The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, known as the Spanish–Mexica War, was one of the primary events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. There are multiple 16th-century narratives of the events by Spanish conquerors, their indigenous allies and the defeated Aztecs. I…Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
Spanish colonization of the Americas
The overseas expansion under the Crown of Castile was initiated under the royal authority and first accomplished by the Spanish conquistadors. The Americas were incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, Canada, the eastern United States and several other small co…
| Date | February 1519 – 13 August 1521 against the Aztec Empire, after 1522 – 17 February 1530 against the Tarascan state |
|---|---|
| Result | Spaniard and indigenous allied victory |
| Territorial changes | Annexation of the Aztec Empire, Tarascans, and others by Spanish Empire |
Why did Spain conquered the Aztecs?
Aztec omens for the conquest
- A column of fire that appeared from midnight until dawn, and seemed to rain fire in the year 1517 (12-House)
- Fire consuming the temple of Huitzilopochtli
- A lightning bolt destroying the straw temple of Xiuhtecuhtli
- The appearance of fire, or comets, streaming across the sky in threes during the day
Did Spain conquer the Incas and Aztecs?
The Inca Empire met the same fate as the Aztec Empire. Smallpox would also help another Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro; conquer the Incas in South America. Pizarro was able to capture the Inca ruler, Atahualpa, easily. Pizarro promised that he would release Atahualpa if the Inca's gave him gold.
What were three reasons the Spanish conquered the Aztecs?
- For their resources, mostly gold and silver.
- The Aztecs had many enemies, they were surrounded by enemies. ...
- The Spanish tried to land in Maya territory first, they they met a woman Malintzin, she had been taken prisoner by the Aztecs and traded to the Maya. ...
Did the Spanish outnumber the Aztecs?
The Aztec outnumbered the Spanish, but that didn’t stop Hernán Cortés from seizing Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, in 1521. Whole swaths of the Americas rapidly fell to the Spanish crown, a transformation begun by the ruthless conqueror of the Aztec Empire, Hernán Cortés.
Is the Aztec Empire in Spain?
1495-1525), resisted fiercely but were finally defeated in late 1521. Cortés razed Tenochtitlan, building his own capital over its ruins, and proclaimed the Aztec Empire to be New Spain. Soon after the Spanish colonization of Cuba in 1519, a small army led by Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) conquered Mexico from the Aztecs.
Did the Aztec meet the Spanish?
Following the Aztec's founding and construction of Tenochtitlan in the Valley of Mexico in 1325 AD, they quickly established their authority across the other societies in the valley.
What did Spain do to the Aztecs?
Between 1519 and 1521, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, overthrew the Aztec Empire. This event is called the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Cortés helped old enemies of the Aztecs defeat them in one of the most important events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Is Aztec related to Spanish?
After the conquest and that of Peru, indigenous civilizations never ruled the Americas again and the Spanish hold on it grew to encompass most of the Western Hemisphere. Though the Aztecs and the Spaniards came from separate continents and had many differences, there were a number of similarities between them, too.
Why did the Aztecs lose to the Spanish?
The overthrow of the Aztec Empire by Cortez and his expedition rests on three factors: The fragility of that empire, the tactical advantages of Spanish technology, and smallpox.
What did Aztecs think of Spanish?
The Aztecs first thought the Spanish were gods due to their light skin and dark hair. The Aztecs would pay the Spanish gold and other gifts to celebrate them. The Spanish saw these riches and realized they wanted more but were outnumbered by the Aztecs.
What did the Aztecs call the Spanish?
And they called the Spanish language 'the tongue of the coyotes' or perhaps better 'coyote-speak' (coyoltlahtolli). Apparently the Totonac people referred to the Spanish invaders as 'snakes'.
What Spanish disease killed the Aztecs?
SmallpoxSmallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children.
Are there any Aztecs still alive?
Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work.
Is Mexico a Mayan or Aztec?
Most modern-day Mexicans are of mixed Aztec and European ancestry. A large amount of Aztec poetry survives, as it was collected during the conquest.
