What Were The Decisive Factors Led To The Fall Of The Aztec Empire?

1188 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Fall of the Aztec Empire

What were the decisive factors that led to the fall of the Aztec empire? Your answer should make reference to the social and political contexts of the region as well as the military campaign.

In this essay I am going to give a brief overview about the Aztecs and then talk about the factors that led to the fall of this empire.

The Aztecs ruled from 14th century and their power expanded into Guatemala. The Aztec empire had a powerful military tradition, long-range trading and spy system and complex religious institutions that no one would have thought it would have fallen in less than two years. The fall of the Aztecs were a decisive event during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
The Aztecs was the name used to call a tribe in the northern Mexico. …show more content…

The Aztecs didn’t have a consistent scheme in fighting, in some occasions the Mexicas got shrewd in some of the ways the Europeans battled and almost prompted their triumph. Towards the end Cortes utilized sharp strategies as a part of their final siege; as well as the disease and sacrifice this factor led to the fall of the Aztec empire.
As well as the powerful army that won over the Aztec empire, the Spaniards The government of the Aztecs had its structure from a society that existed sooner than the Aztec empire was established. The family unit was a fundamental structure of the society and the administration of the government was developed from that point. The Aztec empire was constituted by a number of city-states called altepetl, dominated by a leader (tloatoani) and an administrator (cihuacoatl). Tloatoani had a great role in the government of the Aztec empire; they led the military, oversaw temples and markets and resolved disputes.
The Aztec empire continued to expand and conquest more cities. Tenochtitlan was mainly a military power

The Aztecs military …show more content…

However, I think Hernez greed led to the fall of this empire because there were several ways this could have been avoided, for example through the social aspect through their belief and when there was a sign received from the Fifth Sun, and also even whilst the empire had fallen Cortes was still demanding for the return of the gold lost in ‘La Noche Triste’, this was when the leader Cortes and his army battled the Mexican capital at Tenochtitalan after Moctezuma passed away, the gold was kept by Cortes “the remaining gold all fell to the King’s officials” and some sent to the

Show More
Related

  • Broken Spears by Miguel Leon-Portilla

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Broken Spears" by Miguel Leon-Portilla gives a different perspective on the defeat of the Aztecs. Through reasons such as religion and culture beliefs, the Spanish technological advancement, and their strategy of gaining alliances in the new land contributed to the defeat of the Aztecs. The two factors that played the biggest roles were the poor leadership of Motechuhzoma and the timing of the plague. Those two factors were indeed what brought down this great Empire.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Aztec And Spanish Empires

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    Spain, as one of the most powerful nations in the old world, had a great influence on many events in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Spanish also had an influence on many other empires/nations' fate. One of the empires that suffered a grave fate at the hands of the Spanish was the Aztec empire. The Aztec empire was not the oldest Mesoamerican empire and it was formed from an agreement between three city-states. The Aztec's class system had the emperor on top, then the priests, and everyone else below them. The priests were responsible for keeping the gods happy. The sacrifice of goods and people was a commonplace in the Aztec culture, and it was often the goods/people of other nations that were taken for sacrifices. As one can imagine,

    Read More

  • The History and Culture of the Aztec Empire

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Aztec Empire was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time. They dominated the valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Aztecs were an advanced and successful civilization that built beautiful, sophisticated cities, temples, and pyramids. They also created a culture full of creativity with mythological and religious traditions. Aztecs lead a structured and evocative life that let their society to become a very superior civilization. The Aztec’s communication skills were very well developed for their time; through religious beliefs, government involvement, and family life they lived a full and productive life. Until in 1519 when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, and defeated the Aztecs.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Spanish And Aztecs

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Spanish and Aztecs were both, very powerful and rich empires. They both were immensely successful. The Aztecs, originally known as the Mexica, was a group of people who lived in Tenochtitlan, now know as Mexico City. They believed that the gods controlled the world, and that they worshipped them by sacrificing. If the gods were not fed blood, the believed that the world would end. The Aztecs became one of the greatest cities in the world. On the other hand, the Spanish lived in the west of Europe, converting people to Catholicism. The Spanish wanted to explore, to conquer and by doing that, they could get rich. They were both powerful in their own areas. The Spanish soon were exploring and came across the Aztecs. The Spanish were seeking

    Read More

  • The Role of Religion in "The Conquest of New Spain"

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Spanish defeat of the Aztecs has been extensively criticized for many years. Religion was a motive for discovery, enabled the Spanish to enter the heart of the empire, and was used as justification for torture of the natives. The centrality of religion as a force in Spanish conquest is undeniable. Virtually all of Aztec culture was destroyed and the Spanish victory has had lasting effects for both natives and Europeans up to and including the present-day.

    Read More

  • Native Americans - Aztecs and Indians

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Spaniards didn’t destroy the Aztec civilization all by their self another factor which helped the Spanish were the disease that they brought over to the Americas from Europe and Africa. The introduction of diseases like syphilis, measles, smallpox, malaria, mumps and yellow fever are just some sickness that plagued the Budhu 2 Aztecs. Also the introduction of different species of animals and plants caused a ecological imbalance (Plagues and Peoples 176-199). All these are some reasons to why the Aztec civilization was destroyed. With the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico rumors started to reach

    Read More

  • The Aztec Empire in Mexico

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Aztec Empire was one of the strongest if not the strongest civilizations in the Americas. It is a testament of how a strong foundation from the ground up can result in a grand thing.

