Spanish Conquistadors- Cortes, Pizarro, and Coronado
- Spanish term for conqueror
- were soldiers, explorers, and adventurers at the service of the Spanish Empire
- were very holy people who would generally pray before going into battle
- The most famous are Cortes and Pizarro, but we will also look at Coronado
- They were obsessed with matters of 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 cousins once removed with Pizarro
- conquered the Aztec empire
- Aztec thought he was Quetzalcoatl
Pizarro
- Spanish conquistador
- conquered the Inca civilization
- only had 168 men 27 horses and 1 cannon
- got the defeated soldiers from the Inca civil war to fight for his side
- 2nd cousins once removed from Cortes
Reasons for conquering the Meso-American people
- treasure
- polytheistic- not a fan Spanish inquisition ring a bell?
- Human sacrifice was not a well received practice world wide at this point
- exploring and wanted the land to set up Spanish colonies- very successful
- slaves
- thought a lot of the Meso-American's rituals and dances were "devil like"
Comments