Kathryn Cutting

Gold and Glory

A couple of semesters ago I took a Texas history class. My favorite part of the class was going over the Spanish explorers. Most Spanish explorers came to the United States looking for the three G’s: God, Glory, and Gold. I want to know more about the interactions between the Spanish Explorers and the Native Americans. There were many Indians that resisted the explorers.

Like all of the Spanish explorers Cortes came to America looking for his fortune. Hernan Cortes was a Spanish explorer who came to North America in March of 1519 (http://www.aztec-history.com/hernan-cortez-biography.html). From the time that Cortes started his travels into Mexico he had many problems with the Native Americans. His first major run in with the Native Americans was with the Tlascala Indians (http://www.aztec-history.com/fall-of-the-aztec-empire.html). After Cortes defeated the Tlascala they became allies against the Aztecs (http://www.aztec-history.com/hernan-cortez-biography.html). The Aztecs had a light skinned god named Quetzalcoatl.  Cortes let the Aztecs believe that he was their god and proceeded to take advantage of tribe’s trust.  After a welcoming from the Aztec Indians Cortes then proceeds to take Moctezuma, the leader of the Aztec, hostage for a huge ransom.  Cortez and his group were driven out of the city, but came back to it later with a much larger force (Schuster, “Conquest of the Mexican Capital”).

Cortes was not the only explorer who destroyed Native American life in search of gold and riches. Pizarro also went about destroying the Incan people for the want of gold and glory (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/pizarro.shtml). Most Spanish Explorers had some sort of trouble with the Native Americans. Cabeza De Vaca was taken captive by “nomadic Texas Natives” (Almardz, 23). Even though Cabeza De Vaca was taken as a captive he was able to use his abilities with healing to become a shaman in the Coahuilteca area (Newcomb, p.34). Cabeza De Vaca was able to work with the Indians to make sure that his group did not get separated. Coronado was a Spanish Explorer who made his way through the America’s southwest. He was looking for the fabled cities of Cibola (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/coronado.shtml). He came across many different types of Indians including the Zuñi, Hopi, and Pueblos tribes. His dealings with the Indians were strained because he tried to force them to become Christians (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/coronado.shtml). He never found the gold and riches that the Spanish Explorers were looking for so his expedition was deemed a failure to the Spanish leaders (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/coronado.shtml).

The Spanish explorers were looking for wealth and credit, which they would receive from back home. Many explorers set out to America after hearing the stories about great explorers like Cortes, who came back with fantastic stories about the riches they had seen, which would make any person dream about the new world. During my readings I have found that the Native Americans were often mistreated when the explorers came searching for there fortune, but for the next part of this research assignment I think that I will look positive benefits that the missions brought into the southwest. There were many missions in Texas that I would like to focus on and learn about the way the Indians were treated after the Spanish Explorers left.

Procter, Ben and Archie McDonald. The Texas Heritage. Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc, 2003.

Newcomb, W.W,. The Indians of Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961.

Schuster, Marilyn R. "Chapter 3: Conquest." Spanish Chronicles of the Indies: Sixteenth Century. James C. Murray. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Twayne's World Authors Series 847. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29

"Hernan Cortez biography". Aztec-History.com. 3-22-10 <http://www.aztec-history.com/hernan-cortez-biography.html>. Mar. 2010.

"Zoom Explorers". Francisco Vasquez de Coronado: Explorer and Conquistador. 3-22-10 <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/coronado.shtml>.