Aztec Defeat

- “Black Legend”- False concept held that the conquerors merely tortured and butchered the Indians, stole their gold, infected them with smallpox, and left little but misery behind. - Spanish did erect a colossal empire, sprawling from California and Florida to Tierra del Fuego. - Spanish would fuse with the Indians, as to the English would shun

The Spanish Conquistadors gained many things from conquering Mexico. They were able to introduce the language, Spanish, to an area with a variety of indigenous languages. With them conquering Mexico, they gained a new colony in the Americas which they exploited. They were one of the first Europeans to put a stronghold in the Americas with unlimited resources. They had wealth and they were rich.

The results of this acquisition,was a larger population, and people were enabled to shift focuses to scientific and technological advancements. In essence, the fact that the Spaniards were enabled to collaborate technological ideas with neighboring civilizations, played a very big factor into their dominance over the inhabitants of

When Hernando Cortes arrived in the New world he was greeted by a totally alien and unfamiliar culture. The Aztec people of Mesoamerica had similar infrastructure to Cortes’s native Spain, but the culture of the Aztecs was shocking to some of the Spanish who first encountered it. The Aztecs also had resources valuable to the Spanish. This difference in culture is what allowed the Spaniards to rationalize their decision to annihilate the Aztecs in order to gain access to their resources. The Spanish had just retaken the Iberian peninsula as part of the reconquista, and they had gained a strong sense of nationalism as part of that conquest (Gibbs).

The Aztecs conflict and defeat The Aztecs were respectful, religious people, and they also conquered neighboring states/cities. The conflict and defeat of the Aztecs was not unavoidable. The Spanish used god, glory, and gold to make the Aztec empire weak. God: caused the conflict and defeat of the Aztecs, Glory: wanted fame and trust from the King and rise up to the nobility, Gold: wanted to make Spain rich, so they could buy and make expensive material and expand their empire.

The Spanish Conquistadors had the advantage over the Aztecs in many ways. One way they used was using allies against thee Aztecs. The Aztecs was a tribute empire, where they required

The Aztec Empire lasted from the year 1345 to the year 1521. During these years, the Aztec Empire was able to flourish all throughout central Mexico. Their capital was established on Teotihuacan, on top of a lake. The Aztec Empire alone was 117,501 miles squared long. The citizens of the Aztec Empire were feared all over Mexico.

The Aztec leader Montecuhzoma was a poor leader, he wasn’t concerned about the wellbeing of his people. In Broken Spears, readers will see that the Spaniards use nearby tribes to take over the Aztecs land, the Spaniards killed men, women and children. When the Aztecs hear about what the Spaniards have done they become furious and plan to retaliate but are quickly stopped by the diseases brought by the Spaniards. The Aztecs are exposed to small pox and measles but the Spaniards were unaffected by the diseases because they are well known in Europe and they are exposed to diseases

Trade can be seen as a positive side. The Spanish brought goods such as gun powder, sugar, horses, steel, and farming machinery and more. In return the Latin American natives introduced tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, turkey and corn. The natives were taught new skills in trade and even architecture using the new materials. Although this may initially be viewed as positive, the Spanish soon began to take advantage and exploit the natives.

The most obvious is the shier size and composition difference. The Aztec force stood 300,000 warriors versus 700 Spanish infantrymen, 86 cavalrymen, and 118 crossbowmen were comprised of volunteers and adventurers, and over 50,000 Native Americans allied forces (Davis, 1999, p. xx). Aztec obsidian clubs and bows and arrows proved no match for the emerging technology armored infantrymen and cavalry of the Europeans.

Cuitlahuac Soon died from Chickenpox. Then Cuauhtémoc took throne, how is Cuitlahuac’s nephew. The Spaniards brought Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps, and a few other dieses from Europe. It is estimated that almost 80 percent of the Aztec population was killed by dieses, this is because the Aztecs having no immunity to these dieses what so ever.

In contrast, the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztecs and Incas much quicker. Some of this was due to help they received from other groups of Natives and the situations that were present in these societies when the Spanish arrived. Most of this was due to the debilitating effects European diseases had on Native Americans. Another difference between the two groups’ interactions is the different ways the Africans and Native Americans reacted to the Europeans’ presence. Since the Americas had been isolated from the rest of the world before 1492, they did not know how to react to the arrival of the Europeans and were frightened by how different they were.

essie Sisavat Professor Duarte History 40 September 21, 2015 Reaction One 1. How effective or not was the Spanish conquest of the Maya Indians and why? Explain.

Using war equipment that the Aztec had never seen before and different battle techniques, Cortes and his men were able to quickly and effectively conquer Tenochtitlan. During battle against the Aztecs, animals from Spain that served in many battles called horses (about twelve), as well as swords and crossbows (a much more advanced version of the Aztec war club and spear-thrower) were labelled as advanced technology as they were quicker, deadlier, and consequently more efficient. These many advantages against the Aztecs and their traditional weapons; and therefore the Spaniards won many battles alongside their allies, and succeeded greatly by using guns that were far more powerful than the Aztecs' weapons. Unfair as it is, this gave the Spanish explorer a supremacy in conquering one of the most elaborate European cities at the time. “The Aztecs were unable to rebel against the Spaniards because most of them were sick or dead from smallpox.

The Spaniards made a big impact in the Americas. They killed many Incas,Tainos, and Aztecs. These populations lost many including their emperors. On the Spaniard 's side they had power by killing Atahualpa and Montezuma they could create colonies and take riched back to their country. The Spaniards weren 't the only ones to look for riches in the New World.