Unit: Civilizations in the Americas
Lesson Title: A Study of Conflict The Conquistadors vs. the Aztecs
In this lesson we will compare the Spanish and the
Aztecs in their conflict.
We will analyze how the two peoples measured
against each other.
Which was better prepared for battle?
What were their relative strengths and weaknesses?
What things would be important to consider in this
comparison?
Both the soldiers of Cortés and the Aztec warriors
were highly skilled and fierce fighters. Our analysis of
the conflict between the Spanish and Aztecs will focus
on weaponry and physical condition (health).
The Spanish soldiers had steel swords, guns, canons,
crossbows, long spears with steel tips, and armor.
with steel tips
The Spanish Harquebus
The Aztecs did not have steel, firearms, or armor.
Their weapons were made of wood with blades and
tips made of sharp stone and flint.
Weapons used by Aztec warriors
The Atlatls: a spear throwing device
long bows
and arrows
axes
clubs
slings
spears
The Maquahuitl: a wooden sword embedded at the edges
with volcanic stone or flint.
Think about the siege of Tenochtitlán and city’s
causeways and geography.
Which weapons were more advantageous? Why?
Firearms were certainly advantageous from a
distance. Read this Aztec account of the Spanish
harquebus (rifle).
"A thing like a ball of stone comes out of its entrails: It
comes out shooting sparks and raining fire, the smoke
that comes out with it has a pestilent odor, like that of
rotten mud. This odor penetrates even to the brain
and causes the greatest discomfort. If the cannon is
aimed against a mountain, the mountain splits and
cracks open. If it is aimed at a tree, it shatters the tree
into splinters. This is a most unnatural sight, as if the
tree had exploded from within."
But the weaponry was better matched when it came
to close combat.
More advanced weapons are an advantage in conflict
between two peoples, but health is also very important.
Why would better health be an advantage in a conflict
between two peoples?
Who do you think had a more advanced understanding
of health, the Spanish or the Aztecs?
In class reading activity
Read the “Health Profiles” handout (written by
scholars from the Natural History Museum of the
Smithsonian Institute).
Answer these questions:
1. Which peoples lived healthier lives, the Aztecs or the
Spanish invaders? Explain why.
2. Which peoples had more advanced knowledge of
medicine and disease prevention, the Aztecs or
Spanish? Explain why.
3. Which peoples would you expect to have an advantage
in a conflict because of their health backgrounds, the
Aztecs or the Spanish?
The Aztecs lived much healthier lives and had a more
advanced understanding of medicine than the Spanish.
But this would prove to be a great disadvantage for the
Aztecs and other peoples of Latin America in their
ability to fight off the Spanish conquest.
How could this be? Look again at the “Health Profiles”
handout and the health backgrounds of the Spanish.
Why were the Spanish considered “survivors”?
The Spanish soldiers were survivors because they had
lived through epidemics of diseases in Europe.
The Spanish had immunity (antibodies) to these diseases
but carried the germs. The Aztecs had not experienced
many of the diseases of the Europeans -- partially
because they were more hygienic and lived healthier
lives.
Germs proved to be the deadliest weapon of the
Spanish conquest of the native peoples in the
Americas.
This graph shows the population of Native Americans
in Mexico after Cortés first landed in central Mexico.
What happened?
In 1519 when Cortés first landed in central Mexico, the
region had 25 million people. Eighty years later at the
end of the 1500s, the population in the region had
dropped by 95% to just over one million.
When Cortés first entered Tenochtitlán, smallpox had
already started to spread among the Aztecs because of
the contact of other Spanish explorers with native
peoples in Mesoamerica.
The Aztecs were a weakened people during the battle
for Tenochtitlán.
The losses of Native Americans to European diseases
were greater proportionately in Mexico than the losses
of Europeans during the Bubonic Plague.
Epidemics of small pox, typhus, measles, influenza and
mumps swept through Mexico, Central American and
parts of South America. The populations of Native
Americans like the Aztecs and Incas were decimated.
We have learned how the Bubonic Plague radically
changed European society, and helped to end
Feudalism and create countries in Europe. Epidemics
also radically changed the Americas.
How do you think epidemics affected the influence of the
Spanish colonizers on the culture of the native peoples
in Mesoamerica and South America?
How was disease related to the great Spanish influence
today in Latin America on language, religion, and
architecture?
Right side notebook activity
Create a monument in memory of all the Native
Americans in Mexico that died during the 16th Century
because of the Spanish conquest. Put a plaque on the
monument that includes:
--How they died
--Why so many died
--How this affected the society and culture of Mexico
Design the monument to reflect the conflict between the
Aztecs and the Spanish. Include an
explanation of every feature and how it
relates to the event. Explain where you
will locate the monument and why.