Aztecs

Muslim Spain

711

Spain was ruled by the Visigoths, a people who had invaded Spain from the North at the end of the Roman Empire. Internal struggles and a series of weak rulers left the region vulnerable to attack from outside, and in 711, muslim force, lead by Tariq ibn-Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and landed in Spain. In a few years, the muslims conquered almost the entire Iberian Peninsula, that is, Spain and Portugal.New Ruler made mosque.In time, many Christians converted to Islam, but some did not.

Spanish Reconquista

1085

The christian states of Spain called the process Reconquista. A Spanish word reconquista means "reconquest"

Creating a Christian Spain

1492

The reconquista was a long process. Over the years, many Christian crusaders from across europe came to help the spanish christian forces win territory from muslims. By 1269, the only part of spain that was in muslim hands was Grenada, it was captured on january second, 1492, after ten years of fighting. This long, and terrible struggle affected Ferdinand and Isabella's rule.

Human Sacrifice

1521

For the Aztecs, killing another person as a sacrifice had a deeply religous significance. It was the strongest expression of their devotion to their gods, since they believed that the victim's blood actually courished the gods. Without it, the gods would grow sick and die, causing the world to end. One of the reasons why war was so important to them was because it gave them a chance to capture new victims for sacrifice.