... the mainland empire and gain riches for Spain, converts for the Church, and fame for himself. The man he chose for the mission was his old ally, Cortes. According to William H. Prescott's history of the conquest, Velazquez chose Cortes because "[he] came of an ancient, respectable family; his courage and prowess won him favor with Velazquez as much as his good humor ... while human sacrifice is surely barbaric, enslaving peoples is hardly a sign of being civilized. The conquerors banished the Aztecs from their city and began to clear the city. According to Prescott, between 120,000 and ...

• Word Count: 5323
• Approx Pages: 21

... lands not used for religious purposes must be sold and lands held in common by Indian communities be distributed to individual villagers (Prescott 110-115). Later, reformers drafted a new constitution, which would provide a legal base for the reform (Meyer and William 156). The Constitution of 1857 outlawed slavery and abridgments of freedom of speech or press; it abolished special courts and prohibited ... ...

• Word Count: 2320
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate