By: Steffanie Rodgers

April 10, 2012

Throughout time in Mesoamerica, many different civilizations formed and were destroyed or invaded.

Yesteryear

Today

Some of the Mesoamerican civilizations included the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Olmec.

Out of all the civilizations of Mesoamerica the majority of them have unknown endings.

The history of Mesoamerica includes some conquests, but there are few foreign conquests of civilizations of Mesoamerica.

Around the 1500s Europeans started taking an interest in the land surrounding them.

Especially the Spanish conquistadors who came to the land of Mesoamerica to conquer in the name of the Spanish Crown.

con·quis·ta·dor

 /kɒnˈkwɪstəˌdɔr, kɒŋ-; Sp. kɔŋˌkistɑˈðɔr/ Show Spelled[kon-kwis-tuh-dawr, kong-; Sp. kawng-kees-tah-thawr]

Spanish conquistadors began coming over to the Mesoamerican region in 1511, when Cuba was conquered by Diego Velázquez.

Velázquez

[veh-LAS-kez]

con·quis·ta·dor

   /kɒnˈkwɪstəˌdɔr, kɒŋ-; Sp. kɔŋˌkistɑˈðɔr/ Show Spelled[kon-kwis-tuh-dawr, kong-; Sp. kawng-kees-tah-thawr]

Through the years, Spain conquered many lands in the name of the Spanish Crown.

These lands included native civilizations such as the Aztec, Inca, and Huastec civilizations.

Huas·tec

    [wahs-tek]

February 15, 1519; Hernán Cortés sailed to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital in hopes of conquering this land.

Hernán Cortés did just that and by 1521, the Aztec civilization was dead and now a part of Spain.

Te·noch·ti·tlán

  [te-nawch-tee-tlahn]

Cor·tés

  [kawr-tez]

Hernán

[h ER n uh n ]

The conquest of the Inca civilization and land began by Francisco Pizarro.

The Inca civilization and land were then conquered around 1532 A.D.

Pi·zar·ro

    [pi-zahr-oh]

Fran·cis·co

  [fran-sis-koh]

The Huastecs were conquered in the name of the Spanish crown around 1519 and the 1530s.

Huas·tec

    [wahs-tek]

This Chart shows a

progression of the

Spanish or

European

occupation in

Mesoamerica

through the years

of Spain’s/Europe’s

Conquest.

European Conquest

through the Years

By conquering these lands the Europeans/Spaniards didn’t just gain the wealth of the territory they conquered, they also gained vassal civilizations.

Some of these vassal civilizations include the Mixtec civilization, which paid tribute to Spain after conquering the Aztecs.

Ultimately after invading the Mesoamerican area, the Spaniards took it over and it never again went back to the way it was.

Thus, the ending of an era.

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