The thesis that a handful of conquistadors could conquer the Inca and Aztec empires on their own is rarely subjected to critical scrutiny. What was it really like?
The history of the world is full of distortions and understatements. Sometimes things considered facts have little to do with reality. On the other hand, events that seem too eerie to be true turn out to be the most real. In the "Truth or Myth" series, we will attempt to debunk or confirm both these less and more serious historical myths. The story is not as obvious as it seems!
The myth of the invincible conquistadors
Over the centuries, a lot of false information has accumulated around the conquest. Some events of that time were exaggerated, others were heavily distorted or completely silent.
One of these indisputable and common myths is the belief in the supremacy of newcomers from Europe.
One of these undeniable and common myths is the belief in the supremacy of newcomers from Europe. The thesis that several hundred conquistadors equipped with firearms were able to destroy the Indian empires existing in the New World, it is rarely subjected to critical scrutiny. But to find out the whole truth about the Spanish conquest, other false information related to the conquest must also be verified.
Quetzalcoatl's return?
At the very beginning, it is necessary to debunk the myth that significantly influences the perception of American Indians of the conquest era. The Aztecs, Incas and other indigenous peoples of South and Central America, contrary to popular belief, did not believe that the arrivals from Europe were gods . Yes, they were surprised by their appearance, admired the technologically advanced weapons and animals they brought with them. The delight of the Indians, however, had nothing to do with divine adoration.
When Moctezuma II met Hernan Cortez in November 1519, the Aztec ruler saw no gods in the Spaniards. At best, he saw them as potential allies who would help him in the further conquest of Central America. The myth that Cortez was the incarnation of the god Quetzalcoatl was created by Europeans. Cortez himself in the letters he wrote to the Spanish king never once mentioned the divine interpretation of his person. Also Bernal Díaz del Castillo, creator of the True Story of the Conquest of New Spain , in his chronicle he did not make it clear that the Aztecs were worshiping the Spaniards.
When Moctezuma II met Hernan Cortez in November 1519, the Aztec ruler saw no gods in the Spaniards.
The view that they were called gods seems to be a mistake resulting, for example, from ignorance of the local language. For example, the word t eules in Nahuatl (which was the language used by the Aztecs) it means "god", but also "wonderful". It was similar with the expression viracochas, which in the Inca language Quechua means both "divine," "holy," and "mighty." The Aztecs and Incas could, for example, admire the power of firearms. Nevertheless, for hundreds of years, European historians, wanting to explain the rapid collapse of the Aztec and Inca empires, insisted that the Indians had to take the Spaniards as divine beings.
If, however, the myth of the divine perception of the conquistadors is not true, what explains the rapid collapse of Mesoamerican civilizations?
Good old epidemic
The most effective weapon in the fight against the Indians, which the Spaniards had in their arsenal, was not firearms, horse riding or steel swords forged in Toledo. They were viruses. Completely new pathogens for Indians, which, thanks to the Europeans in the early 16th century, appeared in the Caribbean, South and Central America.
When Francisco Pizarro arrived in Peru in 1532, there was a struggle in the Inca country to inherit the recently deceased ruler (Huayna Capac). Today we know that before Pizarro reached Cuzo, another newcomer from Europe - smallpox - got there. She was probably responsible for the ruler's death. Thanks to Huayn Capac's death and the war for his inheritance, the Inca country became an exceptionally easy prey for Pizarro and his people.
When Cortez entered Tenochtitlán on August 13, 1521, the streets of the city were littered with corpses.
Several years earlier, when Cortez entered Tenochtitlán on August 13, 1521, the streets of the city were littered with corpses. The conquest of the Aztec capital was a success, incl. because its inhabitants were killed earlier by the smallpox virus. Later he was joined by a whole range of other infectious diseases deadly for Indians:measles, flu, plague and malaria. They were also responsible for the myth related to the cruel rule of evil Spaniards.
Bloodthirsty like a conquistador?
Yes, the Spaniards during the conquest could be extremely brutal. Mass executions of vulnerable children and women and brutal mutilation were not uncommon. All such dramatic events, however, had their purpose - to force the obedience of the population and to spread fear. The Spaniards were definitely not in favor of mass extermination of the population as this was to constitute the main labor force in the newly conquered lands. Nevertheless, from the time of the discoveries of Columbus to the mid-17th century, the Indian population declined by a staggering 90 percent.
