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The mexican conquest essay
Inca and Aztec empires
Inca and Aztec empires
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Smallpox Epidemic In 1519, the Spanish have a plan to invade Mexico. Led by Hernan Cortez, the Spanish conquistadors successfully reach Mexico City by 1519 and take over the Aztec people. The conquistadors soon defeat the Moctezuma’s empire with the assistance of the Mesoamerican group Tlaxcala. Another group of Spanish come to the land after, and they bring over the smallpox disease with them. They never knew the outcome of the take over until it is too late, and the Aztec people started getting very sick. This leads to the Smallpox Epidemic. In 1520, a group of Spanish bring over the smallpox virus to Mexico, and infects the Aztecs, who have no immunity. They infect the Aztecs when the two Spanish groups fight over the land. One of
the men on Hernan’s side gets infected with the contact of the fight and brings it back to the Aztecs without knowing it. Since the Aztecs are never introduced to many diseases, they don’t have the chance to be able to build up immunity. The smallpox led to some of the population dying off and leaving a permanent scar on the Aztec history. One of the major significances of the smallpox epidemic was that it led to experimenting with labor and production. This then started the importation of slaves and introduced the creation of plantation systems.
... The plague was brought over by the Spanish who where immune to the disease, but the Aztecs weren't so lucky. Many where killed over the course of seventy days, including the new King Cuitlahucs (92). Obviously this had a dramatic impact because they lost their leader. Those that remained where very weak with a milder form of the disease (93). Obviously this affected their strength to fight.
There were millions of Aztecs and only a few hundred Spaniards. How was it then that the Spaniards, even with their steel and guns, could overrun them? The answer lies in a number the Spanish had even more of: microbes, which no one counted on. Yes, the encounters destroyed the Indians’ homes and made them slaves, but they also brought in disease and unknown illnesses to the New World. Millions had died, and generations disappeared. 50 years after the Spanish conquest 88% of the Mexican population was destroyed and only up to 200 thousand natives survived the ordeal. Also, the second in the list of causes of death had become the commonplace brutal treatment and poor conditions during slavery, and the third was by war
In closing, the variola virus affected a great amount in that era including, military strategy, trade, and native populations. Elizabeth A. Fenn’s book Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 sheds light on a significant aspect of that era that had not been given proper credence beforehand. She also illuminated the effect of smallpox when it came to race and social status. With regard to race, smallpox decimated much of the non European populations partly because of their lack of an innate immunity to that virus and Europeans lack of regard for those of a different race. Fenn’s argument on social status showed how the poorer strata’s of society suffered more severely from the variola virus because of their lack of finances to get inoculated; thus, the poor often suffered a worse strain of the virus which often lead to death.
The outnumbered Spanish conquistadors were able to so easily defeat the natives of South and Central America for many reasons. These reasons include the spread of disease, the fear the Spanish spread, civil war, and the thought that Cortez was a God. The Natives were not immune to the European disease such as smallpox, influenza measles, typhus, plague, malaria, and yellow fever. This wiped out 85-90% of the Native population in 50 years. This was the largest demographic catastrophe in human history. (Document 4: The American Holocaust)
Beginning in the fifteenth century with the arrival of Columbus, natives of the Americas were infected with European diseases that proved to be deadly to the Indians. The population in northern Mexico suffered an immense decimation of 2,500,000 peoples to less than 320,000 by the end of the sixteenth century (Vargas, 30). The Spaniards’ cruel treatment of the natives aided this vast reduction in the Aztec and Mexican population, enabling the Spaniards to conquer the lands of the Aztecs and other native tribes. By the end of the sixteenth century, the Spaniards had expanded their conquests into the southwest region of what is now known as the United States of America.
At first, it seemed like the Spanish had total control of the city, but trouble soon broke out. In May 1520, Cortes briefly left the city. Ignorantly, his men, for some odd reason, attacked the Aztec. "Those Idiots!" I bet Cortes would have exclaimed as he came back to find his men being besieged in Moctezuma's palace. Cortes, being quite the intelligent thinker, thought that calming them would be the best way out of the situation.
