Hernán Cortés - The Brutal Annihilation of the Aztec Empire - See U in History

The Mayan, Inca and Aztec civilizations had established the most powerful empires in the Americas during the 16th century, with magnificent large cities filled with golden treasures. These armies were made of thousands of savage warriors who followed the demands of their kings as if they were veritable gods on Earth. The grandiose empires of the pre-Columbian era were not fully prepared for the arrival of a new kind of enemy. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, they introduced new kinds of weapons capable of taking down dozens of warriors at once. Such is the story of how a small group of Spanish conquistadors managed to overwhelm proud kings and take over their wonderful cities. In 1492, Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus managed to convince the Catholic kings of Spain, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon to sponsor his sea voyage in search of a new route to the Indies, from where many valuable goods were imported for the European kingdoms. By chance or by the power of fate, Columbus eventually lost his original route and, instead of reaching India, he found new lands. At first, he landed on a group of islands known as the Antilles, comprising today the countries of the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and many others. Columbus' subsequent discovery was the far-flung continent of America, beginning a new era of European exploration and conquest in what was called the New World. The lands found were contested between Portugal and Spain. The Portuguese crown pushed for a and the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed, splitting the continent between the two countries, with Spain to the west and Portugal to the east. In 1504, a young 19-year-old Spaniard named Hernán Cortés disembarked in Hispaniola, one of the first European colonies in the Caribbean islands. By that time in his life, the young but ambitious Cortés intended to join an expedition on its way to the New World, where he hoped to achieve some reputation and wealth. In 1511, Cortés joined the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuellar on his expedition to conquer Cuba. Velázquez was appointed governor of New Spain. At 26, Cortés was appointed the treasurer's clerk, charged with ensuring that the crown received one-fifth of the expedition's Velázquez was so strongly impressed with Cortés that he guaranteed him a high political position in the colony. He became secretary to the governor and was twice appointed municipal magistrate of Santiago. In Cuba, Cortés became a wealthy man. This powerful new position also made him the newfound source of leadership to which opposing forces in the colony could appeal. Cortés' rising fame and his natural ability to lead and administrate sparked Velázquez's jealousy. Over the years, the relationship between the two became tenser and tenser. Although he was in a prestigious position, Cortés kept aware of the rumors about the abundance of silver and gold deposits that could be found in Mexico. Soon, his ambition would lead him to take new paths in his life. In 1518, Velázquez appointed Cortés to lead an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization. At the eleventh hour, due to an old quarrel between the two, Velázquez changed his mind and withdrew his decision. Angered by his mission's abrogation, Cortés ignored the new orders and, in an act of overt mutiny, set out on his own in February 1519. Escorted by some 11 ships, 500 men, 13 horses, and a small number of cannons, Cortés landed on the Yucatan Peninsula, a territory that was part of the powerful Mayan empire. There, he met Jerónimo de Aguilar, a Franciscan priest who had survived a shipwreck and was ultimately captured and held captive by the Maya but managed to escape. Aguilar had learned the The Spanish arrival was soon noticed by the Mayans. As fierce defenders of their territories, they quickly organized their warriors to strike back at the invaders. However, the Mayans were not equipped to face this new type of enemy who brought weapons and armor made of steel, horses dressed for combat, muskets, and even the fearsome war cannons in their arsenal. The Mayans had been weakened by the cession of their empire, and most of their cities had already been deserted due to climatic changes and drought periods. Even with a small number of fighters, Hernán Cortés managed to lead his men in a string of victories against the Mayan warriors. One by one, the remaining Mayan cities were overrun by the Spanish. Despite his victories and looted wealth, Cortés was looking for a much greater prize. According to reports from his Mayan prisoners, it could be found in the great city of Tenochtitlán, the capital of the mighty Aztec empire. One of his prisoners was a woman who Cortés