Fall of Aztec Empire
For many years now, historians have pondered upon the many reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire. There have been many factors that played into the fall of the Empire, such as the diseases plaguing the population, the Spaniard’s technological advantages, religious rivalries, alliances, and the list goes on. But to focus on two of the major contributors, this essay will focus on the effects of European diseases on Mexico, and the impact alliances between the Spaniards and the Tlaxcala people had on Tenochtitlan.
To begin our observations, we will delve into the life of a man named “Hernan Cortés”. Hernan Cortés was a Spanish Conquistador, and one of the driving forces in the fall of the Aztec Empire through the capture of Tenochtitlan and of the then leader Motecuhzoma II. Our …show more content…
The migration of Europeans over to America had created a wide spread epidemic, killing many of the population in the progress. Since diseases like smallpox, mumps and measles have had little effect on Spaniards due to antibodies created, the little exposure the Mexica people had to the diseases made them life threatening. The thinning of the population has been debated, as no one truly knows the true death toll. It is said that these diseases killed as much as 90% of the population in some towns in just one epidemic. This greatly aided in the conquering of Tenochtitlan, weakening Mexica defenses by an estimated 90 – 95%. Along with this came a massive crop failure and revolts. Aztecs stuck by a cosmic religious system, and believed the recent events were caused by a disturbance in the energy within the cosmic system. The empire believed in capturing warriors for sacrifice instead of killing them in battle, so instead of using the warriors in their time of population decline, they decided to increase the rate of warrior sacrifices as to appease the
For many years now, historians have pondered upon the many reasons for the fall of the Aztec Empire. There have been many factors that played into the fall of the Empire, such as the diseases plaguing the population, the Spaniard’s technological advantages, religious rivalries, alliances, and the list goes on. But to focus on two of the major contributors, this essay will focus on the effects of European diseases on Mexico, and the impact alliances between the Spaniards and the Tlaxcala people had on Tenochtitlan.
To begin our observations, we will delve into the life of a man named “Hernan Cortés”. Hernan Cortés was a Spanish Conquistador, and one of the driving forces in the fall of the Aztec Empire through the capture of Tenochtitlan and of the then leader Motecuhzoma II. Our …show more content…
The migration of Europeans over to America had created a wide spread epidemic, killing many of the population in the progress. Since diseases like smallpox, mumps and measles have had little effect on Spaniards due to antibodies created, the little exposure the Mexica people had to the diseases made them life threatening. The thinning of the population has been debated, as no one truly knows the true death toll. It is said that these diseases killed as much as 90% of the population in some towns in just one epidemic. This greatly aided in the conquering of Tenochtitlan, weakening Mexica defenses by an estimated 90 – 95%. Along with this came a massive crop failure and revolts. Aztecs stuck by a cosmic religious system, and believed the recent events were caused by a disturbance in the energy within the cosmic system. The empire believed in capturing warriors for sacrifice instead of killing them in battle, so instead of using the warriors in their time of population decline, they decided to increase the rate of warrior sacrifices as to appease the