Transcript The conquest of Mexico

SSWH8.A
THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO
HERNAN CORTES
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Born in 1485
Flunked out of law school
In 1502 – after hearing
stories about the new
world – he signed on
with an expedition to the
West Indies led by
Nicolas de Ovando.
HERNAN CORTES
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Cortes proved himself to
be an excellent soldier
He was selected to join a
force that was going to
conquer the island of
Cuba
In 1511 Cortes settled
down in Cuba as a
rancher…for awhile
CORTES LOOKS TOWARDS MEXICO
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Reports of the wealth of
the Aztec nation in
Mexico begin to reach
Spanish ears
In 1519 Cortes is
selected to lead an
expedition to settle a
colony in Mexico
He is given 600 men and
around 20 horses
A NEW MISSION FOR THE EXPEDITION
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Upon their arrival on the shores of Mexico
Cortes burns the ships the expedition came in.
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Cortes decides that they are not there to make
a colony. They are there to conquer.
REMEMBER QUETZALCOATL?
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Cortes had learned of
the Aztec legend of
Quetzalcoatl
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He decided that he could
use the legend of a paleskinned bearded god
returning to his
advantage
TENOCHTITLAN
TENOCHTITLAN
CORTES ENTERS THE CITY
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Cortes enters Tenochtitlan without any
resistance. (remember, he looks like a god)
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He sets up a military headquarters
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He kidnaps Emperor Montezuma and makes
him sign an oath of allegiance to Spanish King
Charles V
THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN
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Cortes hears that 1,400 Spanish troops have
landed. They have been sent to arrest him.
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Cortes takes some of his troops and heads to
fight his countrymen, but when he gets there
many of the 1,400 men sent to arrest him join
his army.
THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN
When Cortes returns he finds that the troops
he left behind had massacred almost 600
defenseless Aztec nobles. The city is in revolt.
 In an attempt to calm the Mexicas down,
Emperor Montezuma is released.
 The Aztecs stone him to death.
 The conquistadors are forces to retreat out of
Tenochtitlan.
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THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN
In 1521 a plague of smallpox devastates
Tenochtitlan.
 Cortes returns with an army reinforces with
natives warriors that hated the Aztecs and
wanted a chance to get revenge on their
overlords. The city falls; so does the nation.
 5 million Aztecs had been defeated by disease,
technology, and fewer than 1,000
conquistadors.
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