ipl-logo

How Did Cortes Conquer The Aztec

1226 Words5 Pages

Bloody murders, deadly sports games, a disease as lethal as Ebola, and countless wars were just a few of the dangers that Aztec citizens had to deal with in their lives. In February of 1519, Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico looking for gold and other valuables. When he arrived, he instantly made allies with many of the tribes, hoping to obtain gold from them. Without the Spanish even asking, the Aztecs gave the Spaniards tons of gold and other goods. Cortes wanted all the Aztecs riches, so he became allies with the Tlaxcalan. The Tlaxcalan were arch enemies with the Aztecs, and Cortes really wanted to control Tenochtitlan. With help from the Tlaxcalan, Cortes and the Spaniards eventually defeated the Aztecs and won over Tenochtitlan. One question …show more content…

The object of the ball game was to get a small rubber ball through either a small ring on the side of the court or into the other team’s end zone without using your hands or your feet. There were teams of two or three males on either side. The ball game could last anywhere from a couple of minutes to almost 24 hours. The game also brought a big health toll. Because the ball is hard and the game could be played for an extremely long period of time, many people got severely injured just from hitting the ball multiple times. The winners of the game received a trophy that was an important ceremonial object. The players on the losing team, or sometimes just the captain, were given a harsh punishment. They were instantly decapitated and used as a sacrifice to the gods. These many forms of sacrifice led to the loss of many people that could have helped the Aztecs defeat the …show more content…

One of those tribes was the Tlaxcalan. The Tlaxcalan were one of the Aztec’s major enemies. Although they were enemies, they had a lot in common. They looked alike, they acted very similarly, and they spoke the same language. Two important differences between them were that they used different weapons, and that the Tlaxcalan had no ranks. The Tlaxcalan were very good fighters, but they weren’t able to single-handedly defeat the Aztecs. When the Spaniards came to Mexico, they joined forces and the Aztecs were finally defeated by the Tlaxcalans.

Another tribe that was an enemy of the Aztecs was the Tepaneca. The Tepaneca were just as dominant as the Aztecs at one time. They ruled from a city called Azcapotzalco. In 1427, the Tepaneca killed the Aztec’s third king, Chimalpopoca. This was the start of many battles between the two tribes. Eventually, the Aztecs defeated the Tepaneca, and took over Azcapotzalco, but it came with a cost. The Aztecs lost many warriors in the war and they were down in numbers when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, which made it easier for the Spanish to defeat the

Show More
Related
477 Words | 2 Pages

The Aztecs stood no chance against Hernan Cotes and his army because of their advanced tactics and ships. According to Britannica, Hernan Cortes allied with local tribes and used ships to cut off the Aztecs water and food supply (2023). This shows that the Aztecs could not fight as well as the Spaniards because they were thirsty and hungry, so it did not take long until defeat. This source is a secondary source written by Myles Hudson, an editorial Intern at Britannica. This source was created to educate and inform people about the battle of Tenochtitlan, and why the Aztecs lost to the Spanish.

Read More
111 Words | 1 Pages

Cortés was forced to retreat and rebuild his army. He spent the next 10 months conquering other Native Americans and enlisting them as allies against the Aztecs. He also received Spanish reinforcements from Cuba. Cortés invaded the Aztec Empire again in the spring of 1521. He began the siege of Tenochtitlán on May 26.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

One of the members of his army killed a group of Aztec nobles. Eventually all the riches that belonged to the Aztecs, now belonged to the spanish. Killing, fighting, and punishing was normal for people to do, to find riches. Kidnapping was also something a lot of people did. Remember Cortez?

Read More
350 Words | 2 Pages

In the ensuing fighting, Montezuma was later killed. Cortés and his men retreated from Tenochtitlán only after suffering significant losses. Which would have a greater impact than he would have thought. Cortez would later enter Tenochtitlan again only

Read More
147 Words | 1 Pages

The nature of Aztec society contributed to its conquest by Cortés by them believing he was a god. The Aztecs were very friendly and displayed great hospitality to Cortés and his men. They did this because the Aztecs believed that the Spaniards were gods so when Cortés arrived, they viewed him as a god. Cortés was able to persuade the Aztecs to get them on his side. He presented European weapons and technology to them and they accepted it with excitement.

