New York and Spanish Mexico Colonization History Essay (Essay Sample)

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New York and Spanish Mexico Colonization
Introduction
Historians refer to the colonial period in North America as the prior modern period. The history acts as the bridge between different eras of the history namely the medieval period and modernity (Verlinden and Charles, n.p). Europeans colonized both South and North America in a bid to spread Christianity and find resources such as gold. The Spanish people in their conquest for colonies focused on South America states like Mexico. On the other hand, the British lay claim on Northern American states.
Columbus initiated aggressive Spanish exploration in the Atlantic region. There existed a bitter rivalry between the Portuguese and Spanish people for the acquisition of land in Southern America. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI declared ownership of all lands discovered by Columbus. King Joao of Spain was compelled to sign a treaty "Treaty of Tordesillas" which defined territorial space in South America. In 1519, Cortes a Spanish explorer (conquistadores) entered the Mexican empire. The Spanish did not appreciate human sacrifices practiced in Mexico City but got fascinated by the gold in the city (Simmons and Marc, n.p). Cortes targeted high-ranking Mexican officials and Moctezuma their ruler to gain access and control over Mexico. Due to retaliation of the Tenochtitlan people Cortes fled and later formed alliances with the natives who opposed Aztec rule. Cortes got control of Tenochtitlan in 1521 and named it Mexico City (Prem and Hanns, 1521-1620). Illness brought about by smallpox led to the downfall of the city. A woman from Nahua called Malintzin aided Cortes in her conquest. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1540-1541 fought the Tiwa People (New Mexico) leaving Coronado bankrupt. Spain had gained generous monetary benefits from Mexico by 1600.