The fall of the Aztec

1
The fall of the Aztec Inca Empires

• Alex D.
• Tech App 6
• Mr. Palencia-Instructor
• Rhodes MS
• San Antonio, Texas
• October 16, 2006

2
When did Cortes and his army first enter the
Aztec empire?

• The Spanish landed upon the shores of
  Mesa-America in February of the year 1519, in the
  area of Vera Cruz. By November of that year, the
  Spanish fleet, commanded by Hernando Cortez,
  entered into Tenochtitlan and simply arrested the
  Emperor of the Aztec, Montezuma. Within the time
  span of two years, Cortez dismantled the Aztec
  monarchy and gained control of all of
  Tenochtitlan, and many of its surrounding
  territories.

3
What features of the city of Tenochtitlán
impressed Cortes and his conquistadors?

• Herman Cortes (depicted here) and the Spanish
  conquistadors entered the Aztec empire in 1519.
  They were amazed at what they found at
  Tenochtitlángreat wealth, successful businesses,
  an orderly society, and a beautiful, clean city,
  unlike anything in Spain. At first, the Aztec
  leader Montezuma welcomed Cortez and his men with
  many gifts. Soon, however, it became clear that
  Cortez did not plan to remain simply a guest of
  Montezuma and the Aztec.

4
Which tribe offered Cortes 10,000 warriors to
help him fight the Aztecs?

• Cortes' expedition entered the Tlaxcalan region.
  Over 50,000 Tlaxcalans fought the 400 Spaniards
  and were defeated as a result of the superior
  Spanish weapons and horses. Cortes rewarded the
  Tlaxcalans, who offered to provide Cortes with
  10,000 warriors for his march on Tenochtitlan.

5
What reason did Cortes give for taking Montezuma
hostage?

• The Aztecs housed the Spanish in a wondrous
  palace. When Montezuma asked Cortes what it would
  take to make the Spanish leave his empire, Cortes
  replied, "We Spanish suffer from a disease of the
  heart, which can be cured only by gold." Cortes
  decided to take Montezuma hostage, falsely
  claiming that the emperor had ordered an attack
  on his forces on the coast.

6
Name three reasons Cortes returned to Tlaxcala.

• Cortes retreated to Tlaxcala, where he gained new
  troops and supplies from Cuba, trained new
  Tlaxcalan allies, and planned an attack by water
  on Tenochtitlan. Cortes gained control of the
  towns around the lakeshore.

7
When did Cortes and 16,000 of his men return to
Tenochtitlán from Tlaxcala?

• After Christmas 1520, Cortes led an army of
  16,000 men back to Tenochtitlan.

8
How many Aztecs died in the final attack on the
center of Tenochtitlán?

• In the final all-out attack on the center of the
  city, 15,000 Aztecs died that day alone. Emperor
  Cuauhtémoc and his last few supporters tried to
  escape in a canoe, but were captured by the
  Spaniards.

9
In the Aztec calendar, what is the month of
traditional lamentation and remembrance called?

• The siege of Tenochtitlan was over. In the Aztec
  calendar, this was the first day of the Great
  Feast of the Dead, a month of traditional
  lamentation and remembrance.

10
Fall of the Inca empire

• Now I have told you about the defeat of the Aztec
  now I am going to tell you about the Fall of the
  Inca empire.

11
When did Pizarro and his conquistadors arrive in
Peru?

• In 1527, Francisco Pizarro entered into Peru,
  where, with his small band of 175 men armed with
  an ineffective cannon, took over the entire Incan
  Empire.

12
Why did Pizarro want to conquer the Incan empire?

• Pizarro knew that if he had the Emperor he would
  have the entire Incan Empire, and all the gold
  which it held (Pizarro had originally set off
  from Spain for the city of gold).

13
What did Atahualpa offer in exchange for his
freedom from Pizarro?

• Atahualpa attempted to bargain with Pizarro for
  his life, offering him a room filled with gold
  (roughly 17 feet by 22 feet by 9 feet), but
  shortly after Atahualpa showed Pizarro the room
  he was murdered.

14
How long did Atahualpa spend in captivity?

• When it was time to release Atahualpa from his
  eight months in captivity, Pizarro broke his
  promise, claiming that Atahualpa was plotting
  against him.

15
What eventually happened to Atahualpa?

• Pizarro arranged an (unfair) trial in which
  Atahualpa was accused of the murder of Huascar,
  incitement to insurrection, misuse of the
  revenues of the crown by giving treasures to his
  family and friends after the conquest, adultery
  because he had many wives, and worshipping idols.
  Atahualpa was found guilty (we don't know of
  which crimes) and sentenced to death by burning
  at the stake. Since it is part of Inca culture
  and religion to preserve the body after death,
  Atahualpa did not want to die by burning at the
  stake so he agreed to be baptized in exchange
  for death by strangulation. On July 26, 1533 the
  Sapa Inca Atahualpa was murdered in the public
  square in Cajamarca.

16
When did the Spaniards enter Cuzco?

• The Spanish continued their quest to conquer the
  empire of the Incas. On November 15, 1533, one
  year after attacking Cajamarca, they entered
  Cuzco, the "navel of the earth."

17
When did manco II become the puppet king of the
Incan empire?

• To gain legitimacy, Pizarro decided to crown a
  half-brother of Atahualpa, Manco, as a "puppet
  king." In March 1534 Manco II promised to rule
  the Inca Empire independently as a client state
  of Spain.

18
When did Manco II and the Inca attack the
Spanish?

• The Incas prepared weapons in secret, and they
  planted large crops so that the troops would have
  enough food. They planned to execute a surprise
  attack on Cuzco and Lima at Easter. On April 18,
  1536 Manco II escaped from custody and fled north
  into the Sacred Valley. Delays occurred while
  more troops arrived and finally at the beginning
  of May, the signal was given to attack the
  Spanish.

19
Why didnt the Spanish building in Cuzco catch
fire?

• But the only one that didn't catch on fire was
  the one held by the Spanish, because they had a
  well.

20
When was the last Inca state overthrown?

• Inca resistance to the Spanish Conquest continued
  for 39 years, from the takeover of Cuzco in 1533
  to the final overthrow of the last Inca state in
  1572.

21
Photo Collage
22
References

• Techconnect, Glencoe (2006). The Fall of the
  Aztec and Inca Empire. Retrieved October 30,
  2006, from Glencoe TechCONNECT Web site
  http//www.tx.techconnect.glencoe.com/tc/TCControl
  ler?ACTION11
• McKay, Hill, and Buckler, (1992). Spanish
  Conquest. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from
  Spanish Conquest Web site http//www.mnsu.edu/emu
  seum/prehistory/latinamerica/topics/spanish_conque
  st.html
• Oregon Public Broadcasting and PBS Online,
  (2000). Conquistador. Retrieved November 1, 2006,
  from Conquistador - Legacy of the conquest Web
  site http//www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/mexico/
  adventure3/a2.htmtxt