How Successful Was The Spanish Conquest Of The Americas

Decent Essays
Some of the actions the Spaniards took competing for colonies around the world following the exploits of Christopher Columbus was when Cortes took Montezuma hostage and killed him in order to capture Tenochtitlán. The fall of the Aztecs at Tenochtitlán marked the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The next event that took place competing for colonies was lead by Francisco Pizarro that was similar to Coronado's situation in Peru. He tricked Atahualpa into meeting for a “peace meeting” but really took the Incas offered the Spanished gold for their leader back but they killed the leader and took the gold. They went on to capture the Incan capital of Cuzco.

Some of the economic impacts of the indigenous people on the Spanish was

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    In the chapter, Menchaca discussed how the colonial movement and settlement of the Southwest initiated a social restructuring of the lives of many indigenous peoples and interjected race as a central source of social organization (Menchaca 67). Throughout the chapter the Spanish, who governed and controlled Mexican society felt that they were superior and needed to control more land for their own benefit and ability to gain more land and wealth. The Chichimeca tribes stood in the way of Spansih interests. The Spanish began a series of invasions to gain more land in the north of Mexico. Many indigenous tribes were forced off their land, while other indigenous group resisted Spanish invasion.…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    One conflict that occurred in the story was when Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador came with his men to seize control of the Incan Empire. This was a problem because that event marked the end of the Incan’s power. Even though the Spanish conquered the Incan Empire, the Inca’s agriculture still influences people throughout the world. For instance Machu Picchu is known to be one of the greatest achievement of the Incas and is now a tourist attraction.…

    • 78 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through force, the Spanish were able to exploit the indigenous people and harvest the land’s natural…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Broken Spears Summary

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Spanish siege of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán is largely known today because of the written reports by of those who witnessed it. In 1521 the Spanish took over the capital city of Tenochtitlán, resulting in the ultimate demise of the Triple Alliance. Versions of this historical event tend to vary due to the array of perspectives involved. For instance, whereas Spanish solider Bernal Diaz wrote his personal account The conquest of New Spain, multiple Aztec informants, including Aztec historians Alva Ixtilixóchitl and Chimalpain, wrote different accounts which were grouped together and titled Broken Spears.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Another reason that the Spaniards were able to successfully conquer the Aztec Empire, is that they were able to ally themselves with the Tlaxcaltecas. The Tlaxcaltecas greeted the Spaniards in a friendly manner because they heard about how the Spaniards utterly defeated the Otomi and saw the chance to make a powerful friend and ally. The Tlaxcaltecas used this new alliance to get rid of their enemy the Cholultecas. The Tlaxcaltecas were able to get rid of Cholula by convincing the Spaniards that they had a common enemy in the Cholultecas. For example, the Tlaxcaltecas told Cortes that the Cholultecas were allies of the Aztecs (León-Portilla, pg. 40).…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Spanish arrived in North America primarily with soldiers and missionaries (mostly men). This helped conquer the native Indian populations, but in doing so caused a very bad relationship with the local population. The Spanish were dependent upon the native Indians for food and other needs. Traders merchants and missionaries were the primary immigrants of the French (mostly men). French colonies relied heavily of their relationship with the Indian population for fur trading.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There was a time when many countries of Europe wanted to be a part of the New World and what it had to offer. But like many other scenarios in history, there can be only one victorious group. Through this essay, we will explore how that group, the English, came to reach that feat. During the 1500s, the Spanish dominated the New World with a set culture, religion, and empire.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The downfall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s was brought about by a very bloody and ruthless conquest orchestrated by Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés. Central America was devastated by the aggression of the European invaders who were ransacking every town for their valuables and subjugating the populace. Much of what is known about the events that unfolded comes from primary sources written by the Spanish participants or the stories written by the native Nahua people a generation or two after the whole affair, whose sources mainly consist of oral tellings of the circumstance from their ancestors. In Victors and Vanquished, Stuart Schwartz attempts to juxtapose these sometimes contradictory sources and explore the situation from…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Colonism American Success

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The colonist of America came to success through many hardships. Even when faced with one of the world’s greatest army, they still pulled through. Many factors of the colonist succession helped them to achieve victory. One of such factor being foreign aid as well as premiere leaders to guide. The location of America was also a huge determining factor.…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The motives of wealth can be seen as a natural desire of man, and therefore would entice both the Spanish and the English. However, the different religious efforts and the vastly different treatment of the natives illustrate the different cultures and beliefs of the Spanish and the…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    And the Pueblos not only had tension with the Spanish colonist, but they also had tension with the other Indian tribes. These secondary tensions may have equally led to both the Pueblo, and poor farmer’s…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Broken Spears Summary

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary In Miguel Leon-Portilla’s The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico, the author shares the Aztec account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1519. Throughout the book, Portilla discusses the significant events that occurred in the Aztec society. The indigenous groups in Mexico such as the Mexica (Aztec) had a thriving culture and advanced society in ancient Mesoamerica. The people of the Aztec society were educated, studied many subjects of interest such as astrology, and built great architectural pyramids that were breathtaking and beautiful.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    One reason for this was the enforcement of Spanish rule, and the dependency the conquest had on the Native peoples; Restall explains that “Spanish settlers depended upon native communities to build and sustain their colonies with tribute, produce and labor” (128). Being a conquistador meant striving to receive an encomienda, “a grant of native tribute and labor” - and this was the ultimate form of slavery for the Indigenous peoples. Furthermore, the second reason for the exploitation of the very victims of the Conquest was the need for survival; as Restall writes, “[Native peoples] tenaciously sought ways to continue local ways of life and improve the quality of life even in the face of colonial changes and challenges” (129). While it was common for Native peoples to demonstrate extreme resistance to the Spaniards when immediately encountered, there were other kinds of defensive strategies. One type of defensive strategy was done through the adaptation of Spanish culture as a way to ‘cover’ and preserve their original practices and systems.…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    While the idea that the arrival of Europeans to “The New World” brought upon the indigenous cultures of America no small amount of strife and misery, as well as fame and fortune upon the Spanish is widely accepted as fact, there is limitless dissention among historians about the true history of the conquest of “New Spain”. One event that exemplifies this dissention is that of the Siege of Tenochtitlan. In the following analysis I will describe and discuss two conflicting accounts that document this occasion (The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico and The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz). The accounts are conflicting in the way each author presents certain events of the siege and manipulates them to represent their…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Spanish Conquest Essay

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In 1519, Spanish explorers, under the leadership of Hernán Cortés, set foot on what is now modern-day Mexico in search of gold and land in the Aztec Empire. Although the Spanish initially had no intentions (or orders from Cuban governor Diego Velásquez for whom they made the voyage) to colonize the Aztec Empire, they sought to communicate with the inhabitants and spread their Christian faith. However, the end of 1521 saw the mighty Aztec Empire practically cease to exist, its emperor Montezuma II join the many victims of the conquest, and the survivors put under the rule of the Spanish. A variety of factors came into play regarding the Spanish’s ability to conquer this mighty empire, including the ability to communicate verbally, the religious beliefs of both peoples, and the devastating effect of disease on the Aztec empire.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays