Spanish Conqustadors:
-it is a Spanish term for the word conquerer
-were soldiers, explorers, and adventurers at the service of the Spanish Empire
-Were very holy people who would generally pray before going to battle
-The most famous are Cortez and Pizarro, but we will also look at Coronado
-They were obsessed with matters o honor and reputation
-Spanish soldiers had a reputation for rowdiness, and duels were not uncommon
Cortes:
-Born to a family of lower nobility
-his father was an infantry captain for Spanish Army
-He is 2nd cousin once removed with Pizarro
-Conquered the Aztec Empire
-Aztec thought he was Quetzalcoatl
Pizarro:
-Spanish Conquistador
-Conquered the Incan civilization
-Only had 168 men 27 horses and 1 cannon
-Got the defeated soldiers from the Incan civil war to fight for his side
-2nd cousin once removed from Cortes
Reasons why for conquering the Mesoamerican people:
-treasure (Gold, Silver)
-Polytheistic-not a fan
-Human sacrifice was not a well recieved practice world wide at this point
-Exploring and wanted the land to set up colonies-very successful
-Slaves
-Thought a lot of the Mesoamericans rituals and dances were devil like
Issues with splitting the treasure:
-The division of the treasures produced bloody conflicts, such as the one between Pizarro and Almagro
-After Peru fell to Spain, Francisco Pizarro told Almagro, before they became enemies, to go to the Inca Empires northern city of Quito to claim it
-Their fellow conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar, who had gone forth without Pizarros approval, had already reached Quito
Issues:
-The arrival of Pedro de Alvarado from Mexico in search of Inca gold further complicated the situation for Almagro and Belalczar
-Alvarado left South America in exchange for monetary compensation from Pizarro
-Almagro was executed on 1538, under Pizarros orders
-In Lima in 1541 supporters of Diego Almagro II assassinated Francisco Pizarro
-Belalczar in 1546 ordered the execution of JOrge Robledo, who governed a neighboring province in yet another land-related vendetta
-Belalcazar was tried, convicted and condemned for killing Robledo and other offenses pertaining to his involvement in the wars between armies of conquistadors and was then killed
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