How did the Spanish conquistadors conquered the Incas and Aztecs?

Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas. Cortés and his men used over a dozen large portable guns, mainly for their shock value against the Aztecs. Pizarro's conquest of the Incas was also made possible by the use of gunpowder, a substance the Incas didn't have at their disposal.

How were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztec and Inca empires?

The Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and the Inca not only because they had horses, dogs, guns, and swords, but also because they brought with them germs that made many native Americans sick. Diseases like smallpox and measles were unknown among the natives; therefore, they had no immunity to them.

How did the Spanish conquistadors conquer the Aztecs?

Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. Cortés's army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city.

How did the Incas get conquered?

Pizarro and his men were clever, and had modern weapons; as a result they were able to strategically take control of the Inca land. In 1532, accompanied by his brothers, and 168 Spanish soldiers, Francisco Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader Atahualpa and conquered Peru, which ended the reign of the Inca Empire.

What factors helped the Spanish defeat the Aztec and Inca?

Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs | 3 Minute History

Why was it so easy for the Spanish to conquer the Aztecs?

The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán.

Why were Spanish conquistadors so successful?

The Spanish conquistadors had many military advantages over the New World natives. The Spanish had steel weapons and armor, which made them nearly unstoppable, as native weapons could not pierce Spanish armor nor could native armor defend against steel swords.

Why did the Spanish conquered the Incas?

The Spanish recognized the wealth and abundance that could be had in this territory; at this point the Inca Empire was at its largest, measuring around 690,000 square miles. In 1528 Pizarro went back to Spain to ask for the official blessing of the Spanish crown to the conquer the area and become governor.

Why did the Spanish want to conquer the Aztec and Inca empires?

The Spanish wanted to convert the Aztecs to Christianity to control them. They went about destroying the Aztec religious symbols, temples, and they killed, tortured and kidnapped people. Aztecs were forced to convert. The same was done to other indigenous peoples and civilizations, including the Incas.

How did the Spanish conquered Mexico?

The Spanish conquistador led an expedition to present-day Mexico, landing in 1519. Although the Spanish forces numbered some 500 men, they managed to capture Aztec Emperor Montezuma II. The city later revolted, forcing Cortés and his men to retreat.

What did the Spanish do to the Aztecs?

They introduced the Aztecs to domestic animals, sugar, grains, and European farming practices. Most significantly, the Spanish ended the Aztec's practice of human sacrifice. The Aztecs sacrificed human victims on each of their 18 annual festivities, according to the New World Encyclopedia.

What did the Spanish conquistadors do?

The Spanish conquistadors were essentially sanctioned pirates. Their goal was to claim land and resources for their investors and conquer natives of other lands for treasure and glory. They also were vital in the spread and enforcement of religion.

How did the Spanish succeed in conquering much of the Americas?

In addition to their strategic alliances with different indigenous groups, the Spanish had several advantages. First, their weaponry and armor were much more advanced. They also had horses, imposing animals the natives had never seen before.

Which factors aided the Spanish conquest of the Incas?

Horses, sheer luck, good timing and European diseases such as Smallpox decimating the native population, were also factors helping the Spanish towards victory.

How were the Spanish able to conquer and colonize the Americas?

Spanish conquistadors, who were primarily poor nobles from the impoverished west and south of Spain, were able to conquer the huge empires of the New World with the help of superior military technology, disease (which weakened indigenous resistance), and military tactics including surprise attacks and powerful ...

What happened to the Incas and Aztecs?

Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were conquered by Spanish conquistadors; the Aztec Empire was conquered by Cortés, and the Inca Empire was defeated by Pizarro. The Spanish had an advantage over native peoples because the former had guns, cannons, and horses.

How did the Aztec Empire fall?

Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, bringing an end to Mesoamerica's last great native civilization.

What are the three most important reason for the Spanish conquest?

The overthrow of the Aztec Empire by Cortez and his expedition rests on three factors: The fragility of that empire, the tactical advantages of Spanish technology, and smallpox.

In what way was the Spanish conquest of the Incas similar to its conquest of the Aztecs?

They were similar because both countries were exploring new lands. How were the conquest of the Aztec and the Inca similar and different? The Aztec and Inca were both conquered by Spain. However, the Aztec were mostly taken out by disease; whereas, the Inca were taken out by a large army.

How did the Aztecs and the conquistadors differ in their treatment of conquered people *?

How did the Aztecs and conquistadors differ in their treatment of conquered people? The Aztecs included conquered people in their empire, the conquistadors destroyed the societies they conquered. You're the chief of a small tribe that has just been absorbed into the Aztec Empire.

Who did the conquistadors conquer?

conquistador, (Spanish: “conqueror”) plural conquistadores or conquistadors, any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century.

What happened after the Spanish conquered the Aztecs?

By August of 1521, the glorious city of Tenochtitlan was in ruins. The Aztec lands were renamed "New Spain" and the colonization process began. Conquistadors were replaced by bureaucrats and colonial officials, and Mexico would be a Spanish colony until it began its fight for independence in 1810.

Who helped the Spanish defeat the Aztecs?

Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.