The Conquista
of the Aztec and
Inca
What the Spanish Found…
Empires in Trouble
 The
Spanish appeared on American shores
in the early 1500s. At that time civil war
weakened both the Aztec and Inca.
 In
the Aztec Empire, a number of tribes
began to rebel against their harsh Aztec
rulers. Infuriated, Moctezuma sent huge
attacks against them.
Empires in Trouble cont.
 Rebellion
was everywhere and the Aztec
were forced to fight in many areas at once.
Because their armies were spread all over,
they lost many battles.
 Also,
war costs became very high. There
were few resources left for making new
conquests
Empires in Trouble cont.
 Higher
war costs, less tribute (gold or food
or slaves) from new conquests, and a
famine( loss of crops) in 1505 caused
Moctezuma to demand more tribute from
his conquered tribes. This demand led to
even more resentment and rebellion
 The
Inca were also facing problems in
their empire when Spanish adventurers,
led by Francisco Pizarro, arrived in 1532.
Empires in Trouble cont.
 When
the Inca ruler died in 1525, his two
sons, Huascar and Atahualpa, fought each
other for the throne. The northern half
supported Atahualpa and the southern half
supported Huascar.
 After
three years of bloodshed, Atahualpa
became the ruler of a greatly weakened
empire.
The Spaniards, according to the
Natives
(What the Natives thought of the Spaniards)
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
A thing like a ball
of stone flies out
of their bellies
and rains fire….
If the ball hits a
tree, it blows
away in splinters,
as though a
magician had
blown it away
from inside.
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
Their battle
dress and
their arms are
all made of
iron…. They
are carried on
the backs of
stags [horses]
wherever they
like to go.
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
Their skin is white, as though made of
chalk…. Their dogs are great monsters
with flat ears and long tongues which
hang out."
These are the words used by Aztec
messengers who tried to describe
what they saw when they met the
Spanish for the first time in Mexico.
The Conquista of the Aztecs
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
Hernando Cortes, the
Spanish conquistador
(conqueror), landed on
the shores of central
Mexico in April 1519,
seeking adventure and
wealth.
With him were over
550 men, 16 horses,
14 cannons, and a few
dogs.
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
He was greeted by messengers of the Aztec ruler
Moctezuma. Wanting to show the Aztec his power, Cortes
had the ships' cannons fired. The Aztec were stunned.
They rushed back and reported to Moctezuma.
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH
The Aztec had never seen cannons or horses or men with
white skin before. "When Moctezuma heard this report, he
was seized with fright. His heart grew weak to the point of
faintness…. And despair overcame him."
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
Moctezuma
first thought
that Cortes
might be
Quetzalcoatl
(keht sahl koh
AHTL), an
ancient god
who had
returned to
earth to control
the Aztec
kingdom.
Moctezuma welcomed the
Spanish into Tenochtitlan (the
Aztec capital) saying, "It appears
that our Lord has returned to his
country. Go and receive him
worthily."
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
•But soon he learned he had made a terrible
mistake.
•Only a few days later Cortes took Moctezuma
hostage.
•Moctezuma ordered vast amounts of gold and
silver brought to the palace, hoping the foreigners
would take it and leave his city.
•But they did not. Moctezuma remained a prisoner.
Even worse, his people blamed him for the Spanish
takeover of the capital.
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
•Six months later,
one of Cortes'
leaders massacred
thousands of Aztec
people, causing
a massive Aztec
rebellion.
•Moctezuma died in
the rebellion,
but who killed himthe Spanish, or his
own people?
•After the rebellion the Aztec forced
the Spanish out of their capital.
Cortes lost most of his army in his
retreat.
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
The remaining Spanish
escaped to a Tlaxcalan camp.
The Tlaxcalan
had hated the
Aztec for a
long time, so
Cortes had no
problem
persuading
them to help
him defeat the
Aztec.
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
•Other
conquered
tribes eagerly
joined the army.
•In May 1521,
the Spanish led
a huge army of
angry tribes
against the
Aztec capital.
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
•August 13,
1521,after fierce
fighting, with most of
their warriors dead
from disease,
starvation, or war
wounds, the Aztec
gave up.
•Within two years'
time the Spanish had
destroyed the Aztec
Empire.
