Famous Spanish and Aztecs figures
The Spanish and the Aztecs had a great deal of heroes that would rise to help bring glory , riches and power to their respective empires and now you will learn about some of the exploits of the famous and powerful figures of the Aztec and Spanish empires .
Famous Aztecs
The Aztec empire produced many fine leaders and warriors but alas the names of many of these great warriors were lost to history but the names of the great rulers of the Aztecs still exist so I will talk about the mighty rulers that helped to expand the blood thirsty and brutal empire .
Acamapichtli
Acamapichtli was the first ever ruler ( Tlatoani , the one who speaks ) of the Empire that was to become one of the greatest empires of the Americas and the reign of the Aztecs started with this ruler . He founded the dynasty that would rule the Aztec Empire until the empire fell in 1521 and he himself ruled from 1376 to 1395 . He was not actually a native of Tenochtitlan and he was chosen to be the ruler of the Aztecs because of his ties to powerful people in the region of Mexico .
During his reign the capital was just one small island in Lake Texcoco that had to pay tributes to the Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco ,the Aztecs on occasion had to fight in military campaigns for the Tepanecs . Eventually the Aztecs were able to wage war for the might of their own people and not the might of the Tepanecs and during this period the capital begin rising to prominence in the Mesoamerica region . Also the emperor further increased his influence by creating political alliances through marriages to foreign dignitaries and rulers .
During his reign Acampichtli began many building projects in his capital city such as enlarging the island and the development of the chinampas to solve the problem of limited farmland . He also improved the strength of the buildings in Tenochtitlan because he stopped making buildings out of cane and reeds for the alternative of stone buildings and finally he built many temples and passed many laws that related to religion .
Acamapichtil was the ruler who started the build up of the Aztec empire and he would leave a lasting legacy on the people of Mesoamerica because he increased the influence of the Aztecs and helped to increase the wealth of the Aztec empire .
Itzcóatl
Itzcoatl was the fourth in the line of the Aztec kings who ruled over the Aztec empire of Mexico . During his rule he was responsible for setting up the Mexican monarchy which became the dominate power in the Mexico region under his successor also during his reign he crated the alliances with the states Texcoco and Tlacopan .
Itzcoatl was responsible for bringing the god Huitzilopotchli to be one of the main gods of the Aztec religion and he was responsible for instituting the human sacrifices that would later become synonyms with the Aztec empire . His elevation of this God would have a lingering affect on the Americas because his successors would fight the flower wars that would provide the Aztecs with many prisoners to sacrifice to their gods .
Itzcoatl was responsible for shaping the Aztec empire because he formed an alliance with the states of Texcoco and Tlacopan and he also elevated the god Huitzilopotchli to the main god of the Aztec pantheon and he was responsible for starting the human sacrifices that become synonyms for the Aztec empire .
Montezuma the first
Montezuma was the fifth in the line of the Kings of the Aztecs and he was responsible for further expanding the empire that was soon becoming the main power of the Mexican lands and he also is responsible for improving the living conditions in the Aztec empire by bringing fresh water to the city of Tenochtitlan.
Before he was crowned king of the Aztecs he served his uncle and he quickly became one of his top generals also he would prove himself by helping the empire achieve many military victories over his enemies and these actions lead to the further expansion of the Aztec empire .
After the death of his uncle Montezuma was elected to succeed him and rule the Aztecs . During the early years of his reign he launched a successful campaign into Chalco and he also won territory for the Aztecs in several other campaigns .
In 1440 the king was to face many trials and tribulations as the people suffered under floods , pestilence , frosts and snow that destroyed his peoples crops and to add insult to injury they also suffered under a four year drought that lead to wide spread starvation . Montezuma managed the empire as best as he could and when prosperity returned he again turned to expansion of his empire.
Montezuma was a great military leader who further expanded the Aztecs but some of his greatest achievements were not to take place on the battle field . After his people suffered under the massive drought Montezuma improved living conditions by bringing fresh water to the city of Tenochtitlan so his people would not face another drought as well as this he also established many laws and he encouraged the development of a sophisticated culture. His other famous exploits include remaking the Aztec calendar , recording the history of his empire and finally he constructed many buildings such as magnificent temples to the gods and beautiful botanical gardens .
Montezuma was one of the greatest rulers who ever took the throne of the Aztec empire and he in his time did so many great deeds that would expand the already mighty empire but his exploits weren't just in the battle field but he was also responsible for improving the city of Tenochtitlan and indeed the laws and religion of the Aztecs .
These are but a few of the famous Aztecs but they are the most renown because of their exploits in areas such as military , religion , economics , infrastructure and industry .
