Learning focus

* Outline and explain the reasons for Spanish conquest and settlement in the Americas.

Refer to the Google Drive document "Reasons for Spanish conquest & settling the Americas" to complete the activities for this section.

The Spanish journey to the Americas

In the 16th century Europe had heard stories of the riches that came from Inca and Aztec lands. In 1519, the Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II, heard that strange bearded white men had landed in Aztec lands. He was told of white temples on floating on canoes, white hills sailing on the ocean and weapons that sounded like thunder. He was uncertain of how to react to the the threat the strangers presented.He sent ambassadors giving beautiful gifts such as gold trinkets in the shape of exotic animals, a golden helmet with a crest made of green feathers, crystal and turquoise mosaics, two huge discs made from gold and silver and covered with designs of the sun and the moon, and even a set of bows and arrows made from gold. Moctezuma hoped to impress the strangers and show the power and might of the Aztec empire. It was a major mistakr. Instead, the strangers who had come from Spain were determined to travel to the source of the wealth that the mighty Moctezuma had spread out before them.

Christopher Columbus

The arrival of the Spanish in the Aztec empire began with the extraordinary journey of an Italian adventurer named Christopher Columbus. In 1492, Columbus set sail from Europe and headed westward across the Atlantic Ocean searching for a quick sea route to the marketplaces of Asia. Thirty-six days later he made landfall and was convinced he had reached India, the land of gold and spices.

Columbus was mistaken and had actually reached the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola. This was a ‘New World’ for Europeans to explore and conquer. Columbus made three more voyages of exploration:

• 1493–1496, the second voyage explored the West Indies and established settlements on Hispaniola and Jamaica
• 1498–1500, the third voyage established a sailing route between Trinidad and South America
• 1502–1504, the fourth voyage established a route along the coast of Central America and made contact with Maya traders in the Gulf of Honduras.

These voyages opened the way for the exploration and conquest of the Americas. In his belief that he had reached India, Columbus named the islands the Indies, and the people of the Bahamas ‘Indians’. The terms were then used by Europeans to describe 397the region, and all the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Columbus established contact between Europeans and the people of this New World.

Columbus was followed by Spanish soldiers and adventurers who rapidly brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. They were known as the conquistadors, a word meaning ‘conqueror’ in Spanish and Portuguese.

The conquistadors

The conquistadors were and cruel. They wanted treasure, adventure and power. Incredible stories of cities made of gold and immense temples came from the exotic new world Columbus stumbled across. Columbus died never knowing that he had found the Americas.

The conquistadors were tough and ambitious men who chased wealth and glory. They had ships, guns and horses, and a belief that European civilisation was superior to what they found in strange and foreign lands. Their view of the world was shaped by history, the Bible and war.

The conquistadors were one a mission to spread the Catholic faith to the heathen people of the New World. They believed their Christian duty was also to bring the untold riches of gold, silver and spices to Spain.

Reasons for European exploration

• Trade

There was fierce competition between European nations for the trade of luxury goods such as silk, spices and medicine. Natural resources of discovered lands were not the only thing that the Europeans claimed and traded. They also exploited the local people of the conquered lands, and manpower in the form of slave labour became one of the largest exports for European conquering nations.

• Religion

A further motivation for European exploration was to convert indigenous inhabitants of the new lands to Christianity. This was a common justification used by the Spanish conquistadors.

• Riches

Many who travelled to the New World came back with stories of cities filled with gold - as a consequence, a significant motivation for many who travelled across the seas was the opportunity to become rich. Only a small percentage of those who went exploring could in fact bring back large amounts of riches.

• Adventure

Many explorers were motivated to travel by a sense of adventure and the excitement promised by the New World. The prospect of interacting with peoples never before seen by the Europeans, with strange and wonderful foods, animals, beliefs and much more. In reality, life was hardly ever that glamorous for most Europeans who decided to embark on explorations.

The arrival of the Spanish in the Americas

The Spanish had been exploring the Americas since Columbus' first journey in 1492 CE, but still had not discovered the Aztec civilisation by the early 1500s, when it reached its height. There were rumours among the Spanish, however, about a rich and powerful kingdom located in the Americas.

Hernan Cortes

The conquistador who would become infamous to the Aztecs was Hernan Cortes. Cortes was born in 1485 CE in Spain. At the age of 19, he set out from Spain to explore the New World, and arrived in Cuba. After some travelling around the Caribbean, he was selected to lead an expedition to Central America. In 1519 CE, Cortes, along with 11 ships and 450 soldiers, landed at the port of Veracruz in Central America.

The relationship between the Spanish and the Aztecs

When the conquistadors arrived, the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world. The conquistadors reported their first sight of the city as being an 'enchanted vision'.

Siege of Tenochtitlan

At their first meeting, Moctezuma and Cortes had been polite towards each other as both men tested the strength of their opponent.

In June 1520, the struggle for control of the Aztec empire led to a massacre at the festival of Toxcatl. The Spanish feared for their lives during an Aztec religious parade and so launched an attack. Armed with swords and shields, the Spanish force closed the escape routes and attacked people who were celebrating within the temple. Nearly all the Aztecs in the temple were killed. The Aztecs rebelled and launched a counterattack. The Aztecs claimed that Moctezuma died from injuries inflicted by the Spanish, but the Spanish claimed that his own people stoned Moctezuma to death.

Cortes and his soldiers attempted to flee from Tenochtitlan under cover pf the rainy, moonless night of 1st July 1520. In the event that came to be known as La Noche Triste, which translates as the sad night, Cortes's plan was discovered and he lost two-thirds of his men in the battle that followed. Before leaving the city, the conquistadors filled their pockets with Aztec gold. As they retreated along the causeways, the Aztecs chased them. In the darkness and confusion of battle, many fell into the lake and drowned from the weight of their stolen treasures. Cortes and his surviving force retreated to Tlaxcala.

The end of the Aztec world

In 1521, Cortes returned to Tenochtitlan for his final attack on the Aztecs. While Cortes had been rebuilding alliances, expanding his army and gathering more supplies, the Aztecs had been hit by a smallpox epidemic. For three months, Cortes' army laid siege to the city. They cut off the Aztecs' water supply, but the causeway to the mainland and blockaded the canals. Despite ferocious Aztec resistance, hunger and disease brought final Aztec surrender on 13 August 1521. With Spanish victory came the total destruction of the great city of Tenochtitlan.