Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

ESSAY PROMPT: Inga Clendinnen begins her article by asking one of the most enduring mysteries for historians of colonial Latin America: How was it that a motley bunch of Spanish adventurers, never numbering much more than four hundred or so, was able to defeat an Amerindian military power on its home ground in the space of two years? What was it about Spaniards, or about Indians, that made so awesomely implausible a victory possible? ESSAY QUESTION: For this second writing assignment, students should attempt to answer the same question with which Clendinnen began her article. Students should draw primarily from Clendinnen’s and Camilla Townsend’s articles. If helpful, students could also deploy evidence/examples from the primary sources we read, including the Corts letter and the Daz del Castillo excerpt. In developing their arguments, students should interrogate what we can actually know about the encounter between Corts and Moctezuma. *NOTE: Please try to avoid simply restating one of the arguments that the authors make in their articles. Instead, I want to see you develop your own interpretations. If, for whatever reason, you agree entirely with one of the authors in question, do not simply summarize her argument. Instead, explain why this particular argument is more convincing vis–vis the other arguments in the readings. Always use evidence and examples to support your interpretations. Remember to make an argument in the first paragraph and weave it throughout the paper. Make only one argument and support it with evidence from the primary and secondary sources assigned. Additional research is not necessary. Where helpful, provide quotations to prove your point. Because this is a very short paper, make sure to be concise. Re-read and revise your paper until you are absolutely sure that every word is helping you bolster your argument. Use topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph, and relate the content of each paragraph to your main argument.