conquest of mexico-disease
Discuss the extent to which diseases brought by the Europeans played a role in the Spanish Conquest of Mexico and Peru.
Before 1942 there was about 50 million Native Americans in Mexico and Peru within 100 years such Native American population decline as much as 90% (45 million). This was mainly as a result of the diseases brought by the Europeans and the diseases that had existed then. Therefore, the natives believed that their God’s had deserted them. However, there were other factors which played a role in the Conquest of Peru and Mexico such as indecisiveness of leaders, alliances, strategies by the conquerors and superior weapons.
The Spaniards were no longer interested in small islands so more exploration occurred to neighbouring territories. Hernando Cortez and Francisco Pizarro sought for the conquest of Mexico and Peru respectively. Both Cortez and Pizarro to discourage retreat or treachery, was to order all their boats burned. Their men would either conquer or perish. Hernando Cortez, acting essentially on his own, with an army of only about 500 men, few weapons and 16 horses. Cortez was unquestionably brutal and merciless at times, but on the whole, he was an exceedingly skilled tactician and a charismatic leader of men. Moctezuma was the Aztec ruler at the time when Cortez reached Tenochtitlan. The wary Moctezuma made great efforts to play the perfect host, showing his unwanted guests around the city and entertaining them with splendid banquets. Moctezuma also believed that the Spaniards had supernatural powers and that Cortez was a God (Quetzcoatl). However, within a month Cortez had Montezuma in his control, but did not at the time use any violence against the Aztecs. Cortez hoped to conquer the Aztecs peacefully by conversion of the natives, and coercion of the ruling class. He later took Montezuma captive, holding him in the Spaniards quarters. This bizarre state of affairs continued for eight months until news came that Spanish troops sent by
Before 1942 there was about 50 million Native Americans in Mexico and Peru within 100 years such Native American population decline as much as 90% (45 million). This was mainly as a result of the diseases brought by the Europeans and the diseases that had existed then. Therefore, the natives believed that their God’s had deserted them. However, there were other factors which played a role in the Conquest of Peru and Mexico such as indecisiveness of leaders, alliances, strategies by the conquerors and superior weapons.
The Spaniards were no longer interested in small islands so more exploration occurred to neighbouring territories. Hernando Cortez and Francisco Pizarro sought for the conquest of Mexico and Peru respectively. Both Cortez and Pizarro to discourage retreat or treachery, was to order all their boats burned. Their men would either conquer or perish. Hernando Cortez, acting essentially on his own, with an army of only about 500 men, few weapons and 16 horses. Cortez was unquestionably brutal and merciless at times, but on the whole, he was an exceedingly skilled tactician and a charismatic leader of men. Moctezuma was the Aztec ruler at the time when Cortez reached Tenochtitlan. The wary Moctezuma made great efforts to play the perfect host, showing his unwanted guests around the city and entertaining them with splendid banquets. Moctezuma also believed that the Spaniards had supernatural powers and that Cortez was a God (Quetzcoatl). However, within a month Cortez had Montezuma in his control, but did not at the time use any violence against the Aztecs. Cortez hoped to conquer the Aztecs peacefully by conversion of the natives, and coercion of the ruling class. He later took Montezuma captive, holding him in the Spaniards quarters. This bizarre state of affairs continued for eight months until news came that Spanish troops sent by