The Beginnings Of A Conquest
As we last left off in my previous blog post, the Aztec Empire had just experienced contact with the Spanish with Hernan Cortes at the helm. However, as was to be expected in the end, said contact was very hostile and downright savage because of the scores of natives that were being killed by diseases such as small pox and intimidation through the use of steel weapons, cavalry, guns, and war dogs. It was a conquest that both inspired awe as well as disgust and downright cruelty. From gazing upon the brilliance of Tenochtitlan to the savage massacre and overworking of hundreds of thousands of native inhabitants.
Documentary on Cortes. Pay particular attention to the first 10 minutes
The scale of manipulation on Cortes' part was entirely palpable but his actions were done out of necessity. In terms of survival, mutiny upon landing in Mexico would have been a monumental tragedy and the risk was such that Cortes ordered the fleet he had put much effort in to launch his expedition to be scuttled and burned. Imagine yourself as a Spanish soldier. You're in almost completely unknown land in an environment you have no real knowledge of and surrounded by natives that could be just as likely to host you as to cut you down where you stand. Certainly you'd be furious that your general, Cortes, has destroyed your only way to getting home but what can you do? I'd like to quote Dr. Gannon here: "What're you gonna do? Swim to Cuba?". This was the dilemna faced by the Spanish soldiers upon landing. Their survival squarely laid on the shoulders of Cortes. Much to their relief, their general could deliver for the majority of the time.
What followed upon landing on the shores of Mexico was a tale that inspires both praise and awe as well as a look at just how evil humanity can stoop in the name of God, lust for power and conquest, and downright greed. As the "Mexico Reader" notes on page 95, primary documents of the conquest of Mexico are filled with descriptions of the Aztec civilization that was miles ahead of other European states at the time in terms of organization and even agricultural technology. Here is a Spanish account upon entering Tenochtitlan:
"With such wonderful sights to gaze on, we did not know what say or if this was real that we saw before our eyes. On the land side there were great cities, and on the lake many more. The lake was crowded with canoes. At intervals along the causeway there were many bridges and before us was the great city of Mexico... the many other warnings we had received to beware of entering the city of Mexico, since they would kill us as soon as they had us inside."
I have only provided but only an opening look at the political game that Cortes played as he made his way into the heart of the Aztec Empire. As we will learn on Thursday, the consequences were catastrophic for the natives and led to the fall of their city after losing their leader: Montezuma. His death was not one of combat or disease but of execution by the Spanish after he had been taken hostage and been made a puppet. For a time before being forced out of the city, Cortes had unofficial control of the city. I will leave us off with this video that provides a recap of what we've discussed and what we will tomorrow (Thursday). We certainly look at the issues much more in depth but this is a Crash Course after all:
John Green is a bit crazy but here he provides fairly decent background and context on both Cortes and the conquest of the Aztecs. I agree that the Aztecs would have been none too happy...
First off, I have to say I love your video. It was simple enough for me to really recall what we've learned and to narrow it down some, but also brought in some new ideas that I had not considered before. Like I know how you mentioned within your blog that the Aztecs were in many ways more advanced than Europe was, and the video helped to argue your point. The man even makes the comparison that the hierarchal system that was set up by the Aztecs resembled that of Europe. It further shows how these people were more similar than they even realized. But then its hard to see these two groups coming together to make some sort of peace treaty with each other. It's obvious that the Spanish were too caught up in trying to get personal gain, and even if they had come to some sort of agreement it more than likely wouldn't have lasted very long. The Spanish had too many designs for the land that didn't belong to them, and as long as they thought the land was up for grabs there would be no way for these two people to come to terms.
ReplyDeleteIn class we also talked about the similarities and differences between both cultures. At first we all thought that we would find more differences, but the more we thought about it there were more similarities. Both were Conquerors and used other states to bring wealth back home. Their governments were Monarchies-Absolutist were the King in the Aztecs case and the Kind and Queen for Spain ruled. These cultures were very much militaristic and relied on their army for protection and intimidation. Their religions might have been different but it played a big part in their everyday life. The differences were what would doom the Aztecs. The Spaniards had better weapon and navigational technology. The Aztecs had never seen guns, ships, or horses before the Spaniards came. Another difference was the Aztecs no immunity to smallpox which the Spaniards would bring over with them.
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