What factors led to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empire?
- Superior Weapons. Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas.
- Alliances and Experience. The invading Spanish forces also took advantage of internal divisions within the Aztec and Inca empires.
- The Power of Horses.
- Deadly Disease.
Full Answer
Who helped the European leader conquered the Aztecs?
- Conquest of the Aztec empire. After helping conquer Cuba for the Spanish, Cortés was commissioned to lead an expedition to the mainland.
- Cortés's microscopic secret weapon. ...
- Disease can drive human history. ...
Who was the god that conquered the Aztecs?
Particularly strategic were communities which had been subject to the Aztecs, who had heavily taxed the people and practiced human sacrifice. Many within the Aztec Empire came to believe that Cortés was Quetzalcoatl the god who would return to overthrow the god Tezcatlipoca, who demanded human sacrifice.
Who sacrificed the Aztecs?
Sacrifice was a common theme in the Aztec culture. In the Aztec "Legend of the Five Suns", all the gods sacrificed themselves so that mankind could live. Some years after the Spanish conquest of Mexico, a body of the Franciscans confronted the remaining Aztec priesthood and demanded, under threat of death, that they desist from this traditional ...
Who helped Cortes destroy the Aztec Empire and why?
Within just two years, Aztec ruler Montezuma was dead, the capital city of Tenochtitlan was captured and Cortés had claimed the Aztec empire for Spain. Spanish weaponry and tactics played a role, but most of the destruction was wrought by epidemics of European diseases.
Did the Spanish defeat the Aztecs?
During the Spaniards' retreat, they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire.
Why did the Spanish defeat the Aztecs?
The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán.
How many Spanish defeated the Aztecs?
The Spanish conquistador led an expedition to present-day Mexico, landing in 1519. Although the Spanish forces numbered some 500 men, they managed to capture Aztec Emperor Montezuma II.
When were the Aztecs defeated by the Spanish?
1521Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.
What killed the Aztecs?
Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children.
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'.
Who killed Cortez?
As revenge for Cortez having Bilal lobotomized, King George cuts Cortez up with a chainsaw, killing him.
Did the Mayans and Aztecs fight?
There were Aztec garrisons on the Maya frontier, and very likely plans to attack. But then the Aztecs themselves were attacked - by the Spaniards. However, if by “the Aztecs” we can include surviving warriors from the regions of Mexico that were part of the Aztec Empire, then the answer is yes.
Did the Spanish use guns against Aztecs?
Spanish foot soldiers could use a variety of weapons. Many people incorrectly think that it was firearms that doomed the New World Natives, but that's not the case. Some Spanish soldiers used a harquebus, a sort of early musket.
What were 3 major reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire?
The four major factors that were obvious to the downfall of the Aztecs was the bloody sacrifices, religion, diseases, and the Spanish tactics used against the Aztecs.…
The Clash of Empires
In 1519, two of the greatest military empires in history collided in the Valley of Mexico. The defenders were the mighty Aztecs, the powerful empire in Central America, led by the Mexica people in their capital city Tenochtitlán. The invaders were the Spanish, fresh out of an 8-century long war with the Islamic Moors for the control of Spain.
The Meeting of Worlds
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And then he bumped into the Caribbean. Columbus' discovery set off a Spanish age of exploration, and soon the Gulf of Mexico was full of Spanish settlements. On the island of Cuba, there was a young man named Hernán Cortés, who wanted to improve his position in life.
Arrival of the conquistadores
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Aztecs controlled a vast amount of territory containing 400 to 500 subjugated states. They conferred absolute power on a tlatoani, or ruler. The tlatoani Montezuma II presided over the empire at its peak, but the cross-cultural expanse of his empire was also its weakness.
Siege of Tenochtitlán
Tenochtitlán was situated on an artificial island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. It was connected to the mainland by three large causeways. In May 1521 Cortés and his coalition army reached the outskirts of the Aztec capital and laid siege to the city. His force numbered more than 800 conquistadores and tens of thousands of indigenous warriors.
Aftermath and the fall of the Aztec empire
Cortés’s victory at Tenochtitlán set in motion the rapid collapse of the Aztec empire. Over the next three years, the conquistadores brought the whole of Mesoamerica under Spanish rule and established the colony of New Spain. Smallpox continued to ravage the indigenous population and cripple their capacity to resist the Spanish.
Tenochtitlán: A Dominant Imperial City
Tenochtitlan, the ancient capital of the Aztec empire, and the Valley of Mexico.
Hernándo Cortés Makes Allies with Local Tribes
Hernándo Cortés, Spanish conquistador who conquered Mexico, with Moctezuma II, last Aztec emperor, 1519.
Smallpox Further Weakens the Aztec
With Tenochtitlán encircled, the conquistadors relied on their Indigenous allies for key logistical support and launched attacks from local Indigenous encampments. Meanwhile, another factor began to take its toll. Unbeknownst to the Spanish, some among their ranks had been infected with smallpox when they had departed Europe.
Sources
"Cada Uno En Su Bolsa Llevar Lo Que Cien Indios No Llevarían: Mexica Resistance and the Shape of Currency in New Spain, 1542-1552.” by Allison Caplan, American Journal of Numismatics (1989-), vol. 25, 2013, pp. 333–356. JSTOR.
Conquest of the Aztec empire
After helping conquer Cuba for the Spanish, Cortés was commissioned to lead an expedition to the mainland. When his small fleet landed, he ordered his ships scuttled, eliminating any possibility of retreat and conveying the depth of his resolve.
Disease can drive human history
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.