Discuss the Relative Importance of Military, Religious and Political Factors in the Rapid Spanish Conquest of Mexico.
On 13 August 1521 the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, had fallen to the Spanish conquistadors. Cortes and his followers had only landed in Mexico in April 1519. By the time of Cortes" last departure form Spain in 1540; Mexico City had become a powerful colonial metropolis, the capital of a Spanish territory extending south into Central America and North to or beyond the Gulf of California. The campaign waged by Cortes was so successful that all ensuing campaigns were modelled upon the Aztec conquest. The question posed is how was the conquest of Mexico achieved in such a small space of time? It would seem unfeasible that a small army of soldiers could overcome thousands of Native Americans on their own soil; Tenochtitlan was a perfect location to offer resistance to the Spanish, as a great lake surrounded it. There are several combined factors that led to a sweeping conquest of Mexico of which I shall discuss, and in particular compare those of Military, Religious and!.
Political aspects.
The Aztecs had massive populations, strong empires, kingdoms and warlike traditions. With only a few hundred men, Cortes took Tenochtitlan in a relatively short space of time. How was this possible? One invariable factor is that of the Spanish military power. A telling example is when the ruler of Tenochtitlan sent his messengers out to report on the Spanish presence, and they returned reporting:.
"Their trappings and arms are all made of iron. They dress in iron and wear casques on their heads. Their swords are iron; their bows are iron; their shields are iron, their spears are iron." .
Indeed the Mexica's weapons were primitive by European standards. They did not have hard metals, and their weapons consisted of wooden clubs, stone swords, lances and spears. Their armour was made out of quilted cotton, giving excellent protection against their own arrows, but not against Spanish firearms.