Indian Conquistadors

By: Rachelle Alcantara

History 140

How were such amazing feats possible?

Hernando Cortes: superiority of the Spanish military resources

The political and moral decadence of the Mexica Empire at the time of the invasion, and also structural weakness of the empire.

The disunity of Mesoamerican peoples. And the falling of Montezuma his alleged belief that Cortes was the returning deity of Quetzalcoutl.

The impact of epidemic disease

Notes:

• Tlaxcala provided huge amounts of warriors to help the Spaniards in their plan to destruct Tenochtitlan.

• Even before the Spanish-Mexica war had started, Cortes and his company were outnumbered five to one by an allied native force of 2,000 soldiers.

• Mesoamerican conquistadors spoke of the suffering of war as much as their Spanish Counterparts did. This leads us to believe that many of the victories often came with many native deaths.

• It is easy to regard this document as fraudulent or false in its claims, but this is not the only Mesoamerican source to exaggerate or invent native roles in conquest.

Natives working in Spanish Favor

• Natives worked in the Spaniards favor greatly. • Indian tribes contributed warriors to the Spanish

armies and up to 40,000 indigenous warrior took part in battle for the Spanish

• Natives served Spanish by guiding them, scouting, translating and spying for them.

• Even after all of the diseases of 1520 and other loses the natives still sought out the Spanish. They became their aids. In return they received help from the Spanish in their own wars in native battle and warfare in the New Mesoamerica.

• In 1540, they founded a colony in the Youcan.

Notes:

• Spanish invaders in Mesoamerica were not solider in a formally structured army, but rather they were armed members of companies. These companies included exploration, conquest, and settlement if the conquest was successful.

• Spanish merchants followed conquistadors into a founding colony bringing with them supplies, slaves and after a certain amount of time, family members.

• Spanish settlers were dependent on native networks of supply and support.

• Importance of food supply is obvious, yet the native role was often ignored or understated.