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Lecture Notes: Spanish Conquest and European
Exploration in the New World
Hernan Cortes and the Conquest of the Aztec Empire
• Hernan Cortes
• Born around 1485 in Medellin, Spain
• Noble family background
• Left Spain in 1504 for Hispaniola, then Cuba in 1511
• Appointed captain general for an expedition to Mexico, 1518
• Conquest of the Aztecs
• Established Veracruz, elected captain general
• Took Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, hostage
• Driven from Tenochtitlan during the “Noche Triste”
• Returned with allies, laid siege, and conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521
• Named captain general of Spain and governor of Mexico, 1523
• Legacy
• Viewed as both a conqueror of Mexico and a mass murderer
Impact of European Arrival in the Americas
• Tragedy and Transformation
• Aztec city life disrupted by Spanish conquest
• Spanish established New Spain
• Destruction of Aztec civilization
• Disease
• Smallpox epidemic devastated indigenous populations
• Lack of natural immunity among Native Americans
• Estimated one-third mortality rate from smallpox
Spanish Success in the New World
• Advantages
• Native American allies
• Superior military technology (steel, gunpowder, horses)
• Trained in disciplined military tactics
• Settlement and Expansion
Lecture Notes: Spanish Conquest and European
Exploration in the New World
Hernan Cortes and the Conquest of the Aztec Empire
• Hernan Cortes
• Born around 1485 in Medellin, Spain
• Noble family background
• Left Spain in 1504 for Hispaniola, then Cuba in 1511
• Appointed captain general for an expedition to Mexico, 1518
• Conquest of the Aztecs
• Established Veracruz, elected captain general
• Took Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, hostage
• Driven from Tenochtitlan during the “Noche Triste”
• Returned with allies, laid siege, and conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521
• Named captain general of Spain and governor of Mexico, 1523
• Legacy
• Viewed as both a conqueror of Mexico and a mass murderer
Impact of European Arrival in the Americas
• Tragedy and Transformation
• Aztec city life disrupted by Spanish conquest
• Spanish established New Spain
• Destruction of Aztec civilization
• Disease
• Smallpox epidemic devastated indigenous populations
• Lack of natural immunity among Native Americans
• Estimated one-third mortality rate from smallpox
Spanish Success in the New World
• Advantages
• Native American allies
• Superior military technology (steel, gunpowder, horses)
• Trained in disciplined military tactics
• Settlement and Expansion
