What happened to Malinche?

Malitzen died in 1529 during a smallpox outbreak. Though she was only about 29 years old, in her short life she acted as one of the most important figures of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and she left the world a wealthy, free woman.

Why was Malinche sold?

La Malinche was born Malinal, the daughter of an Aztec cacique (chief). This gave her an unusual level of education, which she would later leverage as a guide and interpreter for the Spanish. After her father's death, she was sold to slavers by her mother.

Who sold Malinche into slavery?

Apparently wishing the boy to inherit all three villages, Malinche's mother sold her into enslavement in secret, telling the people of the town that she had died. Malinche was sold to traders of enslaved people from Xicallanco. They in turn sold her to the lord of Potonchan.

What did Malinche do?

1500 – c. 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche [la maˈlintʃe], a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an interpreter, advisor, and intermediary for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.

Why is La Malinche considered a victim?

Most well known as the indigenous woman who helped the Spanish conquer the Aztecs by serving as translator, La Malinche could be considered, and is by many Mexicans, a traitor to her people. However, others consider her a victim or a survivor who made the most of the position she found herself in.

The Cunning Traitor who Destroyed a Civilisation? | La Malinche

Who betrayed the Aztecs and helped the Spaniards?

Between 1519 and 1521, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, overthrew the Aztec Empire. This event is called the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Cortés helped old enemies of the Aztecs defeat them in one of the most important events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Did Aztecs and Mayans fight?

There were Aztec garrisons on the Maya frontier, and very likely plans to attack. But then the Aztecs themselves were attacked - by the Spaniards. However, if by “the Aztecs” we can include surviving warriors from the regions of Mexico that were part of the Aztec Empire, then the answer is yes.

Did any Aztecs survive?

By the 1500s, they had not only survived, but managed to prevail, and they were taking no chances of being forced to go backwards. They used their brains and their brawn to defeat their neighbors — first the other ethnic groups in the central basic of Mexico, and then much farther afield.

Why did the Spanish wipe out 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.

Was Hernán Cortés a cruel master?

Hernando was a cruel master

He also took land from the natives and made them slaves to the rich and ruling class. This saw the abandonment of the Aztec culture, language, religion, and education.

What did Hernán Cortés do wrong?

In 1504, he followed his dreams westward. Cortés subsequent actions ultimately led to the fall of the Aztec world. By all accounts, he was arrogant, defiant, self-serving, greedy, and generally indifferent to the indigenous people he sought to conquer.

Was Hernán Cortés a villain or a hero?

There are two main interpretations of Cortes and the Aztecs. Interpretation 1: Cortes was a villain. He was a vicious gangster who crushed the noble Aztec civilisation.

Who was the most brutal conquistador?

1. Hernán Cortés. Here you have it, the worst of all the conquistadors: Hernán Cortés. After his Cuban campaign, he went rogue and traveled to Mexico.

Was Hernán Cortés a good leader?

His health improved and he trained as a soldier, taking part in the subjugation of the parts of Hispaniola that had held out against the Spanish. He became known as a good leader, an intelligent administrator, and a ruthless fighter.

What ultimately killed the most Aztecs?

What happened Montezuma?

Montezuma, captured by the Spaniards, pleads with the Aztecs to surrender as the Spanish attack his palace in 1520. The war between the Spanish and Aztecs raged on for years and resulted in a horrific loss of life from both battle and disease.

Who helped Hernán Cortés defeat Aztecs?

Working in alliance with some 200,000 Indigenous warriors from city-states, particularly the Tlaxcala and Cempoala (groups who had resented the Aztec/Mexicas and wanted to see them vanquished), the Spanish conquistadors held Tenochtitlán under siege from May 22 through August 13, 1521—a total of 93 days.

What did Cortés do to the Aztecs?

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. Cortés's victory destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control over what became the colony of New Spain.

Is Hernán Cortés related to Francisco Pizarro?

Interesting Facts about Francisco Pizarro

He was the second cousin once removed of Hernan Cortez, the conquistador who conquered the Aztecs in ​Mexico​.

What virus killed the Aztecs?

Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children.

Who killed the Mayans and Aztecs?

Hernán Cortés in the Maya lowlands, 1524–25

In 1524, after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Honduras over land, cutting across Acalan in southern Campeche and the Itza kingdom in what is now the northern Petén Department of Guatemala.

What killed the Mayans?

Scholars have suggested a number of potential reasons for the downfall of Maya civilization in the southern lowlands, including overpopulation, environmental degradation, warfare, shifting trade routes and extended drought. It's likely that a complex combination of factors was behind the collapse.