Download The Old and New Worlds Collide

When Worlds Collide
While he never realized what he had actually found, Christopher Columbus’s discovery was about to
change the history of the world. The new goods brought back to Europe from North and South America
would take steps to change the lives of the European people. For the first time, sugar, tobacco, furs,
corn, fruits and vegetables that all could not be grown in Europe would be grown in places they cound
control. This one accidental discovery of a New World would end up being the reason why Western
Civilization would spread from Europe to 3 continents in
less than 200 years.
The Old and New Worlds Collide
Even before they knew for sure that it was a New
World, the Europeans were convinced that they needed to
control the trade and resources of the lands that Columbus
had discovered. In order to have control, the Europeans
began aggressive colonization campaigns in the new lands.
Within less than 30 years of Columbus’s discovery of the
New World, numerous permanent settlements had been
established by the Spanish and Portuguese throughout the
Photo credit: Wordpress.com Aztec empire at the time that
Hernan Cortes and the conquistadors first contacted them in 1521. Caribbean Islands and Central America. Soon, Spanish
conquistadors began to come to force the indigenous
people to trade with Spanish traders, make room for Spanish settlements, or simply steal what they had.
When the Europeans arrived, there was already a very large and advanced civilization of native
Americans living in what is modern-day Mexico, called the Aztecs. The Aztecs were extremely advanced
in their understanding of astronomy, mathematics, and engineering. Their civilization had complicated
laws that governed their everyday lives,
and made them an extremely prosperous
civilization. The Aztecs also solidified
their power and wealth by terrorizing
many of the other, smaller and less
advanced tribes living around them.
They would raid these tribes, and kidnap
the survivors of the raids to take back to
their capital city. Once in the city, Aztec
warriors would fight these kidnapped
warriors in one-on-one combat until an
Aztec warrior succeeded in badly
wounding them. They would then be
Photo credit: media.newindianexpress.com
sacrificed alive to the Aztec gods, and the
Aztec warrior would earn the right to eat the
The Aztec Emperor Montezuma greets Cortes for the first
time,
while
the Aztec people wave branches, greeting the
captive’s heart, in order to gain his fighting
conquistadors. The belief that Europeans were gods who came to visit
skills and bravery.
allowed a very small group of conquistadors to gain access to the
wealth of the Aztec Empire.
The first time the indigenous people would encounter the
Europeans led many to believe that the gods were coming to visit them.
They had never seen the large ships that Europeans landed in, or the
horses they rode, or the guns they used to kill. They hadn’t even seen a
person with such pale skin before. This is exactly what happened when
Hernan Cortes first led an expedition to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan
in 1521. Assuming that the gods had come to visit, Montezuma, the
Aztec emperor, welcomed Cortes, and showered him with gifts. Despite
Photo credit: garuyo.com
Hernan Cortes
the fact that he had less than 200 men with him, Cortes was able to
kidnap Montezuma, and blackmail the Aztecs for more gold. Cortes then took the gold and left the city,
leaving one of his commanders in charge of the city. The Aztecs successfully overthrew the Spaniards,
killing many while the rest fled the city. Cortes was furious when he returned but rather than giving up,
Cortes turned to the tribes who had been mistreated by the Aztecs. Cortes united these tribes against
the Aztecs, and defeated the Aztecs, overthrowing the emperor and taking control of the entire empire.
The European’s biological advantage
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The Europeans had a major advantage in technology, but that
alone was not enough to help them overthrow an empire of about
24 million Aztecs. The other advantage that the conquistadors was
the same advantage that the rats had during the Black Death: they
were immune to a deadly disease. In Europe, most people either
died from smallpox or developed an immunity to it, but in the New
World, nobody had ever been exposed to smallpox before. As soon
as they encountered the Europeans, the Aztecs’ immune systems
were powerless to fight off this new disease, and in about 100 years,
the great Aztec empire of 24 million people was destroyed, and only
about 1 million (5%) of the Aztecs remained alive.
The 3 G’s: God, Gold, and Glory
Europeans had various motivations for trying to come to the
New World. For many, it was a chance to make a fortune.
Conquistadors were often able to steal gold from the indigenous
people and would keep some of it for themselves. A steady stream of
gold and silver began to flow to Spain, quickly transforming them into
the most powerful nation in all of Europe. Many other men came to
gain glory. Men like Cortes were not the first-born son in their family,
meaning that they would never get to inherit their father’s wealth.
The New World was an opportunity to make a name for yourself and
have a fresh start. Finally, missionaries began to come to teach the
natives about Christianity. Since the Spanish Inquisition had targeted
Protestants as well as Jews and Muslims, most of the missionaries
were Catholics. This is the reason why the main religion of Central
and South America continues to be Roman Catholicism.
Reading Comprehension Questions
1.
What advantages allowed
the people from the Old
World to conquer the people
from the New World?
2. Why did the Europeans want
to colonize the New World?
3. Why was the New World an
opportunity for men like
Cortes to get a fresh start?
Write about it.
Pretend you are a Spanish
conquistador writing to your family
back in Spain. Tell them about what
you are doing, and why you’re doing
it. Include all 3 G’s in your letter.