Post by Murfios on May 20, 2007 3:40:32 GMT
La Noche Triste.
-Aztec vs Spanish and Native Allice
La Noche Triste ("the sad night") was an episode in the Spanish conquest of Mexico where Hernan Cortes' expedition was nearly annihilated in the Aztec capital, and barely succeeded in escaping the Aztecs by night. The Cortés expedition arrived at Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, on November 8, 1519 and shortly thereafter had taken Moctezuma II, the Aztec Hueyi Tlatoani, captive. During the following six months, Cortés and his native allies, the Tlaxcalteca, were increasingly unwelcome guests in the capital.
In June, news from the Gulf coast reached Cortés that a much larger party of Spaniards had been sent by Governor Velázquez of Cuba to arrest Cortés for insubordination. Leaving Tenochtitlán in the care of his trusted lieutenant, Pedro de Alvarado, Cortés marched to the coast, and defeated the Cuban expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez. When Cortés told the defeated soldiers about the city of gold, Tenochtitlán, they agreed to join him.
During his absence, Alvarado led an unprovoked attack against many of the Aztec nobles in the main temple, slaughtering dozens or hundreds of them. (See The massacre in the Main Temple, Tenochtitlán.)
Upon his return in late June, Cortés found the Aztecs had elected a new Hueyi Tlatoani, Cuitláhuac. Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs besieged the palace housing the Spaniards and Moctezuma. Cortés ordered Moctezuma to speak to his people from a palace balcony and persuade them to let the Spanish return to the coast in peace. Moctezuma was jeered and stones and darts were thrown at him. He fell with what was reported as a concussion. Moctezuma died a few days later, whether from his injuries or a victim of the Spaniards, it is not known.
Under attack, with food and water in short supply, Cortés decided to break out of the city. Bridges on four of the eight causeways into the city had been removed, so a portable bridge was devised. The gold and other booty gained from the Aztecs were packed; many of the Spaniards had loaded themselves down with as much gold as they could carry. Horses' hooves were muffled.
On the night of July 1, 1520,[1] his small army left their compound and headed west, toward the Tlacopan causeway. The causeway was apparently unguarded, and the Spaniards made their way out of their complex unnoticed, winding their way through the sleeping city. Before reaching the causeway, they were noticed by Aztec warriors, who sounded the alarm.[2]
The fighting was ferocious. As the Spaniards and allies reached the causeway, hundreds of canoes appeared in the waters alongside to harry the troops. The Spaniards and their native allies fought their way across the causeway in the rain, sometimes using the portable bridge to cover the gaps, although as the battle progressed some gaps had become so filled with wreckage and bodies that the fugitives were able to walk across. In some cases, the gold and equipment so weighted down the conquistadores that they drowned.
Cortés claimed only 150 Spaniards were lost along with 2,000 native allies. Thoan Cano, another primary source, gives 1150 Spaniards dead (probably more than the total number of Spaniards) while Francisco López de Gómara, Cortés' chaplain, estimated 450 Spaniards and 4,000 allies had died.[3] Sources report that no man was left unwounded. Cortés, Alvarado and the most skilled of the men managed to fight their way out of Tenochtitlán and escape. The women survivors included María Estrada, Cortes' mistress La Malinche, Alvarado's mistress, and two of Moctezuma's daughters under Cortés's care. (A third died, apparently leaving behind her infant by Cortés, the mysterious second "María" named in his will.)
by Wikipedia.
Spanish Army: 2 Mounted Generals (Cortez and Alvarado) 3 Rodeleros, 3 Pikemen, 1 Archebusier and 3 Tatlacan Mercenaries.
Aztec: 4 Jaguar Warrior, 4 Eagle Warrior, 5 Elite Peltast, Rest of slots with Heavy Footmen
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Siege of Tenochtitlan
Main article: Siege of Tenochtitlan
The joint forces of Tlaxcala and Cortés proved to be formidable. One by one they took over most of the cities under Aztec control, some in battle, others by diplomacy. At the end, only Tenochtitlan and the neighboring city of Tlatelolco remained unconquered.
