Title: The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
Headings: The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
Content: Likewise, in 1519, the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortez landed in Mexico seeking the rumored gold of the Aztecs. The emperor Moctezuma welcomed the Spaniards, but Cortez kidnapped the emperor and demanded treasure. Once Aztec nobles delivered the ransom, the treacherous Cortez killed Moctezuma and set about conquering central Mexico. Cortez repeated the pattern many conquerors followed, setting up a new nobility  (of Spaniards) to rule over the indigenous people by exploiting their land and commanding their labor. Like many “men on the spot” at key imperial junctures, Cortez acted on his own, without the approval of the Spanish crown. Fourteen years after Cortez conquered the Aztecs, fellow Spaniard Francisco Pizarro copied Cortez’s game plan. He landed in Incan territory in 1533 in search of treasure. He too kidnapped the emperor  (Atahualpa), demanded gold ransom, then murdered the emperor and conquered an empire. Clearly, the unifying motive of the conqueror here was plundered treasure. The Spanish set up colonial systems that allowed them to exploit and control the people and the land of the Americas for centuries.