His ally in this fight was the european germs he and his men unwittingly brought with them. The effect the spanish had on the aztec empire is a mixed lot. When cortes landed on the mexican coast, he was on the run from his own government, and. They hated the aztecs because they had raided their cities for people to sacrifice to their gods. Of course, the answer will always be a combination of reasons, but im interested in, insofar as its possible, sort of rankordering the force or importance of the different variables. How smallpox devastated the aztecs and helped spain conquer. The aztec outnumbered the spanish, but that didnt stop hernan cortes from seizing tenochtitlan, the aztec capital, in 1521.
Cortes began to march inland towards the city of tenochtitlan, the capital city of the aztec empire. Midterm essay question the spanish conquests of montezuma and the aztecs were both a spanish conquest as well as an indian civil war. For more fascinating information about the fall of the aztec empire, check out aztecs and conquistadores. By 1542, the spahish established a viceroyalty of peru. Oct 06, 2009 by the time cortes reached tenochtitlan, the capital of the aztec empire, the aztec population was decimated by european diseases and cortes had allied himself with a group of the aztecs enemies. Hernan cortes invaded mexico in 1519 and conquered the aztec empire. After columbus discovered the new world, the spanish sent conquistadors across the atlantic to claim land for spain. He also gave spain threehundred years of control over mexico. The key to cortess conquests lay in the political crisis within the aztec empire. Aztec forces soon drove the conquistadors from the capital, but cortes built a small.
Dec 18, 2018 during cortess absence, alvarados execution of many aztec chiefs enraged the people. Spain and cortes conquer the aztecs flashcards quizlet. The last aztec emperor, cuauhtemoc, surrenders to cortes. Of course, the answer will always be a combination of reasons, but im interested in, insofar as its possible, sort of rankordering the. The spanish invasion and the collapse of the aztec empire by dr. Led by hernan cortes, the spaniards formidable firearms and thirst for. The first was how to reward the bloodsoaked conquistadors who had taken the land and who had been badly cheated out of their shares of the gold by cortes. You could argue for both sides as to which played a more significant part in the fall of the aztecs, however, i feel they both played an equal role in the defeat of the aztecs and the. On august 1521, cuauhtemoc was captured and the aztecs admitted defeat. Hernan cortes, spanish conquistador who overthrew the aztec empire 151921 and won mexico for the crown of spain. At veracruz, cortes trained his army and then burned his ships to ensure loyalty to his plans for conquest. The aztecs were not expecting a war, and when cortes arrived they worshiped him like a god. The aztecs relied on cotton pads for armor, reed or wooden shields, clubs, spear throwers, and traditional bows and arrows.
About 2,800 years ago, people known as the maya lived in farming villages on the yucatan peninsula and the highlands to the south. Superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the spanish to. The thing that ties them both together is the conquistador hernan cortes. After establishing a colony in mexico, spanish nobleman hernan cortes.
This made it easier to conquer the remaining aztecs. With the help of the aztecs native rivals, cortes mounted an offensive against tenochtitlan, finally defeating cuauhtemocs resistance on august, 1521. Only then, with the aztec population crippled by disease and the spanish backed by thousands of the aztecs enemies, was cortes able to conquer the. Hernando cortes was one of the bravest military leaders of all time.
The second was how to rule large swaths of conquered land. In 1533, spanish invaders led by francisco pizarro conquered most of the inca empire. Battle of tenochtitlan may 22august, 1521, military engagement between the aztecs and a coalition of spanish and indigenous combatants commanded by hernan cortes. S panish conquistadors, women, children and horses were imprisoned for months, sacrificed and eaten by contemporaries of the aztecs, archaeologists report. At first, motecuhzoma ii, the aztecs ruler, invited the spanish into tenochtitlan, and things were. However, this time, the rebelling states beat the aztec military badly. The aztecs conquered many neighboring tribes and forced them to pay tributes and took many of their people for their human sacrafices what advantages did the spanish have over the aztecs. Cortes men leveled the city and captured cuauhtemoc, the aztec emperor. After defeating velazquezs forces, cortes returned to tenochtitlan on june 24, 1520, to find the. After landing in mexico in 1519 he systematically besieged and destroyed the aztec empire and on august, 1521 he captured cuauhtemoc, the ruler of. Hernan cortes was a spanish conquistador who conquered the aztec empire.
