Human history is full of names of daring explorers who ventured into the unknown, only to emerge basking in glory as some of the greatest heroes of their times . Among the greatest are Marco Polo, who provided Europeans with little-known information about the Far East, and Hernan Cortes, the great Spanish conqueror credited with defeating the Mexica Empire. These two famous explorers are also ideal case studies for analyzing the influence of expectations, interests, and reality on the accounts of the places and people these men encountered on their travels. Exploration is an activity held in high regard for the mental challenge that comes from voluntarily abandoning the safety of certainty to venture into unknown lands. This act is seen as a reflection of the utmost courage. While this may be true, it is important to realize that in most cases explorers had certain expectations about the places they traveled to. This fact was strongly reflected in the nature of their reporting. In Marco Polo's case, his father and uncle had observed "many things worthy of admiration... during their journey," which occurred several years before Marco Polo left Venice. Marco Polo surely had heard of the great things they had encountered. He arrived knowing that despite the risks of such a long journey, the things he would see would be unlike anything he had ever encountered before. Perhaps this was Polo's motivation. It is never said explicitly, but it may be that Polo was driven by curiosity. He simply wanted to know more about the great culture he had heard about. The attitude of Cortes and that of his men presents a stark contrast to the account of Polo, who... halfway through the document... was never capable of.The accounts of great explorers such as Marco Polo and the various conquistadors Spaniards are important not only because they introduced things that the Western world had been unaware of for centuries, but because they show many of their preconceived ideas. Polo's admiration is overwhelmingly present in his writings, which shows that what he had found clearly exceeded his expectations. On the other hand, the Spanish aversion to Aztec culture shows that they had many preconceived ideas, too powerful to be overcome by the reality they found, which was much more amazing than they could have ever imagined. Works Cited Polo, Marco, and Rustichello da Pisa. The travels of Marco Polo. 1926.Schwartz, Stuart B. Winners and Losers: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2000.