Why did montezuma give the spanish gold

The Bill of Rights Institute engages, educates, and empowers individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. The ninth ruler of the Aztec Empire, Montezuma, was not overly concerned by the report he had just received. For the past few years, his spies had been informing him of the activities of the Spanish and their expeditions. Now, in , a report came to him of another group of foreign men coming from the Yucatan Peninsula and entering the eastern borders of his central Mexican empire.

Montezuma resided at a distance from the coast in the capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is today Mexico City. Montezuma led an empire that served its patron deity through the capture and sacrifice of war captives. Like other Native Americans, Montezuma viewed the bearded white Spaniards with curiosity, yet he understood that they were just as mortal as he was, and certainly not gods. Montezuma thus knew the Spaniards could successfully defend themselves in battle.

Not only did their steel swords hold a decisive advantage over the obsidian axes and clubs used by the Native Americans of central Mexico but the Spaniards could also garner support from towns at odds with the Aztecs, which might supply them with food and warriors. Like many empires, the Aztec culture conquered its neighbors with military might and forced them to pay tribute in labor and goods.

Even the capital, Tenochtitlan, was held together by political and military persuasion, which allowed tensions to simmer under the surface. Montezuma also considered his duty to his people.

But a lengthy war could affect the planting and harvesting season, which would mean famine for his subjects. So he chose a more pragmatic approach: Montezuma would welcome and entertain the foreigner, impress him with the greatness of the vast capital city, and persuade him to be an ally.

If all else failed, Montezuma always had the option of war. Years of reports of Spaniards along the coastline suggested they were in the Americas to stay. Montezuma rightly concluded that it was better to negotiate with the Spaniards on his terms, in his city, from a position of strength.

Surely Montezuma could convince him that he would be the most valuable ally of all and negotiate a deal that would allow him to keep his empire intact and his people safe. Thus Montezuma welcomed and entertained the Spaniards for a few months. He showed them his temples, the enormous markets where goods from all over his empire were sold, his zoo, and his palaces. The mural was completed by , nearly 40 years after the Spanish conquest.

Some Native Americans from Tlateloloco later encouraged the belief that omens predicting the destruction of his empire, including an eclipse, a comet, and a terrible storm, had frightened Montezuma.

Yet this was an attempt to show Montezuma as a weak, indecisive, and superstitious leader who was to blame for the fall of Tenochtitlan. Instead, he was strong and decisive, and he knew what he wanted from the Spanish. In , dissatisfied with life as a landowner, administrator and politician, he set out on his expedition to the American mainland. In , he sailed to Spain, where he was received and rewarded. After returning to Spain in to plead his cause, he died disillusioned in Seville in Despite his bitterness, he was a rich man, and left both wealth and status to his many children.

Between about and the s, the Aztecs flourished on the site of modern-day Mexico City. They rose from humble beginnings as migrants from the north through a combination of military and diplomatic tactics to become the dominant force in the region.

Originally founded on inhospitable marsh and small islands in Lake Texcoco, by the 16th century their great island capital of Tenochtitlan had grown into a spectacular metropolis, linked to the mainland by three tremendous causeways and the heart of a network of nearly subject and allied cities.

The city was clean and well-ordered, with strong laws and political administration, but the Aztecs have often been regarded as a brutal and even evil people because they practised human sacrifice. The Aztec gods required human blood let from living bodies, as well as through the death of sacrificial victims to nourish them and sustain the world. It was believed that sacrifice led to a privileged afterlife and some Aztecs themselves became victims, but captives were most commonly used for this purpose.

The Aztecs were not dehumanised by this bloodshed, however. They were an expressive and sophisticated civilisation that valued poetry, art and family highly. They believed sacrifice was a privilege, and were able to accept that violent death was a necessary part of life.

Less than a week later, he seizes the Aztec ruler and takes control of the city. The Spaniards and their allies flee Tenochtitlan on the Night of Tears.

Having lost more than half their company, they rally at Tlacopan before retreating to Tlaxcala. Having fought their way back to the lake, the conquistadors launch their brigantines, besiege the city, and the great battle for Tenochtitlan begins. After months of fierce fighting, which leaves Tenochtitlan in ruins, the last tlatoani Cuauhtemoc is captured in a canoe on the lake and the Aztecs finally surrender. A clear and ambitious tactician, he was devout, brave and single-minded in pursuit of his goals.

Horses and war dogs were also new to the Aztecs, who quickly realised their tactical importance and began to target them in battle. Lacking any natural immunity, the indigenous peoples were decimated by diseases brought by the conquistadors. Christopher Columbus grew up in. Who was the ruler of the Aztec empire. The man who founded the settlement of Hartford was.

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