It was the spaniards under hernando cortes who conquered the aztecs. Despite the fact that the spanish army that attacked aztec comprised only 600 soldiers, the natives suffered defeat. During the reign of moctezuma, the empire continued its growth, but it was during this period the spaniards of hernan cortes landed in the region and the fight between the aztecs and the. He laid siege to the city and eventually conquered the city and with it the aztec empire. Ive read a number of posts here on the topic, and i think the different suggestions are interesting. Spanish conquer the aztecs and incas the colonists journal. Hernan cortes was able to conquer the aztec empire by scaring the natives with the 16 horses, gaining alliances with the other enemies of the aztec, having superior and better weapons than the natives like guns, having armor, and having steel. The aztecs build an empire the first aztecs were farmers who migrated from the north to central mexico. Did cortes conquer mexico because the native people there. Hernan cortes was a spanish conquistador, or conqueror, best remembered for conquering the aztec empire in 1521 and claiming mexico for spain. The conquistador hernan cortes defeated the aztecs in 1521. Cortes conquered the aztecs through alliances and deception. This system helped create a mighty state, but one that did not inspire loyalty.
Mar 26, 2019 on august 1521, cuauhtemoc was captured and the aztecs admitted defeat. When the spanish arrived, normally they would have been captured and sacrificed immediately. First, alliance of cortes and other rivals, who were against the aztecs, contributed to the defeat of the aztecs. Fast facts rallied native allies and conquered the aztec empire. The aztecs were a people who came into the valley of mexico in the 12th century and quickly rose to become the dominant power in mesoamerica. It was well known from the previous man that arrived at the new lands as colombus and magallanes had referred in the descriptions of his voyages, lands full of exotic good to interchange in the european market. Governor of mexico after conquering the aztecs, cortes renamed the city of tenochtitlan to mexico city. Fighting for their independence from aztec rule they did not realise. It took cortes two years, but he finally conquered the aztec capital in august 1521. Born in medellin, spain, he was a spanish conquistador who conquered most of central america. Hernando cortes conquered the aztecs hernando cortes, a spanish conquistador, ventured into tenochtitlan, the capital of aztec empire, searching for gold, god, and glory. Although montezuma ii did not trust cortes, he also was worried that cortes. Tenochtitlan, cortess great prize, and its inhabitants were decimated. He first set sail to the new world at the age of 19.
Why cortes didnt conquer the aztecs a journey with. The maya, inca, and aztecs built great civilizations in mexico and in central and south america between 1,800 and 500 years ago. Cortes and the aztecs exploring the early americas. Spanish arrival for kids, cortez, conquest of the aztecs. Nov 27, 2011 the aztecs were not expecting a war, and when cortes arrived they worshiped him like a god. Oct 27, 2019 from 15181521, spanish conquistador hernan cortes and his army brought down the mighty aztec empire, the greatest the new world had ever seen. He also helped colonize cuba and became a governor. There are multiple 16thcentury narratives of the events by spanish conquerors, their indigenous allies, and the defeated aztecs. The spanish conquest of the aztec empire, also known as the conquest of mexico151921, was one of the primary events in the spanish colonization of the americas. Oct 10, 2015 s panish conquistadors, women, children and horses were imprisoned for months, sacrificed and eaten by contemporaries of the aztecs, archaeologists report after unveiling new research from ruins. At that time the great empire of the mexicanow known as the aztecs. With the help of the aztecs native rivals, cortes mounted an offensive against tenochtitlan, finally defeating cuauhtemocs resistance on.
A number of factors and circumstances can be attributed to the defeat of the aztecs by the spanish. Then, in 1517, spanish conquistadors, led by cortes, arrived in tenochtitlan, the capital of the aztec empire. Oct 11, 2018 during the reign of moctezuma, the empire continued its growth, but it was during this period the spaniards of hernan cortes landed in the region and the fight between the aztecs and the. In the 16 th century, smallpox was a huge problem in europe. During cortess absence, alvarados execution of many aztec chiefs enraged the people. What was the effect of the spanish on the aztec empire. How then could cortes have possibly conquered the aztecs so quickly. Having learned of political strife in the aztec empire, cortes led his force into the. In 1519, inspired by rumors of gold and the existence of large, sophisticated cities in the mexican interior, hernan cortes 14851547 was appointed to head an expedition of eleven ships and five hundred men to mexico.
