AZTEC:
- Conquered by Cortez which they believed to be their god Quetzalcoatl
- Conquered in the early 16th century
- Religion: polytheistic, human offering or sacrifice very popular
- Montezuma II was the leader of the Aztecs when this occurred
- Very unique agriculture- Chinampas
- Would use the volcanic tock called obsidian with their weaponry
- Their capital city was Tenochtitlan
- Number system was based upon twenties
- Key buildings: templo Mayor, Saint Cecilia, Atitlan, Great Pyramid of Cholula, temples of the sun and moon
MAYANS:
- Tikal was their Capital
- Their very classic period was from mid-3rd century to very early 10th century
- Religion: polytheistic and human sacrifices were common
- Their collapsed is still not officially known but very recent research would suggest that it was due to a 200 year drought
- Known for their calendar
- Popol Vuh is their book of creation
- Key buildings: Great Ball Court, Temple of the Jaguars, Temple of the Magician, El Castillo
INCAN:
- Cuzco is their capital
- No real writing system
- Quipo(u) was used for both math and reading
- Religion: polytheistic, human sacrifice was uncommon
- Created a road system consisting of around 18k to 25k miles
- Conquered by Pizarro and Spanish in the mid to late 16th century
- Massive civil war between brothers was occurring at this time
- Small pox was being spread
- Pizarro had less than 200 men
- Key buildings: Temple Hill
Spanish Conquistadors Cortes, Pizarro, and Coronado:
- It’s a Spanish term Word for conqueror
- 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 Cortes and pizarro, but we will also look at Coronado
- Conquistadores
- 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 in 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 cousins once removed from Cortes
- Reasons for Conquering the Mesoamerican People
- Treasure (gold, silver)
- Polytheistic- not a fan, Spanish inquisition ring a bell?
- Human sacrifice was not a well-received practice worldwide at this point
- Exploring and wanted the land to set up Spanish colonies – were very successful
- Slaves
- Thought a lot of the Mesoamerican 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 Almargro
- After Peru fell to Spain, Francisco Pizarro told Almargro, before they became enemies, to go to the Inca Empires northern city of Quinto
- Issues
- The arrival of Pedro de Alvarado from Mexico in search of Inca gold farther complicated the situation for Almagro and Belalcazar
- Alvarado left south America in exchange for monetary compensation from Pizarro
- Almargro was executed on 1538, under Hernando Pizarros orders
- Belalcazar 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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