Contrary to frequently repeated myths, this catastrophic process was not caused by the murder policy pursued by the Spaniards. The main blame was borne by infectious diseases spreading across the continent . Already at the beginning of the sixteenth century, observing the dying out of the Caribbean, the Spaniards were forced to import expensive slaves from Africa. When a similar process of depopulation began to take place in America, slavery among the Indians was banned by royal order. It was this practice - according to Europeans - that was to be responsible for the mass extinction of indigenous peoples and increase the costs of Spanish colonization.
Mass executions of vulnerable children and women and brutal mutilation were not uncommon.
In addition, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the English (the main opponents of the Spaniards) spread the so-called Black Legend. They accused the Spaniards of treating American Indians criminally and of their mass extermination. The narrative created by the Islanders was in line with the global conflict that existed at that time between Catholics and Protestants. The patch of brutal sadists stuck to the Spaniards so tightly that their image is rarely criticized to this day. Even the conquistadors themselves hid that ... other Indians were often responsible for the collapse of the Aztec or Inca civilization.
The enemy of my enemy
South and Central America before the arrival of Europeans was not a land of milk and honey. The situation in what is now Mexico became particularly uninteresting when the Mexika tribe, the Aztecs, began their conquest in the second half of the 16th century. The peoples who resisted their power at that time were able to do anything to keep them from becoming a threat.
So when strange newcomers equipped with wonderful weapons entered the arena of history, the enemies of the Aztecs began to help the Spaniards in their conquest. The most famous example of this type was the support given to Cortez by the Tlaxcallan tribe. It was thanks to them (and the aforementioned plague) that it was possible to conquer Tenochtitlán and break the empire of Moctezuma II . In the expedition to the territory of today's Guatemala, 250 Spaniards were supported by an army of six thousand Indians. Similar "expressions of support" of local Indians were repeated also during the conquest of the Inca Empire and many other Spanish expeditions.
Malinche - personal translator and lover of Hernan Cortez
The representatives of the indigenous peoples were for Europeans not only military support. They also acted as guides or translators, for example. An example is the famous Malinche - the personal translator and lover of Hernan Cortez. Of course, it happened that help from local communities was not voluntary. They were often intimidated and forced to cooperate. More than once, however, they did it of their own free will, hoping that helping the conquistadors would bring them significant benefits.
The new Indian elites, loyal to the Spaniards, made it easier for Europeans to manage the conquered territories. What is characteristic is the fact that the conquistadors very rarely mentioned their local allies in the chronicles.
Happiness favors the better
The answer to the question whether the Spaniards destroyed the Aztec empire themselves cannot be positive. They had incredible luck and helpers who did a large part of the task for them . Without a doubt, the most important factors that made the conquistadors' conquest as easy as possible were the infectious diseases that accompanied Europeans and the measurable help of the indigenous peoples.
Conquistadors were not gods to the Indians. They were people from another continent looking for fortune and power. The overwhelming majority of them were not soldiers, but craftsmen and merchants who only acquired military experience in the New World. Only a few of the conquistadors could read and write, and their intellect levels were often not different from that of the Indians.
Of course, the Spaniards had their trump cards. Their weapons far exceeded those of the Aztec or Inca warriors. Here, however, there is also a misconception that firearms and cavalry played a particularly important role. In fact, the good old steel sword gave the Europeans a real advantage in combat.
The strategy of murdering local leaders also played an important role in the final victory of the Spaniards. This way of fighting made the leaderless Indians a much easier target for the conquistadors. But if it weren't for the local allies and deadly pathogens, neither Cortez nor Pizarro would have been able to break down the existing civilizations in America. Just look at the war with the Araucans that has been going on for over a hundred years and ended with the defeat of the Spaniards.
Several hundred Spanish conquistadors have conquered the Indian empires on their own. Myth
Bibliography:
- Restall, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest , New York 2003.
- Restall, K. Lane, Latin America in Colonial Times , New York 2011.
- Kelton, Epidemics and Enslavement. Biological Catastrophe in the Native Southeast, 1492-1715 , London 2007.
- E. Matthew, M. R. Oudijk, Indian Conquistadors. Indigenous Allies in the Conquest of Mesoamerica , Oklahoma City 2007.