SOCIAL STUDIES 8:

UNIT B:
WORLDVIEWS IN
CONFLICT:
THE SPANISH AND
THE AZTECS

Chapter 10+11 Notes

I. OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONS
TO KEEP IN MIND
 8.3.4.D: In what ways did factors such as
technology and disease contribute to the
dominance of the Spanish over the Aztec
civilization?
 8.3.5.E: To what extent were the divergent
worldviews of the Spanish and Aztecs factors
in the dominance of one nation over the
other?
 BONUS: Why do you think we are learning
this? What’s the point?
II. DIFFERENCES IN TECHNOLOGY

 Aztecs: Despite incredible feats of engineering

and architecture, the Aztecs still did not have
technologies such as wheeled transport, steel
weapons and metal armor. Instead, stone and
wood were used in weapons and armor was
made of quilted cotton. This would not stand
up to Spanish steel.
 Spanish: The Spanish had steel weapons and
armor for many centuries.
 A secret weapon that the Spanish had was
gunpowder. The Aztecs thought the cannons
and guns the Spanish had called down thunder.
III. DIFFERENCES DISEASE AND
IMMUNITY
 The Spanish unknowingly brought smallpox and other
contagious diseases with them that the Aztecs had
no immunity to. This would devastate the population
of Tenochtitlan
 At least 50% of Tenochtitlan's population (212’000)
would die from Smallpox. That would mean over
100’000 people dead. Also, many of those dead were
able bodied men and women who farmed the
chinampa. The smallpox epidemic would be followed
by a famine and mass starvation.
 It was disease, and not the Spaniards’ advanced
technology, that led to a few hundred Spanish and
their aboriginal allies conquering an empire of
millions.
IV. DIFFERENCES IN RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS
 Historians continue to debate why Montezuma II
cooperated so readily with the Spaniards. Some
believe that he thought Cortes was Quetzecoatl
coming to bring about the end of the world. Or that
he was another god.
 One of the Conquistadors, Pedro de Alvarado had
reddish blond hair, something the Aztecs had never
seen before. The Aztecs and other aboriginals
assumed he was related to the sun god in some way.
Unfortunately, Alvarado was one of the cruelest of
the conquistadors.
 This hesitation would prove disastrous for
Montezuma as the Aztec people would turn against
him and stone him to death.
V. DIFFERENCES IN ANIMALS
 Aztecs had never seen animals as large as
horses capable of carrying men. They found
the horses terrifying and perhaps also
mythological creatures that the Spanish
men/gods rode.
 In reality, the horses gave the Spanish the
ability to move quickly and transport goods,
weapons, etc. to assist them against the
Aztecs. In warfare, the Spanish could move
quickly and flank their enemies.
 VI. ALLIANCES AND RELATIONS
WITH OTHERS
 Because of the Aztec policy of capturing and sacrificing
opponents, forcing tribute and forcing the cult of
Huitzilipochtli on those they conquered, the Spanish had an
easy time finding and recruiting allies against the Aztecs.
 The Spanish had a deliberate ‘divide and conquer’ policy when
it came to the Americas. They borrowed this strategy from the
Reconquista when they would play Moorish kingdoms against
each other.
 The Aboriginal allies welcomed a chance for revenge against
the Aztecs, not realizing that in the end, the Spanish would be
much worse.
 We often talk about how there were only a few hundred
Spaniards who conquered Tenochtitlan; however, they brought
with them 80’000-200’000 Tlaxcala allies.
 VII. DIFFERENCES IN GOV’T AND
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Aztecs: More rigidly top-down. The Aztecs put the group
in front of the individual. That meant that you were
always expected to follow the commands of your superior.
 Many historians believe that the killing of Montezuma was
done because the people felt he had betrayed his role of
protecting the Aztec nation against the Spanish.
 Spanish: Individuality was more highly prized. Hernan
Cortes disobeyed his commander and got away with it by
appealing directly to the king by showing him how much
gold he had taken. King Carlos unsurprisingly acquitted
Cortes of any wrongdoing and instead made him a noble.
 So in the end, Spain rewarded individual action, not
obedience to superiors.
VIII. DIFFERENCES IN WARFARE
AND RULING AN EMPIRE
 Aztecs: Viewed warfare as a natural part of
life.
 Also viewed as a religious duty where the goal
was to capture captives, not kill enemies.
 Spanish: Viewed warfare as a means to an
end: Conquest, booty, glory of the Spain, and
converts to the Catholic Faith.
 The goal of war and battles was to win as
quickly and efficiently as possible: this
meant killing as many enemies as quickly as
possible: overwhelming force.
IX.DIFFERENCES IN WORLDVIEW
 The Aztecs believed that the group was
more important the individual, while the
Spanish came from a western worldview
which emphasized individuality over the
group.
 Thisled to the Spanish being more flexible.
Cortes didn’t need or want to follow orders from
Governor Velasquez or even King Carlos. He
acted independent of them and was therefore
better able to deal with events as they
happened. The Aztecs depended on direction
coming from their leader, Montezuma. His
hesitation led to Cortes gaining the upper hand.
IX.DIFFERENCES IN WORLDVIEW
 The Aztecs made religion not just an important
part of their worldview, but the MOST
important part of their worldview. The Spanish
had multiple influences on their worldview.
 Cortes and the other Conquistadors were very happy
to ignore the teachings of the Catholic Church when
it was convenient for them. Greed, lust for power
and glory were as important to the Spanish as the
teachings of Christ. The Aztecs were bound by their
religion in ways the Spanish were not. The Aztecs’
confusion over whether the Spanish were gods or
men led to allowing their conquerors free access to
Tenochtitlan.
IX.DIFFERENCES IN WORLDVIEW
 The Aztecs had a more fatalistic worldview. The
Spanish had more of a deterministic worldview.
 The Aztecs believed that their gods had a direct influence
on their own fate. So if things were going great, they
attributed it to the gods helping them and being happy
with them. But if things were going poorly, they believed
that the gods were unhappy with them and abandoned
them. They did not believe they had control over their
own destiny.
 The Spanish came from a similar worldview, but as we saw
with the Renaissance, there was a change in worldview.
Cortes, the Conquistadors and other Europeans believed
that you shaped your own destiny. You could determine
through your own actions what happened to you. “God
helps those who help themselves” is a saying that sums
this up nicely.