Why were the Aztecs weakened before the Spanish came?

The Aztecs were severely weakened by diseases that the Spanish brought such as smallpox, influenza, and malaria. Over time, around 80 percent of the people living in the Valley of Mexico died from these diseases. Cortés founded Mexico City on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

What was Aztec society like before Spanish arrival?

The Aztec civilization was also highly developed socially, intellectually and artistically. It was a highly structured society with a strict caste system; at the top were nobles, while at the bottom were serfs, indentured servants and enslaved workers.

What did the Aztecs do when the Spanish arrived?

When the Spanish arrived, normally they would have been captured and sacrificed immediately. That’s how the Aztecs did things. Quetzalcoatl, a very important god to the Aztecs, had vowed he would appear when the end of the world was near, to save the Aztec people.

Why did the Aztecs lost to the Spanish?

The overthrow of the Aztec Empire by Cortez and his expedition rests on three factors: The fragility of that empire, the tactical advantages of Spanish technology, and smallpox.

Why did the Aztecs have no chance against the Spanish conquerors?

This made it easier to conquer the remaining Aztecs. The Spaniards’ victory is attributed to their technological advances and the Aztec empire’s vulnerability due to the smallpox spread. As a result, the Aztec’s tactics countering the Spaniard’s advanced technology is understated.

Why were the Aztecs defeated so easily?

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 impact did the Spanish have on the Aztec culture and Civilisation?

The Spanish had a positive effect on Aztec civilization because they helped modernize the society. They introduced the Aztecs to domestic animals, sugar, grains, and European farming practices. Most significantly, the Spanish ended the Aztec’s practice of human sacrifice.

What happened to the Aztecs after the Spanish conquest?

In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire. Cuauhtémoc, Cuitláhuac’s successor as emperor, was taken prisoner and later executed, and Cortés became the ruler of a vast Mexican empire.

How did the Aztec view the Spanish?

Thinking that Cortés could be Quetzalcoatl, Montezuma greeted the party with great honor. Montezuma sent out envoys to meet the conquistador as he neared. The Aztecs were fascinated by the Spaniards’ light skin and the sight of men on horseback, which they described as beasts with two heads and six legs.

What if the Spanish never conquered the Aztecs?

It would never have happend. The aztec Empire was doomed to be destroyed and the land colonized.

How did the Aztecs lose against the Spanish?

During the Spaniards’ retreat, they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire.

What did the Aztecs think of the Spanish?

The Aztecs first thought the Spanish were gods due to their light skin and dark hair. The Aztecs would pay the Spanish gold and other gifts to celebrate them.

What happened to the Aztecs in Mexico?

The city fell into the hands of the Spanish who claimed it and called the area Mexico. Freedom was taken away from the Aztec people, history and art destroyed by the Spanish. D espite this the Aztec population was never fully diminished, 30\% of people in Mexico are descended from the Aztecs.

How did the Spanish react to the Aztec religious practices?

The Spanish reaction to Aztec religious practices is believed to be partially responsible for the violence of the Spanish conquest . The Spanish, led by conquistador Hernando Cortés, arrived in what is now Mexico in 1519. They were looking for gold, and the gifts from the Mexica ruler, Motecuhzoma, proved that gold was present.

Were the Aztecs the first people to sacrifice humans?

Although the Aztecs certainly weren’t the first people ever to sacrifice humans, the fact that they did and the incredible number they sacrificed led to the hatred of some of the surrounding peoples. It may be that the Spanish simply were an excuse to start what was already an inevitable civil war.

What is the origin of the Aztecs?

Vocabulary The legendary origin of the Aztec people has them migrating from a homeland called Aztlan to what would become modern-day Mexico. While it is not clear where Aztlan was, a number of scholars believe that the Mexica—as the Aztec referred to themselves—migrated south to central Mexico in the 13th century.