Spanish Colonization

Spanish Colonization of Mexico

Spanish interest shifted from the Caribbean to the American mainland, where settlers hoped to find more resources to exploit. During the early 1500s, Spanish “conquistadores” or conquerors pressed beyond the Caribbean islands, moving west into Mexico. Between 1519 and 1521, Hernan Cortes and a small group of men would bring down the Aztec Empire.

Fig. 1 - A Portrait of Hernan Cortes. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

The invasion of Mexico began as a hunt for gold on the American continent. In 1519, Cortes led approximately 500 soldiers into Mexico, from Veracruz's coastal city to the Aztec Empire's capital, Tenochtitlan. Allied with rival tribes of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish seized Emperor Moctezuma II, gaining control of the city until he died in 1520.

Fig. 2 - A depiction of the Fall of Tenochtitlan painted in the late 1600s. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Spanish Colonization of the Americas

Francisco Pizarro experienced similar results when leading a Spanish expedition from Central America to present-day Peru in South America. Pizarro set out in 1530 with close to 600 men. Pizarro had perfect timing, as he arrived in the territory during a bitter dispute between two brothers of the ruling family of the Incan Empire. Pizarro’s forces exploited the differences between the two factions.

Fig. 3 - A Portrait of Francisco Pizarro. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

By 1533 Pizarro and his men had taken the Inca capital at Cuzco. Under the guise of holding a conference, they called the Inca rulers, seized them, and killed most of them. They spared one of the disputing brothers until he delivered a large quantity of gold to the conquerors. The brother was killed shortly after.

The search for treasure continued after the end of the Inca rule. Pizarro and his men looted gold and silver from Cuzco’s temples and buildings, melted down statues, and took jewelry and gold from tombs. Though it took longer than the conquest of Mexico, Spain conquered the Inca by 1572.

Fig. 4 - A map by William R. Shepherd from 1923 shows Pizarro's Conquest of Peru from 1531 to 1533. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Effects of Spanish Colonization of the Americas

How did Cortes and Pizarro conquer these large empires with such apparent ease? Steel swords, muskets, cannons, and horses offered Cortes and Pizarro some advantage over the forces they met and helped account for the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and Inca. Yet weaponry alone is not enough for these small Spanish forces to overcome the large, densely populated societies. The Spanish exploited local rivalries to gain and maintain power in those territories.

Negative Effects of Spanish Colonization

The Spanish Colonization downright altered the indigenous peoples and their societies. Many times for the worse.

Internal Division

The Spanish invasion of the mainland exploited and intensified division among the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Peru. For example, Cortes forged alliances with peoples who resented the domination of the Aztecs, who reinforced his small army with thousands of veteran warriors. Native allies also provided their forces with logistical support and friendly territories. As mentioned before, Pizarro exploited the divisions within the Incan Empire to gain an advantage over the ruling elite. In addition, many subjects of the Incan empire despised the ruling class and the Incan overlords. These subjects put up little resistance to Pizarro’s forces, and some allied themselves with the Spanish invaders.

Smallpox Epidemic

The most significant effect was epidemic disease. Smallpox had ravaged the indigenous population of the Caribbean since the arrival of Columbus, and the same ailments swept through the people on the continent. During the siege of Tenochtitlan, smallpox raged through the city, killing inhabitants by the tens of thousands and sapping the strength and manpower of defensive forces. Smallpox rapidly spread beyond the city walls, raced through Mexico, and wiped out so many people that Aztec society could not function. The epidemic disease also discouraged resistance against Pizarro; smallpox had spread from Mexico and Central America to Peru in the 1520s, long before Pizarro’s arrival. It took a heavy toll on the indigenous peoples of the region. Only in the context of this horrific effect of Spanish colonization is it possible to understand the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Central America.