By Cameron Ritson and Ethan Lee

1. By Cameron Ritson and Ethan Lee http://historywithsanders.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-130-fall-of-tenochtitlan-4162012.html

2. The Aztec empire overview • The Aztec Empire was relatively new, being over about one hundred years old and was still growing when the Spanish came to the Americas. • The Empire was an alliance of the main city Tenochtitlan and the other cities Texcoco and Tlacopan. • The Aztecs expanded their kingdom by warring with other tribes, and adding the conquered land to their empire. • Ritual practices were commonly performed, the most prominent human sacrifice, which spilt blood and horrified the Spanish when they arrived in Technoctitlan. http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-empire.html

3. The Arrival of the Armada • The Spanish Armada were merely 400-600 soldiers with 16 horses and a few cannons, all led by the young leader Hernando Cortés. The Armada landed in Mexico in April 1519. • Cortés sunk all of his ships when he landed so all of his men would cooperate with him. There they set out to conquer the Aztec Empire. • The ruler Moctezuma 2nd became afraid and paranoid of the Spanish Explorers, as there were omens of the God Quetzalcoatl, who shared characteristics with the white Spaniards, returning to reclaim his kingdom. As such, his mind was conflicted with many decisions on how to receive the Spanish.

4. The Arrival of the Armada Cont. • Moctezuma 2nd welcomed the Spaniards, offering gifts of high value to show his welcome and in an effort for the strangers to return to where they came from. • Cortés however, seeing the potential danger that his men may be subject to the city’s human sacrifice rituals, took Moctezuma hostage, shocking the Aztecs into submitting to the Spaniards, and forced them to give them treasure as ransom. • After some time, Cortés left Tenochtitlan with a small group of his soldiers in order to combat a force sent by the Cuban governor Diego Velásquez who wanted to capture and arrest Cortés. Cortés was victorious, and when he came back, Cortés was presented with an unexpected turn of events. http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/XB157453/The-Encounter-between-Hernan-Cortes-and-Montezuma-II-from-Le?img=3&search=Gallo&cat=&bool=phrase

5. Conflict; The Downfall of the Aztecs • The conflict that stirred between the Spaniards and the Aztecs began while Cortés was away fighting Velásquez’s men. Cortés’ remaining men left at Tenochtitlan had viciously massacred a procession in a temple during a religious ceremony. They ran in among the dancers, forcing their way to the place where the drums were played. They attacked the man who was drumming and cut off his arms. Then they cut off his head, and it rolled across the floor. They attacked all the celebrants, stabbing them, spearing them, striking them with their swords. They attacked some of them from behind, and these fell instantly to the ground with their entrails hanging out. Others they beheaded: they cut off their heads, or split their heads to pieces. They struck others in the shoulders, and their arms were torn from their bodies. They wounded some in the thigh and some in the calf. They slashed others in the abdomen, and their entrails all spilled to the ground. Some attempted to run away, but their intestines dragged as they ran; they seemed to tangle their feet in their own entrails. No matter how they tried to save themselves, they could find no escape. -An account of the massacre by Aztec chroniclers • This incident caused an uprising against the Spaniards.

6. Conflict; The Downfall of the Aztecs • The Spaniards attempted to quell the rebellion by making Moctezuma address his people for peace. The people however threw rocks, arrows and insults at him, in which the former ruler received damage and later died. • The Spaniards, on a night with rain and no moon, tried to sneak out of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs, however, were alerted to their escape and attacked the Spaniards, resulting in hundreds of Cortés’ men being killed, with himself and a small surviving group having successfully escaped. • This event came to be known as La Noche Triste, meaning ‘The Night of Sorrows’. http://www.calstatela.edu/orgs/mecha/noche_triste3.jpg

7. Conflict; Downfall of the Aztecs • Cortés regrouped with his surviving soldiers and began an invasion on Tenochtitlan, along with Native Indian allies who bore a grudge against the Aztecs. They all surrounded the city. • The Aztecs were killed due to deadly diseases transmitted by the Spaniards like smallpox, influenza and countless other ones, and starvation and forced labour in mines and in the fields after the conflict. http://clio.missouristate.edu/chuchiak/FinalConquest5.jpg

8. Legacy • The Aztec Empire wasn’t totally wiped from existence, as there are few remnants of the civilization in today’s society. And a resurge of traditional Mexican arts, particularly the Aztecs. • Mexico city was built upon the ruins of Tenochtitlan making it the oldest city in America. • The Aztecs also left us the cacao bean, in which is the main and vital ingredient in the famous confectionary chocolate and other related confectionaries. http://octoviana.com/chocolate-health-benefits.html

9. Bibliography • http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-empire.html • http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1538-the-spanish-conquest-1519-1521 • http://www.uic.edu/classes/osci/osci590/3_3%20European%20Disease%20in%20the%20New%20World.htm • http://susan-harrison.suite101.com/columbianexchange-a1673\ • http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/aztec.html • http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/mayan/aztec.html • http://aztec.com/page.php?page=home2 • http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/aztecs/conclusion_2.asp • http://www.netplaces.com/american-history/the-pre-columbian-americas/the-legacy-of-the-great-civilizations.htm • http://history.howstuffworks.com/central-american-history/aztecs2.htm Books: • The Aztecs, Rise and Fall of an Empire, S. Gruzinski, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London and Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1992 • The Aztecs, P. Odijk, The Macmillan Company of Australia PTY Ltd., South Melbourne and Crows Nest, Australia, 1989