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

Whereas, the other tribe has spears and metal helmets. Furthermore, they are respectfully shaking hands and uniting with each other. Additionally, Source 4, a credible secondary source written by a famous historian, Mark Cartwright explicitly states, “The tactics used by the Aztecs in the battle included diplomacy, espionage. and the capturing the prisoners for future sacrifice in religious ceremonies” (Cartwright, 2015). Therefore, after analysing Source 3 and 4, it is implied that the Spanish used effective tactics, which included forming alliances with the Tlaxacalans to gain additional warriors, superior weaponry, and critical information about the Aztec’s plans.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

On the other hand the Aztecs had no horses which was a disadvantage for them. The aztecs had a war club instead of a sword. It was so heavy that the fighter had to use both hands to carry it. The downside it was they could not carry a shield with them like the spanish did to protect themselves . The Aztecs had a spear instead of a halberd.

Read More
1807 Words | 8 Pages

The Mexica people of Tenochtitlan, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco and the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan’s two principal allied city-states, the Acolhaus of Texcoco and the Tepanecs of Tlacopan, formed the Aztec Triple Alliance which has also become known as the “Aztec Empire”. Henan Cortes, along with a large number of Nahuatl speaking indigenous allies, conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztec Triple Alliance under the leadership of Moctezuma II. In the series of events often referred to as “The Fall of the Aztec Empire”. Subsequently the Spanish founded the new settlement of Mexico City on the site of the ruined Aztec capital.

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

But the Aztecs responded by attacking the Spanish and Montezuma gets killed in the cross fire, but it’s not established if the Spanish or an Aztec killed him. The Spanish retreat and many end up getting killed by the Aztecs or by drowning while crossing Lake Texcoco. Finally, one year later the Spanish return with their allies the Tlaxcalans and launch a siege on

Read More
245 Words | 1 Pages

The Spanish Conquistadors had the advantage over the Aztecs in many ways. One way they used was using allies against thee Aztecs. The Aztecs was a tribute empire, where they required

Read More
226 Words | 1 Pages

Although it was one of the greatest civilizations known to the Mesoamerican area, the Aztec Empire was destined to fall at some point. Religion, disease, and neighboring enemies all played a part in the eventual fall of the Aztec Empire. When Spanish Conquistador, Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico in 1519, he brought many superior weapons and soldiers with him. When he went to Tenochtitlan, he was greeted with gold and many gifts. The Aztec Emperor, Montezuma believe Cortez to be something of a god.

Read More
1094 Words | 5 Pages

In 1521 Cortes returned to several thousand tribes to include the Texxocans, Chulca, and Tepanec for a final battle. Cortes and his Spanish force besieged Tenochtitlan cutting off water and food supplies. Despite a fierce resistance the city fell August 1521, more than 200,000 people died in the struggle (History.com Staff,

Read More
272 Words | 2 Pages

When the Spanish first arrived, they were in awe of the architecture of the Aztecs and this amazement may have contributed to them possibly respecting the Aztec people at first for their accomplishments. Differences in religion, sparked most of the aggressive behavior of the Spanish towards the Aztecs. They saw the human sacrifices and other practices of the Aztec religion as barbaric. This caused them to view the Aztecs as inferior and ultimately as enemies against their faith. With that state of mind, it was no longer necessary for the Spanish to try to peacefully deal with the Aztecs.

Read More
1135 Words | 5 Pages

The Spanish retreated from Tenochtitlan, by fighting their way out, away from the angry mobs. The Spaniards took shelter with the Tlaxacan where they devised a plan to finally to conquer the Aztecs once and for all. The Spaniards, Tlaxacan, and other allied tribes all returned to Tenochtitlan with reinforcements and a siege. After eighty days of bloody battles Cuauhtémoc surrendered to the Spaniards, and that was the end of the Aztec

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

Using war equipment that the Aztec had never seen before and different battle techniques, Cortes and his men were able to quickly and effectively conquer Tenochtitlan. During battle against the Aztecs, animals from Spain that served in many battles called horses (about twelve), as well as swords and crossbows (a much more advanced version of the Aztec war club and spear-thrower) were labelled as advanced technology as they were quicker, deadlier, and consequently more efficient. These many advantages against the Aztecs and their traditional weapons; and therefore the Spaniards won many battles alongside their allies, and succeeded greatly by using guns that were far more powerful than the Aztecs' weapons. Unfair as it is, this gave the Spanish explorer a supremacy in conquering one of the most elaborate European cities at the time. “The Aztecs were unable to rebel against the Spaniards because most of them were sick or dead from smallpox.

Read More

More about How Did Cortes Conquer The Aztec

Related Topics

Open Document