Data Set 1: Silent Killer
In 1541, a Spanish priest described the smallpox outbreak among the Aztecs:
“When smallpox began to attack the Indians it became so great a
disease among them that in most provinces more than half the population
died… Many others died of starvation, because, as they were all taken sick at
one, they could not care for each other, nor was there anyone to give them
bread or anything else.
“They could no longer walk, they could do no more than lie down, stretched
out on their beds. They couldn’t bestir their bodies, neither to lie face down,
nor on their backs, nor to turn from one side to the other.”
-It is estimated that in the span of 50 years, anywhere from 25 to 90 million
Native Americans died from European diseases (85-90% of their total
population).
Data Set 2: Cortés and the Spanish Army March to Mexico
“When the first massacre was complete, the [Spanish] set out again toward
the City of Mexico. They came in battle array, as conquerors on horseback,
and the dust rose in whirlwinds in the roads. Their spears and muskets
glinted in the sun, and their flags & banners fluttered like bats. They made a
loud clamor as they marched, for their coats of armor and their weapons
clashed and rattled. Some of them were dressed in glistening iron from head
to foot; they terrified everyone who saw them.”
Data Set 3: Spanish Allies
Many tribes in Mexico were in a state of constant warfare with Tenochtitlan
(the Aztec capital city), which pleased Cortés. In Cortés’ letters back to Spain,
he reported about the Native Americans that he “put each tribe against the
Aztec and thanked them for their friendship.”
Cortés carried out a series of campaigns against the Aztec cities and then, in
late December, 1521, marched back into the Valley of Mexico, accompanied
by Native American allied troops and carried out a number of military
conquests in the capital.
Data Set 4: Translators
After sailing eastward into Mexico, the Native Americans presented gifts to
Cortés, one of which was a slave girl who spoke both Mayan and the native
language of the Aztecs. Her native name was Malinal (La Malinche). She was
captured by Aztec warriors at a young age and learned their language as their
prisoner.
Through La Malinche, Cortés was able to communicate essential messages to
the natives they encountered during their inland trek. She acted not only as
an interpreter, but also as a guide. With he able to translate Spanish and
Aztec languages, she could even act as a spy.
Data Set 5: The Myth of Quetzalcoatl (Aztec God)
"He has appeared! He has come back! He will come here to the place of his
throne, for that is what he said he would do when he departed." – Montezuma
(Aztec king), on hearing of Hernan Cortés' description.
A frightening series of coincidences led Montezuma to believe that Cortés was
the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who had promised to return one day to reclaim
his kingdom.
Quetzalcoatl, "the feathered serpent," was the God of Wisdom. He symbolized
knowledge, arts, and religion. In his time, he had been a rich, powerful man,
but was betrayed by his brother and was forced to flee eastwards, where
Cortés would eventually land. Legend had it that Quetzalcoatl was lightskinned, bearded, and he was opposed to human sacrifice (characteristics of
Cortes). Alarming as these similarities were, there was one factor that was
positively spine-chilling: the year in which Quetzalcoatl was expected to
return and strike back against the Aztec was 1519, the exact same year that
Cortés arrived.
Name__________________________________
How were a small number of Spanish conquistadores able to conquer the
entire Aztec empire within just a few years?
Explain how each of the following 5 factors contributed to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
1
Spread of disease
2
Horses, weapons
3
Rivalries among
native tribes
4
Translators
5
The Return of an
Aztec God
RACES Essay
How did the Spanish defeat the much larger Aztec Empire? Use your evidence to
support your answer.
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