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Conquistadors
This documentary on the Conquistadors reveals the story of the Spanish excursions that subjugation of the Americas. In this 4-part series Michael Wood (historian) journeys in the footpaths of the Spanish voyages, from Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, and from the desserts of North Mexico to the elevations of Macchu Picchu.
The Spanish invasion of the Americas in the sixteenth century was one of the most catastrophic incidents in antiquity. Spanish excursions had to experience the most astonishing adversities to unlock the domains of the New World. Only some stories, if any, in times past equals these for pure drama, tenacity and expanse traveled.
The Spanish had made numerous journeys to the nearby Yucatan in 1517 and had returned with phenomenal accounts of a high-cultured Mayan society and golden treasures.
Conquistadors,
There’s not a serious historian alive who would claim that the Spanish committed genocide against 90% of the native populations. First, and foremost, it’s observably untrue. Secondly, there’s a consensus that disease was the cause of the massive amount of Native deaths following the Spanish conquest. As for slavery, it was rampant among Aztecs, so I don’t know why you single out the spaniards for it. Slavery was far more likely to never have been abolished if the spanish had never arrived.
What are you talking about? The Spanish where FAR more oppressive than the Aztecs. They committed genocide on 90% of the native population. After killing our men and raping our women, they burnt down our cities, stripped us of our ways of life and enslaved us. While they lived in palaces and haciendas, our people lived in shacks & the mines that they worked in. Besides, do you know why the Aztecs believed in sacrifice? Because they thought that the WORLD ITSELF WOULD END if it wasn’t practiced!
The Spanish were certainly not as oppressive as the Mexicans. The Mexicans (as well as other Aztecs) used to fatten people up in cages to be ritually slaughtered and sometimes cannibalized. They would collect people for this on a regular basis as a form of taxation from weaker towns and villages.For someone who says he’s against imperialism, you sure defend the grossest forms! Aztec imperialism was probably one of the most sadistic types of imperialism in history.
There are numerous variations of the spelling for Montezuma. If you were honest with yourself, you’d look out your window, or at your computer screen and admit that Europeans have done more to improve your quality of life than a stone-age civilization based on ritual sacrifice. And thus, you owe own more personal gratitude than the other. What keeps you from doing it, is a narrative you’ve adopted that you, by virtue of birth, the inheriter of Aztec history. Mexicans were imperialists, btw!
I hold no grudge against the Spanish. But it’s important to recognize the villains in your history. The Conquistadors where one of these villains. Also, admiring your ancestors is a lot different than worshiping them. P.S. I forgot to mention this before, but it’s Moctezuma, not “Montezuma”. I understand that this is a common mistake.
You only physcially inherit genes, not cultural identity. It’s merely a construct which you choose to apply to yourself to craft a story or historical narrative about your identity. That way of thinking has led to centuries-long grudges over far gone historical injustices. I know this, I’m french canadian, I went to french high school, and I had teachers who still bemoaned the fact that Great Britain won the continent in 1765! It’s almost pagan ancestor worship, or at least, just as silly.
Wow, what a coincidence! Your favorite commentator is here. Anyway, it’s clear that you have no respect for our culture. It’s also clear that you don’t know about how the Spanish were far more oppressive than the Aztecs had ever been once they took control of our lands. But according to you, I should be thankful that the Spanish invaded and enslaved our people. Nice job telling us Mexicans how to interpret our own history!
On the other hand, the history of thr last 500 years was distinguished by unprecedented improvements in technology, the arts, living standards and all round knowledge.From an age where you could expect tp be middle aged at 15 to a time where food and housing is plentiful and cheap for the majority. Even if African governments and other despots did their best to destroy everything the European Empires did for them.Its an old saying but relevant here…’What have the Romans ever done for us?’
I love how ignoramuses always make out the white man was evil when going about his empire building.Its like they dont even realise that usually the culture that they replaced was 100 times more brutal. The Aztecs are a perfect example. Sure it was a different age, but those guys would ritually sacrifice thousands just because.Africans like to believe that before Europeans, Africa was a Garden of Eden where everyone was free and happy. Ignoring slavery was rampant before whites got there.
There the Edomites the bible speaks of and the Lord shall judge them! The Hispanics, Negroes, Native Americans,West Indies & Samoans are the true Hebrews. Malachi 1:3-4 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.Isa. 63:1
True, however. The imprint Aztecs left will forever remain, while yet after 500 years later Spain has yet to find an identity. Hernan was welcomed with opened arms Was banked by Europe, gave all of edge technology to down the Aztecs and YET HE STABBED Aztecs IN THE BACK. I DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING Spaniards wrote.
the history of the world over the last 500 years…the white devil, out of greed and lust, slaughters the natives of foreign lands, steals their material wealth and land, and rapes the women and/or makes slaves out of men, women & childrenahh, what civilized people the europeans are!
i would be honored to volunteer to my ritual. Ometotl supported me with my life as a precious jewel. i will give him mine equally honoring eachother. you have to understand our theology for all of our cultures on this continent, we Indigenous people to CemAnahuac or “America” have origins That date back past Egyptian pyramids times. Caral Pyramids are in Peru. proving Peru is the birth place of our 1st origins.
Cortez could have not won without his Native allies. Aztecs were ruthless and that was the reason why so many other native people joined Cortez. Aztecs had lots of beautiful in their culture, but they were not saints. We should also understand that Spaniards were poor men who could not even read. Spanish people had been fighting bloody wars against muslims for ages. It had impact in their culture. They became savage – war does that to people and culture.
@Re5Publica your argument is that if the spanish had not arrived that persons would be in a cage about to be sacrificed, but the fact is millions died due to the diseases brought by the spaniards, on top of that the spaniards used many more to build entire cities through slavery
@cahaps “The sun god needs sacrifice”, ok, bud…. what can I reply to that kind of nonsense? Rage Against The Machine fans…. supposedly against social inequality, but defend human sacrifice to stone idols, and totalitarian thuggery…
@Re5Publica aztec empire was in middle of cival war that is why they sided with cortez,the sun god needs sacrifice,my history comes from generetion after generetion of family members and not europian books twisted by lies
@cahaps Compared to whom? Montezuma? Why were natives so willing to side with Cortes against him? It was because Cortes offered them protection from his tyranny. Montezuma used to regularly send out raiding parties to collect people as taxes to be used as human sacrifices. The spanish weren’t angels, but you’d probably be in a cage waiting to be sacrificed rather than posting on youtube, if europeans had never arrived in Mexico. Greedy or not. Nevermind ur veins, what’s in your head?
No, her name was not Malinche it was Dona Marina. A name she took when she became a Christian. It was the Tlascalans who gave the name Malinche to Cortes which meant ‘Marina’s Captain’. So it was the Indians who spoke the Mexican language (not Spanish at that time) who referred to Cortes as Malinche.
@azerigid you have to understand, todays standards do not apply to those of cortez’s time. todays morality wasn’t present in cortez’s time. the aztecs were also ferocious, it just so happened that they dint have the technology to defeat the conquerers.