PLEASE HURRY: Using complete sentences, identify and explain at least three reasons why the Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and Inca empires.
Answers
There were many different reasons why the Spanish were able to take over the Aztec Empire. First, their weapons and armor were better than the Aztecs'. Aztec warriors had only cotton armour and shields made of wood or reeds to protect them. The Spanish had metal armor and shields.
FACTS:
Hernan Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec Empire by scaring the natives with the 16 horses, gaining alliances with the other enemies of the Aztec, having superior and better weapons than the natives (like guns), having armor, and having steel. What advantages did the Spanish have over the Native Americans?
Explanation:
In the early 1500s, Spanish forces sailed across the Pacific and conquered the Aztec and Incan civilizations, even though the invading armies were greatly outnumbered by the indigenous population. This conquest was due, in part, to differences in technology and experience. Yet in the long term, Hernán Cortés' victory over the Aztecs and Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Incas were the result of something that couldn't be seen by the naked eye.
Superior Weapons
Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas. Cortés and his men used over a dozen large portable guns, mainly for their shock value against the Aztecs. Pizarro's conquest of the Incas was also made possible by the use of gunpowder, a substance the Incas didn't have at their disposal. Even less sophisticated weapons like steel-edged swords, pikes and crossbows, gave Spaniards the upper hand.
Alliances and Experience
The invading Spanish forces also took advantage of internal divisions within the Aztec and Inca empires. As Cortés began his march into the interior of Mexico, he first battled many local Indians. However, these people would become his allies after learning of his plans to conquer the Aztecs who ruled them. Written accounts by Cortés and his men on how they achieved victory were then published in Europe. A dozen years later, these experiences provided both inspiration and instruction to Pizarro in his conquest of the Incas.
The Power of Horses
While Europe and Asia were home to most of the world's domesticable mammals, including the horse, the Incas in South America had only the llama, which is a not a load-bearing animal, nor is it capable of transporting human beings or being ridden in times of war. This gave Spaniards, with their history of horsemanship from years of cattle herding, not only a tactical advantage, but a psychological edge over the Incan population, who had never seen this before.
Deadly Disease
The invading forces' biggest advantage came from something microscopic in size: European diseases they introduced to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is estimated that up to 90 percent of the native population died from smallpox, measles and similar illnesses within the first decades after contact. This dramatic decline in the native population played a large part in giving the Spanish invaders, who had developed immunity through generations of exposure, a complete victory.