Spanish Conquistadors- Cortes, Pizarro, and Coronado-
Conquistador-
- It’s a Spanish term for the word conqueror.
- Soldiers, explorers, and adventurers at the service of the Spanish Empire.
- Very holy people who would generally pray before going to battle.
- The most famous are Cortes and Pizarro, but there’s also Coronado.
- Very obsessed with matters of honor and reputation.
- Spanish soldiers had a reputation for rowdiness, and duels were not uncommon.
Cortes-
- Born into a family of lower nobility.
- His father was an infantry Captain for Spanish army.
- He is a 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, Spanish Inquisition
- Human sacrifice was not a well-received practice worldwide at this point.
- Exploring and wanted the land to set up Spanish colonies- very successful.
- Slaves.
- Thought a lot of the Mesoamerican’s rituals and dances were “devil like.”
Issues with Splitting the Treasure-
- The division of the treasure 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 Empire’s northern city of Quito to claim it.
- Their fellow conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar, who had gone forth without Pizarro’s approval, had already reached Quito.
- The arrival of Pedro de Alvarado from Mexico in search of Inca gold further complicated the situation for Almagro and Belalcazar.
- Alvarado left South America in exchange for monetary compensation from Pizarro.
- Almagro was executed on 1538, under Pizarro’s orders.
- In Lima in 1541, supporters of Diego Almagro II assassinated Francisco Pizarro.
- 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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