New+Spain

New Spain

__//**Hernando Cortes**//__ was a Spanish explorer. He and his 900 men came to Mexico where the Aztecs Indians lived. Cortes came on the same day the Mexican prophets said a god and hero would come to the Mexican people in the shape of a man. The Aztecs thought Cortes was this god- hero. Cortes came with 11 ships that he sailed from Spain.

Cortes was tall and had white skin that the Aztecs had not seen before. Cortes Came on a ship with sails that looked like the wings of a bird to the Aztecs. The Aztecs never saw horses before. When the Aztecs saw the men on horseback come off the Spanish ship, they thought the man and horse were one animal - part man and part horse.

When the Aztecs saw all of this they sent someone to tell __//**Montezuma.**//__ Montezuma was the ruler of the great Aztec kingdom. Montezuma had hundreds of servants and a palace with 100 rooms and 100 baths. When he heard about Cortes and his army with animals that have never been seen before now in his kingdom, he thought that the great god had come. So he sent gifts of gold and jewels. The next day Montezuma wondered if maybe Cortes and his army were just men and not a great god. Montezuma waited to think about this and did not act.

Cortes did not wait. Cortes acted. Even though Montezuma told Cortes to wait by the water in his ships, Cortes marched his army to Montezuma's city. When Cortes heard some of his men were afraid of the Aztecs, Cortes burned his ships so his men had no way to get back home. Cortes had an Indian woman with him who could speak Spanish and could speak to the Aztecs for him. Her name was Dona Marina. She was very important to Cortes.

Cortes wanted gold and tricked the Aztecs. Cortes told the Aztecs that he and his men had a disease that could be cured with gold. Montezuma sent him gold and told him not to come to his city. But Cortes did not stop and kept marching to Montezuma's city.