THE CONQUEST OF MEXICOSSWH8.A

HERNAN CORTES

Born in 1485 Flunked out of law

school In 1502 – after

hearing stories about the new world – he signed on with an expedition to the West Indies led by Nicolas de Ovando.

HERNAN CORTES

Cortes proved himself to be an excellent soldier

He was selected to join a force that was going to conquer the island of Cuba

In 1511 Cortes settled down in Cuba as a rancher…for awhile

CORTES LOOKS TOWARDS MEXICO

Reports of the wealth of the Aztec nation in Mexico begin to reach Spanish ears

In 1519 Cortes is selected to lead an expedition to settle a colony in Mexico

He is given 600 men and around 20 horses

A NEW MISSION FOR THE EXPEDITION

Upon their arrival on the shores of Mexico Cortes burns the ships the expedition came in.

Cortes decides that they are not there to make a colony. They are there to conquer.

REMEMBER QUETZALCOATL?

Cortes had learned of the Aztec legend of Quetzalcoatl

He decided that he could use the legend of a pale-skinned bearded god returning to his advantage

TENOCHTITLAN

TENOCHTITLAN

CORTES ENTERS THE CITY

Cortes enters Tenochtitlan without any resistance. (remember, he looks like a god)

He sets up a military headquarters

He kidnaps Emperor Montezuma and makes him sign an oath of allegiance to Spanish King Charles V

THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN

Cortes hears that 1,400 Spanish troops have landed. They have been sent to arrest him.

Cortes takes some of his troops and heads to fight his countrymen, but when he gets there many of the 1,400 men sent to arrest him join his army.

THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN

When Cortes returns he finds that the troops he left behind had massacred almost 600 defenseless Aztec nobles. The city is in revolt.

In an attempt to calm the Mexicas down, Emperor Montezuma is released.

The Aztecs stone him to death. The conquistadors are forces to retreat

out of Tenochtitlan.

THE END OF TENOCHTITLAN

In 1521 a plague of smallpox devastates Tenochtitlan.

Cortes returns with an army reinforces with natives warriors that hated the Aztecs and wanted a chance to get revenge on their overlords. The city falls; so does the nation.

5 million Aztecs had been defeated by disease, technology, and fewer than 1,000 conquistadors.