The Fall of the Aztecs

ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH Hernando Cortes, the Spanish conquistador (conqueror), landed on the shores of central Mexico in April 1519, seeking adventure and wealth. With him were over 550 men, 16 horses, 14 cannons, and a few dogs.

ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH He was greeted by messengers of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma. Wanting to show the Aztec his power, Cortes had the ships' cannons fired. The Aztec were stunned. They rushed back and reported to Moctezuma.

ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH The Aztec had never seen cannons or horses or men with white skin before. "When Moctezuma heard this report, he was seized with fright. His heart grew weak to the point of faintness…. And despair overcame him."

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs Moctezuma welcomed the Spanish into Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital) saying, "It appears that our Lord has returned to his country. Go and receive him worthily." Moctezuma, the king, first thought that Cortes might be Quetzalcoatl (keht sahl koh AHTL), an ancient god who had returned to earth to control the Aztec kingdom.

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs But soon he learned he had made a terrible mistake. Only a few days later Cortes took Moctezuma hostage. Moctezuma ordered vast amounts of gold and silver brought to the palace, hoping the foreigners would take it and leave his city. But they did not. Moctezuma remained a prisoner. Even worse, his people blamed him for the Spanish takeover of the capital.

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs After the rebellion the Aztec forced the Spanish out of their capital. Cortes lost most of his army in his retreat. Six months later, one of Cortes' leaders massacred thousands of Aztec people, causing a  massive Aztec rebellion. Moctezuma died in the rebellion, but  who killed him- the Spanish, or his own people?

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs The remaining Spanish escaped to a Tlaxcalan camp. The Tlaxcalan had  hated the Aztec for a long time, so Cortes had no problem persuading them to help him defeat the Aztec.

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs Other conquered tribes eagerly joined the army. In May 1521, the Spanish led a huge army against the Aztec capital. Most of the army was other native tribes.

Cortez Conquers the Aztecs August 13, 1521,after fierce fighting, with most of their warriors dead from disease, starvation, or war wounds, the Aztec gave up. Within two years' time the Spanish had destroyed the Aztec Empire.

Why did the Spanish Defeat the Aztecs So Easily? First: Spanish had superior weapons (crossbows, Cannons) Second: Different War Fighting techniques. Aztecs fought to capture the enemy so they could be sacrificed in a ceremony…the Spanish just killed as many Aztecs as they could.

Why did the Spanish Defeat the Aztecs So Easily? Third: The Aztec were heavy handed, and treated other conquered native tribes very poorly; many of those neighboring tribes were happy to help Cortes fight the Aztec. Fourth: DISEASE. Smallpox and measles, specially, decimated the Aztecs and other native tribes. Easily the biggest killer; the battles were secondary to the deaths inflicted with these two diseases.