The Decline of Native Peoples
The Aztecs
• The Aztec Empire was situated
in what is now Mexico.
• Its capital was Tenochtitlan
(now the site of Mexico City,
the capital of Mexico).
• The Aztecs gained dominance
over other native tribes
through victory in war.
• These other tribes were subject
to heavy taxes and slavery.
Human
Sacrifice
• The Aztecs practised human
sacrifice.
• Sacrifices were done to honour
their sun god, who, it was believed,
needed a supply of blood and
hearts.
• The victims of sacrifice were often
war captives or slaves.
• The amount of people sacrificed
ranges in the thousands to the tens
of thousands.
Cortés’
Expedition
• The conquest of the Aztec Empire was led by
Hernán Cortés who had 11 ships and 500
men when he set sail for Mexico in 1519.
• When Cortés and his men reached
Tenochtitlan, they were at first welcomed by
the Aztec emperor, Montezuma.
• This situation quickly deteriorated as the
Spanish took Montezuma hostage since they
were so heavily outnumbered.
• The Aztecs eventually revolted, forcing the
Spanish out of the city but Montezuma died
during the revolt.
Fall of the Aztecs
• The Spanish did not give up and
with the help of many other local
tribes, laid siege to Tenochtitlan.
• What also helped the Spanish was
smallpox. Native populations had
not encountered this disease and
had no immunity towards it, killing
many of the Aztecs.
• The Spanish with their superior
weapons, armour and use of
horses defeated the Aztecs in battle
and destroyed Tenochtitlan.
Effects of
Conquest
• The newly acquired lands of the Aztecs
were renamed as New Spain.
• The remaining Aztecs were forced to
work in mines or in agriculture.
• Mexico City was built on top of the
ruins of Tenochtitlan.
• Livestock (animals), crops and
equipment were brought over from
Europe to farm the new territory.
• Hundreds of priests were also brought
over to convert the natives.
The Incas
• The Incas had the largest native
empire in the Americas.
• Their emperor was Atahualpa.
• The empire consisted of modern day
countries such as Peru and parts of
Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and
Argentina.
• Its capital was Cuzco
• They did practice human sacrifice
(especially of children) but nowhere
near the amount of the Aztecs.
• The Incas were sophisticated builders
and had an extensive road network
across their empire (like the Romans).
Fall of the Incas
• The conquistador who led the
expedition against the Incas was
Francisco Pizarro who had 180
men and 37 horses.
• The Incas were already badly
effected by European diseases.
• Atahualpa agreed to meet Pizarro
who tricked the emperor, taking
him hostage and killing thousands
of his followers at the Battle of
Cajamarca in 1533.
• Atahualpa was later put to death
and the Spanish took Cuzco
without a fight.
European Diseases
• Native populations in the Americas came
into contact with diseases brought over
into the New Word by Europeans.
• Such diseases included smallpox,
influenza, typhus, measles, malaria,
diphtheria and whooping cough.
• These diseases had a significantly
negative effect on the native populations
whose immune systems could not
effectively resist such diseases.
• The native populations of the Americas
declined dramatically due to this,
coupled with the loss of life in war
against the Europeans.
Spanish Infighting
• Pizarro went on to find the city
of Lima (Peru’s current capital).
• Tension grew between Pizarro
and one of his fellow
conquistadors, Diego de
Almagro over power and wealth.
• This led to large-scale fighting
among the Spanish.
• Pizarro’s side won and Almagro
was put to death.
• However, Almagro’s supporters
and family got their revenge
when Pizarro was killed later
in 1541.
All that Glitters is Gold
• Gold and silver deposits
were found and mined in the
lands of the Incas.
• The Incas themselves were
enslaved by the Spanish to
mine these deposits and died
in their thousands doing this
work.
• Around 65% of Spain’s
gold and silver came from
Peru and Bolivia during the
16th century.
El Dorado
• The wealth of gold that was
found in South America led
conquistadors to believe in a
mythical city of gold called El
Dorado (The Golden)
• Expeditions to find the city
came to nothing in the pursuit of
gold but they did actually help
in mapping parts of South
America, including the course
of the Amazon River.
Modern US cities named by the Spanish
Los Angeles San Francisco
Have a
Happy Easter
. . . and don’t
get too much
egg on your
face.
