1. SOCIAL STUDIES 8 CH 10/11: A Deadly Meeting and Worldviews in Conflict

2. CORTES After years of fighting in the Reconquista (the Christian re-conquest of Spain from the Muslims), Spanish nobles found themselves in a precarious position. Many nobles had lost their fortunes fighting wars, but their worldview didn’t allow them to take any job that involved getting their hands dirty; unfortunately, that’s all that remained for many of them in Spain. For this reason, many nobles chose to travel to New Spain in search of fame and fortune (land and gold). Spanish nobles who led expeditions and conquered/colonized land were called, conquistadors. Among the most famous conquistadors is Cortes. He was young and ambitious when he first left for New Spain, but was disappointed when he arrived on the island of Hispaniola and was offered land to work for his living. Cortes made it clear that he wasn’t there to till the land like a common worker, and he volunteered to join the expedition to conquer Cuba instead. Under the leadership of Governor Velasquez, Cortes assisted in the conquest of Cuba. As always, the leader of the expedition would remain in the conquered colony as the governor, and the second-in-command eventually moved on to conquer the next desired territory. So after eight years in Cuba, Cortes became restless and convinced Velasquez to sponsor an expedition to the Yucatan Peninsula, but juts as Cortes was about to set sail, Velasquez, the governor of Cuba became worried that Cortes would get all of the glory if the expedition was a success. As a result, Velasquez tried to stop Cortes, but he left anyway. Think about cause and effect: what effect might Cortes’ action cause? Should he have listened to Velasquez, or was he right to look after his own interests first?

3. CORTES ARRIVES IN MEXICO After landing on the coast of Mexico, Cortes made up his mind to march to the centre of Tenochtitlan. He had heard of a great civilization, larger and more powerful than any other Spain had encountered, and he intended to conquer it. One of Cortes’ key strategies was to befriend any surrounding tribes eager to defeat the Aztecs and to conquer any that were still loyal. In order to do so, Cortes would need to communicate with those he encountered, but he could not speak their languages. Fortunately for Cortes, there was a Tabascan woman who could; her name was, Malinche. Knowing her value, Cortes enslaved Malinche as his personal translator and intermediary: someone who acts as a go-between or mediator between two people or two groups of people. As Cortes and supporters from surrounding tribes headed toward Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma had a choice to make – should he sit back and wait or make the first move against the Spanish. Moctezuma chose to wait for the Spanish to come to them. Do you think this was a good defense strategy? How does cause and effect apply to this situation? W ord of the Spanish eventually reached the Aztec people as well. They heard of men dressed in odd clothing and sailing boats as big as mountains, animals that looked like giant deer, and sticks that shot fire (muskets: long, rifle-like guns that were fired from the shoulder).

4. THE BATTLE FOR TENOCHTITLAN Shortly after arriving in Tenochtitlan, Cortes and his men visited the Aztec market. They were in awe of it’s size, organization, and cleanliness, but most of all, they were mesmerized by the vast amount of gold; it was because of this that Cortes eventually decided to capture Moctezuma and take Tenochtitlan. Cortes’ first move was to place Moctezuma under house arrest in his palace. He intended to use Moctezuma as leverage against the Aztec people, but they would not surrender; Moctezuma died shortly after. To further complicate matters, Velasquez sent men to arrest Cortes, who fled as a result. Cortes eventually returned and defeated Velasquez’s men, allowing the survivors to join his conquest. The End of the Aztec Empire When Cortes returned a second time to battle the Aztecs, he arrived to find that a smallpox epidemic had wiped out nearly %25 of the population. Cortes’ next move was to cut off the Tenochtitlan aqueducts. After more than two months of battle, as a result of widespread disease and a limited water supply, the Aztecs were finally defeated. In 2003, what epidemic outbreak caused 44 deaths in Canada? SARS: a deadly respiratory virus, symptomatically comparable to a severe flu or pneumonia.

5. THE AFTERMATH: THE AZTEC EMPIRE UNDER SPANISH RULE The Aztec worldview was greatly impacted following the Spanish conquest. To the Aztecs, nothing was more important than religion and their society/economy (Aztecs were expected to contribute to society to create a strong economy). Knowing this, explain the following statement: “The Aztec worldview was shattered after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs eventually came to believe that their gods had abandoned, thanks to the stronger Spanish God. They also had to watch their society be broken up and reconstructed at the will of the Spanish. Everything that they knew to be true, everything that they valued was now gone, and they soon found themselves at the bottom of the social ladder. How did Cortes convince some Aztec survivors to convert/what did he do that made his god look so powerful? He invited the Franciscan order, Catholic priests who had sworn a vow of poverty, and upon arrival, Cortes kissed the hems of their robes. For a great man like Cortes to do something like this, was very powerful for the Aztecs.

