Transcript SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS

SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE
AMERICAS
How did a small number of Spanish conquistadors
conquer huge Native American empires?
The Conquistadors
Spanish conquistadors invaded Native
American populations throughout the
Caribbean islands and soon moved inland.
 Like Columbus, the conquistadors forced
the natives to find them gold and silver
and convert to Christianity
 Two important conquistadors were
Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro...

 Cortes
arrived in Mexico with
about 500 men.
 There were 200,000 Aztecs living
in their empire’s capital.
How could the outnumbered
Spanish have defeated the Aztecs?
Spread of Disease
The Europeans brought diseases (smallpox,
influenza, malaria, yellow fever, measles and
mumps) that the Native Americans had no
immunities for (body’s resistance to a
disease or virus).
 In 1492, there were an estimated 30 million
Native Americans living in present-day
Mexico
 By the year 1600, there were only 1 Million
left!

Keys to Spanish conquest:
Advanced Weapons
The Spanish had advanced weapons, better
armor and horses.
 They had muskets, but they took so long
to load that they were not the primary
weapon.
 Swords and wooden lances were used
most effectively.
 From horseback, they were unstoppable.
 They wore steel armor from head to toe.
Spanish Boats
Rivalries between tribes
There were many small independent
tribes in Mexico and South America.
 Many of these tribes were rivals and were
involved in constant battles.
 The Aztec enslaved many people and
made them pay tribute.
 Cortez became allies with several tribes
who helped him launch attacks on the
Aztec.

Cortez’ Valued Ally
Cortez met an Aztec slave girl named La
Malinche or Dona Marina .
 Since she spoke both the Aztec and
Mayan languages, she was valuable to
Cortez.
 She acted as a guide and
interpreter for the Spanish,
and maybe even a spy.

Conversation between Montezuma
& Cortes
Through La Malinche, Cortes said the
following:
“Tell Montezuma that we are his friends.
There is nothing to fear. We have wanted
to see him for a long time, and now we
have seen his face and heard his
words…We have come to your house in
Mexico as friends. There is nothing to fear.”

Source: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/aztecs1.asp
Cortes/Aztec God Returns
The Aztecs viewed Cortes as one of their
Gods returning for vengeance.
 Quetzalcoatl was said to be whiteskinned with red hair and a beard, and it
was rumored that he would return from
the east in 1519.
 When Cortez arrived in 1519, many
Aztec were terrified and viewed it as the
apocalypse.

Quetzalcoatl
In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl “feathered
serpent” was the God of Wisdom and was
opposed to human sacrifice, which the
Aztecs had practiced.
He taught the Aztec
how to cultivate corn
and the art of
astronomy.
But he was betrayed by
his brother and was
forced to leave the
empire.
Quetzalcoatl
Human Form
Serpent Form
Conversation between Montezuma
& Cortes

After meeting Cortes, Montezuma said,
“This was foretold by the kings who
governed your city, and now it has taken
place. You have come back to use; you
have come down from the sky. Rest now,
and take possession of your royal houses.
Welcome to your land, my lords!”
Source: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/aztecs1.asp
June 1521

After the Aztecs
rebelled against
Cortes, the Spanish
left Tenochtitlan and
Montezuma died.

After a smallpox
outbreak, Cortes and
his men destroyed
Tenochtitlan.
Which factor was most important?

Based on the documents, answer the main
question and support it with your
evidence.