Who Killed the Aztecs?
Hernándo Cortés, Spanish conquistador who conquered Mexico, with Moctezuma II, last Aztec emperor, 1519.
How did the Aztecs welcome the Spanish?
Montezuma II sent Cortés gifts of gold and chocolate to welcome the Spanish. Although Montezuma II did not trust Cortés, he also was worried that Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Aztec mythology said that Quetzalcoatl would come to Earth as a man and Cortés had arrived on Quetzalcoatl's birthday.
Who was the Aztec ally who took the road to Mexico?
Meanwhile, Moctezuma's ambassadors, who had been in the Spanish camp after the battles with the Tlaxcalans, continued to press Cortés to take the road to Mexico via Cholula, which was under Aztec control, rather than over Huexotzinco, which was an ally of Tlaxcala.
Where did the Spanish settle?
The Spanish had established a permanent settlement on the island of Hispaniola in 1493 on the second voyage of Christopher Columbus. There were further Spanish explorations and settlements in the Caribbean and the Spanish Main, seeking wealth in the form of gold and access to indigenous labor to mine gold and other manual labor. Twenty-five years after the first Spanish settlement in the New World, expeditions of exploration were sent to the coast of Mexico.
What was the role of cavalry in the Spanish Conquest?
In addition, aside from the infantry and the allies' role in the Spanish conquest, cavalry was the "arm of decision in the conquest" and "the key ingredient in the Spanish forces". Many of those on the Cortés expedition of 1519 had never seen combat before, including Cortés.
What was the key event in the formation of the Spanish Empire overseas?
The Spanish conquest of Mexico had antecedents with established practices. The fall of the Aztec Empire was the key event in the formation of the Spanish Empire overseas, with New Spain, which later became Mexico .
What was the Spanish weapon used for?
In the words of Restall, "Spanish weapons were useful for breaking the offensive lines of waves of indigenous warriors, but this was no formula for conquest... rather, it was a formula for survival, until Spanish and indigenous reinforcements arrived.".
Who was the leader of the Spanish army in 1521?
The Spanish campaign against the Aztec Empire had its final victory on 13 August 1521, when a coalition army of Spanish forces and native Tlaxcalan warriors led by Cortés and Xicotencatl the Younger captured the emperor Cuauhtémoc and Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire.
How long did it take for the Spanish to settle in Mexico?
For the Spanish, the expedition to Mexico was part of a project of Spanish colonization of the New World after twenty-five years of permanent Spanish settlement and further exploration in the Caribbean.
Where did the Aztecs come from?
The Aztecs, who probably originated as a nomadic tribe in northern Mexico, arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate social, political, religious and commercial organization ...
What was the Aztec civilization?
The Aztec civilization was also highly developed socially, intellectually and artistically. It was a highly structured society with a strict caste system; at the top were nobles, while at the bottom were serfs, indentured servants and enslaved workers. Recommended for you. 1943. The Harlem Riot of 1943 begins.
What were the Aztec gods?
In the great cities of the Aztec empire, magnificent temples, palaces, plazas and statues embodied the civilization’s unfailing devotion to the many Aztec gods, including Huitzilopochtli (god of war and of the sun) and Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered Serpent”), a Toltec god who served many important roles in the Aztec faith over the years.
Who was the leader of the Aztecs?
In 1428, under their leader Itzcoatl, the Aztecs formed a three-way alliance with the Texcocans and the Tacubans to defeat their most powerful rivals for influence in the region, the Tepanec, and conquer their capital of Azcapotzalco. Itzcoatl ’s successor Montezuma (Moctezuma) I, who took power in 1440, was a great warrior who was remembered as the father of the Aztec empire. By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had come to rule over up to 500 small states, and some 5 to 6 million people, either by conquest or commerce. Tenochtitlán at its height had more than 140,000 inhabitants, and was the most densely populated city ever to exist in Mesoamerica.
Who was the first European to visit Mexico?
