1. CONQUEST OF MEXICO

2. Hernán Cortés
Born in Medellin, in the province of Estremadura Spain in Studied law originally at the University of Salamanca. Set sail for Cuba in 1504 on the run from a jealous husband. Found employment with Diego Velázquez in Santo Domingo as a notary and later many other offices in Hispaniola. In 1511, helped Velázquez colonize Cuba. With Indian slaves Cortés sought to extract gold from the island. He also married and wealthy Spanish woman. In 1518, Grijalva returned from his discovery of Mexico and reported that he failed to colonize. Cortés is given charge to man an expedition to explore in the name of the Governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez. The governor quickly began to regret his choice and attempted to recall Cortés .

3. 18 November 1518 Cortés hastened his preparations, and spirited out of Cuba He left Santiago with 10 ships, 550 Spaniards, nearly 300 Indians, a few Negroes, 10 brass guns, 16 horses, and some falconets. 10 Feb 1519 At Trinidad, and later at Havana, at both of which places he found orders from Velázquez depriving him of his command, but in neither place could they be enforced, so. after writing a letter of remonstrance to the governor, he sailed, on, for the island of Cozumel, on the coast of Yucatan. 12 March 1519 Discovers Father Aguilar near Cozumel and serves as translator.

4. Malinche
Battle at Cintla (March 25, 1519) 500 Spaniards fought 10,000 Tabascans; Two Spaniards died in battle and 800 Indians lost their lives. The Tabascans submitted out of fear. The Tabascans gave over slave women and gold and pointed the way to the Mexica capital with the promise of more gold. One of the slave women was known as Malintzin, of Tabasco nobility. She spoke Nahuatl and Mayan dialects. Cortes gave her to one of his men but quickly realized her use and took her as consort.

5. Founding of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz June 3, 1519

6. July 26, 1519
Cortes renounces his service to Velázquez and is elected by his men to be the governor of Villa Rica. Cortes writes letters to the king explaining the situation and asks for support to initiate conquest. Cortes sends loyal men in ships to Spain and then burns the remaining ships so no one could return to Cuba to tattle. March towards the Central Valley.
September 2-20, 1519
Cortes battles the Tlaxcalans. By the 23rd the Tlaxcalans submit to the Spanish and admit their military superiority.
October , 1519
Cortes and his forces enter Cholula and commit the Massacre of Cholula.

7. Cortes and Montezuma II meet
November 8, 1519 The two leaders meet face to face on a causeway of Tenochtitlan.

8. November 14, 1519 Cortés arrests Montezuma and takes him under guard April 20, 1520 Pánifilo de Narváez is sent on a punitive expedition under Diego Velázquez to seize and imprison Cortés and arrives at Vera Cruz; Charles V receives the petitions of Cortés. May 1520 Cortés leaves Tenochititlán to march on Narváez leaving Pedro de Alvarado and Spanish soldiers in charge, who massacre thousands of Aztecs during the Festival of Toxcatl. June 24 – 29, 1520 Cortés and his men defeat Narváez and return to Tenochititlánto find the Spaniards under seige. A new tlatoani has been chosen to lead the Aztecs in the place of the imprisoned Montezuma.

9. Death of Montezuma II
June 29, 1520 Montezuma is killed, likely by a stone thrown by his own people.

11. La Noche Triste
June 30, 1520 Cortés and the Spaniards attempt to flee Tenochititlán in the cover of night with their pockets filled with gold. Hundreds die in the night flight and nearly all of the treasure of Montezuma is lost.

12. July 2 – 10, 1520 Spaniards retreat towards Tlaxcala and Cortés is severely wounded – his skull is fracture and two fingers mangled. They recuperate in Tlaxcala. September 15, 1520 Cuitláhuac officially becomes the 10th Aztec king. October – December Small pox plague “the Great Rash,” ravages Tenochititlán and the Valley of Mexico. December 4, 1520 Cuitláhuac dies of small pox after ruling for 80 days. December 28, 1520 Cortés initiates his reconquest of Tenochititlán.

13. Smallpox: The Biological Conquest of Mexico

14. Smallpox

15. The Military Conquest of Mexico
Feb 1521
Cuauhtémoc becomes tlatoani, the 11th and last Aztec king.
Feb 18, 1521
Cortés arrives in Texcoco
May 22, 1520
Battle for Tenochititlán begins with an amphibious assault.
The Spaniards destroy the city’s freshwater supply and aqueducts
June 30 – early July
Spaniards suffer heavy losses. More than 70 are captured and sacrificed alive in the Aztec temples. Cuauhtémoc makes the announcement that all Spaniards will die.

16. Fall of Tenochititlán: Death of Cuauhtémoc August 13, 1520

17. The Spiritual Conquest of Mexico
Malinche = Marina = Maria Regular Orders Secular Clergy Dominicans Franciscans Augustinians (later) Jesuits

18. Bartolome de Las Casas
A Dominican friar, came over in 1502 and witnessed the conquest of Cuba. Was rewarded an encomienda. Quickly changed his mind in regards to the treatment of Indians. Wrote The Destruction of the Indies and argued for human rights and against the enslavement of Indians, which helped to bring about the New Laws of 1542 that did away with the encomienda system.

19. Fray Diego de Landa and the problem of idolatry
Franciscan priest brought to the Yucatan to root out idolatry in De Landa brought the Spanish Inquistion to the Yucantan and is directly responsible for the destruction of much Mayan history, literature, and books. De Landa’s Relación De Las Cosas De Yucatán chronicles the violent forced conversion of the native peoples.

20. Indigenas tradtions

21. Curanderos

22. Virgin of Guadalupe

23. Tepeyac