Famous Spanish
Many of the greatest and most famous of the Spaniards in the Americas were in fact conquistadors who would bring great riches and wealth to the ever expanding Spanish empire .This next part of the website will talk about some of the most famous and powerful conquistadors ever to fight for the glory of Spain .
Hernan Cortes
Hernan Cortes is one of the most renown of the Spanish conquistadors and he was responsible for the conquests that would eventually destroy the mighty Aztecs that ruled much of the Mesoamerica region .
Before setting sail for the Americas he studied law but he eventually left to find wealth and power in the Americas . Thus in 1504 he set sail for the Spanish colony in Santo Domingo and from there he went to Cuba in 1511 where he would latter help Diego Velazquez in his conquest of the island . It was these events that would make his reputation for courage and daring .
In 1518 Cortes managed to convince Diego (new governor ) to make him the commander of an expedition to Mexico because only recently they had heard rumors that there were great riches in the Americas just waiting for the Spanish . Just before Cortes was due to set sail the new governor cancelled his expedition because he was suspicious of his motives but ignoring the governor he set sail . When he arrived he established a settlement (Veracruz ) and he started to make allies with the locals of that region .
The major power that ruled the region that the Spanish had arrived in were the Aztecs under Montezuma the second . Thus Cortes set out on a journey to the capital of the Aztecs Tenochtitlan but when Cortes arrived he did not expect the reception he would receive . When he arrived he was welcomed by the Aztecs and Montezuma because they believed he was one of their god because of his white skin and beard . Alas the good relations with the Aztecs were not to last and the king of the Aztecs was soon to be abducted by Hernan Cortes who demanded a huge ransom from the Aztecs .
In April of 1520 Cortes had to deal with the wrath of Velazquez who he had defied and the new governor was determined to make him pay so he sent an expedition to capture Cortes . When Cortes and some of his men went to confront the expedition the Aztecs took their opportunity and they attacked the Spanish forces in their capital . Because he was losing control of the city Cortes returned and told Montezuma to face his people but the leader was struck down by the very subjects he ruled who now saw him as weak . Cortes was also to suffer at the hands of the people of the Aztec empire because they had eventually driven his army out of the city while incurring heavy losses .
In anger Cortes reorganized his forces and launched a counter attack upon the city of Tenochtitlan which would fall after a three month siege . The conquered city would be renamed Mexico city and it was to be settled by the Spanish colonists .
In 1523 Cortes was named governor and captain general of Spain but alas in 1528 the Spanish began to fear his growing power so they recalled him to Spain . While in Spain it was decided that he could still be the captain general but was stripped of his governorship . He returned to Mexico but his powers were limited and he was being monitored by the Spanish . He still continued to explore Central America and it was during his period he would find California .
In 1541 he returned to Spain were he would die in 1547 .
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco was one of the most famous of all the conquistadors and he was responsible for the conquest of the Inca empire that would bring him great wealth and power .
As a young man Pizarro started to hear tales about the riches that could be claimed in the new world and it was this that inspired him to set sail for the new continent . In 1510 he was to accompany the Spanish explorer Alonzo de Ojeda on a voyage to Uraba in Colombia but alas this adventure was unsuccessful but there was a silver lining because Pizarro proved that he could be relied upon in times of disaster .
In 1513 Pizarro joined with the conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa on his march to the south sea across the Isthmus of Panama . It was on this journey that the two men were to find the Pacific ocean but the credit went to Balboa who is reported to have spotted the ocean first . Later on Pizarro arrested Balboa under the orders of Balboas rival Pedro Arias de Avila and after he arrested him he stayed in Panama and he was awarded an estate and he was to serve the mayor of Panama city .
Many years later in 1524 Pizarro teamed up with the navigator Diego de Almagro and a priest for the first of their reconnaissance voyages that was to go as far as the San Juan river . His next reconnaissance journey allowed him to explore further south along the coast .
One of the greatest of his achievements in his life was the conquest of the Incas in Peru . In 1528 Pizarro went back to Spain and he got a commission from the Emperor Charles V and this commission allowed Pizarro to conquer the southern territory and to established a new Spanish base in those regions . In 1532 , accompanied by his brothers Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader and conquered Peru and three years later he was to found the capital city of Peru called Lima .
Over time tensions between the Spanish conquistadors built up and soon the tensions boiled over into war and the Spanish were divided into two factions , one of the factions was controlled by Pizarro and the second was run by his former associate Diego Almagro . After he had taken Cuzco Almagro engaged Pizarro and his brothers in the famous battle of Las Salinas . Alas Almagro was defeated in 1538 and he was executed by Francisco Pizarro's brother Hernando . On June 26 1541 soldiers that had served under Almagro avenged the death of their master by assassinating Francisco Pizarro .