The first European to visit Mexican territory was Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who arrived in Yucatan from Cuba with three ships and about 100 men in early 1517. Cordobars reports on his return to Cuba prompted the Spanish governor there, Diego Velasquez, to send a larger force back to Mexico under the command of Hernán Cortés. In March 1519, Cortes landed at the town of Tabasco, where he learned from the natives of the great Aztec civilization, then ruled by Moctezuma (or Montezuma) II.
Who was the woman who helped Cortes in Mexico?
Cortes and some 400 soldiers then marched into Mexico, aided by a native woman known as Malinche, who served as a translator.
Who was the Spanish conquistador that led the expedition to explore and conquer the Aztec Empire?
Hernan Cortés was the Spanish conquistador that led the expedition to explore and conquer the Aztec Empire. At the age of 19, he travelled to the Spanish controlled colonies in the Caribbean. More specifically, he arrived at the island of Hispaniola which is the modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti.
What was the white skin of Quetzalcoatl?
The prophecy spoke of Quetzalcoatl’s arrival at the same time as the Spanish, and Quetzalcoatl was said to have white skin . Unsure of whether or not Cortés was the god, Moctezuma II responded by greeting him with honor and giving him many gifts. Regardless, the Aztecs were amazed by the Spanish.
Who was the first conquistador to sail to Mexico?
After several years in the colonies, Cortés convinced Diego Velasquez, another conquistador and then governor of Cuba, to let him lead an expedition to Mexico. Cortés set sail soon after with approximately 11 ships and just over 500 men.
Did the Aztecs have white skin?
First, the Aztec had never seen a person with white skin before. Secondly, the armor and weapons that the Spanish used would have been mostly unimaginable to the Aztecs. For example, the Aztec would not have known what firearms were, or understood how they worked.
What was the Aztec civilization?
This region was home to the Aztec civilization, an empire of an estimated 16 million people at this time. Through a system of conquest and tribute, the Aztecs had established the great island city of Tenochtitlan in Lake Texcoco that ruled over an area of about 80,000 square miles. A 17th-century copper plate of Tenochtitlan.
What happened to the Aztecs when they pulled down their houses?
In many places it happened that everyone in a house died, and as it was impossible to bury the great number of dead, they pulled down the houses over them, so that their homes became their tombs.”. Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways.
Why were the Aztecs vulnerable to smallpox?
The native people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, were especially vulnerable to smallpox because they’d never been exposed to the virus and thus possessed no natural immunity.
Where did smallpox come from?
Smallpox existed in ancient times in Egyptian, Indian and Chinese cultures. It remained endemic in human populations for millennia, coming to Europe during the 11th century’s Crusades.
Did the Aztecs have smallpox?
Of course, the Aztecs were not the only indigenous people to suffer from the introduction of European diseases. In addition to North America’s Native American populations, the Mayan and Incan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox.
What were the Aztecs' sacrifices to the Spanish?
The Aztecs, a powerful army, forced the Spanish to fight. Many of Cortés' men and allies were caught and sacrificed to the Aztec war gods. The Aztec priests promised their people were that if the sacrifices continued they would win the war. The Spanish overtook the Aztecs and sieged their city.
What were the Aztecs forced to do?
The Aztecs were then forced to work in silver mines and other difficult labour jobs as Spanish slaves. The Spanish armour gave the conquistadors a distanced advantage as obsidian is like glass and had trouble cutting through the metal. To become an Eagle Warrior an Aztec had to capture numerous prisoners.
What was the result of the Spanish defeat?
As a result of the Spanish defeat, many Aztecs lost faith in their priests and their religion. Though many resisted, the Spanish baptized the Aztecs and did their best to convert them to Christianity. The Aztecs were then forced to work in silver mines and other difficult labour jobs as Spanish slaves.
What was the main challenge to the Spanish beliefs?
The main challenge to Spanish beliefs was the Aztec's practice of human and animal sacrifice. The Spanish believed this practice to be barbaric and uncivilized. Although some native tribes allied with Cortés, others resisted his dominance. Cortés used brutal force to conquer the opposing peoples.
