IB History: Spanish Conquest

IB History

Who had the loyalty of the Inca army stationed near Quito?

Atahlupa, Huascar was the inital ruler

What was the encomienda system?

a system in which the Spanish had the right to demand labor from Native Americans

How did the Spanish impact the indigenous population through mining?

- increased frequency of mita labour

- declining population due to death and injuries

when did aztec rule end?

1521

Who was involved in the Triple Alliance?

Aztecs, Texcocos, and Tlacopans

The members of the Triple Alliance formed a confederation under which they maintained some level of independence from one another. Each member had a leader who rules the world and a separate dominion. However, in under one hundred years. the Aztecs became the most powerful of the 3 confederate states.

Why did the Aztecs, Texcocos and Tlacopans form the Triple Alliance?

Challenge the rule of the Tepenacs

Hernan Cortes

Conquistador… was responsible for Spanish Conquest of Central America, most noteably the Aztecs

Political Causes for Spanish conquest

Portugal was ahead in overseas expansion(rivalry between CC in Portugal) and the Spanish monarchs wanted “equal gains”…this made exploration and conquest of land a PRIORITY FOR SPAIN

Explain how glory and status were magnified during this time period (Spanish Crown…incentives)

Glory and status(through gold) were magnified during this time period

Velasquez and Cortes partnered up to explore the “riches in the region”…Cortes dips after he gets what he wants from Velasquez…wants to conquer the territory by himself so the Spanish Crown can grant him glory and status

Incentives for Conquistadors

God, Gold and Glory

Cortes- Economic Long Term Causes

Earlier voyages of exploration acquanited Spain with American precious metals and exotic goods which increased the interest and the pace of exploration

Why were the Spanish successful in reaching the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan?

Explain religiously and strategically

Religion

• Aztec accounts claimed that “the arrival of the Spanish on the Mexican coasts was interpreted as the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy…they identified Cortes and his men wih the predicted rturn of th Aztec god of wisdom, Quetzalcoatl to his people”

Strategic

• Moctezuma thought by giving large amounts of gold and other treasure to the Spanish, they would leave because in 1517, that worked

• Aztec generosity has the opposite effect…GREED

What factors caused a rise in tensions between the Spainards and the Aztecs?

religious

political

R: Montezuma refused to convert to Christianity, as the Spanish made way to Tenochtitlan, the were converting the Aztecs.

P: Cortes takes Montezuma hostage, M tells his ppl to not worry…causes M’s nobles to think M is a Spanish puppet

Massacre in the Great Temple of Tenoctitlan

V is outraged at C, sends 1500 to kill him…C takes care of it but when he is gone, he places his lituenent Alvarez in charge. When C is gone,

• In May of 1520, Spanish forces entered the Great Temple, locked the doors, and killed thousands of unarmed Aztec men, women, and children including members of the nobility

  Aztecs respond with a rebellion of thier own

• Reasons vary depending on perspectives(Aztecs say its because they wanted the gold, Spanish accounts say its because they were trying to prevent human sacrifices and Alvarado said it was to stop the nobles from getting Moctezuma out

La Noche Triste

• June 20, 1520: CORTES AND THOUSANDS ENEMIES OF THE AZTECS RE-ENTER TENOCTITLAN

• Demanded that Moctezuma release the imprisoned Spanish and appeased the population by making a speech to the public

• Moctezuma is killed by a rock thrown at him when trying to address his subjects (some claim that Cortes killed Moctezuma as he was no longer useful to him

• Cuittlahuac takes over for Moctezuma and wants to act more decisively 

• Cortes wanted to get out of the city because of how upset the Aztec people were getting

• Cuitlahuac attacked them as they were leaving, destroying bridges over the lake and attacking the Spanish from the outer banks of Tenochtitlan

• During the battle, many men drowned in Lake Texcoco because of the weight of the armor and Cortes lost most of his men, horses, and armaments

• Small victory by Cortes: As he and his men were taking refuge, they were attacked by thousands of Aztec warriors  and Cortes was able to capture the Aztec general and save his troops from complete destruction

The Return of the Spanish

• Almost a year after the Night of Sorrow, Cortes and his allies arrived back in Tenochtitlan

• The Aztecs had almost come to believe that the Spanish had left for good and were unprepared for a confrontation

• June 1521: Cortes returns to Tenochtitlan with over 75000 other indigenous people, he starts a siege on the city blocking all access to Tenochtitlan. He had several sloops(gunboats) patrolling the lake which were no match for the Aztec canoes.

Why were the Spanish able to defeat the Aztecs?

• the Aztecs had no Allie’s in the Valley of Mexico 

The Spanish had support of over 300 different communities who suffered under Aztec domination. Empire did not receive tributes and trade reached almost a halt(political and economic failure)

• Moctezuma's determination to appease Cortez’s

Initial strategy of giving the Spanish tributes to get them out, was a failure- he invited Spanish forces into Tenochtitlan. Nobles and many ordinary citizens saw him as a puppet of the Spanish

• The Aztecs lacked efficient leadership throughout the conflict 

Cuitlahuac, who led the Aztecs to victory in the Night of Sorrows, died of smallpox during the siege of Tenochtitlan. His death didn’t just have political impacts, but he was a spiritual leader as well and the morale of the Aztec people was lowered.

Technological developments(most important)

Many accounts of the conquest attribute Spanish victory to the use of steel weapons, cannons and firearms

• Steel Weapons: Spanish ones were lighter, longer and sharper

The military strategies used by the Spanish against Aztec Empire

destroying aquaducts, building to cut off resources and help

Smallpox

SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE INCAN EMPIRE

Associate with Peru

North of Ecuador to the south of Chile from the pacific coast to the Amazon basin

Who were the Incas

Political center: Cusco

LOTS OF ROADS starting from Cusco

How did the Incan Empire expand?

Peaceful annexation and armed confrontation

What kind of Empire was it?

Theocracy

Majority peasants and a small aristocracy class

Military supreme

What challenges did the Incas face before the Spanish?

A lot of diversity however it was divided because of a lack of a central language that would make communication easier. They used Quipu

different cultures, different religions -hard

Problems with Incan authoritiy

Used military to impose rules and heavy taxes

What was Quito

Second capital of Incan empire in the north in order to solidify their control

Huascar

Not the bastard, legitimate ruler given most territory and Cusco

Atahualpa

The bastard, illegitimate, ruled over Quito and ruled near the armies

Incan Civil war

Between Huascar and Atahlupa; for more control over territories; h had nobility support, a had military support

What happened because of the war?

Nothing, the empire was still divided

Where A ruled from

Cajamarca

Pizzzzzarrrroooo

Found Incas in 1526

Sees Incans on raft with gold, goes back to Spain to raise funds to campaign his conquest

Incan strength

Military strength , big numbers of people

Valverde the bitch

A Father with the Spanish army, wanted to convert and baptize the Incans for the Spanish Crown

demanded atahlupa to convert in the name of the Spanish crown and Atahlupa threw it to the ground because he had never seen a book

Valverde interpreted as an offense to god and told Incan troops to fire killing thousands of Incans

Atahlupa’s offer

Spanish greed amplified and Atahualpa saw that and offered Pizarro a room full of gold and silver for his freedom. Pizarro accepted but after the room was filled, Pizarro killed Atahualpa

Offensive things Pizarro did while he waited for more reinforcements from Spain

Destroyed magnificent works of art