Elliott Lang 8A Mr. Woodgate
Effects of Spaniards on Aztecs
The Conquistadores did leave an indelible scar on the Aztec culture. They wiped out most of their population, destroyed their cities, destroyed their culture and also took over the land that was once theirs. In this essay I will be taking an in depth look at the impacts that the Spanish made on the Aztec population, cities, culture and land.
The Spaniards made an irreparable indentation on the Aztec population. They wiped out an estimated 24 million people. This estimated figure goes over a 50 year period. This shows that even though the battle went for less than a year, the diseases and aftermath of the event caused a huge plunge in the population of Native Americans. The two main diseases that caused these huge numbers of deaths were “smallpox” and “measles”. Smallpox began to ravage the Aztec population around 1520 and Measles in 1531. Malaria also came with the Spanish and caused a reasonably large number of casualties. These diseases caused these huge plunges in the Aztec population because they had never been exposed to these diseases before, thus causing the people to have no part of their immune system to fight the disease off. Another reason for the loss of population was the fighting between the Spanish and the Aztecs. A quote by an Aztec civilian was that “The Spaniards are contemptible who killed brave warriors from a distance with their guns.” They also tortured and killed many of the Aztecs to find and claim valuable metals. How could they possibly say that they didn’t leave an indelible scar on the Aztec culture when they had wiped out two thirds of the population?!
Another huge indentation that the Spaniards made on the Aztecs was the destruction of their beloved cities. This symbolized that the empire had really ended and a new nation was on the rise. A quote by Cortez himself states “In what way I could strike them with dread so that they should come to knowledge of their error, and of the calamities we should bring upon them; with this view I decided to burn and demolish the towers of their idols and their houses.” This left an indelible scar on the Aztecs because it took away their architectural art and it meant that it would be almost impossible to reconstruct. The destruction of their beloved cities not only destroyed their architecture, it destroyed the Aztec beliefs and culture that lived inside them. By destroying the Aztec buildings the Spaniards destroyed an integral part of Aztec culture, religion, art, customs and music. In the Aztec version of events handed down, it was said “We have torn our hair with grief. Our heritage is gone!” among the most insightful observers was “Fernando de Aemelories” who wrote “We cannot conceal the great paradox that a barbarian like “Huayna Capac” kept such excellent order that the entire country was calm and all were well nourished, whereas today we see only infinite deserted villages on the road to the kingdom”.
Another reason that the Spaniards left an indelible scar on the Aztec civilization was the claiming of the Aztec land and position. This was considered a huge blow to the remaining Aztecs because the Spaniards not only claimed their land, but the very rare and expensive things it produced. These included gold, silver, bronze and many other precious resources. This made the Spanish even richer and it made the Aztecs even poorer. By the 1900’s the indigenous peoples had been almost been completely dispossessed of their land. The good farming land had been converted into “haciendas” or large plantations-farms producing such commodities such as coffee and tobacco. The remaining Aztecs were left with poor quality land on which they could not support their families. The Aztecs were then forced to work on the “haciendas” to supply food for their families (they usually had very low wages). The sight of these “haciendas” lead to an Aztec civilian quote: “My heart burns as if it has been washed in chilies, to see these people working under Spanish control.” The conquest of the Aztec land not only leads to the Aztecs getting poorer and the Spaniards getting richer, it also leads to the economic control of the Aztec civilization.
The Spanish left an indelible scar on the Aztec civilization. They wiped out over two thirds of their population due to war, diseases and torture. They destroyed their buildings and cities, with the most important being “Tenochtitlan”. They destroyed their culture and religion by knocking down their shrines and temples and introducing them to Christianity and then also took over their land and the precious resources it contained. The Spanish took the agricultural land for themselves and left the indigenous peoples with uninhabitable land on which they could not support their families. Today, many of the descendents of the Aztecs are poor and have little land. Although the land is no longer under Spanish control the ‘scars’ of the Spanish influence are still very evident and still being felt by these peoples today!