Cortés returned to Tenochtitlan and mounted a siege of the city that relied on cutting the causeways from the mainland, while controlling the lake with armed brigantines constructed by the Spanish. The siege of Tenochtitlan lasted months. The besiegers cut off the supply of food and destroyed the aqueduct carrying water to the city. Even worse, many of the inhabitants of the city were also being ravaged by the effects of smallpox, which was spreading rapidly across most of Mexico, killing hundreds of thousands. In fact, a third of the inhabitants of the entire valley died in less than six months from the new disease brought from Europe. Cannons, horse cavalry, and starvation did the rest. Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco, despite the valiant resistance, fell on August 13, 1521 when the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc, surrendered to Cortés. Still the Spaniards asked for a last tribute to secure peace: gold, food and women of fair skin. (Sahagun, Anonymous informants of Tlatelolco 1521).
The city had been almost totally destroyed by fire and cannon shot during the siege, and once it finally fell the Spanish continued its dismantlement, as they soon began to establish the foundations of what would become Mexico City on the site. Meanwhile the surviving Aztec people were forbidden to live in Tenochtitlan and the surrounding isles. The survivors went to live in Tlatelolco.
Spanish: 1 General, 5 Rodeleros, 2 cannons, 2 Muskets, rest of slots with Native alliece
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lenca's Last Stand
The Lenca's where cornered in the rugged Mountains of Yoro. As the spanish lead by Herman Cortez "starved them" deep in the tropical regions. Little did the Spanich knew that this people where acostumed to live and hunt in this wild regions. As the spanish grew restless they aproched them, scavenging the regions. Little did they know that they where expecting them, and did not hesitate to fire poison arrows on them. This is the lencas last stand, if they fail to defend it it will be mark an end to their liberty and place as humans under the spanish rule. They fight withought surrendering, just fore the mere fact that up ahead a village where their sons and wives dwell. The Lenca are under the rule of the Cacique Lempira. The heroic thing is that the Lenca won, only to be betrayed by the "surrendering spanish".
Spanish: 1 Unmounted officer (horses cannot fight there) 5 Rodeleros, 1 Negro Warriors, 4 Muskets, 1 Conquistador, 2 Pech Marksmen.
Rebels(Lenca) 2 Caciques/unmounted generals (Lempira and Nicarao) 6 Lenca Bowmen, 6 Lenca Infantry, 5 Lenca Heavy Infatry, 2 Pech warriors.
-Aztec vs Spanish and Native Allice
La Noche Triste ("the sad night") was an episode in the Spanish conquest of Mexico where Hernan Cortes' expedition was nearly annihilated in the Aztec capital, and barely succeeded in escaping the Aztecs by night. The Cortés expedition arrived at Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, on November 8, 1519 and shortly thereafter had taken Moctezuma II, the Aztec Hueyi Tlatoani, captive. During the following six months, Cortés and his native allies, the Tlaxcalteca, were increasingly unwelcome guests in the capital.
In June, news from the Gulf coast reached Cortés that a much larger party of Spaniards had been sent by Governor Velázquez of Cuba to arrest Cortés for insubordination. Leaving Tenochtitlán in the care of his trusted lieutenant, Pedro de Alvarado, Cortés marched to the coast, and defeated the Cuban expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez. When Cortés told the defeated soldiers about the city of gold, Tenochtitlán, they agreed to join him.
During his absence, Alvarado led an unprovoked attack against many of the Aztec nobles in the main temple, slaughtering dozens or hundreds of them. (See The massacre in the Main Temple, Tenochtitlán.)
Upon his return in late June, Cortés found the Aztecs had elected a new Hueyi Tlatoani, Cuitláhuac. Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs besieged the palace housing the Spaniards and Moctezuma. Cortés ordered Moctezuma to speak to his people from a palace balcony and persuade them to let the Spanish return to the coast in peace. Moctezuma was jeered and stones and darts were thrown at him. He fell with what was reported as a concussion. Moctezuma died a few days later, whether from his injuries or a victim of the Spaniards, it is not known.
Under attack, with food and water in short supply, Cortés decided to break out of the city. Bridges on four of the eight causeways into the city had been removed, so a portable bridge was devised. The gold and other booty gained from the Aztecs were packed; many of the Spaniards had loaded themselves down with as much gold as they could carry. Horses' hooves were muffled.
