He had heard about the powerful Aztecs who ruled much of Mexico and he went in search of them. Even without guns, the European weapons were superior. European bows and arrows were far more advanced, powerful, and accurate. The Aztec civilization had many different types of materials that helped them create tools. Iron armor and steel swords were used by the spanish which were leauges above the Aztec weapons. Spanish Conquer the Aztecs and Incas. Aztecs had no guns at all. The Spanish conquest was devastating to the Aztec people.By 1680, 94% of the Aztec ⦠The Aztecs were severely weakened by diseases that the Spanish brought such as smallpox, influenza, and malaria. Known to the Spanish ⦠What did the Spanish want from the Aztecs? The long range weapons, the spear, and the sling like the Tlacochtli and the Tematlatl would allow the Aztec warriors to rain down projectiles on ⦠sickness and disease. Fall of the Aztecs. Hernán Cortés owed his conquest of the Aztecs to his expedition's unknown, unseen secret weapon: the smallpox virus. Ancient Aztec Weapon Conquistador Weapons There were two sorts of Spanish conquistadors: horsemen or cavalry and foot soldiers or infantry. Conversely, Aztec weapons could dent Spanish armor but had very little effect unless very precisely placed. First, the Aztec had never seen a person with white skin before. Battle of Tenochtitlan (May 22âAugust 13, 1521), military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition of Spanish and indigenous combatants commanded by Hernan Cortes. In contrast, the Mexicaâs main weapon was a stick with glass glued to it. Of course, been some 10 000 years more advanced than anyone before, they transformed America in much more dramatic way than other conquerors (like Incas or Aztecs) did before. One heavily armoured footmen could kill dozens of natives with a sword. A difficult accomplishment in the heat of battle. After Columbus discovered the âNew Worldâ, the Spanish sent conquistadors across the Atlantic to claim land for Spain. disease. Regardless, the Aztecs were amazed by the Spanish. During the wars, Aztecs made use of a wide range of weapons, including many different kinds of spears. Just more primitive. horses, new weapons, convinced aztecs to rebel against their own empire. Prized white cotton could not grow at the altitude of the Valley of Mexico and had to be imported from conquered semi-tropical regions further south, as were cacao beans, from which chocolate is made. Instead, they made use of andesite which was a form of volcanic rock other than obsidian and later on, bronze. The Aztecs, who should be more properly called Mexica, were one of the most important and famous civilizations of the Americas.They arrived in central Mexico as immigrants during the Postclassic period and established their capital at what is today Mexico City. The lances took out great masses of people. Faced with an Aztec revolt against their rule, forces under the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés fight their way out of Tenochtitlan at heavy cost. What weapons did the Spanish conquistadors use against the Aztecs? Aztecs were a warrior people who frequently undertook campaigns against neighbouring tribes and city-states, mostly in order to gather sufficient victims for human sacrifices. The Aztec language, Nahuatl, was the dominant language in central Mexico by the mid-1350s. 60 seconds . Secondly, the armor and weapons that the Spanish used would have been mostly unimaginable to the Aztecs. Use of the macuahuitl as a weapon is attested from the first millennium CE. cannon. Did you know? The Aztecs used oval shaped rocks or hand molded clay balls filled with obsidian flakes or pebbles as projectiles for this weapon. However, the Spanish were among the worldâs best swordsmen in the 1 th Century. The materials that they often used were obsidian, copper, andesite, flint, wood, sidian and chert. The Aztecs relied on the atlatl, which propelled javelins or darts at enemy soldiers. Within a few centuries, they managed to grow an empire and extend their control throughout much of what is Mexico. Cavalrymen received a much higher share of the treasure than foot soldiers when the spoils were divided. We know quite a bit about some of the weapons that were used by the Aztecs, though it appears much of the history has been lost. The natives did have some success with missile weapons, using slings to launch stones at the conquistadors. Aztecs made a variety of weapons and tools even though they did not have access to iron or copper. answer choices . Spanish were just another in series of conquerors. They formed an alliance with the Spanish against their Aztec enemies. Spanish tactics of this period were an out- growth of their experiences in both the Reconquista and the Italian campaigns, and the whole trend of the late Middle Ages in reasserting the superiority of infantry formations over cavalry. What was it? Get help with your Aztec homework. SURVEY . It was the cavalry that would usually carry the day in the battles of the conquest. The weapon