Spanish & Aztec 2 Flashcards
(25 cards)
What are some words that could be used to describe Hernan Cortes?
- intelligent
- strong leader
- ambitious
- brave
- skilled strategist
what advantages of the Spanish worldview helped them beat the Aztecs?
- religion
- knowledge of other countries/cultures
- military tactics
how did Spanish religion give them an advantage?
- spanish religious beliefs: justified action against the aztecs
- allowed spanish to take decisive action (save Aztecs from hell, stop human sacrifice)
how did the spanish’s knowledge of other cultures/countries give them an advantage?
- had superior technology through contact with other countries
- viewed Aztecs as primitive/inferior (gave them justification to conquer them and confidence in battle)
who was La Malinche/what did she do?
- provided Spanish with information about aztec culture
- gave Spanish an idea of the Aztec worldview (warned about traps, established alliances)
how did the Spanish military tactics give them an advantage?
- goal of total domination (kill as many people as possible, destroy enemy cities, leave survivors at the mercy of Spain (forced to assimilate))
what statements could be made about Montezuma?
- very religious/superstitious
- put great faith in omens
- ruled empire cruelly
- did not form relationships with conquered
what were the disadvantages of the Aztec worldview?
- religion
- isolation from other cultures
- military tactics
how did religion disadvantage the Aztecs?
- Aztecs believed in direct signs/omens from the gods
- conflicting omens prevented Aztecs from making decisions
- Aztec mistook the Spanish for gods
- were cautious and respectful to avoid offending them
- did not treat the spanish as invaders
how did isolation from other cultures harm the Aztecs?
- they had inferior weapons and technology
- did not understand motivations of the spanish
- mistook strangers for gods
- brutal rule over the empire isolated Aztecs from fellow mesoamericans
- conquered cities quickly sided with the spanish
how did the aztec’s military tactics harm them?
- their methods: capture not kill, leave cities alone
- leaves large angry population to rebel against them
- their strategies were ineffective against the spanish
when and were did cortes depart from Europe? what did he do when he got to America?
Cuba, 1519
- founds city of Veracruz
- sinks his own ship (so his crew can’t leave)
- looks for rumoured, wealthy civilization
what was the original purpose of montezuma giving gifts to the spanish?
- determine if they are gods
- intimidate/persuade them to leave
how did cortes gather allies?
- hatred of the aztecs
- trickery (showing advanced weapons)
- force (killing nobles)
what happened when the spanish met the tlaxcalans and cholulas?
- the spanish defeat both armies
- persuade them to join the spanish against the aztec
how does montezuma treat cortes?
- invite him into the city
- unsure if he is a god or an enemy
- treats cortes well, gives him a palace
what happens when cortes kidnaps montezuma?
- cortes takes him, and aztecs desert him (leave him with the spanish)
- this leads to a bit of a puppet-state because montezuma is likely threatened to do what cortes tell him
- spanish held montezuma for months, and the aztecs left them alone in their palace
what was the massacre of aztecs/what happened?
- governor of cuba arrives in mexico to arrest cortes
- cortes leaves tenochtitlan to fight the governor
- the men cortes leaves behind decide to attack the aztecs
- spanish attack during festival of huitzilopochtli
- kill civilians and priests
- enraged aztecs force spanish back to their palace
what was the noche triste/what happened?
noche triste/sorrowful night
- aztecs had trapped spanish in their palace
- cortes defeats the governor and sneaks back into tenochtitlan
- orders montezuma to calm the aztecs
- spanish try to sneak out of tenochtitlan
- attacked by the aztecs
- around 4000 spanish and tlaxcalans killed
what disease killed many aztecs/what happened?
- cortes army retreated to tlaxcala
- accidently leave tenochtitlan contaminated with smallpox
- half of tenochtitlan dies in 5 months
how did the final fall of the aztecs occur?
- cortes returns to tenochtitlan with more allies
- blocked off fresh water and food to aztecs: increased death from smallpox
- aztec surrender after 75 days
what happened to tenochtitlan and the areas the spanish conquered?
- territories conquered by cortes renamed new spain
- conquistadors become nobles, granted land in new spain
- used aztecs and other groups as slave labour on the land
- maintained the tribute system
- life for the aztec commoners was very similar, just working for a new land lord
- expectation to learn spanish language and culture
how was the aztec worldview destroyed?
- spanish works to wipe out aztec culture
- destroy codices, sculptures, temples
- ban aztec religion, science art
- destroy tenochtitlan: fill in lake texcoco and found mexico city
how did the spanish go about converting aztecs to the spanish worldview (religion)?
- christianity was their main priority
- churches are the first buildings in new spain
- missionaries work to convert remaining aztecs to christianity
