pp 18 - the conques of mexico, peru and beyond

describe the rise of the aztec empire

led by emperor montezuma it had grown powerful and controlled a lot o territory in central mexico

what was the situation in cuba

diego velzquez led a spanish expedition to cuba, establishing presence in carribean and then from cuba francisco hernandez de cordoba launched first expeiditon in the west bringing them to the yucatan peninsula then juan de grijavia continued exploring the territory and made contact with the aztecs

what did cortez do 

he was originally the leader of the expedition but disobeyed velazqez and launched his own expedition to mexico

how did cortezs expedition go 

he used his alliance with indigenous groups to take control of the aztec empire even though he was outnumberred

how did cortes legitamise the conquest

sent detialed letters to chales V to justify his actions and to spread christianity and charles V had approval adn concern for his ability to control mexico

what were european advantages in south america

weapons and tactics (steel swords, firearms and horses), they divided and conquered through alliances , smallpox killed many indigenous population wekening their reistance

how did they understand the indigenous

a women acteed as cortes’ interpreter and advisor, he used knowledge of indigenous cstoms to maniputlate local alliances 

was their victory a miricle or catastrophe

indigenous accounts tell of tragedy betrayal and devastation ile spanish claim it wa a triumph

what was the leadership perception of cortes

a christian knight, a military genious and a self-made hero

what was the challenged percepition

telling of the ciolence, exploitation and destruction, protesetant critiques claimed he as an agent of imperialism, he was seen as a symbol of oppression, in a decolonization movement they prmoted the indigenous narratives of resistance

what were corteses views of this conquest (on religion, fame, power and military tactics)

he believed he was spreading chirstianity, he thought of humsef as honor and ambition, he was machiavellian in approach with tactics of manipulation, deceit, he combined military strategies and reconquista tactics to show adaptation and innovation

descbe the conquest of peru (rise and crisis of the inca empire)

under huayna capac it thrived but when he died it lead to a civil war between his sons, atahualpa defeated huascar but it weakend the empire leaving it vulneerable

who conquered oeru 

pizarro

how did pizarro conquer peru

inspired by cortes he sought wealth in south america, he failed at first due to harsh conditions -many men returned to panama, so a smaller flet reached a weakend inca empire taking advantage

what were the events at cajamarca and the capture of the inca

pizarros men armed with guns faced atahualpa, they captured it after meeting and even being outnumbered they capture and executed atahualpa

what was atahuakas ransom before he as executed

they demanded a vast ransom for the emperoros release but even though they were paid it they executed hum - fter this they took control of the incha harland initiating colonial rule

what was the vilcabamba resistance

after their emperor was excecuted a brother of atahualpa and huascar was a puppet ruler after years of abuse they then escaped and led a large scale rebellion

what was the last resistance in vilcabamba 

a remote mountain became the last site of resistance and held against spanish rule 

what was the battle for control in 1541

disoutes between pizarro and almagro over control of territories led to amagros execution but then pizarro was assassinated in lima due to the disputes

describe the reform in colonial policy

the new laws of the indies then proected the indigenous people limiting forced labour but the enorcement was weake

what occure then 

a civil war - supporters of the conquistadors fought for power in spanish peru and after the conflict spoanish crown asserted control 

what was the last inca

tupac amaru was the last ruler but was captured and executed by the spanish and marked the end of inca resistance

what was the amazon seen as before its conquest

an untouched wilderness but it is shown that comlexed civilisations existed before european arrival

what were the first attempts at eploring and conquering the amazon?

francisco orellana but failed due to hostile indigenous groups, harsh conditions and lack of supply

what was another failed expedition

ursua expedition internal mutinies and conflcit with indigenous people

what were later attempts

pedro teixeira in 1638 attempted to conquer but faced hotile environments and illness but managed to make some progress

what were the conquests of chile

pedro de valdivia to take control of chile, he made santiago the capital but faced harsh geographical conditions, lack of supply and extreme resistance

whi were the resitance to pedros conquest of chile

th araucanian resitance, ambushes against spanish forces killing pedros and using guerrilla warfare

what was the confederation

the mapuche confederation cordinated defense aginst the spanihs. they maintained autonomy and fought off spanish leading to prolonged conflict until 19th century for chiles independence

what was la araucana epic poem

by alonso de ercilla - celebrated the heroism of the mapuche resistance depicting the noble spirit and courage while recounting the history 

what were the geographic and demographic limits of the spanish conquests in north america

geographical barriers of rocky mountatins, desert sand hotile indigenous groups

where were the north america conquests concentrated in

concentrated in florida, the southwest and south east but there were

what was the conquest form florida to mississipi

hernando de soto travelled through dlorida, georgia, alabama and mississipi. he faced large resistance but provided valuable maps and insights

what were the mythical cities of cibola in the southwest

spanish explorers heard rumours but pedro de coronado was motivated and led an expedition to arizona, new mexicom texas and kansas but no gold was found and exposed the myths

what was the california conquers like

cabrillo connected a legend that california was a wealthy iland to the land but there wa no isalnad however it was a key target for spanish settlements

what was the narvawz expedition like

explored florida and the fulf xoast but face hurricanes, starvation adn native american resitance.

ho documented this trauma

cabeza de vaca one of he fe survivors and described indigenous cultures and landscapes