Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire |
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| Part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas and Mexican Indian Wars | |||||||||
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Conquest of Mexico by Cortés, oil on canvas Spanish: Conquista de México por Cortés |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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allied city states: independent kingdoms and city states:
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Hernán Cortés Pedro de Alvarado Gonzalo de Sandoval Cristóbal de Olid Nuño de Guzmán Xicotencatl the Younger † Xicotencatl the Elder Maxixcatl Xicomecoatl |
 Tangaxuan II  |
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| Strength | |||||||||
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Tlaxcala and other allies: ~80,000–200,000 Cempoala: 400 |
Tarascans: 100,000 |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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200,000 dead (including civilians) 300 war canoes sunk |
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Between 1519 and 1521, Spanish explorers, called conquistadors, took over the powerful Aztec Empire. This event is known as the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. It was a very important part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, which changed the history of North and South America forever.
This conquest was very hard on the Aztec people. By the year 1680, about 94% of the Aztec population had died.
Contents
How the Aztec Empire Ended
In 1515, two states within the Aztec Empire rebelled. This was not new for the Aztecs, but this time, the rebelling states actually defeated the Aztec army.
Then, in 1517, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, arrived near Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire. At first, Motecuhzoma II, the Aztec ruler, welcomed the Spanish into his city. Things seemed friendly. Even when the Spanish made Motecuhzoma II a prisoner, the Aztecs remained calm for a while.
However, things changed quickly. While Cortés was away, some Spanish soldiers attacked and killed many Aztecs during a religious festival. When Cortés returned, he tried to get Motecuhzoma II to tell the Aztecs to stop fighting. But by then, the Aztecs had chosen Motecuhzoma II's brother, Cuauhtémoc, as their new leader. The Aztecs kept fighting the conquistadors. They killed many Spanish soldiers, and the remaining Spanish survivors escaped to Tlaxcala. The people of Tlaxcala were enemies of the Aztecs and protected the Spanish.
Ten months later, Cortés came back to Tenochtitlan. He had more Spanish soldiers, but most of his new allies were Tlaxcaltecas. They started a siege of Tenochtitlan. This meant no food or supplies could get into the city. After 91 days, with no food and a terrible disease spreading, Cuauhtémoc finally gave up to the Spanish on August 13, 1521. The Spanish then destroyed Tenochtitlan. They started a new Spanish colony called New Spain. This was the end of the Aztec Empire.
Why the Spanish Won
Many different reasons helped the Spanish take over the Aztec Empire.
Better Weapons and Armor
One big reason was that the Spanish had much better weapons and armor. Aztec warriors wore cotton armor and used shields made of wood or reeds. The Spanish, however, had strong metal armor and shields.
Aztec warriors used weapons like:
- Macuahuitl: A very sharp sword with points made of obsidian, a sharp, glass-like stone. It could also be used as a club.
- Atlatl: A tool used to throw spears or darts with more force.
- Bows and arrows.
These weapons were not as powerful as the conquistadors' rifles and cannons. The Spanish also had horses and trained war dogs. These gave them a big advantage in battles against the Aztecs.
Beliefs and Prophecies
Some historical reports from as early as 1528 suggest that Motecuhzoma II might have believed Hernán Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Aztec legends said that Quetzalcoatl would return as a man. Cortés arrived on what was believed to be Quetzalcoatl's birthday. Some Aztec writings from that time say that when Motecuhzoma II met Cortés, he gave a speech. In this speech, he seemed to give up his throne to "Quetzalcoatl-Cortés."
Historians explain that Motecuhzoma II was welcoming Cortés back to his city. He invited him to take back the throne that had been kept safe for him. This seemed to fulfill an old prophecy about the returning lord.
Other Challenges for the Aztecs
Some historians believe that the Spanish conquistadors were not the only reason the Aztec Empire fell. By 1519, the Empire already had other problems that made it weaker. For example:
- Social Changes: More and more, nobles were allowed to marry common people. Their children automatically became nobles. This meant there were too many nobles and not enough commoners to do the daily work. Since commoners grew the food, this led to not enough food for everyone.
