The Spanish Conquest of the
Aztec and Inca Kingdoms
Mr. Hardy
RMS IB Middle School
2012-2013
The Aztec
• By 1500, the Aztec
controlled a kingdom that
covered almost all of
Mexico
• The Aztec were a fierce,
warlike people, who
conquered their neighbors
and ruled through fear and
cruelty.
• The Aztec were cannibals,
whose religion revolved
around human sacrifice on
a huge scale.
The Arrival of the Spanish
• April 21, 1519, 11
Spanish ships arrive off
the coast of Mexico’s
Yucatan Peninsula,
having set sail from the
Spanish colony in Cuba
• The force of 550
soldiers and 16 horses,
(the first ever in North America)
is under the command
of Hernan Cortes.
Hernan Cortes
Conquistador
• Born in 1485 in Spain, Cortes was
a university law student, when he
dropped out in 1504 and moved
to Santo Domingo to seek his
fortune in the new world as a
conquistador.
• Conquistadors were Spanish
soldiers and explorers who came
to the new world to seek glory
and wealth.
• 1511 – Participated in the Spanish
conquest of Cuba, where he
became known for his bravery
and daring.
Hernan Cortes
Conquistador
• Why did Cortes want to
conquer Mexico?
• Gain wealth for Spain
and the Spanish King,
Charles V.
• Increase Spanish
territory
• Spread Christianity
• Gain personal wealth,
glory, and power for
himself
•
The Spanish had heard rumors from
Indians in the Yucatan of the great
wealth of the Aztecs and the
grandeur of the Aztec cities in the
Central Interior of Mexico.
The Campaign Against the Aztec
Cortes gets two lucky breaks
1) The Aztec religion said that one day,
one of their gods would return in the
form of a fair skinned man from the
East. Montezuma, the Aztec king
thought Cortes might be that god,
and welcomed him with lavish gifts
and gold.
2) When he arrived in Mexico, Cortes
found a Spanish prisoner who could
speak Mayan dialects, and was given
an Aztec girl as a prize, who could
speak the Aztec dialect and Mayan as
well. Cortes could now communicate
with the Aztec.
The Campaign Against the Aztec
• The lavish gifts of Montezuma
and his warnings to Cortes to stay
away, only fueled the Spanish
desire to conquer the city.
• Upon arrival in the city, the
Spanish were impressed with the
grandeur and riches of the Aztec
capital, but horrified by the
barbarism and cruelty of the
Aztecs.
• Cortes immediately decided to
put a stop to the cannibalism and
human sacrifice and end the
reign of a tyrant.
The Campaign Against the Aztec
• Cortes and his men are
welcomed in to the city, but
fearing an attack, Cortes takes
Montezuma prisoner in his
own palace.
• After several months, the
Aztec people riot, killing
Montezuma and many
Spaniards. Cortes and most of
his men escape.
• Cortes reorganizes his army in
the countryside, and attacks
the capital in 1521. After a
three month siege, the Aztec
capital surrenders and is
destroyed.
Why did the Spanish Win?
• The Spanish had a much
smaller force, so why did
they win?
• Superior technology, steel
weapons, guns, artillery,
horses, steel armor.
• Indian allies – The Aztecs
were so hated, it was easy
for the Spanish to recruit
the help of other Indians.
• Disease – European
diseases, particularly small
pox, devastated the Aztec
population
Time to Reflect
•
Over the last 40 years, it has become
fashionable and popular in the United
States and Mexico, to portray Cortes as
evil. The Spanish he commanded killed
thousands of Aztecs and tortured
prisoners. He has gone from being a
brave Spanish hero, to a greedy, racist,
killer. A romanticized, heroic version of
Aztec culture has become very popular
with Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.
What do you think?
• Was Cortes justified in destroying the
Aztec culture?
• Was it ok for the Aztecs to sacrifice and
eat people, as part of their religion?
• Is Aztec history and culture something
you would be proud of?
Conquest of the Inca
•
•
•
•
1528 – The Inca Empire controlled
about 690,000 square miles and an
estimated population of 6 to 14
million people.
The Inca Empire included many
different tribes of people, ruled by
local leaders, under the control of the
Incan capital of Cuzco.
The vast size of the empire, the rough
terrain, and the fact that all travel
had to be done on foot, made the
empire hard to govern.
Very Rich – The Inca were rumored
to have vast resources of silver, gold,
and jewels.
Inca Treasure
An Incan Gold Cup
Incan Gold Knick Knack
Francisco Pizarro
Conquistador
• More so than anything else, the
ambition of one man, Francisco
Pizarro was responsible for the
conquest of the Inca.
• Pizarro had been with Balboa on
his 1513 expedition to Panama.
• Pizarro wanted to gain personal
wealth, fame, and glory, and had
heard stories from the Indians in
Panama about a very rich empire
in Peru
• Traveled to Peru in 1526 to
explore, contacted the Inca, then
returned to Spain in 1526.
Francisco Pizarro
Conquistador
•
•
•
•
1530 – Impressed by the gold and
silver Pizarro had brought back,
Charles V, King of Spain agreed to
finance an expedition to attack and
conquer the Inca. Charles named
Pizarro Governor and CaptainGeneral of the new territories he
would conquer.
Pizarro returned to Peru to find the
Inca much weakened due to a civil
war and a deadly smallpox
epidemic.
1530-1532 Pizarro’s expedition
fought along the frontier of the
Incan Empire.
1532- Pizarro and a force of about
180 men captured the Inca
Emperor, Atahualpa
Hoping the Spanish will go away,
Atahualpa offers Pizarro a room full of
gold, if they will leave. Pizarro agreed, but
instead had Atahualpa executed.
Defeat of the Inca
1533 – Inca capital Cuzco
falls to the Spaniards.
The Inca fought on, but within a few years,
they faced annihilation.
Reasons the Inca were defeated:
Superior Spanish weapons, like guns,
horses, canons, and steel armor and
swords.
Disease killed as many as 90% of the Inca.
Spanish Fighting Experience – the
Spaniards made use of their experience
gained fighting the Aztec
Spanish Worldview – Spanish thought it
was their duty to wipe out nonChristians
Modern buildings sitting on the ruins
of the Incan foundations of Cuzco.
Primary Source Reading
• Read the document about the meeting
between Pizarro and the Incan king,
Atahualpa.
• On a separate sheet of paper, answer the nine
questions.
• You must use complete sentences to get
credit.