PolledHistory: Friday Special - The Fall of the Aztec Empire

 Hello! Today's Friday shifts its focus from some Roman state, which we have been studying since the first Friday special to other themes. And for this Friday, it is about the Fall of an empire - the Aztec Empire.

The Aztec Empire was a dominant kingdom in Southern Mexico that started by around 1428 AD. It was an alliance of three main city states that enlarged its influence and engulfed the nearby civilizations, becoming among the most impressive Pre-Columbian American civilization. 

The capital, Tenochtitlan, had great construction projects. However, the Aztec Empire, and typically all Pre-Columbian American civilizations were small, especially compared to those in the Old World (Asia, Europe, Africa). 

In 1492, a navigator from Genoa, Columbus, set off, finding the Americas (the Carribbean only by that time), and though other people had previously found the Americas, he was the first one to really make it important. In 1519, the Aztecs were still dominant in Mesoamerica.

The Azteecs were very brutal in their practices - they sacrificed humans in large amounts and practiced cannibalism. Outside of that, they did have impressive feats, such as education. In early 1519, some Spanish soldiers ("conquistadors") travelled from the Caribbean islands to the coast of modern day Mexico under their leader Hernan Cortes.

Cortes arrived on a peninsula called the Yucatan Peninsula. Cortes' conquistadors were much more technologically advanced than the Native Americans but they were numerically limited. The Aztecs' brutality caught up to them - they had very little allies.

 Cortes' goal was to topple the empire to take the riches of the Aztecs. Cortes allied with one of the tribes there unfriendly to the Aztecs. The king of the Aztecs, Montezuma sent him delegations and gifts, but they failed to persuade Cortes.

Cortes began to march with only about four hundred soldiers to the city of Tenochtitlan. More and more allies joined the Spanish, seeking revenge against their Aztec rivals. In late 1519, some of the Spaniards have arrived at Tenochtitlan. 

The city was a huge one and a beautiful one. The Spaniards discovered the riches of the Aztecs, and in their greed, were persuaded to claim it. Cortes, who was invited to Montezuma II's throne room, held the Aztec king under house arrest. Montezuma II, who had been asked by Cortes if Cortes could construct a Catholic altar on the Aztec temples, finally allowed them to do so.

This erection marked a time where the Aztec king was a puppet of a military leader, who was not even a king. Cortes had previously broke the governor of Cuba's law against him, so Cortes had to deal with an army sent against him.

Meanwhile, those who stayed behind in Tenochtitlan were met with the Aztec king Montezuma and were invited to an Aztec religious event involving human sacrifice. The Spaniards interrupted it and killed most of those in the tenple.

King Montezuma II's policy was one of peace and negotiation, but his Aztec people rebelled against him. Cortes defeated the army sent against him because of his crime (that is, sailing for Mexico when he was prohibited to) against the Spanish governor of Cuba.

When Cortes rearrived at Tenochtitlan, he found his garrison there, those who stayed behind, under attack from the Aztecs. Cortes wanted to negotiate with Moctezuma, but Montezuma (or Moctezuma)'s people disagreed and killed Moctezuma, electing a new successor.

Cortes made another attack by this point, attempting to steal what they really wanted - Gold. They snuck in but were spotted. Hernan left their attack in failure, and they went to a nearby area. The Aztecs a week later lead an attack against them, but they were overconfident and  the Spaniards defeated them.

The Aztecs regained their capital for a while, but their victory would not last - a disease came to them, smallpox from the Spaniards. The Spaniards, and Europeans overall, were immune and used to smallpox after hundreds of years of facing it. The Aztecs had no knowledge of the disease, and thousands of the Aztecs died. The Aztecs were heavily weakeaned, but they were still very determined.

The Spaniards built ships (as Tenochtitlan had canals) to support their siege of the city, but the city resisted, until finally, Cortes lead an attack that was opposed by huge resistance. In Late 1520, the Aztecs finally ended. The Spaniards took gold and the Aztecs had fallen. This began a large wave of European expansion into the Americas. 


That's all for today! Goodbye.

Next Friday Topic: Bronze Age Collapse

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