Months passed, but no reinforcements came to the aid of the trapped Spaniards. Montejo the Younger attempted an all out assault against the Maya to break their siege and lost 150 of his few remaining forces. He was forced to abandon the city of Chichén Itzá under cover of darkness in 1534.
By the year 1535, Montejo was forced to withdraw his forces to Veracruz and leave the Yucatán once again completely in the control of the Maya. At this point, Francisco de Montejo 's men were exhausted, demoralized, and having found no loot after all their efforts, his conquistadors deserted him.
In the year 1540, Montejo, whom has now aged into his late 60 's, passed over his rights to conquer the Yucatán by the King of Spain over to his son, Francisco …show more content…
But besides the spread of disease, the Spaniards also had other advantages: horses, guns, war dogs, metal armor, steel swords and crossbows. All of these were devastating unknown things to Mesoamericans, of which they were not prepared to defend against.
The arrival of the Spanish brought Mesoamericans the combination of disease, war, slavery and forced relocation that nearly wiped them completely out. Their cultures never recovered. It 's estimated that about 88% of the Maya inhabitants died during the first decade of Spanish colonial rule due to a combination of disease and war. Although disease was responsible for the majority of deaths, ruthless warfare between rival Maya groups and Spanish expeditions is what pushed the population over the edge.[64]
The Spanish conquest of the Petén Itza Kingdom was the last stage to conquering Guatemala. The Petén Basin is a wide lowland plain that 's covered with a dense tropical rain forest that is now part of modern Guatemala. Cortés had visited this region before during his march to Honduras in 1525. The chieftains of the local Itza Maya that he encountered had all pledged their loyalty to Spain to prevent Cortés from attacking them, but was thereafter neglected as soon as the Spanish left their
By the year 1535, Montejo was forced to withdraw his forces to Veracruz and leave the Yucatán once again completely in the control of the Maya. At this point, Francisco de Montejo 's men were exhausted, demoralized, and having found no loot after all their efforts, his conquistadors deserted him.
In the year 1540, Montejo, whom has now aged into his late 60 's, passed over his rights to conquer the Yucatán by the King of Spain over to his son, Francisco …show more content…
But besides the spread of disease, the Spaniards also had other advantages: horses, guns, war dogs, metal armor, steel swords and crossbows. All of these were devastating unknown things to Mesoamericans, of which they were not prepared to defend against.
The arrival of the Spanish brought Mesoamericans the combination of disease, war, slavery and forced relocation that nearly wiped them completely out. Their cultures never recovered. It 's estimated that about 88% of the Maya inhabitants died during the first decade of Spanish colonial rule due to a combination of disease and war. Although disease was responsible for the majority of deaths, ruthless warfare between rival Maya groups and Spanish expeditions is what pushed the population over the edge.[64]
The Spanish conquest of the Petén Itza Kingdom was the last stage to conquering Guatemala. The Petén Basin is a wide lowland plain that 's covered with a dense tropical rain forest that is now part of modern Guatemala. Cortés had visited this region before during his march to Honduras in 1525. The chieftains of the local Itza Maya that he encountered had all pledged their loyalty to Spain to prevent Cortés from attacking them, but was thereafter neglected as soon as the Spanish left their