What Happened To The Aztecs When The Spanish Arrived?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The Aztecs were severely weakened by diseases that the

Spanish brought such as smallpox, influenza, and malaria

. Over time, around 80 percent of the people living in the Valley of Mexico died from these diseases. Cortés founded Mexico City on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

What happened to the Aztecs after the Spanish conquest?

During the Spaniards’ retreat,

they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies

. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire.

How were the Aztecs affected by the Spanish?

The Spanish had a positive effect on Aztec civilization because they helped modernize the society. They introduced the

Aztecs to domestic animals, sugar, grains, and European farming practices

. Most significantly, the Spanish ended the Aztec’s practice of human sacrifice.

Why did the Aztecs lose to the Spanish?

The overthrow of the Aztec Empire by Cortez and his expedition rests on three factors: The fragility of that empire, the tactical advantages of

Spanish technology

, and smallpox.

Did the Spanish wiped out the Aztecs?

The Spaniards were

driven out of Tenochtitlan and nearly wiped out

, but they ultimately returned and laid siege to the city. The Aztecs, under their last ruler, Cuauhtémoc (c. 1495-1525), resisted fiercely but were finally defeated in late 1521.

What enabled the Spanish to defeat the Aztecs?

Battle of Tenochtitlán, (May 22–August 13, 1521), military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition of Spanish and indigenous combatants. … Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and

a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak

enabled the Spanish to conquer the city.

What did the Spanish have that the Aztecs didn t?

The Spanish brought

chickenpox, smallpox, measles, mumps, and rubella

to the new world. These diseases killed 75% of the Native Americans. … The advantages that the Spanish had over the Aztec were 16 horses, guns, armor, formed alliances, and diseases, steel.

How were Aztec wiped out?

The Aztecs were conquered by Spain in 1521 after a long siege of the capital, Tenochtitlan, where much of the population died from

hunger and smallpox

.

Were the Aztecs good or bad?

The Aztecs were

a sophisticated and powerful people

who ruled over nearly 500 smaller states. Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, was a beautiful city of canals, gardens and temples.

What happened to the Aztecs and Incas?

Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were

conquered by Spanish conquistadors

; the Aztec Empire was conquered by Cortés, and the Inca Empire was defeated by Pizarro. The Spanish had an advantage over native peoples because the former had guns, cannons, and horses.

What language did the Aztecs speak?


Nahuatl language, Spanish náhuatl, Nahuatl also spelled Nawatl, also called

Aztec, American Indian language of the Uto-Aztecan family, spoken in central and western Mexico. Nahuatl, the most important of the Uto-Aztecan languages, was the language of the Aztec and Toltec civilizations of Mexico.

How much gold did the Spanish take from the Aztecs?

At that point, it is estimated that the Spanish had amassed

some eight thousand pounds

of gold and silver, not to mention plenty of feathers, cotton, jewels and more.

Are tlaxcalans Aztecs?

The Tlaxcalans and Mexica shared a common origin, both of them speaking the Náhuatl language. As a matter of fact, both the Tlaxcalans and the Mexica belonged

to the Aztec culture

, looking back to the legendary Aztlán (Place of the Herons) as their ancestral homeland in the northwest.

How were the Spanish Conquistadors able to defeat the powerful Aztec?

Hernan Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec Empire by

scaring the natives with the 16 horses

, gaining alliances with the other enemies of the Aztec, having superior and better weapons than the natives (like guns), having armor, and having steel.

How many Aztecs were killed by the Spanish?


More than 3 million Aztecs died

from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán.

What was the original name of the Aztecs?

Early Aztec History

The Aztecs were also known as

the Tenochca

(from which the name for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was derived) or the Mexica (the origin of the name of the city that would replace Tenochtitlan, as well as the name for the entire country).

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.