How did the Colonization of America Happen? (1492 - 1592)

♦How did the Colonization of America Actually Happen? (1492 - 1592)

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#History #Documentary

[Ronaldog]

The video starts with completely incorrect information: Christopher Columbus did not offer the Portuguese Kings to go west to find new lands. The offer was to sail west to reach India, which was denied by the Portuguese because they already knew that the shortest route was down the Atlantic and around Africa.

[Tusiriakest]

“In 1500 this was unknown by the Portuguese”… sure… thats why the Portuguese king refused two previous proposals of Spain to set the line that far west.

[HSingingTree]

10:57 Cortes's main tool was his leadership. He managed to unite all the rebellious and unhappy natives under Aztec rule against them. His army was primarily composed of the people of the Tlaxcala Republic, along with Totonac and other rebellious native tribes, not Spanishmen. Cannons helped but Cortes couldn't have done it without Tlaxcala (his army was nearly decimated at Tlaxcala, which was already one of the poorer states at the time due to constant warfare with the Aztecs)
12:25 His kidnapping of the Inca emperor is probably the luckiest part of it...
12:32 They did have reply. The Inca had slingshots and Boleadoras (kind of like hand catapults) that when fired would be lit on fire too. Imagine you're a Spanish soldier, your horses failing to work on the Incan stairs, and fire started raining from the sky. Their arrival right at the conclusion of the devastating Incan Civil War and a smallpox epidemic, along with their kidnapping of Atahualpa was what ensured the Incan fall, not just advanced European technology.
13:36 A decade earlier was the De Soto expedition, when Spaniards tried to mimic Cortes and Pizarro, but the various american Paramount Kingdoms like Joara, Cofitachequi, Quigultam and Ocute stood firm unlike the Inca and Aztecs in the face of the "more advanced europeans"

[maximusjackassicus]

One thing I don't like when people discuss the conquest of the Aztec empire, some historians make it out that a few hundred Spaniards armed with guns that could only fire once a minute conquered an empire of hundreds of thousands of people. Many historians gloss over the fact that the Aztecs were monsters, violent and brutal conquerors in their own right, who held entire tribes as enslaved peoples or as vassals, performed mass human sacrifices. All this led to the Aztecs being HATED by nearly every single tribe in Mexico and those tribes saw the Spaniards as a chance to destroy their oppressors and hundreds of thousands of natives joined the Spaniards in hope of destroying the Aztecs and freeing themselves from Aztec tyranny.

Don't get me wrong, those native allies themselves were also destroyed by European diseases so it didn't work out well for them in the end either. Still we shouldn't look at the Aztecs as some peaceful happy people or innocent babes in the woods, the Aztecs were monsters and because of that they were hated by ALL their neighbors.

[sergiomorcillo]

You forgot that the Spanish conquistadors made alliances with the native tribes to conquer those territories. Also except in the Caribbean islands, slavery en Spanish viceroyaltys was anecdotic.

[teviottilehurst]

Britain and England aren't interchangeable. Up until 1707, it was England. After unification with Scotland, the kingdom of Great Britain was established. From 1707, it was the British.

[HectorGutz]

From 1492 to 1600, there were no English, Dutch or French influence in the Americas, except for their hired pirates. Old Spanish maps show that Florida went all the way to Delaware, to Tennessee, down to what is today, Louisiana.

[MajoraZ]

I do posts + consulting on Mesoamerican history: I agree with other comments that the video should have mentioned how allied native armies enabled Spanish conquests (which were arguably more Mesoamerican then they were Spanish, with local kings calling the shots or manipulating Conquistadors, not just supplying troops), but basically every other comment pointing out oversights also makes notable errors in their own right (EX: that Cortes got allies due to the Aztec being hated/oppressive, which is mostly a misconception, and the truth is way more interesting), including repeating some of the same problems the video has (calling those allied groups "tribes" instead of city-states/kingdoms). So here's a bunch of corrections & clarifications for both the videos and other commentors.

Firstly, even just focusing on the Spanish side of things, this skips over some notable events and people. For example, before Cortes's expedition in 1519 into Mesoamerica, there were expeditions in 1517 and 1518 which did not go as well, beaten badly by armies from Maya states, though they, especially the latter, did give Spanish officials some knowledge of the mainland and that there might be rich, more complex societies there then in Cuba (One Spanish source remarked with amazement that the natives on the mainland "wore clothes"). This also gave Mesoamerican societies some knowledge of the Spanish: news of the Spanish spread through the Aztec spy network at least this early, and there is some evidence that the Aztec were aware of the Spanish even back in the 1510s

Next, to loop back to my point about "tribes": This is a term both the video and other comments use in reference to Mesoamerican cultures here, and it's simply wrong. What is generally considered Mesoamerica's first city dates back to 1400BC, or almost 3000 years before Spanish contact. In the same valley that later became the core of the Aztec Empire, but 1000 years prior in the Roman period, Teotihuacan was a major city with a giant ~18 sqkm planned urban grid, 100, 000+ denizens (+ more space/people in its suburbs), almost all of whom lived in fancy palaces akin to Roman villas with dozens of rooms, open courtyards, painted frescos and even some toilets. The city could even fill a huge arena with water for rituals ala the Roman colosseum. Tlaxcala, one of Cortes's main allied states, had ~36, 000 denizens (around the size of the largest cities of Castilian Spain at the time) in the city proper with more in it's extended kingdom, and was ruled by a formal senate, and the city is described as Cortes as "...so great and marvelous...it's provisions...and...shops...as well arranged in any...in the world...they behave as people of sense and reason...".

