HANDOUT #10: The age of discovery and European Explorers
1) Economic motives loom large in European exploration. Merchants, adventurers, and state officials had
high hopes of increasing trade, especially for spices found in India, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, and other
countries of the East. The spices, which were needed in order to preserve and flavor food, were very
expensive after being shipped to Europe by Arab middlemen who charged Europeans high prices for these
goods. Europeans also had hopes of finding precious metals, like gold. One Spanish explorer wrote that he
went to the Americas “to give help natives understand how to become smart, and so that he can become very
rich.” Many people shared the belief of Hernan Cortes (the Spanish conqueror of the Aztecs) felt explorers
must make sure that the natives are made to follow the Catholic religion.” There was a third motive as well;
Exploration for “God, glory, and gold, and adventure” which played a major role in European exploration. In
addition many criminals were offered their freedom in return for working on the exploration ships.
MAKE A LIST OF REASONS FOR EXPLORATION:
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A. Spanish Persons Story About How The Spanish Conquered the Aztec Empire
The Spanish found the Aztec custom of human sacrifice, a practice long believed a horrible custom:
The Island of Sacrifice: “As soon as the boats were launched the Captain Juan de Grijalva (Gree- yaal- va) and
many of us soldiers went off to visit the Island for we saw smoke rising from it, and we found two masonry (stone)
houses that were built well, each house with steps leading up to some altars, and on these altars were idols with evil
looking bodies and that chests ( of human sacrificial victims) had been cut open, and the arms and thighs had been cut
off and the walls were covered with blood. At all this we stood greatly amazed, and gave the Island the name of Isla
de Sacrificious ( Island of Sacrifice) and marked it on the charts.”
Discussion questions that you will be asked, write an answer to at least one:
1. If you were an explorer and saw a Aztecs getting ready to Sacrifice a 9 year old what would you do?
2. Do you think the explorers would be heroes for saving this girl? Why? Why not?
3. Do you think it would be okay to destroy their society because of their beliefs?
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B. A Defense Spanish Conquering the Aztecs; written in the 1800s long after the fall of the Aztecs
We cannot regret the fall of the Aztec empire which did so little to make their people happy, … The Aztecs were a fierce
and barbaric group of people, with no smarts, … they ruled over their large empire using the force of their soldiers….. the
Aztec soldiers were so shocked when they saw the Spanish soldiers. At first they thought the soldiers on horseback were
gods, well this is because they had never seen horses before…. Aztecs also overtaxed their people during times of peace,
and sacrificed thousands of their enemies each year…. When the Aztecs did finally fall it was not only the Spanish that
defeated them, a hundred thousand soldiers from tribes the Aztecs had conquered joined the Spanish and helped defeat the
Aztecs…the Aztec government was a stranger in its own land.”
Discussion questions that you will be asked, write an answer to at least one:
1. If you had the chance to explore a new world would you?
2. If you found natives living in this new world, how would you treat them?
3. Do you think it would be okay to take their land? Why, why not?
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2) An Aztec’s Story of How the Spanish Conquered the Aztec Empire
A. During this same time, Cortes commanded that Motecuhzoma and Itzcohuatzin, these are 2
names of Aztec chiefs. Cortes the explorer wanted to make these 2 chiefs prisoners. These
Spanish explorers had already hanged and killed a chief from Acolhuacan ( another city in
Mexico) … They also murdered the King of Nauhtla, by wounding him with arrows and then
burning him alive. The Spaniards attacked the musicians first, slashing at their hands and faces
until they had killed all of them. The singers- and even spectators were also killed. This
slaughter happened in the Aztec Sacrifice chamber and went on for three hours. Then the
Spaniards burst into the rooms of the temple to kill the others: those who were carrying water, or
bringing hay to feed for the horses, or grinding corn meal, or sweeping, or standing watch over
this work. The King Motecuhzoma ( pronounced Monte – Zuma ) … protested: “Our Lords,
that is enough! What are your doing? These people are not carrying weapons. They are
completely unarmed. -Miguel Leon-Portilla, ed. (1962), The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the
Conquest of Mexico
B.
That which led the Spaniards to these terrible deeds was the desire for gold, to make themselves
rich…. In a word their greed, led to their horrible treatment of the Aztecs. For the Spaniards cared so
little about the Aztecs that they allowed such large amounts of Aztecs to die without even trying to
understand the Aztec religion. The Aztec never even gave the Spanish Explorers any reason to use
violence against them, the horrible treatment and slaughter of their countrymen and women, moved the
Aztecs to take fight against the Spaniards.
-Bartolome de Las Casas, Brief Report on the Destruction of the Indians
CHOOSE ONE OF THE READINGS ABOVE AND WRITE A JOURNAL RESPONSE TO THE REAL AIM:
WERE THE EXPLORERS HEROES OR VILLAINS? EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWERS
P.S. VILLAINS WOULD BE BAD PEOPLE!!!
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BOARD NOTES
Hernan Cortez and Francisco Pizarro: Both were explorers from Spain. Cortez defeated
the Aztecs and Pizarro defeated the Inca
HEROES
-found gold, new land
-tried to stop human sacrifice
-spread catholic religion
-expanded European society
-found new land
-set up new colonies
VILLAINS
-used violence
-destroyed native civilizations
-converted natives
-selfish
-spread disease
-millions of natives died
-many native ideas/ traditions/
beliefs lost forever
destroyed places like Tenochtitlan