed to mentally disabled, handicap has changed to physically disabled and "wetback" has changed to Hispanic or undocumented immigrant. This may appear to be a move in the right direction but the problem surfaces when people then take these 'politically incorrect' words and throw them around in an attempt to de-humanize people. One may argue that words have no meaning but upon further investigation it is obvious that in fact a word can tell a story or even the history of a people."

Tags:slur, profiling, conquistadors, illegal, strength

Abstract
This is a descriptive paper on the history and background of the Aztecan warriors. Evaluating how the Aztecs came to be a prominent society, the paper's main focus is on the warriors. The writer argues that Aztecs were largely successful in battle until the spanish conquistadors came to what is now Mexico. Though largely a piece that offers praise to the Aztecan society, it provides much criticism of the Spanish society and their travels. The conclusion to the paper contends that without the advent of the Spanish conquests, the Aztecs may well still rule most of Latin America today.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Agricultural Techniques of the Aztecs
Trading Empire
Military Tactics and the Aztec Warrior
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The research showed that for almost two centuries, the Aztec Empire ruled supreme in central Mexico by virtue of its superiority in military tactics and the ferocity of its warriors, especially the jaguar and eagle warriors, as well as the meticulous organization of its trade with its neighbors. The Aztecs also demonstrated a special knack for using the resources they had available to their best advantage and managed to produce a surplus of agricultural and other trade products while the land endured prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Indeed, many of the social and trade features of Aztec society resembled those of successful empires of the past as well as industrialized nations today. The Aztecs were pragmatic people, to be sure, though, and were not above resorting to cannibalism when the practice provided certain elite members of their society with some extra protein. The research also showed that the Aztecs recognized their own limitations when it came to who was conquerable and who was not, and would opt to merely tax those whom it believed were not able to be defeated without an inordinate amount of bloodshed on its own part. In the final analysis, had it not been for the arrival of the Spanish, the Aztec empire might well be the dominating force in Latin America today."

Tags:aztec, latin america, mexico

Abstract
This paper first explains that, just as the Conquistadors brought the civil jurisdiction of the King of Spain to New Spain, Catholic missionaries were zealously driven to save savage souls by bringing the indigenous people under the spiritual authority of the Pope. Next, the author describes the similarities between Catholicism and the religion of the Aztecs and between Huitzilopochtli and Jesus. However, the real acceptance of this new religion was colored by residual and antithetic values that resulted in a syncretism of the old and the new religions into the culture of Mesoamerica, which continues into today.

From the Paper
"But baptism can't be undone, and today Huitzilopochtli carries a rosary in his pocket, but he has not forgotten the old ways. You can see it in the superstition of toreros (bullfighters), with their Holy-Card-bordered mirrors and their compulsive multiple signs of the cross before a corrida (bullfight). It is readily apparent in La Santeria, an offshoot of Catholicism with roots in the ancient gods of Africa and the Americas. La Santeria survives and flourishes today in Mexico and indeed, throughout Latin America."

Tags:divinity, impregnation, fiesta, patron, failure

Abstract
This paper presents a critique of this book which tells the Aztec peoples' account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The paper examines the way in which, throughout history, the conquest has been told from the viewpoint of the conquistadors - the Spanish victors. "The Broken Spears" was the first book to tell the story of the conquest from the Aztecs' perspective. The writer shows the difference between "The Broken Spears" and other history accounts whereby this book is not about historical data gathering but, rather, is of the storytelling and human emotion behind the Spanish conquest.

From the Paper
"Hernando Cortes' army arrived in Mexico in the early 16th century and defeated the Mexicans in relatively short order.
Cortes had originally been sent to Mexico by the Cuban governor to search for gold, but when he was asked to withdraw and return to Havana, he gathered 11 ships and 600 troops and made his way to Mexico.

"Previous Spanish expeditions had been sent to Mexico as early as 1517, but Cortes was a very powerful, persuasive leader and was able to rally the troops, so to speak. Also, the Indians turned out to be very susceptible to the Spaniards' superior weapons, as well as the new European viruses such as smallpox, chicken-pox, and measles. Of crucial importance was the Aztec leader's (Moctezuma) indecisiveness about Cortes' motives and confusion as to whether Cortes' arrival was a spiritual arrival or a spiritual sign a major mistake. Finally, the Mexican Indians were internally divided and there was much internal resentment about the Aztec domination in Mexico. Therefore, the Tlaxcaltecs and others " the Aztecs' enemies " became the Spaniards' allies."

Tags:spain, cortes, mexico, indians, aztec, mexican, Tenochtitlan, Cuauhtemoc, Mechica, civilization, tribe, storytelling, human, emotion

Abstract
The great Aztec civilization was so foreign and so utterly isolated from other world civilizations, that, when the Spanish conquistadors first saw it, their emotions were a mixture of awe and horror. They were awed by the artistic, technological and social advances they witnessed; but they were horrified by their pagan ways, the human sacrifices and the cannibalism they saw. This paper examines the origins of the Aztecs, and examines this civilization in terms of mythology, agriculture, craft and religion. It also traces the destruction of the Aztecs by the Spaniards in the 16th Century.

From the Paper
"As limited as the land devoted to producing maize was, animal sources of nutrition were even harder to come by. "Dogs, turkeys, and the Muscovy duck were the only domesticated animals in ancient Mesoamerica. All were used for food, but they made only a minor contribution to the Aztec diet." (Smith 2003:63). This situation is most closely analogous to the rice crop of eastern Asia, and contrasts sharply with the ancient West, where numerous animals were domesticated on a large scale for the purposes of nutrition. By virtue of their dependence upon maize, the Aztecs developed some of the most advanced farming techniques in the world."

Tags:Olmec, Veracruz, Tenochtitlan, Mayan