We explain what the conquest of Mexico was and its characteristics. Also, the importance of Hernán Cortés, his objectives and more.
Hernán Cortés was very interested in obtaining gold in Mexico.
What was the conquest of Mexico?
The conquest of Mexico was an important event that began in 1519 and was consummated in 1521, when The Mexica people were subjugated by a small group of Spaniards which had the support of other allied indigenous peoples.
Hernán Cortés was the Spaniard who led the expedition, representing the crown of Castile, and who persuaded several indigenous populations at odds with the Mexica to forcibly conquer Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire (also called the Mexica Empire).
The true magnitude of the invasion is unknown because it was reconstructed based on chronicles written almost exclusively by Spaniards (known as “chronicles of the Indies”) and on a few vestiges that historians were able to gather long after the event. Some sources also offer the perspective of the defeated indigenous people, such as the work of the Franciscan missionary Bernardo de Sahagún (1499-1590).
The conquest of Mexico was one of the consequences of the exploration voyages that followed the expedition led by the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbuswho thanks to the patronage of the Catholic Monarchs arrived in America in 1492 when he was planning to reach the Asian continent by an alternative route.
Characteristics of the conquest of Mexico
Cortés forced the Spanish troops that traveled with him to fight against the Aztecs.
The conquest of Mexico It was characterized by involving negotiations, military alliances and a display of excessive violence. which had as its protagonists the Spanish troops commanded by Hernán Cortés, as well as their Tlaxcalan allies and their Mexica enemies. The result was not only the conquest of the Aztec Empire but the annihilation of a large part of the indigenous population of Tenochtitlán.
The Spanish had firearms, armor and horses In addition to spears, swords and crossbows, the Mexicas used spears, bows, darts, shields and other artifacts. Despite this technological advantage of the Spanish, the reasons for their victory seem to be linked to the exploitation of pre-existing conflicts between populations of the Aztec Empire, the introduction of diseases and the strategic and tactical decisions of Hernán Cortés.
He achieved his goal of conquest through various strategies:
- He disobeyed the orders of his superior, the governor of Cuba Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, and took the initiative of the conquest.
- He established alliances with some indigenous peoples who were dissatisfied or hostile to the government of the Aztec Empire, especially the Tlaxcalans.
- It forced other indigenous peoples to fight against the Aztecs.
- He forced his Spanish troops to fight on the continent after drilling holes in their ships in order to prevent any desertion.
- He took advantage of the knowledge of indigenous languages and customs of “la Malinche,” a woman of Nahua origin who acted as his interpreter and advisor.
Causes of the conquest
Cortés sought to invade territories and keep the gold.
European explorations in the early 16th century were often motivated by a desire for territorial conquest.of spreading Christianity and of acquiring wealth through the exploitation of human resources (sometimes through slavery) or the obtaining of precious goods (especially gold and silver).
The Spanish crown used to promote these trips, but the conquerors also acted according to their own interests. Many of these belonged to lower strata of the European nobility and sought opportunities and adventures overseas. In the case of Hernán Cortés, he possibly sought both to conquer new lands for the crown and spread the Christian religion and to obtain military glory and riches derived from the exploitation of indigenous labor on haciendas and mines of precious metals.
The search for gold was one of the most frequent motivations for this kind of enterprise. When Cortés received gold from Moctezuma as a way of negotiating or appeasing his desires for conquest, the Spanish and their troops saw, instead, one more reason to take the city. One of Moctezuma’s successors, Cuauhtémoc, was tortured after the capture of Tenochtitlán by the Spanish, who wanted him to confess where the gold was hidden, which they assumed must be more abundant than what they had found.
History of the conquest of Mexico
In October 1492, an expedition commanded by Christopher Columbus and financed by the Catholic Monarchs, whose objective was to reach the Indies that were in Asia, arrived instead in American territoryThis significant event triggered a series of profound transformations in Europe, America and other parts of the world.
One of the consequences of the European discovery of America was the realization of successive campaigns of exploration and conquest that They gradually imposed land domination and American populations.
Some of these territories were inhabited by indigenous societies. with centralized governments that exercised their authority over broad domains, as was the case of the Inca and Aztec empires.
Spanish campaigns were legitimized by the crown and led by conquistadors who simultaneously acted as military commanders, rulers, and administrators of estates in the regions they invaded. One of them was Hernán Cortés, who was in charge of the conquest of Mexico.
