These diseases killed 75% of the Native Americans. The Spanish were able to field larger armies than in the Aztecs. Third, their horses, armor, and superior weapons gave the Spanish an advantage in battle. Hernan Cortes was a Spaniard thirsty for gold. The Aztec Empire, or the Triple Alliance, was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. The Aztec empire collapsed and was brought under Spanish control by August of 1521. took ruler hostage, good fighter, superior technology, proclaimed it for Spain and used Smallpox The Spanish defeat of the Aztec Empire was led by Hernan Cortes in April of 1520. What did Cortes learn from his encounter with Malinche? Where did the Spanish takeover by the mid-1500s? God, Gold, Glory. There were 80,000 natives and 608 spanish. The natives were most afraid of the horses that the Spanish brought over. By the mid-1500s the Spanish took over Puerto Rico, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Southwestern United States, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Cortes might have wanted to conquer the Aztec because he wanted gold, silver, to convert them to Christianity, glory, and greed. The Spanish brought chickenpox, smallpox, measles, mumps, and rubella to the new world. He was born in 1485 and died in 1547. God: the Spanish wanted to spread cathlicism. Columbus had landed at San Salvador and explored the West Indies in 1492, when Cortés was a young boy. The Aztec empire: culture and sacrifice Between about 1350 and the 1520s, the Aztecs flourished on the site of modern-day Mexico City. An example is the Alamo in Texas. history. Start studying Cortes defeats the Aztecs. Rise of the Aztec Empire: The Mexica people migrated to the Mexico's central valley during the mid-14 century, and soon expanded their power. Cortes used a number of unique strategies and tactics during his conquest of the Aztecs. Aztec Empire Overview. What was Cortes ordered by Cuba's governor to do (early 16th century)? The Azcapotzalco forces were defeated by an alliance of Texcoco, Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Mexica) and several other smaller cities. Expand the Spanish empire into present-day Mexico. Cortes: Hernan Cortes was the Spanish Conquistador that destroyed the Aztec empire in the early 1500s. Why might de Las Casas have spoken out against the encomienda system? Cortes and Montezuma. From 1518-1521, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and his army brought down the mighty Aztec Empire, the greatest the New World had ever seen. The Aztecs didn’t start out as a powerful people. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Cortés was born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain. What advantages did the Spanish have over the Native Americans? Cortes’s army besieged Tenochtitlan for 93 days. How many Natives were there against the Spanish? Montezuma II was the ruler of the Aztec Empire … In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity. Hernan Cortes was a Spanish Conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire. Aztecs wouldn't accept it. Despite limited forces, Cortes won native allies while marching toward the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan; many subjugated tribes resented the harsh rule and steep taxes the Aztecs imposed and were willing to join with Cortes. It was not solely a contest between a small contingent of Spaniards defeating the Aztec Empire but rather the creation of a coalition of Spanish invaders with tributaries to the Aztecs, and most especially the Aztecs' indigenous enemies and rivals. When he heard the Aztecs were a gold mine for gold, he went straight there to get it. Gold: Cortez thought the Aztecs were hiding gold. In 1519 the maverick conquistador rallied from near-certain annihilation to victory over the Aztec Empire—thanks to an earlier defeat at the hands of the Aztecs’ rivals, the Tlaxcaltecs. Conquistador Hernan Cortes and his Spanish troops did not conquer the Aztec Empire on their own. Battle of Tenochtitlan (May 22–August 13, 1521), military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition of Spanish and indigenous combatants commanded by Hernan Cortes. Who led the army that overcame the Incas. I think that the Spanish wanted to convert the Natives to convert to Christianity because they thought Christianity was the right religion and that everybody should be Catholic. The encomienda system gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. He became fascinated with tales of Christopher Columbus' New World explorations. Why might Cortes have wanted to conquer the Aztec? B. Spanish tolerance of Aztec religion and culture . 3. During the Spaniards retreat, they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies. Hernan Cortes Aztecs: The Aztec Empire was actually a loose confederation of city-states. The Aztecs focused on agricultural innovations, while the Incas focused on road construction. They were destroyed and replaced with Christian churches. Pueblos were trading posts, towns, homes, or shops. The advantages that the Spanish had over the Native Americans were 16 horses, some guns and other superior weapons, and alliances with fellow enemies of the Aztec. Hernan Cortes was the conquistador that conquered the Aztec Empire. He splits with the gold, but the gold was too heavy so men fell into the river and drowned and the ships sank. In 1519 Cortes reached Mexico City, which at the time was called Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs eventually drove the Spanish from the city, but Cortés returned again to defeat them and take the city in 1521, effectively ending the Aztec empire. Hernán Cortés marched boldly toward Tlaxcala in late August 1519, brimming with confidence. Modern armies still use armor to protect them from weapons and keep them safe just like armies in the past. He believed he was the God of the legend who was in power when Tenochtitlan fell. Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes' was able to defeat Montezuma and the Aztec empire by the use of force and with the help of native tribes who had been conquered by the Aztecs. Bartolome de Las Casas was a priest who encouraged better treatment of Native Americans and fought against the encomienda system. When did the Aztecs kill Montezuma and drive out the Spaniards? The Aztecs focused on road construction, while the . Hernan Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec Empire by scaring the natives with the 16 horses, gaining alliances with the other enemies of the Aztec, having superior and better weapons than the natives (like guns), having armor, and having steel. The Spanish had only discovered Mexico in 1518, the year before Cortes landed in Vera Cruz. When Cortés appeared, the Aztecs welcomed him because they thought he might be this god, Quetzalcoatl. The advantages that the Spanish had over the Aztec were 16 horses, guns, armor, formed alliances, and diseases, steel. Smallpox killed hundreds of thousands of the Native Americans, which weakened the Aztec Empire and created political and social instability. Second, Cortés was able to make allies of the Aztecs' enemies. The two largest contributing factors were Cortes' ability to make alliances with the outlying tribes that were enemies of the aztecs and disease. Who helped Cortes defeat the Aztecs? Why didn't Montezuma fight the Spaniards away? These two empires came face to face in 1428 CE with the Tepanec War. In 1545, an unknown disease struck the Aztec Empire.Those who came down with it might become feverish, start vomiting, and develop blotches … Select all that apply. Pizarro first went to the Inca Empire for gold. De Las Casas might have spoken out against the encomienda system because he didn't think it was right to treat the native americans as slaves. Cortes returns to the city and finds Montezuma dead and the Aztecs rebelling. How did the Spanish conquer the great Aztec and Inca empires? At age 14, Cortés was sent to study law at the University of Salamanca, but he was restless and unhappy. Scroll down to see articles about the government, religion, military, and agricultural system of the Aztec Empire. The spanish conquered the great Aztec and Inca empires by bringing diseases to kill most of them off quickly, scaring them with the horses, and using their more advanced superior weapons to kill them. Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers who led military expeditions in the Americas. Hernan Cortes was able to defeat the disjointed and non-unified city states during the sixteenth century. These troops soon joined Cortes, and eventually, after a sequence of events well covered in a variety of sources, the Aztec capital was laid siege to, and taken by Cortes. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire. They had allies, with the Tlaxcalans being among the most important. Cortes' foray into Aztec territory began when he defied orders from his superior in Cuba and set sail for Mexico with 500 men. First, Aztec legend had predicted the arrival of a white-skinned god. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. Why did Pizarro first enter the Inca Empire? This had a two fold effect on the besieged Aztecs because it 1) was a big waste of Tequila, which was their #1 export at the time and 2) burned them alive. What do you think helped the Europeans the most in the defeat of the Inca and Aztec? He was the only son of noble, though not wealthy, parents. What happened to the temples of Tenochtitlan? Moctezuma II was the ruler of the Aztec Empire. The armor needed to be heavy because the heavy steel protected the soldiers from enemy weapons and kept them safe. 1. Columbus had set sail hoping to … They rose from humble beginnings as migrants from the north through a combination of military and diplomatic tactics to … The four reasons why the spanish went to America were god, gold, glory, and greed. Cortez killed the Aztecs because of the 3 G's. I think the many diseases that the Europeans had helped them the most in the defeat of the Inca and Aztec empires because disease killed the majority (75%) of them. A.The Aztecs made enemies of the . The Aztecs go to loot the bodies, but they contract smallpox, and within 2 years, 95% of the Aztec population is dead (about 3 million people). How were the Aztec and Inca civilizations different in their public works projects? 1. What was the result of Cortes’s defeat of the Aztecs? How this alliance developed and how their support was crucial to Cortes' success. He pretty much pioneered the use of explosives in battle by inventing the Molotov cocktail. The Nahuatl speaking peoples began as poor hunter-gatherers in northern Mexico, in a place known to them as Aztlan. The Aztecs were the most dominant force in Mexico at the time and their dominance of other groups in the region created enemies. A mercenary is a soldier who is paid to fight. How was Hernan Cortes able to conquer the Aztec Empire? Plantations are large farms that grow just one kind of crop and make huge profits for their owners. The spanish conquered the great Aztec and Inca empires by bringing diseases to kill most of them off quickly, scaring them with the horses, and using their more advanced superior weapons to kill them. Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes' was able to defeat Montezuma and the Aztec empire by the use of force and with the help of native tribes who had been conquered by the Aztecs. Presidios are military forts. Francisco Pizarro was a conquistador that captured the Inca capital and killed the Inca leaders. What did Cortes use to kill the Aztecs in 1521? Tenochtitlan was filled with riches and that there was conflict in the Aztec empire. What were some things that the spanish conquistadors brought over to the new world? A. Superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to … 2. 4. Hernán Cortés himself—not Spanish arms, smallpox or Mesoamerican allies—was the catalyst behind the stunning defeat of the Aztec empire Hernán Cortés: Master of the Conquest On Aug. 13, 1521, Cortés and his reinforced army swarmed across the causeways of Tenochtitlan to complete the conquest he had begun less than three years earlier Second, Hernan Cortes and his men had superior weaponry. What advantages did the Spanish have over the Aztec? Cortes returns to the city in 1521 and finds everyone dead, so he takes over the city … By around 1400 CE several small empires had formed in the Valley of Mexico and dominant amongst these were Texcoco, capital of the Acholhua region, and Azcapotzalco, capital of the Tepenec. The spanish conquistadors brought over the spanish language, food (corn, rice, tacos), place names (San Salvador, El Salvador, San Fransisco), and Spanish descendents. Cuauhtámoc, Cuitláhuacs successor as emperor, was taken prisoner and later executed, and Cortés became the ruler of a vast Mexican empire. World history. Whih of the following was the most important factor in enabling the Spanish to defeat the Aztec Empire ? He did it through a combination of luck, courage, political savvy and advanced tactics and weapons. Missions were buildings that the Catholic church built to convert natives to catholicism. Why do you think the Spanish wanted to convert the natives to Christianity? He was accompanied by a man named Pizarro. The Spanish had steel weapons, cannons, and horses; these advantages helped them defeat the much larger Aztec … What diseases did the Spanish bring to the new world and how many Natives did it kill? What were the four reasons why the Spanish went to America. history Among the most important political savvy and advanced tactics and weapons he believed he was restless and unhappy the! 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