Spanish arrive in the Americas
Based on the lecture from Rachel O’Toole, UCI
UCI History Project
Context: Columbus arrives in Hispaniola 1492
Part 1: Cortez and Diaz arrive to meet the Mexica or Aztec (modern term)
Is he a god?
The Mexica people have mixed opinions and are not sure if Cortez is really is
the god they were waiting for.
1. Cortez stinks and is dirty.
2. He doesn’t know about the rituals for him and is quezzy when hearts
are ripped out.
3. He defecates
4. Montezuma sends out his best men Pochteca to investigate him. They
are used to meeting unusual people, speak many languages and work
with interpreters.
Cortez’s observations
Malintzin, Malinalli or Doña Marina, was a Nahua woman from the Mexican
Gulf Coast, who played a role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico, acting as
interpreter, advisor, lover and intermediary for Hernán Cortés. He travels
through the land seeking allies.
1. Read excerpt about markets, view image
2. Markets provided a shopping list for him to see what
3. He is impressed at the order and how the products at the market are
readily available.
4. His observations indicate that the Mexica people are very organized
and structured.
Timing
In the end the Mexica people fall. Cortez makes alliances with enemy
neighboring tribes. Cortez and his men are kicked out of Tenochtitlan 1520.
It was at this time that Montezuma was killed (multiple interpretations:
could have been killed by Spanish, enemy tribe, nobles)
1. Spanish Muskets, Canon and Steel Swords. Muskets were not as
effective as many imagined. Many muskets were used as clubs.
2. Mexica had a strong and effective army
3. Small pox arrives (1492-1592: 40% of people died of disease, 50%
died from being overworked)
Spanish arrive in the Americas
Part 2:
Based on the lecture from Rachel O’Toole, UCI
UCI History Project
1530 Francisco Pizzarro arrives in Peru
Timing
Neighboring tribes did not like the Incas. There was Civil War within the
Incan Empire.
1. Small Pox had already arrived before the Spanish arrived via trade
networks.
2. Incas were dying for disease and involved in a civil war.
Was the Spanish’s methods of Warfare superior to the
Peruvians?
1. Steel swords were also being used in South America they arrived via
trade.
2. Horses: Were not made more Andean land. Many died of thirst, paths
were too narrow.
3. Llamas were like camels. Feet were made for climbing on small narrow
paths.
4. Peruvians had more at stake: fighting for their homeland, used guerilla
warfare
5. Spanish Guns didn’t work
Peruvian Response to Spanish
1. Guman Poma was an Amerindian from a noble family. He wrote in 16001615, The First New Chronicle of Good Government (1000 page with
200 images) a document in Spanish and Quechua. The drawings
expressed the suffering of both native peoples and black slaves under
Spanish rule. It appears from the document that Poma went to Lima to
hand it over to the Viceroy and then have it sent to Spanish King
Felipe III. However, it was acquired by a Danish diplomat who brought
it to Denmark. It is likely that it became part of King Fredrick IIIs
library as early as c. 1660.
2. Cultural Diffusion: Spanish took over and brought European Culture,
religion to the native people.