Famous Aztecs
The Aztec empire produced many fine leaders and warriors but alas the names of many of these great warriors were lost to history but the names of the great rulers of the Aztecs still exist so I will talk about the mighty rulers that helped to expand the blood thirsty and brutal empire .
Acamapichtli
Acamapichtli was the first ever ruler ( Tlatoani , the one who speaks ) of the Empire that was to become one of the greatest empires of the Americas and the reign of the Aztecs started with this ruler . He founded the dynasty that would rule the Aztec Empire until the empire fell in 1521 and he himself ruled from 1376 to 1395 . He was not actually a native of Tenochtitlan and he was chosen to be the ruler of the Aztecs because of his ties to powerful people in the region of Mexico .
During his reign the capital was just one small island in Lake Texcoco that had to pay tributes to the Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco ,the Aztecs on occasion had to fight in military campaigns for the Tepanecs . Eventually the Aztecs were able to wage war for the might of their own people and not the might of the Tepanecs and during this period the capital begin rising to prominence in the Mesoamerica region . Also the emperor further increased his influence by creating political alliances through marriages to foreign dignitaries and rulers .
During his reign Acampichtli began many building projects in his capital city such as enlarging the island and the development of the chinampas to solve the problem of limited farmland . He also improved the strength of the buildings in Tenochtitlan because he stopped making buildings out of cane and reeds for the alternative of stone buildings and finally he built many temples and passed many laws that related to religion .
Acamapichtil was the ruler who started the build up of the Aztec empire and he would leave a lasting legacy on the people of Mesoamerica because he increased the influence of the Aztecs and helped to increase the wealth of the Aztec empire .
Itzcóatl
Itzcoatl was the fourth in the line of the Aztec kings who ruled over the Aztec empire of Mexico . During his rule he was responsible for setting up the Mexican monarchy which became the dominate power in the Mexico region under his successor also during his reign he crated the alliances with the states Texcoco and Tlacopan .
Itzcoatl was responsible for bringing the god Huitzilopotchli to be one of the main gods of the Aztec religion and he was responsible for instituting the human sacrifices that would later become synonyms with the Aztec empire . His elevation of this God would have a lingering affect on the Americas because his successors would fight the flower wars that would provide the Aztecs with many prisoners to sacrifice to their gods .
Itzcoatl was responsible for shaping the Aztec empire because he formed an alliance with the states of Texcoco and Tlacopan and he also elevated the god Huitzilopotchli to the main god of the Aztec pantheon and he was responsible for starting the human sacrifices that become synonyms for the Aztec empire .
Montezuma the first
Montezuma was the fifth in the line of the Kings of the Aztecs and he was responsible for further expanding the empire that was soon becoming the main power of the Mexican lands and he also is responsible for improving the living conditions in the Aztec empire by bringing fresh water to the city of Tenochtitlan.
Before he was crowned king of the Aztecs he served his uncle and he quickly became one of his top generals also he would prove himself by helping the empire achieve many military victories over his enemies and these actions lead to the further expansion of the Aztec empire .
After the death of his uncle Montezuma was elected to succeed him and rule the Aztecs . During the early years of his reign he launched a successful campaign into Chalco and he also won territory for the Aztecs in several other campaigns .
In 1440 the king was to face many trials and tribulations as the people suffered under floods , pestilence , frosts and snow that destroyed his peoples crops and to add insult to injury they also suffered under a four year drought that lead to wide spread starvation . Montezuma managed the empire as best as he could and when prosperity returned he again turned to expansion of his empire.
Montezuma was a great military leader who further expanded the Aztecs but some of his greatest achievements were not to take place on the battle field . After his people suffered under the massive drought Montezuma improved living conditions by bringing fresh water to the city of Tenochtitlan so his people would not face another drought as well as this he also established many laws and he encouraged the development of a sophisticated culture. His other famous exploits include remaking the Aztec calendar , recording the history of his empire and finally he constructed many buildings such as magnificent temples to the gods and beautiful botanical gardens .
Montezuma was one of the greatest rulers who ever took the throne of the Aztec empire and he in his time did so many great deeds that would expand the already mighty empire but his exploits weren't just in the battle field but he was also responsible for improving the city of Tenochtitlan and indeed the laws and religion of the Aztecs .
These are but a few of the famous Aztecs but they are the most renown because of their exploits in areas such as military , religion , economics , infrastructure and industry .
