Here is a summary of how Spain conquered the Aztec and Inca empires in the early 1500s:
In the early 16th century, the Spanish began exploring and colonizing the Americas. They were drawn by rumors of great wealth and resources in the Aztec and Inca empires.
The Aztec Empire, centered in what is now Mexico, was conquered by Hernán Cortés between 1519-1521:
- In 1519, Cortés landed in Mexico with about 500 men. He made alliances with indigenous groups who resented Aztec rule, like the Tlaxcalans.[1][2]
- Cortés entered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and took the emperor Moctezuma II hostage in his own palace. This initially allowed Cortés to gain control.[1][16]
- The Aztecs eventually drove the Spanish out, but Cortés regrouped, gained more native allies, and laid siege to Tenochtitlan for 93 days in 1521.[14]
- Superior Spanish weaponry and a smallpox epidemic enabled Cortés to capture the city and destroy the Aztec empire.[1][14]
The Inca Empire in western South America was conquered by Francisco Pizarro between 1532-1572:
- In 1532, Pizarro arrived in Inca territory with about 180 men. He captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa and executed him in 1533.[1][2]
- Pizarro took advantage of a civil war between Atahualpa and his brother Huáscar to gain indigenous allies against the Inca.[1][9]
- Pizarro’s forces captured the Inca capital Cuzco in 1533, but Inca resistance continued in remote areas until 1572.[1][9]
Key factors in the Spanish conquest included:
- Superior weapons and military tactics of the Spanish[3]
- Strategic alliances with indigenous groups who opposed Aztec/Inca rule[1][2]
- The devastating impact of European diseases like smallpox on native populations[3][9]
After the fall of the Aztec and Inca, Spain established the Viceroyalty of New Spain centered in Mexico and the Viceroyalty of Peru. These became the core regions of Spain’s vast colonial empire in the Americas.[8][9]
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_the_Inca_Empire
[2] https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1920/the-iberian-conquest-of-the-americas/
[3] https://education.seattlepi.com/were-important-factors-explaining-spanish-victory-over-aztecs-incas-6698.html
[4] https://www.oup.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/58197/Chapter-19-The-Spanish-conquest-of-the-Americas-1492-1572.pdf
[5] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/precontact-and-early-colonial-era/spanish-colonization/a/the-spanish-conquistadores-and-colonial-empire
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_the_Aztec_Empire
[7] https://www.ducksters.com/history/aztec_maya_inca.php
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Empire
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas
[10] https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-jcc-ushistory1os/chapter/the-spanish-conquest/
[11] https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/inca-civilization
[12] https://www.nps.gov/fora/learn/education/unit-1-spain-in-the-new-world-to-1600.htm
[13] https://www.britannica.com/topic/pre-Columbian-civilizations/Aztec-culture-to-the-time-of-the-Spanish-conquest
[14] https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Tenochtitlan
[15] https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/americas-1500s
[16] https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/for-students/what-the-textbooks-have-to-say-about-the-conquest-of-mexico
[17] https://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu/collections-and-research/ethnology/mayan-textiles/mayan-textiles-background/mayan-history/spanish-conquest/
[18] https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/european-viruses-aztec-inca-empires/
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire - Wikipedia