On that note about Tlaxcala, let's segue into talking more about those allies that Cortes made then here:

As I said, the idea that Cortes got those alliances due to the Aztec being oppressive and hated as a result is largely a misconception. The reality is that Mexica (the denizens of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, tho there's nuances with terms and the structure of the "empire" i'm skipping over) were absolutely militaristic conquerors and may not have been beloved, their rule was quite hands off: the lack of draft animals and the difficult terrain meant that most Mesoamerican states opted for indirect, hegemonic style political networks rather then directly governed imperial structures, and the Aztec Empire was not an exception, actually they were arguably more hands off then some other major powers (like the Purepecha, who DID have a direct imperial model)

States conquered by the Mexica usually kept their existing kings/senators/etc, laws, customs etc: they just had to pay annual taxes of economic goods (NOT usually people as slaves or sacrifices: the Mexica collected these during conquests, not typically as annual taxes. Sacrificing war captives was also something everybody did, even the Tlaxcalteca), provide military aid, put up a shrine to the patron Mexica deity, and not undermine Mexica political interests, especially with trade and tax collection. Some states even joined the empire voluntarily for better trade access, protection, or to hopefully get political marriages and status

Rather then tyranny, it was ironically this loose system that causes Cortes to get allies: Since subject and voluntary vassal states retained their own agency to manage themselves and make decisions, as well as their own political identity, interests, and ambitions, it enabled opportunistic secessions, side switching, backstabbing, and coups (especially forming alliances to do all those things) as a method to gain or retain political power. If you don't lose much by being a subject anyways, then a great strategy is to pledge yourself to some other state, then work together to take out your rivals or capital when/if they're vulnerable or there's political instability, and then you kick back in a position of high status within the new kingdom or empire you helped prop up

This is what happened with Cortes, and was simply business as usual in Mesoamerica. And while Cortes did knowingly try to play local powers against one another, he too was being used and manipulated by local kings and officials: the Totonacs of Cempoala complained about heavy Aztec taxes and asked for his help to get rid of a nearby Aztec fort, but that "fort" was really the rival Totonac city of Tzinpantzinco. After the ruse was found out, Cempoala's forces basically ditched the Conquistadors to get attacked in Tlaxcalteca territory, by most accounts it was the Conquistadors who were desperate for the Tlaxcalteca to spare and ally with them, which they narrowly (Other senators had eventually convince Xicotencatl II to allow it) decided to do to use the Spanish against the Mexica (Tlaxcala was NOT an Aztec subject, but an enemy state the Mexica were at war with and trying to conquer: So they specifically did resent Mexica aggression). But even the Tlaxcalteca were trying to gain power and used the Conquistadors to install a puppet government in Cholula (after it had recently switched from a Tlaxcalteca to an Aztec ally) en route to Tenochtitlan

The entire reason the Conquistadors even were able to enter Tenochtitlan was this system: Rather then Cortes being seen as a god by Moctezuma II (Cortes himself deconfirms this), it was that Moctezuma refusing entry would be seen as cowardice and vulnerability and might incite secessions or opportunistic alliances. Letting them in would signal that Moctezuma was unafraid and still in control, and also meant Cortes could be watched and couldn't mingle and conspire with rival leaders. Inviting foreign kings and diplomats to marvel at your city's opulence and to intimidate them with sacrifice ceremonies of the soldiers you defeated was also normal part of courting subjects or allies: Cortes and some of his men were even given noblewomen as attempted political marriages, and Cortes may have been kept similar to the way the Mexica had princes of foreign kings around as attendants and servants (as well as a variety of animals and plants and foreign artifacts and art) as an act of dominance and control and to, again, impress upon them Mexica power

