The Aztecs often times fought wars where the sole purpose was the taking of captives for ritual sacrifice. Tlaxcala: 80,000–200,000, The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most significant events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, as well as world history. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. One account suggests that Governor Velázquez wished to restrict the Cortés expedition to being a pure trading expedition. The belief that the Spanish were exceptional and had the Christian god on their side, for example, was perhaps one of the biggest motivations for engaging in warfare with the Aztecs. Raudzens, George. "Tenochtitlán was a huge city," says Barrera. You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. However, by calling upon the knowledge of the law of Castile that Cortés likely gained while he was a student in Salamanca and by utilizing his powers of persuasion, Cortés was able to maneuver Governor Velázquez into inserting a clause into his orders that enabled Cortés to take emergency measures without prior authorization, if such were "...in the true interests of the realm." Far from being treated cruelly in defeat, enemy warriors were received in the homes of captors as honoured guests and given the best food and clothes in the house - until such time as the festive calendar called for them to be sacrificed to the gods, when they would be accompanied by their captors up the steps of the temple-pyramids... Not surprisingly, ordinary Aztec warriors could move steadily up the ranks by the tally of enemies captured, and so gain prestige and status, leading even to the ranks of Eagle or Jaguar Knights. The initially friendly relationships between the Aztecs and the Spaniards soon soured as the Spaniards now inside Tenochtitlan as Moctezuma’s guests, took the Emperor Moctezuma hostage and also killed many local Nobles. Spaniards with assets who were willing to risk them to increase their wealth and power could potentially gain even more.[26]. [21]:247, In April 1520, Cortés was told by Moctezuma, that a much larger party of Spaniards consisting of nineteen ships and fourteen hundred soldiers under the command of Pánfilo de Narváez had arrived. He defeated them in a surprise attack and successfully convinced the soldiers to join his quest to topple the Aztec empire. [7], Two lengthy accounts from the defeated indigenous viewpoint were created under the direction of Spanish friars, Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagún and Dominican Diego Durán, using indigenous informants. You have come to your city: Mexico, here you have come to sit on your place, on your throne. [21]:278–279, Many of the nobility rallied around Cuitláhuac,[21]:294 the brother of Moctezuma and his heir-apparent; however, most of them could take no overt action against the Spanish unless the order was given by the Emperor. This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. As Cortes told his men, the natives "think us gods, or godlike beings. Indigenous accounts are from particular indigenous viewpoints (either allies or opponents) and as the events had a direct impact on their polity. It is also important to note that the native texts of the defeated Mexica narrating their version of the conquest described eight omens that were believed to have occurred nine years prior to the arrival of the Spanish from the Gulf of Mexico. Smallpox and a betrayal from an Aztec ally dealt the final blow. The Council of the Indies was constituted in 1524 and the first Audiencia in 1527. Houses were burned and temples destroyed. Here is a bloody ritual that needs some explanation. The meeting of Montezuma and Cortés — in what today is Mexico City — and the true story of the conquest that followed it still weigh heavily in Mexico half a millennium later. Hernán Cortés on the Web – web directory with thumbnail galleries, Conquistadors, with Michael Wood – website for 2001 PBS documentary, Ibero-American Electronic Text Series presented online by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center, La Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España. [17] Not surprisingly, many publications and republications of sixteenth-century accounts of the conquest of Mexico appeared around 1992, the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first voyage, when scholarly and popular interest in first encounters surged. [14] Another indigenous account compiled by a Spanish friar is Dominican Diego Durán's The History of the Indies of New Spain, from 1581, with many color illustrations. Alvarado's explanation to Cortés was that the Spaniards had learned that the Aztecs planned to attack the Spanish garrison in the city once the festival was complete, so he had launched a preemptive attack.[21]:286. Individuals and groups laud their own accomplishments, while often denigrating or ignoring those of their opponents or their allies or both. The Aztec and Iberian warring cultures share both similarities and differences. Cortes had to fight one last battle, before reaching Tlascla. The tlatoani Montezuma II presided over the empire at its peak, but the cross-cultural expanse of his empire was also its weakness. This article was sourced from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. [48] Their surviving writings are crucial in our knowledge of colonial era Nahuas. It is said that Cortés, upon reaching the mainland at Tlacopan, wept over their losses. However, Cortés, after defeating the local natives in two battles, discovered a far more valuable asset in the form of a woman whom Cortés would have christened Marina. It was decided to treat the strange new Visitors as the returned God Viracocha until Moctezuma could be sure about their intentions. When news reached Cortés of the death of several of his men during