When the Spaniards arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in 1519, they encountered the advanced society of the Aztecs. With Tenochititlan at its capital, the Aztec empire was vast. The Aztecs had substantial wealth from trading and extensive payments of tribute from conquered peoples. Bernal Diaz in his The Conquest of New Spain comments, "We were dazzled at the richness of the country that we passed through" (282). The Spaniards encountered a powerful, advanced people in the New World, making Cortes and his crew of approximately 600 seemingly ensured of defeat. The Aztec religion lends much to Spanish success in conquest.
The outbreak of diseases ravages through the Native population. Due to geographic regions and limitation, the Natives never from such a strong illness such as smallpox, measles and the black plague. Some of the European colonies gave the Natives diseased infested animals and clothing. The English and the Natives did cooperate with each due to it being in the best of their interests. Their mutual trust would later erode due to the English going back to their old habits and started to steal from the Natives. In 1540, the Tiwa tribe offered hospitality and peace with the Spaniards. During the harsh winter, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado demanded and threaten the Tiwa tribe from clothing, including the clothing on their backs. The Tiwa tribe fled and killed the Spaniard’s horses. The Spaniards would have their revenge in the Tiguex War which lasted from 1540 to 154...
2) Thomson, Mark. "Junior Division Winner: The Migration of Smallpox and Its Indelible Footprint on Latin American History". The History Teacher. 1998.
From 166 A.D. to 180 A.D., The Antonine Plague spread around Europe devastating many countries. This epidemic killed thousands per day and is also known as the modern-day name Smallpox. It is known as one of deadliest plagues around the world.
... (Schweikart 5-6). The Aztecs’ greed for sacrificial hostages turned these Indian neighbors against them (Kingfisher 196-197). The Aztecs were defeated, partially because they had been weakened by smallpox, but also because the Spanish fought together as a single force, while Aztecs fought as individuals (Schweikart 6-7).
So naturally the Aztecs’ immune systems were less than suitable for combating such deadly diseases as smallpox when someone finally did get infected and spread the disease around. The Aztecs didn’t have the amount of time to deal with smallpox as the Spanish did, so their immune systems were not as resistant to the disease. Smallpox had been around in Spain for years, so the immune systems of its inhabitants were naturally more resistant. A way Aztecs protected themselves from disease and illness was through spiritual and religious like human sacrifice. They believed that by sacrificing humans it would please their Gods and keep them happy, so their Gods would not bring disease or natural disasters. The God that the Aztecs would pray to for
Pandemics and epidemics are diseases that affect many people all over the world. They cause millions of deaths and leave many people sick. Most epidemics are contagious and spread very quickly. One kind of epidemic is the variola virus. Variola virus is most known by the name smallpox. it got it’s nickname from the small blisters that appear on the face and arms. Smallpox is believed to have originated in Egypt or Northeastern Africa about 10,000 years ago. It soon reached Asia during the middle ages and reached Europe in 700 A.D.In 18th Century Europe it killed about 400,000 people a year. In the 20th Century alone, it has killed about 300 million. This disease has also led to the downfall of the Aztec Empire and killed many royal figures from France, Russia and other countries.
When the Spanish came to the Americas their biggest weapons were the diseases that they brought along with them. The most common and known disease that the Spanish brought to the Americas was the smallpox. Another disease that was brought to the Americas was, typhox, not only did both the smallpox and typhox disease kill off millions of the Aztec and Inca population but it didn’t even affect the Spanish that came to the Americas. The reason as to why the Aztec and Inca were affected by the diseases and the Spanish weren’t was because most of these diseases were the cause of animals that lived in Europe. Aztec and Inca people hadn’t previously seen or heard of these animals before the Spanish (Diamond, 1996). European animals didn't actually
A few decades after the Spanish came into contact with the Taino over 1/3 of the 3 million Taino died from smallpox. The Spanish took many of the men from their farms to mine for them in the mines. This led to