Preview

Why Did Cortes Conquer The Aztecs

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
261 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Did Cortes Conquer The Aztecs
Cortes’ ardent determination to bring back wealth, gold, and conquer the Aztecs’ most sacred land, Tenochtitlan, wasn’t enough to defeat them in a hard fought battle. Determination was just one of the many factors that helped the Spaniards defeat the pious Aztecs. The main five factors consist of the, Spanish Worldview, Aztec Worldview, Military Technology, Military Strategy, Spread of Disease. However, out of all of these factors, the most important would be Military Technology due to all the advantages it gave the Spaniards and Cortes. Just some few examples can explain the incredible benefits they gained. Just the weaponry of the Spanish was enough to already overtake over a third of the Aztecs. First of all, the Aztec obsidian blade was

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Spanish conquered the Aztec for many reasons like new resources and goods. The Spanish could have conquered the Aztec for new resources like gold. According to Document C “Aztec account of the conquest”, “When the Spaniards were installed in the place, they asked Motecuhzoma about the city’s resources and reserves… They questioned him closely and then demanded gold.” Under those circumstances, the Spaniards could possibly conquered the Aztecs to become wealthier and have more supplies and new resources. Not only did the Spanish conquer the Aztec for more gold, but also for new goods. According to Document B “Cortes’ Letter to the King of Spain”, “Of all the things created on land, as well as in the sea… had…

    • 235 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    n 1519 Spaniards led by Hernán Cortés traveled from Cuba to Mexico. Their goal was to conquer Mexico so that they could collect all the rumored riches. Cortes and his men went to Tenochtitlán, the Aztec Empire. He forged an alliance with them. The Aztecs believed Cortes was a god because he had such riches like metal armor and horses.…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cortes was a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition to the Aztecs. He landed on the coast of Mexico in 1519 with an army of around 600 men, 16 horses and a few cannons. Cortes and his men made their way inland to the capital of the Aztecs, capturing cities and gaining extra soldiers from the people who were left after his men took over. He spoke to the natives through his translator Malinche, a young Indian woman. They made their way to Tenochtitlan, where Aztecs were conquering and sacrificing living humans.…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Broken Spears is written by Miguel Leon-Portilla, he gives the accounts of which the Aztec Empire falls to the Spanish in the 16th century. The book, Broken Spears, shows the view of the Aztecs more over than the Spanish, Miguel Leon-Portilla describes the many reasons as to why the Spanish were successful in the victory against the Aztec empire. The Spanish had technology advantages over the Aztecs, and they also had the poor leadership of Motecuhzoma. One of the most notable factors that caused the fall of the Aztecs was the plague, this factor was very effective and an advantage that helped the Spaniards succeeded over the Aztec Empire. The Spanish had many advantages over the Aztecs which is why they had such a strong victory, such as, religion, leadership, and technology.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Aztec time, their self made weapons had changed dramatically after the arrival of the Spanish. Aztec weapons were improved with much stronger ones from the Spanish. There are a few long and short term effects between both of the nations. This essay will explain the short and long term effects of the arrival of the Spanish on Aztec warfare.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Monctezuma was born in 1466 and died on June 29th 1520. Monectzuma was the leader of the Aztec Empire from 1502 – 1520. The Spaniard murdered Montezuma in cold blood in order to complete their conquest of his empire. The Spanish relationship with Monctezuma was very manipulative and deceiving. From the beginning Cortes made moves to openly try to undermined Monctezuma. Cortes made early alliances with the know enemies of Monctezuma and the Aztecs. This is not the actions of a good and trust worthy friend. Someone who is trying to become friends with a person they don’t know well doesn’t make friends with their enemies.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some critics might argue that the Aztec Empire had an extensive amount of people in comparison to the few Spaniards, that the Aztecs could have developed a systematic plan to avoid Spanish conquest if they did not welcome or misbelieved the Spanish were retuning gods reclaiming their rightful empire. However, the Aztecs were still going to encounter the Spanish, as they were already settled in areas in New Hispaniola in the Gulf of Mexico. The Spanish sought to increase their chances of wealth and fortune and would try to find those riches. Also, the forced tributary system and capture of slaves as sacrifice created resentment and hatred toward the Aztec empire, which was a strategic advantage for the Spanish as they could form enemy allies…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Aztec empire was of immense population and size which benefited from a central control. Cortes had discovered that his conquest of Mexico would not be as easy as Pizarro’s conquest of the Incas. The process the leadership being killed after gradual trade would not be possible in Mexico. It was the religious beliefs of the Aztecs that gave Cortes and his men the opportunities necessary for conquest. Thesis.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An advantage that Hernan Cortés and his people were not really aware of until later was that the Aztecs were dying from the disease small pox. The Spanish were the ones that brought over diseases that not many of the tribes were use too. His men were immune to it, but the tribes weren’t, so the Aztecs started getting very sick and were dying. Cortés was benefiting from the disease he brought over because many of the native population were dying. Along with the Aztecs dying, the enemy tribes that were against the Aztecs and were fighting alongside Cortés were dying as well so that was one…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Spanish had a soldier population approximately of 450 soldiers, while the Aztecs had thousands. Considering the Aztecs required humans for the sacrifices, they could have quickly killed off the Spaniards. Again, if the Aztecs would have joined the tlaxcalans tribe, this could have ended otherwise. The Aztecs wanted to remove off the Spaniards, because of the threat they produced to the land. The Spaniards had great armor, horses, and numerous weapons, which was an additional reason the Aztecs were triggered to overthrow the Spanish. The excellent resources of the Spanish take us to our next point, Spanish…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Aztecs had invited the Spanish into their home to a ceremonial festival. Although completely unarmed, the Spanish proceeded to block the exits and, “they stabbed everyone with iron lances and struck them with iron swords” (4.). Even once the Aztecs gathered their weapons, their “barbed darts, spears, and tridents” (4.) were no match for the Spaniards technology. Due to the difference in weaponry, the Spaniards were nearly untouched while they demolished the indigenous…