6. The Aztec Economy Under Spanish Rule: How did society change? Cortes immediately introduced the encomienda system: a system that gave Spanish settlers land grants when they arrived in a colony. Next, Cortes introduced “Marriage Law”, which required settlers to marry within six months of settling. Children who resulted from the marriages of indigenous women and Spanish men were called, the Mestizo. Cortes did these things to encourage settlers to stay and strengthen the new colony's economy. How do you think these events made the people of New Spain fe el? They began to feel disconnected from Spain. They had fought and worked hard set up a new life, and Spain didn’t even seem to care that they had poor housing, limited food, no roads; Spain simply continued to take from the people of New Spain which ignited their desire for…. However, the encomienda system was eventually banned by King Carlos I of Spain, followed by the resumption of the governorship of New Spain, from Cortes, by King Carlos I of Spain. Independence. The people of New Spain no longer wanted to be under the control of an imperial power, as it was clear that Spain was completely disregarding the needs and desires of their colony.

7. REVIEW SLIDE Define: Reconquista: the Christian re-conquest of Spain from the Muslims. Spanish nobles were most driven by which aspects of their worldview? Fame and Fortune or Gold and Glory Spanish nobles who led expeditions and conquered/colonized land were called: conquistadors. Among the most famous conquistadors is: Cortes. Under the leadership of_________, Cortes assisted in the conquest of ______. Governor Velasquez; Cuba The leader of a Spanish expedition would remain in the conquered colony as the,________ and the ________ eventually moved on to________________________. Governor; second-in-command; conquer the next desired territory. T or F: Cortes became restless after 5 years in Cuba, but eventually convinced Velasquez to sponsor an expedition to the Yucatan Peninsula. Explain. F: Cortes did convince Velasquez to sponsor his expedition, but he stayed in Cuba for 8 years, not 5. What happened just before Cortes was about to set sail and why? Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, asked Cotes to cancel his expedition. Velasquez had became worried that if the expedition was a success, Cortes would get all of the glory. What was Cortes decision (regarding Velasquez’s demand to cancel the expedition)? He ignored Velasquez and went anyway. What was the Tabascan woman’s name, and what was her occupation? Her name was Malinche. She worked as interpreter and intermediary to Cortes. What is an intermediary? someone who acts as a go-between or mediator between two people or two groups of people. Define muskets: long, rifle-like guns that were fired from the shoulder. What did the Aztecs call muskets (what term did they use)? Fire sticks. As Cortes marched on Tenochtitlan, what decision did Moctezuma have to make, and what did he do? Whether to attack or sit back and wait. He chose to wait. What, EXACTLY, finally convinced Cortes and his men to conquer Tenochtitlan? The gold in the markets. What was Cortes’ first move after deciding to take Tenochtitlan? He placed Moctezuma under house arrest in his palace. When Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan a second time, what was he surprised to find? 25% of the Aztec population had died from a smallpox epidemic. After eighty days of battle, what two things directly contributed to the Spanish victory? Smallpox and the destruction of the Tenochtitlan aqueducts by the Spanish. What epidemic broke out in Toronto in 2003? SARS Define: Franciscan order: Catholic priests who had sworn a vow of poverty. What did it mean to be at the bottom of the social ladder after the conquest of Tenochtitlan? The Aztecs, being on the bottom, did nearly all of the physical labour for very little in return; they earned barely enough to survive. What aspect of Aztec worldview changed the most after the conquest of Tenochtitlan? Their faith. The Aztecs came to believe that their gods had abandoned them, and that the Spanish god must have been much stronger. Define: encomienda system: a system that gave Spanish settlers land grants when they arrived in a colony. Children who resulted from the marriages of indigenous women and Spanish men were called: the Mestizo. What three decisions led to the desire for independence in New Spain? The banning of the encomienda system, the marriage law, and the resumption of governorship by King Carlos I of Spain. What imperial power ruled New Spain and how did New Spain feel about their imperial ruler? Spain was the imperial power that ruled New Spain; New Spain began to feel disconnected from Spain as it was clear that Spain was completely disregarding the needs and desires of their colony. As a result of the feelings above, New Spain sought _________________ from Spain. Independence.

8. BONUS!!! If you studied the PowerPoint for this exam, write: “Mangos” on the back of your exam on Wednesday! “Mangos” on the back of your exam on Wednesday! Shh… Don’t tell anyone – Let’s see who studied ;)