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THE CONQUEST AND COLONISATION OF AMERICA - Coggle Diagram
THE CONQUEST AND COLONISATION OF AMERICA
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONQUEST
The conquest ocurres for various reasons
Internal conflicts
The indigenous peoples in America had suppressed other tribes to gain power, and this caused rivalries.
Military equipment
The conquistadores used firearms, metal armour and horses.
Tactics
The conquistadores attacked the centre of each empire to capture the emperor, who held all the power. Without the emperor, the defences collapsed.
The indigenous tribes, on the other hand, were more difficult to conquer.
In rainforests, the conquistadores’ firearms and armour could not be used effectively.
Their societies were not hierarchical, so the tactic of attacking the leader would not work.
Tribes lived in small territories, so, in order to conquer an area similar to that of a large empire, the conquistadores had to fight numerous exhausting battles.
Once the American coast had been discovered and explored, the conquest of the continent’s inland areas began.
The resistance of the large empires and smaller tribes was weakened by infectious diseases introduced by the Europeans.
KEY CONQUEST
The conquest of Mayan cibilitation
Pedro de Alvarado left Mexico and conquered the main Mayan cities in Yucatán and Honduras.
The conquest of southern regions
It was very difficult to occupy these regions because of the resistance of the Mapuche (Chile) and the Guaraní tribes (Río de la Plata).
The southern part of today's Unaited Estates
From Mexico, explorers travelled to the southern part of today’s United States.
The conquest of the Inca Empire
This expedition was led by Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro, in 1531.
The conquest of the Aztec Empire
Hernán Cortés left Cuba in 1519 and headed to the coast of what is now Mexico.