THE CONQUISTADORS
Spanish Claims Empire
WHAT IS A CONQUISTADOR?
HERNAN CORTES AND THE SPANISH VS. MONTEZUMA AND THE AZTECS
HERNANDO CORTES:• Born in Spain to a noble but
poor family• 1504: at 19, he sailed to the
Americas to seek his fortune• Became a wealthy landholder
in Cuba, but wanted more• “I have come to win gold not to plow
the fields like a peasant.” page 64
• Chance came when he was picked to lead the expedition to Mexico
• Described as strong-willed, shrewd, and cruel
• Ruled the Aztec empire since 1502• According to Juan de Tovar, a
Jesuit, “When he spoke, he drew the sympathy of others by his subtle phrases and…by his profound reasoning.”
• Lived in great luxury• Received both officials and
commoners into his palace• Was treated almost as a god• His subjects were not allowed to
look at him• Though brutal at times, he was
said to be a just and effective ruler
• Page 64
MONTEZUMA
IN 1519, BOTH THEIR WORLDS
WOULD CHANGE…
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=W08SSUI60SWHERNAN CORTEZ AND THE AZTECS
ATAHUALPA AND THE INCAS VS FRANCISCO PIZARRO AND THE SPANISH
ATAHUALPA
• 13th, and last, Incan Emperor• Before his father’s untimely death,
from smallpox, Atahualpa governed present-day Ecuador and his older half-brother governed Cuzco (the capital) and south
• After the death of their father Atahualpa became Incan Emperor by killing his half-brother during a civil war
• Left the empire internally split
• Born in Spain in 1471• Was the 2nd cousin to Hernan Cortes• Not much is known about his early
life, but after the discovery of the New World he got on a ship and landed in the West Indies
• He lived on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
• He went on a few explorations and conquests
• After hearing about a land of gold, he led expeditions to Peru to find riches
• He was heard saying “Here lies Peru with its riches; Here, Panama and its poverty. Choose, each man, what best becomes a brave Castilian.“ – New World Encyclopedia
FRANCISCO PIZARRO
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=DYVJOVTTQBIPIZARRO AND THE INCAS (START @ 2:58)
AZTEC CODEX
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