Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, played a significant role in the Age of Exploration by leading the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire. His actions had profound impacts on both the New World and Europe.
In 1519, Cortes arrived in Mexico with a small force of soldiers. Despite being vastly outnumbered, he managed to form alliances with local tribes who were enemies of the Aztecs. These alliances were crucial in his campaign against the Aztec Empire.
Cortes’s conquest of the Aztec Empire led to the establishment of New Spain, a Spanish colony in the Americas. This marked the beginning of Spanish dominance in the region, which lasted for centuries. The wealth extracted from the New World, particularly gold and silver, significantly boosted the Spanish economy and funded further explorations.
Moreover, Cortes’s success inspired other conquistadors to explore and conquer other parts of the Americas. His actions demonstrated the potential for wealth and power in the New World, encouraging more European nations to invest in exploration and colonization.
However, Cortes’s impact was not entirely positive. The conquest led to the destruction of the Aztec civilization and the deaths of countless indigenous people due to warfare, forced labor, and diseases brought by the Europeans.
In summary, Hernan Cortes’s conquest of the Aztec Empire had a lasting impact on the Age of Exploration. It opened up the Americas to European colonization, brought immense wealth to Spain, and set the stage for further exploration and conquest. However, it also resulted in the tragic loss of indigenous cultures and lives.