The Spanish Empire

Mainland Mesoamerica, c. 1519

• 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