took as his personal concubine. Her name was Malinche, and was called Marina by the Spaniards. Marina could speak the Mayan and Aztec languages, and would be of great help in Cortés' schemes. Eager to avoid a full-blown confrontation, Cortés initially sought a meeting with the Aztec king Moctezuma II, intending to require a reasonable amount of gold in exchange for avoiding another bloody war. Indeed, Cortés has been astonished by the size of the city of Tenochtitlán, and suspected that his handful of Spaniards would be able to attack that stronghold surrounded by a large lake. After many rejections by Moctezuma, Cortés proceeded to look for support from other Aztec tribes, who in turn were abused by Moctezuma's overbearing government. Cortés managed to gather a significant number of native supporters, and his army suddenly grew. Faced with such a large military force, Moctezuma was forced to accept Hernán Cortés' visit, and listen to his terms of peace. On November the 8th, 1519, Cortés and his men were peacefully greeted by Moctezuma in his royal palace. Moctezuma intentionally led Cortés into the Aztec capital, hoping to learn more about its weak points and crush him later. Moctezuma showered the Spanish with generous gifts of gold, but instead of appeasing their ambitions, he ended up increasing Cortés' lust for future treasures. While staying at Moctezuma's palace, Cortés discovered that several Spaniards who were camped in a nearby region were killed by the Aztecs while supporting the rival tribe of the Totonacs. It was the pretext Cortés was waiting for to act. He decided to hold Moctezuma hostage in his own palace and indirectly rule Tenochtitlan through him. This situation did not last long. The so-called Massacre in the Great Temple took place on May the 22nd, 1520, in which the celebration of the Feast of Toxcat ended with a slaughter of the Aztec elites. While Hernán Cortés was in Tenochtitlan, he learned of other Spaniards arriving on the coast. These had been sent by Velázquez, Cortés' erstwhile rival, while others to capture and arrest Cortés. The latter was forced to leave the city to fight them. During Cortés' absence, Moctezuma proceeded to celebrate one of the Aztecs' most sacred rituals. As usual, the ritual included human sacrifices. After the festivities began, the Spanish suddenly raided the warriors and nobles who were celebrating inside the Great Temple. The few who managed to flee the massacre by climbing the walls reported the atrocity of the Spaniards to the community. While the Spanish version of the incident claims that the conquistadors intervened to prevent a young boy from being sacrificed in the Great Temple, the Aztec version asserts that the Spaniards were lured by the gold that the Aztecs wore during the celebration. In any case, this event sparked the Aztecs' rebellion, as they already nurtured hate towards the Spanish for being inside their city and keeping Moctezuma under house arrest. Moctezuma endeavored to placate his subjects' ire with a peaceful speech, but his own people were sick of his weakness as a king. He was then stoned to death by the angry population, although some accounts claim that he was in reality murdered by the Spanish once they perceived his powerlessness to appease the rebellion. When Cortes and his men returned, the Aztecs initiated outright hostilities against the Spanish. Cortes and his troops had little choice but to retreat from the city, which they did in the so-called La Noche Triste, the Sad Night. They lost most of their men, who were either killed in battle or captured and sacrificed. Much of the treasure looted by Cortes was lost, as well as his artillery during the panic-stricken flight from Tenochtitlán. Hernán Cortes' vendetta was soon to come, with new reinforcements by Spanish troops from Cuba. Cortes besieged Tenochtitlán in 1521, chopping off supplies and subduing the Aztecs' allied cities. The cannons smuggled in by the Spanish wiped out most of the buildings in Tenochtitlán, and the Aztec Empire's capital soon turned to ruins. Spain claimed the territory where Tenochtitlán was located and used it to build the present-day Mexico City. The mighty pre-Columbian empires had reached their end, with a few city-states valiantly enduring the merciless march of a new era. Hernán Cortes attained all the wealth and recognition he had ever desired, even though it came at the cost of thousands of human lives. He died in Castilleja de la Cuesta, province of Sevilla, on December 2, 1547, at age 62. With the military conquests over, most indigenous people were converted to Christianity, and hardly any of their ancient cultural and religious traditions survived. However, there are still several communities dispersed throughout Central America that descend from the ancient Maya and Aztec peoples who preserve the legacy left by their ancestors.