Chapter 10

A Deadly Meeting

Aspect of the Worldview

• Knowledge• Values

Cortes, the Conquistador

• Leader of Spanish troops against the Aztecs

• Grew up in Spain• Decided to move to the

Caribbean at the age of 19, after the tales of gold discovered by Columbus

Cortes, the Conquistador

• Cortes first landed on the island of Hispaniola (Current day Dominican Republic and Haiti)

• Was ordered to be a farmer by the governor to which he responded, “But I came for gold, not to till the land like peasant.”– Later he would join the fight to conquer Cuba

using the Conquistador style of fighting, all it took was 300 men to take the island.

Cortes, the ConquistadorThe Conquistador’s Formula 1. An expedition was sent out from a colony2. After landing in a new era, the Spanish would act peaceful towards

the indigenous, trying to learn which group was the most powerful.3. The Spanish would invite the leader to meet for a gift exchange, at

this time they would capture him and threaten to kill him if his people did not obey the Spanish.

4. If they had to fight, they would make sure to do it on open ground. Their horses, armor, and weapons gave them a clear advantage.

5. The leader of the expedition would become the new governor of the colony, the indigenous were enslaved.

Cortes, the Conquistador

• After conquering Cuba, Cortes remained there and was second in command of the island.

• After 8 years he wanted to fight and explore again.• He sent two expeditions out to the Yucatan

Peninsula (Central Mexico)• These expeditions found a large, powerful, and

wealthy civilization was there (the Aztec)• He set sail for the Yucatan with 11 ships, 508

soldiers, 100 sailors, 200 slaves, and 16 horses

Cortes, the Conquistador

• Cortes’s speech before leaving Cuba for the Yucatan:– “ I know in my heart that we shall take vast and wealthy

lands. We are waging a good war, which will bring us game. Almighty God, in whose name it will be waged, will give us victory… If you do not abandon me, as I shall not abandon you, I shall make you the richest men who ever crossed the seas.”

Right before Cortes left, the governor of Cuba tried to cancel the trip, fearful that Cortes would get all the gold and glory, Cortes ignored the order and set sail.

An Unequal fight• Spanish weapons were constructed of high

quality steel and iron compared the Aztec’s stone and wooden weapons.

• These massive technological advances gave the Spanish the edge in battle, despite only have an army of 500 men compared to the Aztec’s population of over 200, 000.

• When the Aztec fight encountered Spanish muskets, they believed they were weapons from the gold, shooting thunder and lightning.

• Page 223 shows the weapon comparisons.

Horses as a Weapon

• The Aztec had never seen horses before• Their speed, size, and power gave the Spanish

a great advantage in battle.• The ability to fight from horseback was a skill

the Spanish learned at a young age.

The Role of Disease

• Disease gave the Spanish yet another advantage in their battle with the Aztec peoples.

• During the war, a small pox epidemic broke out in Tenochtitlan killing large numbers of people – Measles was also deadly to the Aztec

Invasion

• The Aztec and the Spanish had a lot in common with each other, mostly, they were both warlike, mercantile (traders), greedy, and did not hesitate to use force.

• Both Groups were used to being extremely powerful• The Aztec also made many enemies through their

forcing of tribute payments and “flower wars” (wars with the only purpose being to collect people to sacrifice)– Cortes would use this to his advantage

Invasion

• The Spanish Strategy– First the Spanish established a small colony on the

east coast of the Yucatan; then they decided it was time to attack Tenochtitlan.

– On his way to Tenochtitlan, Cortes encountered many smaller tribes, Cortes had to decide whether to conquer them, or ally with them.

The Spanish Strategy• Using an Intermediary

– On his way to Tenochtitlan, Cortes defeated a tribe known as Tabascan People

– One slave they took from the Tabascan was named Malinche, a young woman from a noble family.

– She became Cortes intermediary (link) between himself and Moctezuma (the Aztec Emperor at the time).• She could speak Mayan (the langauge of the Mayan People) and

Nahuatl (the language of the Aztec) and she quickly learned Spanish and converted to Christianity.

• After converting she was known as Dona Maria and became Cortes’s spy, without her, Cortes would not have been able to defeat the Aztec.

The Spanish Strategy

• The March to Tenochtitlan– Cortes encountered many smaller tribes along the

way, some he allied with, others he conquered.• The Totonac allied with Cortes• The Tlaxcalans originally tried to fight the Spanish, but

ultimately allied with them when they relalized they could not win.• The Cholulans were long time allies of the Aztec and

fought the Spanish, Cortes conquered them.

The Aztec Strategy

• When faced with the decision if he should wait for the Spanish to attack, or attack them first, Moctezuma chose wait for the Spanish to come to him.

• Moctezuma actually allowed the Spanish to enter Tenochtitlan and welcomed them as guests.

The Aztec Strategy • “My lord, you are wary, you are tired. You have come to your

land; you have arrived in your city, Mexico. You have come to rest beneath your canopy; you have come to your seat, to your throne… If only one of them [past Aztec Rulers] were here to witness, to wonder at what I now see myself: To see what I see: I the last, I the reigning one of all our lords. No, I am not dreaming; I am not sleepwalking… I am seeing you now, I set eyes on your face!... Come now and rest; take possession of your royal palaces; give comfort to your body. Enter your land, my lords!”

– Sounds likes a speech of surrender? Doesn’t it?

The Aztec Strategy

• Cortes and his forces were taken to live in the palace of Moctezuma’s late father.

• The Aztec welcomed them and showed them the wonders of Tenochtitlan.

• Once the Spanish saw the massive amounts of gold and jewels the filled their hunger for gold.

• The Spanish put Moctezuma under house arrest and raided his palace of gold.

The Aztec Strategy• A second wave of Spanish troops arrived while Cortes was

still raiding Technochtitlan, they were here to arrest Cortes.• Cortes had to return to the coast to fight, he defeated the

new Spanish army and convinced the troops to join him against the Aztec.

• When he returned to Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma had lost the faith of his people (they threw rocks at him), he died shortly after.

• The remaining Aztec managed to run the Spanish out of Tenochtitlan.

The Aztec Strategy

• Six months later the Spanish returned with a stronger force

• Small Pox has killed 25% of the remaining Aztec population.

• The Spanish destroyed the aqueducts (no more fresh water) and laid siege for 80 days before capturing it.

• By the end of the battle the Aztec only had a population of 60,000.

• Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire were no more, a new Mexico City would take its place