g/h topic 1

• Merchants travelling in the far reaches of the Aztec Empire had brought rumours to the emperor, Moctezuma, about the arrival of strangers on the coast


  1519
• Moctezuma


  The Aztec emperor
• Moctezuma's actions


  1. Spent a sleepless night

  2. Awaiting the arrival of his council of nobles and priests

  3. Needed to discuss a grave situation with them
• Several months ago Moctezuma had sent officials to investigate reports of mysterious strangers in nearby territories
• The officials had returned bringing stories of men in odd clothing and sailing boats as big as mountains, who rode animals that looked like giant deer and carried sticks that shot fire, and were gathering supporters from surrounding tribes and heading toward Tenochtitlan
• Moctezuma decided to send a small group of Aztecs to greet the strangers and give them valuable gifts, including a mask made of turquoise and a fan of quetzal feathers
• Hernan Cortes


  The man who was leading this group towards Tenochtitlan
• Cortes


  • Raised in Spain during a time of great change
  • The defeat of the Muslims and the unity under Catholicism was believed to have made Spain better
  • A young, adventurous, and highly ambitious man
  • Heard about Columbus' expeditions and his discovery of gold in the Caribbean
  • At the age of 19, set out for the "New World"
  • Embodied the Spanish worldview at the time
• Cortes was born in Western Spain in 1485
• He studied law but soon left university to make his fortune
• He sailed to the Dominican in 1504 and moved to Cuba in 1511 where he proved his worth
• He persuaded the new governor of Cuba to make him commander of an expedition to Mexico
• The governor agreed, only to retract at the last moment – Cortes still went, however
• Upon arrival, Cortes started a settlement and made local allies, and even found an interpreter
• Francisco Lopez de Gomara: 'He was a source of trouble to his parents as well as to himself, for he was restless, haughty, mischievous, and given to quarrelling, for which reason he decided to seek his fortune . . .'
• Cortes' worldview


  "But I came to get gold, not to till the land like a peasant."
• In 1511 Cortes was asked to join a mission to conquer Cuba
• He accepted and with 300 men they conquered Cuba using their formula
• The Conquistador Formula


  1. An expedition would set out from a recently created colony

  2. After landing in a new area, the Spanish would try to meet peacefully with the first group of Indigenous people they met. Their aim was to discover which group was the most powerful in an area.

  3. The Spanish would invite the leader of the most powerful group to a meeting to exchange gifts of peace. They would then seize the leader and threaten to kill him unless his people obeyed their orders.

  4. If they did have to fight, the Spanish would attempt to do it on open ground. Their horses, armour, and weapons gave them a huge advantage.

  5. The leader of the expedition would remain as governor of the new colony and his second-in-command would organize the next expedition. The indigenous people would be forced into slavery.
• This painting of Cortes was commissioned by the King of Spain as a reward for his work in "enriching and expanding the Spanish Empire"
• Hernan Cortes by Christoph Weiditz, 1529
• Hernan Cortes by Diego Rivera, 1951
• Cortes stayed in Cuba after they conquered it using the formula
• He was second in command to Governor Velazquez
• Cortes soon grew restless, however; he wanted to learn more about the great land to the west of Cuba
• Two expeditions were sent out to inquire about this land, and there was a civilization in this new land, one that was stronger, more advanced, and more wealthy than any group they had yet seen
• Cortes convinced Velazquez to help finance an expedition, and he had gathered 11 ships, 508 soldiers, 100 sailors, 200 indigenous slaves and 16 horses
• Cortes: 'I know in my heart that we shall take vast and wealthy lands. We are waging a just and good war, which will bring us fame. Almighty God, in whose name it will be waged, will give us victory . . . If you do not abandon me, as I shall not abandon you, I shall make you the richest men who ever crossed the seas.'
• Velazquez cancelled the expedition just as it was about to leave – he was worried that Cortes would not respect his authority
• Cortes ignored the order and left for Mexico – this was considered mutiny
• Before heading inland, Cortes established a town settlement on the coast called La Villa Rica de la Veracruz, and created an independent government there
• He sent one ship back to Spain with the gold he had collected so far, and then sank the other 10 ships
• Merchants travelling in the Aztec Empire brought rumours to Moctezuma about the arrival of strangers on the coast


  1519
• Moctezuma had spent a sleepless night awaiting the arrival of his council of nobles and priests to discuss the situation
• Officials had returned with stories of strange men in odd clothing, sailing boats as big as mountains, riding animals like giant deer, and carrying sticks that shot fire, gathering supporters and heading towards Tenochtitlan
• Moctezuma's dilemma


  Whether to welcome the strangers into the Aztec Empire or send his army against them
• Moctezuma decided to send a small group of Aztecs to greet the strangers and give them valuable gifts
• Hernan Cortes


  The man leading the group towards Tenochtitlan
• Cortes


  • Raised in Spain during a time of great change
  • Believed the defeat of the Muslims and unity under Catholicism made Spain better
  • Young, adventurous, and highly ambitious
  • Heard about Columbus' expeditions and discovery of gold in the Caribbean
  • Set out for the "New World" at age 19
• Cortes embodied the Spanish worldview at the time