HIST 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Terra Nullius, Bering Strait, Quetzalcoatl
Document Summary
The aztec empire: spanish expansion in the americas, spanish conquest of mexico, the witness: las casas nations based on natural law) Terra nullius: if the land is empty and you get there first, it"s yours (law of strait) 12,000 years before columbus, earliest inhabitants of the americas (bering. Empires would have a single city-state where ruler and admin were based. Aztec"s reached their height at about the same time columbus arrived. Codex (codices), type of writing (series of pictures that contain language) Human sacrifices, one of the main motivating points for spanish domination. Arrived in the americas when he was 18, assigned land and slaves. Was a notary of a town, and became a soldier. Awarded slaves and more land because of his exploits as a soldier. Reached veracruz in july 1519, reaches tenochtitlan in november. Spanish only have 600 men when the reach the aztec capital. Tlaxcaltecs defeated by spanish, then decide to join them.
