Research Paper on:
Mexican Conquest

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
but also in establishing trade routes and markets for their goods. This emphasis on extending territories beyond geographical boundaries was also a way for nations to spread Christianity, particularly  into pagan and monotheistic regions inhabited by the people mistakenly referred to by Christopher Columbus as Indians. Mexico was a huge area that consisted largely of a nonwhite, native  Indian population. Prior to the sixteenth century, the Caucasian inhabitants were few. However, this would change forever when a Cuban governor named Diego Velasquez (or Velazquez) proposed an  exploratory expedition of Mexico, which would ultimately result in conquest. Hernan (or Hernando) Cortes had been living as a leisurely Spanish gentleman and was also serving as the alcalde (mayor)  of Santiago de Cuba, when he was selected by Governor Velasquez to lead the Mexican expedition in 1519 (Ellis, 1975). After receiving explicit instructions to restrict his mission to  exploration and trade potential only and not to conquer the territory, Cortes set sail on February 10, 1519 (Ellis, 1975). Cortes, however, obviously had quite a different agenda in  mind, and he put together an expedition which consisted of 553 soldiers, 110 sailors, 16 horses and 14 small cannons (Ellis, 1975, p. 59). Upon his arrival in the  Yucatan Peninsula, Cortes and his group immediately skirmished with the Mayan Indians, who were of little match for the Spaniards well-equipped military crew (Ellis, 1975). Soon after, Cortes met  a Spanish native named Aguilar, who had learned the Indian language, and as first Cortes interpreter, would be an important member of the expedition (Ellis, 1975). By including an  interpreter, Cortes could gain a deeper knowledge of the different Indian groups, and also made clear his desire not merely to visit Mexico but to inhabit and one day possess