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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 Photo credit: desertoss.pbworks.com 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.