 |
| Hernan Cortes meeting Montezuma. |
Before the Spanish came, the Aztecs pretty much stomped all over the other tribes of Mexico. Being the fiercest and most warlike of the people of Central America, nobody really messed with the Aztecs.
In a sense, the Aztec empire was already in a gradual decline, and they were pretty much doomed to be conquered. Their conquest can be considered inevitable. The Aztecs already had dwindling numbers due to the constant sacrifices and there were many other reasons that would lead to the fall, like the Aztecs religious belief that their God would return on a boat from the sea, and the Aztecs unending hospitality which would lead them to be tricked. The Aztecs were also very susceptible to the diseases of the Europeans because they were never exposed to it before.
The king of the Aztecs at the time, Montezuma, knew of the prophecy that one day their god, Quetzalcoatl, would return and come from the sea. So when Cortes came, Montezuma simply assumed it was the wayward deity. To know the events in a more concise manner, here is a timeline:
1. On March 4th, 1519, the Spaniards, led by Hernan Cortes, land in Mexico. The mexicans greeted him with gifts.
2. Cortes sinks all the Spanish ships in order that his men don't desert him on their long journey.
3. On November 8th of 1519, Cortes arrives in Tenochtitlan on good terms with the Aztec people.
But then Cortes demand that the Aztecs turn from their evil ways and worship in the Catholic way. He destroys and defiles the sacred relics of the helpless Aztecs and replaces them with Catholic objects;
In a sense, the Aztec empire was already in a gradual decline, and they were pretty much doomed to be conquered. Their conquest can be considered inevitable. The Aztecs already had dwindling numbers due to the constant sacrifices and there were many other reasons that would lead to the fall, like the Aztecs religious belief that their God would return on a boat from the sea, and the Aztecs unending hospitality which would lead them to be tricked. The Aztecs were also very susceptible to the diseases of the Europeans because they were never exposed to it before.
The king of the Aztecs at the time, Montezuma, knew of the prophecy that one day their god, Quetzalcoatl, would return and come from the sea. So when Cortes came, Montezuma simply assumed it was the wayward deity. To know the events in a more concise manner, here is a timeline:
1. On March 4th, 1519, the Spaniards, led by Hernan Cortes, land in Mexico. The mexicans greeted him with gifts.
2. Cortes sinks all the Spanish ships in order that his men don't desert him on their long journey.
3. On November 8th of 1519, Cortes arrives in Tenochtitlan on good terms with the Aztec people.
But then Cortes demand that the Aztecs turn from their evil ways and worship in the Catholic way. He destroys and defiles the sacred relics of the helpless Aztecs and replaces them with Catholic objects;
"Three halls are in this grand temple, which contain the principal idols; these are of wonderful extent and height, and admirable workmanship, adorned with figures sculptured in stone and wood; leading from the halls are chapels with very small doors, to which the light is not admitted, nor are any persons except the priests, and not all of them. In these chapels are the images of idols, although, as I have before said, many of them are also found on the outside; the principal ones, in which the people have greatest faith and confidence, I precipitated from their pedestals, and cast them down the steps of the temple, purifying the chapels in which they had stood, as they were all polluted with human blood, shed ill the sacrifices. In the place of these I put images of Our Lady and the Saints, which excited not a little feeling in Moctezuma and the inhabitants, who at first remonstrated, declaring that if my proceedings were known throughout the country, the people would rise against me; for they believed that their idols bestowed on them all temporal good, and if they permitted them to be ill-treated, they would be angry and without their gifts, and by this means the people would be deprived of the fruits of the earth and perish with famine. I answered, through the interpreters, that they were deceived in expecting any favors from idols, the work of their own hands, formed of unclean things; and that they must learn there was but one God, the universal Lord of all, who had created the heavens and earth, and all things else, and had made them and us; that He was without beginning and immortal, and they were bound to adore and believe Him, and no other creature or thing.
I said everything to them I could to divert them from their idolatries, and draw them to a knowledge of God our Lord. Moctezuma replied, the others assenting to what he said, AThat they had already informed me they were not the aborigines of the country, but that their ancestors had emigrated to it many years ago; and they fully believed that after so long an absence from their native land, they might have fallen into some errors; that I having more recently arrived must know better than themselves what they ought to believe; and that if I would instruct them in these matters, and make them understand the true faith, they would follow my directions, as being for the best. Afterwards, Moctezuma and many of the principal citizens remained with me until I had removed the idols, purified the chapels, and placed the images in them, manifesting apparent pleasure; and I forbade them sacrificing human beings to their idols as they had been accustomed to do; because, besides being abhorrent in the sight of God, your sacred Majesty had prohibited it by law, and commanded to put to death whoever should take the life of another. Thus, from that time, they refrained from the practice, and during the whole period of my abode in that city, they were never seen to kill or sacrifice a human being."(Letter from Hernan Cortes to King Charles V, 1520. http://www.fordham.edu)
4. The Aztec ruler was angry at the Spaniards, but fortunately Cortes left in the nick of time to defeat a rival Spanish conquistador. On his way back, Cortes decided to conquer the Aztec people.
5. Cortes arrives in full force, with complete domination in mind. The Aztecs revolt and drive the Spanish from Tenochtitlan.
6. Cortes conquers the smaller Aztec cities, and eventually lays siege to Tenochtitlan.
5. Cortes arrives in full force, with complete domination in mind. The Aztecs revolt and drive the Spanish from Tenochtitlan.
6. Cortes conquers the smaller Aztec cities, and eventually lays siege to Tenochtitlan.
7. On August 13th, 1521, Cuauhtemoc, the last emperor of the Aztecs, surrenders the city to Cortes.
The Aztecs were not defeated by the sheer force of the Spaniards. The Aztecs highly outnumbered the Spanish, and were far superior in combat. The reason the Spanish won is due to three things. Guns, horses, and disease. The Aztecs, who had never seen a gun or a horse before, were terrified of this new warfare technology. Sheer terror defeated many of the Aztecs. As the siege was laid on Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were met with a new enemy. Smallpox. Many of the Aztecs died or were weakened by this disease that the Europeans were generally immune to. This biological warfare is what really defeated the Aztecs.
The Aztecs were not defeated by the sheer force of the Spaniards. The Aztecs highly outnumbered the Spanish, and were far superior in combat. The reason the Spanish won is due to three things. Guns, horses, and disease. The Aztecs, who had never seen a gun or a horse before, were terrified of this new warfare technology. Sheer terror defeated many of the Aztecs. As the siege was laid on Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were met with a new enemy. Smallpox. Many of the Aztecs died or were weakened by this disease that the Europeans were generally immune to. This biological warfare is what really defeated the Aztecs.
chada
ReplyDelete