The Conquista of the Incas
Pizarro
Conquers the
Inca
The Inca Empire
ended in similar
ways 11 years later
when the Spanish
conquistador
Francisco Pizarro
arrived in Peru to
steal his share of
New World riches.
Pizarro Conquers the Inca
•Leading about 150 men, Pizarro landed in
Tumbes on the northern coast of the Inca
Empire in early 1523.
•The Spanish assured Inca messengers
that they wished only to admire the empire.
•The Inca ruler Atahualpa then allowed the
Spanish to come as far as his military
fortress in Cajamarca, northwest of Cuzco.
Pizarro Conquers the Inca
•Pizarro decided that only a quick, brutal
attack would give his troops an advantage
over the thousands of Inca warriors.
•With this plan in mind, he called for a
meeting with Athualpa at Cajamarca on
November 16, 1532.
•But Pizarro waited safely behind with his
army and sent a Spanish monk in his
place.
Pizarro Conquers the Inca
•The monk offered
Athualpa a Bible
and told the chief
that he should give
up his Inca beliefs.
•Athualpa was
outraged and threw
the Bible to the
ground saying, "I
will be no man's
slave. I am greater
than any prince
upon the earth….
As for my faith, I
will not change it."
When the monk reported that the
Inca chief could not be converted,
Pizarro and his troops came out of
hiding , killing more than 5,000 Inca.
Athualpa was taken prisoner.
Pizarro Conquers the
Inca
The Spanish
took control of
the capital .
The Inca gave
Pizarro 24 tons
of gold and
silver as a
ransom for
Athualpa, but
he was not
released.
The Spanish
later tied him
to a stake and
strangled him.
Pizarro
Conquers
the Inca
•In February 1536, Manco Inca, the last heir to Huascar's throne,
led an army estimated at 200,000 Inca warriors to the capital of
Cuzco.
•But the Inca failed because most supplies had been used up in
civil war.
•Manco Inca retreated with his army into the Andes Mountains.
•There they continued to fight the Spanish until 1572, when the
Spanish finally defeated them.
Why did the Spanish Defeat the
Two Empires so Easily?
First , the Spanish weapons
were superior.
They fought with cannon and
crossbow as well as spears and
swords made of iron.
Why did the
Spanish Defeat
the Two
Empires so
Easily?
The Aztec, with
bronze and copper
shields, stone
knives, and wovencloth armor, were no
match for them.
Why did the Spanish Defeat the
Two Empires so Easily?
Second
•Moctezuma
believed that
Cortes might have
been a god and
allowed him to
walk freely into the
capital city.
•But Cortes saw
the Aztec culture
as something evil
to be destroyed
and replaced by
the Christian faith.
•The two groups even fought
by different rules.
•The Aztec usually fought to
take captives to kill in a
ceremony of sacrifice to their
gods.
•The Spanish, however, fought
to kill their enemies on the
battlefield.
Why did the Spanish Defeat the
Two Empires so Easily?
Third
The Spanish took advantage of the weakened
and rebellious state of the Aztec and Inca
empires.
Many tribes were angry against the Aztec so
they were willing to guide the Spanish through
their territory and help them win their battles.
Tragically, the Spanish then turned and fought
those helpful tribes once the Spanish got what
they wanted.
Finally
•Disease brought by the
Europeans had a disastrous
effect on the Aztec and Inca.
•Smallpox and measles,
which the Aztec and Inca
had never been exposed to,
spread rapidly through their
empires.
•Disease killed off many in
their armies, and killed off
many leaders too, leaving
the Aztec and Inca even
weaker.
Why did the
Spanish Defeat
the Two
Empires so
Easily?
In Conclusion…
The Spanish Empire





Council of Indies created in 1524 to govern
Americas from Spain
Appointed two viceroys or governors
Viceroyalty of Peru - S. America
Viceroyalty of New Spain - C. America, Mexico,
southern part of what is now U.S.
Gold & silver from Americas made Spain
wealthy
Spanish Colonial Society
 Social
classes: peninsulares - whites born
in Spain, criollos - whites born in Mexico,
mestizos - had both Spanish and Indian
parents
 Women had fewer rights than men. Could
own property and pass it to their children.
Economy of New Spain



Enconmienda system - Spanish settlers could tax
American Indians or make them work.
Plantations - large farms that grow one crop
Large number of dying American Indians led
Spaniards to use African slaves.
Influence of the Catholic
Church in New Spain

Priests started mission to
convert American Indians to
Catholicism
 Played major role in ruling
New Spain
 De Las Casas, who became
a priest, condemned the
encomienda system’s
treatment of American
Indians
Bibliography
 http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~vms/carlton/s
panish.htm
 Google Images: Cortez, Pizzaro, Inca,
Aztec, Moctezuma, Atahualpa