    Read More

  • The Aztec Human Sacrifices

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Aztec civilization was a very complex society that was feared and known well for their various gory sacrifices done to please their many gods in their polytheistic religion. The much feared civilization began by the exile of one of the two Toltec leaders, which lead to the decline of the Toltec state that was later replaced by Mexica, or the Aztecs. According to the Aztecs, the land chosen to build their main city was chosen by the portrayal of an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. Through military might, the Aztecs managed to become the most powerful civilization in the mid-fourteenth century. They maintained their power through military might and the fear they caused other civilizations because of the human sacrifices they performed on their captured victims. In the mid-fourteenth century, the Aztecs used the method of human sacrifices to uphold fear in their neighbors by using the method year round to please the gods and ensure their survival.

    Read More

  • Mesoamerican Empires

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... (Schweikart 5-6). The Aztecs’ greed for sacrificial hostages turned these Indian neighbors against them (Kingfisher 196-197). The Aztecs were defeated, partially because they had been weakened by smallpox, but also because the Spanish fought together as a single force, while Aztecs fought as individuals (Schweikart 6-7).

    Read More

  • Aztec Art Essay

    1767 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Aztecs were defeated by the Spanish after a riot that put the city-state in a state of confusion

    Read More

  • Victors and Vanquished

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    The downfall of the Aztec Empire was a major building block of the Spanish colonial empire in the Americas. Spain’s empire would stretch all the way into North America from the Southwest United States all the way up the Pacific Coast. The unfortunate side effect of this was the elimination of many nations of indigenous people. The three major themes shown in this conquest really give deeper look into the anatomy of this important historical event. Without context on the extent of native assistance given to Cortez in his fight with the Aztecs, a reader would be grossly uniformed. The Spanish conquest was closer to a civil war than an actual conquest. Until reading detailed personal accounts of the fighting it is difficult to judge the deadly effectiveness of the Spaniards technological superiority. Without it is difficult to imagine 500 conquistadors holding thousands of native warriors at bay. Once the greed of Cortez and greed in general of the Europeans one understands that if it wasn’t Cortez if would have just been a different man at a different time. Unfortunately fame and prosperity seem to always win over cares about fellow human beings

    Read More

  • The Broken Spears by Miguel Leon-Portilla

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the “god” that included a human sacrifice, which was seen by the Spanish as a disgusting act, this trigged Spanish hatred for the Aztecs. When the Spanish saw the resources that the Aztecs had, they quickly started taking advantage of the Aztecs weaknesses. The Spanish had more power; they were better equipped than the Aztecs and more advanced. The Aztecs’ leader Montecuhzoma was a weak leader, he was more of a coward, more concerned with his well being and safety than the safety of his people and kingdom so he quickly surrendered under pressure. The Spanish used surrounding enemy tribes to take over the Aztec lands, then began to massacre men, women and children. When the Aztec became angry and started to fight back, they were quickly wrecked by the diseases the Spanish ...

    Read More

  • Why Did The Aztec Empire Fall Essay

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Aztec empire fall was dependent on many factors and those factors would be dependent on who you ask. Different people have different point of views on why the Aztec empire fell when it did and this is solely dependent of the background of that particular person. With this being the case, Aztecs, Conquistadors and regular Indians viewed the same event in different ways based off of their beliefs, thoughts and interactions with each other.

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes - Reasons for Success

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cortes was able to conquer the Aztecs for several very different reasons. In combination these reasons allowed him to have the upper hand in the conquest of Mexico. Arguably these reasons can be sorted into six different categories. The various causes for Cortes' success will be assessed in a climax pattern. To begin with the Aztecs had a harsh tribute system that was not popular among the people of Mexico. This cruel tribute system allowed Cortes to act as a liberator. Furthermore, with the Spanish brought several diseases into Mexico in witch they were immune to but the Aztecs were not. The spread of diseases such as small pox reduced the Aztec population and furthered Cortes' success unintentionally Also Marina was a tribal girl given as a gift to Cortes, she proved invaluable in translating local dialects in combination with Geronimo de Aguilar. Also an important aspect of his success was due to Montezuma's belief that Cortes was Quetzakoatl. A predominant reason for the Spanish success was due to their weaponry especially their armour and firepower. Perhaps the most important reason of all was that of Cortes' Indian allies such as the Tlaxcalans who made up the majority of his combined army. All these reasons worked together to allow Cortes, originally with 508 men to conquer the Aztec Empire of millions of people.

    Read More

  • The Decline and Fall of Empires

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ck of money and the inability to pay off officials. Without money, an empire is unable to prosper. The rich stop paying taxes and the burden is placed upon the poor. Poor taxpayers become angered, and eventually spark revolts. Anger and inhumane acts contribute to the loss of ethics and valued traditions. The citizens of an empire begin to ignore the difference in good and bad. This will begin to cause chaos and corruption in an empire, resulting in a quick decline. Sometimes, like that mentioned in the Roman Empire, the Emperor is unable to control the amount of corruption and chaos occurring. Without an effective emperor to control such issues throughout an empire, the empire will begin to gradually weaken. The rise and fall of great empires result from many complex reasons such as moral decline and escapists, but the factors mentioned above are often inevitable.

    Read More

More about What Were The Decisive Factors Led To The Fall Of The Aztec Empire?

Open Document