Today is turning out to be a little busier than intended, but welcome to life I suppose. At least it's a beautiful, sunny day here in Orange County which is why I'm so hesitant to move away. It really is hard to beat the weather!
I've been meaning to share a coin for some time now, it's really an interesting one but at the same time just a bit odd. It comes from the beautiful Cook Islands in the South Pacific. A place I have not had the opportunity to visit, but from the pictures I've seen it is high on my bucket list! The reason I've always found the coin odd is that it has a Spanish conquistador that was involved in Mexico, not the Pacific Ocean.
It is pretty though, have a look:
From numista.com
This is a nice coin that was produced by the Franklin Mint in Wawa, Pennsylvania. This was part of the Great Explorer Series that the Cook Islands released in 1988, which were all really beautiful coins. At first it made no sense to me that the islands would have Hernando Cortés on a coin. Especially since he never ventured into the Pacific, but the rest of the series celebrated explorers who did sail the Pacific and Polynesian Islands.
This isn't the most valuable coin in the world, with a silver value of $28.71, but might sell for a couple dollars more to a collector. I just thought it was a cool coin when I bought it, but at a much cheaper price back when silver was inexpensive! I have discussed Cortés in post in the past on a Mexican coin, I'll give a quick recap of how things went down as he conquered the Aztecs.
Public domain
Born in Spain to a family of lesser nobility in 1485, he decided to seek his fortune and glory in the new world. Upon his arrival to Hispaniola he made a good impression and participated in conquests there and in Cuba. Upon arrival in Cuba he quickly gained in wealth and power as assistant to the governor. But he wanted more...
He was given the opportunity to explore Central Mexico for the Spanish Crown. He had no military leadership experience whatsoever, but it didn't stop him. Once he arrived in 1519 he quickly allied himself with indigenous groups to help him defeat others indigenous tribes and soon built a large army with many indigenous fighters.
In August of that year they marched into Tenochtitlán, modern day Mexico City. They received a non hostile welcome, as Aztec ruler Moctezuma II felt they could better learn their weaknesses and more easily destroy them later. In the end it didn't go so well as Moctezuma II became a puppet ruler for Cortés.
Cortés was called to battle against another Spanish commander opposing him. After winning the battle he returned to conquer Tenochtitlán, Moctezuma II had lost control and was killed by his own people. Instead of fighting urban warfare they slowly starved out blocks by cutting off supplies and water. Then destroying them block by block taking the city by 1520. This cemented his place in history as one of the most successful conquistadors as he destroyed the Aztec Empire.
What is always downplayed is the massive genocide to accomplish his goals. But the victor writes the history books...
That will wrap up my post for this Thursday, I hope you enjoyed the coin and brief history. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below, and as always thank you for all of your support. It's genuinely greatly appreciated! Have a great day everyone!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s
Disclaimer
I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!
Pictures are mine unless otherwise stated.
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