It's only after the massacre of unarmed nobles during Toxcatl, Moctezuma II's death, the Spanish/Tlaxcalteca victory at Otumba, then the Smallpox outbreak that devastated Tenochtitlan; that Cortes gets sustained alliances with states inside the Aztec Empire: At this point Tenochtitlan was vulnerable and couldn't project authority. In fact, the allies they gained were mostly core states who, to a degree, BENEFITTED from their close political marriages with Mexica royalty and the taxes brought into their valley. Those benefits were now jeopardized and they had less to lose and more to gain by turning on it. Personal ambition was also a factor: Ixtlilxochitl II previously lost a war of succession to rule Texcoco (the second most powerful Aztec city) when the Mexica backed a different heir, and he and his followers joined the Conquistadors and Tlaxcalteca. On the flip side, many states still stayed loyal (the rest of Texcoco's realm sided with the Mexica; Xochimilco initially defended the Mexica, but was defeated and forced to switch sides etc), and the vast majority simply stayed neutral to see who won

On that note, the video glosses over those other states and their integration into the Spanish Empire: As I noted, basically every culture in or around the "Aztec Empire" (which itself was more a network of quasi-independent states) were city-states, kingdoms, or empires (such as the Purepecha Empire, the Kingdom of Tututepec, Tlaxcala and Cholula etc) but the map shows none of their territories or labels any beyond the Maya, and shows everything being swallowed up by Spain in a few years. In reality, it would take many decades for all of these to be conquered, or for them to actually recognize Spanish authority (rather then Spain merely claiming to rule them) and started to pay taxes. In some cases areas weren't conquered for centuries: The last Maya kingdoms only fell in 1697! Much of those subsequent conquests were also enabled by alliances ( the kingdom of Tehuantepec allied with the Spanish take out Tututepec, the Iximche did it to beat the Kiche, etc) or relied on subject Mesoamerican armies/supplies, and even in campaigns in other parts of the world: Most of the men in Coronado expedition up into Kansas in the 1540s were soldiers from Central Mexican states, and some Spaniards in that expedition still used Mesoamerican armor and helmets. Some Mesoamerican soldiers even fought in the Philippines

I'd recommend people watch DJPeachCobbler's trio of Aztec videos, which I helped with. The videos themselves focus the most on the Spanish political side of things, but does touch on the Mesoamerican ones, and I have comments on each video which delve more into that

[AboveAllRanks]

Came to the comments to learn from all of the expert historians correcting the video.

[edcasado]

Proudly born and partly raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The oldest existing settlement in the Americas. Where the clash of civilizations started in this side of the world. Cortez and Ponce de Leon both sailed from modern-day DR en route to colonizing Mexico and Puerto Rico. It's crazy to think that all these events had to happen for us to find ourselves in this moment in time.

Today the Dominican people are a beautiful mix of races - European, African and Taino.

Long live the Dominican Republic and the entire Hispanic American community of 420+ million

[Ciech_mate]

I know it's not you it's in YTs contracts but the amount of ads I am getting is ridiculous. It's worse that tv

[javifranciscojose]

This is such a generalized and simplified view with so many flaws, it's ridiculous how little of the information is actually thorough.

[enriquebarriere]

Historians have often pondered why it took the Spanish eight years to travel from Cuba to Mexico, especially when Mexico was significantly closer than returning to Spain. Some scholars suggest that the Spanish were unable to successfully invade and conquer the region for those eight years due to strong resistance from the Aztecs. However, this prolonged struggle is not reflected in the official narrative, which tends to present the Spanish conquest as swift and decisive. Notably, Balboa reached Panama just two years later, in 1513. I believe the Aztecs did resist for eight years, but this aspect of history was likely omitted from textbooks because, as the saying goes, the victors write the official story.

[henryytb]

Nice video. As a dominican fan of history I always try for people to realize that during the first half Century América actually meant the city of Santo Domingo, currently the capital of the Dominican Republic (Dominican means people from Santo Domingo). All of the main spanish conquerors lived in the city. All the expeditions parted from the city. The evidence Is the amount of taíno words universally used such as hamaca (Hammock), hurricane, barbecue, etc.

[freefree]

The Algonquin are NOT from S. Carolina, they're from Canada!

[ATF]

Just few clarifications:
1. There's no such thing as "the americas" but America. America is a continent, not a country.
2. The Spanish didn't took over their share of America just because they had better technology, they formed alliances with numerous indigenous populations who were fed up of aztecs and incas.
3. It wasn't the Pope the only one who forbid to enslave the natives, the Spanish Kings did it too. Natives in the Spanish America were considered Spanish as well.

[joeshar.]

Treaty of Tordesillas line was covering slightly little land for Portuga. After Cabral's discovery of Brazil and expading the colonized land, Spain has accepted to shift the line to the west (as shown in the video).

In return, Spain got Phillipines in Treaty of Zaragoza.

[ZEMAHistory]

This video provides a clear and well-structured overview of one of the most transformative—and tragic—eras in world history. The period from 1492 to 1592 saw the beginning of European colonization in the Americas, and the video does a great job explaining the motivations behind it, the major powers involved (especially Spain and Portugal), and the devastating consequences for Indigenous populations.

[zaiologyy]

So super cool, love the icons & simplicity ! Thx

[Bellephrontos]

England did not have a strong navy in the 16th century.. i can't believe I'm listening to this