What were the main challenges to the Spanish in their quest to conquer the Aztecs?
These differences intensified the motivation of the Spanish in their quest to conquer the Aztecs. The main challenge to Spanish beliefs was the Aztec's practice of human and animal sacrifice.
Who was Montezuma's god?
Montezuma was superstitious and believed Cortés to be a god. He invited Cortés and his men to stay in his extraordinary city – a decision he would later regret. Inside the city, Cortés had access to learn about Aztec military, people, and culture without suspicion.
Who took Montezuma hostage?
Being sly and devious, Cortés took note of it all. Montezuma was taken hostage and became merely a puppet to Cortés . This frustrated the Aztecs. Accounts differ as to whether Montezuma was killed by the Spanish or his own people. Cortés attempted control of the Aztec people.
What was the Aztec civilization?
This region was home to the Aztec civilization, an empire of an estimated 16 million people at this time. Through a system of conquest and tribute, the Aztecs had established the great island city of Tenochtitlan in Lake Texcoco that ruled over an area of about 80,000 square miles. A 17th-century copper plate of Tenochtitlan.
What happened to the Aztecs when they pulled down their houses?
In many places it happened that everyone in a house died, and as it was impossible to bury the great number of dead, they pulled down the houses over them, so that their homes became their tombs.”. Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways.
Why were the Aztecs vulnerable to smallpox?
The native people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, were especially vulnerable to smallpox because they’d never been exposed to the virus and thus possessed no natural immunity.
Did the Aztecs have smallpox?
Of course, the Aztecs were not the only indigenous people to suffer from the introduction of European diseases. In addition to North America’s Native American populations, the Mayan and Incan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox.
Overview
Spanish expeditions
The Spanish had established a permanent settlement on the island of Hispaniola in 1493 on the second voyage of Christopher Columbus. There were further Spanish explorations and settlements in the Caribbean and the Spanish Main, seeking wealth in the form of gold and access to indigenous labor to mine gold and other manual labor. Twenty-five years after the first Spanish settlement in …
Significant events in the conquest of Mesoamerica
Historical sources for the conquest of Mexico recount some of the same events in both Spanish and indigenous sources. Others, however, are unique to a particular primary source or group narrating the event. Individuals and groups laud their own accomplishments, while often denigrating or ignoring those of their opponents or their allies or both.
Sources for the conquest of Mesoamerica
The conquest of Mexico, the initial destruction of the great pre-Columbian civilizations, is a significant event in world history. The conquest was well documented by a variety of sources with differing points of view, including indigenous accounts, by both allies and opponents. Accounts by the Spanish conquerors exist from the first landfall at Veracruz, Mexico (on Good Friday, 22 …
Further Spanish Wars of Conquest
After hearing about the fall of the Aztec Empire, Tarascan ruler (Cazonci) Tangaxuan II sent emissaries to the Spanish victors (the Tarascan state was contemporary with and an enemy of the Aztec Empire). A few Spaniards went with them to Tzintzuntzan where they were presented to the ruler and gifts were exchanged. They returned with samples of gold and Cortés' interest in the Tar…
The Aztecs under Spanish rule
The Council of the Indies was constituted in 1524 and the first Audiencia in 1527. In 1535, Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor (who was as the King of Spain known as Charles I), named the Spanish nobleman Don Antonio de Mendoza the first Viceroy of New Spain. Mendoza was entirely loyal to the Spanish crown, unlike the conqueror of Mexico Hernán Cortés, who had demonstrated that he was independent-minded and defied official orders when he threw off the authority of Governor …
Cultural depictions of the Aztecs
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire is the subject of an opera, La Conquista (2005) and of a set of six symphonic poems, La Nueva España (1992–99) by Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero.
Cortés's conquest has been depicted in numerous television documentaries. These include in an episode of Engineering an Empire as well as in the BBC series Heroes …
See also
• Aztec warfare
• Aztecs
• Aztec influence in Spain
• Historiography of Colonial Spanish America
• History of Mexico City