page_title: Ecological imperialism
section_title: Cortes and the Aztecs
hierarchical_section_title: Ecological imperialism / Cortes and the Aztecs
caption_attribution_description: Español: Esta obra es un retrato anónimo del célebre conquistador español Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), basado en el cuadro enviado por el propio retratado a Paulo Giovio, en el que aparecía de perfil y con sombrero, sirviendo dicha obra de modelo para muchas representaciones de su busto desde el siglo XVI en adelante.
context_page_description: Ecological imperialism is the theory, advanced first by Alfred Crosby, that European settlers were successful in colonization of other regions because of their accidental or deliberate introduction of animals, plants, and disease leading to major shifts in the ecology of the colonized areas and to population collapses in the endemic peoples. The many pathogens they carried with them adversely affected the native populations of North America, Australia, and Africa, and were far more destructive than weaponry: it is estimated that disease wiped out up to 90 percent of indigenous people in some locations.
context_section_description: In the early 16th century, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés led an expedition to go to the new world, which lead them to a land to what is now known as Mexico. The interaction between the old world Spaniards and new world Aztecs, resulted in the total destruction of the Aztec Empire within just two years (February 1519 – August 1521). In spite of the Europeans' weaponry, technology and Horses, it is believed that the arrival of smallpox in the Americas in 1520 weakened the resistance the Aztecs people were able to mount. This was most likely due to the Aztec's inexperience, and little interaction with the smallpox virus.
  Even with the horses, bloodhounds, gunpowder, and steel, Cortés had a tough time with the Aztecs; Smallpox on the other hand was able to spread to those who have not been in contact with it yet, killing off many people regardless of being rich or poor; people high and low were being infected. Thus the introduction of smallpox that Cortes and his men brought with them, was the significant impact to the fall of the Aztec Empire. As most of the Spaniards have built up somewhat of an immunity to this disease; having brought it.
caption: a picture of Hernán Cortés
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