Transcript Chapter 3: European Empires in the Americas

Empires in the Americas
The Fall of Two Empires
Objectives
Aztec Empire – basic beliefs, and influences
Hernan Cortes – why is he coming to Latin America
How did the Aztec’s view the Spanish
What allowed the Spanish to overthrow a much bigger empire
Who was Montezuma and how did the Aztec belief system lead
to its demise
Teotihuacan
Pyramid of the Sun – birth place of the Earth
Teotihuacan – location of Pyramid
(Tea-oh-wa-kon) – city state in power before
Spanish arrive
Birthplace of Quetzalcoatl
Temple of Quetzalcoatl with magnificent heads of
plumed serpents built into the walls were built for religious purposes.
Teotihuacan’s city state in 600-500 BCE
-From Pyramid of the Sun – 5 Gods, the 5th God came down and
built the Earth, he took on an Earthly Form and was named
Quetzalcoatl “Plumed Serpent”
A calendar established based on the movement of Venus.
Created a Venus War Cult ” to go to war to appease “Quetzalcoatl”
Blood Sacrifice of Warriors as part of war. If no
blood is offered to the gods, the world will end
Human Sacrifce was common to appease the Gods
Teotihuacan
_city state disappears but Tenochtitlan (Capital of Aztecs is only
30 miles away)
Toltecs 950 AD – City of Tula –
where Quetzalcoatl re-took human form and was driven out of
the city by religious priests.
Prophecy said he would return from the East (gulf of Mexico).
The Toltec’s were also a empire located in the same geographical
area as the Aztec’s
The Aztecs take-up many of the belief’s of these two cultures…..
FALL OF
THE AZTECS
Montezuma
Actual head-dress
worn by Montezuma
Strangers on the Coast
Montezuma
Leader of the Aztec
Lives in Tenochtitlan
Fears Quetzalcoatl
• Aztec serpeant God expected to return to take his throne
• Pale skinned arriving from the East
Hears of pale skinned people on the coast
• Thinks it Quetzalcoatl
Invites them to Tenochtitlan
Hernan Cortes
1519 Cortes lands at Vera Cruz
• Greeted as friendly by local people’s
including a group fromTenochtitlán
•Rival Spanish Army sent from Cuba to
make sure Cortes finds gold.
•Cortes battles this army who have a
slave with small pox…Cortes soldier
contracts the disease…on the way back
to Vera Cruz, the Aztec army
overthrows Cortes, and contracts
Smallpox…bringing it back to
Tenochitlan….
Cortes the Conqueror
At first Montezuma’s messengers present
Cortes with gifts when he lands
Cortes is not pleased
• “Is this all?”
Captures messengers and fires
cannons to scare them
Cortes tells them that he has a
disease which can only be cured
by gold
Cortes Arrives in Mexico
Cortes has heard rumors
about cities of gold in North
America
Governor wants Cortes to
claim land and look for gold in
Mexico
Cortes leaves for “gold” land to
the West
• 11 ships, 800 men
• Horses, cannons, muskets and war
dogs dressed in armor
Malintzin the Interpreter
Native American princess
She could speak Mayan,
Spanish and Nahuatl
The language of the Aztec
She became interpreter for
Cortes
Cortes Marches Inland
Before marching
Founds Veracruz (city)
Claims Mexico for Spain
Burns his ships
• Prevents his men from retreating
Montezuma sends gold to
have Cortes turn back
Cortes is more curious about how much
gold the Aztec really have
Cortes in Tenochtitlan
Arrives on November 8, 1519
Montezuma gives Cortes the
empire to command (thought he was
Quetzalcoatl)
Hands him the keys to the city
Cortes fears he may be lead into
a trap
Cortes takes Montezuma hostage
Spanish melt all the gold into
bars
Easier to transport
8 million dollars worth
A New Spanish Ally: Disease
Aztec revolt against the Spanish
Montezuma is killed by a rock thrown by his
own people (probably)
Drive Spanish out of Tenochtitlan
Diseases brought by the Spanish killed
many Aztec
Smallpox and measles
Aztec had never been exposed to diseases
before
The Final Conquest
Cortes returns 10 months later
Thousands of Native Americans,
Spanish soldiers ready to fight
Aztec weapons no match for iron
weapons and cannons
Aztec surrender August 13, 1521
Gold and treasures now belong to
Cortes
Orders Mexico City to built where
Tenochtitlan once was
Fall of the Incas
Atahualpa
Pizzaro and the Inca
Francisco Pizzaro attacks
an Incan trading ship
filled with silver and gold
Trains Incan crew to be
interpreters
Plans his attack on the
Incan Empire
A Broken Promise
1531, Pizzaro and 180
soldiers travel through South
America
He learns that the Incan leader,
Atahualpa, just finished fighting
a civil war and is tired
Pizzaro takes Atahualpa captive
and demands a ransom for his
freedom
Gathers $65 million – in gold
Pizzaro kills Atahualpa
The Fall of an Empire
Pizzaro sends soldiers to Cuzco, Incan
capital, to capture it
Pizzaro sets his capital up in Lima, Peru
Takes 40 years to capture and defeat all
of the Inca
Great loyalty to their people