NM+Pg.+9-12+Hernan+Cortes+Conquers+Mexico+&+pg.+12-15+Aztec+Chroniclers+Describe+the+Spanish+Conquest+of+Mexico

__ Pg. 9-12 Hernan Cortes Conquers Mexico __ A - Hernan Cortes was the author. He was a conquistador writing to his king back in Spain about what the Aztec civilization he discovered and his interactions with them. P&T - Writing from Mexico to Spain. Dated October 30, 1520. PK - Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519 and he was welcomed and treated as a god by the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a lot of gold and that was all the Cortes cared about. He tries to suppress their religion which included human sacrifice and then began using force to become their leader. However, he was driven out of Mexico and back to Spain. A year later came back to conquer the Aztecs with a larger force but found that they had all died of disease given to them by the Spaniards. A - Source was created for King Ferdinand of Spain. May affect the reliability of the source because Cortes needs to keep Ferdinand convinced that this will be a profitable expedition and that he is on friendly terms with the Aztecs. If he does not do this Ferdinand may have stopped funding him. R - Produced because Cortes needed to inform his king about what was going on with his expedition. TMI - The source is trying to convey what the interactions were like between the Spanish and the Aztecs. S - This is important it is a first hand account of interactions between Aztecs and Spanish even if it is biased.

__ Pg. 12-15 Aztec Chroniclers Describe the Spanish Conquest of Mexico __ A - An Aztec who witnessed the meeting of Cortes and Motecuhzoma and the events that followed was the provider of the story but the Spanish friar Bernardino de Sabagun later writes down this description. P&T - Written in Mexico in 1519. PK - Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519 and he was welcomed and treated as a god by the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a lot of gold and that was all the Cortes cared about. He tries to suppress their religion which included human sacrifice and then began using force to become their leader. However, he was driven out of Mexico and back to Spain. A year later came back to conquer the Aztecs with a larger force but found that they had all died of disease given to them by the Spaniards. A - This account was from an Aztec but was written by Sabagun so this source was meant for all people. There does not to appear to be any major bias in this piece. R - This piece was produced to give an accurate account of the meeting of Spanish and Aztecs. TMI - Source is trying to show what happened between the Spanish and the Aztecs. S - Important because it shows the truth of what happened after the Spanish arrived.

These two primary sources are the similar as they both describe the first meetings between Cortes and Motecuhzoma in a similar way. They both describe Cortes as very honorable and powerful and they do the same for Motecuhzoma and describe how he had numerous nobles following him. Also, they describe how Motecuhzoma brings Cortes to the throne and offers it to him. Both sources also explain the legend of Aztec culture about how one day their god was to send someone to rule them again and they believe that Cortes is that god. There were differences between these do sources as well. The source written by Cortes includes no account of the massacre that the Spanish did to the Aztecs. The source by the Sabagun includes an account of this massacre during the fiesta of Toxcatl where the Spanish captured Motecuhzoma and closed the exits and murdered all the Aztecs who were present. Also, the account by Cortes included a description about how they were abolishing the religion of the Aztecs which included idol worship and human sacrifice and introducing Christianity. The account by Sabagun had no account of this. This may have been because Cortes needed to make it sound like he was spreading Christianity which would please his very Catholic king.