Changing A

Worldview
What happened after Cortez decimated the
Aztec Civilization

Why Does A Society Change Its

Worldview?
Like the Black Death in Europe, the Spanish conquest of
Tenochtitlan was a catastrophe or disaster for the Aztecs.
It affected almost every aspect of their way of life, forcing
them to rethink the way they looked at the world.
How drastically did the Aztec worldview change because of
the Spanish conquest? To find the answer we will explore
two elements of the Aztec worldview- Religion and
Economy.

A New
Religion

During the final siege of Tenochtitlan, Aztec priests

kept telling their leaders that if they continued
their prayers and sacrifices, the gods would lead
them to victory.

Afterwards when the surviving Aztecs looked back

on their suffering, many felt the gods had
abandoned them.

Three years after the conquest, Franciscan priests

arrived in Mexico from Spain. They started
walking through the jungles and over the
mountains to Mexico City- formerly Tenochtitlan.
These priests vowed to live in the poorest
conditions, never to marry, and always obey their
superiors without question.

When they arrived weeks later, Cortes knelt in the

dirt and kissed the hem of each priests robe. The
Aztecs who witnessed this were amazed. They had
never seen the great conquistador treat anyone
with such respect.

The Franciscans and other missionaries gradually

A New Economy

In addition to changing their religion, the Aztecs were also

forced to become a part of a completely new economic
system. Gone was the traditional Aztec economy based on
farming, trade, war, and tribute.

As soon as the surviving Aztecs surrendered, the Spanish

changed the economic system in Mexico by introducing the
encomienda system. It was the same system the Spanish set
up in all their colonies in the Americas.

With each piece of land, the Spanish settlers were allotted a

number of Aztec workers. Although the Spanish did not pay
these workers, in theory they should have had legal rights.
The landowners were supposed to treat them fairly and
educate them in the Christian religion.

In practice however, many landowners abused their workers.

The Spanish crown passed laws to stop these abuses, but the
colonies were so far away that the laws had little effect.

The Aztec people, once a great civilization, had found

themselves to be nothing more than slaves to the Spanish
settlers.

Setting Up A Colony
Problem- Conquistadors
Need Payment

Solution- Cortes

In Cuba before setting out for

Mexico, Cortes promised to
make his men rich beyond their
wildest dreams.
In Tenochtitlan, the Spanish
men had seen the Aztec
treasure rooms loaded with gold
and silver. However during the
siege most of this treasure was
sent back to Spain.
Cortes men threatened to rebel.

Passes A marriage
Law

One solution was the encomienda which rewarded men with

land and Aztec slaves.

Cortes also passed a marriage law which stated that every

Spaniard either had to bring his wife over from Spain or marry an
Indigenous woman within six months.

These policies shifted the focus from riches to colonizing New

Spain. By marrying Indigenous women, the men would have
stronger ties to the colony and would not leave.

The Encomienda System

Hernan CortesKing Carlos- Encomienda
System is Wrong

Encomienda System is
Necessary

King Carlos banned the encomienda system for the following reasons:

Cortes refused to ban encomiendas for the following reasons:

It harmed the Indigenous people.

It caused resentment among indigenous people, making it more difficult

to convert them to Christianity.

The Spanish settlers had no other means of supporting themselves. This

would harm the growth of the colony.

Indigenous people in Mexico were freer now than when the Aztecs ruled.
The Spanish did not practice human sacrifice.

Church leaders claimed that God created the indigenous people to be

free- they should not be forced into slavery.

The Independence Movement

Just as Cortes was busy turning his soldiers into settlers,

King Carlos took the governorship of New Spain away
from him. The King gave the job to one of his most
trusted councilors, Don Antonio de Mendoza.

Why did the king take Cortes power and authority

away? Cortes had fought bravely and skillfully to
conquer the Aztec nation and he sent many riches back
to the king.

Modern scholars think that King Carlos feared that

Cortes would declare himself king of the colony he had
founded and separate from Spain. So the king did not
trust Cortes.

By appointing Mendoza to govern New Spain, King

Carlos made it clear that the colony was under direct
control of the Spanish Crown. Governing the colony
meant that New Spain had to keep a steady flow of
riches (gold, silver, farm products) flowing to Spain to
pay for their European wars.

The colony was making Spain extremely wealthy, but

New Spain itself had a shortage of good roads, schools,
and housing.