What Effect Did Spanish Exploration Have On The Aztecs And Incas?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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What effect did Spanish exploration have on the Aztecs and Incas? The Spanish brought horses, guns, and other weaponry with them which frightened the Aztecs . The Spanish also brought the disease smallpox. Since the Aztec people had never been exposed to the disease, thousands died as it spread throughout Mexico. were after gold and fighting began.

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What was an effect of Spanish exploration on both the Inca and the Aztec civilization?

Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas .

What impact did the Spanish explorers have on 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.

How did the Spanish affect the Incas?

Pizarro’s men massacre the Incans and capture Atahualpa, forcing him to convert to Christianity before eventually killing him . By 1532, the Inca Empire was embroiled in a civil war that had decimated the population and divided the people’s loyalties.

What were the consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires?

The Population of the New World was Decimated

Others were enslaved, driven from their homes, or forced to endure starvation and rapine. Far worse than the violence inflicted by the conquistadors was the horror of smallpox.

What were the effects of Spanish exploration?

TheColumbian Exchange was another effect. This involved an exchange of plants, goods, ideas, and diseases from Europe to the Americas. This exchange benefitted Europeans more than Native Americans because Europeans spread smallpox , a deadly disease, to Native Americans when they came into contact with them.

What happened to the Aztecs after the Spanish conquest?

The Aztec empire collapsed, its temples were defaced or destroyed, and its fine art melted down into coins . Ordinary people suffered from the European-introduced diseases which wiped out up to 50% of the population, and their new overlords did not turn out to be any better than the Aztecs.

How did the Spanish destroy the Aztecs?

When they at last broke through the city’s defenses, the Spanish and their indigenous allies were ruthless. They subdued the Aztecs street by street, slaughtering indiscriminately and looting what they could . Houses were burned and temples destroyed.

What happened to the Incas and Aztecs?

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 happened to the Inca after the Spanish conquest?

The Last Incas

After a failed attempt to recapture the city from greater Spanish rule during this time, Manco retreated to Vilcabamba and built the last stronghold of the Inca . The Inca continued to revolt against totalitarian Spanish rule until the year 1572.

Why did the Spanish destroyed the Inca Empire?

While there were many reasons for the fall of the Incan Empire, including foreign epidemics and advanced weaponry , the Spaniards skilled manipulation of power played a key role in this great Empire’s demise.

How many Incas were killed by the Spanish?

Pizarro’s men slaughtered the 5,000 Incans in just an hour. Pizarro himself suffered the only Spanish injury: a cut on his hand sustained as he saved Atahualpa from death. Realizing Atahualpa was initially more valuable alive than dead, Pizarro kept the emperor in captivity while he made plans to take over his empire.

Why did the Spanish conquer Aztec and Inca?

In the early 1500s, Spanish forces sailed across the Pacific and conquered the Aztec and Incan civilizations, even though the invading armies were greatly outnumbered by the indigenous population. This conquest was due, in part, to differences in technology and experience .

What did the Spanish do to the natives?

Altered Lifestyles The Spanish altered Indian life in many ways. Their intrusion resulted in changing tribal customs and religious traditions . Tribal alliances were shifted and new rivalries were developed. Indians lost their land, their families, and their lives.

Why was Spanish exploration important?

SPANISH EXPLORATION AND CONQUEST. The Spanish established the first European settlements in the Americas , beginning in the Caribbean and, by 1600, extending throughout Central and South America. Thousands of Spaniards flocked to the Americas seeking wealth and status.

How did the Spanish affect the indigenous people?

The high rates of death inevitably destroyed tribal communities and tribal culture . The Mexican Secularization Act of 1833 granted only a few mission Indians land, but the vast majority of natives fled the missions and became an exploited laboring class on Spanish and Mexican ranchos across the State.

What was life like for the Aztecs after the Spanish arrived?

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.

Who conquered the Aztecs and Incas?

Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.

What ended the Aztecs?

Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521 , bringing an end to Mesoamerica’s last great native civilization.

What were 3 major reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire?

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 .

How many Aztecs were killed by the Spanish?

Within five years as many as 15 million people – an estimated 80% of the population – were wiped out in an epidemic the locals named “cocoliztli”. The word means pestilence in the Aztec Nahuatl language. Its cause, however, has been questioned for nearly 500 years.

What killed the Incas?

The spread of disease

Influenza and smallpox were the main causes of death among the Inca population and it affected not only the working class but also the nobility.

What caused the collapse of the Mayan Aztec and Inca civilizations?

Scholars suggest that possible causes could include volcanic activity, excessive warfare, disease, overpopulation, or soil exhaustion . By 900 CE, most Mayan cities were abandoned and the population lived in villages led by tribal chiefs.

How did the Incas fall?

The main view is that the Inca were eventually defeated due to inferior weapons, ‘open battle’ tactics, disease, internal unrest, the bold tactics of the Spanish, and the capture of their emperor.

Did the Spanish conquered the Aztecs?

Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, flourished between A.D. 1325 and 1521—but was defeated less than two years after the arrival of Spanish invaders led by Cortés .

What did the Spanish think of the Incas?

Spanish chroniclers from the 16th century claimed that when the conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro first encountered the Incas they were greeted as Gods, “Viracochas” , because their lighter skin resembled their God Viracocha.

How many Incas are left?

Most population estimates are in the range of 6 to 14 million .

Why did Spain want to conquer the Aztecs?

Cortes wanted to conquer the aztecs for gold glory and god . Because of these things, many people in the Aztec Empire were unhappy. Some of them helped the Spanish conquistadors take over the Empire.

Why did the Spanish cut the hands off of the natives?

The Conquistadores would set quotas of how much gold each Indian had to bring and if these were not met their hands would be cut off in order to “teach” the rest a lesson . Another method used by the Conquistadores to get gold would be to burn people’s feet.

How did the Spanish treat the indigenous people in the area?

What did the Spanish do to the Natives? They enslaved them and took their food .

How did the Spanish try to change Native American cultures?

Interactions with Native Americans: Spanish colonizers attempted to integrate Native Americans into Spanish culture by marrying them and converting them to Catholicism . Although some Native Americans adopted aspects of Spanish culture, others decided to rebel.

What resulted from Spain’s increased wealth after conquering the Aztec and Inca empires?

Spain gained immense wealth from this expansionism, which translated into an influx of Spanish art and cultural capital .

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.

How was the Inca empire impacted by European exploration and colonization quizlet?

How was the Inca empire impacted by European exploration and colonization? The Spanish forced the Incans to adopt their language, religion, and way of life.

How did the Spanish conquistadors conquered the Incas and Aztecs?

Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas. Cortés and his men used over a dozen large portable guns, mainly for their shock value against the Aztecs. Pizarro’s conquest of the Incas was also made possible by the use of gunpowder , a substance the Incas didn’t have at their disposal.

Diane Mitchell
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Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.