was used by different civilisations including the Aztec (Mexicas), Maya, Mixtec and Toltec. The ancient Aztec weapons were a mix of long and close range tools, that allowed the Aztec to fight their foes at any range. SURVEY . Ranged weapons were common for the Aztecs, they allowed them to engage in combat from a safe distance, and while their ranged weapons were not the most advanced for the time, they were more than capable of working in ancient Mesoamerica. I just can't find any decent descriptions of maybe how far it can shoot, what it shot, how accurate, etc. Asians had some guns too, but not as good or as many. In 1519, Hernan Cortés arrived in Mexico with horses and 500 soldiers. Against these weapons, the Aztecs and Incas stood no chance with their close combat weapons. The guns and the steel weapons and armor that the Spanish had allowed them a tremendous advantage in fighting against the Aztecs. Aztec Ranged Weapons. Bernal Diaz del Castillo noted that the hail of stones flung by Aztec slingers was so furious that even well armored Spanish soldiers were wounded. WHAT DID THE SPANISH USE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE AZTEC? the andes mountains. Atlatl Weapon. Tags: Question 15 . Thanks! WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST FACTOR LEADING TO THE AZTEC COLLAPSE? Aztec trade was crucially important to the empire; there could be no empire without it as many goods used by the Aztecs were not produced locally. Superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city. First of all, the Spanish possessed far superior weaponry and battle tactics. The macuahuitl was a standard close combat weapon. WHERE WAS THE INCAN CIVILIZATION LOCATED? By the time of the Spanish conquest the macuahuitl was widely distributed in Mesoamerica. These were no match for the Spanish's swords and lances. I've found some, but I need a description on the cannons they used and a couple more weapons. That is all. Disease epidemics can set the course of human history. Q. Incas and Aztecs and others before them were not much different from Spanish. Over time, around 80 percent of the people living in the Valley of Mexico died from these diseases. Cortés eventually had him executed. After Montezuma II was killed the Aztecs elected Cuauhtemoc as their new king. Iron armor and steel swords were used by the spanish which were leauges above the aztec weapons. Aztec warriors fought with the macuahuitl, a wooden sword with obsidian shards on the sides, but it was ineffective against steel. Even the simple calvery units stunded the aztecs, for they had never seen horses before. If you can help me that'd be great! Tags: Question 16 . conflict used their forces and how that use led to victory for the Spanish and defeat for the Aztecs. Aztec. The various Nahuatl and Spanish words used by Sahagún, translated as darts, spears, javelins or arrows, must often refer to light spears thrown with a weapon new to the Europeans. Cortesâs army besieged Tenochtitlan for 93 days. Between 1519 and 1521, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, overthrew the Aztec Empire.This event is called the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.Cortés helped old enemies of the Aztecs defeat them in one of the most important events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.. Obsidian was a strong and brittle volcanic glass and had central importance in Aztec technology for tools and weapons. It's for part of a project I have that's due this Friday. Access the answers to hundreds of Aztec questions that are explained in a way that's easy for you to understand. A Spanish sword or pike could easily defeat Aztec armor. Each ancient Aztec weapon was unique, used for a specific purpose - Aztec warfare was a highly organized, complex affair, steeped in ritual and tradition. The Spanish used a powerful weapon against the Aztecs without fighting at all. Numerous Nahuatl words borrowed by the Spanish were ⦠The Spanish were helped by the Tlaxcala, a Mesoamerican civilisation rival of the Aztecs, and other native tribes which allied with them to defeat the Aztecs, especially in the siege of Tenochtitlan because the Spanish falsely promised them territories and a ⦠The first empire to fall would be the Aztecs in 1519 to Hernan Cortes and the Incas in 1533 to Francisco Pizarro.Cortes and Pizarro were able to use the same tactic to defeat both of the empires. The Aztecs; The Incas; Each would greet the Spanish Conquistadors and each would fall to them. The Aztecs used clubs, maquahuitls and other similar weapons to fight the Spanish. Q. For example, the Aztec would not have known what firearms were, or understood how they worked. Their steel weapons could cut through any armor the Aztecs ⦠Also guns and cannons were used to obliterate the aztec defence. 60 seconds . tors have pointed to the weapons advantages of the Portuguese hidalgos under Almeida and Albuquerque and the Spanish conquistadors under Cortes, specifically to the guns which gave overwhelming combat power against superior numbers of opponents.