    • 1786 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    On 13 August 1521 the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, had fallen to the Spanish conquistadors. Cortes and his followers had only landed in Mexico in April 1519. By the time of Cortes’ last departure form Spain in 1540; Mexico City had become a powerful colonial metropolis, the capital of a Spanish territory extending south into Central America and North to or beyond the Gulf of California. The campaign waged by Cortes was so successful that all ensuing campaigns were modelled upon the Aztec conquest. The question posed is how was the conquest of Mexico achieved in such a small space of time? It would seem unfeasible that a small army of soldiers could overcome thousands of Native Americans on their own soil; Tenochtitlan was a perfect location…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Jared Diamond’s documentary Guns, Germs, & Steel, he states that the guns and steel, such as swords and shields, from the Fertile Crescent helped the Spaniards conquer the Incas. Because the Europeans lived closer to the Fertile Crescent, they were able to receive more advanced weapon technology faster than the Incas/Aztecs helping them take over their land much faster and more efficiently. This is further supported in the reading Broken Spears, where the author translates the account of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in Nahuatl. At one point during the takeover, “The Spaniards fired one of their cannons, and this caused great confusion in the city... They were all overcome by terror, as if their hearts had fainted.” Again, advanced technology that the Europeans had played a major role in helping succeed in this conquest since the Aztecs were not yet exposed to such weaponry. The cannons and guns that most are familiar with in present day were completely foreign to both the Aztec and Inca people because of their disadvantage in their location of geography. The terror of unfamiliarness made it easier for the Europeans to succeed in their…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There were many changes that occurred when the Spaniards decided to take over what is now Mexico. Before the Spanish took over Mexico, the Aztecs had a separate race and also spoke their own native tongue, Nahuatl. But when Spain was settling in, Cortes made it required for a Spanish man to marry one of the local women which created a new race, called the Mestizo. The schools in New Spain educated the Mestizo children to speak Spanish instead of Nahuatl. After to the invasion of Spain, Cortes and his crew set up a new economic system called encomienda.…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Defeating the Aztec Empire

    • 2644 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Hernan Cortes, a fierce Spanish conquistador, landed at San Juan de Ulua, in April 1519. With him, Cortes had 508 soldiers, one hundred sailors, artillery cannons, eleven ships and sixteen horses. Cortes and his small army, marched through Mexico, forming alliances with Aztec rivals, until reaching the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the massive Mexican empire known as the Aztecs or Mexica. It had a population of 200,000 people; almost three times that of the largest city of Spain, Seyville (Windschuttle, 43). Within the next two years, Cortes and his men had triumphantly defeated the Aztecs and taken control of Tenochtitlan against all odds. (Daniel, 1992) So how, despite be hopelessly outnumbered, without the possibility of new supplies or reinforcements, fighting other native tribes and Spaniards, and the Aztecs on their own turf, did this tiny Spanish force defeat such a formidable army. Today, there are a number of reasons why the Spanish have believed to been able to overcome such odds. A combination of poor Aztec military tactics against advance Spanish weaponry and strategy, a weak Aztec ruler, the spread of disease, Tenochtitlan’s poor governing over its populace, and the interconnectedness of Aztec military and religion ultimately led to the demise of its empire.…

    • 2644 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays