2. Encounter & Conquest Europeans in Latin America

3. Hernando Cortez  Spaniard.  1519 goes to “New World.”  First stop is Cuba- easily conquered.  Continues west with 11 ships and 550 men…reaches Mexico.

4. Cortes Encounters the Aztecs.  Meets “La Malinche”  Sets up camp at Vera Cruz.  Has a series of meetings with the Aztecs.  Series of bad omens alerts the Aztecs that Cortes may be an angry god returning to Tenochtitlan.

5. Cortes Encounters the Aztecs (cont).  Cortes marches inland towards the capital of the Aztec Empire, Tenochtitlan.  Aztec King, Montezuma, fears that Cortes is an angry god and treats him & his men as special guests.  Cortes kidnaps and kills Montezuma, Aztecs become angered and attack Cortes.  “Sad Night”

6. Cortes Regroups  Recruits native allies- Tlaxcalans.  Builds brigantines with left over materials. Re- organizes and plans an assault on the city.

7. Siege of Tenochtitlan  Tenochtitlan is conquered…how do so few men conquer such a large city?  Advantages: Gunpowder, armor, advanced weapons & tactics, horses, steel.  European diseases decimates Aztecs (smallpox, influenza).

8. FRANCISCO PIZARRO Conquest of the Incas…

9. Francisco Pizarro  Spaniard.  Travels to the New World and works a series of administrative jobs on island colonies.  Hears rumor of a vast and wealthy empire to the South.

10. Pizarro…(cont.)  1520’s he works as a colonizer in Panama.  1524-28, makes several trips into South America, mapping and exploring the coast.  1532, establishes a base of operations at San Mateo.

11. Pizarro & the Incas.  Incas had recently ended a long civil war and Atahualpa emerges as the leader.  Pizarro lures Atahualpa and his imperial guard to a meeting where they are ambushed & slaughtered.

12. Pizarro & Incas…(cont.)  Atahualpa is held hostage for a huge ransom.  Atahualpa is executed upon receipt of the ransom payment.  Incan kingdom is leaderless and in disarray.

13. Pizarro & the Incas…(cont.)  Pizarro installs a puppet leader.  Loots Incan capital of Cuzco.  Establishes new capital at Lima.  Roots of colonialism have begun.