By Kaley McDevitt 23'
Maybe it’s because I’m almost two months into AP World, but when searching for a topic for the Hispanic Heritage Month I decided on the conquering of the Aztec and Inca Empires. So, what happened to these great empires? How did they fall?
Well, the truth is that many things can lead to the fall of an empire, such as disease, political corruption, overexpansion, and so on. My main focus here, however, is the Spanish conquistadors who came from all over Europe (but mainly southwestern Spain) and
conquered grand empires that had been thriving in Latin America for thousands of years. Spanish conquistadors all had the same goal: to claim land and resources for their investors and conquer natives to get treasures and glory. In doing so, they gained wealth for their country and spread Catholicism. Two of the most famous conquistadors, Francisco Pizzaro and Hernán Cortés, did just that. Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire and Cortés took the Aztec.
The Aztec Empire was known for its elaborate religious life, complex social organization, elegant literature, and monumental works of sculpture. The empire dominated central Mexico and eventually reached its greatest extent reaching as far south as modern-day Nicaragua.
So, just how did Spanish forces take down the Aztecs? Well, Hernán Cortés was appointed captain general of a new Spanish expedition to the American mainland in 1518, but the governor of Cuba (Valazquez) rescinded the order. Hernán Cortés still sailed and landed at Tabasco, in Mexico's Bay of Campeche, with 500 soldiers, 100 sailors, and 16 horses. There, he won over the local Indians and was given a female slave, Malinche, who eventually became his mistress. You’re probably thinking, “How is this important?”
Well, Malinche knew of both the Maya and the Aztec, the greatest empires of Latin America, and what the Spanish sought after. Cortés trained his army in preparation for conquest, gaining Indian allies on his way to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. Of course, the Aztecs were not in the dark. Having heard of Hernán Cortés, The Emperor Montezuma II tried to buy him off, but that didn’t work. Cortés proceeded to find existing weakness within the Empire, and held Montezuma hostage so that, with the help of Malinche, he was able to take the empire from Montezuma.
Trouble arose when Hernán Cortés learned of the arrival of another Spanish force from Cuba, sent by Valazquez to deprive Cortes of his command. In response, Cortes led his army out of Tenochtitlan to meet them and defeated the leader, taking the army to be his own. Back in Tenochtitlan, Cortés found the garrison he left under attack from the Aztec. He and his army fought their way out of the capital, but it had great consequences. Many soldiers drowned in a lake when the vessel carrying them and much of the treasure they had stolen sank. This night is known to the Spanish as La Noche Triste, “the Night of Sadness”. Montezuma later died and was succeeded by his brother Cuitlahuac, who also died later on when Cortes returned to Tenochtitlan and led a three-month victorious siege, marking the fall of the Aztec Empire and the beginning of the horrific exploitation of much of Central America.
The Incan Empire was invaded by the Spanish Francisco Pizarro, who came seeking
riches like all the other explorers. The Incan Empire was located in modern day Peru and, before the conquistadors arrived, the Incan Empire was already in turmoil. Like I said before, many things can cause the fall of an empire. The Incans were hurt by the tugging of power between Atahualpa and Huascar, the first an illegitimate son and the second a legitimate son of the emperor. They fought over who would be the successor for about two days before Atahualpa's victory. During this delicate and chaotic time, the Spanish conquistadors arrived. Francisco Pizarro was obsessed with Peru and the riches it held, like silver. In 1532, after having visited the Incan empire several times, Pizarro finally received permission to carry out the conquest of Peru and was appointed its Governor by the Queen. Pizzaro set up a meeting with Atahualpa in Cajamarca, but a sudden turn of events made this encounter a massacre.
This is where it gets crazy. Pizarro had his 168 men hidden in corners when he handed Atahualpa a Bible. This is because, as I mentioned earlier, the conquistadores also spread their religion. In this case, Pizarro tried to convince Atahualpa to convert to Catholicism and claimed the Bible held all the answers. Atahualpa held the book to his ears and when it didn't give him the answers he was promised he threw it to the ground. This is when Pizzaro signaled his troops to attack, killing 2,000 men and abducting Atahualpa. Pizzaro gained tons of gold and even more silver in return for Atahualpa. But there was a larger plan, and after converting Atahualpa to Christnaity the Spanish killed him and took over. The diseases Pizzaro and his troops brought from the Old World had already affected Peru's population greatly, and the Spanish troops then tried to murder what was left of the population. The Incan empire fell, paving the way for thousands of Spanish citizens, while creating the same long-lasting impacts Cortes made in Central America, which still affect the Latinx community today in the form of political instability, economic exploitation by other countries, colorism, racism, poverty and much more -- the true price of colonization.
Editors: Brooklynne Roman, Ms. Brilliant, Cecilia Fiorindo.
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