On the night of July 1, 1520,[1] his small army left their compound and headed west, toward the Tlacopan causeway. The causeway was apparently unguarded, and the Spaniards made their way out of their complex unnoticed, winding their way through the sleeping city. Before reaching the causeway, they were noticed by Aztec warriors, who sounded the alarm.[2]
The fighting was ferocious. As the Spaniards and allies reached the causeway, hundreds of canoes appeared in the waters alongside to harry the troops. The Spaniards and their native allies fought their way across the causeway in the rain, sometimes using the portable bridge to cover the gaps, although as the battle progressed some gaps had become so filled with wreckage and bodies that the fugitives were able to walk across. In some cases, the gold and equipment so weighted down the conquistadores that they drowned.
Cortés claimed only 150 Spaniards were lost along with 2,000 native allies. Thoan Cano, another primary source, gives 1150 Spaniards dead (probably more than the total number of Spaniards) while Francisco López de Gómara, Cortés' chaplain, estimated 450 Spaniards and 4,000 allies had died.[3] Sources report that no man was left unwounded. Cortés, Alvarado and the most skilled of the men managed to fight their way out of Tenochtitlán and escape. The women survivors included María Estrada, Cortes' mistress La Malinche, Alvarado's mistress, and two of Moctezuma's daughters under Cortés's care. (A third died, apparently leaving behind her infant by Cortés, the mysterious second "María" named in his will.)
by Wikipedia.
Spanish Army: 2 Mounted Generals (Cortez and Alvarado) 3 Rodeleros, 3 Pikemen, 1 Archebusier and 3 Tatlacan Mercenaries.
Aztec: 4 Jaguar Warrior, 4 Eagle Warrior, 5 Elite Peltast, Rest of slots with Heavy Footmen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siege of Tenochtitlan
Main article: Siege of Tenochtitlan
The joint forces of Tlaxcala and Cortés proved to be formidable. One by one they took over most of the cities under Aztec control, some in battle, others by diplomacy. At the end, only Tenochtitlan and the neighboring city of Tlatelolco remained unconquered.
Cortés returned to Tenochtitlan and mounted a siege of the city that relied on cutting the causeways from the mainland, while controlling the lake with armed brigantines constructed by the Spanish. The siege of Tenochtitlan lasted months. The besiegers cut off the supply of food and destroyed the aqueduct carrying water to the city. Even worse, many of the inhabitants of the city were also being ravaged by the effects of smallpox, which was spreading rapidly across most of Mexico, killing hundreds of thousands. In fact, a third of the inhabitants of the entire valley died in less than six months from the new disease brought from Europe. Cannons, horse cavalry, and starvation did the rest. Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco, despite the valiant resistance, fell on August 13, 1521 when the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc, surrendered to Cortés. Still the Spaniards asked for a last tribute to secure peace: gold, food and women of fair skin. (Sahagun, Anonymous informants of Tlatelolco 1521).
The city had been almost totally destroyed by fire and cannon shot during the siege, and once it finally fell the Spanish continued its dismantlement, as they soon began to establish the foundations of what would become Mexico City on the site. Meanwhile the surviving Aztec people were forbidden to live in Tenochtitlan and the surrounding isles. The survivors went to live in Tlatelolco.
Spanish: 1 General, 5 Rodeleros, 2 cannons, 2 Muskets, rest of slots with Native alliece
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lenca's Last Stand
The Lenca's where cornered in the rugged Mountains of Yoro. As the spanish lead by Herman Cortez "starved them" deep in the tropical regions. Little did the Spanich knew that this people where acostumed to live and hunt in this wild regions. As the spanish grew restless they aproched them, scavenging the regions. Little did they know that they where expecting them, and did not hesitate to fire poison arrows on them. This is the lencas last stand, if they fail to defend it it will be mark an end to their liberty and place as humans under the spanish rule. They fight withought surrendering, just fore the mere fact that up ahead a village where their sons and wives dwell. The Lenca are under the rule of the Cacique Lempira. The heroic thing is that the Lenca won, only to be betrayed by the "surrendering spanish".
Spanish: 1 Unmounted officer (horses cannot fight there) 5 Rodeleros, 1 Negro Warriors, 4 Muskets, 1 Conquistador, 2 Pech Marksmen.
Rebels(Lenca) 2 Caciques/unmounted generals (Lempira and Nicarao) 6 Lenca Bowmen, 6 Lenca Infantry, 5 Lenca Heavy Infatry, 2 Pech warriors.