The role of Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés led the expedition to conquer Mexico.
Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) He was the Spanish explorer who led the conquest of MexicoHis role was crucial as he forged alliances with other indigenous peoples to join in his armed struggle against the Aztec Empire.
Cortés abandoned his university studies in Spain, embarked for Cuba to serve the conqueror and later governor Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar and At 33 years of age he was already a prosperous military agentFrom then on, he did not stop in his desire to conquer territories and treasures of the New World.
The expedition to Mexico
While Cortés was in Cuba, Governor Velázquez assigned him various expeditions with the aim of exploring the territory and learning more about the indigenous cultures. In 1518 Velázquez commissioned him to lead an expedition to the coast of Mexico but then he tried to stop him, so Cortés sped up his march and left Cuba with the intention of undertaking a series of conquests for himself.
In March 1519 Cortés and his troops arrived on the coast of Mexico.. After several confrontations with the native populations and as a result of these wars, twenty Mayan slave women were offered to serve the Spanish.
Among these women was “la Malinche”, named Malintzin and baptized “doña Marina” by the conquerors, who mastered several indigenous languages and soon learned Spanish, which is why she served as an interpreter for Cortés. She was a key figure for the conquest.
La Malinche described to Cortés the way of waging war with the Mexica and their enmity with neighboring or conquered peoples, information that the conqueror knew how to use to forge alliances (especially with the Tlaxcalans) and expand his army in order to defeat the Aztec Empire by conquering its capital, Tenochtitlán.
Cortes in Tenochtitlan
After episodes of war and negotiation, Cortés was received in Tenochtitlán in November 1519 by Emperor Moctezuma (whose title in the Nahuatl language was “huey tlatoani”). The Spanish conqueror was accompanied by his troops and a thousand Tlaxcalans who were enemies of the Mexicas. When suspicions began to arise between the newcomers and the locals, the Spanish captured Moctezuma.
In May 1520, Cortés had to face an expedition sent against him by the governor of Cuba and when he returned to Tenochtitlán he found the beginning of a rebellion. The Mexicas were unhappy with the Spanish presence and Pedro de Alvarado commanded a massacre of nobles during a human sacrifice ritual (the Massacre of the Templo Mayor) which provoked the siege of its garrison.
On June 30, the Spanish fled the city in what Hispanic historiography called “the sad night.”. During the retreat, there were clashes and persecutions that claimed the lives of many Spaniards and Tlaxcalans. Before this event, Moctezuma had also died, although it is not clear under what circumstances (perhaps murdered by the Mexicas themselves or by the Spaniards).
The death of Moctezuma
On August 13, 1521, the capital Tenochtitlán was conquered by the Spanish.
The death of the Aztec emperor Montezuma occurred just before “the sad night,” in which the Spanish had to flee Tenochtitlán. Due to the repeated attacks by the Spanish who were installed in the city, the Mexica were dissatisfied and were angered by a speech by Moctezuma in which he tried to calm the anger. According to the most accepted version, The Mexica people stoned him, he was seriously injured and died shortly afterOther versions suggest that he may have been killed by the Spanish.
After Montezuma’s death, Cortés and his troops fled Tenochtitlán to later plan their reconquest. Meanwhile, the title of emperor or “huey tlatoani” of the Aztec Empire fell first to Cuitláhuac, who died from the effects of smallpox in November 1520, and then to Cuauhtémoc, who led the Mexica to defeat by the Spanish. . Thus began a period of Spanish colonization of Mexico that lasted from 1521 to 1821.
The reconquest of Tenochtitlán
The Spanish took refuge in Tlaxcalaafter overcoming an attack by the Mexicas in the Battle of Otumba in July 1520. From that moment on, they planned the siege and reconquest of Tenochtitlán together with the Tlaxcalans.
A factor that favored the Spanish was a smallpox epidemic that affected the Mexicas since September 1520a product of contact with the Europeans, which caused significant casualties. Cortés also disarmed the ships on the coast and armed them in the lake surrounding Tenochtitlán to facilitate the siege. Cortés’ troops managed to blockade the Mexica capital in a siege that lasted between May and August 1521 and decimated the population.
Finally The Spanish captured the city on August 13a date that marks the end of the Aztec Empire. The conquistadors shared out the spoils of goods and slaves. The symbols and statues of the Aztec gods were condemned as pagan idols and a campaign of Christianization began that lasted for years.
After the conquest followed the…