the Aztec attack on the Totonacs in Veracruz, he took the opportunity to take Moctezuma captive in his own palace and ruled through him for months. In letters to his King, Cortés claimed that in three hours time his troops (helped by the Tlaxcalans) killed 3,000 people and burned the city. 13 brigantines Aztecs and other tribes people were burned at the stake, thrown into pits of spikes and attacked by ferocious mastifs (large dogs) brought from Spain. Battle of Tenochtitlán, (May 22–August 13, 1521), military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition of Spanish and indigenous combatants. Moctezuma was jeered and stones were thrown at him, mortally wounding Moctezuma. This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. The Aztec army could count, on the eve of the Spanish invasion, on approaching 300,000 men (most from subject provinces) - a giant force in those days, anywhere in the world. She would then translate from Mayan to Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. In fact, Cortés had never commanded men in battle before. "The image we have of the Aztecs was overwhelmingly invented by Spaniards at the time," says Restall. Due to a commercial blockade by the Aztecs, Tlaxcala was poor, lacking, among other things, both salt and cotton cloth, so they could only offer Cortés and his men food and slaves. Clendinnen, Inga. “The Cost of Courage in Aztec Society,” Past & Present, No. Below can be seen the seven types of sailing ship in use at the time. "Cortes and the Downfall of the Aztec Empire: A Study in a Conflict of Cultures." Thus, as the preparations for departure drew to a close, the governor became suspicious that Cortés would be disloyal to him and try to commandeer the expedition for his own purposes,[27] namely to establish himself as governor of the colony, independent of Velázquez's control. This article was uploaded to the Mexicolore website on Aug 15th 2017, ‘Before the coming of the mighty men and Spaniards, there was no robbery by violence, there was no greed and striking down of one’s fellows in their blood, at the cost of the poor, at the expense of the food of each and everyone. The market was highly organised, with its own police, judges, water- and load-carriers, even hotels! The bridge was later called "Alvarado's Leap". Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar giving Hernán Cortés command of the expedition to Mexico; in the Museum of America, Madrid. "[17]:65, A fragment of the greetings of Moctezuma says: "My lord, you have become fatigued, you have become tired: to the land you have arrived. hide caption. I find it interesting that Cortes and his Spaniards felt so abhorred by the human sacrifice, yet they massacred the Aztecs (who were many times unarmed) with slash and smash tactics. An alliance was forged bewteen Hernan Cortes and these disaffected Chieftains who agreed to assist the Spanish in their march on Tenochtitlan. After the fall of Tenochtitlán, the Spanish built their city directly on top of it. Smallpox continued to ravage the indigenous population and cripple their capacity to resist the Spanish. The Chichimeca resisted the intrusions on their ancestral lands by attacking travelers and merchants along the "silver roads." The Aztecs took the sacrifice ritual seriously and would be shamed if they were to offer a weak or injured victim to their gods as a sacrifice. Sources for the history of the conquest of Central Mexico, Significant events in the conquest of Central Mexico, Cortés founds the Spanish town of Veracruz. Cortés’s victory was short-lived. Most people don't even take the differences into account. Historians refer to this time period as the Aztec Empire, since the Aztec were constantly expanding throughout central Mexico. Maxixcatzin and Xicotencatl the Elder, and Chichimecatecle told Cortes' men, "Consider yourselves at home. B) Land, tribute and the role of elitesThough astute at forming strategic marriage alliances and spreading wealth among key loyal nobles, Aztec rulers succeeded more in creating an empire of trade and tribute than one that was politically united. The island was connected to the mainland by causeways, one of which ran alongside a ‘dual carriageway’ aqueduct bringing fresh water to the city (most of Lake Texcoco was salty). In any event, the population of the city rose en masse after the Spanish attack. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. The Tlaxcalteca claimed that their ambassador Patlahuatzin was sent to Cholula and had been tortured by the Cholula. The Mayans at Cape Catoche invited the Spaniards to land, and the Spaniards read the Requirement of 1513 to them, which offered the natives the protection of the King of Spain, if they would submit to him. For example, offering warriors — primarily prisoners of war — ensured the sun would continue to shine and the Aztecs would be successful in war. 1 (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 3: The city of Tenochtitlan in 1519; painting by Miguel Covarrubias, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 4: Farming on the chinampas, Tenochtitlan; oil painting by José Muro Pico, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 5: Reconstruction of the sacred precinct, Tenochtitlan, by Ignacio Marquina (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 6: Mexican school children admire the large model of Tenochtitlan’s city centre, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 7: Aztec porters crossing rough terrain, Florentine Codex; there were no draft animals like mules to pull wheeled vehicles…) (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 8: Aztec conquests, Codex Mendoza fol 2, detail (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 9: Tribute list, Codex Mendoza fol.
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