on the mainland, large densely populated native societies had:
* extensive agriculture
* written languages
* large city-states and empires
* mineral wealth
largest power: the triple alliance (Aztecs)
* 5 million people
* 400,500 vassal kingdoms and city states
Mexico Tenochtitlan
capital was here
200,000+ people
70,000 buildings on artificial islands
The Spanish (and native) Conquest of Mexico Tenochtitlan
hernan cortes and 500 spanish soldiers land in Yucatan, 1519
several factors enable cortes to defeat Mexico, tenchtitlan
* political scheming
* thousands of native allies
* a smallpox epidemic
* spanish military tech
spanish and native allies
gradually take over the Aztecs former empire and beyond
viceroyalty of new spain
* a hybrid native and spanish society/culture
* native tribute and labor create immense wealth for spain