Famous Spanish
Many of the greatest and most famous of the Spaniards in the Americas were in fact conquistadors who would bring great riches and wealth to the ever expanding Spanish empire .This next part of the website will talk about some of the most famous and powerful conquistadors ever to fight for the glory of Spain .
Hernan Cortes
Hernan Cortes is one of the most renown of the Spanish conquistadors and he was responsible for the conquests that would eventually destroy the mighty Aztecs that ruled much of the Mesoamerica region .
Before setting sail for the Americas he studied law but he eventually left to find wealth and power in the Americas . Thus in 1504 he set sail for the Spanish colony in Santo Domingo and from there he went to Cuba in 1511 where he would latter help Diego Velazquez in his conquest of the island . It was these events that would make his reputation for courage and daring .
In 1518 Cortes managed to convince Diego (new governor ) to make him the commander of an expedition to Mexico because only recently they had heard rumors that there were great riches in the Americas just waiting for the Spanish . Just before Cortes was due to set sail the new governor cancelled his expedition because he was suspicious of his motives but ignoring the governor he set sail . When he arrived he established a settlement (Veracruz ) and he started to make allies with the locals of that region .
The major power that ruled the region that the Spanish had arrived in were the Aztecs under Montezuma the second . Thus Cortes set out on a journey to the capital of the Aztecs Tenochtitlan but when Cortes arrived he did not expect the reception he would receive . When he arrived he was welcomed by the Aztecs and Montezuma because they believed he was one of their god because of his white skin and beard . Alas the good relations with the Aztecs were not to last and the king of the Aztecs was soon to be abducted by Hernan Cortes who demanded a huge ransom from the Aztecs .
In April of 1520 Cortes had to deal with the wrath of Velazquez who he had defied and the new governor was determined to make him pay so he sent an expedition to capture Cortes . When Cortes and some of his men went to confront the expedition the Aztecs took their opportunity and they attacked the Spanish forces in their capital . Because he was losing control of the city Cortes returned and told Montezuma to face his people but the leader was struck down by the very subjects he ruled who now saw him as weak . Cortes was also to suffer at the hands of the people of the Aztec empire because they had eventually driven his army out of the city while incurring heavy losses .
In anger Cortes reorganized his forces and launched a counter attack upon the city of Tenochtitlan which would fall after a three month siege . The conquered city would be renamed Mexico city and it was to be settled by the Spanish colonists .
In 1523 Cortes was named governor and captain general of Spain but alas in 1528 the Spanish began to fear his growing power so they recalled him to Spain . While in Spain it was decided that he could still be the captain general but was stripped of his governorship . He returned to Mexico but his powers were limited and he was being monitored by the Spanish . He still continued to explore Central America and it was during his period he would find California .
In 1541 he returned to Spain were he would die in 1547 .
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco was one of the most famous of all the conquistadors and he was responsible for the conquest of the Inca empire that would bring him great wealth and power .
As a young man Pizarro started to hear tales about the riches that could be claimed in the new world and it was this that inspired him to set sail for the new continent . In 1510 he was to accompany the Spanish explorer Alonzo de Ojeda on a voyage to Uraba in Colombia but alas this adventure was unsuccessful but there was a silver lining because Pizarro proved that he could be relied upon in times of disaster .
In 1513 Pizarro joined with the conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa on his march to the south sea across the Isthmus of Panama . It was on this journey that the two men were to find the Pacific ocean but the credit went to Balboa who is reported to have spotted the ocean first . Later on Pizarro arrested Balboa under the orders of Balboas rival Pedro Arias de Avila and after he arrested him he stayed in Panama and he was awarded an estate and he was to serve the mayor of Panama city .
Many years later in 1524 Pizarro teamed up with the navigator Diego de Almagro and a priest for the first of their reconnaissance voyages that was to go as far as the San Juan river . His next reconnaissance journey allowed him to explore further south along the coast .
One of the greatest of his achievements in his life was the conquest of the Incas in Peru . In 1528 Pizarro went back to Spain and he got a commission from the Emperor Charles V and this commission allowed Pizarro to conquer the southern territory and to established a new Spanish base in those regions . In 1532 , accompanied by his brothers Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader and conquered Peru and three years later he was to found the capital city of Peru called Lima .
Over time tensions between the Spanish conquistadors built up and soon the tensions boiled over into war and the Spanish were divided into two factions , one of the factions was controlled by Pizarro and the second was run by his former associate Diego Almagro . After he had taken Cuzco Almagro engaged Pizarro and his brothers in the famous battle of Las Salinas . Alas Almagro was defeated in 1538 and he was executed by Francisco Pizarro's brother Hernando . On June 26 1541 soldiers that had served under Almagro avenged the death of their master by assassinating Francisco Pizarro .