- Fear and Control: The Aztec government had started to use fear to control the states it had conquered. When the Spanish arrived, they said the Aztecs often held public ceremonies. They would invite leaders from conquered states. Then, they would perform many human sacrifices. The conquistadors claimed that the Empire sacrificed about 20,000 people every year.
- High Taxes: The Aztec government made the states they took over, and even regular people in Tenochtitlan, pay more and more money in tributes (which were like taxes).
- Disease: When Cortés and his conquistadors came to Tenochtitlan, they brought smallpox. This very contagious disease killed a huge number of Aztecs. The Aztecs had no natural protection against it.
Because of these problems, many people in the Aztec Empire were unhappy. Some of them even helped the Spanish conquistadors take over. Some historians, like Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani, think the Empire might have fallen apart even without the Spanish. However, the smallpox epidemic meant there were also not enough people left to fight against the conquistadors when they arrived.
Life After the Empire
After the Spanish took control, the Aztec Empire no longer existed. The Spanish tried to change the Aztecs into Catholics and make them act like people from Spain. They made it easier for Aztec nobles to become Spanish nobles, which helped with the change in rule.
The conquistadors rewarded people who had helped them with a system called Encomienda. Under this system, Aztecs were forced to work on other people's land. This was somewhat similar to what many serfs had done under the Aztec Empire. However, workers were often badly treated, and many died. Because of this, a Spanish bishop named Bartolomé de las Casas suggested using African slaves to work in New Spain instead. Later, when he saw how much worse African slaves were treated, las Casas changed his mind.
By 1680, 94% of the Aztec population had died. This happened for several reasons:
- Disease, especially smallpox, which the conquistadors brought from Europe.
- Being forced to work too hard with too little food, which led to malnutrition.
- Famine (not being able to grow enough food for themselves because they were forced to grow food for others).
- Mistreatment from the people who forced them to work.
After taking over the Aztec Empire, the Spanish conquistadors moved on to conquer other parts of Mesoamerica. During the same 160 years (from 1520 to 1680), between 85% and 95% of Mesoamerica's native population died.
Images for kids
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Aztec drawing of Cortés's first meeting with Motecuhzoma II
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Antoni Gómez i Cros - Hernan Cortés lluita con dos indis - 876.jpg
Spanish painting of Cortés killing Aztecs
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"The Last Days of Tenochtitlan" (1899 painting)
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Painting of Aztec temples burning after the Spanish took over
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Aztec drawing of smallpox victims. This disease killed many Aztecs
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Aztecs being forced to work under the Encomienda system
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Aztec culture continues today. This woman is doing a fire dance in Aztec clothing
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A modern Aztec drumming in traditional Aztec clothing
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Aztecs celebrate a festival in Mexico City in traditional clothing
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Tlaxcalan allies of the Spanish, showing their leaders, porters, as well as a Spanish warrior and a Spanish war dog. Lienzo de Tlaxcala
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A comet seen by Moctezuma, interpreted as a sign of impending peril. Diego Durán's account from indigenous informants.
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Aztec empire on the eve of the Spanish Invasion
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Diego de Velázquez, who commissioned Cortés's limited expedition of exploration in 1519
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Hernán Cortés in his later years; his coat of arms on the upper right corner (17th century).
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Map depicting Cortés' conquest route
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Codex Azcatitlan depicting the Spanish-Tlaxcalan army, with Cortés and La Malinche, along with an African slave in front the meeting with Moctezuma. The facing page is no longer extant.
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Coat of arms of Villa Rica, Veracruz; the first town council founded by the Spanish. The tile mosaic is located in Mexico City.
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Cortés scuttling fleet off Veracruz coast
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Meeting of Cortés and Xicotencatl
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Map of the Valley of Mexico on the eve of the Spanish conquest
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"Motecuhzuma receives Cortés. Mexican dances in the lake." by Juan González and Miguel González. 1698
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Conquistadors and their Tlaxcalan allies enter Tenochtitlan
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A page from the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, depicting the battle of Otumba
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Evangelization of Mexico
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Scene from the opera La Conquista, 2005
_-_Reciviento_de_Motecuhzuma,_danzas_de_los_mexicanos,_Miguel_Gonz%C3%A1lez_%26_Juan_Gonz%C3%A1lez_(1698).png)
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Conquista de México para niños
