Practices case study — warfare in the Spanish conquest
Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersWhat was the macuahuitl?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All 12 Flashcards — Practices case study — warfare in the Spanish conquest
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
What was the macuahuitl?
Answer
An Aztec close-combat weapon: a wooden club edged with sharp but brittle obsidian blades.
Question
Why was obsidian a weaker material than steel in combat?
Answer
Obsidian cut well but was brittle and shattered on impact with metal, while steel held its edge through repeated blows.
Question
Why were horses such a shock weapon in the conquest?
Answer
There were no horses in the Americas before the Spanish arrived, so Aztec and Inca warriors had never faced a mounted charge and had no tactics to counter one.
Question
When did smallpox reach Mexico, and what was one major effect?
Answer
In 1520; it killed huge numbers of Aztecs, including Emperor Cuitláhuac, within about 80 days of him taking the throne.
Question
How did smallpox affect the Inca Empire before Pizarro's arrival?
Answer
It killed Emperor Huayna Capac around 1527, leaving no clear heir and triggering a civil war between his sons Atahualpa and Huáscar.
Question
Who were the Tlaxcalans and why did they ally with Cortés?
Answer
A powerful indigenous people who resisted Aztec domination; after early fighting with Cortés, they allied with the Spanish against their old enemy, the Aztecs.
Question
What role did Tlaxcalan warriors play in the fall of Tenochtitlan?
Answer
They supplied the large numbers of warriors needed to besiege the city — without this alliance, the small Spanish force likely could not have taken it.
Question
Who was Malinche and why did she matter to Cortés?
Answer
An enslaved woman fluent in Nahuatl and Maya who worked as Cortés's interpreter and adviser, helping him negotiate alliances such as the one with Tlaxcala.
Question
What happened at Cajamarca in 1532?
Answer
Pizarro invited Inca emperor Atahualpa to a meeting, then ambushed his lightly-armed escort, killed thousands, and captured Atahualpa.
Question
Why was capturing the ruler such an effective tactic against these empires?
Answer
Both empires were highly centralised, so seizing or killing the ruler (as with Atahualpa, executed 1533) could paralyse the whole state's ability to organise resistance.
Question
Compare the fall of the Aztec Empire and the fall of the Inca Empire.
Answer
Aztec: Cortés (1519) used Tlaxcalan alliances and a siege of Tenochtitlan (1521), with smallpox killing Cuitláhuac. Inca: Pizarro (1532) exploited a smallpox-triggered civil war and captured Atahualpa at Cajamarca (executed 1533).
Question
What three practices best explain the outcome of the Spanish conquest?
Answer
Superior technology (steel, horses, gunpowder), the devastating impact of Old World disease (smallpox), and alliances with indigenous peoples like the Tlaxcalans, combined with decisive leadership.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Practices case study — warfare in the Spanish conquest
Topic 11.2 hub
Practices and impact on outcome
More from Topic 11.2
All flashcards in this topic
History exam skills
Paper structures & tips
Track your progress with spaced repetition
Sign up free — Aimnova tells you exactly which cards to review and when, so you remember everything before your IB exam.
Start Free