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Aztec 3

Aztec 3. European Contact. Letter from Hernan Cortes to the Spanish king.

nicholas-lamb
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Aztec 3

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  1. Aztec 3 European Contact

  2. Letter from Hernan Cortes to the Spanish king • “…..I will say only that these people live almost like those in Spain, and in as much harmony and order as there, and considering that they are barbarous and so far from the knowledge of God and cut off from all civilized nations, it is truly remarkable to see what they have achieved in all things.”

  3. Montezuma – the last emperor of Mexico • If History is written by the winners, we must take the accounts about the end of the Aztec empire with a BIG grain of salt. • What we know is that the Spanish (Columbus) arrived in the Americas in 1492 and by 1521 (28 years later), the Spanish had conquered the Aztecs.

  4. Montezuma – the last emperor of Mexico • Montezuma reigned over his people for 20 years. • The Spanish claimed that he was hated by his people. • Cortez claimed that they captured him and Montezuma’s own people stoned him to death.

  5. A few things don’t add up… • Montezuma was a successful military leader but there are no accounts of resistance. • If Cortez really was doing the Aztecs a favour by removing Montezuma, why didn’t they kill him right away.

  6. Continued.. • Most believe that there was an uprising and Cortez was scared what would happen if he acted too soon. • Three day later however, Montezuma was dead.

  7. Conquest by colonization • Prior to Montezuma’s death, the Spanish had already been pouring into Mexico bring new animals that ate the grass and new diseases for which the native had no immunity.

  8. Superstition • A popular story is that Cortez was mistaken for the bearded Aztec god Quetzalcoatl • Although it is widely believed to be a Spanish story to justify their actions.

  9. The conquest • It took only 3 years from 1519-1521. • It marked the beginning of massive population reduction and slavery of the natives to Mexico. • It also blended Spanish and Aztec to form a culture that still exists in Mexico today.

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