Hernan cortes conquers the aztec empire national geographic. The king did allow him to return to mexico, albeit with much less. The mayan people did not disappear and continue to live in mexico and central america. Why did a strong people defending its own territory succumb so quickly to a. Conquering the aztecs cortes soon returned to tenochtitlan with a large army of his allies, the tlaxcala. In 1515, two of the states in the aztec empire rebelled. Aug 19, 2019 after a threemonth siege, spanish forces under hernan cortes capture tenochtitlan, the capital of the aztec empire. How smallpox devastated the aztecs and helped spain. In 1519, hernan cortes arrived in mexico with horses and 500 soldiers. He set out to conquer the empire and to capture the aztecs in order to achieve such things. What the textbooks have to say about the conquest of mexico.
Kids learn about the spanish conquest of the aztec empire including hernan cortes. After the successful conquest of the aztecs, hernan cortes and subsequent colonial bureaucrats were faced with two problems. The aztecs were a primitive people who practiced rituals that were inhumane. During cortes s absence, alvarados execution of many aztec chiefs enraged the people. The answer, may lie in the special forces cortes inadvertently brought with him from spain. In 1511 he joined an expedition to conquer cuba and was appointed secretary. Even though the spaniards had guns and the aztecs didnt, it should have been extremely difficult. In 1511, he sailed with diego velazquez to conquer cuba. He conquered some cities along the way and made alliances with others. Even once the aztecs were aware they were fighting a war they didnt stand a chance, due to their obsession with capturing, not killing their enemies, so as to be sacrificed later. From 15181521, spanish conquistador hernan cortes and his army brought down the mighty aztec empire, the greatest the new world had ever seen.
Meanwhile, hernan cortes, a young spanishborn noble, came to hispaniola in the west indies in 1504. At first, motecuhzoma ii, the aztecs ruler, invited the spanish into tenochtitlan, and things were friendly. Even when the spanish made motecuhzoma ii a prisoner, the aztecs stayed friendly. Historians often disagree on the impact, both positive and negative, that the spanish had on aztec civilization.
The aztecs demanded regular tributes of their conquered subjects, and often these. Spanish conquest of the aztec empire facts for kids. Superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the spanish to conquer the city. Cortes, cortez, hernan cortes, hernan cortez, hernando cortez example of. Each village they conquered had to contribute heavily to the aztec economy. Under the leadership of hernan cortes in 1521, the aztec empire was destroyed. The spanish conquest of the aztec empire, also known as the conquest of mexico151921. Definitively, enemies of the aztecs were other altepetl submitted by them and allied with the spaniards to defeat them. Building background the aztecs ruled a large empire in mesoamerica. He did it through a combination of luck, courage, political savvy and advanced tactics and weapons. It was not solely a contest between a small contingent of spaniards defeating the aztec empire but. He had heard about the powerful aztecs who ruled much of mexico and he went in search of them.
After the spanish forces and their allies savagely pillaged the remnants of the city, cortes had tenochtitlan completely leveled to the. The natives living there, who lived under the powerful aztec empire, were amazed at his appearance, his white skin, his clothes, and his language. Despite being made a marquis years later, the conqueror of mexico did not have a glorious end. The empire was loosely kept together through the appointment of officials from the aztec heartland, intermarriages, giftgiving, invitations to important ceremonies, the building of monuments and artworks which promoted aztec imperial ideology, imposition of the aztec religion especially worship of huitzilopochtli, and most importantly of all, the everpresent threat of military intervention. People who survived the invasion either went to slavery or were killed by. Aztec officers wore elaborate costumes signifying rank, which made them. However, soon, while cortes was away, spanish soldiers attacked and killed many aztecs during a festival. Discover facts about hernando cortes the spanish conquistador who conquered the aztec empire. The aztecs through they were sent by their god, quetzalcoatl. This brief biography takes you through his life story from birth to death. Much of the writings about mexica defeat talks about factors such as technological supremacy, on different ways to make war in. Cortess victory destroyed the aztec empire, and the spanish began to consolidate. May 30, 2019 after the successful conquest of the aztecs, hernan cortes and subsequent colonial bureaucrats were faced with two problems. Fast facts rallied native allies and conquered the.
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