What were some of the reasons for the Spanish conquest?
Inspired by tales of rivers of gold and timid, malleable native peoples, later Spanish explorers were relentless in their quest for land and gold. Spanish explorers with hopes of conquest in the New World were known as conquistadores.
What are three effects of the Spanish conquest of the Americas?
These diseases included smallpox, measles, whooping cough, and influenza. Native Americans had no immunities to these diseases, and died by the millions. Experts estimate that between 1492 and 1650, more than 80 percent of Native American died of disease brought by Europeans!
Who led the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs?
Hernán Cortés
Soon after the Spanish colonization of Cuba in 1519, a small army led by Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) conquered Mexico from the Aztecs.
What were the three goals of Spanish conquistadors?
The Spanish conquistadors were essentially sanctioned pirates. Their goal was to claim land and resources for their investors and conquer natives of other lands for treasure and glory. They also were vital in the spread and enforcement of religion.
Why was it so easy for the Spanish to conquer the Aztecs?
The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán.
What helped the Spanish conquer the Americas?
Spanish conquistadors, who were primarily poor nobles from the impoverished west and south of Spain, were able to conquer the huge empires of the New World with the help of superior military technology, disease (which weakened indigenous resistance), and military tactics including surprise attacks and powerful …
How did Spanish conquest and colonization affect the peoples of the Americas?
When the Spanish conquered the Americas, they brought in their own religion. Hundreds of Native Americans converted to Christianity. Churches, monasteries, shrines and parishes were built. This was one of the Spanish’s main goals in colonization, as well as giving Spain more power.
What was the most important contribution of the Spanish conquistadors?
The spanish conquistadors brought over the spanish language, food (corn, rice, tacos), place names (San Salvador, El Salvador, San Fransisco), and Spanish descendents. What were the four reasons why the Spanish went to America.
What three factors drove Spanish exploration?
What three factors drove Spanish exploration? God, Glory, and Gold.
How did Spanish conquer Aztecs?
Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city.
How did Spain conquer America?
Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and gaining control over more territory for over three centuries, the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, most of Central America and much of North America.
How did the Spanish conquer the natives?
The Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and the Inca not only because they had horses, dogs, guns, and swords, but also because they brought with them germs that made many native Americans sick. Diseases like smallpox and measles were unknown among the natives; therefore, they had no immunity to them.
How did the Spanish treat natives in the Americas?
What did the Spanish do to the Natives? They enslaved them and took their food.
How did the arrival of the Spanish impact the Native American populations?
Europeans carried a hidden enemy to the Indians: new diseases. Native peoples of America had no immunity to the diseases that European explorers and colonists brought with them. Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles, and even chicken pox proved deadly to American Indians.
When was the Spanish conquest of Mexico?
February 1519Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire / Start date
The conquest of Mexico began with an expedition to search for gold on the American mainland. In 1519 Cortés led about 450 men to Mexico and made his way from Veracruz on the Gulf Coast to the island city of Tenochtitlan, the stunningly beautiful Aztec capital situated in Lake Texcoco.