Search results
Montezuma II, ninth Aztec emperor of Mexico, famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. Montezuma became Cortes’s prisoner in Tenochtitlan. The Spanish claimed Montezuma died at the hands of his own people; the Aztecs believed that the Spanish murdered him.
- Conquistador
Conquistador, any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of...
- Battle of Tenochtitlan
Battle of Tenochtitlán, (May 22–August 13, 1521), military...
- Conquistador
A Spanish soldier accompanying Hernan Cortés during the conquest of the Aztec Empire reported that when Moctezuma II dined, he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet. Moctezuma was passionate about chocolate; had it flavored with vanilla or other spices such as chili peppers , and his chocolate was whipped into a ...
- Tenochtitlán: A Dominant Imperial City
- Hernándo Cortés Makes Allies with Local Tribes
- Disease Further Weakens The Aztec
- The Spanish Wielded Better Weaponry
- Sources
When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Aztec imperial city in 1519, Mexico-Tenochtitlán was led by Moctezuma II. The city had prospered and was estimated to host a population of between 200,000 and 300,000 residents. Atfirst, the conquistadors described Tenochtitlán as the greatest city they had ever seen. It was situated on a human-made island ...
Hernándo Cortés formed part of Spain’s initial colonization efforts in the Americas. While stationed in Cuba, he convinced Cuban Governor Diego Velázquez to allow him to lead an expedition to Mexico, but Velázquez then canceled his mission. Eager to appropriate new land for the Spanish crown, convert Indigenous people to Christianity and plunder th...
With Tenochtitlán encircled, the conquistadors relied on their Indigenous allies for key logistical support and launched attacks from local Indigenous encampments. Meanwhile, another factor began to take its toll. Unbeknownst to the Spanish, some among their ranks had been infected with smallpox when they had departed Europe. Once these men arrived...
The conquistadors arrived in Mesoamerica with steel swords, muskets, cannons, pikes, crossbows, dogs and horses. None of these assets had yet been used in battle in the Americas. The Aztecs fought the Spanish with wooden broadswords, clubs and spears tipped with obsidian blades. But their weapons proved ineffective against the conquistadors’ metal ...
"Cada Uno En Su Bolsa Llevar Lo Que Cien Indios No Llevarían: Mexica Resistance and the Shape of Currency in New Spain, 1542-1552.” by Allison Caplan, American Journal of Numismatics (1989-), vol. 25, 2013, pp. 333–356. JSTOR. “Jeronimo de Aguilar,” American Historical Association. “Aztec Warfare Imperial Expansion and Political Control,” by Ross H...
- Montezuma Was a Weak, Unsophisticated Leader. The Aztec Empire that ruled over Central Mexico from 1429 to 1521 was a triple alliance between the Indigenous Nahua city-states of Tetzcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlán.
- Montezuma Thought Cortés Was a God. Historians long held that the Aztecs had feared and expected the return of another important deity—Quetzalcóatl, the white, bearded god who would rule over the empire—and that the white, bearded Cortés was aware of this fear and used it to his advantage in his expedition across Mexico.
- Montezuma Surrendered His Empire to Cortés. When Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlán on November 8, 1519, he was welcomed by Montezuma with great pomp and ceremony.
- Montezuma Died at the Hands of His Own People. After the meeting, Cortés realized it was a trap and, instead, made the emperor his prisoner, believing that the Aztecs would not attack as long as he held Montezuma captive.
- Jessica Pearce Rotondi
- Montezuma Was a Weak, Unsophisticated Leader. The Aztec Empire that ruled over Central Mexico from 1429 to 1521 was a triple alliance between the Indigenous Nahua city-states of Tetzcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlán.
- The Aztecs Believed the Spanish Were Gods Prophesied to Return. Detail of a page from the Codex Becker depicting two Indigenous Mesoamerican war chiefs.
- Montezuma Surrendered Immediately to the Spanish. Hernan Cortes and Montezuma. When Cortés sailed to Mexico from Cuba, looking for territory to conquer and riches to plunder in the name of the Spanish crown, he was an outlaw defying orders from Cuban Governor Diego Velasquez, who had canceled his exploratory expedition.
- Smallpox Wiped Out the Aztecs. Multiple outbreaks of European-borne disease decimated the Aztecs in the decades after 1519. The largest, lasting from 1545 to 1550, killing a reported 90 percent of the population in some areas.
Aug 2, 2023 · Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who explored Central America, overthrew Montezuma and his vast Aztec empire and won Mexico for the crown of Spain. Updated: Aug 2, 2023. Getty Images....
