Many within the Aztec Empire
Why were the Aztecs afraid of Hernán Cortés?
They hated the Aztecs
because they had raided their cities for people to sacrifice to their gods
. Montezuma II tried to keep Cortés from getting all the way to Tenochtitlan, but Cortés continued his march.
What did the Aztecs think of Cortés?
An unnerving series of coincidences led Montezuma to believe that perhaps Cortés was
the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl
, who had promised to return one day to reclaim his kingdom. Quetzalcoatl, “the feathered serpent,” stood for the solar light, the morning star. He symbolized knowledge, arts, and religion.
What did the Aztecs first think of Cortés?
Thinking that Cortés could be
Quetzalcoatl
, Montezuma greeted the party with great honor. Montezuma sent out envoys to meet the conquistador as he neared. The Aztecs were fascinated by the Spaniards’ light skin and the sight of men on horseback, which they described as beasts with two heads and six legs.
Why was Hernán Cortés interested in Aztec?
Why was Cortes interested in the Aztec empire? Cortes was interested
in the territory and vast wealth of the Aztec empire
. What factors enabled the Spaniards to conquer the Aztec? The Spaniards’ superior weapons, the diseases that accompanied them, and the support of other native peoples.
Which God did the Aztecs mistake him for?
The claim that Aztecs mistook Cortés for a supernatural being arose in the 1530s, and became associated with
Quetzalcoatl
in particular in the 1540s, when people in New Spain were looking back and trying to explain what had happened to them.
Who is the God of malinalli?
Malinalli, meaning ‘grass’, is the day in the Aztec calendar associated with
the god Patecatl
.
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 did the Aztecs think of the Spanish?
The Aztecs first thought the Spanish were
gods due to their light skin and dark hair
. The Aztecs would pay the Spanish gold and other gifts to celebrate them. The Spanish saw these riches and realized they wanted more but were outnumbered by the Aztecs.
How did the Spanish treat the Aztecs?
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
.
What was the Aztecs writing called?
The Aztecs didn’t have a writing system as we know it, instead they used
pictograms
, little pictures that convey meaning to the reader. Pictography combines pictograms and ideograms—graphic symbols or pictures that represent an idea, much like cuneiform or hieroglyphic or Japanese or Chinese characters.
Did the Aztecs sacrifice Spaniards?
Skeletons found at an archeological site show that Aztecs captured, sacrificed and partially ate several hundred people traveling with invading Spanish forces
in 1520
.
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.
What was Hernán Cortés’s motive?
He
wanted to travel and see new lands
. He also wanted to make his fortune and fame. Cortes sailed for the New World in 1504. He first arrived on the island of Hispaniola at the city of Santo Domingo.
What factors enabled the Spanish to defeat the Aztecs?
- Superior Weapons. Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas.
- Alliances and Experience. The invading Spanish forces also took advantage of internal divisions within the Aztec and Inca empires.
- The Power of Horses.
- Deadly Disease.
How were the Aztecs conquered?
Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. 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.
