Transcript File

Worldviews in Conflict
The Spanish Empire
By the end of the 15th century, the Spanish
had claimed the Canary Islands, and
Christopher Columbus had landed on
islands in the Caribbean.
The Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and
Isabella, were expanding Spain’s influence
and prestige by
• Establishing a large empire to compete with
Portugal.
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• Establishing a large empire to compete with
Portugal.
• Building national unity through the Spanish
Inquisition and exploration of the New World.
• Increasing its colonies and gaining wealth
from any new lands they conquered.
• Converting non-Christians in other lands to
Roman Catholicism.
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• When Hernando Cortes landed on the
coast of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico in
1519, Spain’s explorers were aware they
were in a new world.
• They found a rich, complex civilization
never before seen by Europeans.
• It was a world they believed was their to
take for the glory of Spain. They were
acting within a worldview that believed
Spanish Imperialism was their right.
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The Aztec Empire
• By the end of the 15th century, the Aztec
had conquered most of Mesoamerica and
created a unified civilization.
• They had also established military
outposts along their borders to help
contain their enemies.
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The Aztec rulers built the most powerful
civilization known in Mesoamerica and
continued to
Expand the empire for the glory of their
god, Huitzilopochtli.
Receive payments of generous tribute and
taxes.
Profit from trade and marketing throughout
the empire.
Take captives to be sacrificed to their
gods.
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• The Aztec saw Europeans for the first time
when Cortes and his conquistadores
landed on the coast of the empire in 1519.
• The Aztec were confronted with
representatives of a civilization they knew
nothing about.
• This lack of awareness of a worldview so
different from theirs led to tragic
consequences for the Aztec.
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Take Home Points
• The Spanish were intent on expanding
their empire and amassing great wealth.
• Christopher Columbus was the first of
many Spanish explorers to come to the
New World and lay claim to the land and
enslave the inhabitants as a means of
exploiting the natural resources to enrich
the Spanish monarchy.
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• The Aztecs had built a thriving civilization
in Mesoamerica, conquering many other
people and controlling a vast empire.
• They had a sophisticated economy of
trade within their civilization and received
payments of generous tribute and taxes
from conquered groups.
• But, despite being very successful in
Mesoamerica, the Aztecs were not
prepared for contact with a civilization
whose worldview differed so greatly from
their own.
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