4 mars 1517 - Spanish Start Exploring Mexico

Description:

In 1517 Spanish conquistadors arrived on the shores of Southern Mexico and began to explore the coast. They quickly reached the Yucatan Peninsular where they met the descendants of the Maya civilization, the most complex society they had yet encountered; the Maya lived in stone buildings and used a council-based government. Relations did not begin well, however, when the Maya immediately attacked the Spanish, forcing them to retreat. More expeditions would be sent in the years following but almost all of them resulted in conflict.

On the island of Cuba, a man by the name of Hernán Cortés heard stories of a large city with much gold located on the mainland. He headed out with his men in 1519 to the coast and soon found himself in the Aztec Empire. Cortes managed to gain many indigenous people as his allies, whether by force or by convincing them that he will help free them from the Aztec rule. With this strategy, Cortes slowly conquered land for the Spanish Empire, as he ventured further into Mexico.