Essay On The Aztec Empire

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Pages: 3

The Aztec Empire was affected by Europeans through disease, religion, and the encomienda system. The Aztec were an independent state, but then became a colony as Cortez took over. Cortez only came to Mexico with a small number of men which means he couldn’t have done it alone. The Tlaxcalans (Aztec’s enemies nearby), fought on Cortez’s side to defeat the Aztec (Andrea 93). Sahagun described the invasion of Tenochtitlan stating “Then all those from the other side of the mountains, the Tlaxcalans, the people of Tliliuhquitepec, of Huexotzinco, came following” (94). Before the Spaniards went to the Aztec Empire, the Aztec’s were already weakened. The disease has already reduced the Aztec population and weakened them, making it possible for the Spaniards to take over (Bentley 396). …show more content…
Some people survived the disease, but were brutally damage. Small pox was the cause of the Aztec Empire depopulation. When the Europeans went to the Aztec Empire, they infected the Aztecs. “The Europeans single-mindlessness and weaponry, when combined with the toll of epidemics from old world disease, made their victory inevitable” (Andrea 92). “Many believe that within a century the indigenous population of Mexico had declined by as much as 90 percent, from about 17 million to 1.3 million.” (Bentley 396). Not only did it wipe out the citizens, it also wiped out most of the Aztec warriors. Without the Aztec warriors they weren’t able to function properly. This is one of the non-military factors that helped the Spaniards win the siege of Tenochtitlan. The encomienda was also affected by the small pox. “To replace laborers lost to disease, encomenderos resorted to kidnapping and enslaving Tainos and other peoples” (Bentley