Unit 2, Chapter 10

Conquistador- the word the Spanish used to describe the colonizer leader

Epidemic- a disease that spreads rapidly

Intermediary- a mediator between two people or groups

Mayan- language spoken by the Mayans

Nahuatl- language spoken by the Aztecs

Pandemic- a disease that affects many people over a large geographical area

Hernan Cortes, the Conquistador

Cortes led the Spanish troops toward the Aztecs

Cortes grew up in a time of great change in Spain (the defeat of the Muslims)

The Conquistador’s Formula: A Step-by-Step Guide to Conquering a Nation

Step 1. An expedition sets out from a recent colony.

Step 2. Spanish meet peacefully with Indigenous people after landing to discover the most powerful group.

Step 3. The Spanish invite the leader of the powerful group to a meeting to exchange gifts. The Spanish then seized the leader and threatened to kill him if he didn’t comply with their wishes.

Step 4. If there is a fight, the Spanish try to do it on open ground, where they have much more advantage (with their horses, armor, and weapons).

Step 5. The leader of the expedition remains as governor of the new colony. The second in command organizes the next expedition. The Indigenous people are forced into slavery.

Getting to Mexico

  1. Cortes set out for the Caribbean, believing it would be an ideal place to make his fortune

  2. He arrived on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic) in 1504. He was determined to get gold, not farm

  3. Cortes was asked to join an expedition to conquer Cuba, an island just west of Hispaniola

  4. With just 300 men, the Spanish conquered Cuba with their very effective way of fighting. They formed tight formations which were difficult to overrun

  5. Cortes sailed with 11 ships and 508 fighting men from Cuba to the Yucatan peninsula to look for precious metals and other treasures

  6. Cortes defied Governor Velazquez when he left for the Yucatan because Velazquez canceled it, afraid that Cortes would gain all the glory and power in the new lands

  7. Upon landing on the coast of Mexico, Cortes established a town called La Villa Rica de la Veracruz and declared it an independent government, responsible directly to King Carlos I of Spain

Conquering the Aztecs

  • They encountered many indigenous people along the way to Tenochtitlan including the Tabascan people. He defeated them and gave them gifts, deciding to befriend them

  • He needed an intermediary. He chose a young slave woman named Malinche

  • She could speak both Mayan and Nahuatl.

  • She had learned Spanish and converted to Christianity. She was given the name Dona Maria

  • She became Cortes’ advisor and spy

The March to Tenochtitlan

Each group Cortes met reacted differently

Totonacs: Invited Cortes to their capital and complained about the tribute they had to pay the Aztecs. Cortes agreed to give them protection in exchange for soldiers

Tlanxcalans: Fought the Spanish but the Spanish held them off and offered to make peace. they agreed and gave them 1000 soldiers

Cholulans: loyal allies of the Aztecs but Malinche overheard a conspiracy to attack the Spanish and alerted Cortes. The Spanish conquered the Cholulans

Moctezuma’s Decision

He allowed Cortes to enter Tenochtitlan because he believed Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl and exchanged gifts. Moctezuma gave a speech in which he called the Spanish lords and Tenochtitlan their land

The Battle for Tenochtitlan

  • The Spanish placed Moctezuma under house arrest and looted the place for gold

  • Cortes was forced to leave Tenochtitlan to deal with soldiers sent by Governor Velazquez to arrest

  • Cortes defeated Velazques and convinced the remaining soldiers to join him


    Moctezuma’s Fate

  • The Aztecs were furious. The Aztecs forced Moctezuma to calm them but they threw stones at him. He died either by the injuries or by being strangled by the Spanish

  • After the Aztecs attacked the Spanish, killed multiple of them, and drove the rest out of Tenochtitlan

The Final Defeat

Cortes returned to Tenochtitlan 6 months later:

  • By then a smallpox epidemic had wiped out 25% of the population

  • The Spanish cut off the water supply to the city, defeated the Aztecs in a siege of 80 days and tore down the city

  • 60,000 Aztecs survived. They were enslaved and forced to rebuild a new Spanish city in its place