Spanish Arrival in Mesoamerica

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Spanish Arrival in Mesoamerica

• Arrival
• Conquistadors
• Aztec Accounts

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ArrivalA.D. 1519

• The first city the Spanish saw was Cempoala on
  the Veracruz coastal plain.
• Received by the Totonac ruler.
• city with five pyramids and a round temple
  dedicated to Quetzalcoatl.
• walled and raised above ground level for defense
  and floods.
• Impressed by the pottery and architecture of
  these savages
• Traveled above the coastal plain and through the
  volcanoes-Popcatpetl and Iztaccihuatl.
• Beneath them was the Basin of Mexico.
• 7700 sq km, with forested mts surrounding it.
• center was a chain of five lakes.
• They saw the inland city of Tenochtitlan from
  there.

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Basin of Mexico
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Volcanoes-Popcatpetl and Iztaccihuatl
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Cortes

• (1485-1547), Spanish explorer and conqueror of
  the Aztec Empire of Mexico.
• Cortés was born in Medellín, Extremadura. He
  studied law at the University of Salamanca but
  cut short his university career in 1501 and
  decided to try his fortune in the Americas.
• Cortés sailed for Santo Domingo (now the
  Dominican Republic) in the spring of 1504. In
  1511 he joined Spanish soldier and administrator
  Diego Velázquez in the conquest of Cuba and
  subsequently became alcalde (mayor) of Santiago
  de Cuba.
• In 1518 Cortés persuaded Velázquez, who had
  become governor of Cuba, to give him the command
  of an expedition to Mexico. The mainland had been
  discovered the year before by Spanish soldier and
  explorer Francisco Fernández de Córdoba and
  subsequently by Juan de Grijalva, nephew of
  Velázquez.
• On February 19, 1519, Cortés, with a force of
  some 600 men, fewer than 20 horses, and 10 field
  pieces, set sail from Cuba.
• Cortés sailed along the coast of Yucatán and in
  March 1519 landed in Mexico, subjugating the town
  of Tabasco. From the native inhabitants of
  Tabasco, Cortés learned of the Aztec Empire and
  its ruler, Montezuma II.

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Conquistadors

• Bernal Diaz del Castillo
• One of Cortes conquistadors.
• 1495 (Spain) to 1584 (Guatemala).
• Account written in 1555, many years after the
  conquest.
• Left Spain in 1514 where he went to Cuba where a
  relation was governor.
• joined Hernandez de Cordova and went to Florida
  where they received a hostel reception.
• Back to Cuba where he eventually joined Cortes in
  1519 where they set sail from Port of Trinidad to
  Veracruz.

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March Inland

• Forced their way inland to Basin of Mexico where
  they met with little resistance until Tlaxcala.
• Castillo was wounded on the head and thigh and
  eventually Cortes made peace and formed an
  alliance with the inhabitants.
• Continued their march where they massacred people
  at Itzcalpan, Tlamanalco, and Itztapalatengo.

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Inland Route
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Meeting between Cortes and Moctezuma II

• An emissary of Moctezuma II met them and welcomed
  them and crossed the causeway.
• Received by Moctezuma with much pomp and
  circumstance and offered them the city with
  little resistance.
• There they stood by them and Montezuma approached
  on a litter.
• Moctezuma was dressed very richly.
• covered by a rich canopy of green colored
  feathers with gold and silver embroidery.
• Montezuma had on sandals with soles of gold and
  the upper part adorned with precious stones.
• As he walked his servents swept the ground and
  put cloth on it so he need not touch the dirt.
• there they were shown their lodgings in the city
  which were richly decorated.

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Stay in Mexico City

• Received after a banquet at Montezumas court and
  exchanged more gifts.
• Castillo repeatedly refers to the reverence
  Moctezuma paid to the Emperor of which he
  believed Cortes to be an emissary.
• Moctezuma later says that now that he has seen
  them and seen that they were flesh and bone
  like himself and he would share his possessions
  with Cortes.

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Later

• Moctezuma was kept prisoner in his palace by the
  Spanish and gave up the lords of the cities who
  had resisted the Spanish.
• Many native chieftans were burned to death.
• Finally swore fealty to King of Spain
• Provided the Spanish with seven hundred thousand
  dollars in gold, as well as cloth and women.

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Death of Moctezuma II

• Cortés called on Montezuma to quell the revolt.
• But the Aztec ruler was stoned while addressing
  his subjects.
• He reportedly died three days later. Montezuma
  was succeeded by Cuitlahuac, who died of small
  pox 80 days later
• Then, Moctezumas nephew, Cuatemotzin, succeeded
  and became the last Aztec ruler.

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Meanwhile

• Governor of Cuba-Valasquez sent troops to see
  what was going on, because Cortes was keeping all
  the riches to himself.
• Troops led by Navarez
• fleet of nineteen ships and fourteen hundred
  soldiers
• armed with cannons, guns, and horses.
• Cortes left for the coast and fought with troops,
  but won them over with gold.
• Meanwhile, the Aztecs had risen against those
  left behind and forced them away.
• They fled to Tlaxcala where they were fortified
  by reinforcements from Cuba as well as Natives.

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Mexico Revolts

• Cortes hears word that Mexico has revolted in
  their absence.
• After several squirmishes they retreated to
  Tlaxcala
• Here they got 4,000 soldiers from the Tlaxcalans.
• more followed from other areas.
• Cortes built launches with the native labor.
• Unfortunately suffered many defeats.
• every causeway they captured and barricaded was
  recaputured and opend at night by the Mexicans.
• July 15 Cortes is resupplied by Vera Cruz with
  weapons from Ponce de Leon.

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The 80 day siege

• The siege began on May 21, 1521 and lasted for 85
  days.
• Finally ended when the Spanish captured the
  northeast section of the city and eventually
  conquered the remaining Aztecs.

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Mexico Surrenders

• Cuauhtemoc, the nephew of Moctezuma II sets our
  from the city and surrenders to Cortes sometime
  around August 14, 1521.