SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS

Science: Disease and the Fall of the Aztecs

The macuahuitl, an ingenious Aztec weapon, combined the force of a club with the precision of a sword. Made of sturdy wood and embedded with razor-sharp obsidian, it was a fearsome combat tool. Despite its legendary status, the macuahuitl's physical presence is rare. Few original examples survive, largely due to their perishable materials and the ravages of time and conquest. Many were lost or destroyed during the Spanish conquest. Spanish accounts highlight its formidable power, though some sto

ENCORE 60. Post-Conquest Mexico - History of North America

Hernán Cortés pasó de héroe conquistador al gran villano de la historia de México

Major Milestones of Cortes' Defeat of the Aztec Empire

Montezuma, Cortes, and a Who's Who of the Conquest of the Aztecs

In 1519, when Spanish ships reached the shores of what is now Mexico, they encountered the thriving Aztec Empire. Initial contacts were friendly, but soon Hernán Cortéz and his conquistadores vanquished the empire and took Emperor Moctezuma II prisoner. Countless artifacts were sent to Europe. The most magnificent is the early Mexican feather head-dress known in Mexico as “Penacho”. Called “ain mörischer Huet” (a Moorish hat), it was first mentioned in the inventory of the Armoury of Ferdinand I