4.4: The Conquistadors

The Conquistadors were the military explorers sent by the Spanish monarchs to claim land, convert "heathens," and enrich both themselves and the crown. They were usually poor noblemen with few prospects. Indeed, many of the first generation of explorers were essentially unemployed knights. Some men simply launched expeditions to the New World without royal authorization, hoping to seize enough plunder to receive retroactive royal approval. Official explorers were obliged to turn over the “royal fifth” - 20% of all precious metals discovered or mined - of all loot to the crown.

Perhaps the most significant conquistador was Hernan Cortes (1485 – 1547). A poor knight who had fought in the aftermath of the Reconquest as a young man, Cortes proved brilliant at manipulating the native groups in Mexico, where he arrived in 1519 with 450 Spanish troops and 15 horses. There, a powerful empire under the Aztecs had recently seized control of a large swath of territory. The Aztecs rules through a constant flow of tribute, including captives who were destined for human sacrifice. Needless to say, the Aztecs were not popular with their subjects.

Working through a native translator, Malinche, who had already learned Spanish, Cortes was able to convince native groups resentful of the Aztecs to fight alongside the Spanish. Practically speaking, this action meant that the native groups suffered most of the casualties. His army fought its way to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, where Cortes was initially welcomed by the emperor Montezuma II. Once the Aztecs realized the extent of the rapacious designs of the Spanish, they were chased from the city. But, then an epidemic of smallpox undermined the Aztec ability to fight. In 1522, the surviving Aztec forces surrendered, and the Spanish colony of New Spain was founded in the center of Mexico.

Figure 6.3.1: A later Spanish illustration of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Note the allied Native Mexican troops behind and in front of the charging Spanish soldier.

Another noteworthy conquistador of the first generation was Francisco Pizarro (1478 – 1541). Inspired by Cortes’ success in Mexico, Pizarro set off (with 180 Spanish troops and 30 horses) for western South America in 1531. The Incan empire was a relatively young state that encompassed territory along the Andes Mountains through present-day Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Pizarro ambushed the Inca emperor Atahualpa and captured him, demanding a building full of gold for his release. Once the ransom was paid, Pizarro had the emperor killed and then marched on the Inca capital of Cuzco. By 1533, Spanish forces were in control of the empire and began sending enormous quantities of bullion back to Spain.

Thus, less than fifty years after Columbus's initial landing, the two greatest empires of Central and South America had already fallen to the Spanish. By 1600, practically every part of Central and South America was at least nominally under Spanish (or, in the case of Brazil, Portuguese), control.